Somehow he wasn’t surprised that she was in there, working away in the middle of the East Coast’s night. Very few senior management worked their physical office time zone’s standard hours.
“You look like crap,” she said as he came in.
“Thanks.”
“Tea?”
“No. I’ve had enough caffeine today.”
“I recommend chamomile. Very gentle.”
He shook his head, trying to ignore the irritation. “We have a problem.”
“You and I would be out of a job if there were no problems in the world.”
“Very Zen. It’s Savi Chaudhri.”
“Your infiltration agent?”
“Yes. You’ve got her, haven’t you?”
“No. Why do you say that?”
“I went back over our detention records,” Yuri said. “I was surprised.”
“In what way?”
“Akkar’s idea was a good one. Using the power drop-out while the super truckez were recharging would’ve created a reboot window for Julisa’s rogue control program. They would’ve taken over the ancient G3Turing drivers and had themselves the world’s greatest demolition battle, smashing those brutes into each other and every other piece of equipment out there. Some of those things weigh over fifty tons. Everything would’ve been wrecked.”
“I know,” Poi Li said. “I was in active ops when Tarli worked out their methodology.”
“Yes. And that was when we all realized how many activists they would be sending to the old airfield. That’s also when you stood down the original arrest squads and the Arizona Search and Engage team was brought in. Your decision, your authorization.”
“You originally tasked the Australian internal suppression force with the arrests. I judged they weren’t large enough, nor capable, for a hundred and twenty odd fanatics. Quite rightly, as it turns out. S and E handled containment and detention very well.”
“They were a bit too efficient; they scooped up Savi as well. They didn’t know she was our asset. I’d like her back, please.”
“We don’t have her.”
“Have you even checked?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. Arizona S and E were given the code for her tracker. We don’t have her.”
Yuri sat back in the chair and gave her a careful look. “Is this a dark rendition operation? Is that it? Have we got them stashed away at some Guantanamo in North Korea, or something?”
“That would only multiply our problem, wouldn’t it? You can’t hide that many people and not have anyone ask where they are. We’d have to let them go or bring them to trial eventually.”
“I personally interviewed the only witness for the substation explosion. He told me the Arizona paramilitaries you sent threw her into the back of their vehicle. You have her.”
“A nine-year-old boy suffering an explosion trauma is not the most reliable witness.”
“You
“There was only one survivor of the Fountain Street attack according to our files. Are they incorrect?”
“No,” Yuri said, hating the way he was being put on the defensive. “Look, I get that screwups happen, especially on a day as intense and confusing as last week’s. Just let me access the Arizona S and E records. I’d like to see who they processed.”
“You don’t have clearance for Arizona S and E documentation. They’re an internal outfit we deploy during extreme security events.”
“I’m a divisional commander, for fuck’s sake!”
“And that level does not give you clearance to go digging through Arizona S and E files. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, come on, Poi, you’ve got to give me something. Let me walk down to the holding cells and quietly take her out of there. She’s Security, one of us. She’s not going running to some piece of shit libertarian civil rights lawyer.”
“Can’t be done.”
“You do it, then.”
“Again, we do not have her.”
“She’s dead, isn’t she? That’s what’s being covered up here.”
“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”
“It’s not going to go away, you know.”
“The file is closed, Yuri. Drop this. That’s a direct order.”
“It’s not me that’s your problem,” he said softly. “Have you heard of Callum Hepburn?”
“How is he the problem?”
“Wait—do you know him?”
“I know of him. I can’t tell you why. But I can assure you he is a solid Connexion employee.”
“Not for much longer. He’s going to be trouble.”
“Really? Has he joined a radical group?”
“Turns out he’s Chaudhri’s fiancé.”
Poi Li sat up, all humor leaving her compact frame. “He’s what?”
“All I know is they went on some kind of screw-fest holiday together in the Caribbean. And a nice diamond ring was the result. They didn’t bother telling the department.”
“This is unfortunate,” she said. “He carries media weight right now.”
“Exactly. So let me have Savi. I’ll reunite the star-crossed lover idiots and everything goes away.”
“I do not have her.”
“Why are you doing this?” His voice was raised, which was never a good idea with Poi Li. But somehow, Yuri no longer cared.
“Yuri. Please. We genuinely don’t have her. You have my word on that. I did check. And please don’t call me a liar to my face. That would be bad for both of us. This is closed. Accept it and move on.”
Yuri took a moment, but in the end he just nodded and said: “Okay.” He simply couldn’t afford to challenge Poi Li. Not directly.
—