They shook hands and Vail walked to car, where Tony waited beside the open door.
Tony drove him back to the football field and the pilot cranked up the chopper as he got out of the Cadillac and ran towards it. Vail ducked down under the blades, slid into the seat beside him, and snapped on his seat belt.
'Christ,' the pilot said, 'you look like you saw a ghost.'
'I did,' Vail said. 'Let's get the hell out of here.'
ARE YOU THERE, HYDRA?
YES FOX.
YOU HAVE DONE EXCEPTIONALLY WELL. BEYOND EXPECTATIONS.
THANK YOU, FOX.
YOU HAVE STUDIED THE PLAN?
YES, FOX, THE BEAUTIFUL PLAN.
AND ARE YOU PREPARED?
YES, YES.
AND DO YOU HAVE THE MESSAGE?
YES FOX.
EXCELLENT. ARE YOU EXCITED?
ALWAYS.
IT IS TIME, AGAIN.
THANK YOU. I DON'T LIKE WAITING.
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I FEEL EXCEPTIONALLY ANXIOUS.
GOOD. YOU MUST BE MORE CAUTIOUS THAN EVER.
DOES HE KNOW?
YES. DO NOT CONCERN YOURSELF. IT IS AS WE EXPECTED.
I WILL BE CAUTIOUS.
GOOD.
SOON, HYDRA.
YES, YES, YES!
UNTIL THEN…
Parver came into the office as dusk was ending. The last thin shafts of daylight pierced the windows, casting crimson streaks through the gloom of the office. It was empty except for Vail, who was sitting alone in his office. He was slumped in his chair, his legs stretched out stiffly in front of him, his elbows on the arms of his chair, the fingers of both hands entwined and resting on his chest. His desk lamp was the only illumination on the entire floor and he had pulled the expensive black, cantilevered light down so its beam was swallowed up by the dark wood of his table. He was staring into space.
She approached his office cautiously and rattled on the jamb with her fingers. He looked up, his eyes gleaming in the shadows.
'Ms Parver,' he said with a nod.
'You busy?' she asked.
He thought about that for a couple of seconds and said, 'Yeah. I'm working real hard at being relaxed. I'm into sudden-death overtime at doing absolutely nothing.'
'It can wait,' she said, and started to leave.
'Too late,' he said. 'Come on in here and sit down. What's on your mind?'
