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“The woman is a genius,” I say, “and she is risking her life, under the most awful conditions, to get the Newbola under control.”

I’m much more positively inclined toward Dr. DaSilva than I was earlier. After I confronted her with Jericho’s evidence from the UNC meeting regarding how Newbola is spread, she retracted her suspicion of me and my team as the source. She even released a PSA relating to the public that there was no reason to believe that my team and I had any connection to the pandemic. Given her credentials, the public accepted her word, making it much easier for all of us to move about freely in public.

“Well, she’ll have a better chance of success if we get her here in Washington, and she can assist my Swedish virologist team at the Johns Hopkins Research Center, where, by the way…”

He pauses for a moment, touches his computer; the screen fills with numbers and equations. He looks at it, then looks back at me and continues.

“… where, by the way, my team doesn’t even think they are dealing with a virus. They suspect it is an airborne bacterial infection, probably just a dangerous one-cell rogue bandit.”

My weakened power notwithstanding, I cannot bear tolisten to him any longer. I got what I came for. I’ll deal with the government air force. Anna will deal with the Swedish virologists. I’ve got to get back on the trail of Maddy. My cell phone has been on nonstop vibration since I entered the Square Office. I stand up and speak to Townsend.

“Well, thank you, Mr. Townsend. I appreciate your cooperation.”

“You are certainly welcome. I appreciate yours as well.”

He tells me that his secretary of protocol will see me to my car. The protocol guy will be waiting outside on the front portico. I head for the office door to leave, but Townsend has one more question to ask.

“Haven’t you forgotten to mention something, Mr. Cranston?”

“No, I’ve said everything I needed to say.”

“Everything? What about the girl!” Townsend says. “Why did you not ask for assistance in finding the girl?”

Shit! Shit! Shit! He even knows about Maddy’s vanishing.

I think I might lie and say I was afraid to overstep my boundaries on a family matter, but instead I create a new lie right on the spot. I say, “I think we have some fine leads on Maddy’s disappearance. Maybe later I’ll come back if I could use your help.”

“Oh, I assure you. You will need my help on this one, getting Maddy back safely.”

“I’ll be back,” I say.

The stupid phony smile appears on his face.

“Why wait when you are here right now? Why wait when time is of the essence?”

I walk back to Townsend’s desk. I sit down in the visitors’ chair. We begin to talk.

CHAPTER 90

NOTHING UNUSUAL OCCURS in the final moments of my meeting with Townsend. He promises to help me find Maddy, and, of course, I don’t actually believe him. I promise to share espionage info with him and the American government, and I’m certain he doesn’t believe me.

Our truce is based on the foundation for most mutual agreements in today’s world—anger, deceit, and total mistrust. Yet, one immediate positive result does emerge from this meeting: Townsend offers to allow me and my team to travel to Dubai on a secret military transport jet.

I assume that Townsend realizes that I may be suspicious of his generous offer. So he quickly adds that this gift of safe travel will be “impeccably secure” (his words). Then he adds more assurance.

“Let me put you at ease,” he tells me. “The national transport is equipped with a device that can detect and dissolve any airborne projectiles. It will automatically release,aim, and fire when any destructive geological material is within a two-hundred-mile radius.”

I have a question.

“Doesn’t that assume that a Terrageddon launch device will be tracking our flight to Dubai?” I ask. “What about another satellite attack exploding and destroying other places in the world?”

His eyes narrow as he looks at me and responds.

“You mean like the destruction that you allowed to happen in Peru?”

I have no defense for my ineptitude, which caused that tragedy. So Townsend fills the silence with more of his considerations.

“At least you and your team will be safe,” he says. “And just remember. This is merely the beginning of our offensive.”