A View in the Dark
Thomas Gloucester sits on the Council of Nine. He makes clear that the Council believes the project has become too dangerous after attracting federal attention and that the organization intends to shut it down. He emphasizes the financial interests at stake and insists that the Council's decision has already been made.
Gloucester seems to represent the authority behind the decision to erase the Isodyne project as he is the first to put out his candle, making his decision final. He is unwilling to allow Calvin Chadwick to continue the research merely because Chadwick believes the substance could be enormously valuable. The Council's plan includes removing the laboratory's assets and ending all connections to the program.