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pilot figured, just make it to Newark airport. On the emergency frequency he called in the request to land. |
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In the cabin Julius Wick sat with his face in the window, staring down into the black, plasticine surface of the Atlantic. Claire reclined beside him, her eyes closed and her head against the headrest. A half-empty glass of Lillet sat in the holder of her tray. She had just dined on a prepared meal of lobster tail, sautéed fiddleheads and boiled new potatoes, kept warm by the on-board micro. Julius had no appetite and was halfway through a glass of red wine. |
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On his tray table sat the red leatherbound legislation package. He and President Morgan Reese were scheduled to meet at five on Monday to discuss whether the president should sign. The review was Julius's first major order of business as biotech czar, and his insights were critical to the president. From what he had read, the legislation would essentially liberalize restrictions on the biochemical industry. While the president was reluctant to sign on to such measures, he managed to attach a tagalong condition for the protection of the ozone layer. It was a trade-off with congressional opposition: increasing industry-wide restrictions on atmospheric pollutants while relaxing those on land-and-water dumping for biotech firms. As the president told him, such trade-offs happened all the time: one giant step forward, a half step backward. |
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But Julius could not concentrate enough to open the package. That video kept getting in the way. |
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Ever since its arrival, he had on some wordless level of consciousness felt a terrible vulnerability. No, not just the obvious vulnerability to blackmail, which was bad enough. Something more . . . |
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We're all in this together, McDermott had said. |
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But were they? Somehow McDermott's words did not generate much reassurance. It was his two million. More, it was his reputation and his post. Suppose their enterprising hit man refused to deliver the boy until payment was received? They were not in a leverage position to demand the boy be turned over first. Of course, the risk to themno, to himwas that unfulfilled payment could go on until he was drained. And still they might not get the boy or the videos. And suppose word of the boy was made public? That would be the end of him. And the president himself by association. |
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