"Whys "

"Hang on."

Running was much easier without the c.u.mbersome Fifty, but Mac had not run this far since . . . since when? Since never. No high school cross country race was this far. This was longer than a marathon. With the slow but sure staccato of his steps, he repeated in his mind, "G.o.d, I'm yours. G.o.d, I'm yours. G.o.d, I'm yours."

If he was going to reach the jeep, it would be only because G.o.d wanted him to. This was way past Mac's human capabilities. Chang frantically read every tidbit of the communication between Akbar and Stefanich, hoping for something, anything, to help Mac.

His secure phone chirped, and the readout told him who it was.

"You okay, Chloe?" he said.

"For now," she said. "Is there a way to know haw many people are (allowing us?"

"I can try to find out. What's your thinking?"

"If it's a bunch, we're dead. We'll run them around town and we could try to outrun them or shoat it out with them, but you know the adds there. If it's just one car, waiting to tell everybody else where the underground headquarters is, I have an idea."

"Hit me with the idea before I start trying to access the Ptolemais mainframe again."

"Why? If you don't life my idea, you don't look? Is that it? "

"Chloe, don't do this. Mac is in more imminent danger, and we have no idea where Sebastian is yet, so I have to prioritize."

"Sorry. I'll make it quick. If they're looking to us to lead them to the underground, we'll lead them to one. Only it won't be the real one. It'll be some other unfortunate citizens who'll get raided soon."

"I like it." "That's a relief.'

"No, I really do. And I think you two are small potatoes to them.

Not that you're in the clear. Getting out of that airport tonight is going to be next to impossible, but they probably a.s.sume you have nowhere to go anyway and they can round you up when you try to leave. They want the locals."

"And we're going to lead them to 'em, only not really."

"Back to you as soon as I can."

"Stop the racket or I'll kill you!" Elena yelled.

George heard no one else. He kept pounding. How was she going to reach the lock? unlock it? open the doors?

She swore, and he heard movement. She was dragging something near the elevator. He heard the key in the lock, then heard it turn over. It sounded like she had stepped down from the chair or whatever she had used to elevate herself. Now she was trying to open the doors. Not even Plato had been able to do it alone.

George just sat there pounding.

"I'm trying to get to you!" she said. "But when I do, you're going to be sorry."

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

"I'll shoot through the door!"

Thump!

Thump! Thump!

"You'd better cut that out, and I'm not kidding!"

He could tell she was struggling with the doors. There was no way she could open them. If only he could get her to forget they were unlocked. He quit banging.

"That's better! "

He heard her step up again. The key was going into the lock.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

"No! I'm onto you! I'm locking it, and you can just thump all night!"

She locked it.

George stood and found the other boot. He put one on each hand.

Now he leaned forward with his hands above his head, the boots pressing against the doors. He dragged them as he slowly slid to the floor and let them drop. George made sure his knee hit first, hard. Then his hip, then his side, then the boots, then his hands. He lay still.

"You finished playing around in there? . . . Huh? Are you? . . .

You're going to get yourself shot! . . . You okay in there? . . . Hey! "

She swore again, and he heard her on the phone. ". . . was banging around in there. I threatened to shoot him and he quit, but now I think he's pa.s.sed out . . . because it sounded like it . . . like he collapsed. You know there's no air in there. No ventilation. Where? I'll look."

She slapped the doors twice. "Hold on in there. I'll get you some air." Chang found the tape of radio transmissions among local GC Peacekeepers in Ptolemais, but the duality was so poor, the conversion facility couldn't turn it into readable words. He downloaded it into his own computer and tried listening through earphones.

"Chloe," he reported, "I'm guessing, so what you do with this is totally up to you. I believe there is only one car following you, and it's not official GC. They've farmed out your surveillance to two Morale Monitors. They're armed, of course, but all they're supposed to do is report who you warn about a raid."

"But you're guessing."

"I have to be honest, Chloe. I'm pretty sure that's what I heard."

"How sure are you?"

"Fifty five percent."

She laughed.

"That's funny?"

"No. It's just that I was hoping for at least sixty. If I can get you to move to sixty, I'll buy this car today."

"Pardon? "

"Nothing. Could it be sixty forty?"