With the exception of Zek Foener, out in the city arranging a flight home to Zante in the Ionian, the majority of E-Branch's available agents were gathering in the Ops room when lan Goodly on the Duty Officer's desk took the call from the Minister Responsible. As soon as the caller's identity was confirmed, the precog asked him, 'But aren't you supposed to be here, Sir?'
'Listen,' said the other, urgently. 'Don't ask me if I'm supposed to be there. Tell me if they are still there?'
They? Trask and Nathan?'
'Of course! I mean, have they gone into . .. has Nathan ... are they on their way to the Refuge?'
'In another fifteen minutes, yes. They're waiting for a call from Chung to say he's arrived. He's Nathan's beacon, as you should know.'
'I do know! Now listen ... Mr Goodly, isn't it? We may be in for some trouble.'
Suddenly the precog knew what had been bothering him all day. It was this, and the Minister Responsible was on the point of telling him about it. 'Shit!' he said, which wasn't like him at all.
'What?'
'Get on with it,' Goodly snapped. 'Make it as fast as you can. And don't worry, I'll follow what you tell me.' Of course he would, for he knew the gist of it already: that Trask and Nathan - certainly the latter - were in great danger. And so he would be attentive as never before.
The Minister took the precog at his word. Speaking rapidly, breathlessly, he said, 'Goodly, other people know about Nathan. They know about him, and they have come to ... a decision! But I don't agree with them. It could cost me my job, but I don't agree. Do you understand?'
'Yes. Go on.'
'You don't know how relieved I was when Trask spoke to me just a couple of hours ago and said that Nathan was taking him along the Mobius route. Because these people had fixed it that Nathan wasn't going to make it out of the airport in Belgrade! That way they could blame it on the Opposition.'
Goodly sucked in air so that it hissed between his teeth. 'They were going to stop him going home! But .. . with prejudice?'
'Extreme! So when I heard that Nathan would be - What? Making his own travel arrangements? -it was a weight off my shoulders.'
'I imagine it would be!' Goodly growled, which wasn't like him either. 'How come you haven't mentioned this ... this Belgrade reception, before now?'