Duffy watched as the female officer spoke to the women. The contrast was striking. The marine was of average height but seemed to tower over the women in her combat fatigues and body armor. They gathered closer around her as the parlay continued. A girl of perhaps eight or nine, it was hard to tell, was brought forward.

Julia Duffy walked over to Lieutenant Chen.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"Captain Francois. Battalion combat surgeon," he said. "She just came in to supervise the evacuation of the camp."

"Do you know what's she's talking to the women about?"

Chen shrugged.

The dull thud of Commanche gunships circling outside the camp made it impossible to pick up any of the conversation between Francois and the women.

"Do you think we should help?" asked Chen.

"We can't help," said Ivanov, who had wandered over from the Sea Stallion after topping up his ammo. "This is women's business. Best left to the lady doctor, yes?"

"Maybe," Chen said. He didn't exactly sound sure of himself.

The three of them saw Francois hug the child. She rubbed the girl's matted, filthy hair and seemed to deliver a short lecture to all of the women. Then she waved over the marines who were guarding the prisoners.

"Uh-oh," said Chen.

But before he could take off, the Russian laid a firm hand on his shoulder. "It is for the better, my friend."

"No fucking way, dude. I think she's gonna cap them."

"Probably," agreed Rogas. But he made no move to interfere, either.

"I can't let her," said Chen. "It's my responsibility."

"Let it be, Lieutenant," said Rogas, laying a hand on the body armor over Chen's heart. "Just let it be."

He sounded like a father soothing a distraught child.

Julia watched the marine surgeon as though she were underwater. Everything seemed indistinct and slow.

"Some things are meant to be," Ivanov said gently.

The little girl didn't say anything, as far as they could tell. She clung to Captain Francois's leg as the Japanese were pushed and kicked into motion. Duffy saw the women cringe as a group when the Japs drew near. The girl burrowed farther into the surgeon's fatigues. The marines guarding the Japanese prisoners threw a look at their platoon leader. Chen held still for a few seconds, then nodded once and walked away.

"Ms. Duffy," said Ivanov. "Why don't you turn off your recorder now?"

Julia gave the Russian a flat look. She considered the wretched figures of the comfort women as they cringed in front of their former captors.

She slowly reached up and cut the power to the minicam.

The five prisoners were a study in contrasting styles. Two swaggered over. One seemed to have checked out completely. Another had to be kicked every step of the way. The commandant was subdued and shaking. As they stopped in front of Francois, the Japanese registered that fact that she was a woman. The commandant's whole body began to tremble. Francois rubbed the girl's head. One of the women leaned forward and spat.

"Come on," said Ivanov.

They walked over until they were close enough that they could hear the conversation.

"What's your name, asshole?" the surgeon asked.

The camp commander didn't appear to understand.

Captain Francois pulled the little girl's head closer into her lap and covered her ear with one hand. With the other she unshipped her sidearm and fired one shot into the face of the prisoner farthest from her. A fountain of blood and brain matter erupted and the body dropped into the dust like a big sack of shit. Duffy's heart skipped.

The women jumped and one began to cry. The child uncurled from her hiding spot and walked over to inspect the corpse. She kicked the twitching body.

"I asked you what your name is, you rapist motherfucker."

The commandant began to babble incoherently. He shut up only when Francois capped off another two of his men.

The other Japanese man broke and ran. She shot him in the back. The impact lifted him right off his feet. He dropped in a heap a few yards away.

"Excuse me," said Francois. As she walked over to the man, who was trying to drag himself away, the girl followed close at her heels. Francois put a bullet into the base of the guard's neck and he fell still.

She took the girl's hand and led her back to the main group. The commandant had fallen to his knees and was begging the marines to do something. They shared a smoke and ignored him. Duffy found herself glad that she'd turned off the minicam. She wasn't sure why. It was a betrayal of everything she stood for as a journalist. But this was a moment beyond professional considerations.

The women were recovering from their shock and had begun to crowd forward.

"You'll want to keep clear, ladies," said the marine nearest them. "Give the doc some room."

The little girl ran forward and slapped the trembling Japanese commandant in the face. A few of the women shouted encouragement. Captain Francois advanced on him, slipping another clip into her pistol.

"Honey," she said to the girl, "stand aside."

The child did as she was told.

"You know what, I don't really give a fuck what your goddamn name is."

She snapped the gun up and fired three rounds into his groin. He spun into the ground, screaming and jamming his hands into the bloody ruin between his legs. Francois let him lie there for a while longer before she shot him in the head.

She holstered her weapon and scooped up the girl. As they passed Duffy and Ivanov, Julia heard the surgeon whisper.

"C'mon precious. Let's get you a hot bath and some chocolate."

The child spoke for the first time.

"I like chocolate."

As tears welled up in the surgeon's eyes, she hugged the bony child to her.

"Of course you do, darlin'. Everyone loves chocolate."

When the news came, Kolhammer was in his stateroom and very much looking forward to the moment when the safety of this convoy was no longer his concern. He had nearly thirty-eight thousand liberated prisoners under his care and despite the best efforts of the medics, they were still dying at the rate of nearly a hundred a day. Captain Francois told him that was better than they could have expected, given the terrible conditions in the camps, but Kolhammer prayed that they wouldn't lose too many more.

He hadn't spoken to the combat surgeon about the incident at Cabanatuan. There were rumors that things had gotten way out hand in there just after she'd turned up. But Kolhammer had personally spoken to half a dozen of the camp's female inmates and none of them said they could recall anything untoward happening.

He doubted that, but as long as nobody was complaining he didn't see much point chasing up ghost stories. He had more pressing issues to worry about. They couldn't put off the inevitable. He knew that when they returned to Pearl he was going to get hammered from all sides. He'd been able to push through the rescue mission because nobody yet knew what to do about the Multinational Force. But he understood that with each day that passed, the novelty and shock of their presence would recede and the politics of the situation would quickly assert themselves. Roosevelt's commanders were already fighting among themselves, trying to gain control over his fleet. The British government was still demanding that their ships-and the Australians', for that matter-be detached from the Multinational Force and placed under London's control immediately. And it seemed that absolutely nobody among the contemporary Allies would consider just leaving the force intact.

They still hadn't located any of trace of the British and French ships Vanguard and Dessaix. And given the discovery of the Nuku on top of that mountain in New Guinea, and the loss of the Garrett in the Southern Ocean, he was a lot less sanguine about the prospects of their turning up safely or having been left behind.