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“Thanks” Jess shifted to audience mode, shook hands warmly “I love my work”

“Oh, it shows” Feeney sat down,for years asthat console apart”

Another tiht have been comic, the way Jess’s face underwent the transfor star to blank shock to ripe fury “You fucked witha hand on it! You’re meat! You’re dead! You’re destroyed!”

“Let the record show the subject is overwrought,” Peabody recited blandly “His threats against the person of Captain Feeney are accepted as emotional rather than literal”

“Well, the first time, anyway,” Feeney said cheerfully “You want to watch your step there, friend Put too et pissy Now” He leaned forward on his elbows “Let’s talk shop You had soreat security, admirable Tookas you’ve been breathing Designing that personal brain scanner was soauged its range at two yards Now, that’s daood for that small and

portable a unit”

“You didn’t get intoYou couldn’t get down to the core”

“Well, the three fail safes were tricky,” Feeney admitted “I spent nearly an hour on the second one, but the last was really just padding I guess you never figured you’d need anything at that level”

“Did you run the discs, Feeney?” Eve asked him

“Started on them You’re on there, Dallas We don’t have Roarke’s on file Civilian, you know But I found yours and Peabody’s”

Peabody blinked “Mine?”

“I’ comparison checks on the naain “You’ve been busy, collecting specined, terrific data co to break my heart to destroy that equipment”

“You can’t!” It was sincere pain and distress now His eyes sith it “I’ve put everything I’ve got into that Not just y Three years of h without a break I stepped back fron it Do you have any idea what I can accomplish with it?”

Eve picked up the ball “Why don’t you tell us, Jess? In your oords We’d love to hear it”

chapter seventeen