this deal with India in place. Why not? In the long run, the whole world is the tail, and India is the dog."
More important than Bean's particular conclusions was the fact that Bean had a good eye. He lacked detailed intelligence, of coursehow would he get that?but he saw the big picture. He thought the way a global strategist had to think.
He was worth talking to.
"Well, Bean," said Peter, "here's my problem. I think I can get you in position to help block Achilles. But I can't trust you not to do something stupid."
"I won't mount a rescue operation for Petra until I know it will succeed."
"That's a foolish thing to say. You never know a military operation will succeed. And that's not what worries me. I'm sure if you mounted a rescue, it would be a well-planned and well-executed one."
"So what worries you about me?" asked Bean.
"That you're making the assumption that Petra wants to be rescued."
"She does," said Bean.
"Achilles seduces people," said Peter. "I've read his files, his history. This kid has a golden voice, apparently. He makes people trust him--even people who know he's a snake. They think, He won't betray me, because we have such a special closeness."
"And then he kills them. I know that," said Bean.
"But does Petra? She hasn't read his file. She didn't know him on the streets of Rotterdam. She didn't even know him in the brief time he was in Battle School."
:,She knows him now," said Bean.
'You're sure of that?" asked Peter.
"But I'll promise you-I won't try to rescue her until I've been in communication with her."
Peter mulled this over for a moment. "She might betray you."
"No," said Bean.
"Trusting people will get you killed," said Peter. "I don't want you to bring me down with you."
"You have it backward," said Bean. "I don't trust anybody, except to do what they think is necessary. What they think they have to do. But I know Petra, and I know the kind of thing she'll think she has to do. It's me I'm trusting, not her."
"And he can't bring you down," said Sister Carlotta, "because you're not up."
Peter looked at her, making little effort to conceal his contempt. "I am where I am," he said. "And it's not down."
"Locke is where Locke is," said Carlotta. "And Demosthenes. But Peter Wiggin is nowhere. Peter Wiggin is nothing."
"What's your problem?" Peter demanded. "Is it bothering you that your little puppet here might actually be cutting a few of the strings you pull?"
"There are no strings," said Carlotta. "And you're too stupid, apparently, to realize that I'm the one who believes in what you're doing, not Bean. He couldn't care less who rules the world. But I do. Arrogant and condescending as you are, I've already made up my mind that if anybody's going to stop Achilles, it's you. But you're fatally weakened by the fact that you are ripe to be blackmailed by the threat of exposure. Chamrajnagar knows who you are. He's feeding information to India. Do you really think for one moment that Achilles won't find out-and soon, if not alreadyexactly who is behind Locke? The one who got him booted out of Russia? Do you really think he isn't already working on plans to kill you?"
Peter blushed with shame. To have this nun tell him what he should have realized by himself was humiliating. But she was righthe wasn't used to thinking of physical danger.
"That's why we wanted you to come with us," said Bean.
"Your cover is already blown," said Sister Carlotta.
"The moment I go public as a kid," said Peter Wiggin, "most of my sources will dry up."
"No," said Sister Carlotta. "It all depends on how you come out."
"Do you think I haven't thought this through a thousand times?" said Peter. "Until I'm old enough..."
"No," said Sister Carlotta. "Think for a minute, Peter. National governments have just gone through a nasty little scuffle over ten children that they want to have command their armies. You're the older brother of the greatest of them all. Your youth is an asset. And if you control the way the information comes out, instead of having somebody else expose you..."
"It will be a momentary scandal," said Peter. "No matter how my identity comes out, there'll be a flurry of commentary on it, and then I'll be old news-only I'll have been fired from most of my writing gigs. People won't return my calls or answer my mail. I really will be a college student then."