"
Lurton Zimbardo shut off the microphone in the control center of the
asteroid. A crowd of at least forty men jammed the center where
Zimbardo sat at the console. The rest of the pirates were standing in
the factory or at their assigned work places in the facility. All had
heard the broadcast. A feeling of immense power and invulnerability
surged through them. A few men began to cheer, and within seconds the
enthusiasm had infected the rest of the pirates and the cheer became a
roar. It rang throughout the control center and along the corridors,
and filled the factory. Zimbardo's smile was wide. He looked down
almost modestly, as if he were reluctant to accept the men's accolades.
When the cheers had died down at last, Zimbardo said simply but so that
all could hear, "And now for the last step in the plan." The room was
quiet. He took out a set of notes from his pocket. The paper was marked
with scrawls, lines, and columns of figures. His eyes flicked rapidly
from the notes to the controls. His fingers began to fly over the
keyboard. He punched in coordinates and set the power grid. He marked
the timing of various operations.
Gene, Zimbardo's closest associate, was watching. Gradually his smile
narrowed. His eyebrows creased. Then his eyes widened and his face
drained.
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