None of them inspire confidence but that’s all there had been. All the way up, the climb had been like that. Loose, slippery and poorly protected. L...ttle chance of falling, but if you did……. ‘I can do this…’ Holding on with his left hand he extends his right leg outwards and upwards until it’s placed on the outer of the two small edges. leaning into the wall he lets go with his left hand and leans across to lock the fingertips of his right hand into the indentation. He’s breathing hard now, but. "This might be a case where half a loaf is worse than none."Kalea smiled back. "Indeed. We definitely managed to close the Earth side of the bubble. Probably the first time that's happened in six million years. The polarity of the core bubble is reversed too. Opening to Aina is the only possibility now." Yes, and we still have a huge number of things to try. Don't despair."Kalea took a moment to kiss her husband. "I'll never despair Hiapo, with you by my side." By the light of their batteries,. There is blood all over him and on pipe. I think he will kill me and I am happy that I will finally die, but he does not hit me. He say, ‘Get out! Run away!’ I say I must bury my Sophia, but he push me out the door and say I must go, so I go. I see man lying on floor by door. Upstairs I see woman dead in chair when I go through kitchen to back door. I am so weak from hunger that I don’t know if I can take next step, but I walk for I don’t know how long until a man put me in his car and take me. . I'd take it as a personal favor if..." If he stopped breathing sometime soon?" Nick asked, his voice sad."Yes ... yes ... but only after he's endured much pain." Consider it done ... and thank you for all your help, Aunt Tattie. I don't know how we would've gotten through this without you. Anything you need, anything you want, you just ask." I will ... now to go look in on the last few of my little darlin's and then I'm going to have one of your boy's drive me home ... I'm afraid I'm a little.