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Julius was at his desk staring at the blank screen of the huge Sony console when DeVoe and McDermott showed up. |
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He let them in and locked the door. The expression on his face was grimmer than usual. Which didn't make sense, since a few hours ago they had returned from Boston with news of how smoothly the transfer went. DeVoe had also reported that his men were all set to begin neutralizing the well. |
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Julius nodded to the leather armchairs facing the television. "I want you to see something," he said. |
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DeVoe and McDermott crossed the room to the chairs and Julius returned to his desk. Through the window just behind him glowed the west wing of the White House. He glanced at it through the curtains before he closed them. |
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"About an hour ago a courier dropped this off," he said. |
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DeVoe stared at him. "Dropped what off?" |
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Julius picked up the remote control and hit the "play" button. There was a slight whir of the VCR as the lights went on and the television lit up. At first the screen was a silent blur of browns, blacks and grays. But slowly as the lens pulled back, the image came into focus. |
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Ferocious black eyes glared out of an inhuman face covered with hair. Like some kind of Halloween mask. But quickly it became evident that what filled the screen was no rubber mask, no slick makeup job. It was real. And the only certain sign that it might be human was the flatness of the face. Yet dark hair with the gloss of pelt covered the skin to the eyes. |
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