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“Hauling away,” the captain said with relief in his voice “What kind of music do you want for the ride to the top?”

“I’ll leave that up to you,” Austin said He was too tired to think

A h his earphones, and he began his long trip to the surface to “Tales from the Vienna Wood”

As Austin was hauled toward the ship, he was vaguely aware that he still clutched the AUV’s blade in histrophy

CHAPTER 11

THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM THE WILLIAM BEEBE, LOIS Mitchell was trying to quell a riot in the unpoint So, and when Lois said that the ist had been shot dead the news had proer and fear

Lois tried to shout down the cacophony When that didn’t work, she lined up several s on the counter and filled the effect After the uproar had quieted down and she could be heard, Lois flashed a sweet smile

“Sorry this isn’t a Starbucks Grande, but it will have to do for now”

Her atte female lab tech whose pale face and tearful eyes indicated that she was on the verge of hysteria Lacing into Lois in a voice choked with sobs, the tech dean was murdered?”

Stubbornly refusing the urge to break into tears herself, Lois said, “Dr Logan is lying in the passageway outside the control rooht back and was killed by the man who locked us in here If you want to avoid the saest you take several deep breaths and calm down”

With a tre lab tech hesitated, then reached out for it and took a noisy slurp Lois then gathered everyone around a large table and described her encounter with Phelps and the an’s closest friend rose from his chair and picked up a kitchen knife frole word

“Bastard!”

Lois reaze

“You’re absolutely correct,” Lois said “In fact, the an is worse than a bastard, he’s a murderer, but his et hih I doubt it, but what then? Phelps obviously is not the only one involved We are dealing with ruthless people who have the resources to gain entry into a heavily guarded facility three hundred feet below the ocean’s surface I don’t kno they learned about the Locker, who they are, or how many are involved, but we are completely at their mercy”

The knife clattered on the counter, and the biologist sat down