“To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind.”
Buddha1 AAfter all of Smith’s people had left, Ron Rickman commandeered the kitchen and was in the process of giving everyone in the media who wanted a one-on-one interview or a sound bite their chance. Penelope took her cell phone out on the deck along with a hard copy of the two articles that would appear tomorrow under her
byline2. Mark’s reporters were
pros3 and there weren’t many things that needed to be changed. These two articles—one about Walker being held in the brig and one about his escape, were just the warm up act. Once Senator Horn’s
embargo4 period was us up at noon tomorrow, she would be on the record with the explosive conversation she had witnessed between Walker and the senator, not to mention her interview. With the image of the box of listening devices that had been removed from her house fresh in her mind, she wanted to be sure no one else was listening to her conversation. She called Mark
Hatchet5 as she strolled out on the elevated boardwalk behind her house toward the dock and river. She had gotten the house; her ex had gotten the boat. They spent a few minutes going over the edits required before the conversation turned more casual. “So what’s Walker like?” Hatchet asked. 89 The Fourth
Awakening6 “Somewhere between handsome and terrifying. Oh, while they were searching, they found
bugs7 all over my house.” “That’s my girl. You made someone nervous.” She almost
blurted8 out that Walker had found tracking devices on her car but caught herself just in time. While she had already shared some of the details of her conversation with Walker and the totally out of character reactions of Senator Horn; she had played dumb about the actual escape. She knew there was no way she could explain what she had seen without coming across as demented, and possibly an
accomplice9. “He said he had been arrested three times in the past two weeks, and that they kept taking him to the wrong prison. If you can believe that.” “I didn’t even know he had escaped from the brig until you called.” “How’s that possible? There are TV crews and reporters all over my house!” “Man,” Hatchet said with a hint of respect in his voice. “Th ey really have a lid on this. They knew that between you and Senator Horn they couldn’t keep the story of the arrest and escape quiet much longer, but they’re buying a few hours of damage control by not releasing any information on Walker. Very slick.” “What do you mean?” Penelope asked. “They kept it a local story about an escape only, and
apparently10 they’re hoping none of the local reporters will figure out who escaped. Let’s hope they stay in the dark until we’ve gone to press. Once that happens all hell is going to break loose.” “What time do you go to press?” “Your stuff will go up on our web page around 11 Eastern and the print edition will start hitting the street shortly after that. You might want to turn your phones off if you expect to get any sleep tonight.” “Good thinking,” Penelope said as she nodded her head. “By the way, I had one of my reporters make a few
discreet11 inquiries12 to news
outlets14 down there and it turns out they all got an
anonymous15 call about the escape.” “Really?” “Told them that a
deranged16 maniac17 suspected in the
disappearance18 of 30 people was on the loose and they should check over at your house.” Penelope burst into laughter. “Maybe he does have a sense of humor.” “What does that mean?” 90 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “It would take too long to explain.” “Whatever,” Hatchet said as he suppressed a yawn. “All I know is with one masterstroke it started to
pry19 the lid off Homeland Security’s carefully crafted cover-up and gave you enough protection to fi le your story. By this time tomorrow you will be absolutely bulletproof.” “What does that mean?” “After this story breaks unless they find you in the same getaway car with Walker there is no way in hell they could arrest you. We media people may all be ‘jackals’ but we protect our own. If they start fi tting you for an orange jumper every news
outlet13 in the free world will go nuts.” “Oh,” Penelope said as she changed ears for her phone. “Th at’s why Smith didn’t arrest me.” “It would have been political suicide. In this case the only thing that could make this worse than the Walker story getting out would be the Walker story getting out and the reporter who broke the story getting arrested. That moves it from a few embarrassing news cycles to a Congressional hearing and the Secretary of Homeland Security announcing he’s retiring to spend more time with his family.” “Why is it I’m starting to feel like a
pawn20 in a much bigger game?” “What do you care? You got the big story you had been wishing for and potentially an even bigger one in the wings. Speaking of which, let’s go over your interview with Walker again. Just in case.” “Just in case of what? “Just in case Homeland Security changes its mind and throws you in the hoosegow.” “Lovely.” For the next few minutes, Penelope recounted the interview, leaving out the parts she barely believed herself and certainly didn’t have the strength to try and convince anyone else about. “What’s the deal with the bowls?” Mark asked. “No idea but it really set the senator off .” “Speaking of the senator, we don’t have any conflict here, do we? Th e only
confirmation21 we’ve gotten from him was on Walker being in the brig and nothing on this.” “He or his chief of staff is supposed to email me a release to put what I saw in the brig on the record and there was nothing classifi ed discussed. I haven’t done any work for him since he announced his
retirement22 and 91 The Fourth Awakening Homeland Security
revoked23 my security
clearance24 an hour ago. Where does that leave me?” “I’ll run it past legal but you look bulletproof to me. They booted two senators with Presidential ambitions off Meet the Press, and they’re giving Horn a double live segment in the morning.” “Looks like he’s going to blow the cover off of the Hermes Project.” “That would be my guess too. I wonder how he’s going to get around the project still being classified,” Hatchet asked. “I don’t think he even cares,” Penelope answered. “From what I was able to pick up during the conversation between Walker and Horn, the White House is ready to
declassify25 the project, but they were waiting for Horn’s and Homeland Security’s buy-in.” “That jives with what I’ve heard.” “From your mystery source?” “Don’t start. Try and get some rest.” “One of the advantages of living in a small town and in a gated community; reporters can’t knock on your door in the middle of the night.” Penelope wandered back into the house just as Ronald F. Rickman, Esquire was completing his last interview and her “legal team” was packing up to leave. “I don’t think the Feds will be bothering you again anytime soon,” Rickman said with a laugh. “How much is all of this going to cost me?” “Are you kidding, this is the best
publicity26 I’ve had all year.” Ron Rickman put his arm around Penelope’s shoulder. “But if you really want to show your gratitude…” Penelope pushed him away. “Why is it every time I get around you I feel like I need to take a shower?” “Ooh. That works for me,” Rickman said with a smile. “But not tonight. I already have plans.” Penelope shook her head as she
maneuvered27 Rickman toward the door. “Th anks, Ron.” “I’ll call you about that shower.” “You do that,” she said as she shoved him out the door. Penelope leaned with her back against the front door, drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. This had been quite a day. Needing a quick treat to
soothe28 her nerves, Penelope opened the 92 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin freezer side of the refrigerator and lifted up a bag of frozen organic peas.
Underneath29 was a handful of small Snickers bars left over from Halloween. Despite her best intentions, she hadn’t been able to
jettison30 her private
stash31. She popped one of the frozen treats in her mouth as she went upstairs to check her laptop. The release from Joan Inman making her conversation with the senator and Michael Walker in the brig on the record after noon tomorrow was, as promised, in her inbox. She forwarded it on to Mark. Where she would normally get two or three emails a day, mostly from her kids, currently she had over 50 unread messages. She
decided32 to keep them unread. As eleven o’clock approached Penelope kept hitting the “refresh” button on her
browser33 as she waited for her stories to go online. With nothing else to do, she wandered back downstairs, wiped off the counter and put the few coffee cups Rickman and his people had used into the nearly empty dishwasher. When she came back upstairs, there it was. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw her byline. BILLIONAIRE DETAINED BY HOMELAND SECURITY ESCAPES FROM MAXIMUM SECURITY FACILITY By Penelope Drayton Spence Exclusive to The Washington Post The lead story in the Sunday The Washington Post. Nirvana. She emailed the link to the page to everyone in her address book, before wandering back downstairs for a celebratory glass of merlot. Out by the pool, a cool breeze swept off the Ashley River, keeping the insects at bay. The moon
rippled34 off the shallow water of the salt
marsh35 and tree frogs were happily singing. This was a perfect ending to the perfect day. If only she had someone here to share the moment. “Shoot,” she muttered to herself, remembering that Walker had told her it wasn’t a good idea for her to be alone tonight. It was nearly midnight; well past Joey’s bedtime and she hated to have her beauty sleep interrupted for anything short of a Penelope meltdown. She was a big girl. Right now all she wanted to do was get some rest. The mood was shattered when Penelope heard the all too familiar sucking sound coming from one of the swimming pools
intakes36. Something had gotten stuck in the filter basket. Again. Damn this place, 93 The Fourth Awakening she thought. Ever since the ugly snake in the basket incident of a few years ago, when she had reached in to clear a
blockage37 only to discover a bloated dead
reptile38, she had no intention of sticking her hand in to see if this noise was being caused by animal, vegetable, or mineral. Th is meant yet another pool service call. “God, I’m starting to hate this place,” she muttered to herself as she closed her eyes and relaxed. She felt the tension leave her body as she released the anger. She was shaken back to reality when her land line rang. She smiled when she saw the name of the editor of Th e Post and Courier in the Caller ID box. Now he wanted to talk to her. Where was he when she needed a job? She smiled and let it go to voice mail. Checking the number posted on the wall next to the kitchen phone, she used her cell to call the guard station and told Lenny she wasn’t expecting any guests tonight but some people may try to convince him otherwise. He said he understood completely. Shaking her head, she turned off the ringer to both her cell phone and her landline before heading upstairs. Despite being
exhausted39, in her excitement she tossed and turned and was unable to fall asleep. She had her big story and it was everything she had wished for, and more. But doubts kept creeping in. After the story about the
confrontation40 at the brig between Walker and Horn, then what? Was she going to be a flash in the pan, one hit wonder and slide back to obscurity or was this just the first step to something bigger? Would she see Walker again? Would someone else get to break the Hermes Project story? If she really wanted to be a big time reporter would she have to move? What was Horn going to say in the morning on the Sunday talk shows? Her mind kept coming back to the listening devices in her house. She would never think about the house in the same way again. For nearly 30 years this had been her home and her
sanctuary41; now this. She felt violated. Did they get them all? Why had she stopped Smith’s men? For nearly half an hour her mind raced and churned before she was finally able to drift off to sleep. . I I wake from a deep sleep with the feeling of someone shouting in my ears. In my
haze42, I can’t make out the words or the voice. I strain my ears to listen but all I hear is an odd buzzing sound I can’t place but it sounds 94 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin like it is coming from the kitchen. It is just a bad dream; but when I close my eyes I hear the shouting again. Louder. A man’s voice. Michael Walker’s voice. He is screaming a single word. “RUN!”
点击
收听单词发音
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1
Buddha
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| n.佛；佛像；佛陀 |
参考例句： |
- Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
- He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。
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2
byline
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| n.署名；v.署名 |
参考例句： |
- His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
- We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。
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3
pros
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| abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物 |
参考例句： |
- The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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4
embargo
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| n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商） |
参考例句： |
- This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
- During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。
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5
hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 |
参考例句： |
- I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
- Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。
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6
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 |
参考例句： |
- the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
- People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。
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7
bugs
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| adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误 |
参考例句： |
- All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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8
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
- He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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9
accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 |
参考例句： |
- She was her husband's accomplice in murdering a rich old man.她是她丈夫谋杀一个老富翁的帮凶。
- He is suspected as an accomplice of the murder.他涉嫌为这次凶杀案的同谋。
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10
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 |
参考例句： |
- An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
- He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
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11
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 |
参考例句： |
- He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
- It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。
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12
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 |
参考例句： |
- He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
- I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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13
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 |
参考例句： |
- The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
- Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。
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outlets
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| n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店 |
参考例句： |
- The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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15
anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 |
参考例句： |
- Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
- The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。
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16
deranged
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| adj.疯狂的 |
参考例句： |
- Traffic was stopped by a deranged man shouting at the sky.一名狂叫的疯子阻塞了交通。
- A deranged man shot and killed 14 people.一个精神失常的男子开枪打死了14人。
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maniac
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| n.精神癫狂的人；疯子 |
参考例句： |
- Be careful!That man is driving like a maniac!注意！那个人开车像个疯子一样！
- You were acting like a maniac,and you threatened her with a bomb!你像一个疯子，你用炸弹恐吓她！
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18
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 |
参考例句： |
- He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
- Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。
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19
pry
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| vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起) |
参考例句： |
- He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
- We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。
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20
pawn
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| n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押 |
参考例句： |
- He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
- It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。
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21
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 |
参考例句： |
- We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
- We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。
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22
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 |
参考例句： |
- She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
- I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
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23
revoked
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| adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
- A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句
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24
clearance
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| n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理 |
参考例句： |
- There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
- The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。
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25
declassify
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| v.撤销保密 |
参考例句： |
- These reports were only declassified last year.这些报告去年才被撤销了密级。
- Does the president have the power to declassify information?总统有权利解密相关信息吗？
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26
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 |
参考例句： |
- The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
- He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
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27
maneuvered
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| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵 |
参考例句： |
- I maneuvered my way among the tables to the back corner of the place. 我在那些桌子间穿行，来到那地方后面的角落。 来自辞典例句
- The admiral maneuvered his ships in the battle plan. 舰队司令按作战计划进行舰队演习。 来自辞典例句
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28
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 |
参考例句： |
- I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
- This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。
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29
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 |
参考例句： |
- Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
- She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。
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30
jettison
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| n.投弃，投弃货物 |
参考例句： |
- Sometimes you need to jettison unhealthy cargo.有时你必须抛弃不好的货物。
- We jettison an unworkable plan.我们放弃难实行的计划。
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31
stash
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| v.藏或贮存于一秘密处所；n.隐藏处 |
参考例句： |
- Stash away both what you lost and gained,for life continues on.将得失深藏心底吧，为了那未来的生活。
- That's supposed to be in our private stash.这是我的私人珍藏。
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32
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 |
参考例句： |
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
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33
browser
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| n.浏览者 |
参考例句： |
- View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
- I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。
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34
rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） |
参考例句： |
- The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。
- The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田，泛起一片麦浪。
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35
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 |
参考例句： |
- There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
- I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。
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36
intakes
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| 吸入( intake的名词复数 )； （液体等）进入口； （一定时期内）进入或纳入的人数； （采煤）进风巷道 |
参考例句： |
- The Tornado jet fighter-bomber has two air intakes. 旋风式喷气轰炸机有两个空气入口。
- The air intakes to the carburetors were filling up with freezing snow. 汽化器的进气道被积雪封住了。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
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37
blockage
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| n.障碍物；封锁 |
参考例句： |
- The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
- If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。
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38
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 |
参考例句： |
- The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
- So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。
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39
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 |
参考例句： |
- It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
- Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
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40
confrontation
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| n.对抗，对峙，冲突 |
参考例句： |
- We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
- After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。
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41
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 |
参考例句： |
- There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
- Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。
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42
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 |
参考例句： |
- I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
- He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。
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