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long to learn the truth. It was all there.
"Most of us stayed, sleeping in here, watching, listening, studying, praying
to get Jesus, and all of a sudden, World War III. Chicago's toast. We've got
one TV and one computer hooked up. First we hear it was not nuclear; then the
next wave is, and we expect to die of radiation poisoning. It doesn't happen,
but we don't dare test the atmosphere outside. We knew if it was fullblown
radiation, we were not protected just because we were inside some basement,
but we figured we were safer in than out. Till now."
----------
Rayford called George and asked if he wanted a mission on his way back to San
Diego. "I thought you'd never ask," he said.
Rayford gave him the gist of the assignment and said, "I can't give you papers
on short notice, but if I can reach our guy in New Babylon, you can bluff your
way around in Greece. If they check on you, you'll appear to be in the
system."
"I can come up with some reason why I don't have papers. And you want these
kids delivered to
Chicago?"
"Unless you're prepared for them in California."
----------
Knowing what was coming that evening, Chang felt out of touch with the Trib
Force. Not until after his "surprise" visit at about eight o'clock could he
key in the stuff Rayford wanted for this
George Sebastian, nor could he find out what had happened on the Phoenix 216.
He made sure he was
watching GCNN and reading a book at the time, but even he was surprised at the
nature of the drop-
in.
Chang thought Figueroa's assignee-a cocky, condescending Scandinavian named
Lars-would have at least knocked. But at a few minutes after eight, as Chang
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watched coverage of Carpathia and his senior cabinet being enthusiastically
welcomed back to New Babylon, he heard a key in his door. It was just as well.
He quickly turned up the TV and pretended he didn't hear a thing until they
burst in. This was the best cover. He was relaxing, watching TV, reading, not
even thinking about his worthless laptop.
The door swung open and two uniformed Peacekeepers marched in. "Mr. Chang
Wong?" one said.
"That's me," he said, rising. "Did I forget to lock my door?"
"Turn off the television, please, sir, and join us over here, if you would."
"What if I wouldn't?"
"Now, sir."
"Thanks for making me feel welcome in my own place."
"This is not your place, Mr. Wong. This is the property of His Excellency, the
potentate, and you serve here at his behest."
Chang made a show of turning off the TV and dropping his book onto a chair. As
he approached, the
Peacekeepers moved aside and one of them announced, "This, sir, is Mr. L-"
"Lars!" Chang said, smiling, though he had barely done anything more than
greet the guy. "How are you, man? I know him! We're in the same department."
"We need your cooperation and silence, Mr. Wong," the Peacekeeper said.
"Ooh, okay! What's up?"
SEVENTEEN
THE PEACEKEEPERS asked if they could search Chang's apartment. "For what?" he
said.
"Routine," they told him.
"You won't find any routine here. I am studying English words new to me and my
current favorite is serendipity. That's what you'll find here, the opposite of
routine."
"Funny. We don't need your permission. We were just being polite."
"Of course. My clue was your use of a master key to get me to answer the
door."
While they searched the apartment, Lars set up a high-powered laptop on
Chang's small kitchen table. "I'll be asking a few questions," he said.
"Stop being a smart-aleck," Lars said. "This is my assignment."
"Do the questions relate to finding a leak from the palace to the suspected
mole?"
Lars turned ashen. "You've already been interrogated?"
"No, but I have my reservation in with another interlocutor-another new word.
You like?"
"Computer!" the other Peacekeeper called out. "Looks like his personal
laptop."
"If you had told me what you were looking for, I could have directed you to
it."
"This your only one?"
Chang was tempted to pretend there was another, but the fun of watching them
try to locate it wouldn't be worth their leaving the place in more of a
shambles. He nodded.
"Over here with that," Lars said.
"I'm so glad you're here, Lars," Chang said. "I had everything on that hard
drive, and I mean everything. Maybe you won't feel so bad about losing the
interviewing assignment to our boss if you have this project to work on."
"Project?"
"I crashed the hard drive, and I've tried everything."
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