Heaven's Fall by David S. Goyer, Michael Cassutt Page A

had long ago compared Sentry heads to “dolphins with no snouts,” which, once Yahvi finally saw a dolphin, made no sense, except for the skin color; there were too many angles and gill-like organs in that head to look like friendly terrestrial sea mammals. “I have the sea, I have nourishment, I am momentarily content.”
    Behind Zeds, Yahvi could see a pool of some kind—Sentries had dozens of words for water or aquatic environments in their own language, but fell back on “sea” for everything from bathtub to ocean when using English—as well as a large mat that was probably intended as a bed, and a table on which several large bowls rested. They seemed to be half-filled with some kind of bubbling stew.
    “How are the schemes progressing?” Zeds said, a sentence that caused Rachel to wince and Pav to laugh a little too loudly. “Our planned recovery is going quite well, thanks to my father and his team.”
    Yahvi wanted to laugh, too. What was the big deal? Zeds was fluent in English! So what if he occasionally used the wrong word!
    Sometimes her parents acted crazy.
    After that odd exchange, little was said. Rachel and Pav seemed relieved when Xavier arrived. “Sanjay,” he said, in his typically abrupt manner.
    “What about him?” Pav said. Yahvi knew that Rachel was not a fan of Xavier’s and avoided speaking to him whenever possible.
    “Still alive, out of surgery, critical condition.”
    “How did you find out?”
    “Kaushal.” Xavier smiled with tiny teeth that Yahvi found creepy. “I had to encourage him a little, to share.”
    As they left Zeds, hoping to see Sanjay, Yahvi turned to Rachel. “What was the big deal with what Zeds was saying? You guys act like he was making trouble!”
    Rachel grabbed Yahvi’s arm so firmly it hurt. “We discussed this, Yahvi. We have to operate as if we are being watched and listened to everywhere!”
    Yahvi jerked her arm away. “I know that! So what? We don’t have anything to hide! We just want to get Sanjay well and get out of here, right?”
    She glanced at her father—he was usually her supporter in daughter-mother disputes. But not this time; Pav Radhakrishnan was making a supreme effort to discuss something with Xavier.
    The argument lasted only a moment; all their best arguments did. Yahvi simply glared, partly out of shame, partly because she had nothing she could say.
    Rachel, as always, played the magnanimous victor. “I’m sorry. It’s unfair to put this pressure on you. Try to relax.” She smiled. “And I’ll try, too.”
    So things were okay, but only for a moment. Yes, Yahvi was on Earth. Big deal. She missed her friends. She missed being around anyone her own age.
    She wanted out of this stupid hospital.

ACTION REPORT
INS Mysore, 13 April 2040
At approximately 0024 hours IST while on station lat 7°7"5' N, long 78°0"2' E, launch of an unidentified anti-aircraft missile observed from location 11 km WSW.
Launcher appeared to be a submarine, likely U.S. in origin, operating outside territorial waters.
Target was Object 2040-A, as designated by ISTRAC, which was descending from infinite altitude (orbital reentry velocity and trajectory) en route toward Bangalore.
The warhead detonated and Object 2040-A appeared to sustain damage, but insufficient to cause loss of control.
No communication was attempted. The submarine evaded surveillance and its current location is unknown.
LT. CDR. ASHOK SINGH, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

RACHEL
    Rachel’s long-awaited contact with Keanu began with a sharp pain in her head, a throbbing that began above her right eye and spread across her ear and down her neck. It was so sharp and debilitating that it distorted the vision in her right eye and forced her to lean against the nearest wall.
    The only good thing about the timing was that she was alone, on her way back from a “tour” of the Adventure crew’s “living quarters” inside the Yelahanka base hospital. Pav had let her handle this issue—“I can