[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
refresher. And Millie, you've never been there.'
'You're letting me go, then?' Behind her glasses she raised her eyebrows.
'Do you want to?'
'Try and stop me!' she said.
'That's what I thought,' said Trask. 'And God knows we need you.'
'You need all of us,' said Ian Goodly. He had done speaking to John Grieve and
the weapons were on their way. 'And if I can get a word in edgewise here, aren't you
forgetting something?'
'What, this "well all be in it together at the end" shit?' said Trask.
'You can't argue with the future, Ben,' said the precog.
And again for long moments Trask looked at his team, especially at Garvey. Until
finally he said, 'Okay, in the few hours we have left you can think about it. But for God's
sake... for God's sake think straight! They're your lives, people they're your lives...'
The Perchorsk schematics were now up on the screen. Looking at them, Trask
shook a fist. 'We'll be coming for you soon now, Nephran Malinari,' he growled. 'You're
not there just yet, but when you do get there we'll be waiting.'
Millie said nothing, but shielded herself and thought: That old scar of yours, Ben?
Still itching, is it? I understand. And anyway, I refuse to be jealous of a dead woman.
Zek Föener was a wonderful person. You're right to want revenge.
But Trask hadn't stopped with Malinari, and continued, 'And you, Vavara, you
hag! I want you for Liz's sake. But especially you, Szwart! If everything else fails me,
I've just got to have a crack at you!' Then, turning from the screen and apparently
unconscious of what he was doing he glanced at Millie. Hiding her embarrassment
and a smile she would not otherwise have been able to conceal, Millie's sunglasses
saved her. And if only for the moment everything was all right.
Everything that mattered, anyway...
_
_
'Cold-weather gear!' Trask snapped his fingers. 'Winter warfare kit.' And to Goodly, 'Get
on to the Minister Responsible. We'll be needing three sets of white parkas and
trousers, our sizes.'
'That will be seven sets, then,' said the precog. 'And yes, Ben, I really do have a
great deal of faith in my talent. While it can be miserly in its details, rarely showing me
everything, still I can rely on what it does tell me.'
'Have it your own way,' Trask answered, gruffly. 'Just make sure that stuff's
delivered within the hour.' And then, nodding to himself, he muttered, 'Which leaves one
other item I want to take with me.'
He used the intercom to speak to John Grieve. 'John, are we in contact with
David Chung?'
'Yes,' came the answer. 'I have his telephone number. He's in Glasgow,
scheduled to be airborne again about an hour and a half from now. Chung and his
ecological chums, they think they know where their quarry is.'
'And we know where ours is going,' Trask answered. 'Try to get David on the
blower for me, will you? Patch him through to me in Ops?'
'My pleasure,' said Grieve. 'And Ben... is there anything I can do for you? I mean,
I really don't give a damn about the situation. I don't think any of us do. It looks like the
world is going to hell anyway, quite apart from any other, er, local complications.'
For a moment Trask was silent, then said, 'Thanks, John. I want you I want E-
Branch to know that we're on it. Everyone in here is on it. We can't say what problems
we'll experience further down the line, but right now we're all on track.'
'Hell, we know that!' said Grieve, his voice breaking up a little. And then, as an
afterthought: 'Oh, and there is one other thing. Tell Turchin we had a message come
through for him. The thing's a bit esoteric and goes like this: "Nest ransacked, as
expected. Egg in second nest hatched at 5:00 p.m. Moscow time, and by 8:00 p.m. the
birds had flown."'
'And that's it?'
'That's it,' said Grieve.
Trask passed the message on to Turchin, and by the time he was finished Grieve
was patching David Chung through.
Trask took the call.
'It's a funny thing,' said Chung, 'but a little while ago I was checking out tonight's
flight, looking at a map. I had this feeling- a kind of premonition and checked up on E-
Branch, too. I stuck my finger on the map, London, the City. And, like I said, it's a really
funny thing... or maybe not?'
'Not,' said Trask. 'Not from where I'm standing, anyway. So what did you locate,
David? Mindsmog?'
He sensed Chung's nod, and the locator said, 'I don't suppose it's much good my
asking if everything's okay down there? I mean, you know, with Jake and all?'
'Everything is... just fine,' Trask answered, knowing full well that his tone was
speaking volumes for him, telling a very different story. 'With Jake, and with Millie, and
with me, too. We're all just fine. For the time being, anyway...'
And after a long pause: 'Anything I can do?' said Chung.
Just do your job,' said Trask, 'and pretend it's the most important thing you ever
did, even though it mightn't feel like it right now. I mean, when there's a storm blowing
up, even the little hatches are important perhaps even the most important. Every-
damn-thing gets battened down, right? And anyway, we have all the help we can use at
our end.'
'I'll be thinking of you,' said Chung huskily.
'I know you will,' said Trask, 'but while I appreciate your concern, it's not why I
contacted you.' And he told the locator what he wanted.
'Sure,' said the other. 'It's in my room right there in the HQ. You're welcome to it.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]