"I can just jump in then?"
"No, you cannot just jump in. You have each been invited here because I need updates from your areas."
"Well, I'm ready. I have that. I-"
"And when I want your input, I shall call on you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir; sorry, sir."
"No need to apologize."
"Sorry."
"Suhail or Walter, what kind of resistance may we expect in Jerusalem?"
There was a pause, during which, David assumed, the two were looking at each other to avoid interrupting.
"Come, come, gentlemen," Carpathia said. "I have a planet to rule." He chuckled as if joking, but it wasn't funny to David.
Akbar began, slowly and articulately. David thought that in another setting, Suhail could have been an effective intelligence chief. "Frankly, Potentate, I do not believe the Judah-ites will show their faces. I am not discounting the effectiveness of their movement. Their numbers still seem large, but they are an underground cause, networked by computers. You will not likely see the mass public rally similar to the one at Kolleck Stadium when Tsion B-"
"I recall it well, Akbar. Tell me, is part of the reason they are not likely to make a fuss in Jerusalem because many of their ranks have been dissuaded by seeing a real resurrection-one that does not require blind faith?"
Silence, except for the clearing of a throat. David assumed it was Suhail's.
"No?"
"Surprisingly not, sir. That would certainly have persuaded me of your deity, except that I was already convinced of it."
"Me too!" Hickman said. "Sorry."
"Of course," Fortunato said, "I had personal experience that proved it. And now-well, it's not my turn, is it?"
"The truth is, Excellency," Akbar continued carefully, "our monitoring of the Judah-ite Web site reveals they are even more entrenched. They believe, ah, that your resurrection proves the opposite of what is so patently obvious to thinking people."
David flinched when he heard a loud bang on the table, the rolling back of a chair, and a string of expletives from Carpathia. That was something new. The Nicolae of before always kept his composure.
"Forgive me, Holiness," Akbar said. "You understand that I am merely reporting what my best analysts-"
"Yes, I know that!" Carpathia spat. "I just do not understand what it is going to take to prove to these people who is worthy of their devotion!" He swore again, and the others seemed to feel obligated to grumble loudly about the lunacy of the skeptics. "All right!" Carpathia said finally. "You think they will just snipe at us from the comfort of their hiding places."
"Correct."
"That is unfortunate. I was so hopeful of gloating in their faces. Any confirmation that they are harboring Rosenzweig?"
David held his breath through another pause.
"I admit we're stumped," Walter Moon said. "We traced a few leads from people who thought they saw him running, taking a taxi, that kind of a thing. We know for sure that stroke was phony."
"You can say that again," Nicolae said.
"Dang straight!" Hickman offered. "Sorry."
"He deceived me," Nicolae added. "I have to give him that."
"Urn, sir," Moon continued. "I, ah, am not second-guessing you, but…"
"Please, Walter."
"Well, you did pardon your attacker, maybe before you knew who he was."
Carpathia roared with laughter. "You do not think I knew who murdered me? I lift that limp arm of his to start the applause and a few seconds later I lurch away from the sound of a gun, he chops my feet from under me with that infernal chair, and the next thing I know I am in the lap of a madman. Well, I knew instantly what was happening, though I may never know why. But he was no frail old man. There was no stiff arm and no limp arm, no scrawny senior citizen. He rammed that blade into me, and I could hear him gutting my skull. The man was hard as a rock and strong."
"Ought to put out a worldwide all points bulletin and use all our resources to bring him in," Hickman said. "Got him on tape! Show it to the world!"
"In due time," Carpathia said, calmer now, and it sounded to David as if Nicolae had sat and joined them again. "I pardoned him, knowing that a world of loyal subjects would relish avenging me, should he ever show his face. Needless to say, we shall not prosecute a crime when that event occurs."
"Needless to say," Hickman parroted.
"And," Carpathia said, "where are we with the accomplice?"
"The nut with the gun?" Moon said. "We don't think he was Middle Eastern. Found his getup and the weapon. Matches the bullet. No prints. No leads. You're convinced they were working together?"
Carpathia sounded flabbergasted. "Convinced? I am not the law-enforcement expert here, but the timing of those two attacks was just a little too coincidental, would you not agree?"
"I would," Hickman said. "I worked that case and-"
"Proceed," Nicolae said.
"I figure they were hedgin' their bets. If one of 'em didn't get ya, the other one would. Guy with the gun could have been a diversion, but he's lucky he didn't kill anybody."
Akbar cleared his throat. "You're aware there's a connection between Ben-Judah and Rosenzweig?"
"Tell me," Nicolae said.
"Ben-Judah was once a student of Rosenzweig's."
"You don't say," Nicolae said, and it was the first time David had heard him use a contraction. "Hmm. Find Ben-Judah, and you find Rosenzweig."
"That's what I was thinkin'," Hickman said.
"I'm ready for your report, James."
"Me? Mine? You are? Oh, yes, sir. Um, everything's on track. Injector thingies, beheaders, er, um, jes' a minute. Viv, ah, Ms. Ivins gave me the correct terminology here, bear with me. Loyalty confirmation facilitators. Got those comin' or goin', depending. They're on their way here and there and wherever we need 'em. Not all of 'em, certainly. Some are being made as we speak, but we're on schedule. I found a nurse here that has experience shooting biochips into… into… well… dogs, I guess. But she's going to help train. And I've got a lead on your pig."
"My pig?"
"Oh! Not, I mean, if you don't need a pig, they'll just butcher it and use it here. But if you needed a pig, I'm pretty sure we've got a big one ordered."
"What would I want a pig for, James?"
"It's not that I heard… or knew… I mean… that you actually need a pig for anything, really. But if you ever did, just let me know, all right. You need one? For anything?"
"Who has been talking to you, Commander?"
"Um, what?"
"You heard me."
"Talking to me?"
Carpathia was suddenly shouting, cursing again. "Mr. Hickman, what is said in these meetings in my private office is sacred. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I would never-"
"Sacred! The security of the Global Community depends on the confidentiality and trustworthiness of the communications in here. You've heard the old expression, 'Loose lips sink ships'?"
"Yeah, I have. I know what you mean."
"Someone told you there was a discussion in this room about my need for a pig."
"Well, I'd rather not-"
"Oh, yes, you had rather, Mr. Hickman! Violating the sacred trust of the potentate of the Global Community is a capital offense, is it not, Mr. Moon?"
"Yes, sir, it is."
"So, James, the next thing out of your mouth had better be the guilty party, or you will pay the ultimate price for the transgression. I'm waiting."
David could hear Hickman whimpering.
"The name, Commander. If I hear that he is your friend or that you'd rather not say or anything other than who he is, you are a dead man."
Still Hickman struggled.
"You have ten seconds, sir."
Hickman took a labored breath and coughed.
"And now five."
"He's-he's-a-"
"Mr. Moon, are you prepared to take Mr. Hickman into custody for the purpose of exec-"
"Ramon Santiago!" Hickman blurted. "But I beg of you, sir, don't-"
"Mr. Moon."
"Please! No!"
David heard Moon on his cell phone. "Moon here. Listen, take Santiago into custody… Right, the one from Peacekeeping… right now… yes. Till I get there." '"You'll let me handle it personally, Walter?"