A man named Machiavelli once said something like & commit all your atrocities early. Your enemies will lie low, knowing what you can do, and the rest of the people will forgive you when you turn out to do good things & Florian had set a cup of coffee by her hand. The two of them sat, sipping theirs, waiting.

She picked up the cup, took a sip. Wondered where all of her people were at the moment. But she couldn't move them. Someone would notice.

Just one. "Florian."

"Sera?"

"Go down to Justin's office. Tell him and Grant to go home. Tell him he's in charge of Alpha Wing for the next while. Gerry and Mark will be under his orders. Then come back here. Catlin."

"Sera."

"Go down to Rafael's office, and tell him I want him and his best twenty, no helmets, light body armor. Lethals in reserve. Non-lethals up front. Wait for me there." She had a last sip of the coffee and put the cup down. "Body armor for me. too. Lay out one of your outfits for me before we go, Catlin."

A slight hesitation. Then: "Yes, sera."

She opened a drawer, took out the mini, waked it up. Things went in a sequence. She wasn't particularly scared, not even mad, at the moment. She just found her awareness stretched wide, trying to see everything, imagine everything, think of everything, and not to drop a single piece in the process.

Chapter vi.

July 26, 2424 1102 H.

Knock at the office door. And it opened before either of them could acknowledge it. Justin shut the manual with some deliberation, saw Florian standing thereit could just as well have been Ari. Grant had the same manual under consideration, and quietly slipped it onto a neat stack of others.

"Ser." Florian said. "Sera requests you go home immediately. Mark and Gerry will be in contact soon from AlphaSec."

"Is something wrong?" Stupid question. Justin got up, picked up his coat. When Florian asked in that mode, it was urgent.

"You will be, officially, ser, in administrative control of Alpha Wing. Base One access. Mark and Gerry will be your links to AlphaSec. They will be reliable."

"They're d.a.m.ned young," he said, feeling a rise of panic, the scatter of thoughts informing him, My G.o.d, it wasn't academic. She's doing it.

Florian, who was only months older than Mark and Gerry, and the azi in charge of AlphaSec, said. "They'll take their orders from you, ser. You may also draw on Marco and Wes, in sera's apartment. Sera counts on you. Come with me."

Grant came, he did. They both headed to the lift, under Florian's protection. Down the hall, where AlphaSec had its offices, there was traffic, a few black-uniformed officers entering as a group, more of them headed that direction.

d.a.m.n, he thought, asking himself what he would do, what he could do but lie low, himself and Grant.

Jordan, was the competing thought. He couldn't protect Jordan.

"I'm concerned for my father," he said to Florian.

"He has security in place, ser," Florian said. "They are ours."

Chapter vii.

July 26, 2424 1128 H.

Units of two and three went outwalked out of Alpha Wing, into Wing One. One such went to the end of the building and walked across the quadrangle to Admin's curbside door. Another went via the storm tunnels. Another went to Admin via the as-yet separate second-level connection out of Alpha Wing.

That one met up with the unit from the storm tunnels and came up together. Other units were moving. One went to Yanni's office, and into Chloe's office, unasked. More showed up outside ReseuneSec. all with a businesslike manner.

Ari stopped, with Florian and Catlin, at the ReseuneSec door. Catlin's regular winter coat was a little large on her, very heavy. and not with fabric: it impeded her fingers getting at the mini, in her pocket, but she pulled it out. flipped it open, keyed Voice, said: "CannaeCannaeCannae," and "GoAlpha," and toggled off.

"Now," she said, and Catlin quietly opened the door.

Midmorning and the ReseuneSec office was full of people, security and otherwise, with business to conduct.

"The office is closed for an hour," Ari said quietly, loudly enough to be heard, especially as voices died away. "Please leave and come back later. Please remember your places." People didn't like to feel pushed. The fact some clericals might know her, and some might know Florian and Catlin, started a few to their feet without a word, those anxious to reach the door.

She said to the receptionist, who had punched keys, "It won't work, probably. I'm afraid not much will for a bit, so we'd like to minimize that time and get things running again. Let Catlin help."

"I can't," the receptionist began, his face somewhat ashen, and by now the room was filling with AlphaSec personnel and emptying of people to see Director Hicks.

Hicks, in fact, would find his own door locked, as people would be locked in rooms all up and down the corridors. He might have found a weapon. But that was all right. they had non-lethals to take care of that.

"You're no longer working for Director Hicks. My name is Ariane Emory. These are AlphaSec personnel, and I'm now the Director of ReseuneSec. Kindly get up and go have a seat over there. Catlin will handle your desk, thank you very much."

The man moved, and AlphaSec moved him to a chair and put him into it as Catlin a.s.sumed the desk and appropriated the keyboard.

"Gas masks," Rafael said, and Ari put her mask on, as everyone did, including Catlin, hardly missing a keystroke. The reception area door suffered, as AlphaSec didn't even wait for the niceties of the keyboard, or the chance of a lethal guarding that access on a mechanical trigger. They got past that door and set down two bots, which raced back inside at ankle level, very fast.

The masks didn't even hint of the smell of smoke, or gas, but they were stifling, all the same, both an inconvenience and a protective anonymity. Ari pressed hers close to her face, kept out of the way and let AlphaSec do what they knew how to do, with systems they knew far better, while Florian and Catlin, armed with lethals, stayed right by her. She could see a little ways down the inside hall, and saw two of her teams stopped at an intersection of halls, braced and ready to fire. Where the bots were, she couldn't tell.

The general com stream was scary. Beta and gamma azi wouldn't give up a fight, not by their nature. they needed to be taken down, and that went on. Occasionally there was a burst of fire, and the quieter hiss-thump of non-lethals. Wes was their best medic, but Wes wasn't here. Jay was qualified, and Jay was up there in the halls somewhere, with two calls on his attention, two of their own down, how bad wasn't apparent. None of the opposition needed Jay's intervention, which meant her people were doing exactly what they were supposed to do, and taking people down, fast.

Director Hicks wasn't the most essential target. She'd decided that. Kyle AK-36 was; and Base One said Kyle was in the offices this morning, and so was Hicks. Kyle AK was smart, he was independent-thinking, and as the attack came down he would probably take command back there, if he hadn't delegated and scrambled for an exit. All these years. Hicks might have thought he was Kyle's utmost priority. But he wasn't. Right now, she'd bet, in contrast to the way she had Florian and Catlin with her, Hicks was sitting in his office with the door locked and immoveable, finding himself all alone, and n.o.body defending him. Base Two and Three, Yanni's bases, were both completely down, and that meant ordinary doors didn't work automatically anywhere in Admin. Base One was in charge of things Base- Two had commanded, and if Base One said open a door, it opened, whether or not it then blew up because it was b.o.o.by-trapped. Base One had retreated behind the gateway of Alpha Wing, and possibly somebody clever in ReseuneSec had thought maybe they could barrier it in there and not let it out, but that wouldn't work. Base One was always a moving target. And right now Base Two and Three weren't awake, just flat weren't awake.

They'd had schematics of ReseuneSec. Knew exactly where the emergency-exits were, and wh.o.r.e they led. they knew where the switches were. If there was any doubt, Marco and Wes ran ops from Alpha Wing, with the schematic in front of them, and the eey-screen Rafael had on a contact lens showed him where he was in a completely schematic view, a kind of split-level awareness Florian likewise had, and Catlin, so they knew where their people were.

Standard. Florian had said, before they left the apartment, that ReseuneSec was supposed to have some stuff to try to scramble that, but it wasn't going to work without Base Two.

"Live capture, beta target," came over the com stream, and Ari let go a long, long breath, but she didn't let up watching and listening. They'd just arrested Hicks, meaning his office door was open by now. A second later they heard, "Exit A! Coming your way!"

A ma.s.s of people flooded into the corridor she could seeAri wasn't ready for it. Florian flattened her to the carpet, made her hit her head so stars exploded in her eyes and things went black for a second; and fire banged out, and the hiss-thump of non-lethals simultaneous with it, right over their heads. Florian's weight went off her as if he'd levitated, and she twisted around to see Catlin come over the desk and two others of her men hurl themselves at a man who was already through the door, but down and not fighting. One of hers was on the floor, trying to hold the man down, with blood pouring down his own arm.

"Easy!" Florian yelled, falling on the now inert target, and was after something in his sleeve-pocket. Florian used something with a stab downward, 'after which the man convulsed, twitching uncontrollably, and Catlin got a bracelet on him, nasty thing. He convulsed a second time. Tried to get up. Catlin flattened him with a second pulse from the bracelet.

Ari supposed it was safe then. She sat up where she was. Florian had gotten up off the man, then diverted himself to get their own wounded flat onto the floor, and to get at another item in his jacket pocket. "Get Jay," she heard as Florian applied a tourniquet. "Bad one."

Things were quieting elsewhere, however. Quiet prevailed in the hall. Jay came running down the hall toward them with his kit, and relieved Florian of his job of keeping blood in the wounded man. Jay's moves were sure and involved things in a kit he had, quickly applied. And Florian sat against the wall with his knees drawn up, breathing through his mouth, and sweating a little, while Catlin, who hadn't raised a sweat, slowly got up and let two others sit on their prisoner.

"Suicide by non-lethals." Catlin's voice came simultaneously from her and from the com in Ari's ear. Catlin's voice came simultaneously from her and from the com in Ari's ear. "Rarely works. We got Kyle AK, Alpha Leader. We need a team to wrap him up and keep him from going null on us. We won't leave sera. We need some help here." "Rarely works. We got Kyle AK, Alpha Leader. We need a team to wrap him up and keep him from going null on us. We won't leave sera. We need some help here."

It was no time for her to be sitting on the floor watching, Ari decided. She ignored her headache and swung a knee around, got it under her and got up, using the reception desk for leverage.

She sucked in a breath, went around the desk to the console, and found the switch-set for A, B, C, and Master. A maze of switches. Blinked. Her eyes were hazing, blurring and watering.

h.e.l.l with that. She took out her mini, keyed Voice, and said, "Base One, access: Admin One: access: public address. On. This is Ariane Emory." She heard her voice echo through the halls beyond, as it would everywhere else in Reseune. "Alpha Leader, I confirm Catlin's order, at your immediate convenience." d.a.m.n, her head hurt. It wasn't quite the way she'd planned to take over. But it was better than the alternative. "ReseuneSec personnel, wherever you are, Adam Hicks has been relieved of command. I am in charge of ReseuneSec and I am acting Director of Reseune. All ReseuneSec personnel, continue ordinary duties. Citizens and azi, wherever located, you are safe. Certain services have been temporarily disrupted. None of these disruptions jeopardizes environmental integrity. Services will be restored, I hope within the hour. Will an ambulance please come to the Admin Wing? We need ambulance service"

Florian got eye contact and held up four fingers.

"We have four casualties in need of ambulance transport," she said.

Catlin' was talking on the com, and it made a jumble in her hearing. Catlin was requesting something of Marco and Wes, but it was coded and she didn't follow it.

"All Wings except Admin, Wing One, and Alpha Wing may proceed about routine business," she said. "ReseuneSec requests all persons currently in Admin, One, and Alpha remain where you are and do not make private calls. We estimate this condition will remain for about an hour. Wait for an all-clear before venturing into the halls. Thank you."

Chapter viii.

July 26, 2424 1201 H.

"She's done it," Justin said to Grant. They'd gone to the dining room of their apartment to have a cup of coffee and do a little work on the manual & but they hadn't gotten any work done. The minder had had the communication stream from Ari's apartment, which carried the background of what was going on in Admin, and the last announcement had come over the minder loud and clearprobably in every minder and every PA outlet and the vid channels. That general warning system, intended for major storms or an environmental breach, hadn't cut on since & Since Ari had taken Denys out.

"She's done it," Grant said quietly. "And four people are going to hospital. No word about the dead."

"Not so bad a casualty list for a revolution, though, as revolutions go," Justin said, feeling shaky. He was thinking about Jordan, hoping he was all right. But Ari had said not to use communications for a while. So he had another sip of coffee and a bite of b.u.t.tered toast.

"Worried?" Grant asked him.

"Worried that it's not just Reseune she's taking. That it's Yanni's job at stake. That this takeover in ReseuneSec means trouble that goes under all sorts of doors, justeverywhere. Everything. Including questions as to how a candidate for a Council seat just happens to drop dead."

"Not just happens," Grant said. "It's on the news, now. Definitely a.s.sa.s.sination. High tech a.s.sa.s.sination."

"I'll bet Khalid had rather it wasn't on the news." Justin said. So Ari that suddenly, after what she'd said on election nightgood G.o.d, just last nighthad risen up this morning, taken out Hicks, and taken over ReseuneSec.

And the sum total of everything set tottering sent a little cold chill wafting across his nerves. It wasn't that he mourned the fall of the current administration of ReseuneSec, which had slammed him into more than one wall and shot him full of drugs & he didn't exactly mourn for Hicks' fate, whatever it was. since Hicks had been Giraud's aide in those days, and I licks' orders had been at least at fault in the incident in recent memory. ReseuneSec had always had an uneasy feeling about its workings, and he wasn't sorry.

He was, however, upset about Ari's involvement in it & for one thing, he didn't want his Ari involved in killing people. Denysthat had been a case of self-defense, and her guard had done it. He wasn't sure what this was, or how many cold-blooded decisions would need to be made, how main extra-legal ones, and he'd have wished, if it was going to be done, that Yanni had. He wasn't sure whether the fact that Ari had moved in Yanni's stead was cold-blooded policy choice, or that Hicks was just too dangerous a man to Ari's interests, and might oppose her takeover & and she hadn't included Yanni in the action because, who knew? maybe she didn't trust him.

If that was so, Yanni might not have too much time left to hold power.

He and Grant were nominally in charge of Alpha Wing, her base of operations. they were trusted. They were also a target, if young sera made a misstep. And trust could shift in a heartbeat.

She'd talked about going to Novgorod. About sending Amy ahead of her. Exposing herself to the same kind of hazard that had already taken out a newly elected Councillor of Defense. She'd be risking everything, and she hadn't been able to trust ReseuneSec, who was currently protecting Yanni, and protecting everyone and everything else Reseune called secure, in the solar system, in distant star-stations. Did she still intend to fly down to the capital?

And do what? Get Lynch, of Science, to appoint her Proxy Councillor, when she was barely old enough to vote?

Get in front of the media and start another war of words with Vladislaw Khalidwho probably had just had his rival a.s.sa.s.sinated?

What did she have for a.s.sets? Her bodyguard, two of them eighteen and the other two, thank G.o.d, at least senior security, former instructors, but it was the eighteen-year-olds who ran things. Besides that she had a handful of teenagers, a household staff and thirty ReseuneSec agents, not one of whom was much over teen-aged themselves.

What had she said at the party? That there was almost n.o.body to remember the history, n.o.body alive who knew how it had been, and why things had happened, and why choices had gone the way they had? Everybody else but Yanni and themand Jordanand a handful of the old handseverybody else from high up in the old regime was dead, except a handful at the Wing Director level, who didn't know the darker secrets. She'd reached the new age and the old structures weren't there for her to lay hands on. Just Yanni, of all the old power-holders, that she had to rely on.

Flaw in the first Ari's plan. Or its brilliance. From his position, storing his own share of the old knowledge, he didn't know which.

d.a.m.ned sure her enemies in the wider world were going to notice that something had changed inside Reseune. Give them a few hours, and they'd notice. Orders were going to go out to ReseuneSec units around the world and in near and far orbit and outbound on starships.

New director. New voice. New policy.

G.o.d, he hoped she'd thought of the smaller details.

Chapter ix.

July 26, 2424 1208 H.