reason to believe he's been passing I.F. data to the Indian military," said Peter. "Nothing that can be proved, but Chamrajnagar is not as disinterested as he pretends to be."
"So you think Achilles may be just what India wants to help them launch a war."
"No," said Peter. "I think India may be just what Achilles wants to help him launch an empire. Petra is what they want to help them launch a war."
"So Petra is the passport Achilles used to get into a position of power in India."
"That would be my guess," said Peter. "That's all I know, and all I guess. But I can also tell you that your chance of getting in and rescuing her is nil."
"Pardon me," said Bean, "but you don't know what I'm capable of doing."
"When it comes to intelligence-gathering," said Peter, "the Indians aren't in the same league as the Russians. I don't think your paranoia is needed anymore. Achilles isn't in a position to do anything to you right now."
"Just because Achilles is in India," said Bean, "doesn't mean that he's limited to knowing only what the Indian intelligence service can find out for him."
"The agency that's been helping him in Russia is being taken over and probably will be shut down," said Peter.
"I know Achilles," said Bean, "and I can promise you-if he really is in India, working for them, then it is absolutely certain that he has already betrayed them and has connections and fallback positions in at least three other places. And at least one of them will have an intelligence service with excellent worldwide reach. If you make the mistake of thinking Achilles is limited by borders and loyalties, he'll destroy you."
Peter looked down at Bean. He wanted to say, I already knew all that. But it would be a lie if he said that. He hadn't known that about Achilles, except in the abstract sense that he tried never to underestimate an opponent. Bean's knowledge of Achilles was better than his. "Thank you," said Peter. "I wasn't taking that into account."
"I know," said Bean ungraciously. "It's one of the reasons I think you're headed for failure. You think you know more than you actually know."
"But I listen," said Peter. "And I learn. Do you?"
Sister Carlotta laughed. "I do believe that the two most arrogant boys in the world have finally met, and they don't much like what they see."
Peter did not even glance at her, and neither did Bean. "Actually," said Peter, "I do like what I see."
"I wish I could say the same," said Bean.
"Let's keep walking," said Peter. "We've been standing in one place too long."
"At least he's picking up on our paranoia," said Sister Carlotta.
"Where will India make its move?" asked Peter. "The obvious thing would be war with Pakistan."
"Again?" said Bean. "Pakistan would be an indigestible lump. It would block India from further expansion, just trying to get the Muslims under control. A terrorist war that would make the old struggle with the Sikhs look like a child's birthday party."
"But they can't move anywhere else as long as they have Pakistan poised to plunge a dagger in their back," said Peter.
Bean grinned. "Burma? But is it worth taking?"
"It's on the way to more valuable prizes, if China doesn't object," said Peter. "But are you just ignoring the Pakistan problem?"
"Molotov and Ribbentrop," said Bean.
The men who negotiated the nonaggression pact between Russia and Germany in the 1930s that divided Poland between them and freed Germany to launch World War 11. "1 think it will have to be deeper than that," said Peter. "I think, at some level, an alliance."
"What if India offers Pakistan a free hand against Iran? It can go for the oil. India is free to move east. To scoop up the countries that have long been under her cultural influence. Burma. Thailand. Not Muslim countries, so Pakistan's conscience is clear."
"Is China going to sit and watch?" asked Peter.
"They might if India tosses them Vietnam," said Bean. "The world is ripe to be divided up among the great powers. India wants to be one. With Achilles directing their strategy, with Chamrajnagar feeding them information, with Petra to command their armies, they can play on the big stage. And then, when Pakistan has exhausted itself fighting Iran..."
The inevitable betrayal. If Pakistan didn't strike first. "That's too far down the line to predict now," said Peter.
"But it's the way Achilles thinks," said Bean. "Two betrayals ahead. He was using Russia, but maybe he already had