F Wilson - Fatal Error

"Alas, I cannot. So I must take my little victories wherever I can find them. And I believe just such an opportunity has presented itself. It's not pure ego. It has a practical purpose. If he can be frustrated and delayed in his revenge plot, perhaps that will give the computer specialists enough time to come up with a cure for this Jihad virus. And then a small victory will become a major victory, and we'll have bought more time."

More time for what? Jack thought. More sitting around and waiting for Rasalom's next move?

But he didn't voice it. They'd been over this ground before.

"Think it's worth the risk?"

Veilleur nodded. "I do. I'm going to arrange for round-the-clock nursing for Magda, but would you mind checking in once in a while?"

"Not at all."

"Good. The four of us will travel separately-the two men together, and Mrs. Treece with me."

Jack had a sudden inkling…

"This Mrs. Treece wouldn't happen to be the One's mother?"

He smiled. "Very good. Yes, she wants to come along and…" He shrugged. "She might prove useful. We're scheduling flights now. Leaving as soon as possible."

Didn't seem like he had a chance of changing Veilleur's mind, so…

"Need a ride to the airport?"

"Thanks, no. The men have a car."

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"The longer, the better, wouldn't you say?" He smiled and rubbed his hands together. "I'm really looking forward to this."

After he left, Jack turned to the Lady.

"He seems pretty energized. I guess that's good. What do you think? Any gathering possibilities and probabilities about this trip of his?"

She shrugged. "I wish I could say. As I've told you, there are times I can sense what the One is doing-because he is human-and others when I cannot-because he is something other than human as well. As a result, the possibilities and probabilities do not gather about him as with others."

"So you think this trip is okay?"

Her expression and voice remained flat. "No, I do not."

"Neither do I, damn it. Think we can talk him out of it?"

She shook her head. "Remember what he told you yesterday about the One?"

"You mean about how he's still human?"

"Yes. With all the foibles of a human, driven to certain actions by that human nature."

"Yeah. So?"

"He may not have realized it at the time, but he was talking about himself as well."

Eddie said, "Well, anything's better than that garage, I guess."

Jack joined him at the window in the rear of the apartment that revealed other windows looking out onto a brick-walled air shaft.

"Nice view."

"Hey," Weezy said from behind them. "It's the best I could do on such short notice. Craigslist wasn't exactly crammed with furnished, immediate-occupancy sublets. And I think it's not bad."

Jack agreed. Not bad at all. A third-floor walk-up in the West Village. Small, yes, but comfortable looking. The owner was connected to NYU in some way and off to Europe for a year.

"No one's complaining," Eddie said, turning to face her. "It's just…"

He looked worn and haggard. Well, who wouldn't after spending two days living in a van parked in a drafty garage? But it went deeper than that. He looked lost.

Jack said, "You miss your stuff."

He nodded, swallowing hard. "I miss my life." He looked at Jack. "Think I'll ever get it back?"

As far as Jack could see, the odds were stacked high against that.

Maybe if Veilleur delayed Rasalom long enough for an anti-Jihad program to be developed and released, Drexler would be demoted or sacked or might even be eliminated-Valez was proof that the Order wasn't shy about deep-sixing members who didn't live up to expectations. If that happened, the pressure on Eddie would lessen.

If, on the other hand, Veilleur failed and the Lady vanished, well, his old life would be the least of Eddie's worries.

But Jack looked around and understood how he felt. He couldn't rob him of all hope.

"Yeah, it's possible. But until it is, you've got to stay away from there. Count on them watching the place twenty-four/seven."

"Yes, Eddie," Weezy said, stepping closer to him. "If-"

He leaned back. "Don't get too close. I need a shower something awful."

"You've got a stall shower here and I bought you a change of clothes."

Jack said, "Listen, Eddie. If the virus works, or even only partially works, there's going to be one pissed-off world out there, and the Order doesn't want anyone-especially one of its own members-pointing a finger at it. They'll do anything to silence you."

Eddie nodded. "Okay, okay. I'm not stupid." Then he raised his hands. "All right, maybe I am for mentioning the virus to the wrong person. But I've learned my lesson about underestimating the Order."

"You've got to put distance between you and your money too," Weezy added.

"But the rent-"

"I've got that covered."

"I've got cash-"

"Which will set off all sorts of alarms if you try to use it to pay rent. We can straighten all that out later. Meanwhile I'll show you how to use ATMs without being tracked."

"Where'd you learn that?" He raised a hand as he glanced at Jack. "Never mind."

Jack's phone rang then. He checked the ID in the window.

"Hey, Gia. How'd you do?"

"I got us on the 3:45 out of Des Moines."

"Great."

At least he hoped it was great. And hoped Veilleur was right about Rasalom waiting until the botnet was maxed.

"That's the good news."

"Uh-oh. What's the bad?"

"A long layover in Chicago. We won't get in till eleven."

Jack did the math: Subtracting an hour for the time-zone change, that meant more than six hours in transit. Lots of time for things to go wrong.

"Not sure I like that. Nothing earlier?"

"Not a thing. Believe me, I tried. Something wrong?"

"Maybe you should stay."

"No, Jack. I already switched the flights and we're coming back. It's in my head now-both of our heads: We want to be home."

"And I want you home, but-"

"We're coming. Flight three-forty-six, American. You'll pick us up?"

He could see he wasn't going to talk her out of it. "Of course."

They chatted a bit longer, then ended the call. He snapped the phone closed with a gnawing foreboding.

Veilleur, he thought, you'd damn well better delay that virus. At least until tomorrow.

After that, his ladies would be home where he could watch over them.

"Looks like they might pull it off," Jack said.

Abe swallowed a bite of the hot pastrami on rye Jack had brought him. Jack wasn't eating. Not hungry.

"Pull? Who? What?"

"The Order. Looks like they may be bringing down the Net. Munir thinks they can do it."

"When?"

"Maybe this weekend."

"Oy. So soon? What can I expect?"

"According to Munir, a real mess. Business-"

"Business, schmizzness. What about social order and such?"

Jack and he had had long discussions about civilization. Abe thought it was a veneer, easily stripped away. Jack disagreed, believing there were lots of civilized people about. Trouble was, those folks had no clue how to handle the wolves among them.

"Depends on how badly communications are hit, I suppose. I think things will hold together."

"But not your friend, the Lady."

Jack felt a wave of sadness. "No, I'm afraid not. She'll be dead."

"Well, she's not really alive, is she?"

True, but…

"She is to me. I first knew her as Mrs. Clevenger, and Mrs. Clevenger was a real person as far as I was concerned. And now that she's been stuck in this grandmotherly mode instead of switching her looks, she's more of a person than ever."

"I'm sorry for your coming loss."

Silence settled between them. Finally Abe broke it.