Shadow Puppets

It will hurt." said Petra. "But let's make the most of what we have, and not let future pain ruin present happiness.

So you love me," said Petra softly when the kiss ended. I'm a raging mass of hormones thet I'm too young to understand," said Bean. "You're a female of a closely related species. According to all the best primatologists, I really have no choice." That's nice," she said...

Mom," said Peter, "nobody thinks you're a lackwit, if that's what you're worried about." Lackwit? In what musty drawer of some dead English professor's dust-covered desk did you find that word? I assure you that never in my worst nightmares did I ever suppose that I was a lackwit.

Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.

Besides," said Suriyawong. "This was not a rescue operation." "What was it, target practice? Chinese skeet?" "An offer of transportation to an invited guest of the Hegemon," said Suriyawong. "And the loan of a knife." Achilles held up the bloody thing, dangling it from the point. "Yours?" he asked. "Unless you want to clean it," said Suriyawong. Achillese handed it to him. Suriyawong took out his cleaning kit and wiped down the blade, then began to polish it. "You wanted me to die," said Achilles quietly. "I expected you to solve your own problems," said Suriyawong.

But if you caught my informant,' said Achilles, 'why in the world would Chamrajnagar—or Graff, if it was him—launch the shuttle anyway? Was catching me doing something naughty so important they’d risk a shuttle and it’s crew just to catch me? I find that quite… flattering. Sort of like winning the Nobel Prize for scariest villain.

But it was not the boyish grin she had known when he bounded along the low-gravity inner corridors of Battle School. This smile had weariness in it, and old fears long mastered but still present. It was the smile of wisdom.

What kind of rescue is this, where you toss the prisoner a knife and stand and wait to see what happens?

You accomplish exactly as much as the people who serve you decide you'll accomplish, and nothing more.

In the end it was only Peter who had something he could say from the heart. "Am I the only one here who sees something of himself in the man who's lying inside this box?" No one had an answer for him, either yes or no.

But what kind of race is it, when the racers never let go of each other's hands, and the winner pulls the loser laughing over the finish line?

Still, it’s better to believe that some high purpose guides our steps than to think that nothing matters except our own small miseries and happinesses.

As they say, a word to the wise is sufficient. And here I’ve gone and written five paragraphs.

I know you!' She insisted. 'No you don't. But that's all right, because I don't know me either, let alone you. We never understand anybody, not even ourselves.

The only people who think children are carefree are the ones who’ve forgotten their own childhood.

Of course, he didn't know anything about these Indonesians, or why they would have been there at this moment to save his life, but the fact that they had guns and weren't firing them at him implied that for the moment, at least, they were his dearest friends.

Unless he’s really clever,” said Theresa. “Smarter than us?” said Peter. He and John Paul looked at each other. Then both of them shook their heads, said, “Naw,” and then burst out laughing.

I’m on his death list, too.” “Then why are you still alive?” asked Peter. “Because, contrary to widespread belief, Achilles is not a genius and he makes mistakes.

How many times are you two going to have to save me from myself before this whole drama runs its course?” asked Peter. “I think…six times,” said Father. “No, eight,” said Mother. “You two think you’re so cute,” said Peter. “Mm-hm.” “Yep.

my courage is nothing but borrowed courage.” “Not borrowed,” said Mother. “Stored up. In us. Like a bank. We’ve seen your courage and we saved some for you when you temporarily ran out and needed some of it back.” “Cash flow problem, that’s all it was,” said Father.

The future happiness of the human race depends on good people who want to live at peace with their neighbors, and who are willing to protect their neighbors from those who don’t want peace.

If you think that,” said Bean, “you’re an idiot.” “Actually, I do think that, and I’m not an idiot.

Petra looked at him as if he were an annoying child. “You really are dim,” she said. “I know he’s dangerous,” said Peter. “That’s why we have to be very careful how we handle this.” “Listen to him,” said Petra. “Saying ‘we.’” “There’s no ‘we,’” said Bean. “Good luck.” Still holding Petra’s hand, Bean started for the forest. Petra had only a moment to wave cheerily at Peter and then she was beside Bean, jogging toward the trees.

Maybe we’re assigning Achilles supernatural powers,” said Petra. “He isn’t a god. Not even a hero. Just a sick kid.” “No,” said Bean. “I’m a sick kid. He’s the devil.” “Well, so,” said Petra, “maybe the devil’s a sick kid.

So you’re coming along with me, increasing our risk of being identified and allowing Achilles to get his two worst nemeses with one well-placed bomb, in order to save my life?

When Achilles is most useful and loyal to you, that is when he has most certainly betrayed you”?

To have Achilles’s gratitude was clearly a terminal disease.

looking down at the Chinese officer who was trying to gather his entrails with his hands. Suriyawong had the irrational thought that the man ought really to wash his organs before jamming them back into his abdomen. It was so unsanitary.

You’re a strange kind of boy,” said Achilles. “I was not tested for normality before I was entrusted with this mission,” said Suriyawong. “But I have no doubt that I would fail such a test.

You make her sound—what?—mentally deficient?” “Yes. She was incapable of holding on to malice. A serious defect.