"If you can imagine those things, you have the total picture of growing up in an orphanage."I couldn't wait to win my emancipation and get out of that...hell hole. The people running it wanted one thing, and that was the check they got every month, in my name, from the Social Security Administration. I was just that to them – a canceled check."That shut her up about the orphan thing.As we ate I kept thinking about the name I got off the lone survivor of the attack at Atlantis. Hawk needed to know. She was wearing a black tank top with no bra and her nipples were poking out from those perky B-cup breasts. She had on a pair of oversize shorts and was barefoot. Stephanie’s eyes were striking. Big and brown, her pupils always seemed to be dilated. It gave her this perpetual come-hither look – very sexy and innocent. She invited me in and I sat on the couch in the living room. She sat on the floor against the wall opposite from me and had her legs propped up with her feet flat on the ground.. I couldn't see that happening to a true card craftsman so I tried to bend my pistol barrel on one of their heads, and seeing it hadn't bent yet, tried the other head. After helping Jack up, and letting him pull up his pants by himself, we left. He took me to his house for fresh pants and, while there, I gave him back half his money. Under the circumstances he considered that more than fair. A friendship was born. After that night I sat in on a few games while Jack was playing and plying his. A lot of very greedy people have spent a lot of time searching. I doubt they missed anything." So why did Ed take the job?" The guy is very insistent. Dad and I discussed it. We decided that it would be a good exercise for me to take part in a geological survey," Eddie answered. Even though he didn't think they were going to find something of much significance, it was his first survey. He would be doing most of the work with Ed supervising."What would you like to find?" Well, there is a chance.