themselves. One of your friends makes a mistake, you might go down too. So you keep an eye on each other. These Sons of Man are trying to do the same thing to the entire Islamic world. Take them to the police yourself. If you think about it, it's probably the only effective way to keep terrorist actions under control. From within." "Decimation." Pasquini looked impressed. "Well, you have to hand it to the Romans. They weren't joking. How did they decide which poor bastards got the ax with the traitor?" Keane shot his partner a teasing expression as he pocketed his phone. "This is the story of your people, Pasquini, you should know. It was random, they drew lots." "Eh." Pasquini put another Lifesaver in his mouth. "It doesn't seem very fair. I think I'd like to talk to my military recruiter about this." "The Romans didn't care about what's right, they cared about what works. This is how you become Roman, friend. "Right. Right was what bureaucrats and lawyers fought about. Right was a unicorn. Right was the rules of engagement that went out the window the moment you saw your friend's severed arm lying in a ditch next to the burned Humvee that you were both riding in. The fair was for the civilians who were tasked with getting things done when lives and empires hung in the balance, the soldiers and Caesars of the world: they had no time for luxuries like the just And sometimes the right obstructed justice. How many times had Keane seen evil dodge justice because only one side was supposed to play fair? Keane and Pasquini reached the top together. Stretched out beneath them and stretching for miles, thousands and thousands of candles flickering, some kind of vigil in support of who? .this terrible mess.Keane continued to lie on top of the blue hoodie, belly to belly, with the gun pointed at the man's temple. He sat up a little and looked: blood everywhere. Blue Hood's face was covered in it. How much of that is my own blood? The thought came to him with a strange detachment. He felt nothing, and he knew that this might have been the initial shock. On stage, Bayley finally caught a glimpse of what was happening and instinctively backed away from the brawl. There was a look of horror on his face now. A young girl with pigtails and a Powerpuff Girls T-shirt had climbed halfway up the back stairs to the stage, trying to see what was going on. Apparently the political talk show host had sensed danger and was lunging at her with his fat, bow-legged legs. "Out of the way, move, move, move!" he said, as he mowed down the little girl in his haste to escape whatever danger was there.