It was a small gathering and Mike had a great time chatting and drinking with some of his friends from work and his family. Nancy and Mary did each ma...e a short appearance, but both left soon afterward with their boyfriends and neither were around as midnight approached. At the stoke of midnight the various couples exchanged kisses and Mike and Lily, with neither having a date, gave each other a quick kiss. Mike looked over at his parents and saw them locked in a deep tongue kiss.The party. Standing up again, he gingerly pulled it down the hall, even more slowly than before. When he got to the lintel of the guest suite at the end, Mike decided not to tempt fate, and lifted the bag up by the bottom; he gently laid it down on the floor, and gave a quiet crow of triumph.His elation was cut short by the tik-tik-tik-tiktiktik-tiktiktiktiktik of the zipper's teeth as they all gave way in a cascading failure. He didn't even have time to curse before the top of the bag was pushed open by. Based on Zeb’s few recollections of Blue Hand, if one could focus the mind, the magic would follow. Porter settled himself down to meditate and focus.He had become accustomed to the tingling across his body and felt as if something was missing when he could not sense it. Porter learned that he could send waves of sensation up and down his limbs if he concentrated, but beyond that he was at a loss. His therapist had always recommended meditation as a method for relieving anxiety, but he had. He'd let the assault team commander worry about how much farther his troops must go to reach their objective.The base camp was operational, the men fed, and the first shift of workers bedded down within the first 24 hours. All their equipment was found, unpacked and checked, and the engines started. Auxiliary generators droned in the darkness.Porta-hut Two was filled with the mercenary assault squads commanded by Captain Hopkins. The combined helicopter fleet from the two ships ferried the.