33
Marinette, Michigan
October 23rd 2032
Nicholai let the phone ring twice before he answered it. It was a habit left over from the Cold War. Never pick up until the third ring his instructors had drilled into him at the KGB. The caller ID identified it as the burner phone he had given to Stephen Kobak’s chief of security.
“Yes, Mr. McBride?”
“I still can’t believe it. They’re supposedly humanlike just as you said. We’re actually going to take one from the casino to somewhere in the Hiawatha National Forest. I’ll text you the coordinates when I get there.”
“Yes, do that.” Nicholai paused. “I want it understood, Stephen is not to be hurt.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. He’s not coming along.”
“Excellent. He’s staying at the casino, I take it.”
“Yes. What about the teams hunt
