aImagine,a Jaguar had said to him once, athat you can find the absolute center and origin of the universe, and kiss it. Now imagine that it kissed you back.a That, she told him, was what it felt like.

She was too respectful to use such a powerful art just for the fun of it, too knowledgeable to treat it lightly. And, she knew it was the height of folly to expose herself as someone who had such capacities, on campus where an antiempath movement was going strong. Where brats were watching her, which she must know if there was a brawl.

This was a lot to chew on. A quick rap on his door interrupted his meal.

aThanks, Brad,a he said. aKeep the telecom use to a minimum, okay?a aSure,a Brad said. aJust thought you should hear this one straight.a aI appreciate it,a Alex said, and clicked off the telecom. aCome in,a he said.

Rachelas face appeared in the doorway of Alexas office.

aSome things you should see,a she said.

aWalk it over,a he said, gesturing her inside. He was about to tell her to close the door, but he didnat have to. She took a quick peek down the hall, shut them in, then pulled the inside lock.

Then she handed him a folder, which he opened.

He read, then swore softly. aHeas still army.a aThis is correct,a Rachel noted. aI canat get at anything else about him, though. Cla.s.sified Deep Red.a aThat figures,a Alex mused. He tapped his finger on the folder. Rich Forrest was still with the Pentagon. Consultant. What the h.e.l.l was going on?

aThanks,a he said to Rachel. aWhatas the other thing?a She reached into her pocket and fished up a printout, handed it to him.

aWhatas this?a aJust look at it. It came in over my line, but it was addressed to you.a He stared at the printout, which bore the return address of the University library. It was addressed to him, and it had only one line.

See Davidson, Etiquette of Empaths, pp. 25 forward.

He stared up at Rachel. aJaguar,a he said.

He turned to his computer, where he had Davidsonas book stored.

aDonat bother,a Rachel said. aI looked it up already.a She handed him another piece of paper, which had the text written on it, and waited while he read.

aSoul thieves,a he said out loud. as.h.i.t.a aI agree,a Rachel said. She hesitated, then spoke in a rush, aI think you should go there and see her. Maybe she was right about the a.s.signment being a setup. I think you should go.a aRachel, you know I canat,a he said.

aWell, why not?a That was a good question. And the answer wasa"because.

aBradas keeping an eye on her,a he said, staying professional. aI have to keep track of our soldier boy.a Rachel frowned. aAlex, I donat want to pry into whatas not my businessa"a aThen donat,a he said bluntly.

She flushed, then pulled herself up to stand straight and stare him down. aIs there anything else you need, sir?a she asked formally and coldly.

Great, he thought. Another woman p.i.s.sed off at him. As if head done anything wrong.

aWhat the h.e.l.l am I supposed to do?a he asked. aSpend my life chasing after her? Iave got other Teachers, and a h.e.l.luva lot of work here, where I belong. And if she continually gets herself into trouble, is that my problem?a aNo,a she said, abut something is.a aWhat? Whatas my problem?a aYour problem,a she said, ais that you canat face your problem. Maybe when you do, youall see that you should be down there with her.a She turned, and walked out the door.

aRachel,a he said in the wake of her absence, ayouave been learning far too many lessons from your mentor.a He waited to make sure she wouldnat return. Then he reached for his telecom and dialed the research offices, requesting Rich Forrest. But he wasnat there. Out of the office, expected back in late tomorrow.

Dammit. Delays. Just when he didnat want them. He picked up his telecom and punched in Forrestas code again. This time he left a message on his primary voice mail service.

aRich,a he said, aDzarny here. Letas talk about what research I can help you with beyond prisoner profiling. I think youall be interested. Give me a call.a That should do it. He wouldnat be surprised if he got a call back by the end of the day. The army loved Adepts. Adepts, and Telekines. And if he could get into their computer files, he might find something out. That made more sense than Rachelas advice. Although he had to admit she was right about one thing.

There were some problems he wasnat quite ready to face.

10.

aIT WAS ABOUT AS STUPID A STUNT AS I could imagine,a Durk said, tapping a wooden finger against the highly varnished conference tabletop. Here, where he always sat, the varnish was worn from his years of tapping in the same spot, with the wood of a hand that others said he had cut off himself in order to evade capture by his Euromarket equivalent. Intelligence General Lieutenant Matt Durk was head of special operations for the psychological investigation unit of the army. He had held this post for almost fifteen years.

aYou said we should tag her,a Phil Dormantof said, remaining surly days after the events at the bar. Head been treated badly by the local police, and his arm hurt, and he supposed his neck would be in a brace for weeks. d.a.m.n kids.

aI said you should follow her,a Durk barked. aAnd I said that if you saw the opportunity, you should initiate relations with her. I didnat say you should knock her down and drag her out into the streets by her hair. Christ, it was stupid.a aIt was those kids,a Phil insisted.

Durk dragged his hand across the table, making a sound reminiscent of nails on chalkboard. aKeep your hands off her. Let the situation develop. Understood?a He turned to the others who were seated around him. Three men and two women who would replace the now defunct surveillance team, along with Rich Forrest and Sabrian Lisboa, who were coordinating with the Planetoid people on the project. They all nodded.

He waved his hand in dismissal, and all three rose, saluted, and left the room.

Durk turned to Rich Forrest, who stayed behind.

aSir,a Rich said, aIam concerned. I donat see why we have to cater to him this way.a aThen,a Durk said, ayou havenat worked with him long enough. And if you keep going this way, you wonat ever. Heas agreed to handle the Almadin business for us, by the way.a aCleaner than he handled the last one, I hope,a Rich said. aWe had trouble covering him on that. And on those girls he likes to use as personal toys.a aHe handled it,a Durk said, raising his eyebrows. aHe got the job done. And thatas what you need to know about him. He always gets the job done. Do you understand?a Rich shifted uncomfortably.

aDo you?a aI understand.a aGood. Howas cooperation on the Planetoid?a Rich took in a deep breath and let it out. Here he felt on more solid ground.

aI caught a fish,a he said. aBig one.a Durkas hand went tap tap tap.

aHe called the office,a Rich continued. He smoothed the papers in front of him, remembering their conversation, and a smile grew on his face. aLeft a message for me, offering himself for research. I called him back a little while ago. Asked him what kind of help research, and why. He said, whatever we wanted, because heas gotta think ahead. After what the Board did to Jaguar, he said he figured he better make sure his a.s.s is covered.a Durk lowered his head. Thinking through the possibilities, Rich knew. If he didnat know better, head think the old b.a.s.t.a.r.d was an Adept, but head seen his testing run and there was no sing of psi capacities. He was just expert at keeping his cards close to his chest.

aOkay,a Durk said, aGo ahead and run the tests on him. The specialistall want the results to study. But donat go any further until you hear from me. And be careful. Heas slipperya aIam not an ignorant rookie,a Rich commented.

aI know,a Durk said, abut sometimes you seem to play one on TV.a Emily Rainer threw open the door to University President Carol Johnstonas office and strode across the carpet to her desk, with a nervous secretary hot on her heels.

aGet her out of here,a Emily hissed.

President Johnston nodded her steel-gray head at the secretary, who left, and closed the door behind her.

aNot her,a Emily said. aDr. Addams.a She leaned back and pressed her hands together on her lap. aWhatas wrong, Professor Rainer?a she asked.

aWhatas wrong? Oh, what could possibly be wrong?a She leaned her hands onto the sleek and clean surface of the presidentas desk. aYou know whatas wrong. Youave got to stop this. Get that woman out of here.a aEmily, pleasea"a aLook,a she said, aIave been playing it your way. Watching the students, diverting attention from him, but itas getting out of hand. Do you have any idea what she is, and what she can do?a aStop it,a President Johnston snapped. aShut your mouth now.a Emily drew back and stood staring, eyes glittering sharply. The president regained her calm demeanor, her deeply lined face drawing itself into an expression of confident authority. aItas true that youave given good service up until now, and that will be remembered in your tenure process, in spite of your limited publications. But you must not be speaking of these matters to me or to anyone. Do you understand?a aDo you know what she is?a Emily repeated. aAnd do you know what heas doing?a aI know sheas a qualified professor, and her presence is an important part of our progress in some crucial matters. Thereas nothing else I need to know.a Emily looked at her as if she was lower than a flea on a bloodsucker. aNever mind,a she said. aIall take care of it myself. She wonat hang around long if she knows sheas just a rat in your lab.a She turned on her heels and left, banging the door shut behind her. President Johnston picked up her telecom and punched in a code.

The face that appeared on the other side belonged to Matt Durk. aWeave got trouble,a Carol said. aEmily Rainer.a aTell me,a Durk said, and Carol did.

aSheas buckling, Matt. I think heas doing something to her. Her eyesa"they look like those other girls. Itas something he does to them and he does too much of it.a He said only, aIall report it.a She hesitated. aWhat will he do?a Durk shrugged. aWhat he thinks is best.a aYou donat have control over any of this anymore, do you?a aI have what I need,a Durk said.

aAnd your a.s.s isnat hanging out naked over the line. How about getting me what I need?a aYour funding source is secure.a President Johnston clucked at him petulantly. aI recommended against letting her know any of this in the first place. She was not my choice.a aShe was the best choice because sheas got the most at stake,a Durk reminded her. aAnd sheas been doing her part just finea"until lately. If you ask me, sheas jealous.a aJealous? Now, thereas a s.e.xist mind at work.a He shrugged. aI know what Iam talking about, and I know what Iam doing.a aI just wish,a Carol said, ayouad let someone else in on the secret now and then.a Planetoid Three, Toronto Replica Alex looked around the new equipment the Ivory Tower people had brought in and estimated its cost. Three new Teachers and another shuttle were his results. Between the Pentagon and the University, they were doing okay. He turned a tight grin toward Rich.

aWhere do we start?a he asked.

aWeall do the standard interview then move on to some of the physiological stuff,a he said.

aIad bet the omega wave scan is first,a Alex noted, running a finger across the smooth laminate of the lab table and enjoying the sensation.

aYou got it,a Rich agreed.

aSo,a Alex said, awhat if I fail it?a It was then Richas turn to grin. aWeall probably kill you, and then ask for our money back. In that order.a aThatas what I thought,a Alex said.

The omega wave scan was the most accurate detector of lies that either the army or the criminal justice system possessed. It could spot a misplaced word within a sentence, if that word created a lie of the whole, based on a scan of the waves that the amygdala, organic keeper of fear, produced as the lie was told. He knew head have to take this test, and he knew head fail it utterly. It might, he thought, prove to be a problem.

When Rich returned to the Planetoid, they met for lunch and Alex told him he was looking to get out of Planetoid work and into something new. Head gone on to express an interest in returning to the army. Rich looked at first shocked at Alexas knowledge, then relieved that he wasnat going to blow the whistle on him, then pleased that Alex was in.

aWead make it worth your while, Alex,a he said.

The army, he thought, always showed its appreciation. Head grant them that.

aSo letas start,a he said to Rich. aMight as well, right?a aMight as well.a Rich led Alex to a computer and called up the standard interview and life-history-information form, which Alex began to fill out. Rich said it would take him about half an hour to finish it, and then theyad start hooking up the machines. That didnat give him much time, especially since he wasnat sure what he was going to do.

aYou hang around and watch?a Alex asked as he began keying in codes.

aThatas my job,a Rich admitted.

aDull,a Alex said.

aIt shouldnat take too long.a Rich went to his desk and sat while Alex continued his task and tried to think through his next set of moves. He couldnat decide anything ahead of time, because he had no idea what the setup would be until he saw it. And now here he was. He a.s.sumed that Rich, who worked directly with a variety of psi areas, wouldnat be particularly susceptible to empathic tricks, and would probably spot any attempt pretty quickly. A convenient emergency phone call would be nice, but he had no way of arranging for that now.

He looked down and considered his hands. There was that. And, he supposed he could implant an empathic suggestion during unconsciousness. He sighed, stood, and stretched.

aHey, Rich,a he said, agot anything like coffee around? I had a late night.a Rich looked up from his desk and indicated the pot tucked in the corner behind him. aHelp yourself.a aThanks. I will.a Alex walked to the pot, poured into a mug, added sugar, and stirred.

aSorry,a Alex said. aDonat mean to bother you, buta"milk?a Rich straightened, turned toward him, and reached toward a small refrigerator unit under the pot.

aPerfect,a Alex said, put out a hand, and grasped the appropriate nerve at the base of the skull. aMany people,a he said as Richas eyes rolled back, aprefer the nerve that runs through the shoulder, but this one that Iam utilizing has the advantage of a longer period of unconsciousness. In fact,a he added as Rich went down, ait should last at least half an hour.a Alex propped his friend over his desk and went through his pockets for clearance keys. He found two. One for this room and another that was unlabeled. He let it rest in his hand, giving himself time to sense the relationship between it and the doors within this building. Giving himself time to see the web that wove itself around this item.

aAll right,a he said after a while. aIall give that a shot. And one more thing.a He did something empaths are particularly warned against doing. He dove into Richas memory banks, stole a bit of information, and exited. The entry code for the program he wanted. Later Rich would develop a fierce headache, but head recover, so Alex wasted no guilt on that.

He left the room and turned left, found a set of stairs, and took them up two flights. At the top of the stairs was a door, and the clearance key slid into it easily, with no click announcing that someone had arrived. Richas office.

He made for the desk and went through the drawers until he found Richas personal computer. Then he went to work. First he had to shift the scanneras mix so it responded to his face and voice, since it was keyed only for Rich. Fortunately head spent enough years in the army to know how to adjust volume and visual codes for a temporary fix. Then he asked the computer for information on Peltier, who turned up listed as deactivated for at least twenty years.

Okay, he thought. That says something, anyway. He checked his time. Not too much of it, and he had many directions he could go in.

as.h.i.t,a he said. aLetas try the main problem.a He collated university and army to a third element. Jaguar.

The computer flashed at him. Information unavailable.

He typed in the code requesting reason for the unavailability, fully expecting to be told the information was cla.s.sified. Code Blue if there was no current activity on her. Red if there was. He knew how to access both.

But the answer came: Unrecognized element. Jaguar Addams unrecognized.

Unrecognzied. Jaguar? The Pentagon had a file on her as thick as a brick. For her name to come up as unrecognized, shead have to have been wiped out of their banks completely.

aThatas not right,a he mumbled. He ran the program again. Waited. It came up the same. And every move he tried to make gave him the same results.

As far as the system was concerned, she didnat exist. He stilled a moment of panic as the implications became clear.

as.h.i.t. Sheas in Blackout code,a he said. That was the Pentagonas deepest cover, for work that literally did not exist in any recorded fashion because it was too dangerous to record it.

He stilled a moment of inexplicable panic. She was right in the middle of an operation they werenat even running as far as any records would ever tell. And he couldnat break a Blackout code because there was nothing to break. No information available. She no longer existed, and that meant they could do anything they wanted to her.

He had to let her know.

He rose and exited without anyone taking note, made it back to the office, and regarded Richas form. Before waking him, he went over to the files he was supposed to be filling out and made use of the send command.

The clerical staff might wonder at receiving a blank form, but it would take them a while to get to that point, and theyad never know it was his.

He returned to Rich, placing two fingers on his forehead. There might be more information here than in any computer, and aside from a headache, thereas be no long-range harm done from scanning his mental files.

At the surface, he found meandering thoughts of lunch. A woman dressed in tight blue pants. A television show. He pressed in deeper, looking specifically for information on Jaguar.

Not much. Something about a fight with Durk. Matthew Durk. Alex knew about him. Durk wanteda"what?

Donat think itas a good idea, sir. Sheas got a reputation for being difficult. I think our specialist bit off more than he can chew.

Then, a different presence. Different voice.

Leave it to me. You know nothing, and youall continue to know nothing.

Alex pressed in deeper. Something here. Something.

Then, nothing. Like the information on the computer. Blackout. That same circling static that he found around Jaguar.

aWhat the h.e.l.l?a he asked, and pulled his hand back, stared at it as if it had an answer for him. aArmy got some new tricks?a he asked. No answer.

All right, then, he thought, keep it simple. He brought his fingers back to Richas forehead and spoke into him.

You sure were tired, he said to the inside of Richas brain. So tired. You really needed to lie back and recharge your batteries. It was a good idea. Now you feel so refreshed, and Alex is done with his work, so you can move on to the next step.

Good idea, that nap. Hope Alex didnat see it.

When Rich opened his eyes, Alex was sitting at his computer with his back turned. aFinished,a he said, aand sent.a He swiveled his chair around. aNow what?a Rich rubbed his face, blinked twice, and stared at Alex, who sat kicking one leg against the leg of his chair.

aOh. Done? That was quicka"wasnat it?a aIam fast, Rich. You remember that about me.a aRight Omega test is next,a Rich said, and pushed himself to standing.

Alex, knowing what was coming, allowed himself a very broad grin. It would take them twenty-four hours to get the results, and he would be laughing all that time, thinking of the expression on Richas face when he discovered head been played for a fool.

HE SENT HIS THOUGHTS TOWARD THE ASHTRAY, and it flew across the room, shattering against the wall.

A pointless exercise, but it felt good.

It expressed some of what he was feeling, though what he really wished was that he could take the d.a.m.n army fools who attacked her and fling them against this wall. Take them, and then send a few other people after. Emily Rainer, for one.

She seemed to be going over the edge in a determined way. He lifted his hands to the light and looked at them. Maybe head created some long-term damage in the delicate unbalance of her mind. Molecular dispersion could have subtle results that took a while to show. There was something about the glitter in her eyes, and something about a similar look in Katiaas, that he didnat like. Maybe it was time for her to go away altogether. Maybe that would help send his cause forward, because things seemed to be stalled pretty effectively.