"of course, but-"

Chloe whipped out her leather bifold and produced her GC ID card.

"What do you need?"

"well, I'd like to visit with Commander Johnson." Stefanich sounded eastern European, she guessed Polish.

"He sends his regrets. The GC bra.s.s would like this handled with dispatch, and we understood you were prepared to-"

"Sit down, Ms. Irene, please."

"I really-"

"Please, I insist."

Chloe sat.

"I had hoped to bring your commander up to speed on the ones we chose for this a.s.signment. We are very proud of their-"

"Excuse me, sir, but we understand zero information has been extracted from the rebel operative."

"That's just a matter of time. He is highly trained military, and we have been patient to this point."

"Might I suggest that if your a.s.signees were at the level you say they are, Commander Johnson would not have had to come all this way?"

"Perhaps. But I am happy with what they have accomplished thus far and plan to recommend them for-"

"Do whatever you like, sir, but please send me back to my boss with what he needs to make contact."

Stefanich made a shove of pulling a file from his desk drawer, but he did not hand it to Chloe. "Are you not aware of what happened today? This prisoner became immediately less valuable with the success of the attack."

"I understood the results of that are not conclusive. If they were, wouldn't it be broadcast internationally?"

"There were technical difficulties. You will learn that millions of traitors are dead, including their leadership."

"We still don't know where their headquarters are," Chloe said, "or how much of the leadership might be left."

"We have them narrowed to the Carpathian States. Even the rebel would not refute that."

"Sir, are you refusing a senior commander access to your prisoner?"

"No, I'm "

"Because if you are, I will be the first to fall under his displeasure. But you will be next." She rose. "I'm already late, but showing up empty-handed, well, I don't mind telling you, that is going to fall on you."

"Here you are," he said, offering the file.

Chloe was moving toward the door. "You can put in for commendations for the locals you hired, but you won't be in a position to award them if-"

"Here, no, please," he said, smiling apologetically.

Chloe stopped and looked at him with suspicion. "A folder? I don't want a folder. All I need to give the commander are directions to the prisoner."

"That's what this is! Now, here!"

Chloe stood with her hand on the doork.n.o.b, shaking her head. "And your people expect us."

"Of course!"

Chapter.

She stood with her lips pressed together, squinting at Stefanich.

She had come this far; she wasn't going to return to him. "Let's have it, then."

He sat reaching, offering the file. She stared him down. Finally he sighed and rose and approached her. Chloe s.n.a.t.c.hed the folder and left. CHANG SAT fidgeting at his desk, pretending to work, unable to concentrate. He was supposed to be coordinating flights and convoys of equipment, food, and supplies from production plants to the neediest areas. He had devised a way to make it appear his instructions were logical and complete, even efficient. But the actual transmissions caused no end of delays. Because of a glitch he had introduced into the system, shipments were held for days at remote locations, then delivered to the wrong places. Often the wrong place for the GC meant the right place for the Co op or the Trib Force.

Chang had received a commendation for his work, somehow covering his tracks and avoiding having the problems traced to him.

Something was niggling at the back of his mind now, though.

Something didn't make sense.

Ming had left a note informing the Chicago Tribulation Force that she was on her way to see her parents in China. If that was true, why would she go east? It only made sense for her to find a flight to the West Coast. True, the major California cities were rubble and the big airports gone, but there were still many places to fly out of.

Chang considered feigning illness and taking the rest of the afternoon off, but he couldn't risk bringing attention to himself. Too many Trib Forcers were in precarious positions. He needed to be in place for them without suspicion. He watched the clock.

Buck sat with Kenny on his lap and chatted with Zeke and Leah. It was just after eight in the morning, and Leah was riffling through stacks of messages and reports from Co op people all over the world. Amazingly, the thing was largely working, even with the tragedy of the seas. The sheer audacity of people without the mark of loyalty transporting in their own vehicles gigantic shipments of goods to one another, no money changing hands, boggled the mind.

"Do you know what you have in that wife of yours, Buck?" Leah said.

Buck hadn't learned how to read Leah yet. He wanted to take that as a straight out compliment, praise for Chloe. But did he detect a challenge? Was Leah implying he was insensitive, that he didn't know what he had in Chloe? "Yes, I think I do," he said.

"I don't think he does, Kenny. Do you? Do you think he does?"

"Does!" Kenny said.

"Do you?"

The baby giggled.

"Do you know what you've got in that mommy of yours, sweetheart?

She's a genius. She "

But Kenny heard "mommy" and began to squirm and repeat, "Mama.

Mama."

"Thank you, Leah," Buck said.

"I'm sorry," she said, and sounded as if she meant it.

If she hadn't, Buck was prepared to add, "Brilliant. Real smart."

That was the effect Leah had on him. She appeared to be trying to distract Kenny by changing the subject, but she should have tried with something that would interest him, not Buck.

"I'm serious," she said. "You know what I've learned here? Chloe knows how many one thousand ton or larger oceangoing vessels there were in the world before the seas turned to blood."