Page 86 (1/2)

“Euessed

Suspicious of the whole scenario, Kurt crept up to the square cart and looked over the edge “No passengers,” he said “But it’s not empty”

He reached inside and scooped up a handful of the cargo “Pellets,” he said “Extreht”

Joe took a quick look, rubbing one of the pellets between his fingers “Titanium,” he said “Not fully processed yet but halfway there”

“I think I get it now,” Kurt said

“Get what?”

“Than Rang’s played-outthree times what they did a decade beforeHis alliance with the shadowy figures in the NorthHe’s salting his own enerals send him half-processed titanium that he ships to a processor as if they cah-tech supplies, and probably a steady diet of cold hard cash in return The North Koreans get technology and access to , and Than Rang gets cheap ore at fire-sale prices”

As if in response to the arrival of the ore-bearing car, a series of yellow lights began to flash around the base of the platfor container had been placed—the one Kurt and Joe had been riding in with the high-tech servers

“Last train to Clarksville,” Kurt said “Let’s make sure we’re on it”

He and Joe dashed for the open door of the shipping container, ju inside just as the platform levitated upward Kurt pulled the door shut and the container began to accelerate rapidly and s fifty htest sound of rind of wheels on the road

“Since we seean, “I should probably ask e’re going to do e get to the other side”

“My guess, we’ll either be entering a dead zone or an all-out firefight,” Kurt said

“We could have waited for them to come back”

“What if they plan to take another way out?”

“You got me there,” Joe said