n, it seemed, like a tent. There
was now so much lightning it looked more like an aurora than an
electric storm.

The dawn earth, before life, spending itself in fury....

All at once Marcia was running down toward the edge of the water,
where the helicopter was. She ran screaming and shouting but the
thunder swallowed her puny voice. At every moment she expected Adam
Slade to kill her, to merely stand up with the M-gun and shoot her,
but he did not and perhaps her unconscious mind in the instant she had
fled had instinctively known he would not. For if Adam Slade killed
her, he had no hostage. If he killed her and they found him, he would
have absolutely no chance.

She turned and looked behind her. There was Slade, silhouetted against
the lightning, running, covering the ground in huge strides, gaining
on her. She did not look back again. The whole world was lightning and
thunder and her legs striking earth under her, up and down, up and
down, pounding, running, fleeing, and the rain, Slade's ally, beating
her, buffeting her, exploding against her.

She stumbled and fell but she was up and running again in a moment.
Now Slade was very close. But the helicopter was close too. She did
not think the men there had seen them yet. She waved her arms and
screamed although she knew the screams would not be heard--and then
Slade was on her.

They went down together and she knew she was frail and helpless before
his great strength. He grabbed her, his hands, angry hands on her
throat--

And lightning struck.

It bounded and bounced off rock a dozen feet from them. It shook the
earth and blasted the rock and pieces like shrapnel cluttered all
around them and struck them too and Marcia felt hot blood on her arm
and it was her own blood.

But Slade had been momentarily stunned and she was running again. Away
from him.

But away from the helicopter too. At first she did not realize that
but when she did realize it, it was too late. If she doubled back now,
she would rush into Slade's arms.

She ran--into the sea.

It was suddenly, unexpectedly calm. It merely eddied around her
ankles, as if waiting for something. The storm seemed to be waiting
too, lightning holding back, the thunder stilled, even the rain
hanging there in the black heavy sky, waiting....

Slade came after her, stalking through the surf.

A single bolt of lightning lanced down at them and a great engulfing
roar lifted Marcia, carried her, stunned