Regenesis

But Mikhail Corain’s speech was headed for Novgorod much, much faster.

And she hoped to God she was doing the right thing–and that Corain and Ya

Sitting on it, however, even for a matter of hours– thatcould have consequences, too.

The Enemy wasn’t likely standing still, not if things were so bad the Council was sending relatives to safety.

BOOK THREE Section 5 Chapter xvii

AUG 14, 2424

1301H

“Khalid’s acts are void of authority and Citizens calls on Khalid to vacate the premises of Defense and submit to arrest.”

“They got there,” Ya

Frank used the house phone to talk to their guard, which occupied the downstairs of the hotel, simple signal, verbal code. The hotel was down to five other guests, two women who were visiting a relative in the city, and a family from Novgorod who’d suffered an apartment fire, and was keeping very, very quiet under the circumstances. Four businessmen, three from Svetlansk and another from Big Blue, had checked out this morning to catch the flight, the first in two days, that had gone up toward Moreyville and Reseune. Amy Carnath had reported her hotel mostly vacant, and the news said barges were stacking up in the port because dock and warehouse workers weren’t showing up and there was no room to offload. Local groceries reported shortages, while food piled up on barges that couldn’t find a berth.

That was the condition of the city, as bad a mess as it had ever been during the War. There were rumors, constantly denied in news reports, of Paxer sabotage directed at the precip towers that defended the city, and workers consequently reported sick rather than go into large exposed areas like the docks and warehouses, construction and transport. Companies temporarily shut down operations rather than pay the few workers that did show, and in some families, credit was ru

It was a damned mess, was what, and it was getting worse. Ya

The ReseuneSec locals had a car–several cars–and the hotel airport bus. They used the bus for a decoy and transport for the other guards, and Ya

No wasted time. Frank opened the door, got out as armed guards formed up, and Ya

“Catherine Lao’s room,” he said when they stood in the emergency room lobby “Take us there. Now. Council business.”

The guards clearly weren’t used to making executive decisions, but one of them led the way down the hall and talked on his com while he was doing it. He said, protesting, “Ser, she’s in Intensive Care. She’s not doing well.”

“I know that.” Ya

“Ser,” the guard said, and got them all to a large lift, and up to the third floor. Then a double door and a desk where a nurse posed a more formidable barrier.

“Ya

“She’s on life support, ser.”

“Can she be made conscious?”

“A doctor has to order that.”

“Find one and do it. Now. Council order.”

The nurse didn’t look happy in the least. She cast sideward glances as she talked on the com, and stopped the conversation with a commanding gesture downward, meaning the guns. Ya

“This way, ser. Just you.”

“And my aide,” Ya

The room held more machines than human presence. Lao seemed lost among them, a human face, an arm, a white sheet. She’d grown incredibly old, since he’d last seen her, so shrunken and pale it was shocking. The nurse made adjustments on the panel, and after a moment, Lao’s dark eyes opened a slit, black as space, all the eye that was visible. Tension touched the forehead, lines of pain.

“That’s Ya

“Kate.” He came closer and set his hand on hers, which was cold as ice. “Kate, we’re in a hell of a mess. Khalid’s got the Proxy, Jacques has disappeared, not seen in weeks, Edgerton’s missing…”

“Addy’s missing?”

“Could he dead, for what we know. We need to call a special quorum. The planet’s in a mess. We need a new Proxy for Information. I’ve got the document. You just have to give us a name and sign it.”

The white brow knit. Hard. “Damn, Ya

“Just a name, Kate. And a signature.” Frank had the document, folded, in his coat pocket. Ya

“Carris?” she asked.

“Not been seen.”

The frown staved. Lao had the pen in her fingers, and lost it. He steadied it.

“Can’t see the damn line.”

“Here.” He showed her where. “Just sign it, Kate. Just sign it.”

She signed, carefully, most of her ordinary signature before it trailed off.

“I can fill in the blank,” he said. “Who do you want for proxy? Recorder’s ru

“Ariane Emory,” she said.

“Kate, it’s 2424. Kate?”

She wasn’t listening. She wasn’t hearing anything. The lines on the machines had all stopped.

“White Rabbit,” Ya

“Affirmative. Affirmative. We’ve got him. Come ahead.”

The call cut out. Fast. His heart did a little flutter.

He looked at Frank. “They got him,” he said. Meaning Edgerton. Chavez of Finance had told Harogo of Internal Affairs that he knew where Edgerton was, and they’d just made contact…which meant they might not need to file that questionable paper. Edgerton was going to show in the Council chambers for about five minutes, which was what they needed. Lao had appointed a dead woman to take Edgerton’s place, but they’d, thank God, located Edgerton’s hidey‑hole somewhere in the city, Chavez had just worked a miracle, and Ya