hired
Aubrey, always preferring to appoint family friends to his organization rather than cast his net and take on potentially unreliable employees. People tended to work better for their friends than
for anonymous corporations, and despite its size he had worked hard to make IRIS a family and not just an employer.
‘Mr. Abell,’ Aubrey said in greeting. ‘Katherine tells me that the news broadcast went well.’
Joaquin nodded with a brief but weary smile. ‘Let’s hope it garners support in Congress and the funding we’ll need out here.’
Katherine reacted to the shadows of restrained grief that drifted behind his eyes, and immediately moved to his side. ‘What is it?’
Joaquin whispered so that Jacob and Merriel would not hear.
‘There’s been an accident and I need to deal with it personally,’ he said. ‘Why not take the children back to the airport? I’ll meet you in Miami after we’ve
surveyed the island.’
‘You sure?’ she asked, concerned but not alarmed.
‘It’ll be fine,’ Joaquin assured her, and gestured to Dennis Aubrey, who was chatting amiably to the children. ‘You sure he’s able to lip-read?’
Katherine chuckled. ‘Of course, his brother is deaf so he learned sign-language and lip-reading as a child. I still don’t understand why you need a scientist working for you who can
lip-read?’
‘Communications,’ Joaquin replied. ‘Sometimes we have issues with equipment on the conservation projects and we only have visual and not audio.’ He waved for Aubrey to
join them. ‘Dennis, something’s come up. You okay to accompany me before we head back to Miami?’
‘Not a problem,’ Aubrey agreed, clearly eager to please.
Katherine kissed his cheek. ‘Talk to me,’ she said quickly. ‘Whatever this is about, don’t keep trying to save the world on your own, okay?’
She turned and led their children away from the shattered remains of the school and down to the white jeep waiting for them. Joaquin watched as they were driven away down a hill littered with
debris that wound its way to a distant, broad bay.
‘This way, Dennis,’ he said to Aubrey.
Joaquin turned and walked further up the hill with the physicist to where the helicopter waited. Standing alongside it with his arms folded was a tall, powerfully built man in an expensive suit
that did little to conceal the ranks of muscles bulging through the fabric. Olaf Jorgenson, Joaquin’s personal bodyguard, watched them approach and then turned and rapped on the cockpit
window. The pilot inside immediately started the helicopter’s engines.
‘What’s happened?’ Aubrey asked Joaquin as they walked. ‘Something urgent?’
‘Yes, I’m afraid so,’ Joaquin replied. ‘You’ve just been promoted to head scientist at the IRIS Deep Blue facility on the Miami Terrace reef.’
Dennis Aubrey’s round face broke into a bright smile as his pasty skin glowed with a brief flourish of color.
‘That’s fantastic news.’ His expression sagged slightly. ‘You don’t seem very happy about it.’
‘I’m afraid that your promotion is due to a tragedy, Dennis. There was an airplane crash yesterday afternoon. I lost my entire Deep Blue staff.’
Aubrey’s skin dulled again to its familiar wan tones.
‘My God, I’m sorry. Do we know what happened?’
Joaquin shook his head.
‘I’m sorry that this promotion hasn’t occurred under better circumstances, Dennis,’ he said. ‘But I need your help. It will take some time to find replacement
staff, and between now and then I need somebody reliable to man the Deep Blue facility. It might entail you being on the site for a few days, until I can get everything sorted.’
Aubrey grabbed the helicopter’s door handle and opened it for Joaquin.
‘Consider it done,’ he promised. ‘When do we leave for the facility?’
‘We’re headed for Miami right now,’ Joaquin said. ‘You’ll join me at the facility as soon as I’ve tied up some loose ends in
Aubrey, always preferring to appoint family friends to his organization rather than cast his net and take on potentially unreliable employees. People tended to work better for their friends than
for anonymous corporations, and despite its size he had worked hard to make IRIS a family and not just an employer.
‘Mr. Abell,’ Aubrey said in greeting. ‘Katherine tells me that the news broadcast went well.’
Joaquin nodded with a brief but weary smile. ‘Let’s hope it garners support in Congress and the funding we’ll need out here.’
Katherine reacted to the shadows of restrained grief that drifted behind his eyes, and immediately moved to his side. ‘What is it?’
Joaquin whispered so that Jacob and Merriel would not hear.
‘There’s been an accident and I need to deal with it personally,’ he said. ‘Why not take the children back to the airport? I’ll meet you in Miami after we’ve
surveyed the island.’
‘You sure?’ she asked, concerned but not alarmed.
‘It’ll be fine,’ Joaquin assured her, and gestured to Dennis Aubrey, who was chatting amiably to the children. ‘You sure he’s able to lip-read?’
Katherine chuckled. ‘Of course, his brother is deaf so he learned sign-language and lip-reading as a child. I still don’t understand why you need a scientist working for you who can
lip-read?’
‘Communications,’ Joaquin replied. ‘Sometimes we have issues with equipment on the conservation projects and we only have visual and not audio.’ He waved for Aubrey to
join them. ‘Dennis, something’s come up. You okay to accompany me before we head back to Miami?’
‘Not a problem,’ Aubrey agreed, clearly eager to please.
Katherine kissed his cheek. ‘Talk to me,’ she said quickly. ‘Whatever this is about, don’t keep trying to save the world on your own, okay?’
She turned and led their children away from the shattered remains of the school and down to the white jeep waiting for them. Joaquin watched as they were driven away down a hill littered with
debris that wound its way to a distant, broad bay.
‘This way, Dennis,’ he said to Aubrey.
Joaquin turned and walked further up the hill with the physicist to where the helicopter waited. Standing alongside it with his arms folded was a tall, powerfully built man in an expensive suit
that did little to conceal the ranks of muscles bulging through the fabric. Olaf Jorgenson, Joaquin’s personal bodyguard, watched them approach and then turned and rapped on the cockpit
window. The pilot inside immediately started the helicopter’s engines.
‘What’s happened?’ Aubrey asked Joaquin as they walked. ‘Something urgent?’
‘Yes, I’m afraid so,’ Joaquin replied. ‘You’ve just been promoted to head scientist at the IRIS Deep Blue facility on the Miami Terrace reef.’
Dennis Aubrey’s round face broke into a bright smile as his pasty skin glowed with a brief flourish of color.
‘That’s fantastic news.’ His expression sagged slightly. ‘You don’t seem very happy about it.’
‘I’m afraid that your promotion is due to a tragedy, Dennis. There was an airplane crash yesterday afternoon. I lost my entire Deep Blue staff.’
Aubrey’s skin dulled again to its familiar wan tones.
‘My God, I’m sorry. Do we know what happened?’
Joaquin shook his head.
‘I’m sorry that this promotion hasn’t occurred under better circumstances, Dennis,’ he said. ‘But I need your help. It will take some time to find replacement
staff, and between now and then I need somebody reliable to man the Deep Blue facility. It might entail you being on the site for a few days, until I can get everything sorted.’
Aubrey grabbed the helicopter’s door handle and opened it for Joaquin.
‘Consider it done,’ he promised. ‘When do we leave for the facility?’
‘We’re headed for Miami right now,’ Joaquin said. ‘You’ll join me at the facility as soon as I’ve tied up some loose ends in
Similar Books
