It was the only ladder they had. They'd have to bring one from one of the other pillboxes before they could climb down and get it. Kirk looked up at the men lining the wall, yelling, waving things.
Just about here Pa must have stood, looking up.
He turned and hauled the dazed girl to her feet and started off down the tongue of rock. He didn't hurry. There was no need to hurry. The young strength of the girl was pressed against him, thigh and hip and chest. It burned, in some queer way.
He watched the yellow hairs rub and tangle with his golden ones. The muscle started twitching under his eye again.
He had to cuff her twice more to keep her quiet, before they were safely off the naked rock. He got her down the length of two gullies, well out of sight of the pillbox. She was still a little groggy, and very busy keeping her footing in the pebble drifts. They started down a third cut that angled off. Then, quite suddenly, she fell.
Kirk stopped. He put out a hand to help her up, and then took it back again. He looked at his feet and surlily, "Get up."
"I can't. Where are you going?"
"I don't know. Just somewhere to think, and plan. I've got to figure this out."
She thought about that. He could see her wide golden shoulders tremble. He wanted to touch them. After a while she said:
"Why did you take me? Why won't you let me go?"