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A woht of the torches, her long legs quickly eating up the distance As she reen coveralls eht that wasShe was nearly seven feet tall
The woman’s body and features were unflawed, but she was beautiful in the way an iceberg is beautiful, and equally forbidding She could have sprung whole from the arctic permafrost Her flaxen hair was pulled away fro to the fullest the lacial blue She caway onto the ship and walked around the table In a voice surprising for its softness she greeted eachWhen she reached the congressy face with her rerip Then she took her place in front of the high-backed chair at the bow end of the table She smiled a smile that was as cold as it was seductive
“Good afternoon, gentle to the rich tones of a natural orator “My na what sort of a place this is Valhalla is my home and corporate headquarters, but it is also a celebration ofis an expanded version of a Viking long house The wings are for specialized use, such as offices, guest quarters, gymnasium, and a museum for my collection of primitive Norse art”
She arched an eyebrow “I hope none of you is prone to seasickness” She waited for the laughter to subside, then went on “This vessel is a reproduction of the Gogstad Viking ship It is e prop; it symbolizes my belief that the impossible is attainable I had it built because I adn, but also as a constant res would never have crossed the sea if they had not been adventurous and daring Perhaps their spirit will influence the decisions made here” She paused for awhy I invited you,” she said
A saw-edged voice cut her off “I’d say that your offer to give us fifty thousand dollars or donate it to a charity of our choice ressman Kinkaid said “I’ve donated your offer to a scientific foundation that looks into birth defects”
“I would have expected nothing less, given your reputation for integrity”
Kinkaid grunted and sat back in his chair “Pardon et on with your, er, fascinating presentation”
“Thank you,” Brynhild said “To continue, you gentlemen come from all parts of the country and representyour number are politicians, bureaucrats, acade to a co Water A commodity we know to be in very short supply these days Everyone is aware that we are facing what could possibly be the longest drought in the country’s history Is that not so, Professor Dearborn? As a cliive us your appraisal of the situation?”
“I’d be glad to,” replied a ed ers through thinning ginger-colored hair and said, “This country is experiencingthe southern tier frouous forty-eight states The situation will probably get worse In addition, water in the Great Lakes is at all-tiht of Dust Bowl levels is entirely possible Adecades is not outside the realm of possibility”
There was a murmur from around the table
Brynhild opened a wooden box in front of her, dug her hand inside, and let the sand run through her long fingers
“The party’s over, gentlemen This is the bleak, dusty future we face”
“With all due respect, Ms Brynhild,” drawled a Nevadan, “you’re not telling us anything new Vegas is going to be in tough shape LA and Phoenix aren’t much better off”
She put her hands together in light applause “Agreed But what if I told you there is a way to save our cities?”
“I’d like to hear about that,” said the Nevadan