Supersymmetry Read Online Free PDF Page A

of fencing and razor wire. Alex doubted the public was fooled by the name.
    The technology they were demonstrating had been built by Alex and Tequila’s company, but that the technology was possible at all was due to Dr. Ryan Oronzi. Rumor in the media was that Oronzi was on the cusp of discovering the elusive Theory of Everything, finally reconciling gravity with particle physics and finishing what Einstein had started more than a century before.
    In the flesh, Oronzi was at least a hundred pounds overweight, his hair askew, dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of worn jeans that would have benefitted from a belt. “He looks like a plumber,” Alex said.
    Tequila stifled a laugh. “I guess if you’re smart enough, you can do and say what you like, and people just call you eccentric. It’s like being old.”
    â€œOr rich,” Alex said.
    The demo was staged in a huge, warehouse space that would give them enough room to demonstrate the new technology in dramatic style. All of the guests were milling in one corner, near a lavish breakfast spread—far nicer than anything Lockheed Martin ever provided just for their employees. Oronzi’s arrival quickly attracted the attention of the generals and executives, who shook his hand and made small talk. Alex and Tequila made their way through to the tables. Tequila piled her plate high with eggs, bacon, and a Danish, but Alex just poured some coffee into a disposable cup and leaned against the wall, sipping it.
    â€œAre you all right?” Tequila asked, eyeing her meager breakfast. “It’s not like you to be nervous before a demo.”
    â€œIt’s not that,” Alex said. “The stadium disaster has me rattled.”
    Tequila instantly turned serious. “You didn’t know anyone there, did you?”
    â€œMy dad was at the game.”
    Tequila’s eyes flew wide. “Was he—”
    â€œNo, he’s okay. I talked to him on the phone. He left early, before the bomb went off. He was on the way home when it blew, miles away. If he had decided to stay just a few minutes longer . . .” Her voice choked, and she fought back a sudden rush of tears. She had been so close to losing him.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” Tequila said. “We can cover things without you. Go and hang out with your family. Give your dad a hug.”
    Alex shook her head and wiped her eyes. “We’ve been working on this for how long? More than a year? I’m not backing out now. I’ll go home afterward.”
    â€œYou’re sure? You don’t have to, you know. Everyone would understand.”
    â€œI’ll be fine.”
    Tequila put a strawberry Danish in her hand. “Eat it,” she said. “That’s a command.”
    Alex managed a watery smile and took a tiny bite of the Danish. It did taste good. “Thanks.”
    â€œIt’s entirely selfish,” Tequila said. “I was lying when I said we could cover things. Without you, we’ll crash and burn, and they’ll give the contract to Boeing.”
    â€œLook,” Alex said. “My sister’s on the Philadelphia police force, and I’ll guarantee you she hasn’t gone home. Probably hasn’t slept, either. If she can keep working, so can I.”
    Tequila swallowed a large bite of eggs. “Competitive relationship, huh?”
    â€œYou could say that. Her name’s Sandra. She’s a twin.”
    Tequila whistled. “How come I didn’t know you had a twin?”
    â€œIt’s complicated.”
    â€œDon’t I know it. Family always is.”
    â€œI have an older sister, Claire, and a younger brother, Sean, but Sandra and I are the most . . . closely linked.”
    â€œIdentical?”
    â€œIn appearance? Absolutely. In personality . . .”
    Tequila laughed. “Say no more. You know, I always fantasized about having an identical twin when I was a kid. I