Amanda also came shortly before, and then lay down next to me on the floor, getting her sleep as we snuggled together. I lost track of everyone else, ...ue to my exhaustion, but I knew that the AI would catch anything important or dangerous, anyway.“Wake up, Master! We only have an hour until morning mess!” Marian woke me up, causing me to stir groggily, knowing that we only had a short time to shower and prepare, “Sorry, didn’t mean to get bossy. But it’s hard to break manager’s habits at. Besides, Doug stayed with me and we sat sipping Glenfiddich until quite late, reminiscing."You know, Ted," he commented after a while, "Kathy and you had a good marriage, and you obviously loved each other. Nobody could have cared more for her towards the end and I know losing her was a blow..."I looked at him, nodded, and wondered where he was going."This isn't a criticism," he said, "it's a comment. You and Helen seem to have something more, though, don't you think?" Yes," I said, "I do think. I got my breath, sheathed my bayonet and loaded my musket. The whole fight probably had not lasted five minutes, and we heard a bit of desultory firing back where it had begun and then silence."They seldom take prisoners, I'd guess."She nodded. "Except women." Yes, that's true," I said, feeling a shudder pass through me."Now what?" she said, sitting back on her thick haunches and buttoning her shirt."What do your people do, just scatter?" I asked.She nodded and clamped her lips together. "We go. That evening, cable news stations broadcast from Blakely, much like they had the previous three nights, but with one huge difference. While downtown was very crowded, there was very little animosity and only minor disputes. The people from Lady in Red Productions were shown interacting with the locals. Steve and Jared could be seen showing some older teens various football techniques and training methods. Steve entertained the crowd by throwing long passes to six different young men that played.