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The young man looked downcast

“You disagree?”

“Proving the systey froh? That and the wealth that will follow”

“No,” Thero said sharply “It’s not even close Look what they’ve done to us ToMocked us and murdered your sister They sent us away like we carried the plague, abandoned us to certain death All the nations of the world are complicit in this All the nations we could have helped”

Thero’s tone softened George had always been the e’s sister had been ,” Thero said “I can’t afford to be that way I won’t hand the my pound of flesh first”

Thero’s son looked up at hily

“The system must be tested,” he reminded his father “If we can’t fine-tune it, then neither dream will come to fruition”

“Only the most minor tests,” Thero said “The world must remain in the dark until the zero hour arrives”

SEVEN

Joe Zavala stood on the raht with hi aircraft

Five foot ten, with the dark s eyes of his ht boxer like his father, Joe was an engineer and a connoisseur of living to the fullest

Life was good, Joe felt, especially his He traveled the world having adventures,people, and worked on the h-speed boats, experimental subetting paid to play with one’s favorite toys in fantastic, exotic locations

Unlike most who had their drea in his step that usually rubbed off on those around hi for the burly loadmaster of the small aircraft Kurt had chartered

“This just can’t be correct,” thethrough a detailed bill of lading

Joe earing a dark suit with a white shirt and a pink tie, a disguise of sorts he’d decided to don after Kurt told him this mission was not to have any official NUMA involvement