Why don' t you tell us what went wrong," Marsalis suggested. Ortiz wouldn' t roll over, right?"

No." Jeff reached for the bottle again. At first, yes. He transferred some funds of his own, told me to make an interim payment and play for more time. Then, when Tanaka' s next demand came in, he just sat me down and told me what we were going to do."

Marsalis nodded. Wipe out everyone who could be doing it."

He." A helpless gesture. He' d kept tabs on them all. I didn' t know that, but he knew where every single one of them was. Or where they' d started out from, anyway. Some of them had moved around, he said, so it' d take a little time to track them down. But one way or another, they all had to go. I sat there, Tom, I couldn' t fucking believe what I was hearing. I mean." Jeff' s voice turned almost plaintive. We hadn' t asked for that much, you know."

It wasn' t the money," Norton said distantly.

Marsalis reached over and took the bottle out of Jeff' s trembling hands. He poured into the tumbler. UN nomination a step away. You fucked with the wrong patriarch just when he could least afford it."

Yeah." Jeff sat and looked at the drink the thirteen had just made him. That' s what he said. There' s too much at stake here, Jeff. We can' t be exposed now. We have to get tough. I tried to talk him down, tell him it wasn' t so much money. But he didn' t care. I told him he' d get caught, that nobody could get away with killing that many people, that many ex-special-op guys. You' d need a whole team of people to bring it off, and then they' d have the same goods on you as the original blackmailers."

Or," said Marsalis, you bring in the one member of the old team you can trust to get it done. The one person who also can' t afford the word to get out, and who won' t let nostalgia and camaraderie get in the way of doing the job. The one person who' s wired for it- a thirteen."

Jeff just nodded, let the black man talk. He was emptied out.

Everyone thinks Merrin' s gone to Mars," Marsalis went on, nodding what might have been approval. A thirteen called Merrin did go to Mars. So that makes the other Merrin, Onbekend, pretty invisible back here on Earth. He' s pul ed his own disappearing act, found a surrogate brother down on the altiplano, a safe haven. A sideline in playing pistaco for his brother now and then, when the local bad guys need scaring, but the rest of his time' s his own. Until suddenly here' s his old boss banging on the door, tel ing him it' s all about to end. Some ungrateful fuck from the old team is threatening to blow everything wide open, and the only way to ensure that doesn' t happen is to go back and wipe out every member of the old team left alive. Does Onbekend want the work?" Marsalis spread his hands. Probably not, but what choice does he have? If Ortiz isn' t going to pay, the blackmailers are going to get angry and the word on Scorpion Response is going to get out. And there' s just no telling how far that thread can unravel.

Whatever Onbekend' s managed to swing for himself down on Manco Bambaren' s patch is under threat.

There' s a good chance he' s going to the tracts, because if they do find him it' s that or a bullet. Feel free to contribute, Jeff, if I' m getting any of this wrong."

No, you' re right." Jeff sipped at his drink, held it in both hands before him, staring into space. When Ortiz went to Onbekend with it, he saw what had to happen right away."

Marsalis grinned. It wasn' t a pleasant sight. Clean sweep, huh? Just like Wyoming all over again."

It was the only way," said Jeff.

Okay, but Onbekend isn' t stupid. He knows he isn' t going to get away with murdering thirty-odd ex-sneak-op soldiers and not leave some trace of himself at least at a couple of the crime scenes. And once that genetic trace gets into the system, he' s as fucked as if he' d let Ortiz' s blackmailers go ahead and blow the whistle. Because the only living thirteen who' s supposed to have that geneprint is on Mars. So if it shows up around a stack of murder victims in the Rim or the Republic, all hell is going to break loose.

That' s what he fronts Ortiz with, that' s the sticking point."

And Ortiz is at COLIN," said Norton wonderingly.

Right. So he hatches the perfect alibi for Onbekend. Not only wil they bring Merrin back from Mars to account for any genetic trace that crops up, they' ll set him up as the fall guy for the whole set of murders.

Hold him in reserve while Onbekend gets the killing done, and then have him die in some plausible way and leave him for RimSec to find. With finesse, they could even set it up so RimSec get him pinned and kill him themselves. Medals all around, and no one looks too closely at the aftermath, because it' s so fucking neat. After al , you can' t argue with genetic trace, and there' s your monster, dead in the dirt."

Norton looked at his brother and could not name the feeling that seeped into him. He hoped it was pity.

No wonder Ortiz paid up at the start, Jeff," he told him. He had to have time to put all this in place. He had to get Merrin back here, before Onbekend could go to work."

And Onbekend came over the Texas border and started with Tanaka." Marsalis nodded. He could have stopped right there, if he' d only known. But he doesn' t know, doesn' t get the chance to get it out of Tanaka, maybe wouldn' t even have been able to afford to trust him even if he did, so he' s committed.

He kills his way across the Republic, because those are the easiest ones- underfunded police departments, low-grade data tech, highest murder rate on the planet, and a massive underclass to hide out in. He only heads on to the Rim when the easy work is done, moving slower now because he' s got RimSec to contend with. But still, Jasper Whitlock and Toni Montes, he' s getting through them, probably only a handful left, and then... "

They both turned to look at Jeff Norton.

What happened?" Marsalis asked him softly. You lose your nerve, playing both ends against the middle? Thought maybe Ortiz had worked you out, knew you were part of it after all? You start to think maybe Onbekend' s last bul et was going to be for you?"

No!"

Don' t fucking lie to me."

Then what happened in New York?" Norton peered at his brother' s face. Someone had Ortiz shot.

Sure as hel wasn' t Tanaka, he was already in the ground. That leaves you, Jeff."

Jeff looked away.

They were Tanaka' s," he muttered. Dead hand insurance. If anything went wrong, he' d given me this Houston number, in case he didn' t have time to set it off before he ran. Or in case he... didn' t make it.

The contract was already paid, I just had to call to set it in motion."

Waited long enough, didn' t you?" Marsalis coughed out a laugh. Or did it take this crew of geniuses four months to get from Texas to the Union?"

Norton snapped his fingers. Whitlock."

He saw the way his brother flinched at the name. Oh Christ, Jeff. Made it into words so he' d have to hear it, so he' d believe it.

Onbekend came across the fenceline into the Rim States and he kil ed Whitlock, October 2. You must have caught it on the feeds, recognized Whitlock' s face."

Yeah, right here in the Bay Area." Marsalis whistled long and low, mock concerned. Just a little too close for comfort, right, Jeff?"

So you made the cal ," Norton said flatly.

All right, yes, I made the fucking call!"

Marsalis grunted. And it all comes grinding to a halt. Onbekend on hold, at least until he finds out if Ortiz is going to live or die."

It was right after Whitlock you cal ed me," Norton realized suddenly. Suggested I get Marsalis out of Jesusland and hire him. What was that, just a little added pressure, keep Onbekend on his toes?"

Amazement on the black man' s face. You got me out of South Florida State, Jeff? I owe you for that?"

A chuckle broke out of him. Oh man, you' ve got to be fucking kidding me."

I got sick of waiting," Jeff snapped, voice tight with sudden, puny fury. A week after I called the Houston crew and nothing. I didn' t know anything about them, how good they' d be- "

They weren' t very good," said Marsalis somberly.

Yeah, well, I thought maybe they' d gotten caught at the fence, trying to get into the Union. Or maybe just faded with the cash and walked. I had no fucking way of knowing, Tom. I was scared. I knew you wouldn' t bring UNGLA in, I tried to persuade you, thought maybe that' d scare Ortiz into pulling the plug.

But you wouldn' t do it." Jeff looked across at Marsalis. I thought maybe he' d scare Ortiz instead."

Norton saw the black man walk to the desk and pick up a paperweight Jeff had brought back from a trip to England when he and Megan were first married. He weighed it in his hand.

There' s just a couple more things I' d like to know, Jeff," he said absently. Then we' re done."

Yeah?" Jeff tugged at his drink. Grimaced as it went down. What' s that?"

Ren. She didn' t know anything about Onbekend. Where does she come into this?"

No. She' s freelance, we' ve used her in the past. I pul ed her in because we needed someone who knows the Rim systems. Ortiz wanted to keep the Merrin end of things separate from the rest."

And Daskeen Azul. They' re your people?"

A shrug. Associates. You know how it works, Human Cost did them some favors in the past, they owed us."

So who sent them up to find that corpse in the nets? You?"

Jeff shook his head. Onbekend. He heard from down south that you and this COLIN cop were poking around. Told me to bring the denouement forward."

Marsalis came back to the sofa, paperweight in his hand. He was frowning. Against Ortiz' s orders?"

Ortiz was in the hospital." Jeff gestured wearily. No one knew which way to jump. You ever met Onbekend?"

Briefly."

Yeah, wel , when he tells you to do something, you don' t argue with him."

Marsalis hadn' t lost his frown. And the soldiers?"

What soldiers?"

Someone sent a uniformed death squad after Ertekin and me. They pulled us over between Cuzco and Arequipa."

I don' t know anything about that. Maybe someone panicked down there."

Bambaren," the thirteen said softly. He crouched to Jeff' s eye level. Do you think Manco Bambaren knows that Merrin existed? The other Merrin?"

I don' t know Manco Bambaren from a hole in the fucking ground." Jeff stared bitterly back at Marsalis.

He seemed completely drunk now. How the fuck would I know what he does or doesn' t know?"

That' s unfortunate," said the black man softly. Tell me, Jeff, did you set Onbekend on me when I got back from Bulgakov' s Cat?"

No! That wasn' t me, I swear. Onbekend wanted you out of the picture, I think he' d maybe talked to Ortiz, but he was furious about something else anyway. I told him it was better to let things lie, but he wouldn' t listen. You don' t understand what he' s like. Once he' s decided, he doesn' t listen to anything or anyone who gets in his fucking way."

Right. And I don' t suppose you know where I can find him now, do you?"

Jeff knocked back the rest of his drink. Shrugged. You guess right. Last I heard, he was on his way back to the altiplano with a shoulderful of holes from a Marstech gun."

You treated him here?"

At a Human Cost walk-in clinic, yeah. Over on Carmel."

Marsalis came smoothly back to his feet. Norton saw how the thirteen' s fingers tightened on the paperweight, saw the heft in the arm. He stepped swiftly across, blocked Marsalis body-to-body. His eyes locked with the black man' s stare.

No," he said, very quietly. Please."

Marsalis stood coiled. His voice came back, also barely above a murmur. Don' t get in my way, Norton."

He didn' t kil Sevgi." Norton looked back at where Jeff sat slumped in one corner of the sofa, staring listlessly into his empty glass. He barely seemed aware of the other two men. Look, you want to go after Onbekend, I' m with you. Ortiz, too, if that' s what you want. But this is my brother, Marsalis."

He' s going down anyway, Norton. He' l do thirty years in a RimSec facility for this, minimum. I' d be doing him a favor."

But a little of the tension seemed to drain from the thirteen' s stance. Norton raised his hand, palm-out.

The small gesture for enough.

Marsalis, please. I' m asking you for this. He' s my fucking brother."

Marsalis stood there locked for a moment longer. It was like facing off against a wall.

Ortiz, and Onbekend," he said, as if checking a list.

Norton nodded. Whatever you need."

And the moment passed. Marsalis let go; Norton saw it go out of him like dark water down a drain. He shrugged and lobbed the paperweight down into Jeff' s lap. Jeff jolted with the shock, dropped his empty glass, fumbled with both hands to catch the spherical ornament before it rolled to the floor.

Fuck d' you do that for?" he mumbled.

You' ll never know," Marsalis told him. Then, turning away to the door, voice trailing back. Keep him here, Norton. Don' t touch the phones, or use yours in here. We' l need to freeze and store their whole net as it is. I' ll clean-call Rovayo from the street, get a RimSec CSI squad over here. Going to make her day- this should be enough to lever the Cat bust wide open al over again."

Right."

He paused at the door, looked back. And don' t forget. We' ve got an arrangement now."

Norton listened to him walk away down the corridor. Then he turned back to face his brother. Jeff looked disinterestedly up at him.

What now?"

Sudden, pulsing rage, up from the soles of his shoes and into the space behind his eyes. He bit it back as well as he could.

You know," he said, almost evenly. I told Megan about you and Nuying."

Jeff gaped up at him, eyes cognac-veiled and confused.

Maybe that' s simplifying it. I guess you could say she got it out of me. Or maybe not that, either, maybe we both wanted it said and we just helped each other get it out. If I' m honest, I think she already had a pretty good idea something was going on."

Clumsily, his brother started to get up.

You fucking traitor," he said thickly.

Stay in your seat, Jeff." Suddenly, the rage came washing up out of him, would not be contained.

Because if you don' t, I wil fucking kil you myself."