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Faller

Page 35

by Will McIntosh


  Penny and two other crewmembers had begun unloading food and medicine. Over Daisy’s shoulder, Faller spotted a bewildered-looking Asian woman at the edge of the crowd. She took an unsteady step forward.

  “Hello, Kathleen.”

  “Peter?” One of her hands was moving frantically at her side.

  “I’ll answer to that name, but I prefer Faller.”

  Kathleen bolted toward him open-armed, and just about crushed his still-screaming ribs with a hug.

  Ugo stepped out of the Harrier, his arms full of supplies. Kathleen shrieked, backpedaled half a dozen steps.

  Ugo frowned, confused by her reaction.

  “Don’t worry about him,” Faller said. “He’s fine. Go ahead, Ugo.”

  “She startled me,” Ugo grumbled as he set the boxes down and went back inside the Harrier for more.

  “What’s going on?” Kathleen said. “Is it safe now? How do you know my real name?”

  “I don’t know about safe. Definitely safer. And I know your name because I bumped into Melissa on my way down. She’s back at our HQ. She says hi.”

  Kathleen lowered her voice. “What is he doing here?”

  “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Melissa told me that—I didn’t come up with it myself.”

  Faller put an arm across Daisy’s shoulder. “You want to take a ride with us, once we’re finished here?”

  “Oh, sure.”

  “You’re going to live with me and Storm. Plus you have a brother and two sisters to keep you company.” He looked at Kathleen. “You, too. We need your help. We’re getting the band back together.”

  Faller looked up at the skyscraper. It made him dizzy and a little queasy to stare up that sheer, towering wall. He couldn’t believe he’d actually jumped off it wearing a homemade parachute. But then again, he could.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Will McIntosh is a Hugo Award winner and Nebula finalist. Along with six novels, he has published around fifty short stories in Lightspeed, Asimov’s Science Fiction, numerous Year’s Best anthologies, and elsewhere. He lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, with his wife and their wildly energetic twins. You can sign up for email updates here.

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter I

  Chapter 9

  Chapter II

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter III

  Chapter 12

  Chapter IV

  Chapter 13

  Chapter V

  Chapter 14

  Chapter VI

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter VII

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter VIII

  Chapter 19

  Chapter IX

  Chapter 20

  Chapter X

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter XI

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter XII

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter XIII

  Chapter 27

  Chapter XIV

  Chapter 28

  Chapter XV

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter XVI

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter XVII

  Chapter 33

  Chapter XVIII

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter XIX

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter XX

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter XXI

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter XXII

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter XXIII

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter XXIV

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter XXV

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter XXVI

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter XXVII

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  About the Author

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  FALLER

  Copyright © 2016 by Will McIntosh

  All rights reserved.

  Cover photograph by Mark Owen/Arcangel Images

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates

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  New York, NY 10010

  www.tor-forge.com

  Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-0-7653-8355-6 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4668-9246-0 (e-book)

  e-ISBN 9781466892460

  Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

  First Edition: October 2016

 

 

 


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