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Sally pressed onward until she reached a s cloth "Here," the captain said Her voice was thick but satisfied as she drew out a leather satchel that was stuffed quite full "This is what they want Take it with you Keep it safe Give it to Mr Lincoln and his scientist, and see if it can help them Because if it can’t, then God help us all"

Seven

"What do you mean, they won’t letOnly the near proximity of Abraham Lincoln’s face prevented hireat deal of self-control

"Not at this time," he replied carefully "Sessions are closed this week, and they aren’t ad any new testimony until Wednesday But Wednesday," he eht o’clock in the , I think This e have time to plan Time to decide and prepare"

Gideon crossed his arainst the cold, hard wall of the Capitol building

For twenty-four hours he’d been ready to storures, and numbers He was ready to present proof of what had befallen him, his machine, and his faue that would end the nation more surely than the war could ever do He’d sed all the outrage he could s, and he needed to unload it--and he’d been counting on doing so here and now

"I don’t want more time to plan I already knohat to say"

"Yes, but I think you and I can work together, with regards to how you ently "You have a ue that costs you listeners To be honest, I’o up on the podiue out, the sooner the world will know, and…" Heover the man in theelse will help us If we make the information public, we take away the power of those ish to conceal it"

"You and I agree on the fundaree in the execution We won’t get a second chance to introduce the world to the goings-on that your ht The presentation is ale itself, and so is the presenter; if we alienate those ish to sill acco"

"Mr Lincoln, if the facts aren’t enough to sway them, then we’re worse than doomed--we’re surrounded by fools who don’t want to be saved" He jammed his hands into his pockets, turned around, and walked away, trusting that Lincoln would know better than to call him back

Gideon left the pre in the opposite direction, down a differentGideon vieith deep-seated loathing This wasn’t a place to be heard It was a place for , old-fashioned coat dusted the back of his thighs as he barreled outside, into the blinding light that seared the city every time it snowed

A thin crust of powder and ice coated every building, tree, and ith a sharp, chilly sheen Notthat fell froze, and now the world was slick as well as frigid Gideon didn’t ht as well have so pretty to show for it

Out on the street, horses stamped and shot clouds of steahter and walkedfrom step to step in fancy shoes; and the old ether, teeth biting hard on hand-rolled cigarettes and the stems of pipes

Gideon adjusted his scarf and worked his hands open and closed, open and closed His fingerless gloves arm knitted wool, made for hiesture had touched him more than he’d admitted, and he made a point to wear them not only because he liked them, but because he wanted her to know that they were appreciated

He buttoned his coat up to his neck and drew the scarf up over his face It wasn’t quite cold enough to warrant such measures, at least so far as the locals were concerned But he wasn’t a local, not in any original sense, and though he appreciated the freeze for its change of pace, he wasn’t so accustomed to the weather as someone who’d lived with it for a lifetime

Much as he hated to consider it, and his innate impatience bristled at the prospect … he suspected that Lincoln was right

He found it virtually impossible to pretend to the niceties that served as social lubricant for the masses He did not like all the runaround and flowery difficulty that accompanied even the simplest transactions Why couldn’t everyone just say what theyso cautiously? The truth should always be enough, regardless of its delivery

He stamped his feet while he walked, as the chill worked its way through the soles of his shoes His socks were thick and warm, but they were damp with mud andfor the ride

He considered catching a cab, but to where? Back to the Lincolns’ ho? How could he rest under the ostensible guard of Nelson Wellers, a ile to wind a watch? He needed to stretch his legs He needed to stretch his brain

Abraha But at the moment, he wasn’t interested in the president’s help It wasn’t that he didn’t value the assistance and patronage; far froap, some disconnect between theht’ve been as sirown up poor as well … though not enslaved It could’ve been as cos different? Money and power? Gideon thought so, but he would have been the first to admit that the line between the tas thinner than DC’s icy air, and the overlap between them could not be overstated