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Jack flushed “You askedto do it Then you won’t let lasses alnation

“Listen, Jack You really want Caine and Drake to be able to dial up anyone they want down here? You want Caine to be able to reach out to kids? Threaten thee for guns or whatever? Look hoell he fooled everyone the first time around”

“You just want to be in control of everything,” Jack accused

The accusation stung Sam started to yell but choked it off For a few seconds he just struggled with his temper, unable to speak

Of course I want to control things, he wanted to say Of course he didn’t want Caine filling kid’s heads with lies Kids were desperate enough to listen to anyone who offered an easier life, even Caine Did Jack not understand how close they all were to disaster? Did Jack not get how tenuous Sam’s control of the situation had become?

Maybe not

“Jack, kids are scared They’re desperate,” Sam said “Maybe you don’t see that because you’re busy with other things But we are about this far”—he held up thuer about an inch apart—“from total disaster You want Caine to know that? You want kids talking to hiuts, telling hi how bad things are?”

Astrid stepped in to cut off Saet you all worked up?”

“Nothing,” Jack said Then, “Zil He’s busting onabout ho that I’m a mutant and all, my brain must not work as well”

“Say what?” Sam asked

“He says people who get powers, their IQ drops, they get stupid He said, ‘Exhibit A: poor old Jack, foret the phones to work’”

“You know, Jack, I’s, but I kind of have stuff to deal with here,” Saet really exasperated “You’re the tech genius You know it, I know it, Astrid knows it, so who cares what Zil thinks?”

“Look, why don’t you just work on the internet thing you’re trying to do?” Astrid suggested

Jack shot her a poisonous look “Why, so you can not use that, either? Make er fool?”

Sao away, sto