Caliphate

Zurich, Switzerland,

12 December, 2113

The reception was not exactly secret, even though it was held in one of the super-secret, underground forts, or reduits, that the Helvetian Confederation had maintained for over one hundred and fifty years, with a few short breaks. It was, in any case, secret enough that Hamilton didn't know exactly how he'd arrived in it.

The purpose of the reception? Switzerland, which had first crack at the computers in the castle, had discovered that they were on the target list. A little reception, and a few medals, seemed a small price to pay for not being exterminated.

Ling was there, bandaged in spots, with her arm in a sling, but wearing her new medal and holding hands with a tall brunette in the uniform of the Swiss Armed Forces. They didn't seem to be in love . . . exactly . . . yet. Lust, however, was written plain.

"It's good she found someone, though," Petra whispered to Hamilton. "Isn't it?"

"It can't be bad," he whispered back. "Speaking of which . . ." He looked over at Caruthers.

"The Han have agreed to release her to our care," Caruthers said. "For a price. Don't sweat the price; we've met it. She's scheduled for surgery to have her chip deactivated—too dangerous to remove it— next week."

"She'll be free then, at last," Petra said.

"You're both free now," Caruthers said.

"Speaking of which," Hamilton began to ask, "now that you're free and, thankfully eighteen, how would you like to be re-enslaved?"

Petra glared at him. Her features softened under the realization that Hamilton would never re-enslave her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well," he said, "I'm thinking about going back to the Army—"

"Big frigging mistake," Caruthers interjected. "You have a future with us, son."

Hamilton ignored him, except to say, "A future as a slave dealer? That's a filthy future." To Petra he repeated, "I'm thinking about going back to the Army. I could use a wife."

"A wife?" Speechless, she began to cry.

"A wife. If you would consent."

"But I'm . . . I mean I was—"

"A wonderful girl," he cut her off. "A girl whom life crapped on and who didn't let it turn her rotten."

"There's another option," said Caruthers. "And it wouldn't involve the slave trade."

"Would you please just butt out. I'm trying to propose here."

"Trying, shmying," Caruthers scoffed. "Stop being melodramatic. She's going to accept; aren't you dear?"

Petra's head nodded, briskly. She was still crying too much to speak.

"See? That's settled. Now instead of being a dumb ass and turning your lovely future bride into a widow while gallantly leading your men across the altogether too fire-swept beaches of the English Channel in a few years, why don't you stay here and become our chief of station? I believe I once told you we like husband and wife teams. And I can sweeten the deal," Caruthers added.

"How's that?" Hamilton asked.

"Well, the two renegades left alive spilled their guts. We've got millions they'd been paid and secreted in banks here. The Swiss government also turned over to us the funds of the dead one, Meara. We could keep it all, of course, but I convinced the DDDA that it would be better put to educating and caring for those slave children you freed; them and the farmers Matheson grabbed. A man's got to be able to sleep at night, after all."

"How is Bernie's recovery coming?" Hamilton asked. He wanted to think before answering.

"He'll never play the piano again."

Hamilton looked confused.

Caruthers shrugged. "He couldn't play the piano before, either."

"Asshole."

Caruthers laughed.

"What about the virus?" Hamilton asked.

"Which virus?"

"Which?"

"There were two, as it turns out," Caruthers said. "The one we inferred from notes left behind was intended to be a deception. The one they were actually working on was real though, real but useless."

"WHAT?"

"Oh, it's deadly enough," Caruthers said. "But what they were trying to do with it? Dead end. It can't be made to die out after a few mutations. We've got a vaccine for it in prototype. Inoculations probably begin next year."

"What about the renegades themselves?" Hamilton asked.

"Hanged side by side in an elevator shaft at Langley last week. Piano wire. No drop. I understand they cried a lot as they were noosed."

"Good," Hamilton said.

Petra wiped at her eyes and said, "John, there is a good reason to stay here."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I've told you of my best friend, Besma . . . the Muslim girl?"

"Yes."

"Before we left, I got a letter from her. Her husband had been displeased with her and had beaten her. She went to the courts and they told her it was her fault."

"So?"

"So . . . if we stay here, we could perhaps get my friend Besma and her children out of a slavery not much better than mine was."

"Let me think about it," he answered, then thought, No, if you're going to be my wife, you get a say. "You really think so?" he asked.

Petra wiped the last moisture from her eyes and answered, "I owe Besma a lot, John, and her life is Hell. I won't force you—I can't force you—but I'd appreciate it if we could stay here at least until we get her and her children out. And . . . " She hesitated.

"Yes?" Hamilton asked.

"Well . . . you tell me an invasion of the Caliphate is both inevitable and soon coming, right?"

Caruthers harrumphed.

"Oh, knock it off," Hamilton said. "Everyone knows it is." Turning back to Petra he asked, "So what?"

"Well . . . maybe from here, in the middle of the Caliphate, we could aid that."

"It's a thought, John," Caruthers said. "And then too . . ."

"Yes?"

"After deciphering those computers the Swiss are less enthusiastic about neutrality than they were. Another dozen or fifteen divisions suddenly emerging in the middle of the Caliphate would help an invasion immeasurably. You could be our man here . . . and then cross over to being the liaison with the Swiss later on."

Hamilton looked at Petra. "You realize, right, that this will delay your scuba instruction by years." It was his last, feeble shot.

"I can wait," she said. "When a continent of my people is enslaved I can wait for the other things."

Hamilton sighed. "You're a bastard, Caruthers."

"Does that mean you'll do it?"

"I don't see where I have a choice."

Caruthers sighed. "Nobody's had a choice in about a century, John. This whole thing? It's about giving people choices again."

"Speaking of which," Hamilton said, pointing with his chin at Ling and her new partner threading their way across the floor.

The pair, still holding hands, stopped directly in front of Hamilton, Petra and Caruthers. The Swiss girl seemed very shy, though Ling was forward, as usual.

After introductions, Ling said to Caruthers, "I wanted to thank you, you and your organization and the Empire, for getting the Ministry of State Security to release me."

Caruthers said, "You're welcome. After what you've done, you're more than welcome. I just wish the condition of release didn't include a covenant not to employ you ourselves."

Ling shook her head. "No thank you. I've had enough of being used . . . even if it was being used for a higher purpose." She looked very intently at Petra. "I'll miss you, honey."

"No, you won't," Petra answered. "We're staying here, John and I."

Hamilton nodded. "We'll be seeing a lot of each other, I think. And, maybe, too, you might do some work with us, if not for us."

"Only if you choose to," Petra added.

Ling smiled. "A wonderful thing, isn't it, choice? Maybe we'll work together, after all."