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So in the end, the current plan was deemed efficient, minimally cruel, and offered the children one last bit of joy and frivolity

Still, Savina stood with her arether in a white-knuckled grip, necessary to keep fro them from the train

But she had saved ten

She had to console herself with this reality

The ten best

They re behind her, where the control station for Operation Saturn was located Once done here, the ten Oa subjects would be transported to the new facility in Moscow It was time for the project to cliacy

But such a rise had a cost

Bright laughter and ued over ould get to ride in the open ore cars and ould be in the front or rear cabs Only a few older voices wondered why they were going without any of the adults, but even these sounded more excited than concerned

With the last of the children loaded, the train hissed, hydraulic brakes sighed, and with a snap of electricity, it rolled off down the tunnel Laughter and shouts trailed back to them A moment later the blast doors slowly sealed over the end of the tunnel, cutting off their happy voices

The four teachers headed away No one spoke to anyone They barely made contact Except for a thick-waisted th apron As she passed, she lifted a consoling hand toward Savina, then thought better of it and lowered it again

"You didn’t have to come," the wo her voice

Yes…Yes, I did

11:16 AM

Pripyat, Ukraine

Gray sat in the back of the lier seat They rocketed past the first checkpoint on their flight out of the city The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone stretched in a thirty-kilometer radius out from the reactor complex It had two checkpoints, one at the ten-kilometer mark and one at the thirty

Gray wanted to be outside that second gate before anyone realized so for the dead bodies to be discovered and for the place to be locked down

Earlier, as Gray and Kowalski had fled overland back to Pripyat from the site of the ceremony, he had called Rosauro on the walkie-talkie that Masterson had supplied hi By the time Gray arrived at the hotel, lines of coton had reopened Rosauro had commandeered one of the limousines She had also stolen the driver’sa call froton, but at least Mapplethorpe was out of commission and Sasha was safe

Gray shared the back of the limousine with Elizabeth and Kowalski His partner sat bare-chested as Elizabeth treated the gunshot wound to his shoulder

"Quit wiggling!"

"Well, it goddas like a son of a--"

The woive the ar by dropping that half-ton steel hook Though Elena ht have done the deed, it had been Kowalski’s sharp eyes that had noted the threat and saved hier yet

Gray turned and stared out at the roll of passing hills, dotted with copses of birches His heart continued to pound His h a hundred different scenarios As they raced away fro soued him: You’ve not won…millions will still die

What did heelse was scheduled to happen Even the name of Nicolas’s plan--Operation Uranus--had bothered Gray before The naainst the Gerle operation alone It was accoies Two operations: Uranus followed by Saturn

As Gray fled the hangar, Nicolas had hinted as much Another operation was set to co

Gray flipped it open and pressed it to his ear "Director Crowe?"

"How are you doing out there?" Painter asked

"As well as can be expected"

"I’ve got transportation arranged for you There’s a private airstrip a few miles outside the Exclusion Zone, used to accoence has offered the use of one of their jets They’re apparently trying to save face for not listening close enough to Professor Masterson, one of their own forone ahead and sounded the alarence channels about the aborted attack at Chernobyl For safety’s sake, evacuations are already under way, but so far you’re ahead of that chaos"

"Very good" Gray could not discount that the director’s fire off his anxiety He wasn’t alone in this

"You’ve certainly had a busy day, Commander"

"As have you…but I don’t think it’s over"

"How do you mean?"