"What's going on?" she asked, even though the sinking feeling she was experiencing was answer enough.

"They know," the director answered.

"Who knows and how much?" she pushed.

"All the major media outlets, and therefore, by extension, the world."

"Mosh, do they have Justin's last name yet?"

"No, and if you know it don't say it now. Has a stewardess come up to you yet?"

"Yes."

"Let me speak to her." Neela held her hand, pinkie and thumb extended, out to the stewardess, who touched her own hand to Neela's, thereby "transferring" the call. The stewardess then brought her thumb and pinkie to her own ear and mouth.

"Yes, sir." The stewardess paused. "I understand, sir." After a moment she said, "Thank you, sir. He wants to talk to you." The stewardess held out her hand and Neela took back the call in the same manner she had given it out, under Justin's curious gaze.

"Neela," said Mosh, "the exit is covered with bots and reporters. You won't move a meter without being mobbed."

"I suppose," suggested Neela, "we could stay here for the flight back to Florence."

"Way ahead of you, but the media already rented out all available seats on that flight, so I've taken the liberty of renting a luxury pod that's being added onto your own. The nice stewardess will take you to it once it's attached. You'll take it back to Florence, stay in the pod, then head back to Boulder. You'll be met at the gate by a security detachment. Dr. Wang and Gilbert will be waiting there as well. Ask them some personal questions to make sure it's not a reporter who's made a face change."

"Something tells me you've done this before, Mosh."

"Long story that I'll probably never tell you. Any other questions?"

Justin coughed. "I take it that I should brush up on my press conference techniques now?"

Neela, much to her surprise, laughed, and then mouthed the word no.

"Neela," said Mosh, "I've gotta go. Someone talked, and I need to plug that leak."

"It was probably Hektor," Neela said, without any hesitation.

"Neela, convenient as you may find it, not everything that goes wrong is Hektor's fault."

She ended the conversation with a quick flick of the wrist and gave Justin a shrug.

"Might as well make yourself comfortable. Looks like it's going to be quite a ride."

"As if it hasn't been already," he countered.

They both slumped back down into their respective seats, realizing that their short little joyride was about to get a whole lot longer.

Hektor was sitting alone in his tiny rented office in Boulder, pleased with the day's work. He'd alerted the media ... all all the media. He'd exposed pretty much everything there was to expose: the basic story, Justin's miraculous reanimation, GCI's involvement, and even Hektor's own unsuccessful attempt to have Justin incorporated. Yep, he'd blown the lid sky-high off what was supposed to remain a "quiet" operation. More to the point, he'd blown the lid sky-high off what the media. He'd exposed pretty much everything there was to expose: the basic story, Justin's miraculous reanimation, GCI's involvement, and even Hektor's own unsuccessful attempt to have Justin incorporated. Yep, he'd blown the lid sky-high off what was supposed to remain a "quiet" operation. More to the point, he'd blown the lid sky-high off what he'd he'd been told to keep quiet. And even though he'd probably dug himself a grave a mole couldn't get out of, he was truly pleased. Because, for the first time in his life, Hektor Sambianco was using his natural and learned abilities completely for his own ends, however veiled they might be. He'd disgraced himself and his company, he'd probably ruined an ancient man's life, which even he had to admit may have been uncalled for, and he'd done it solely out of self-preservation. But none of that mattered now. He was freer than he'd ever felt. He wasn't kissing anyone's ass, because he no longer had to. In fact, if by some miracle a god were to appear from the heavens and offer him a chance to take it all back-to make everything the way it was before Boulder happened, before Justin happened-Hektor would have said no. been told to keep quiet. And even though he'd probably dug himself a grave a mole couldn't get out of, he was truly pleased. Because, for the first time in his life, Hektor Sambianco was using his natural and learned abilities completely for his own ends, however veiled they might be. He'd disgraced himself and his company, he'd probably ruined an ancient man's life, which even he had to admit may have been uncalled for, and he'd done it solely out of self-preservation. But none of that mattered now. He was freer than he'd ever felt. He wasn't kissing anyone's ass, because he no longer had to. In fact, if by some miracle a god were to appear from the heavens and offer him a chance to take it all back-to make everything the way it was before Boulder happened, before Justin happened-Hektor would have said no.

"Hektor," his DijAssist chirped, "you have a call coming in from the DepDir."

"Thank you, iago-put him through." Hektor put his briefcase on his desk, opened it up, and activated the screen inside.

"Your avatar is your secretary, Sambianco?" the DepDir asked, clearly enjoying the moment. "Isn't that a little embarrassing?"

"Gosh, Kirk," Hektor answered, knowing how much the DepDir hated being called by his first name, "when you reassigned me, somehow my privileges got revoked. An oversight, I'm sure."

"I'm sure. I'll look into it."

"But not to worry, Kirk, I've been keeping busy. A secretary would just have gotten in the way."

"Yes, Hektor. I can see you've been busy."

"Anything else ... Kirk? I've got a full slate today."

"Yes, actually. One thing."

"Yes?" Hektor's lips curved upward slightly, in anticipation of what he knew was about to come.

"Have you gone Alaskan, Sambianco?!"

Now it was Hektor's turn to enjoy the moment. "Me, sir? No, sir."

"Then what the devil do you think you're doing?"

"Why, my job, Kirk."

"Your job was to keep a lid on this till we could find someone to replace you!"

"Ahh, right. 'Replace me.' So you mean I wasn't wasn't supposed to inform all the major networks and news bureaus about Justin?" supposed to inform all the major networks and news bureaus about Justin?"

The DepDir didn't answer. He didn't need to. The look he was giving Hektor more than sufficed.

Hektor was unruffled.

"Oh, by the way, Kirk, how is it going?"

"How is what what going!?" If the DepDir could have reached through the screen and strangled Hektor his expression left little doubt that he would have. going!?" If the DepDir could have reached through the screen and strangled Hektor his expression left little doubt that he would have.

"Finding a replacement? For me, that is. Any volunteers? Wait, don't tell me, no one wants my job. I have to admit, this assignment is a real career-buster. Oh, wait, my career's already busted, how convenient for me."

"I should have had you transferred to the Oort Cloud, Sambianco," the DepDir snarled. "You should be testing environmental suits on Mercury. But don't you worry. I'll make sure you will."

"Kirk, aren't you forgetting something? I don't work for you anymore. You transferred me from your staff to the independent assignment with the board. I'm their their problem now. I suggest you sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. It won't affect you too badly either way. You're the 'brilliant' executive who got rid of me before I could really damage your career. Or, at least, that's how I suggest you play it out." problem now. I suggest you sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. It won't affect you too badly either way. You're the 'brilliant' executive who got rid of me before I could really damage your career. Or, at least, that's how I suggest you play it out."

The DepDir was about to launch into another tirade when he started to laugh.

"You're too smart for your own good, you realize that, don't you?"

"Yes sir, I do. But I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain."

The DepDir paused for a moment. Now it was his turn to crack a smile, though it seemed far more malicious than Hektor's. "You'd better win, Sambianco."

"I know" was all Hektor could muster.

The DepDir cut off the connection. Hektor closed his briefcase, got up from behind his desk, and was about to head out of the office when iago interrupted him again.

"Busy, busy iago." Hektor chuckled. "Quite a life I'm leading, eh?"

"Humor's never been a strong point with you, sir; however, if you want, I can laugh."

"Don't bother, iago, just tell me who it is."

"It's Irma."

Hektor couldn't help but smile again. Perhaps it was his lucky day.

"Transfer to handphone." Hektor lifted his thumb to his ear. "Irma, to what do I owe the pleasure? Are you in Boulder?"

"You son of a bitch. You had to make me work, eh?"

"Irma, I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about."

"You know very well what I'm talking about. You could have told me his last name."

"Oh, that," Hektor said, smiling. What on Earth is she going on about? What on Earth is she going on about? "I gave you enough information to work with, Irma. You know the rules." "I gave you enough information to work with, Irma. You know the rules."

"I suppose I do. Look, any tidbits you have would be great for the story. Have you spoken with him yet?"

"Who?"

"What do you mean, 'who?' Justin Cord. Who else?"

Hektor hesitated, trying both to absorb the shock of what he'd just heard and to hide it. That was all Irma needed to realize she'd just made a rookie mistake. Hektor told no more than the beginning of a lie before Irma interrupted.

"Oh, shit, you didn't know, did you?"

No use lying now. Hektor shrugged and smiled. "Well, I do now."

"How could you not know with all the resources of GCI?"

"The truth is, Irma, I am not in the best of positions with GCI right now. But this little tidbit will certainly be of use in rectifying that situation." Irma started to ask him not to divulge the information but suddenly stopped, snarled, and cut the connection.

"Iago," Hektor commanded, "get me all the information you can on Justin Cord, then set up calls with all the news services and the board. I think I just found out how to make this hot story absolutely too hot to handle. Oh, I'm also going to need some convincing statistics to show that I am on the trail of whoever it was that screwed me over by paying the ten million credits."

"But Hektor, you are not on the trail. You stated it would take ten years and millions of credits to discover the true identity of the person or persons responsible."

"Job security, iago. Just do it."

"As you wish, Hektor."

It took Irma a precious thirty seconds to stop ranting until she was calm enough to explain her blunder. "Goddamned rookie mistake. I may as well have graduated from Harvard."

"Enough," said Michael. "We have to get the story out, and now we won't be going after it alone." They took a few seconds to consider their options.

They were still at the Boulder orport in a privacy suite. The team had already rented temporary offices, and then rented larger ones once they discovered their subject's last name. Given the media circus that was about to deluge Boulder, effective and private workspaces would be worth Fortune and Fortunate 500 stock. Irma and her team would trade space for information to pay back past favors or get future ones. But as they weren't sure where they were going, they decided for now to stay at the orport. The privacy suites were simple rooms with desks, chairs, and couches in the amounts requested, and were a secure location in which to conduct business. In an age as advanced and intrusive as this one, privacy suites were one of the strategies society had developed to cope. They were prevalent in orports, hospitals, hotels, resorts, and any other location a traveler might feel the need to conduct business.

"All right," Irma said, once the team had dumped their baggage, "someone give me some good news."

"Irma," answered Michael, "I think you may be in luck. Do you remember that piece we did on tunnel rats about two years ago?"

Irma nodded. "That was the last time we were all in Boulder. If I'm not mistaken, we played the angle of a few brave men pushing too hard for majority. What about it?"

"Well, I did some checking," continued Michael, "and it turns out we know one of the people who appeared in the images of Saundra's little mediabot." Michael brought up the holo-image he was referring to. Standing before them in three-dimensional glory was an unkempt, rough-looking man with a shit-eating grin.

"Hey, we do do know that guy," said Saundra. "Looks like he just got majority." know that guy," said Saundra. "Looks like he just got majority."

Michael laughed. "Nice guess. In fact he did did just get majority. He goes by the name of Omad, and he was one of the tunnel rats we interviewed two years ago. Anyone care to guess how he got his majority?" just get majority. He goes by the name of Omad, and he was one of the tunnel rats we interviewed two years ago. Anyone care to guess how he got his majority?"

No one answered.

He sighed the sigh of a man who had no takers for a game of twenty questions.

"He got it trading in credits for an all-expense-paid, first-class lunar vacation."

Enrique whistled. "Must've been a nice chunk of change."

"It's 150,000 credits to be exact," confirmed Michael.

"What could he have found to earn tha ...?" Irma shut up as she realized exactly what he'd found.

"Do we have him?" she asked.

Michael flashed a huge am-I-a-god-or-what? smile.

Irma matched his grin with her own. "When do you meet him?"

"Half hour in a little pub called the Oasis Brewery."

"Yeah, I know the one," added Enrique. "It's on Canyon Boulevard. Been going for centuries."