"Watch the screen above my head."I'm no Frank Capra. The scene showed one of the DECO Marines, Private Juan Martin, opening a medical tube. The girl i...side screamed and attacked the Marine, biting and scratching and kicking and punching. The girl was a fraction of the Marine's size, less than a quarter of his mass, but she laid him out on the deck and was in the process of killing him when a stinger slumped her against her victim."Hillary attacked a sponsor." I said. Hell, Hillary all but. Zax felt as if the world froze and even his mind was going at a snail pace.A gradual high pitched wail penetrated through the silence, steadily getting louder and louder while reverberating from every direction.On the cruise ship and fishing boat the mantles with four wings bird shapes pulsated as if coming to life. As for the passengers of each vessel, by their expression they seemed to be less influenced by the wail. Most covered their ears, others did not mind, while on all were plastered. As the new girl in the group, Julia had been subjected to a few practical jokes over the weekend. One of these involved all of the girls disappearing on the first night and them making enough noise to wake Julia. Then, after she had searched the dark cabin and found everyone gone, they had all jumped out of a closet and given her a good scare. This might be her chance to return the joke on Brandy and Sabrina.Tiptoeing to the back room, Julia had to suppress the urge to giggle. She had been. You have never seen one before," it wasn't a question.Sister Lucia took the knout in her right hand and lashed it over her left shoulder on to her back. She did feel it land, but it didn't really hurt."Sister Lucia," Monsignor Flavin's voice was full of tender solicitude, "You will have to strike much harder than that. Moreover it is a time-honoured tradition that scourging is applied to bare flesh." You mean I am to..." her voice trailed off."My child, I do not say this for my own.