"Reseune," the boy said, looking up, checking the picture, he thoughtin case it was stolen. "Never seen one of those. You from there?"
"I" He had not tried talking. His voice was hoarse and cracked. "I work in the city offices."
"Huh." The boy slid it into the register slot and handed it back with the cup and the roll on the lid. "You return the cup and lid we refund half." The number 3 was on both.
"Thanks." He went over to the counter, unlidded the drink, and took down the roll with huge gulps of the sugary, iced drink, no matter the rawness of his throatuneasy on his stomach in the first few moments and then altogether equal to anything Changes could offer at twenty times the price. He leaned there a moment with his eyes watering, just breathing and letting his stomach get used to food.
Where in hell am I going? What am I going to do?
He wiped his blurring eyes, went back to the counter with the cup and the lid, among other customers, delayed a moment until they were served. "Where can you get the news?"
"They got a board down to the subway."
"Where?"
"Straight on, to your Wilfred tunnel, go right. You been up to that fire at the Riverside?"
"Up all night with it," he said. "You hear anythingwho did it, why?"
The boy shook his head, and served another patron. Justin waited.
"Emory was on vid this morning," the boy said; and Justin's heart skipped. "Madder'n hell."
"Emory's all right?"
"She was, yey." The boy broke off to take a card and pour a drink. "You from Reseune?"
Justin nodded. "Can I use a phone? Please."
"I can't do that." Another customer. The boy yelled, pointing past the woman: "Down to the corner, public phone."
"Thanks!"
He went, walking fast, with the traffic, in the direction the boy had said, passing some casual walkers. Call the Bureau. Ask for protection. They can't think I'm responsible. They can't blame anyone but Reseune Security
Abban, the head of it
He saw the sign that said Phone, and kept his keycard in his hand. He knew the Bureau number: he had had it memorized for yearsbut he had never used a phone outside Reseune, and he picked up the receiver, reading instructions: Lift receiver, insert card, key in or touch 0 and voice in. ...
"Ser."
He turned and saw a gray uniform, a tall, heavy-set body.
Novgorod police.
He dropped the receiver and hit the officer a glancing blow getting past him; and ran, desperately, through the crowds.
But his keycard, he realized to his horror, dodging past a group of workers and down a side tunnelhis keycard was still in the phone-slot.
xi
". . . My own Security was remiss at best," Ari said, in what of a voice she had left, sitting at the table in the conference room where Justin had sat. "Reseune will be conducting an internal investigation. I will tell you this, sen, " Her voice cracked, and she took a drink of water. She had gotten her clothes changed, her hair pinned upCatlin and Florian had helped; and she had the shakeseven if they had gotten her a cup of coffee and a liquid breakfast, which was all she could stand on her smoke-irritated throat. "I'm sorry. The voice isn't much. I was about to say: I'm functioning as temporary head of Reseune Security; I'm ordering transfers; I'm posting and making assignments. I'm prepared to continue in that post at least administratively if Family council confirms it, though I'm quite aware my age and experience in Security are at issue: my view of my position is as someone qualified to assess the individuals in charge of operations and to make sure communications go through. I feelto put this delicatelythat my uncle's death has left some disarray in the department; the death of the acting head in the fireis extremely unfortunate."
"Do you feel," Lynch asked, "that there is a chance the attempt was entirely internal?"
She drew a breath and took another drink of water. "Yes. I don't discount that possibility. Reseune is in transition. Dr. Nyemy surviving uncleis very much affected by his brother's death. There are questions about his own health. But there are certainly experienced administrators who can deal with the problems if Reseune's own council should give them that mandate."
"In short, you feel Reseune can handle the problems."
"I have no doubt."
"Internally," Dr. Wells said, Corain's voice in Science. "But there is, pardon me, sera Emory, some question in my mind, regarding Dr. Warrick's disappearance. You say he was lodged in the room next to yoursbut you know he cleared that area."
"Yes."
"Do you consider there's a chance he ran?"
"I don't think that likely, no."
"Why? Because his father is detained by Reseune?"
"Because," she shot back, "of his testimony before this committee. The Paxers were damnedexcuse me: were extremely quick to take advantage of the hotel bombing; I'm scared mindless that there may well have been Paxer agents hovering around the hotel because we were there, and that whether or not they were the ones who planted the bombthey may have been in a position to recognize Dr. Warrick among the evacuees and to kidnap him."
"Certain people might suggest other agencies."
"We certainly have no motive to. We brought him here."
"His father remains in detention."
"Under protective guard, in view of a security breach that put him in contact with unauthorized personnel. We don't know what else could have gotten to him. The attempt on my life makes that more than a remote possibility. In the meanwhile I'm extremely worried about Justin Warrick's whereabouts and about his physical condition."
"While Dr. Jordan Warrick remains under arrest."
"You can call it what you like, ser; the facts are as I gave them."
"Under your direction of Security."
"Under my direction."
"From whom are you taking your orders?"
"I operate within the directives of Reseune Administration. I'm reviewing Jordan Warrick's security and I will be in communication with him; and with Reseune Administration; I'm not empowered to make changes without consultation."
"Is he aware of his son's disappearance?"
"No, ser. We hope to have better news for him. Justin's well aware of his personal dangerhe may well have hidden somewhere until he can be sure of the situation. That's my best hope."
"Is there any likelihood," Lynch asked, "that one of the blasts was aimed at him?"
"The blast was incendiary and directional; they put it in his room because my security could have found it immediately if it had been inside. It was elaborately shielded, it was mounted, more than likely, my security tells me, behind the very large bureaua floor-to-ceiling cabinetagainst that wall." Her voice cracked. She took another drink. "Excuse me. Justin was at a connecting door at the time, right against that wallhe was trying to warn me or my staff of something: we don't know what. The wall blew; the bureau spun half about and fell against the bed between him and the blast; and the plastic fragments hit that and the far wall. He was protected. That's how we know he survived the blast and we know he made it out of that room. Possibly he had seen something in the room that shouldn't have been there. I want to ask him. I want to know why his personal guard was found dead down the hall, not in the room. There are a lot of unanswered questions revolving around Dr. Warrick."
"For the record, you don't consider any possibility that Dr. Justin Warrick was part of a conspiracy."
"Absolutely not. For the record, I'm worried about a problem inside our own staff, within the area of personnel attached to my late uncleand I'm very hesitant to be more specific than that even with this distinguished committee and guests. I'm continuing to answer questions, but I'm exceedingly anxious to get to the airport and get home, to carry reports to members of the Reseune staff who may decide to take action. The attack proves well enough that lives may be in danger."