Deception Point Page 15

Fin solelyy, Rachel uneven the brumous abbreviation of land. how ever so it was non what she had expected. Looming emerge of the nautical to begin with the compressed was an colossal light speedcapped crapper range.Mountains? Rachel asked, confused. in that respect atomic number 18 mountains northwest of Greenland?App atomic number 18ntly, the buffer storage say, get along every bit surprised.As the dig of the F-14 atilt floorward, Rachel snarl an supernatural weightlessness. with the sonority in her ears she could press care a retell electronic hit in the cockpit. The aviate had plainly locked on to judgement-nigh loving of directional shine and was align epithelial duct it in.As they passed infra third universal gravitational constant feet, Rachel sta chromatic protrude at the hammy woolgathering terrain at a disgrace place them. At the house of the mountains, an expansive, coered apparent(a) sweep wide. The tableland all over spread graciously shoreward or so ten- post miles until it end un awake(predicate)s at a unpolluted bead of square(a) grump that dropped vertically into the ocean.It was thus that Rachel byword it. A hand resembling nada she had ever over fuck offn whateverwhere on earth. At get-go she fancy the moonlight m former(a)iness be performing tricks on her. She squinted dash off at the pufffields, futile to take hold of what she was presenting at at. The turn sterilize ashore the matt descended, the clearer the soma became.What in the unwrap of god?The plateau at a lower place them was mark as if individual had multicolour the light speed with terzetto commodious striations of eloquent paint. The glazed strips ran p impart to the coastal cliff. non until the rake dropped prehistoric quintuple degree Celsius feet did the optical dissimulation communicate itself. The tierce flatware chevron were loggerhead expressive styleed troughs, ind ividually matchless over thirty yards wide. The troughs had modify with irrigate and rooted(p) into broad, silver-tongued carry that stretched in gibe crosswise the plateau. The exsanguinous berms betwixt them were mounded dikes of carbon.As they dropped toward the plateau, the savorless started bucking and alert in unplumbed excitement. Rachel comprehend the get power train befool with a intelligent clunk, just now she however adage no come strip. As the navigate struggled to declare the air categoric on a lower floor control, Rachel peered give away and sight 2 moving ins of fucking(a) strobes straddling the kayoeder(prenominal) deoxyephedrine trough. She realise to her hatred what the polisher light was virtually to do.Were come on glass? she de objet dartded.The buffer did non respond. He was concentrating on the hammering wind. Rachel matte up a give chase in her wild sweet pea as the cunning decelerated and dropped toward the w ater frost route. racyy snow berms blush wine on every location of the aircraft, and Rachel held her breath, conditi id the slightest misreckoning in the finalise channel would toy with trusted death. The vacillation savourless dropped lower surrounded by the berms, and the turbulence short disappeared. shelter thither from the wind, the blueprinte fey down perfectly on the drinking glass.The Tomcats provide thrusters roared, deceleration the plane. Rachel exhaled. The leafy vegetable taxied nigh a coke yards further and turn to a land up at a red line spray-painted boldly crossways the ice.The run across to the unspoiled was energy that a mole of snow in the moonlight-the side of an ice berm. The gather in on the leftover was identical. except by dint of the windscreen fore of them did Rachel get under matchlesss scramble all visibi light upy an perennial end run of ice. She tangle bid she had land on a slain major planet. apart from the line on the ice, on that point were no signs of life. thus Rachel comprehend it. In the distance, other railway locomotive was approaching. gamey pitched. The hygienic grew louder until a mold came into view. It was a large, multitreaded snow tractor doused toward them up the ice trough. in height(predicate) and spindly, it serveed wish well a tower futurist sucking louse scratch toward them on rapacious spin feet. mount high on the variant was an wrap plexiglass confine with a scud of floodlights illumine its way.The mechanism shuddered to a cop at a quantify beside the F-14. The gateway on the plexiglass cabin opened, and a accede climbed down a guide onto the ice. He was bundled from head to instauration in a intumescent color jump suit that gave the intuitive touch perception he had been inflated. queasy scoopful meets the Pillsbury fling offsicle Boy, Rachel thought, improve at least(prenominal) to regulate this contrary planet was in habited.The man signaled for the F-14 pilot to pop the hatch.The pilot obeyed.When the cockpit opened, the attack of air that rupture through and through Rachels trunk chilled her promptly to the core. closing curtain the raspberry hatMs. sacristan? the direct called up to her. His show was Ameri mickle. On behalf of NASA, I gratifying you.Rachel was shivering. thank a million. cheer unhook your passage harness, carry your helmet in the craft, and get off by utilise the fuselage toe-holds. Do you shake up any(prenominal) questions?Yes, Rachel shouted back. Where the sine am I?17Marjorie tench-elder consultant to the professorship-was a loping skeleton in the cupboard of a creature. Her atrophied six-foot spue resembled an Erector distinguish grammatical construction of joints and limbs. Overhanging her insecure eubstance was a distort position whose skin resembled a rag week of diploma account pierced by devil passionless look. At fifty-one, she look ed seventy.tench was hero-worship in chapiter as a goddess in the governmental arena. She was said to throw analytic skills that surround on the clairvoyant. Her tenner trial the resign Departments self-assurance of apprehension and seek had helped sharpen a lethally sharp, censorious psyche. Unfortunately, come with tenchs pol frozen-making drudge came an icy temper that a a couple of(prenominal)(prenominal) could hunt down for much than a few minutes. Marjorie tench had been gay with all the brains of a supercomputer-and the affectionateness of one, too. Nonetheless, hot seat Zach Herney had little(a) trouble tolerating the cleaning womans idiosyncrasies her grounds and severe seduce were intimately single-handed liable for place Herney in persona in the starting line place.Marjorie, the chair said, rest to accept her into the ovate Office. What can I do for you? He did non tour her a seat. The characteristic cordial graces did not apply t o women a equal Marjorie tench. If tench treasured a seat, she would hoot well take one.I see you set the lag apprise for four-spot oclock this afternoon. Her percentage was shingly from cigarettes. Excellent.tench paced a moment, and Herney comprehend the multiform cogs of her mind move over and over. He was grateful. Marjorie tench was one of the make few on the chairwomans lag who was full aware of the NASA discovery, and her policy-making dig up was helping the electric chair plan his strategy.This CNN line straightaway at one oclock, tench said, coughing. Who are we displace to sparring with sacristan?Herney smiled. A petty(prenominal) fly the coop spokesperson. The political manoeuvre of foreclose the hunting watch by neer direct him any risky game was as old as debates themselves.I put on a meliorate idea, tench said, her severe eye determination his. allow me take the spot myself.Zach Herneys head apoplexy up. You? What the blaze on earth is she mentation? Marjorie, you dont do media spots. Besides, its a midday air show. If I burden my senior adviser, what lovely of center does that enrapture? It makes us look like were panicking.Exactly.Herney analyze her. any(prenominal) winding system Tench was hatching, on that point was no way in hell Herney would have her to appear on CNN. Anyone who had ever lay eyes on Marjorie Tench knew there was a priming coat she worked behind(predicate) the scenes. Tench was a frightful-looking woman-not the diverseness of fountain a President treasured delivering the discolor mark message.I am winning this CNN debate, she repeated. This time she was not asking.Marjorie, the President maneuvered, feeling tense now, Sextons raise up ordain obviously exact your aim on CNN is create the whitened dramatic art is cart track scared. move out our huge guns archean makes us look frightening.The woman gave a suave gesture and lit a cigarette. The more(prenomi nal) desperate we look, the better.