Version Innocent

  Chapter 35

  Damon Harding wasn’t smiling when he received Dawson’s report of the meeting in the vault. He was concerned for the first time that he and the US might be in real danger from Storm, a danger far beyond what he had previously estimated. Dawson was apparently on top of it, and understood the sensitive nature of the information about the antimatter. Damon could trust him to be discreet about it as it would certainly end their operation to try and find Storm if other political forces assumed a seek and destroy mission.

  As if the nanotechnology weren’t bad enough, they had to throw a hundred kilograms of antimatter in to the mix! What is Storm up to? Is he going to bomb the restoration center? Damon knew he couldn’t call anyone about this and have the place evacuated it would start a panic and bring down the Fleet very quickly. No, he had to let things go on, but when they had Storm, he would launch an investigation as to how that much antimatter could have been produced and smuggled without any one knowing anything.

  Still he needed to do something, and apparently he was physically in danger at his penthouse. There was no telling if Storm would target only the restoration center if he did use the antimatter as a weapon. Damon needed a safer place until this was all resolved.

  Julia, have The Golden Rule readied. I want to be on orbit by evening, Damon ordered.

  His ship The Golden Rule was newly constructed, built from the same design as the Powel, but it didn’t need the number of crew that the Powel required and it didn’t have all the armament. From orbit at least he wouldn’t have to worry about an antimatter bomb dropping on him from the sky. It would give him some flexibility.

  Perhaps the situation requires a little more personal involvement, he thought.

  Damon knew he had underestimated Storm’s potential, and now the stakes were higher. He needed to be a player in that unfolding game in space.