'What would it profit anyone? I would have told Trask -of course I would - if he hadn't brought these other arrangements to my attention. But don't you know the risk I'm taking right now?'
'You're only risking your job. Not to have mentioned it would be to risk -'
'- I know,' the Minister cut him off. 'But I'm doing it, right? Give me credit for that at least!'
'So go on.'
The flight had a tail wind and got into Belgrade fifteen minutes early. And of course Trask and Nathan weren't on it. So CMI smelled a rat.'
'CMI?' Goodly frowned at the phone. 'Are we talking about Combined Military Intelligence?' CMI was supposed to have shut down all of twelve years ago, but among the other intelligence agencies it was common knowledge that they were as strong and devious as ever.
'Nathan is a Big Gun on the loose,' the Minister answered. 'Nobody is in control of him. He's not even of this world, and his only interest is to get back to Sunside - at present! But what we've always been worried about is this: will that be the end of it? Will he stay there? We had the same sort of problem with his father, do you remember? How many times has Ben Trask said what a weapon Nathan would make? And now he's just such a weapon! Of course CMI is interested. They were going to make him an offer: seduce or "recruit" him, if you like, away from E-Branch. But that was before he got the Mobius Continuum ...'
'Wait,' Goodly cut in. 'He only just got it. So how come they got to know about it so quickly?' On the other end of the line, he could almost hear the Minister's groan ... which was as good an answer as any. The Minister 'Responsible', indeed!
Then: 'For Christ's sake, Goodly! I have a job too, you know! I mean, do you think I'm a law unto myself? Man, there's always someone watching the watchers! If anyone should know that, you people should.'
'Get to the point,' Goodly snapped. 'So Trask and Nathan weren't on the plane. What's next?'
'Your place is next. By now they'll know we're trying to give them the slip. Just suppose you were looking for Nathan, where would you go next?'
'My place? You mean this place? E-Branch HQ?' 'Of course! The Belgrade party will have spoken to their London controller, who will have seen to it that others are on their way to you even now. What's more, by now their orders will be quite specific!' 'Christ/' 'What is it?'
'Nothing,' said Goodly, slamming down the handset. But in fact it was quite a lot. For the precog's talent had been galvanized into action, and in his mind's eye:
The elevator doors bursting open ... a handful of muscular, hard-eyed, grey-uniformed paramilitaries spilling out into the corridor. Some of them carrying stubby automatics, others with machine-pistols or folded down submachine-guns. Goodly running towards them, being stopped and pinned up against a wall by two of them. Their voices clipped, gritty, as they aslted him: 'Your boss, and the one called Nathan - where are they?' And him telling them: 'In the Ops room/'
Jesus! The Ops room!