"Can I bring you anything else, ma'am?" the cinnamon brown unicorn servant asked. He was dressed in the standard livery of Crystal Palace servants: Powder blue cotton accented by gold cuffs and silver heart shaped buttons, along with golden trim at the neckline. The servant set a steaming cup of hot tea down on the crystal table in front of Ice. The spring-pleasant scent drifting toward her nostrils told her it was lavender.

"No, thank you," Ice said with a smile, which elicited a slight hint of nervousness in the servant's teal eyes. Sometimes a thestral's smile had that effect on ponies who weren't used to being around them. It was inevitable that their fangs showed when they made the expression. The persistent rumors about vampiric activity among thestrals certainly didn't help any. Ice quickly wiped the grin off her face to make the unicorn more comfortable.

"His Majesty will be with you shortly," the unicorn servant said with a respectful bow of his head. He left an extra teacup, along with the teapot sitting on the table on a crystal serving tray, then turned and left the room, the latch giving a slight click of metal on metal as he closed the door. Ice picked up the cup with her forehoof, savoring the flowery aroma before blowing across the top and then taking a sip.

She was in the same meeting room where she'd met Shining Armor last time. The one with the flags of the various nations Equestria had friendly relations with draping the walls. As she waited for the Prince to make his appearance – he was probably getting ready for bed, although she doubted he had actually gone to bed already – she thought on the problem of how she was going to get the village police chief to talk. The truth was, after what Parviz had done to the girl, she would have had no qualms at all about torturing the man to get information out of him. A sadistic smile split her muzzle at the thought of doing so, again causing her fangs to show. But the smile faded quickly. Her moral compass rebelled at the idea of torture, even when dealing with a parasitic piece of human manure like Parviz. And on a more objective level, information obtained through torture was usually unreliable anyway, since the prisoner usually told you whatever they thought you wanted to hear instead of telling you the actual truth. Of course, torture as a means of obtaining information was also highly illegal under both the Uniform Code of Pony Justice, and Crystal Empire legal code. If it were discovered that she had obtained information from Parviz using torture, anything he told her would be immediately rendered useless for any legal purpose. Not to mention the fact that she'd lose her job and, as an added bonus, she'd get to see what life was like on the other side of the dungeon cells for awhile.

She had another problem too. Even if she could figure out how to get Parviz to talk, how was she going to get close to him to begin with? And once she got close to him, she'd have to find some way to lure him somewhere private so she could interrogate him. Before she could think further on the problems, the door latch clicked. She stood up and turned around, to see Shining Armor walking into the room.

"My Lord," she said, bending one knee and bowing to the stallion.

"No need for that," he said, waving a forehoof dismissively. Ice came up from her bow and turned back to the table, picking up the teapot with her forehoof and pouring a cup for Shining Armor. Following proper protocol, she waited until the Prince had sat on his haunches at the table before she sat down again.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me this late on such short notice, My Lord."

"A pleasure," Shining Armor said, nodding his thanks. His horn glowed as he magically picked up the cup of tea and blew over the top for a moment before sipping it, then setting it back down on the table with more gentleness than Ice thought the powerful stallion should be capable of. He wasn't in the Royal Guard anymore, but the muscular ripples in his haunches, shoulders, and abs were evidence that he still kept himself in top military shape, as if he thought he might be called into battle at any moment. "Although I must admit I'm intrigued that you told the guard you specifically wanted to see only me and didn't want Cady to accompany me. This is something that's gonna get me in trouble with her, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question.

"How'd you shake her off anyway?" Ice was just stalling for time.

"I told her I was doing a late-night surprise inspection of the Palace Guard. It's something I actually do once in a while, so she believed the story. That's also gonna get me in trouble. When she finds out I lied to her." The Prince's voice had an accusing note in it. Ice nodded with a slight frown, a feeling of guilt crawling through her body as her own ears tiltled back slightly.

Well, no sense beating around the bush.

"I need to return to Afghanistan," she said as flatly as if she'd been stating that it was night outside.

Shining Armor's ears tilted backwards in response and a sheepish expression painted his muzzle. "Yeah … Like I said, something that's gonna get me in trouble with Cadance."

"I'm sorry, My Lord," Ice said sympathetically. "But after … well, after the bullet damage and such from last time, I figured there was no way Princess Cadance would let me go there again."

"You got that right." Shining Armor raised a forehoof, running it through his mane as if considering. "I don't suppose you want to tell me what you plan to do when you get there?"

"I don't know yet. But even if I did know, it would be better if I didn't tell you," Ice said, repeating the answer she had given when Cadance had asked her the same question before her first trip.

"I guess I should know better than to ask a former member of Bat Team Alpha what her plans are."

Shining Armor stood up and turned towards the empty hearth, staring into it as if he were hoping it were some kind of oracle that would give him advice. His ears were still tilted back, and his tail swished slowly back and forth. Ice just continued to sit there, averting her eyes to the floor and feeling like a convicted criminal must feel while sitting in front of a magistrate and waiting for him to pronounce judgment. After several long moments, the Prince shook his head and lowered his ears even further, as if resigned to some kind of horrible fate.

"I'm gonna be sleeping on the floor for the next week for this one," he mumbled to himself before turning around. But now that he was facing her again, his ears were alert, his head was up, and his stance was steady, his entire demeanor projecting power, control, authority, and confidence.

"When can you be ready to leave?"

"I need to stop at my apartment and grab a few things, but after that, as soon as you can have the chariot ready, My Lord."

Shining Armor nodded in response. "Very well. Of course, you'll have to leave from the skyport this time, since the front of your office is flooded with reporters. It would be best if they don't see you leaving. Who knows where they'd gallop off to with that story."

"Of course, My Lord," Ice said with a respectful nod.

But there was one more thing. She'd probably need Duncan's help again. Luna had contacted him in the dreamworld last time, and presumably she could do so again. But it wouldn't be safe to meet him at Bahrain's Coffee this time. Duncan had said that the owner of the coffee shop was the father of the girl they'd rescued. It would be entirely reasonable for Parviz to think the coffee shop owner had had something to do with the kidnapping / rescue of his own daughter. That meant that Bahrain's might be under surveillance. It wouldn't do for her to be seen meeting with an American soldier at that place, especially not if Duncan's story was true and American soldiers had filed multiple complaints with the local police about the treatment of children in the village. She wracked her brain, trying to think of some other place they could meet. Somewhere she had been in the village and could describe well enough for Luna to make sure Duncan knew where she was indicating. The inn was out of the question. The old man and his grandson no doubt didn't believe her story anymore that she'd been a reporter, and they probably wouldn't want her anywhere near the place if word of the kidnapping had reached them. And she didn't want to go back there again anyway. She had actually liked the boy, and his grandfather had seemed okay as well. She felt slightly sick with guilt, about the problems she might have caused for them with the village police. She definitely didn't want to make any more trouble for them. She'd rather avoid the cafe where Duncan had first approached her. The bartender, as well as a few of the soldiers, had probably paid enough attention to her to positively identify her as the same thestral who had been there before. Not that she suspected any of them would cause trouble for her. At least not when they were sober. If the stories she'd heard about the Americans being dismayed over the fact that they weren't allowed to do anything about the treatment of children were true, then they'd probably want to give her a medal if they thought she was the same pony who rescued the girl. The bartender, who had been a local, might not be so inclined to support her actions. But it was clear who his clientele were, and he'd probably go along with them to avoid alienating them. Ice herself, would probably be safe there. But she'd be putting Duncan at serious risk. The soldiers might support her actions, but they might not be so inclined to support one of their own being involved in a paramilitary black-ops rescue mission. Always protect the identity of your teammates. That was another rule of Bat Team Alpha.

She considered asking Duncan to meet her at the chariot, but she didn't know exactly where they'd land, and even if she did, describing landmarks to him so he could find it would be almost impossible. Furthermore, a single American soldier wandering outside of town alone might raise questions, as well as put him in danger of an ambush from insurgents.

Then, she remembered the distinctively crumbled structure that had caught her eye while she'd been walking to meet Duncan before the raid. The burned out building with the tall chimney still standing that she thought had probably been a blacksmith's workshop. Now if she could only remember where it was. Think, Ice, she commanded herself, trying to replay her walk between the inn and the forest grove near Parviz's house. Wait … she didn't have to remember exactly where it was, or how she'd gotten there. Duncan was the one who'd given her the route from the inn. As long as she could give Luna a good enough image of the burned out structure for Luna to project to him in the dreamworld, he would either know where it was, or at least be able to find it by simply following the same route he'd given her. Provided, of course, the building hadn't been completely leveled since she'd returned. The chimney had looked sturdy enough, and she doubted it would have fallen on its own. It also seemed unlikely that anyone would have torn it down. Given what she'd seen last time, demolition and clean up of ruined buildings didn't seem very high on anyone's priority list. Still, it would be good to have a backup plan in case one or both of them couldn't find the ruined forge. Behind the cafe, two side streets away would have to do for that. It wasn't ideal. Conceivably other Americans could see the two of them together there. But it was a fail-safe alternate that she was certain they would both be able to find. Luna willing, they wouldn't have to use it.

"There's one more thing," she finally said after all of her pondering.

"Yes?"

"I may need Duncan's help again. Will you – "

"Duncan?" The stallion narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "This isn't gonna be another one of those operations where you bring the chariot back shot full of holes is it?"

"No, I don't think so. Not this time. But I need you to contact Princess Luna for me and see if she can get a dream message to him. Tell him to meet me at the burned out smithy with the big chimney that's on the route he gave me to the police chief's house. Tomorrow, at the same time he met me last time." She then proceeded to give him a description of the ruined structure. It wasn't perfect, but it should be good enough to give Luna a strong enough image in the dreamworld that Duncan would know where she was talking about. "If he can't find that place, tell him to meet be two streets behind the cafe instead."

"Is it even possible for Luna to communicate with humans in the dreamworld?" Shining Armor asked, his ears perking up. Ice silently chastised herself. She'd forgotten that the Prince didn't remember anything from the dream. He did know she'd worked with a human named Duncan – she'd told him that much during the debriefing – but he didn't know that the only way she'd been able to reestablish contact with Duncan was via Luna entering his dreams.

"Oh, yes. She did it a few times during the Contact War, as part of a few Bat Team Alpha operations," Ice lied. "Of course, that's not something you'll want to go around mentioning to anypony." To the best of her knowledge, Luna had never attempted to communicate with any humans in the dreamworld during the Contact War. In fact, for all she knew, Duncan was the first time Luna had ever contacted a human in the dreamworld.

"Yet another Bat Team Alpha secret I didn't know," he said with a flick of his tail. Ice felt a cool sense of relief that he had bought the lie. "Okay, burned out smithy. If he can't find that, two streets behind the cafe. Got it. If there's nothing else, I'll get everything arranged. I should warn you, though, that you are probably going to get a tail chewing from Cady when you get back, given that you are a co-conspirator in this little deception. But at least she can't make you sleep on the floor."

"If this trip pays off the way I hope it will, I'll have a smile on my face even if she chews my tail clean off right at the roots."

She stood up and bowed to the Prince, a sense of guilt weighing on her over what she was asking him to do. The stallion waved a forehoof, once again indicating that there was no need for bowing. She rose, turned and walked to the door. Just before stepping out, she stopped and turned her head over her shoulder.

"My Lord?"

"Yes?"

"Is … is she really gonna make you sleep on the floor 'cause of this?"

He smiled good-naturally and shook his head. "No. But she's not going to be happy about it and I'll get an earful over it. And as I said, expect that you'll catch some fallout over it as well."

"Good to know you'll be sleeping in a warm bed tonight at least, My Lord."

"Guess it's better than the chariot floor you'll be sleeping in on your red-eye flight."

"That it is, My Lord," she said before opening the door and stepping out.

"And Ice?" She stopped, the door half open, turning her head over her shoulders to look at him.

"My Lord?"

Shining Armor flicked his tail and laid his ears back slightly. "I would tell you to be careful … but for all the good it did last time when Cadance told you the same thing."

"I'll be as careful as I can, My Lord," Ice said, then turned her gaze forward again, stepping out of the room and pulling the door shut behind her. She quickly made her way through the palace corridors and out into the courtyard. Fortunately, the gate guards knew her by now, and were used to her coming and going at odd hours, otherwise they might have refused to let her leave this late without official orders from either Shining Armor or Cadance. Once outside the palace grounds, she made her way to her apartment at a trot, pondering the problem of how to get Parviz into a situation where she'd be able to interrogate him.

It occurred to her that the guards at his house had seen a pony running off with his child wife, but that given she was covered from tail to muzzle in dark cloth and it was night, they wouldn't have been able to positively identify her. Furthermore, given her lack of wings, they would have probably reported to Parviz that it was an earth pony that had broken into his house and kidnapped his wife. That could work to her advantage. She could pose as an investigator from the Crystal Empire Department of Justice investigating an international kidnapping. No, not the Crystal Empire Department of Justice. The Equestrian Department of Justice. That would dispel any question of whether the killing of the militia commander and the kidnapping of the girl might be connected. In the middle of the night, it'd be highly unlikely the guards that were shooting at the chariot would have been able to identify the pegasi pulling it as Crystal Ponies. And as far as putting heat on Equestria by framing them for the kidnapping? That wasn't a concern either. Parviz would know soon enough that he'd been duped, that she wasn't really from Equestria, and wasn't really there about the kidnapping. He'd figure that out as soon as she had him alone and the interrogation began.

She arrived at her apartment, climbing the stairs and going through the hall until reaching her door. The trash she'd left out there this morning was gone. There'd be no retrieving the scarves, saddle pad, and tail wrap she'd thrown away. That was fine, though. She had no intention of trying to disguise herself for this meeting.

Once inside, she went to her bedroom and pulled open the middle drawer on her nightstand. She dug through it, pulling out a nondescript green file folder, setting it on the bed, and then opening it. Inside was a collection of various fake identification badges she'd collected over the years. Actually, fake was the wrong word. They were all real, issued by the department for undercover work. They had real photos of her, but false names and agencies she had never worked for, or had not worked for in years. She rifled through the badges. She was certain that she had a badge in there for the Equestrian Department of Justice. There it was.

She looked it over, concentrating on the photo at first. It was recent. Recent enough to fool Parviz, or most anyone else for that matter. Her wing joints were covered in it, of course, but that wasn't a real problem. The expiration date was still good. Just over two months left on it. Her eyes moved to the name and she frowned. Snow Dancer? Definitely not the name she would have chosen, but it would have to do. She quickly went over all of the encounters she'd had with humans in Afghanistan. She was reasonably certain no one except Duncan knew her name. Not even the boy Omid or his grandfather at the inn had wanted her name. They just gave her a room, no questions asked. Given the inn's usual clientele and the … activities that went on in the rooms, it was understandable that the owner didn't ask for names.

Even though no one except Duncan knew her name, she still had another problem. Both Omid and his grandfather could potentially identify her, as could the man who owned the bar, and any of the American service members who had been inside. She doubted that Omid or his grandfather would have talked. They probably didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention to themselves, given the fact that she'd stayed in their inn, combined with the other activities that went on in their business. She doubted any of the American service members would talk either. Duncan's reaction to what was going on with the children in the village, combined with the obvious dismay of the service member she'd met in the bar who had told her it was dangerous for her to walk the village alone, caused her to believe that most of the service members probably supported her actions. But there was still the bar owner to contend with. He was still the great unknown.

And then there were the few men she'd encountered while walking into the city. She doubted any of them had gotten a good enough look at her to make a positive identification. Most of those encounters had been from a distance, with the men jeering at her from rooftop balconies and such. It's possible that from that distance, they might have even mistaken her for a dark colored earth pony. Or if they'd recognized her as a thestral, they might have simply thought she was trying to be respectful of local custom, which dictated that females kept themselves covered. They might have thought the saddle pad and saddle bags were simply covering her wings, rather than covering up the fact that she didn't have any wings. And if the question came up, she could truthfully claim that she wasn't the only thestral in Equestria who'd sustained a war injury serious enough to require amputation of her wings. An odd coincidence that the thestral sent to investigate the crime also had no wings? Perhaps. But not an impossible one. And she had an ID to back up her story and prove she really was an investigator from the Equestrian Department of Justice.

But whether questions would be raised or not, it was a risk she'd have to take. There was nopony else she could send on this mission, given that Cadance likely wouldn't even allow the mission at all if she knew what Ice was up to.

She pulled the one small saddlebag she still had out of the closet and shoved the badge into it. This bag wouldn't hold very much. But she wouldn't be taking very much with her this time. This time, there would be no need to pose as anything other than what she really was: An agent who was investigating a crime. It's just that she was going to mislead Parviz about what crime she was actually investigating. She grabbed a notebook and two pencils, adding them to the bag. As Princess Twilight Sparkle would say, one never knew when the opportunity might come up to take a note. She also grabbed her UV blocking sunglasses and tossed them in.

She went back to the closet again, frowning as she stared at the empty space that looked like she had either just moved in, or had packed everything and was moving out. She was going to need handcuffs. Parviz was likely to become very uncooperative very quickly one he found out her true reason for talking to him. She'd need some way to restrain him. She'd had several pairs during her days with Bat Team Alpha. It had often been necessary to handcuff human prisoners they captured. But like everything else that reminded her of those days, she'd gotten rid of the handcuffs along with an entire box full of other war memorabilia. She'd have to hope that Duncan could come up with a pair. That should be easy enough. Surely, they'd need them for captured insurgents.

At least, however, the video camcorder was still sitting in one corner. She often used that during investigations to record crime scene evidence. She'd need that to record the interrogation. The camcorder had infrared and night modes, too. She'd likely need that capability. Her own word that Parviz had confessed to taking and destroying the reports from the American servicemen, and that he knew of the militia commanders activities with young boys and girls would be good enough for Princess Cadance – good enough for Crystal Court – but Ice wanted a slam dunk. She wanted damning, indisputable proof that the dead militia commander had been a child rapist. She wanted something where if she had to, she could play it for Reid so that he wouldn't be able to give her any shit. Not that she thought that would be necessary. She was convinced that Reid already knew the truth about what was going on over there and had placed all his bets on the hope that she wouldn't be able to discover it.

She gave her room a quick once-over, making sure there was nothing else she might want to take with her. Finding nothing, she closed the flap on the bag and tied it shut. Then, she slung it over her back, strapped it in place, and left her apartment again, stepping outside into the night and trotting towards the skyport. The silver light of Luna's nearly Full Moon reflected off the polished sidewalks as if they were the surface of a perfectly calm lake. A few blocks away, the lights of the palace courtyard danced playfully on the crystal spires of the palace. But this night, Ice's mind was too busy to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of the city at night.

She arrived at the skyport some ten minutes later, finding an unmarked chariot waiting for her. Two pegasus guards from Equestria were harnessed up and waiting to go. That was a stroke of good luck for her. It hadn't occurred to her to ask Shining Armor to ensure that the crew assigned to her flight were Equestrian Pegasus Guard rather than Crystal Guard. When she'd talked to him, she hadn't yet decided to pose as a criminal investigator from Equestria. These days, most airlift operations had been turned over entirely to the Crystal Guard, but Pegasus Guard Airlift Command still filled in on occasion. The fact that the Pegasus Guard was handling this flight would strengthen the illusion that she was from Equestria instead of the Crystal Empire.

Both stallions turned their heads and looked at her.

"Good evening, ma'am," the higher ranking of the two, a first lieutenant said. The other's rank insignia indicated he was a second lieutenant. "I'm Lieutenant Thunderbolt and this is Lieutenant Hailstorm. You're not going to get us shot at I hope?"

"You heard about that?" Ice said, lashing her tail once like a whip.

"I'm pretty sure all of Airlift Command has heard about that."

Ice frowned. She considered having a talk with the commander of Crystal Airlift Command about it, but then realized she couldn't be sure that the pegasi who had pulled the chariot were responsible for the information leak. It could just have easily have been one of the medical ponies, or one of the ground crew, or any other guard stationed in the military section of Crystal Skyport for that matter. Fortunately, it seemed that even though they couldn't keep a secret amongst themselves, they were all at least capable of keeping their mouth shut when it came to the press. If it had leaked outside of military circles, the press would have known about it by now and by extension, so would she.

"I don't think anypony's gonna get shot at this time." Not that she could guarantee that, of course. She really had no idea what was going to happen this time, given she still had no idea how she was going to get Parviz to talk, or even how she was going to lure him somewhere private. Talking at his house was clearly out of the question. There's no way his guards would let her interrogate him. "I'm sorry you had such short notice of this trip," she added sympathetically.

"If we wanted the drudgery of a set schedule, we'd wouldn't have joined the Pegasus Guard," Hailstorm said. "Besides, we've never been to Afghanistan before. Could be an interesting mission."

"Well, unlike the last crew that flew me over there, at least you two will be able to come into the village. For the first night anyway. we'll see after that … Although, the village is a rather depressing place. You may decide you prefer to stay outside of it." She thought of the refuse heaps, the rotting garbage, the crumbling buildings, and, with a feeling of sadness, Omid. Poor Omid who just seemed to just accept things the way they were, never complaining, never wanting for anything better. Part of her wanted to grab the boy and spirit him away to the Crystal Empire like she'd done with the girl. But such thoughts were foolish to even contemplate. She couldn't kidnap every boy and girl in Afghanistan who she thought deserved a better life. The girl had been a reasonable exception, given she'd rescued her from sexual slavery.

In this case, it would actually be best if the Pegasus Guards did accompany her into the village. Unlike last time, there was no reason to lay low. In fact, doing so would only look suspicious. This time, anything that enhanced the illusion that she was there on official business would be a welcome benefit. The Pegasus Guards accompanying her as escorts would certainly help to amplify the misdirection about why she was there. It wouldn't look at all out of place for a mare to have two armored stallions as security detail. Not given the warning that the American soldier at the bar had given her about it being unsafe for females to wander the village alone. Yes, she was fully capable of defending herself. But … well, she had to admit she'd still feel more comfortable with the two burly armored stallions escorting her. It's unlikely any of the perverts in the village would even dare to look at her the wrong way with the two of them there. The stallions would prevent any unwanted attention from jeopardizing her primary mission objective.

The door on the chariot was already open. She unfastened her saddlebag, then unceremoniously tossed it into the chariot, the bag making a slight clanging sound as it hit the far wall. She climbed in after it.

"Ready when you are," she said, pulling the door shut. She felt a few soft bumps as the chariot taxied away from the boarding ramp. A few seconds later, they pitched up and were airborne. As soon as the wheels left the ground, the ride became as smooth as gliding across a freshly fallen blanket of snow. The ground had cooled enough that most of the thermal updrafts were gone, and the night air was as calm as a forest pond on a windless spring afternoon. Unlike last time when she'd left the city, she left the curtains open. She'd seen Crystal City from the air during the day when she'd flown in with the girl. But as majestic as the city had been in daylight, with its prism-like crystals reflecting the light of the Sun, she had been itching for the chance to see it after dark. She was a thestral, after all. The night was her domain. She glued her muzzle to the window and the sight that met her eyes was even more stunning than she'd ever imagined it could be.

Moonlight played on the crystal buildings, dancing like thousands of stars, almost making it appear as if down were up and up were down. The light from the street lamps echoed off the polished roads making the streets look as if they were spokes on a wheel made of pure light, all of them leading to Crystal Palace, as well as drawing her eyes to the palace. The palace itself was the centerpiece of a grand display of lights. Its towering spires reached for the sky like mountains, reflecting the light of the decorative torches that lined the palace walkways so that it looked like thousands fireflies were dancing around the towers. The flags of the Crystal Empire flapped lightly in a thin breeze, their blue and gold emblems dancing in the spotlights that shined on them. Fountains in the courtyard erupted in columns of sparkling water, shining with the multicolored lights from their pools, then tumbling back down into their ponds of water like showers of sparks from rainbow-colored fireworks. The palace, fountains, streets, and buildings of the city worked together so that it was like flying over a moonlit lake filled with millions of stars and dancing with the light of thousands of campfires.

Ice stared in awe at the kaleidoscope of art passing by beneath her like a moving picture of light, all thoughts of the case being stripped from her mind. Why hadn't anypony told her how breathtaking Crystal City looked at night? She'd spent so much time drowning in self-pity for the last ten years, that she had missed all of this. She savored the view as long as possible, like a feast of the best palace cuisine prepared just for her eyes. Eventually, the stars on the ground begin to thin out. The streets of golden light began to look more like sparse stones of light, and the silver Moonlight became lost in the trees. Ice craned her head, pressing the side of her face to the window and trying to keep the majestic light show in view for as long as possible. But gradually it faded from view like the distant remnants of a dream upon waking. She took a deep breath, then turned away from the window, pulling the curtains shut as she did. It would be daylight in less than six hours, and she planned to sleep through most of the flight. The thoughts about the case and her current mission flooded back into her mind as if she'd been reading a book, turned the page, and found that it was a completely different story than the one she'd been reading while staring out the window. So hypnotic had the aerial night view of the city been.