“Hersch, this one’s going to hit.” “The Earth?” “Cuba.” “Cuba? But they’re—” Neil nodded. “Still there. We aren’t scheduled to pick them up for another hour.” “How long?” “Twenty-eight seconds, now.” I stared at Neil for a couple of milliseconds. A hundred and fifty thousand people currently made Cuba their home. There was no chance to do anything at all, not in that amount of time. “So they’re…” “As good as dead.” I didn’t know anyone there, of course. I’d only been in the system for a day or so. But Riker, that is, Will would. I hoped he hadn’t done the calculations. Thirty seconds was an
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