"Negative." Her eyes flicked to the window behind him. "It appears you have an engagement."
He'd already seen the trail laid by the approaching high-speed airjet. "We have ten minutes before my guest makes it down to this office. Tell me what else I need to know." This information could mean a change in his plans.
"The authorization came from very high up in the Council ranks. The individual or individuals were able to provide test subjects who either volunteered or were those who would not be missed - the notes are vague on that point."
An intentional oversight, Kaleb thought. No rational Psy would accede to having his or her brain implanted with a device that hadn't yet reached beta testing. He could almost guarantee there had been no volunteers.
"The data is fragmented," Silver continued, "but I'm ninety percent confident the test group is limited to ten members. They've already had one confirmed fatality."
"Find me that body." If not literally, then figuratively. A missing Psy who matched the description parameters.
"I'm already working on it." She glanced down at the flat screen of her organizer. "There are two other crucial factors. The first is that Ashaya Aleine appears to have solved the issue of Static."
Static, a term used to describe the buzz of background noise - the sound of millions of whispering Psy minds - produced during simulations to test the theory behind Protocol I. No Psy could function with that kind of mental distraction.
"The second factor?" A small light flashed on the surface of his fully computronic desk. The airjet had landed on the rooftop landing pad.
"It's common knowledge that Protocol I would never have worked as initially postulated because it would have reduced the entire population to one level. To use an analogy, we would have all become worker bees."
And a hive could not survive without a queen. "You're saying Aleine solved the problem of distinct but compatible implants for different segments of the populace?" Ensuring power remained in the hands of those who would use it to keep the Psy at the top of the food chain.
"Not completely," Silver clarified, "but she does appear to have broken the implants into two categories - primary and secondary. Of the original participants in the trial, eight had secondary implants, two primary."
Two rulers. With possible total control over the other eight. Such influence would be the prerogative of those in power should Protocol I come to fruition. "See if you can get me any names." He had his suspicions, but what he needed was proof.
"Yes, Councilor." She gave a short nod and walked out.
Another light flashed on the gleaming black smoothness of his desk to indicate that his visitor had exited the glass hover-elevator and was heading toward his office. Touching a concealed panel under the desk, he initiated its secure mode. The desk turned opaque, hiding the computronics but continuing to record everything that went on in this room. Of course, he had no doubt that his visitor had come prepared for such an exigency.
A knock and then the door opened to reveal his administrative assistant, Lenik. "Sir, Councilor Duncan is here for your meeting." He shut the door as soon as she came through.
Walking around the desk, Kaleb went to meet her midway. "Nikita. It was good of you to come all this way."
Almond-shaped brown eyes looked into his, cool and certainly calculating. "As it appears we need to discuss certain discreet matters, it was the logical choice. Your offices aren't as closely watched as mine."
He had no need to ask for further explanation. The DarkRiver cats and their allies, the SnowDancer wolves, hadn't been shy about the fact that they were keeping tabs on Nikita. She was the only Councilor within easy reach of their territories since Tatiana's move to Australia two months ago. "Perhaps that will no longer be a problem in the near future." The Council had taken steps to eliminate the changeling issue.
Nikita shifted her head slightly and the light from the ceiling fixture bounced off the glossy black of her hair. "We will see. I'm not as convinced as the rest of the membership about the infallibility of the plan. Our data collection on the changelings has been allowed to lapse to a disgraceful level. We're making decisions based on outdated information."
Kaleb made a mental note to check her assertion. "The DarkRiver Project is still bearing good returns, I trust?" He was referring to the groundbreaking real estate deal between the Duncan Group and the leopard pack that controlled San Francisco and its surrounding areas.
"Yes," she confirmed. "Despite the annoyance the cats present in terms of Council business, they're good for my economic interests."
"A sharp distinction."
"Precisely. My profit margin will sustain major damage should the Council's plan succeed. But I'm sure you're well aware of that. It's why you asked me to meet you."
He gave a small nod. "I thought we might have a number of interests in common."
Nikita walked past him to the window, her composed business persona hiding a core of pure poison. "I thought you would ally with Shoshanna. She was responsible for your entry into the Council."
He came to stand beside her, hands in the pockets of his tailored suit. "On the contrary, Nikita. I alone was responsible for my ascension to the Council." He'd set his eye on the goal at age seven and never blinked. No one had been allowed to stand in his way. But then, all the Councilors had blood on their hands.
Nikita didn't dispute his claim. "Your jockeying for leadership is why Marshall has begun to back Shoshanna and Henry."
He watched pale winter light crawl over the square and saw in it another future, one he'd shape. "You're mistaken. I have no desire for the leadership. Leaders are the biggest targets and I haven't made it this far by courting visibility."
"Then you should tone down your aggressiveness during Council sessions, let Marshall know his position isn't in jeopardy."