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confidence seemed to have leached away. |
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"Avery Peters is already aboard. He will fly you from the base camp to the diving site. The Russians and Canadians are sending diving teams." |
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"Remarkable, isn't it. Aleksandr Cherny is suddenly the most amenable of men, offering anything and everything we ask. Do try to keep them away from our defector. I don't want anything untoward to happen to him." |
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"Sir," Morgan said heavily. |
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"Thank you, John. I would have managed tactical command badly at my age, I fear. One thing more. We've been on the hot line to Cherny, and will be again tonight. In spite of his change of heart, defcon stays at two until this matter is cleaned up." Kellner's tone softened when he saw the strain on Anna's face. "Just remember, Mrs. Neville, that in 1790 John Adams was severely criticized for saying that irrational rather than rational forces shape history. There's nothing new in this mess. Let's hope that, like the British, we'll muddle through somehow." |
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The wind battered at the limousine, shaking the heavy car on its suspension. Morgan opened the car door and the cold penetrated like a storm of spears. He looked at Anna, resigned to her presence, and said, "It's time to go." |
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Together, bowed against the gusts, they made their way to the waiting C-130. |
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