“I’m inside,” she said.
“Yes,” said Rockman. “All right. You want that stairwell on the right.”
Lia walked quickly to the stairway. The top of the stairway was clear, but the landing was covered by one of the video cams. Rockman had to blank the feed as she passed — a three-second blip. He had already gotten the security people used to the short blips over the past forty minutes; they had checked out the areas twice and now had a call in to their tech people about the problem.
Actually, they thought they had a call in. Rockman had erased it from the voice mail system.
“Ready?” Lia asked.
“Hold just a second,” said Rockman.
Lia took a long breath. “Find me a bathroom soon, all right?”
“Should’ve thought about that before you left home,” replied the runner. “On my mark. Ready, set—”
Lia pulled the door open as Rockman gave her the cue. She took three steps down the stairs, then vaulted over the side rail onto the next landing and repeated the procedure, deeking past a second camera.
“Impressive,” said Rockman.
“I’m impressed that your shoes held,” said Telach. They had watched her through the uncorrupted portion of the feed, shunted down to the Art Room.
“Where’s my bathroom?”
“Join the visitors first,” said Rockman. “Door to your left, don’t forget your smokes.”
“And your badge,” said Telach.
Lia had almost forgotten to take out the badge. She slid it from the inside of the cigarette pack, still wrapped in a foil wrapper. Once unwrapped, the badge would set off transponders in the building that were used to help track authorized personnel. Lia had to unwrap outside in the courtyard where people went to smoke, so she didn’t suddenly appear in the middle of the building.
As she stepped toward the door, it swung open. Lia froze for a second — she had expected to be warned if anyone was coming — but quickly recovered, plastering a smile on her face. A good-looking Ph.D. fellow, roughly her age, stood in the doorway, gawking at her.
“Thank you,” said Lia, starting past.
“Um.”
“Just having a smoke,” she told him, showing the cigarettes. “Care to join me?”
“You new here?”
“I’m trying to decide whether to accept a fellowship.” Lia cocked her head slightly. “Maybe you could answer a few questions.”
“Um, you should uh — you have to wear your badge,” said the scientist. His eyes were boring holes in her breasts.
“Oh.” She poked at her chest; a button magically slipped open. “I must’ve left it on my jacket.”
The biologist’s glance moved southward toward her legs.
“Yes,” he murmured.
“So is it a good place to work?”
“Absolutely.”
“Come on and have a smoke. Tell me about it.”
“No, really I can’t,” said the man, glancing at his wedding ring. “Maybe later.”
“Later,” she said, sliding out the door.
“Smooth,” said Telach when she made it outside.
“Next time I’ll just shoot anyone who stops me,” she said. Lia reached beneath her skirt and secured the gun beneath a thick garter strap.
“Just gave the security people an eyeful there,” said Rockman.
Lia pulled her badge out of its wrapper. “Where’s the rest room?”
“Cross your legs,” said Telach.
“Should I pee right here?”
“There’s one in the corridor you have to go in,” said Rockman. “Light up.”
“Oh yes,” said Lia, pulling out one of the three cigarettes in the box along with the disposable lighter. She had had to bum the cigarettes off the helicopter crew earlier.
The first hit of tobacco set her off coughing uncontrollably.
“Giving your lungs for your country,” said Rockman.
“Can it, runner boy.” She tossed the cigarette. “All right, which door? The one on the left or the right?”
“I can’t see you here.”
“You know where I am; left or right?”
“Left,” said Telach.
Lia reached for the door just as Rockman started to warn her not to.
It was too late. The door slammed open so fast it smacked her hand and sent her stumbling back. One of the two men who’d come out reached for her, trying to keep her from falling.
She didn’t, but he did — surprised, Lia reacted instinctively, catching the man by the forearm and sending him tumbling over her to the pavement. Before the second could react, her elbow had dropped him to his knees.
“Jesus,” said Rockman. “They’re security.”
Oops, thought Lia.
“You bastards,” she said loudly. “You touch me again and I’m turning you in. I don’t care if you are security — I understand the need for security. But I’m not going to be frisked by a man. No way. Searched by a woman, all right.”
A gray-haired professor and two middle-aged women came up behind her.
“If this is the way guests are treated,” said Lia loudly, “I can only imagine what happens to staff. He was trying to touch my breasts.”
“They have no right to search you,” said one of the women. “That’s not right at all. No one else is searched.”
One of the security people started to rise, reaching for his walkie-talkie.
“Call your boss,” said Lia loudly. “Call him. This is the second time. The second time.”
“The second time?” said the other woman.
“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” said the professor.
“Get going,” warned Rockman.
“I’ll bet it was a misunderstanding. I’m going to report this,” said Lia, whisking around into the building.
“Left up the stairs. Move,” said Rockman.
Lia took the stairs two at a time. At the top, she turned into the first room she saw — which just happened to be a rest room.
Men’s, but times were desperate.
Lia went quickly to the far stall, her heels making a rather distinctive sound on the tiled floor. A pair of sneakers two stalls down jumped up and quickly retreated.
“Not good,” said Rockman.
“I’m inside, right?”
“This isn’t a shopping mall,” said Telach.
“Yup.” Lia peeled off the badge, realizing it would now be a liability. “Plan B. Where do I go?”
“End of the hall, make a left, then a quick right. The lab is down the stairs.”
“Talk to you there,” she said.
A potbellied virologist stopped dead in the doorway as Lia emerged from the stall. She smiled at him, then washed her hands.
“The women’s room is down the hall.”
Lia pointed at him. “Don’t get any ideas,” she said, drying her hands.
While she followed Rockman’s directions to the lab, the Art Room launched an attack on the facility’s security communications network, disguising it as a circuit blowout. This delayed the alert about the encounter with what the slowly recovering guards termed a psychotic visitor.
“How are you going to get into the lab area without your tag?” Telach asked as Lia headed down the
