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"The new North Pole," Gant said

Margrave laughed "I can't wait to see the faces on the leading Elites when they discover that Lucifer's warnings had some teeth to them"

Gant spread his lips in his warrave's face when he learned that all the work and fortune he had put into the polar shift project would benefit the very Elites that he despised

38

Barrett sat in a quiet corner table of the dark-bea madly on a napkin, his head bent low over his work The table was covered with dozens of cruht elbow He was oblivious to the glances the other custo his bald pate

Austin and Karla sat at the table Sensing that he had corinned when he saw their faces

"You don't kno glad I am to see you I'm about ready to explode"

"Please don't do that just yet," Austin said He asked Karla what she wanted to drink and ordered two black and tans, a coer

Racing around the Virginia countryside in an open car had ed down half of his, and Karla blissfully buried her nose in the foamy head

Before heading off to iven Pitt an update on the polar

shift situation Pitt had said he would call Sandecker, as returning the next day fro with the president when he got back froe in the Midwest In the on As an added bonus, he gave Austin carte blanche with NUMA's vast resources

"Sorry to take so long," Austin said, savoring the cool brew that trickled down his throat "We caround noise when you called, and I'm not sure I understood you correctly," Austin said "You said soet the rest"

"After you left for Manassas, I started fooling around with Karla's bedtime rhyme The title, 'Topsy-Turvy,' and some of the lines fit in e know about polar shift It seemed too close to be coincidental"

"I've found that few things are coincidental," Austin said "However, it's a coincidence that I'm still thirsty and there's an untouched beer on the table"

"I'm too cranked up to drink" Barrett shoved the beer across to Austin, who shared half of it with Karla