"Did you check the police and hospitals?" Deborah asked.
Jishin filled her lungs to say something and then let the breath back out again, slowly. "So what do our intelligence experts have to report?"
"Dr. Lao is just finishing a week off. She's due back at El wood next week," Lyons reported, using the story that he and Deborah had carefully concocted.
"How did you manage to find this out?" Jishin's voice quavered with suspicion.
Lyons flashed the wallet he had stolen.
"We went in there as building inspector and assistant. Looked the place over. Asked questions about an empty lab and got lucky with the answers."
"You seem to have an extraordinary amount of skill and background in these matters," Jishin commented.
"Never been caught yet," Lyons answered. He gave Jishin a broad wink. Her face remained expressionless, but there was no question that she could barely tolerate big-mouthed Carl Leggit.
"I think you two might have done a good job. If so, there'll be a bonus and you'll be made team leaders for the raid. I'm not passing final judgment until I hear from the three who were supposed to protect you.
"In the meantime, you'll stay in this building until the time of the raid. I'll be in Boston, but I'm leaving instructions with Jim Saint to shoot anyone who leaves this building without direct orders. He's commander in my absence. Is all that quite clear?"
When Jishin left the room, Lyons turned to Deborah and leered.
"If we're going to be confined to quarters, we may as well enjoy it," he said. His voice was loud.
He grabbed Deborah by the hand and almost dragged her to the men's bunk room. There was only one occupant. The rest were in classes.
Lyons pushed her toward his bunk and went to the other occupant of the room.
"Ten bucks if you get out and watch the door for fifteen minutes," he whispered in the man's ear.
The guy glanced at Deborah. "Only fifteen minutes, huh? Who are you fooling?"
"C'mon, you know we'll be missed if we stay longer."
The guy pocketed the money and left, a silly leer plastered on his face.
Lyons went over to another bunk and turned on a radio. Then he beckoned Deborah. She came into his arms.
He whispered in her ear. "I don't know if the place is bugged or not. I've got to get to a telephone with that Boston bit. You stay here and cover for me."
"Okay," she whispered.
Lyons went to one of the two windows in the room. It was fitted with heavy mesh, bolted to the window frame.
He propped the window open, stood back and aimed a series of front kicks at the lower corners of the mesh. Three minutes later, the bolts had been dragged right through the wood frame. Lyons forced his way out between the window ledge and the bottom of the screen.
Deborah went over to the window and examined the screen. The kicks had been well placed and had done little damage to the mesh itself. She pulled the screen back into place. Then she put some pennies on the sill and closed the window. Lyons would be able to put his fingers underneath to raise the window again. Deborah had an uneasy feeling, a feeling of doom. She wanted Lyons's tracks covered as well as possible.
She was looking around for something to read when she heard angry voices in the hall. She quickly climbed into a bunk and covered up with her back to the door.
A moment later the door opened.
"For Christ's sake, get out!" Deborah cried without looking around.
Heavy boots crossed the floor and the covers were yanked off the bunk.
"Making love to yourself?" asked James Saint, his voice heavily laced with both an Irish brogue and venomous sarcasm.
"Just trying to get fifteen minutes to myself," Deborah answered. Her voice sounded weary.
"Where's Leggit?"
"How the hell should I know."
Deborah swung around and sat up. Saint stood towering over her. His blue eyes surveyed her coldly as he stood with his hands on his hips.
"Jones said he was in here with you."
Deborah stood up so suddenly she almost knocked Saint off his feet. He had to take a rapid step back to keep his balance.
"Where does this harassment stop?" she yelled. "First, you match me up with the boor in exercise class. Then you send me out for a day on the town with him. Some day! Now you expect me to sleep with the son-of-a-bitch. Go to hell!"
Saint was taken aback by the sudden onslaught. He looked at Deborah as if she had just sprouted horns and a tail. He went once around the room and looked in the washroom, but he found no one. He stopped in front of each of the two windows, but seemed satisfied that they were intact. His circuit of the room brought him back in front of Devine.
"Where's Leggit?" The voice was determined.
Deborah shrugged. "I haven't seen him since he got Jones out of here and let me have his bunk. He and Jones left together."
"What's wrong with your own bunk?"
"The place is full of yappy females."
He slapped her hard enough to rock her on her feet. She bent her knees and went with the blow. Only her karate training enabled her to keep her feet.
"You're lying."
She launched a body blow that hit the hard-muscled stomach with enough force that Saint had to take a step backward. He backed up one more step and produced an American Arms TP-70 from his trouser side pocket. The little .25 caliber automatic stared like death into Deborah's face.
"You do notstrike a superior officer," Saint grated. "You'll be disciplined for this, but first I'm going to find Leggit."
The automatic gestured toward the door. "Out."
"I demand to see Aya Jishin."
"Tough shit, Devine. Jishin just left. I'm in charge. Now move."
"Whereto?"
"The brig. You stay there until we get this thing sorted out."
Deborah turned to hide a shudder. The brig was a cage in the basement. It was used for punishment. A person could neither stand, sit, nor lie straight in the brig. Things were falling apart in a hell of a hurry. She pulled her shoulders straight and marched out of the room.
July 13, 951 hours, Smyrna, Georgia
"Exactly what did Carl say?" Politician asked.
Pol, Gadgets, the Bear and Ti were sitting in front of Brognola's desk at Elwood Electronic Industries. Behind the desk Brognola sat very straight, his forehead creased with worry lines.
"Not much," he answered. "He'd slipped out of the building and was worried about being missed. All he knew was that Jishin let it slip she was leaving for Boston right away. He has a hunch that a raid is imminent in that area."
"We might be able to get military transport and arrive the same time she does, but there's no way to beat her there," Gadgets pointed out.
"No idea how long we have?" Pol probed.
Brognola shook his head.
"Is there anyone left at Stony Man?" Gadgets asked. "If so, they can get to Boston a lot faster than we can."
Brognola nodded. "Phoenix Force's Manning and McCarter are watching the shop. They can be in Boston in a matter of minutes."
"Okay, Manning and McCarter can get to Boston on time, but what's the target?" Gadgets wondered aloud.
Kurtzman spoke for the first time. "I think we can answer that one. Ti and I have been assembling maps of probable targets within striking distance of WAR's main branches. The Boston area has one target that's several times as important as any other in the area — MIT."
"What's so special about the Massachusetts Institute of Technology?" Brognola asked.
"They've assembled some of the most promising younger researchers. A lot of federal funds have gone there recently to back several hush-hush computer projects. And a university is always an easy target. I'd say it's MIT with a ninety-six-percent probability.''