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demanding an explanation, and then a blur of questions, shouted out at the briefing officer. |
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She raised her hands in a plea for quiet. It took several minutes before the group obeyed her request. "That is true. The plane carrying the divers has been delayed for various reasons, mainly weather. If you have a complaint about that point, I suggest you take it up with the Lord, Mr. Blair. He makes the weather, not I." |
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"But surely, a day or two here would be prudent while the divers study the conditions they'll faceAnd you haven't answered my question about Mrs. Neville's accident." |
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"Mr. Blair and ladies and gentlemen, please quiet down, or you'll get no answers at all. If you will examine the release prepared jointly by the Department of Defense and the Department of the Environment and read it carefully, you will see that the device was originally intended to deploy in space as a pulse weapon, destroying, or at least crippling, communications on the whole North American continent. As for your other questions, I am a sailor, not a politician, so I will refrain from making some very obvious judgments. But now the point is that the warhead will detonate tomorrow at 0830 local time if it is not deactivated." Commander Hebert's manner was calm, but her face was pink with suppressed anger. Morgan could see she had been well trained for her job. These lions would have a hard time chewing her up and digesting her. |
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For a moment, the room fell absolutely quiet as her listeners absorbed the import of her words. The disdain in Commander Hebert's voice was evident. "You in the press needn't worry. You will all depart on the press plane at 0600 hours for Montreal. After that, media coverage on the scene will be handled by Mr. Joseph Ryerson as pool reporter. There will be no, repeat no, live television coverage." |
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The already edgy reporters began to complain all at once, and soon the room was in an uproar, until someone who was watching the television screens surrounding them yelled out, "Shut up and take a look," shocking them into relative si- |
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