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"Your job is on the inside My officers will take care of security"

"With respect, I disagree" If she backed do, it was all over "I need to know the options in case of eency - you have no way to accurately factor in the variables I’d be working with to stabilize safe transport of the prototypes A fire would require a different response than an earthquake"

Ming watched her, unblinking His presence filled the rooe man The word that came to mind was compact Compact and sleek, like the assassin he’d been before he became Council "You’re suddenly very interested in security"

"Self-preservation" She didn’t look away "The attack on the previous lab taught me that I am the sole person who can be trusted withan escape?"

Ashaya hadn’t made it this far in the coldeasily shaken "You don’t believe that to be a true threat - you’ve assured my compliance"

"True And unless you’ve broken Silence, you aren’t a wo foolish, emotional mistakes"

She knew the emphasis had been very deliberate "I assure you,is intact" Even raduated fro There was ice where the e woman "I’ve made my decisions and I intend to stick by the on the pure white of his hair She had heard that he’d been born with that hair, that skin The lack of pigmentation in his body probably accounted for his eyes, but Ming was not an albino in the true sense of the word No, he straddled an odd line between colorless and too much color His hair and skin hite but the left side of his face bore a spreading birthmark the color of fresh blood

"My physical iues you," he said in that oddly accented voice that ins

"From a purely scientific standpoint" A true statement "Why haven’t you had it corrected? It would be a sih Psy cared little for looks, serious imperfections were not acceptable She knew that truth far too well The single exception was for those born with high-Gradient powers of the mind However, that dispensation only went so far The Psy had no chronically ill children, no unfortunate victi chose to flaunt his genetic flaws

"It is about power," he answered, though she had expected silence "The difference bethat people perceive and reality"

Was that a threat? "I see"

"No, you don’t" His tone didn’t change "But what I see is that you continue to argue against Protocol I"

"I’ve never hiddened feas nothing she wanted to support "I made my stance clear when I was asked to head this project"

"You were always the best M-Psy for the job"

So the Council hadparadox, but it proves ’s confidence was justified After all, the Council held Keenan as insurance against her continued cooperation

They held her son

Chapter 16

Talin was still gloith the wonder of the night hours she’d spent with Clay when he told her to get in the Tank "Where are we going?" she asked, putting away the last of the breakfast dishes "I have to go through these files" Max had kept his proo

"To see so They can look over the autopsy reports for you" He began to gather up the hard copies she’d printed out

"You’re right" She picked up the rest of her stuff "That way, I can concentrate on finding the commonalities between the children" It would help, she told herself She wasn’t just spinning her wheels while Jon was being hurt "Clay, I’m scared"

"Don’t be We’ll find hi the files in the backseat He was all business, no sign reht-dappled clearing where a herd of deer slept, his voice a hisper against her ear "Taree as well"

She nodded, treading lightly The forest run aside, last night had left thelance once they were on their way "Stop biting your tongue, Talin It doesn’t suit you"

So she was back to Talin in the light of day? "I was trying to be considerate"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>