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ht.
The world below certainly wasn't dark. Detail became visible in the
moonlight as their eyes adjusted to the dim light. Splashes of light from
numerous towns and cities shone out as the United States coastline rounded
the curve of the planet. Several active thunderstorms were flashing away over
Florida, and every now and then a meteor shot through the Atmosphere far
below, its passage lit by the friction of its own self-destruction. It was
a spectacle people had watched since the dawn of the space age.
The night lasted just under half an hour. They were admiring the Swiss Alps
by moonlight when the horizon began to brighten. With their night adapted
eyes they could see the distinct layers of Earths atmosphere lit by the still
hidden sun. Then the light brightened and flared out to form a thin crescent
along the horizon, just before the sun burst forth again.
Ripley quickly dealt to the waiting vidphone messages when they returned.
Among them was a call requesting their appearance the next day at a hearing
to decide on temporary custody of Newt. That raised the question she'd
pondered since they had found Minami's in Acherons tunnels. Ripley had lost Minami's
daughter Amy through time, and although they hadn't talked about it, Minami Aikawa felt
Newt
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