They were getting close. Malin tried to spot any other movement in the warehouse, but failed. Moving with glacial slowness, he lined up his pistol on the figure who was farthest from him. Then he waited some more.
The lead searcher, gliding closer and closer to Malin, suddenly made a tiny, betraying movement. He or she had spotted some indication of Malin.
Malin fired, slamming a shot directly into the searcher to the rear. The lead searcher, unaware that their companion had already been dropped, swung a weapon around rather than seeking shelter first. That gave Malin time to twitch his own weapon to one side and fire again.
The second searcher was still falling when another shot tore through the warehouse behind and to one side of Malin.
He dropped, rolled, and sprinted into a location that offered some cover from that direction, then paused, breathing slowly and deeply, straining his senses for signs of whoever had fired.
They were moving. Two of them. Racing from cover to cover, never exposing themselves for more than brief moments, not to pin down and kill Malin, but along the edge of the warehouse and then, before he could react, out into the streets beyond.
The warehouse felt dead now, no one present except Malin himself. He stood up and walked to the two he had shot, carefully checking over the bodies from a few meters away in case of booby traps they could be wearing that their deaths might have activated.
Finally getting to one of the bodies, Malin searched it carefully and dispassionately, moving gently because he didn’t want to trigger anything else and not out of respect for what was no longer a living foe. He found identification documents that looked completely legitimate but did not explain at all why this person had been in this warehouse at this time with a weapon. Malin felt sure this had been a snake agent, perhaps recently arrived, and that the other dead searcher was as well.
He called General Drakon’s security forces, not wanting to turn this matter over to the police who were still tainted by their long history enforcing Syndicate laws. The security specialists would sweep this warehouse and the bodies for any signs of who they really were, what their plans had been, and who else might be helping them.
While Malin waited, he searched for and found the impact point for the shot that someone else had fired. It had been nowhere near him or any line of sight to him. Turning and locating the spot where he had awaited the searchers, Malin could see that anyone who had been aiming from here would have had a clean shot at him. Someone else, then, had fired at a person who was about to shoot Malin. Then pursued that someone through and out of the warehouse.
He was still standing there, going over questions to which he had no answers, when Drakon’s security forces arrived. “See if there is any trace at all of anyone else having been in this building,” Malin ordered them, then headed back toward Iceni’s headquarters.
Drakon stifled a yawn, determined not to betray by any signs how little sleep he had had the night before. Before him, virtual windows showed his three brigade commanders, Colonels Kai, Safir, and Rogero. “That’s what we’re facing at Iwa,” Drakon concluded. “I want you to get with your best people and see if anyone can figure out how to take that alien base without it and everyone in our force getting blown to hell. Are there any questions?”
“We are to concentrate on attack scenarios?” Kai asked. “A long-term siege to starve out the enigmas is not on the table?”
“That’s correct,” Drakon said, not surprised that Kai had raised that question. Kai, slow and methodical, thought in defensive terms. Which could be a very useful mind-set in certain conditions. Just not this one. “We don’t have the luxury of that much time.”
The windows disappeared, leaving him alone, and Drakon did yawn this time. He cut the yawn short as a message came in from Colonel Malin outlining his activities of the night before. Attached was a summary of the results of the security search of the building where the fight had occurred. The two killed by Malin had both been wearing some special surveillance and security equipment that no one but a snake should possess, confirming their identities. But nothing on them or in the building offered any clues as to who their contacts were or what their mission had been. That wasn’t what bothered Drakon the most, though.
Drakon called Malin. “Why wasn’t I notified of this last night? You’re acting as the president’s aide right now, but you are still supposed to report security incidents to me directly as well as notifying President Iceni.”
“There was no need for immediate notification, General,” Malin replied. “The incident was over.”
“According to your report, two other unknown individuals were involved and escaped,” Drakon said. “That doesn’t sound like over to me.”
Malin paused before answering. “The snake site has been neutralized and shut down. The two unidentified individuals are a long-term issue, General. I will pursue that matter to its conclusion.”
“That’s not the point.”
“No, sir. I understand. I should have informed you immediately.”
It was only at that point that the real reason why Malin hadn’t informed him right away popped into Drakon’s head. He had been with Iceni last night, and Malin had interpreted that as a Do Not Disturb sign. “Colonel, I want it clearly understood that I should be informed of important developments at any time. That has not changed.”
“Yes, sir. In the future, I will do so.”
“Do you think one of those people you encountered was President Iceni’s former assistant Togo?”
Malin nodded with every sign of confidence. “I have no doubt that the one who was preparing to kill me was Togo, sir.”
“What about the other one? The one who apparently saved your life?”
This time Malin took several seconds to answer. “I have no idea, General. I was only aware of that second person for a few brief seconds, not enough time to form any impressions.”
“Yet, whoever it was, was better than you, and at least as good as Togo?” Drakon pressed.
Malin nodded again. “I realize that may narrow the list of possible suspects a great deal, sir.”
“Roh Morgan could have gotten back to this star system, and back onto this planet, without being spotted,” Drakon continued. “But if she is alive, and she did come back here, why is she hiding her presence?”
“I could only speculate, sir.”
“Then speculate, dammit!”
“Yes, sir.” Malin hesitated, a hint of distress crossing his features. “Colonel Morgan knows that her status in this unit has been compromised. Before she left for Ulindi, she was confined to quarters. If Colonel Morgan believes that she has some task to complete that revealing herself to you would hinder, then she would remain hidden from you in order to complete that task.”
“Why not at least drop me a message? If Morgan is trying to stay hidden, there’s no way anyone could find her.”
“Yes, sir,” Malin agreed. “But if you knew she was here, and you instituted a search for her, it might tip off her target.”
“You think she’s hunting Togo?”
“The events of last night would seem to imply that, General.”
Drakon leaned back, eyeing Malin. “So you think Morgan is hiding her presence from everyone because she thinks that’s the only way she could track down and nail Togo.” What had his last orders been to Morgan regarding Togo? He had told her more than once not to go after him, but had he ever modified that order in a way that Morgan could interpret as authorization to hunt Togo now? No. He was sure he had not allowed that sort of exception, not before Togo vanished while Drakon himself was still on Ulindi and unaware of the desertion of Iceni’s aide.