"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I have been in trouble for just that kind of thing before. If it's that important, you may feel free to interrupt the meeting yourself."
David slammed the phone down and jogged to Personnel. He found the conference room empty, then found the receptionist. She held him off with a raised hand as she handled another call.
"Ask them to hold a second," he said. "This is important."
"Just a moment, please."
"Thank you! Now, I-"
"I didn't put this call on hold to help you. I put them on hold to ask you to wait your turn."
"But I-"
She held up a hand again and returned to her call. Another phone rang while she was finishing, and she went directly to it. David leaned across her desk and depressed the cradle button.
"Director Hassid! I'll report you for this!"
"You'd better get me fired before I get you fired," he said. "Now where is this meeting?"
"I don't know."
"It's not here; where is it?"
"Off-site, obviously."
"Where?"
"I honestly don't know, but my guess would be the basement of Building D."
"That's a quarter mile from here! Why didn't you tell me it was there when you told me to interrupt it myself?"
"I didn't know you'd actually do it."
Her phone rang again.
"Don't answer that."
"It's my job."
"Answer it and it'll be your job. Why would the meeting be in D?"
"I don't know that it is. I said it was a guess."
"Why might it be there?"
"Because that's where they're setting up the loyalty mark application center." And she answered her phone.
David slammed both palms on her desk, making her jump and then apologize to the caller. As he pushed through the door, she called after him in a singsong tone. "Oh, Director Hassid! You might want to take this call. It's your assistant."
He rushed back, only to get a condescending look. "Like I'm going to let you use my phone." She pointed to a phone on a table in the waiting area.
"This is David."
"Hey. Just got a call from Walter Moon."
"Where is he?"
"I'm sorry. He didn't say and I didn't think to ask. Want me to find him?"
"What did he want?"
"He said he would be delivering your 0900 appointment personally, that he and the candidate's father were most excited about your interest, you know the drill."
"What was he doing with Moon this morning?"
"No idea, sir, but I'll find out if you want."
"Find Moon and call me back on my cell."
David hurried to Building D and found the basement cordoned off. He had to use every line in the book to talk his way past Security. When he was finally able to peek through the double doors that led into a huge meeting room, he got his first glimpse of the setup for applying the mark. Crowd-control barricades were arranged to funnel people to processing points and finally to the cubicles where the last of the injection guns were being plugged in and tested.
"What's all this for?" David asked a woman arranging chairs.
"Oh, come on, you know."
"But why so big? I thought they were just doing new employees first."
She shrugged. "The rest of us will be next. Might as well have everything in place and tested, huh? I can't wait. This is the dream of a lifetime."
"Have you seen Security Chief Moon this morning?"
"Actually he was here a while ago."
"With anyone?"
"Couldn't tell you who. Some guys from Personnel, I know."
"Anyone else?"
She nodded. "I didn't pay attention, though."
"Any idea where he is now?"
She shook her head. "I suppose you've heard the rumors, though."
"Tell me."
She smiled. "You poor managers miss the gossip, don't you?"
"We often do."
"I figure you start most of it, or at least your decisions do."
"Granted. What's the word this morning?"
"That Moon's in line for Supreme Commander."
"You don't say."
"I like him. I think he'd be good at it."
David's cell phone vibrated and he excused himself. "Moon's people now say he's in with Carpathia," Tiffany said.
"Alone?"
"David, I'm sorry. I didn't ask. I'll find out whatever you want, but I have to know in advance what I'm looking for."
"My fault. Did they happen to say whether Walter is still bringing Chang at 0900?"
"Yea! I know one! Yes."
"Really?"
"Honest."
"Is Chang with him and Carpathia now?"
"Sorry. No idea."
"I'm on my way back."
David used his cell phone as he walked and tried the Chang apartment again. This time Mr. Wong answered. Encouraged, David asked for Chang. "He not available right now. He see you at nine, yes?"
"That's right. Is he OK?"
"Better than OK! Very excited! Missah Moon come get us to bring to see you."
"You're coming too?"
"If OK. May I?"
David sighed. "Why not?"
"No?"
"Yeah, sure."
Back in his office, with fifteen minutes to spare, he patched in to Carpathia's office. The first thing he heard was Nicolae's voice. "Hickman was a buffoon! I'm better off without him. I don't know what Leon was thinking."
"Probably that he was going to have your job and Jim would be easy to manage."
Carpathia laughed. "You're a good judge of character, Walter. It came down to you and Suhail. He has an impressive resume, but he's so new to his current position."
"And can you trust a Pakistani? I don't understand those types."
"Who can you trust these days, Walter? Now listen, I don't know how you stand on pomp and circumstance, but I don't want to make a big deal of this. You'll have an appropriate office you won't have to share with anyone, but I just want to announce your appointment and not get into a lot of ceremony."
"Perfect," Walter said. "I don't want to take any attention from you, sir."
David thought Walter sounded disingenuous and almost palpably disappointed. He was right, though, in pandering to Carpathia's ego. No one was going to steal that thunder anyway.
"Walter," Carpathia said, "how are we coming with the GCMM?"
Moon sounded surprised. "Sir, the Morale Monitors have been in place for a long time. I get input from them every day, and I know Suhail counts on their intelligence briefings."
It was clear Carpathia was impatient. "Mr. Moon, surely you caught my drift recently when I spoke of mobilizing a great enforcement throng from every tribe and nation who would-"
"Of course, Potentate. I am working with Chief Akbar now to-"
"I don't believe it! You missed it! Walter, I am determined to surround myself with people who understand me intuitively!"
"I'm sorry, Excellency. I-"
"For all of Leon's foibles and idiosyncrasies, he is a man who stays with me, anticipating my needs and desires and strategies. Do you kn-"
"That's the kind of subordinate I want to b-"
"Don't interrupt me, please!"
"I apologize."
"Do you know where Leon is now?"
"I heard he had flown to the United European Sta-"
"He is in Vatican City, Walter! He has called together the ten regional potentates and has asked each to bring his most trusted and loyal spiritual leader to join them in that former great bastion of Christianity."
"I don't underst-"
"Of course you don't! Think, man! At this very moment I imagine Reverend Fortunato is kneeling in the Sistine Chapel, the sub-potentates and the spiritual leader from each region who will represent Carpathianism throughout the globe laying hands on him and committing him to the great task before him."