Ivan looked around the table. The holograms looked as solid as real people, but they represented people hidden elsewhere on the Earth, or perhaps in near-Earth orbit. He couldn’t remember the last time the Core had gathered physically after long ago deciding their great mission couldn’t take such a risk.
In the past, he had sometimes wondered if such paranoia were necessary. The members of the Core had their disagreements, but they all shared the same goal. In the end, he’d accepted it as rational. One bomb could undo over a century of progress, and they had many, many enemies outside their group.
“We should begin,” Ivan suggested with a nod, his voice calm. “I don’t believe this will take long, assuming you all are as competent as I believe you to be.”
Farad frowned from the other side
