"M": A New Quote From The Beginning Of Chapter 9

Below, I have included a quote from Chapter 9 in my latest fantasy/science fiction novel, "M".

This quote is from the first five paragraphs in the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 9 Quote

Every member of the Russian agencies that had met in Tomsk was blurry-eyed and downing coffee like water. They’d eaten little since yesterday and had been up all night with their teams trying to find a way forward. The return call from President Zima was only about an hour away when Andrej Orlov called them back together.

They all shuffled in. Some remained standing. Others sat in the dark oak chairs around the massive table in the meeting room of the old house. It seemed no one wanted to begin the conversation, as an uncomfortable, heavy silence sprawled out across the room.

Andrej had been the one to initiate their long night of discussions, so he took it upon himself to begin the meeting. He pushed against the arms of his chair, came to his feet, and hesitated one last moment as he finished off his cup of strong, bitter coffee. His colleagues glanced in his direction, waiting.

“We don’t have much time. The president will be contacting us soon. We all know that we have a decision to make. So, let’s go around the room, one team at a time.”
    He waited for someone to volunteer. No one did, but just as he was about to call on someone, Vadik, the head of the GRU military specialists, came to his feet.