41
TO BLACKEN THE SKY
NSA Command Center
“How could I have been so stupid?” Branson yelled, but then began to walk away as he continued talking to himself. “But I don’t study this kind of thing. I barely pay any attention to it. It’s the stuff of doomsdayers,” he said as his arms flailed into the air. “That’s not real science. That’s for those guys that just want to get their names splashed across the news, scaring people half to death.”
“Branson?” Bill said. “Hey, you still with us? We’re over here.”
“Oh, sorry. I just have a hard time with thrill-seekers in the geology world.”
Cade erupted. “Spit it out! Branson, whatever you’re thinking, get it on the table.”
“It’s the caldera. I can’t believe I never thought about it before. But you guys were so busy getting me to think about Ca
