The sheer number surprised Zeus. Some were related to the Yen Tu Buddhist relic, a holy place marked by a massive bronze statue and surrounding pagodas. The ancient Vietnamese king Tran Nhan Tong was said to have sat in meditation at the spot in the mountains. Located about midway through the range, the relic was popular with pilgrims and hikers.
Away from the relic, the mountains were heavily mined, with coal and bauxite among the more plentiful minerals. Titanium, chromium, copper, and tin were also found there, as were rare earth metals.
Temples and mines were hardly a reason for a no-fly zone. Zeus studied the images, looking for signs of a bunker that might serve as an emergency retreat for the Hanoi government. But if it was there, it wasn’t obvious. The mines were almost exclusively open pits: big holes in the ground where mountain peaks had once stood. Nor were there defenses ringed around them.
“It doesn’t make all that much sense,” Zeus told Perry. “A no-fly zone over a bunch of mines?”
“Maybe they’re not hiding anything at all,” Perry suggested, rubbing his eyes. “Maybe they’re worried about damaging the pagoda.” “There are shrines all over the place. Dau Pagoda’s just outside Hanoi. That’s not a no-fly zone.”
“This one’s more important.”
Zeus wasn’t convinced, but he had no other explanation. And there were other problems to worry about.
“If you were the Vietnamese,” said Perry, “what would you do?”
“Assuming they’re heading toward Hai Phong? I’d swing down here and try and trip them up. Separate the armor from the infantry. It’s almost hopeless, though.”
“What if it weren’t? Where can you stop them?”
Zeus tapped the area near Dam Trong, west of Cai Bdu Island. It was an area made for ambushes, with small bridges and a myriad of irrigation ditches feeding the inland rice fields that had been built in the past two or three years.
“Slow them down here,” added Zeus. “Maybe you can get the infantry units that retreated to hit their rear.”
“Will it work?” asked Perry.
“If those A-10As were here.”
“Forget them.”
“More weapons. I don’t know.”
Perry shook his head. “See if you can figure out a place for an ambush, even if it’s hopeless.”
“All right.”
Zeus pulled over the magnifying glass and started going over the images and maps. A buzzer sounded; Perry went to the door near the intercom.
“Yes?” asked Perry.
“It’s Juliet Greig. I brought you some coffee, General.”
Perry unlocked the door from the inside. Greig was standing with a tray holding a carafe of coffee, milk, sugar, and two large white cups.
“Ms. Greig, thank you very much. You know Major Murphy?”
“I showed him in earlier.” She smiled at Zeus. “Coffee, Major?”
“Sure.”
Greig put the cups down at the far end of the table, then poured the coffee.
“General, the ambassador asked me to remind you that the meeting with the premier and General Trung is a half hour from now. She wanted to make sure you had time to get ready.”
“Yes, of course.” Perry rubbed his chin, whose stubble hadn’t been trimmed in nearly two days.
“You want me to come, General?” asked Zeus.
“No, I think I can handle this on my own, Zeus. Listen, it’s possible… we may…”
His voice trailed off. Zeus guessed what he was going to say from his eyes — it was possible they were going to bug out. They didn’t want to get caught in Hanoi, which could happen if the tanks came far enough south and the offensive in the west started up again.
“I’ll be ready,” Zeus told him.
Perry nodded. “Why don’t you get some sleep?”
“I’m okay.”
The general turned to Greig. “Ms. Greig, would you do me a favor?”
“General?”
“See that Major Murphy gets a ride back to his hotel, would you?”
“Absolutely. I’ll tuck him in if you want.”
She smiled, then left. Zeus packed everything up. He was surprised to find her out in the hall when he came out.
“All done?” she asked.
“I didn’t realize you were waiting,” he said.
“That’s my life. Don’t worry about it. Where’s the coffeepot?”
“Oh, I forgot it. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll get it later. You want me to take those?”
She pointed at the folders with the photos and map.
“I have to check them back in,” he said.
“I’ll do it for you if you want.”
“No, that’s all right.”
She gave him another of her indulgent smiles, as if she were sharing a private joke with someone.
“I’ll see you, Major. Unless you do want me to tuck you in.”
“That’s all right.”
“The offer stands,” she said before going upstairs.
Anna was looking over a patient’s chart about midway down the room where he had woken up. Zeus stepped up to the wall, watching her for a moment as she worked. She was as pretty as he remembered. Even the most mundane acts — jotting a note, closing a folder — were things of beauty.
The nurses watched her intently, as did the nearby patients. It seemed to Zeus that every eye in the place was watching her. And why shouldn’t they?
Anna glanced in his direction as she finished. A smile broke across her lips.
Zeus started to push away from the wall to go toward her. She made the slightest motion with her head, telling him not to. Then she pointed at a patient next to the bed she had just checked — one more, she was telling him, then they could be together.
He understood perfectly. It was as if their minds were already joined.
There was a commotion out in the hall, people arguing. Zeus stepped around and looked out the door to see what was going on.
Two men in hospital scrubs were wheeling a gurney quickly down the hall. A third chased after them, his white lab coat flying open. He was angry, his face red. A patient lay on the stretcher, a bag of plasma on his chest. He was moaning, covered with blood.
The men rushed past. A nurse came out of the room behind him. Then Anna, her perfume sweet and pungent in the air. She passed as if she didn’t notice him, walking briskly after the others.
They all went into a room a few doors away across the hall. Zeus followed in time to see the nurse who’d
