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〃You're telling me that the government of the United States has planted people inside private corporations to spy on them？〃
〃Microsoft。 IBM。 Boeing。 Lockheed；〃 Trent said； deadpan。 〃Plus； of course； all of the other major Navy； Army； and Air Force contractors； especially if they have contracts with other countries。〃
〃Holy shit；〃 Cameron said。
〃There are other places； too。〃
〃Like。。。〃
〃Like universities；〃 Trent said。 〃Universities are high on the list of ICG…promised organizations。 Cloning sheep… ICG knew about in 1993。 Cloning humans…ICG knew about it last year。〃 Trent shrugged。 〃It makes sense。 Universities are the cutting edge。 If you want to find out what's in the pipeline； it's best to put your people in the pipe。〃
Cameron didn't say anything for a full minute。
The sheer concept of an America…wide intelligence…gathering conspiracy made his spine tingle。 An octopus…like network； with its tentacles stretching out from a small boardroom in the Pentagon to all the corners of the country； penetrating every major business and university。 It was worth checking out some more。
Andrew Trent interrupted his thoughts。
〃Mr。 Cameron；〃 he said seriously。 〃The ICG is a dangerous organization。 A very dangerous organization。 It owes its allegiance to one thing and one thing only。 The United States of America。 So long as America wins； the ICG doesn't care what it has to do。 It will kill to achieve that goal。 It will kill you and it will kill me。 Mr。 Cameron； patriotism is the virtue of the vicious。 An organization that is prepared to infiltrate its own armed forces and kill its own men to keep this country's secrets safe is not one you want to mess with lightly。〃
Cameron nodded solemnly。 Then he said； 〃Mr。 Trent； do you have anything； anything at all； with names or something that I could…〃
Trent grabbed a sheet of A4 paper from the table beside him。
〃The results of my search so far；〃 he said。 〃Names； positions held； and rank； if any。〃 He handed the sheet to Cameron。
Cameron took it； scanned it quickly。 It read：
TRANSMIT MO。 767…9808…09001
REF NO。 KOS…4622
SUBJECT： THE FOLLOWING IS AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF PERSONNEL AUTHORIZED TO RECEIVE SECURE TRANSMISSIONS。
NAME
LOCATION
FIELD/RANK
ADAMS； WALTER K。
LVRMRE LAB
NCLR PHYSCS
ATKINS； SAMANTHA E。
GSTETNR
CMPTR SFTWRE
BAILEY； KEITH H。
BRKLY
AERONTL ENGNR
BARNES； SEAN M。 N。
SEALS
LTCMMDR
BROOKES； ARLIN F。 A。
RNGRS
CPTN
CARVER； ELIZABETH R
CLMBIA
CMPTR SCI
CHRISTIE； MARGARET V。
HRVRD
IDSTRL CHMST
DAWSON； RICHARD K。
MCROSFT
CMPTR SFTWRE
DELANEY； MARK M。
IBM
CMPTR HRDWRE
DOUGLAS； KENNETH A。
CRAY
CMPTR HRDWRE
DOWD； ROGER F。
USMC
CPRL
EDWARDS； STEPHEN R。
BOEING
AERONTL ENGNR
FAULKNER； DAVID G。
JPL
AERONTL ENGNR
FROST； KAREN S。
USC
GNTC ENGNR
GIANNI； ENRICO R。
LCKHEED
AERONTL ENGNR
GRANGER； RAYMOND K。 A。
RANGERS
SNR SGT
HARRIS； TERENCE X。
YALE
NCLR PHYSCS
JOHNSON； NORMA E。
U。ARIZ
BKJTOXNS
KAPLAN； SCOTT M。
USMC
GNNY SGT
KASCYNSKI； THERESA E。
3M CORP
PHSPHTES
KEMPER； PAULENE J。
JHNS HPKNS
DRMTLGY
KOZLOWSKI； CHARLES R。
USMC
SGT MJR
LAMB； MARK I。
ARMALTE
BLLSTCS
LAWSON； JANE R。
U。TEX
INSCTCIDES
LEE； MORGAN T。
USMC
SGT
MCDONALD； SIMON K。
LVRMRE LAB
NCLR PHYSCS
MAKIN； DENISE E。
U。CLRDO
CHMCL AGNTS
NORTON； PAUL G。
PRNCTN
AMNO ACD CHNS
OLIVER； JENNIFER F。
SLCN STRS
CMPTR SFTWRE
PARKES； SARAH T。
USC
PLNTLGST
REICHART； JOHN R。
USMC
SGT
RIGGS； WAYLON J。 N。
SEALS
CMMDR
SHORT； GREGORY J。
CCA CLA
LQO SCE
TURNER； JENNIFER C。
UCLA
GNTC ENGNR
WILLIAMS； VICTORIA D。
U。WSHGTN
GEOPHYS
YATES； JOHN F。
USAF
CPTN
Cameron glanced up from the list； shook his head in disbelief。 〃How do you know all this； Mr。 Trent？〃
〃I've made some discreet inquiries；〃 Trent said。 〃Primarily by shadowing the people mentioned on that list。〃
Cameron held up the sheet of paper。 〃So how'd you get this list in the first place？〃
Trent smiled。 It was the first real smile Cameron had seen from Trent for the hour that he had known him。
〃You remember those guys I told you about who were parked in the van outside my parents' house？〃
〃Yes。。。。〃
〃Well； I followed one of them home。 Stopped him in the doorway to his apartment and asked him a few questions。 He was very cooperative； once he was 。。。 properly motivated。〃
〃What happened to him？〃 Cameron asked warily。
When he answered； Trent's voice was hard； cold； entirely devoid of emotion。
〃He died。〃
Snake stood handcuffed to the same pole as Henri Rae and Luc Champion on E…deck。 His weapons and body armor had been removed。 He just stood there； cuffed to the pole； dressed in his camouflaged full…body bat fatigues。
Schofield； Riley； and Rebound stood on the deck in front of him； looking at him。 Mother was also out on the pool deck； sitting in a chair； looking like Cleopatra on a chaise。 Schofield had had Book and Rebound carry her out onto the deck for this。
Last of all； behind Schofield； stood James Renshaw。 He was the only civilian on the pool deck。
The atmosphere was tense。 No one spoke。
Schofield looked at his watch。
It was 3：42 p。m。
He remembered what Abby Sinclair had said about the solar flare in the atmosphere above Wilkes Ice Station。 A break in the solar flare would be passing over the station at 3：51。
Nine minutes。
He would have to make this quick。 Gant and the others were still down in the cavern； and he wanted to contact them and find out exactly what was down there before he called McMurdo。
Schofield pressed a button on the side of his watch and the display changed。 The stopwatch screen appeared。 It displayed numbers ticking upward：
1：52：58
1：52：59
1：53：00
Damn； Schofield thought。
It was going to be close。 After he spoke with the people at McMurdo at 3：51； they would have less than an hour to figure out a way to seek out and destroy the French warship hovering off the coast waiting to fire its missiles at Wilkes Ice Station。
〃All right；〃 he said； turning to the group assembled around him。 〃Book。 Rebound。 You first。〃
Book and Rebound told their story。
They had both been outside； working on the station's antenna； out by one of the outer buildings。
〃And then you called and asked for one of us to go and check on Mr。 Renshaw；〃 Book said。 〃Snake took the call； so he went to do it。 He came back after about fifteen minutes and said that everything was fine； said that Mr。 Renshaw was still in his room and that it had just been a false alarm。〃
Schofield nodded…that was when he had been shot。
Book said； 〃A little later； I got up to go and check on Mother； but Snake stopped me and said that he'd do it。 I didn't think anything of it at the time； so I said sure； if he wanted to。〃
Schofield nodded again…that was when the attack on Mother had happened。
He stepped forward s