The stifling veil of the news strangled the vitality out of the antiseptic meeting room, hanging thick in the air. Their ears rang with Agent Ramirez's comments, each one sounding like a death knell for the brittle quiet they had longed for. The whole idea of Marvin, Carl's estranged stepbrother, being a runaway with information on a weaponized Project Genesis was incomprehensible.
Carl mumbled, "It can't be," his voice was a hollow reflection of his incredulity. Pictures of a skinny, often frowning youngster named Marvin contrasted sharply with the idea of a genius capable of planning such destruction.
Angela, with a pale but determined expression, gripped his hand. "Carl, we have to locate him. Right now."
Ramirez let out a sigh, his eyes shining with fatigue instead of the typical st
