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"How long would the contract last?"

"For as long as you can feasibly maintain your cover at the university"

"So, indefinitely," I say

"Or until you gather e decide is solid enough evidence to incris

"You and Charlie are the best candidates for the job You’re young enough to be in college Hell, we can jier We’ll stick you in the sao to college with a bunch of privileged geeks for a year?" Charlie asks "Are you kiddin’, boss? Do you kno boring –"

"The tuition would be paid You would have to put up a show of attending class and rades to continue your enrollment," Vanessa interrupts "But your primary concern will be surveillance and secrecy No one must knohy you are there"

"Two of the Gatekeepers are college students," I muse "Do you have names?"

"None that I can disclose in the open We’ll send the dossiers along once the contracts have been signed and you two are in place"

"And we gotta do this for a long-ass tio back to college, I joined to stay out of it"

"It’s the beginning of the school year You’ll blend in fine" Gregory says, a steely edge in his voice "I know you two can do this You especially, Charlie You’ve got the charisma for it You always have"

"But I’d rather be with you, boss Araory pulls Charlie’s ar anywhere These Gatekeepers are Listen, it , but it’s a good, solid post, and it’ll pay well The CIA will be paying, for shit’s sake It’ll be good to have them in Vortex’s debt Do you understand? We’d like very much for them to be in our debt, especially e deal with Aralint with slow realization I fight the urge to roll s

"As soon as possible, I’et theree to it, sir," I say Charlie inhales, chest puffing

"I-I’ at onna let batht Jackman Jackoff with a bitter sweetness, but I brush thehtens, and s his hand "My boys here say they’ll do it"

"Fabulous" She takes his hand and shakes it "I’ll be in touch with the details Now, if you’ll excuse one behind a Matson container She moved so quick I could barely follow her stride She must’ve had her exit planned overnment spooks"

"She doesn’t seem so bad," I say

"Of course she doesn’t seem bad to you You’re practically one of them already, all robotic and cutthroat I’d bet you’d kill your girlfriend if the boss asked you to"

My hand shoots out to his suit lapels before I can stop ain, blurring Charlie’s face, dulling Gregory’s assertive voice that tries to convince ainst the Matson container, the s to ash in lobe person A puppet I could crush hiht by the lake, like I almost did to Leo, like I did with Sophia