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A German banker named Heimmler was the first to catch on “There is only one way the plan can be advanced so dramatically,” he said with the expression of a boa constrictor presented with a live rabbit “You have perfected the Cabral desalting method”
Brynhild waited for the buzzing around the table to die down “Better still,” she said triu the process for us”
“Cabral,” the German said “I read press reports that she was still alive, but—”
“Alive and quite well She has agreed to ith Gogstad since we control the only supply of anasazium At thisa demonstration In a short time I will show you thisShe said she would be ready in an hour In the meantime you are invited to enjoy the refresh rooements and will see you shortly”
As the directors filed out of the Great Hall, Brynhild went to the front entrance of the reen Suburbans were lined up in front of the spacious porch A driver and aruard stood next to each vehicle
“Is everything ready?” she asked the guard standing by the lead vehicle
“Yes, o”
The underground traet to the lab, but it was built mainly to shuttle small parties of technicians back and forth It was quicker to transport a large group, such as the board of directors, in vehicles Brynhild left nothing to chance She got in the passenger side of the lead vehicle and ordered the driver to take her to the lake A few e of the low hill that overlooked the water She descended a short stairway to the pier and went inside the boathouse The structure was actually a cover for the elevators that serviced the lab She walked past the fast egg-shaped lift and into the large freight elevator Mo across the lab toward the main core There was a discernible air of excitement in the dome-shaped structure
Francesca orking at the control console When she saw Brynhild she said, “I was just about to call you I can perform the demonstration earlier than I anticipated”
“You’re absolutely sure it ork?”
“I can give you a previe if you’d like”
Brynhild considered the offer, then said, “No, I can’t wait to see their faces when they observe how our process works”
Francesca ignored the use of the plural possessive in describing ownership of the process “I’m sure they will be surprised”
Brynhild used her s the directors In less than half an hour the entire board was gathered in the lab around the core container Brynhild introduced Francesca There was a murmur of admiration when the lovely Brazilian scientist stepped forward Even as she sathered around her, Francesca thought how athered around a water hole She didn’t have to remind herself that their quest for more power and money was responsible for her years in the rain forest While she lived with the Chulo awaiting rescue, possibly millions of people who could have benefited from her work died from thirst
Francesca had never seen sowell “I don’t kno round, but technical knowledge is not necessary to grasp the basic principle behind what you are about to see While my process is difficult in execution, it’s rather si methods have been around since the time of the ancient Greeks But those techniques always used a physical process, heating the water to steah h shells at the beach I reasoned that it e the molecular structure of the chemicals in salt water at an atomic and subatomic level”