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Phelps told Mitchell to take the lead and for Zavala to follow her He brought up the rear, holding histhe other two under guard

They passed a few of Chang’s lance and a nod but asked no questions They avoided the control room, which was off-limits to the staff, and skirted the fer the scientists

Despite the direness of the situation, Zavala couldn’t help but grin with appreciation when he ascended the spiral staircase to Kane’s office and saw the colorful schools of fish nosing around the clear Plexiglas do and walls

“This is fantastic!” he said

Mitchell sree I would spend a lot of tiuards Please have a seat”

Mitchell turned up the lights to blot out the fishy distraction and sat behind the desk Zavala and Phelps settled in chairs Their newborn coalition was still on a shaky foundation, and the initial moment of uncomfortable silence was broken finally by Phelps, who cleared his throat and asked Zavala, “Where’s your pal Austin?”

Zavala’s instinct to spar went back to his boxing days in college, and he gave Phelps a minimal answer

“Kurt was on Pohnpei, last I knew”

Phelps twitched his nose

“Hope Kurt stays out of Chang’s sights,” he said “He’s been gunning for your friend”

“Don’t worry about it, Phelps Kurt can take care of himself” Then Zavala asked, “How much time do we have before your boss arrives?”

“He’s probably just about landing on that freighter he uses as a base,” Phelps said “Ship looks like a rust bucket, but she’ll outrun most her size There’s even a et down in the crater I’’s okay with the airlock That maniac will be here in under an hour We won’t have a lot of wiggle room once he’s on board”

“Where’s the staff when they’re not working in the lab?” Zavala asked

“They’re confined to quarters,” Mitchell said “They’re kept under pretty tight guard, thanks to Mr Phelps here”

“Just doing my job,” Phelps said