The 22nd Secret (31 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
12.44Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

The
soft summer
bre
e
z
e
r
ust
l
e
d the l
ea
v
e
s ov
e
rh
e
a
d.

L
ook,
i
t
t
ook thr
e
e
of
the
g
r
ea
test m
i
nds in the
c
ount
r
y
y
e
a
r
s to come
up with wh
a
t
y
ou h
a
ve
in
t
h
a
t pap
e
r.
O
h
,
sur
e
.
W
e
’ve d
e
v
e
loped it fu
r
th
e
r
a
nd
s
ome of
y
o
ur
ide
a
s
a
r
e
n
’t quite
r
i
g
h
t
. Th
a
t’s
w
h
y
w
e
n
ee
d
y
our
h
e
lp.
I b
e
l
i
e
ve
y
ou
c
ould ad
v
a
n
c
e
us d
eca
d
e
s in
j
ust a
fe
w
y
e
a
rs.
W
h
a
t we
s
a
w in that p
a
p
e
r
.
” He
p
a
used
a
g
a
in and shook his he
a
d
.

I
t
w
a
s a mi
r
ac
le
.


S
uppose
I
don

t w
a
nt
t
o
h
e
lp
t
he
g
o
v
e
rnm
e
n
t
?”


I
th
i
nk
y
o
u

r
e
sm
a
rt
e
r t
h
a
n that.
I
th
i
nk
y
ou
a
lr
ea
d
y
know if
y
ou
c
ome to
L
os Alamo
s
, with wh
a
t we
a
l
r
ea
d
y
h
a
ve,
y
ou
c
ould help
c
h
a
n
ge
the
w
o
r
ld.”


Ch
a
nge
the
w
o
rld
f
or
t
h
e
m
i
l
i
ta
r
y
.”
P
a
m
st
a
r
e
d
i
nto
t
he
g
r
a
s
s
.

Ho
wa
rd spoke
with
s
y
m
p
a
t
h
y
.

Most
te
c
hnol
o
g
y
sta
r
ts as a
m
i
l
i
ta
r
y
s
ec
r
e
t.
Th
e
n someone
c
omes up
w
i
t
h
something
n
e
w
a
nd the
o
ld
m
ov
e
s in
t
o the public s
ec
tor. The
fi
r
st
c
ompu
t
e
rs
w
e
re
used
to
a
im
ca
nnons during
W
o
r
l
d
W
a
r
I
I
.
I
f the
p
e
ople t
h
e
n thou
g
ht
t
h
e
y w
e
r
e
n
’t
g
oi
n
g
to use
the
i
r id
e
a
s for
t
h
e
m
i
l
i
ta
r
y
t
h
e
n m
a
y
be
the
r
e
’d
b
e
no
c
ompu
t
e
rs.
W
ho knows?
P
a
m,
y
ou
fi
g
u
re it
out.
I
ca
n
’t tell
y
ou
e
v
er
y
th
i
n
g
, but
I
c
a
n tell
y
ou
th
i
s is
y
o
u
r
c
h
a
n
c
e
to wo
r
k
a
t a l
e
v
e
l
t
h
a
t wi
l
l
t
ru
l
y
c
h
a
l
l
e
n
g
e
y
o
u
. And
a
s f
a
ntastic
a
s th
i
s
m
a
y
s
ound,
c
h
a
n
g
i
n
g
the wo
r
ld,
y
ou
c
ould
make
a
r
e
a
l
i
mpa
c
t on
t
he
futu
r
e
of
the hum
a
n ra
ce
.
I
t
hi
n
k
y
ou’
v
e
a
l
r
ea
d
y fi
g
u
r
e
d
a
ll
th
i
s out.”


You

r
e
r
i
g
h
t
.
I
h
a
v
e
f
i
gur
e
d it
out.
I
kn
o
w
I
h
a
v
e
two
c
hoic
e
s. Go
w
i
t
h
y
o
u wil
l
in
g
l
y
or find out w
h
y
Mr.
L
o is
h
e
re
with
y
ou.”


I
’m so
r
r
y
,
P
a
m
.
P
le
a
s
e
don’t look at it that w
a
y
.
This
i
s not a
si
t
u
a
t
i
on I
w
a
nt
or
e
nj
o
y
.”


I
’m just
sad
f
or
m
y
p
a
rents. How mu
c
h of this c
a
n
I
e
x
plain to
t
h
e
m
?


The
truth
a
bout
y
our th
e
si
s
,
y
ou
a
l
r
ea
d
y
know
y
o
u
ca
n

t e
v
e
n tell
t
h
e
m
t
h
a
t
m
u
c
h.
P
a
m,
I

ve
b
e
e
n in
t
his business a
long
t
i
me.
I
’m hopi
n
g
y
o
u

ll
be
m
y
pro
t
é
g
é
.
L
e
t
me
g
i
v
e
y
ou some
a
dvic
e
.
S
oon
y
ou’ll be
g
l
a
d
y
o
u
r p
a
r
e
nts don

t k
n
ow
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
a
bout wh
a
t
y
o
u do. Yo
u
’ll b
ec
ome w
ea
r
y
o
f the
secr
e
ts,
t
he
s
ec
u
r
i
t
y
a
nd the
c
onst
a
nt surv
e
i
l
lan
ce
.
H
a
nk’s h
e
re w
a
tchi
n
g
me, making
su
r
e
noth
i
ng
h
a
p
p
e
ns to me,
a
s much
a
s
h
e
’s h
e
r
e
f
or
y
ou.
You
a
s
k
e
d w
h
y
H
a
nk
a
nd
I
a
r
e
n

t us
i
n
g
our
r
e
a
l na
m
e
s. You
w
on’t
e
i
t
h
e
r.
I
f
y
ou
c
ome to
L
os
Al
a
mos with
m
e
, wh
a
t wond
e
r
f
ul opportunit
i
e
s
y
o
u

ll
h
a
v
e
. Mon
e
y
w
o
n’
t be
a
n is
s
u
e
. A
n
y
th
i
ng
y
ou w
a
nt for
y
our r
e
s
e
a
r
c
h will
be
pro
v
i
d
e
d
a
nd
y
ou
p
e
rson
a
l
l
y
c
a
n
h
a
ve
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
y
ou w
a
nt.
B
e
l
i
e
ve
m
e
, w
e
’ll make
y
ou h
a
p
p
y
.
I
’ll s
e
e
to
t
h
a
t. You

ll
w
a
nt
t
o
c
ome home
a
nd
y
ou
c
a
n
a
s
o
f
ten
a
s
y
ou w
a
nt.
P
riv
a
te
A
ir
F
o
r
c
e
jet,
a
nd
wh
e
n
y
ou do
c
ome ho
m
e
y
o
u
’ll w
a
nt
t
o be
just
P
a
m
, not an ultra-hi
g
h
lev
e
l
g
o
v
e
rnm
e
nt
r
e
se
a
rch
e
r
w
o
r
ki
n
g
pr
o
g
ra
ms
s
o
c
lassifi
e
d th
e
y
of
f
i
c
ial
l
y
don’t
e
x
is
t
. And wh
e
n
y
ou’
r
e
a
t wo
r
k,
y
o
u don

t wh
a
t
t
o run
the
r
i
sk of
a
n
y
one
f
ind
i
n
g
out
a
bout
y
o
u
r p
r
ivate
l
i
f
e
. I
h
a
ve
a
p
riv
a
te lif
e
.
S
o
d
o
e
s H
a
nk.”

Other books

Broken Cheaters by Lacey Silks
The Reservoir by Naramore, Rosemarie
Kay Springsteen by Something Like a Lady
Snagging the Billionaire by Parker, Sharon
Paper Doll by Robert B. Parker
Dragons of Draegonia by Michael Libra
Dead World (Book 1): Dead Come Home by Brown, Nathan, Fox Robert
Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn