Fire With Fire

Who shrugged and joined him. “Look, before we start-try not to stare at the guy, will you?”

“Stare? At which guy?”

“Our-security operative. His situation is-well, awkward. For everyone.”

“What awkward situation are you talking about?”

The short man’s eyes opened a little wider. “You don’t know? Really?” He saw the answer in Caine’s face. “He’s a Tube.”

“A what?”

“A Tube.” Seeing that Caine still didn’t understand, he emphasized. “A test Tube. He came to term in vitro.”

Caine felt his mouth drop open. “He’s a clone?”

“Shh. Not so loud. Christ, you want him to hear?”

“But I thought that cloning-”

“Look. You need to get out of your ivory tower a little more often. Yes, ex-vivo cloning of humans is against international accords. But not all places on Earth-or beyond-are under routine governmental supervision. Some aren’t even under national jurisdiction anymore.”

“Which is where you come in?”

“No. That has nothing to do with why I’m here.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I’m here to tell you-first of all-that not all corporations are the same. The admiral-” he nodded at the memorial flame with a deferential lowering of his voice “-he knew that well enough. But after yesterday’s events- well, some us started to worry that maybe you new guys might forget the distinctions.”

You new guys. That was a mix of good and bad. Good in that it suggested that some of Nolan’s old acquaintances were ready to recognize a transfer of power and authority to Downing and-God forbid-himself. Bad in that this emissary had elected to contact Caine, which suggested that his connection with Nolan’s old activities was already presumed.

“Look: that last comment makes me think you’re talking to the wrong person.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because I’m not sure what or who you mean when you’re referring to ‘the new guys.’”

The shorter man looked up out of narrowed eyes, then nodded once. “Maybe not. But still, I was sent to talk to you. Even if you’re not one of the ‘new guys.’”

“But why talk to me? I’m nobody.”

“Sure. You’re nobody. You’re the ‘nobody’ who closed down CoDevCo’s site manager on Dee Pee Three and then pinned back the ears of their fancy-boy, Astor-Smath, at Parthenon.”

Caine managed not to wince at the slur. “You don’t sound sorry that I did.”

“I’m not. A lot of us aren’t.”

“Who’s ‘a lot of us’?”

“I work for an aerospace firm. And like a lot of the other industrial megacorps-well, we like working with government. We’ve got a good relationship. And I’m guessing you know that our boardrooms look like reunions for the various service academies, right?”

Caine nodded. “I’ve been to a few.”

“So the mood upstairs in my firm-and a lot of others-is that companies must remain secondary to, and ultimately serve the interests of, nations. Period.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Yeah-but then there are the other companies. The ex-oil companies, the consumer service industries, the ‘resource extraction’ firms, and big investment and credit conglomerates. They think that the rule of nations is old- fashioned, inefficient.”

Caine looked down at the necktie and its almost heraldic design.

The shorter man looked down also, then rolled his eyes. “Yeah-it’s getting a little crazy with the tie thing. Even with us Industrials.”

“So maybe you’re not so different from the other megacorps, after all.”

“Look: this is just a stupid tie. Bottom line: there are certain things we Industrials will not do.”

“Such as?”

The shorter guy took a step closer. “Look: we-I mean the Industrials-had nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with the abduction of Corcoran’s daughter. And word on the street is that not even CoDevCo had a hand in what happened to you last night.”

“Did CoDevCo send you to tell me that?”

“I’ll tell you one more time: I’m not a messenger for those ass-lickers. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t back-channel communications between my company and theirs. And I was given to understand that they had nothing to do with your-personal mishap.”

“What about Ms. Corcoran?”

He looked away. “Can’t say.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t. They contacted us about you. They didn’t say anything one way or the other about abducting Corcoran’s daughter, and we didn’t ask.”

“But you’re guessing that they did.”

“Hey.” He turned back. “I don’t guess. Guessing about things like that-and then talking about them-could be very unhealthy for someone in my position. So I don’t do it.”

“So you think it was random terrorists.”

“Nah.”

“Or third-world fanatics who hated Nolan.”

“Christ, no. I hear this bunch were gang bangers.”

“So it was one of the other blocs.”

“You kidding? Among the leaders of the big powers, Corcoran is turning into some kind of folk hero. Dying at just the right moment can do that, you know.”

Caine looked at the man and smiled. “So you’re telling me that you’re pretty sure that no one was behind the abduction of Corcoran’s daughter.”

The man smiled slowly. “Yeah, I guess-by process of elimination-that’s who must be behind it. No one at all.”

“Except you really don’t know about CoDevCo.”

“Right.”

“And saying that doesn’t get you in trouble, does it?”

His smiled broadened. “Nope. Not a bit.” He straightened up, stuck out his hand. “I’m glad I was able to come and give you the inside scoop on-absolutely nothing. And on the people who have absolutely nothing to do with it.”

Caine smiled. “Your failure to impart any information has been very illuminating.”

He shook Caine’s hand a moment longer, looked at him as if he’d first seen him that very second, and then left with a chuckle and a wave.

Caine smiled. So. CoDevCo was responsible for the move against Elena Corcoran, but not the move against him. Interesting. Probably useful. He suppressed a shudder as the short man’s bland-faced security operative exited behind his employer-and then started as a hand grasped his left bicep.

“A little jumpy, are we?” Opal’s frown matched her concerned tone. “What was that all about?”

“Lots. Not much. I’m not sure.” He smiled down at her. “I’ll figure it out later. Might concern you too, since I think it’s going to concern Downing. And while we’re on that topic, how’s it feel taking a soldier’s coin working for the Prince of Lies again?”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. But I couldn’t just keep freeloading off you.” Opal preempted Caine’s attempt to object. “Besides, duty calls: Scarecrow’s getting kind of antsy over in the corner. I think we’d better pay our respects so they can wrap things up here.”

Caine nodded, turned, found Corcoran’s daughter right there, staring straight at him with glass-green eyes.