"But this is criminal-not financial! The stock in the company was dumped minutes after Thomsen was killed. That's evidence that the killers and the stockholders are in cahoots."

"That's suspicion, Brian, not proof, and wouldn't hold up in a court of law. So it's certainly not good enough to get around the banking secrecy laws in the dozen countries involved. We'll keep searching but I doubt if we'll ever find out who they were. In any case they took a financial bath, getting back about a nickel on the dollar."

"I feel for them. Anyway, it looks as though permission will be granted for Megalobe to buy up the assets of DigitTech. That will get around the tricky legal point of proving that their AI is our AI and so forth. Now my lawyer and Megalobe's lawyers are going ten rounds again to decide if I should share in any profits from Bug-Off, since under my old contract I would just be told to bug off. Lots of fun. And what brings you here?"

"A TV hookup. Let me dial through on the lab phone and get the FBI. They've been working all night down there in Aust in, floodlights and a hundred agents. Everything has been stripped out of the laboratory-and I mean everything- right down to the tiles on the floor. You know what comes next-"

"They crack into the slab?"

"That's right. There is a lot of interest on everyone's part as to what might be buried under there. Now let me set up that link."

Brian turned on the TV as Ben went to the phone. The set had been monitoring and recording all the news programs that had mentioned the investigation. Now the DigitTech plant came up on the screen, a half mile away at least, since it quavered in the air distortion of the Texas sun. The telescopic lens zoomed even closer past the guards to the blank wall of the building.

"... speculation is rife as to exactly what is happening inside this factory. The official report simply says that a criminal investigation is under way relating to thefts earlier this year from a company in California. The explosion at this factory three days ago that killed two and wounded a third man, reputed to be a Federal agent, is part of this investigation. A full report has been promised later."

"We can do better than that," Ben said, then spoke into his phone. "Are you there, Dave? Yes, we're ready to receive. Which channel? Right, ninety-one." Brian touched the remote control and Agent Manias appeared on the screen, phone in hand.

"We read you loud and clear."

"All right. I'll cut you into the Austin line."

The image flicked over to the ulterior of an empty building. Men milled about under the glare of spotlights.

The sudden ear-piercing scream of an ultra-high-pressure water drill. At a pressure of two million atmospheres the stream of water could cut through anything-except the diamond-12 nozzle that directed it.

The volume on the transmission was quickly cut down. The image zoomed to the far wall where the water was slicing into the floor. A slab was cracked off and levered up, dragged aside to reveal the sand foundation underneath. More pieces were broken free and removed until a large opening had been made. Agents with thin steel prods climbed down and began to push them carefully into the sand. The removal of the rest of the slab continued.

A few minutes later one of the men called out something they couldn't make out. The drill was stopped and his voice was clearly heard.

"Something buried here. Get the shovels." Unaware of it, Ben and Brian leaned closer to the screen, just as tense as the agents on the spot. Watched as the hole deepened and one of the men put his shovel aside, climbed down and pulled something up in his gloved hands.

"A dog!" Brian said.

"A German shepherd," Ben said. "Four of them were missing the night you were shot."

They were all there. Four guard dogs. They were wrapped carefully in thick plast ic sheets and taken away.

Nor were they the only corpses in the pit. Five human bodies were there as well.

Ben seized up the phone, punched in a number. "Dave, are you there-on the site? Good. Call me the instant you get positive identification on those bodies. All men, yes, I understand."

When they brought in the body bags Brian turned the television off.

"Enough. I don't have the stomach for this. Don't forget I almost . . ."

He could not finish the sentence, dropped his face into his hands.

"Brian-are you all right?"

"Not really. Get me a glass of water, will you, Ben?"

He drained most of the water and was surprised to find that he was crying. He took out his handkerchief, tried to laugh. "Never thought I would cry at my own funeral." The way he said it didn't sound funny. "We know who those men are-don't we, Ben?"

"We don't know yet-but by God I can make a good guess. The missing guards will be there for certain."

"But who else? There were only three guards on duty that night. Who are the others?"

"There is no point in this, Brian. We'll know soon enough."

"There is a point!" Brian found himself shouting, lowered his voice, jumped to his feet and paced back and forth, the knot in his gut almost unbearable. "The point is that I was supposed to be under that slab as well, sharing the horrid black st illness of eternity down there."

"But you are not, Brian-that is the important thing. You survived thanks to yourself-and the skill of Dr.

Snaresbrook. You are alive and that's what counts."

Brian looked down at his clenched fists, opened them and stretched his fingers, worked hard to control his emotions. It was still some moments before he could speak.

"You're right, of course." He sighed heavily, felt suddenly chill, dropped back into the chair. "Join me in a drink-but something stronger than water this time. I'm thinking of giving up the booze-but not just right now. There's a bottle of Irish whiskey somewhere in this cabinet, put aside after the party.

Found it? Neat if you don't mind, maybe just a few drops of water. There, that's the good man." It burned going down-but it helped. By the time Ben's telephone rang again Brian was feeling more human. He jumped at the sound, wrung his fingers together unknowingly as Ben answered it.

"Right. Yes. That's positive. Okay, I'll tell him." He put the phone away. "We were right about the guards.

All of them were there. McCrory too, he was in charge of the lab. And something I was not expecting at all.

They have identified Toth's body-"

"The head of security!"

"The very same. The man who probably organized the entire theft. It must have been him, since he was the only one in a position to do so. These people are so ruthless that it is unbelievable. It has been cross and double cross. With Toth dead it undoubtedly means that we will never see Toth's brother alive as well. He's not in the mass grave because he had to return the copter that night. But he's dead, we can be sure of that. What I find most disturbing is the man who is not in that grave. A man I knew well, who I have been grieving for, who up until now we all assumed to be one of the victims gunned down that night. Didn't we find his blood on the floor, sure sign of assassination?"

"Ben-what on earth are you talking about."

"Sorry. I'm talking about J. J. Beckworth, the Chairman of Megalobe Industries."

"But he was certainly killed with the others. He could be buried somewhere else."

Ben shook his head in a sharp angry no. "Not possible. Everything was planned so carefully, down to the last detail, almost the split second. The grave was open when that truck arrived and the bodies were dumped into it. If Beckworth isn't in there with the others-he is still alive. He was a great executive, a really careful planner. So it looks much as though he was the one who set up this robbery, arranged the murders. We may never know who fired the bullet into you, Brian. But I am positive of one thing. We can be very sure who arranged it."

34

September 22, 2024

Next morning Brian was just about to leave for the lab when Ben telephoned him.

"All that excitement in Texas has really stirred things up-both here and in Washington. It's powwow time. I know that you will be happy to hear that the conference starts in a few minutes. You and I at this end, Kyle Rohart too since he will be representing Megalobe. In Foggy Bottom Dave Manias will flesh out the report on the operation yesterday- and he has the pleasure of having General Schorcht at the table with him. I'm downstairs and all the security transport is ready."

"Hold on-I'll be right there."

"How are Shelly and her father?" Ben asked as they climbed into the troop carrier.

"Stable, that's what she said. He's still in the hospital and holding his own. But the big news is that she called me from the airport. They actually gave her permission to leave here, to go to Los Angeles."

"That could only be General Schorcht's doing. If he's easing up on security then there is a possibility that you..."

"Say probability, Ben, it sounds so much better! I feel like I'm being let out of jail. Do you realize that other than that flying trip we had to Mexico, I have been locked away ever since I rejoined the living?"

"No, I didn't know that. You forgot to tell me."

"Idiot!" It was a stupid joke but they both laughed. It was the relief of tension, Brian realized. His prison term would soon be over.

Rohart shook hands with them both. "Looks like things are coming to a head at last. I'll be happy when this entire thing is over with-not as happy as you, I realize, Brian. Running Megalobe is enough work for me. And I want to break some good news. The lawyers are drawing up an agreement for both of us to sign.

A lot of ifs in it but the intent is clear. If Megalobe buys DigitTech, which seems very much in the cards now, and if there is a profit on sales of Bug-Off, and if the government watchdog commission approves the whole deal, then after all expenses and lawyers' fees-you get to split the profit with us as per the new contract."

"You were right about the ifs. Your lawyers caved in on this one pretty fast."

"I talked to the board about it-then we instructed the lawyers to cave in. The unanimous opinion was that you've gone through enough, Brian, and we didn't see the need to jerk you around anymore over a matter like this."

"I appreciate-"

"Least we could do. Oh, oh-there goes the view. Looks like we're starting."

The picture window was gone and the Washington conference room had appeared in its place. Dave Manias was just sitting down next to the General. Who was radiating his normal dour grimness.

"No need for introductions," Manias said, "I think we all know each other. I'm going to give you a report from the FBI end, then Ben can put us in the picture on the overall investigation. Under that concrete slab in Austin we found the bodies of the security guards, the head of security, Arpad Toth, Dr. McCrory, as well as the four guard dogs. The body of the Chairman, Mr. Beckworth, has not been found."

"That is a big slab-it extends under the entire laboratory," Ben said.

"Was a big slab. Every bit of it has been removed-as has the sand, right down to the bare earth. This is the original compacted sand and rock and was not disturbed. Therefore Mr. Beckworth is removed from the presumed- dead category and is now top of our most-wanted list."

"What about my files-records and notes?" Brian asked.

"They are in the data banks of the DigitTech computer-it took a while to break the security code to access them.

We can't tell how complete they are, but the dates match up. There are more files, dated after the theft, that we presume are those of Dr. Bociort. Since they are written in Rumanian it tends to reinforce that suspicion."

"What is the status of the DigitTech employees?" Ben asked.

"We have cross-checked their evidence and they all appear to be in the clear. None of them were hired before April of this year. By that time Dr. Bociort had produced a prototype control unit which they put into production."

"Do you think that the so-called control unit is my AI?" Brian asked. "Probably stripped of a number of unneeded features, then programmed only for the insect destruction function."

"I have no way of telling that, Mr. Delaney-you would certainly know more about mat than anyone here. But we are operating on that assumption. In any case you will have to discuss that possibility with Ben. We are wrapping up the criminal side of this investigation. Copies of all the stolen information and files are being returned to you there at Megalobe for identification and disposal. We are treating the murders as unsolved and will keep the file open on them. We are also continuing the search for Mr. Beckworth and Dr. Bociort. Any questions?"

There was some cross-chat about details and records which Brian ignored. He would match the original files up with his notes, but it seemed obvious what they were. He was intrigued to find out what old Dr.

Bociort had done with his AI. The drill instructor voice cut through his thoughts: General Schorcht was speaking for the first time.

"The criminal investigation undertaken by the FBI is now winding up. Only the search for the two named individuals will continue. What about your investigation, Mr. Benicoff?"

"I am now preparing a final report for the commission that instigated the investigation, General. My work will be completed as soon as that is done. The stolen items have been recovered. I have an ongoing interest in who the perpetrators of the crime are, and I will formally request the security services to report any future discoveries to me. But the investigation itself will be terminated after I have made the report. May I make a suggestion, General?"

Ben waited-then took the continuing silence as assent. "With the investigation wound up, both by me and the FBI, there is no longer any need for the overwhelming military presence here. New and improved civilian security will suffice. You will recall that the military security was moved in because of the continued attempts on Brian's life. However the information that only he possessed is now widespread, the knowledge already put to use in a manufacturing process which has been recovered. Therefore I request that the army guards be removed."

They all looked at the General as his silence lengthened. Then he spoke.

"I will take your suggestion under advisement."

"But, General, you can't-" General Schorcht cut Ben off with a sharp chop of his hand.

"But I can. This is my decision. Military security will continue because this is a military matter. This is not a matter of personal freedom but one of national security. I have been entrusted with this young man's safety, which in my eyes is cognate with the security of our nation. There is nothing more that can be said. This has been, and remains, a military matter."

"I'm not in the military!" Brian said. "I am a civilian and a free man. You can't simply imprison me."

"Any other questions?" General Schorcht asked, completely ignoring Brian. "If not, this meeting is over."

The meeting ended with that and the desert view returned. Ben was not happy at Brian's dark silence.

"I'll get back to Foggy Bottom," he said. "Get onto the President's commission at once-get through to him if I have to. That military dinosaur can't get away with this."

"Looks like he has," Brian said, trying to struggle free of the black depression that overwhelmed him. "I'm going to the lab. Let me know when you hear anything."

They were silent when he left; there was nothing anyone could say.

Brian let the laboratory door seal behind him. Was glad to be alone. He should not have been so enthusiastic, so sure he would be out of here. Rising to the heights had made falling back into the depths that much worse. He went and sat at Shelly's workstation, wondered if he should phone her yet at the number she had given him. No, it was still too early. There was a rustle in the hallway and Sven's telerobot appeared in the doorway.

"Buna dimineata. Cum te simti azi?" it said.

"What?"

"That is Rumanian for 'Good morning, how are you today?'"

"All of a sudden you speak Rumanian?"

"I am studying it. Very interesting language. But of course I can read it with ease having stored the vocabulary and procedures for grammar in my memory banks."

"Let me guess-you did this because the FBI has transferred the stolen records-plus Dr. Bociort's records and files as well."

"Your assumption is correct. I have also been implementing the measures we discussed in reference to the use of molecular memory in MI-"

"What may I ask is MI?"