CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Mellanie wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting as the big screened car turned onto the Rue Jolei. A burst of nostalgia, maybe? The bustling metropolitan road certainly contained enough memories. It wasn’t long ago she would have said they were all good memories.

Today she hunched down in the car’s front seat next to Hoshe Finn, and looked up at the sixty-five-story skyscraper at the far end of the road. The golden rapier-blade shape was among the tallest of the skyscrapers that dominated the downtown cityscape of Salamanca. Mellanie remembered the view from the top of it only too well. Alessandra had liked her to be pressed up against the thick window wall of the penthouse as she serviced yet another politician’s aide or family friend. Those were the memories that lingered now. She kept reliving them, trying to work out the relevance of each piece of information to the Starflyer.

“Did you ever see her security system display?”

“Huh?” Mellanie pulled herself away from the bitter recollections. For some reason, now she didn’t have Dudley to manage, the things she’d done oh-so-willingly for Alessandra burned ever more shamefully in her mind. “Sorry, what?”

“Baron’s security system? There are a lot of exterior circuits hardwired into the penthouse array. The technical staff were wondering how pervasive it is.”

“I’ve no idea, Hoshe. She never accessed it on a screen or portal, not in front of me.”

“Okay, we’re guessing the approach to the skyscraper is well covered, as well as the building itself.”

“Uh, the SI didn’t seem to consider it exceptional, not when I was running away from her.”

“Right, thank you.”

She gave him a small smile. Dear old Hoshe Finn, always approaching every problem with the timidity and caution of a true bureaucrat.

“I’m moving our external perimeter team into place. The arrest squad will enter the building as a service company contracted for maintenance work on an apartment on the sixty-first floor.”

“Can I go up there with them?”

“No. It’s dangerous, and you’d hinder operational protocols.”

“I’d wear an armor suit, and I’d stay at the back, promise.”

“No. Our observation team say that at least two other people are in there with her. Until we know otherwise we have to assume they’re Starflyer agents, too, and may be wetwired. I’m not going to assign one of the arrest squad to chaperoning you. We need all of them frontlining.”

Mellanie gave an exaggerated sigh. “When do you have me scheduled to see her, exactly?”

“As soon as the arrest has been performed, and any wetwired weapons have been neutralized, we’ll go up.”

“Paula Myo didn’t mind me being up close and very personal with Isabella.”

“That was different. We were taking a risk then; now we’re not.”

“All right, but I’m going to get closer to the building. If she puts up a fight, there could be visible weapons activity from the street.”

“We’re going to clear civilians directly underneath the building as the arrest squad goes in. Don’t get in the way.”

“All right, all right.” Mellanie climbed out of the car and strolled down the street. It was midafternoon, with a large number of pedestrians about. She knew Hoshe wanted to wait until the early hours of the morning, when the situation was more containable; but Nigel and Senator Burnelli had overruled him. They were getting quite paranoid about Starflyer agents since Daniel Alster.

She lingered at a boutique window, giving the designer clothes a critical eye. It was automatic, such a normal thing to do. Hoshe had been right, she really ought to start thinking what she was going to do afterward. The way she was positioned politically right now, she could build herself a show that would rival Michelangelo. And of course, the producers of Baron’s show would be needing a replacement in about ten minutes’ time. Once upon a time those prospects would have sparked a real fever in her. There was also Morty. That had all changed, too. Not what he’d done, but somehow she couldn’t quite see herself as the corporate trophy wife with kids waiting for him to come home after a busy day at the office.

The SI’s icon flashed, and expanded into her virtual vision. “Mellanie, we have a problem.”

She couldn’t help glancing up at the penthouse. “Is she watching? Has she seen me?”

“No. As far as we know, Alessandra Baron is unaware of her imminent arrest.”

“Oh. So what’s the problem?”

“Ozzie Isaac has returned to the Commonwealth.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“Are you sure? You are keeping some very interesting company these days.”

“My my, is that a note of jealousy?”

“No. We are simply reminding you we have an arrangement.”

“I go where you can’t, and report on things you don’t know about. What’s new? Are you telling me you don’t know what happened on Boongate?”

“We know the Starflyer is on its way back to Far Away. Obviously. What we are uncertain about is what Nigel Sheldon will do next. His Dynasty has developed an astonishingly powerful weapon.”

“He doesn’t consult with you, because he doesn’t trust you. I’m not sure I do, either. There was a lot more you could have done to help us.”

“We have been through this before, Mellanie.”

“Yeah, yeah, you don’t do physical stuff. It doesn’t matter anymore. This war is about to end. I figure you know that.”

“It is how it will end which concerns us.”

“I don’t get it. What’s this got to do with Ozzie coming back?”

“He did not finish telling us about what he found before Nigel Sheldon placed him in custody. In order for us to understand the full sequence of events we need the information he has.”

The hairs along the back of Mellanie’s spine rose in response to a very cold sensation. “How unfortunate for you.”

“We would like you to make contact with him, and hopefully provide us with a link.”

“What would you do with the information?”

“We honestly do not know, because we don’t know what the information is. Only by looking at the complete picture can we advise the Commonwealth how to proceed.”

“The Executive isn’t listening much to you these days, is it?”

“We are sure that Nigel and the others in your elite group have decided to attempt a genocide against MorningLightMountain. Suppose there is another way?”

“What way?”

“We do not know. But can you really live with yourself if you did not make at least an attempt to avert genocide?”

“Look, Ozzie would have told Nigel everything.”

“Are you sure? Has Sheldon contacted you and told you that there has been a change of plan? And why is Ozzie being held incommunicado? What is so important about the information that Sheldon doesn’t want it to get out?”

Mellanie wanted to stomp her foot in annoyance; she could never win an argument with the SI, it always hit her with logic and emotion. “I’ve been around Nigel for a couple of days. His Dynasty’s security is absolute. I can’t bust Ozzie out of jail; come on, get real.”

“We don’t think he is in jail. We managed to follow him until he went through to Cressat.”

“Oh, brilliant!” Mellanie said out loud. Her fellow pedestrians stared at her; she just glared back at them. “I suppose I can take a quick pass at the Sheldon Dynasty lifeboats for Paul while I’m there. How’s that for luck?”

“The probability of a successful double mission is not high.”

“I’m not even going on one. I’m friends with Nigel now, I trust him.”

“Ozzie took part in the Great Wormhole Heist.”

“The what?”

“Baby Mel, your schooling is truly appalling. The Great Wormhole Heist was the single biggest robbery in human history. Bradley Johansson committed it in order to fund the Guardians of Selfhood; he got away with billions of Earth dollars.”