As soon as we’re clear of the sprawl, the sound of the engines changes. For a split second, I think we’re in trouble, then I realize Raven’s goosed the throttles. As the big engines spool up to full power, I scan the repeater displays in front of me for something that might be an air-speed indicator. Eventually I see numbers reading out in the right range. If I’m right, the air-speed’s fluctuating at about six hundred klicks per hour. Not bad. We could be in Portland in about half an hour. Pillar Rock—the location of the NVC facility—is on the other side of the Columbia from Portland, maybe sixty klicks to the west, toward the ocean.