Chapter Fourteen
DENVER—PHOENIX LABS
Thorpe looked at Kimberly, alone among the people at the conference table in the Denver Phoenix Lab complex without a scientific background. He was well aware that she was part of the group because she and Daphne were an item—along with Dale, he reminded himself. But it was more than that. Kimberly had proved herself adept at ferreting out details about people and events that were intended to remain confidential. That made her uniquely valuable.
“Kimberly,” he said, “we’re doing some pretty dramatic things at Earth-Moon L2. I have not heard a peep from any media outlet about our activities. NASA and China are on the Moon’s surface. The Mars Consortium is moving ahead with its plans for colonizing Mars. I hear whispers about a couple of outposts in th
