Page 133 (1/2)

“You knohat?” the ood about it at all In fact, I think you’re reeling inside because I know so that would surprise a lot of people”

So He sat heavily on a couch, his artificially youthful face ashen

“Even if you hadn’t been overheard bragging to Kovac on Eos Island, I think I would have figured it out You were the only person who could have betrayed us in Ro, but noe know he didn’t He had no idea where he was being taken, so there was no way he could get a warning out to Kovac to snatch him back”

Now that the truth was out, Cooper sat straighter on the sofa “That’s right I didhim which hotel, once I had arrived and was left alone with that kid You were behind the attack on Eos?”

The stranger nodded “And we discovered the virus in the Golden Sky’s and all forty-nine other cruise ships’ laundries you tampered with The fifty containers are at a level-four biohazard lab in Maryland”

“Don’t you understand that the world is doom

ed? I could have saved all of humanity”

The hed “And do you knothe world is doomed over the past couple hundred years? We were supposed to run out of food in the 1980s We were supposed to run out of oil in the 1990s The population was supposed to hit ten billion by the year 2000 Every one of these predictions rong Heck, they wanted to close the US Patent office in 1900 because everything that could be invented had been invented I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can’t predict the future”

“You’re wrong I knohat is co Anyone with half a brain can see it Fifty years from now, civilization will be swept away in a tidal wave of violence, as nations realize they can’t support their populations It will be anarchy on a biblical scale”

“Funny you should mention that” The man removed a pistol from behind his back “I’ve always liked biblical justice An eye for an eye, and all that”

“You can’t kill me Arrest me Put me on trial”

“And give you a stage to spout your demented ideas? I don’t think so”

“Please!”

The gun spat Cooper felt the impact, and when hein his flesh, but his clawlike hands lacked the dexterity to remove it

Cabrillo watched for ten seconds as the tranquilizer froh Cooper’s body When Cooper’s eyes closed and he sluht a radio to his lips Mo ambulance pulled up the drive, and two paraurney