"In short, you feel Reseune can handle the problems."

"I have no doubt."

"Internally," Dr. Wells said, Corain"s voice in Science. "But there is, pardon me, sera Emory, some question in my mind, regarding Dr. Warrick"s disappearance. You say he was lodged in the room next to yours-but you know he cleared that area."

"Yes."

"Do you consider there"s a chance he ran?"

"I don"t think that likely, no."

"Why? Because his father is detained by Reseune?"

"Because," she shot back, "of his testimony before this committee. The Paxers were d.a.m.ned-excuse me: were extremely quick to take advantage of the hotel bombing; I"m scared mindless that there may well have been Paxer agents hovering around the hotel because we were there, and that whether or not they were the ones who planted the bomb-they may have been in a position to recognize Dr. Warrick among the evacuees and to kidnap him."

"Certain people might suggest other agencies."

"We certainly have no motive to. We brought him here."

"His father remains in detention."

"Under protective guard, in view of a security breach that put him in contact with unauthorized personnel. We don"t know what what else could have gotten to him. The attempt on my life makes that more than a remote possibility. In the meanwhile I"m extremely worried about Justin Warrick"s whereabouts and about his physical condition." else could have gotten to him. The attempt on my life makes that more than a remote possibility. In the meanwhile I"m extremely worried about Justin Warrick"s whereabouts and about his physical condition."

"While Dr. Jordan Warrick remains under arrest."

"You can call it what you like, ser; the facts are as I gave them."

"Under your direction of Security."

"Under my direction."

"From whom are you taking your orders?"

"I operate within the directives of Reseune Administration. I"m reviewing Jordan Warrick"s security and I will be in communication with him; and with Reseune Administration; I"m not empowered to make changes without consultation."

"Is he aware of his son"s disappearance?"

"No, ser. We hope to have better news for him. Justin"s well aware of his personal danger-he may well have hidden somewhere until he can be sure of the situation. That"s my best hope."

"Is there any likelihood," Lynch asked, "that one of the blasts was aimed at him?"

"The blast was incendiary and directional; they put it in his room because my security could have found it immediately if it had been inside. It was elaborately shielded, it was mounted, more than likely, my security tells me, behind the very large bureau-a floor-to-ceiling cabinet-against that wall." Her voice cracked. She took another drink. "Excuse me. Justin was at a connecting door at the time, right against that wall-he was trying to warn me or my staff of something: we don"t know what. The wall blew; the bureau spun half about and fell against the bed between him and the blast; and the plastic fragments. .h.i.t that and the far wall. He was protected. That"s how we know he survived the blast and we know he made it out of that room. Possibly he had seen something in in the room that shouldn"t have been there. I want to ask him. I want to know why his personal guard was found dead down the hall, the room that shouldn"t have been there. I want to ask him. I want to know why his personal guard was found dead down the hall, not not in the room. There are a lot of unanswered questions revolving around Dr. Warrick." in the room. There are a lot of unanswered questions revolving around Dr. Warrick."

"For the record, you don"t consider any possibility that Dr. Justin Warrick was part of a conspiracy."

"Absolutely not. For the record, I"m worried about a problem inside our own staff, within the area of personnel attached to my late uncle-and I"m very hesitant to be more specific than that even with this distinguished committee and guests. I"m continuing to answer questions, but I"m exceedingly exceedingly anxious to get to the airport and get home, to carry reports to members of the Reseune staff who may decide to take action. The attack proves well enough that lives may be in danger." anxious to get to the airport and get home, to carry reports to members of the Reseune staff who may decide to take action. The attack proves well enough that lives may be in danger."

"From what source?" Wells asked.

"Again, ser, I don"t feel I should make charges: the next step is internal investigation, after which appropriate authorities from my Territory will be in contact with the Bureau."

"You"re extremely young to lecture this committee on judicial matters."

"I believe, ser, that I"m factually right; and I hold an administrative post within Reseune which requires legal expertise-I refer to my post as wing supervisor, ser. It is correct for me to bring my information before Reseune authorities: I can appeal to the Bureau only in a personal matter, and it would be irresponsible to treat this as a personal incident: its implications are far more extensive."

"Specifically?"

"The possibility that Reseune law is being violated. That security is compromised to the extent I can"t be sure of my Administrator"s security. Either his involvement-or his safety from persons who may be. I have to say that much, to make you understand it could cost lives if we delay in this committee, or if a message goes out of here to Reseune." G.o.d. Let"s not have a debate on this. We can"t leak it that Jordan Warrick is on a plane, it"s too d.a.m.n vulnerable till it"s on the ground; and G.o.d. Let"s not have a debate on this. We can"t leak it that Jordan Warrick is on a plane, it"s too d.a.m.n vulnerable till it"s on the ground; and after after it is- it is- It lands at 1500. G.o.d knows into what.

"Then perhaps Reseune should ask for Bureau Enforcement."

"Perhaps Reseune will. At the moment I ask you to realize that Reseune"s internal stability is threatened. Its sovereignty is at issue. I hope to find I"m wrong. I"d like like for this to have come entirely from outside. I don"t see a reasonable possibility that it did." for this to have come entirely from outside. I don"t see a reasonable possibility that it did."

"You talk about personnel attached to your late uncle, the Councillor. I have questions about that."

How many of the Bureau have ties to Giraud?

Lynch himself?

G.o.d, have I made a mistake?

"In consideration of sera Emory"s health," Lynch said, "and request for consultation with her staff-"

"Mr. Chairman, -" Wells objected.

"-we"ll take a recess at this time." The gavel came down. "Committee will re-convene at 1930 hours, sera Emory"s health permitting."

She let go the breath she had been holding, and shoved back the chair from the table. "Thank you, ser Secretary," she said in what voice she had left; and looked to the side as Florian came up to her and cut the microphone off.

"Sera," he said in a low voice. "He"s in the tunnels. Novgorod police almost had him. He left his keycard. They"re sure it"s him."

She almost had to sit down. She leaned on the table. "He"s run?" But they could not discuss it; Lynch was moving up on her other side. She turned and took his hand. "Thank you." Lynch nodded. "Take care, sera." Harad wished her much the same. "Sera," Jacques said stiffly, non-committal. And Corain: Corain gave her a long and wary look as he shook her hand.

xii "Another, ser?" the guard asked, appearing by Jordan"s seat.

"I could stand it," Jordan said. "Paul?"

"Yes," Paul said. And after the guard had walked down the aisle toward the bar: "You can"t complain about the service."

"Sun off the right," Jordan observed. They were reaching cruising alt.i.tude again, after refueling at, he supposed, Pytho. In the dark. But the dawn-glow was visible ahead of the plane; and ever so slightly to the right.

From Pytho the plane could have gone to Novgorod or to Reseune. If it held course as they bore, it was Reseune-which was not, he was sure, any sort of good news.

Paul took his meaning. Paul was steady as ever, his support through the years; and now.

He wanted to see Reseune: it was strange that he could feel that way. But it was part of his life; it was civilization; and he was in some part glad to be going home. He hoped to see Justin.

He feared-much worse things.

"We"ve picked up a tailwind," one of the guards had said, in his better-than-average hearing. "We"re going to beat our schedule."

The tunnels afforded few hiding places, only nooks, the dim recess of the news-shop; that took money to enter but the crowded doorway offered Justin a brief refuge and a vantage to scan the tunnel up and down. Then another public restroom, and a quick shave: he had kept the shaving kit and left the d.a.m.ned keycard; but he was afraid to stay there long- The crowd in a restaurant, the general drift toward another corridor-another appeal to a shopkeeper: "Can I use your phone? I was robbed: I need to call my office-"

"Better call the police," the shop-owner said.

"No," Justin said; and seeing the look of suspicion on the man"s face: "Please."

"Police," the man said into the receiver.

Justin turned and left, moving quickly into the crowds, dodging away, heart pounding. The strength the breakfast had lent him was gone. He felt the stiffness and the sprains, and his skull ached. He found himself farther down the corridor than he had thought, found another gap in his memory; and looked behind him in panic.

There were police at the intersection. He saw them look his way.

He turned back again and dived down a stairs: Subway, Subway, it said. He jostled past other walkers, came out at the bottom. it said. He jostled past other walkers, came out at the bottom.

"Hey," someone yelled behind him.

He ran, out onto the concrete rim, evaded a headon collision and dodged around a support column.

People dived away from him, scrambled out of the way in panic: the whole strip was vacant. "Stop right there!" a voice thundered behind him, and screams warned him of a weapon drawn.

He dodged wildly aside and something slammed like a fist into his back; but he saw safety ahead-saw the black of Reseune Security, a man yelling: "Don"t shoot!" "Don"t shoot!" and a gun in that man"s hand too, aimed toward him. and a gun in that man"s hand too, aimed toward him.

But a numbness was spreading from his shoulder across his back, and balance went. He fell on the concrete, conscious, but losing feeling in his limbs.

"I"m Justin Warrick," he said to the black-uniformed officer who knelt down to help him. "Call Ari Emory."

And: "No," he heard the officer say, not, he thought, to him: "This man is a Reseune citizen. He"s under our authority. File your complaints with my captain."

They wanted to take him to hospital. They wanted to take him to the Novgorod police station. They told him that it had not been a bullet but a high-velocity trank dart that had penetrated his shoulder: "I"m very glad to know that," he said, or tried to say, past the numbness of his mouth. And was equally relieved when the agent told him they had reached Ari, and that RESEUNE ONE, RESEUNE ONE, already on the runway, had turned back to hold for him. already on the runway, had turned back to hold for him.

xiii "I"ll walk," he said, and did, facing the climb up the pa.s.senger ramp; but Florian had come halfway down to help him and Ari was waiting at the top, in the doorway, with the frown he expected.

Ari put her arm around him when he made it through the doorway; so did Catlin, fending away other Security personnel; and steered him for the nearest seat. But he stopped, resisting their help for a moment, scanning the group of Security staff for Abban or for strangers. "Who"s back there?" he asked. "Ari, who oversaw the plane, do you know?"

"The pilot and co-pilot," Ari said, in a voice only a little less hoa.r.s.e than his. "And staff we"re sure of."

"Abban-"

"Dead," Catlin said, and patted his shoulder. "We"re onto it, ser. Come on."

He let go the seat then, eased himself into it, leaned back and stared at Ari in a dull, all-over malaise as she sat down opposite him. "Thanks for holding the plane," he said between breaths.

"Where in h.e.l.l were you?"

"Went shopping," he said, as the door thumped to and sealed. For a moment he was disoriented. "Sorry." He knew her suspicions-and Florian"s and Catlin"s. He felt a dull surprise that they let him this close to her. "I wasn"t anywhere. I got disoriented. Wandered off." The plane began to move, pale landscape swinging past the windows in the edge of his vision. "I just walked until I knew I was in the tunnels; and I found Security and I told them find you."

"That"s not half of what I hear. Novgorod is real nervous about people acting odd around the subways."

He shut his eyes, just gone for the moment, exhausted, and the seat was soft, comfortable as a pillow all around him, while he was trying to organize his thoughts. The engines began to drown out sound, a universal white-out. Someone leaned near him and drew the belt over him. He looked up at Catlin as the catch snapped. The plane was gathering speed. Ari was belting in. Catlin and Florian dropped into the seats by him.

The takeoff had a peculiarly perilous feel. Maybe it was the drug that dizzied him; maybe it was the steep bank the pilot pulled, an abrupt maneuver unlike anything he had ever felt. He gripped the arms of the seat, remembering the chance of sabotage, remembering the fire- "Wes, back there, is a cla.s.s one medic," Ari said to him, raising her voice over the engine-sound. "He"s got the equipment. When we level off we can get you an almost-real bed. How are you doing?"

"Fuzzed. They shot me with numb-out." He tried to focus on here and now, the list of things he wanted to ask her. "Giraud-Jordan-could be in danger."

"I"m head of Security at the moment," Ari said. "I"ll tell you-I"m quite aware of our problems. I went to the Bureau, I laid the problems out, and when we land we"re going to call Family council-that"s why I desperately want you there. For one thing, you"ve a vote. For another, you can probably tell things I can"t, about what"s gone on all these years."

"You"re challenging Denys?"

Ari nodded. "I"m bringing your father in. He"s already left Pytho. That That was for his protection, to get him home where there are witnesses. I could divert the plane. But that would tell too much. Say that I can hide certain orders from Denys. Not a whole plane. It"s due in at 1500. We"re projecting arrival about 1400. We"re running that close. I can stall its landing, divert it to Svetlansk or somewhere, was for his protection, to get him home where there are witnesses. I could divert the plane. But that would tell too much. Say that I can hide certain orders from Denys. Not a whole plane. It"s due in at 1500. We"re projecting arrival about 1400. We"re running that close. I can stall its landing, divert it to Svetlansk or somewhere, after after we"ve landed. I hope to have Denys thinking I"m coming back for safety reasons. But he probably won"t accept that." we"ve landed. I hope to have Denys thinking I"m coming back for safety reasons. But he probably won"t accept that."

He had thought he had had all he could take, already. He sat there with adrenaline pouring into his exhausted system and wondered why he was relatively calm. We"re going to die, We"re going to die, he thought. he thought. Somewhere along this-they"re going to get us. Somewhere in the networks of Security orders, the airport, the military-the Bureau-House Administration- Somewhere along this-they"re going to get us. Somewhere in the networks of Security orders, the airport, the military-the Bureau-House Administration- "The first thing he"ll move on," he said, "is my father and your friends. And they haven"t got a way of finding it out."

"I sent Amy a very simple message this morning. It contained a codeword. There"s a good chance she"s been able to warn the others: she"s on Base One right now, and that"s a lot of defense in itself. Don"t worry."

"G.o.d." He took several slow breaths. "Why are you trusting me?"

Ari gave a one-sided smile-her predecessor"s expression, so like her it affected his pulse rate. "I could say, because you know how safe your father and Grant are with Denys right now. Or because you made your choice when you told them to call me. -But the real reason is, I always could read you-better than anyone in the House. You"re my friend. I never forget that."

"You choose a d.a.m.ned peculiar way to show it."

The smile hardened. "I choose what works. I don"t get my friends killed letting them run into a situation I can see and they don"t. I don"t argue about some things. I"m self-protective as h.e.l.l. But you"re special with me. You always have been. I hope we never come to odds."

He felt a profound unease at that. And reckoned she meant him to.

"I want to help your father," she said. "But you have to keep him from bringing this to Council. You have to get me the time. Give him time to know me, me, not the Ari he remembers." not the Ari he remembers."

"He"ll do that for me."

"He won"t trust you."

That hurt. It was also true. "But he"ll give me the time. He won"t betray his friends, but if I I ask him I can get that from him. He is reasonable, Ari. And he does care what happens to me." ask him I can get that from him. He is reasonable, Ari. And he does care what happens to me."

"That"s clear too." She leaned her head back, turned her face toward Florian, beside her. "Tell Wes come help him. I"m going to trank out about half an hour. I"ve got to have it."

Justin thought the same. He unbuckled, levered himself out of his seat, and let the Security medic take his arm and steady him on his way aft.

xiv Grant rested his head on his hands and wiped them back through his hair. "Here," Quentin said, and offered him a soft drink from their own kitchen. "Thank you." He took it and sipped at it, sitting on the couch, while Amy Carnath pored over the output that they had linked up to the living room monitor.

Justin was all right; the plane was up. They were on their way back; the worst of their fears had not come true; but they were not home yet.

Ari had stalled the press conference till dawn, putting out bulletin after bulletin, each more appalling than the last, until she had come on herself and fueled a whole new set of speculations-not laying it indubitably to the Paxers, but by implication taking into Khalid, perhaps even intimating the existence of high-level complicity, virtually declaring for office- laying it indubitably to the Paxers, but by implication taking into Khalid, perhaps even intimating the existence of high-level complicity, virtually declaring for office- Then, after the news conference, a message came through Base One to sera Amy, and Base One started pouring out instructions. . . .