Chapter 5
Zacharias Franklin stood in the midst of the crowd of people in the Portal room. Except for the technicians who were at the Portal’s controls, they all wore uniforms—the soldiers gray, the scientists blue, and the civilians green. On their sleeves were badges that indicated their country of origin as well as their discipline.
Zack liked the uniform he’d been issued for two reasons. The shade of green brought out the color of his eyes, which might be considered vain of him, but then he didn’t have much to be vain about. He was just a short, rotund man with ordinary looks.
However, the fit of this uniform was exactly what he would have chosen if he’d been asked: it concealed the fact that his bulk was not fat, as many might think, but solid muscle.
No one really noticed him; th
