Devon approached John just as he pulled himself from beneath the rail he’d been working on. She gave him a smile. Yale was home, and they had all learned the truth behind the Yale Project. It was froth full of lies and political deception. And he was safe.

She cocked her head to the side. “Can we talk a minute?”

He grabbed up an oily rag and wiped his hands as best he could. “Sure.” He leaned against the rail and crossed his feet at his ankles and waited for her to start.

"I want you to know that I’m glad you handled everything the way you did. You kept me in check, and that’s what we need out here." She gave a slight nod, and then leaned forward to touch his arm. "You and I work pretty good together." She gave him a smile and a nod. "I’ll let you get back to work." She turned, walking toward the navigation tent.

"Hey, Devon?" When she turned, he gave her a smile of his own. "Yale’s lucky he had you on his side."

Her smile widened then. She turned and carried on about her business.