Seconds turned into minutes...
Then the Conference door opened and Alec Rivera casually stepped out, his expression unreadable as he glanced at his assistant and headed out of the corridor. She stumbled after him.
“The Allwell Group?” the lady called.
“Present.” I raised my palm.
“You're next,” she said.
“Good luck,” Mara whispered.
I adjusted my jacket, as if I hadn't already done that twice in the last minute, and followed the lady into the Conference room.
The room was cool and impeccably lit.
On a raised stage behind a long mahogany table sat a row of officials— military brass in uniforms and civilian advisors in suits. I quickly recognized General Wolfe, the Secretary of Commerce, and the President's Chief Scientific Adviser, Dr. Evelyn Hart.
“Ms. Parker,” one of the colonels
