THE Hungarian transport was corning down at a military airstrip deep in the wooded hills. Stoner saw a long, narrow lake as they started their descent but it disappeared behind the tree-covered ridges.
He tapped at his wrist comm unit for a location fix. It did not respond.
"This aircraft is shielded," Ilona said over the howl of the engines. "It is a necessary precaution."
"Necessary?" Stoner asked sharply. "For whom?"
She looked uncomfortable. "It is not my doing. I am merely following orders."
"That's what the Nazis said," Stoner muttered.
Ilona pretended not to hear, but her cheeks colored and she turned toward the window.
When handed a lemon, Stoner said to himself, start making lemonade. Loud enough to be heard over the engines' roar, he asked, "Is this the country where they make that red wine we had last night, the Bull's Blood?"
"Oh no," Ilona replied, raising her voice as the engines' scream rose even higher. "The wine comes from Eger, to the east."
The plane lurched and she grabbed compulsively at the armrests. Stoner felt his stomach drop away, then climb up into his throat, and then the landing gear hit the ground with a walloping thump. The plane bounced back into the air, wobbled along the runway for an awfully long time, and finally hit the ground again with another hard bang and screeching of tires.
"Must be very gusty out there," Stoner muttered as they rolled along the paved runway, thrust reversers screaming, brakes groaning like a live bull being dragged across the con-
crete Trees whizzed by and finally he saw a few hangars and other buildings
At last the plane lurched to a stop and the engines whined down into silence Stoner wiped his brow as the main hatch was opened from the outside Three men climbed in, two in tan soldier's uniforms and the third a stocky dark-eyed young man wearing brown corduroy slacks and a faded blue wind-breaker The soldiers had pistols on their hips in gleammgly oiled leather holsters
Ilona pushed past Stoner to get into the aisle
"Dr Stoner," she said, her eyes flashing, "may I introduce to you Doctor Professor Zoltan Janos, of the
Janos was short and round, hardly taller than Ilona, with a barrel-chested torso that seemed too big for his slim arms and legs High domed forehead, thinning hair The dark fringe of a beard accentuated the roundness of his face His eyes, though, were deep set and as intense as laser beams
"An honor, Dr Stoner " His voice was clear and as sweet as the finest Irish tenor's
Stoner pulled himself out of the seat but had to bend over in the low confines of the plane's aisle He took Janos's extended hand and asked, "Any relation to the legendary Hungarian patriot, Hary Janos "
The younger man's eyes widened momentarily He almost smiled But he controlled himself and said a bit stiffly, "No I deal with realities, not legends "
Stoner would have shrugged if he had not been stooped over
"I must ask you for the communications unit on your wrist, please," said Janos "It will be returned to you when you leave "
Stoner hesitated a moment, then unstrapped the bracelet and handed it to the Hungarian "I would like to tell my wife that I am alive and well," he said "She expected me to be in Budapest tonight So did I "
Janos nodded curtly as he turned and started for the hatch "Of course You may telephone her from the lodge But you will not be permitted to reveal your whereabouts to her "
"Not be permitted'"
"It is a security precaution," Ilona said hastily
"Why all the cloak and dagger " Stoner wondered, following them down the aisle "I thought you people were scientists "
"We are," Ilona assured him
Stepping down the shaky aluminum ladder to the ground, Stoner stretched his frame and felt tendons in his arms and shoulders pop dehciously A warm wind tousled his hair, in the distance he saw the trees bending and swaying
"Why all the secrecy?" he asked again
Janos replied, "You will understand when we show you our laboratory "
More curious than apprehensive, Stoner let them lead him to an old forest-green sedan that had obviously gone months, perhaps years, since its last washing
"The laboratory is up in the hills, at the lodge," said Ilona as she and Janos climbed into the back with him The two soldiers squeezed in up front with the driver, who was also in military uniform
"Vie, he hasn't called and he doesn't answer my calls," Jo's image in the phone screen was saying "I want you to find him'"
Tomasso shifted uneasily in his desk chair "That won't be easy "
"If it were easy I'd have already done it " she snapped "Find him Now "
The screen went blank Tomasso licked his lips He had never seen the president of Vanguard so distressed But her husband had never disappeared before, either
Is this a test? Tomasso asked himself A setup, to see if I'm really worth what she's paying me Or maybe she suspects the connection with Hsen
I've got to be careful here Verrry careful It's like walking through a minefield
Victor Francis Tomasso had learned from earliest childhood that a smile and a bit of fancy footwork can move you along
on the road of life. The youngest of eight children evenly divided between boys and girls, he had been babied by his mother, bullied by his older brothers, and beaten by his father whenever the old man needed somebody to bolster his machismo. A rough day on the construction job' Wham for little Vickie Lost the paycheck on the ponies? Whack the kid for making too much noise.
Victor discovered early on that he could start screaming as soon as his father raised his hand, and his mother or his sisters would run to his rescue. By the time he was four he had learned to start family arguments by deliberately getting his father's goat, then screeching before the first blow landed. His father never caught on Neither did his sisters nor, most important of all, his mother
It seemed that no matter how much money his father earned on his construction jobs, there was never enough to go around. Buffalo was not a fast-lane kind of city, but all the Tomassos knew that they were close to the bottom of the ladder even in their own run-down blue collar neighborhood. Vic's mother worked longer hours than his father running the inventory programs for a grocery warehouse All the kids got jobs as soon as they were able. Still they were poor, and the ads they watched on TV rubbed it in every hour of every day
Vic's oldest brother got himself killed in a gang fight before he was sixteen Two of his sisters got married early and moved away Vie saw the handwriting on the wall' if he didn't make his own move soon, he would be left alone with his aging mother and father, and then he would never get away.
So he took off the day he was supposed to start high school. And he never returned. He learned very quickly that a bright young man could live nicely if he knew how to get himself a driver's license and a Social Security card Smiling and flirting with the dumpy, dough-faced women who ran most town hall offices was a big help. But once he learned how to finagle computers, Vie had it made
His father had given him one piece of wisdom, years earlier. The family had been eating supper, gathered around the
nightly network news on TV The screen showed six smiling, extremely well-dressed men walking away from a courthouse in New York City. Or maybe it was
"Steal enough money and you can walk home," said Tommy, the oldest, the one who would die with a knife in his spleen four blocks from his house.
"There's more fuckin' money stolen with a briefcase," said their father, "than with a gun "
Vie remembered that And once he had talked his way into a job tapping data into a computer for the billing department of a Minneapolis department store, Vie recalled his father's words time and again.
He never stole enough to get caught, just enough to live a little better than his salary. With his charm and the money he could spend, he climbed a ladder of women that eventually led to Vanguard Industries' headquarters in
Until now
Tomasso leaned back in his chair and put his expensively booted feet on his desk. He closed his eyes and began to analyze his situation. Jo Camerata wants me to find her husband. Hsen and his people need to know where Stoner is, and when he's going to be at his house
Okay, no conflict there Find Stoner and they'll both be happy. The problem is, how do I find Stoner'
As they drove up into the wooded hills Stoner sensed enormous tension in Zoltan Janos. The man was wound tighter than the spring on a crossbow. One touch and he'll shoot off
Ilona was growing tenser with each second, too. At first Stoner thought that she was merely anticipating the chance
to plug herself in to her pleasure machine once more. But as the car wound up the steep twisting road he began to realize that Ilona was picking up on Janos's tension.
He studied the professor. Young for that honor. No more than thirty, thirty-two. Very committed to his work, that was obvious. He must be the one who got Ilona started on the brain stimulation. Does he do it himself? Is he addicted too? Stoner decided that Janos was not. He's too wrapped up in his work for that. He doesn't need the pleasure stimulator; he's got enough stimulation already.
Does he know how deeply Ilona is addicted? Yes, Stoner decided. And he doesn't care. Not enough to try to get her off it. She's easier to manipulate because of it. He's her pusher, her connection.
Ilona touched Stoner's sleeve. Pointing with her other hand, she said, "The lodge--where you will spend the night."
Stoner ducked slightly to look out the window on the opposite side of the car. He saw up on the crest of the wooded ndge a long, low stone building with a timber roof. An old hunting lodge, still kept in first-rate condition. At least I won't have to rough it tonight, he said to himself.
The lodge was sumptuous. Polished stone floors covered with luxurious carpets, impressive formal dining room with a gleaming long table and high-backed chairs upholstered in leather. There were no animal heads mounted on the wall, as Stoner had half expected. Instead there were heraldic crests with symbols of eagles and lions and boars against fields of blazing red and royal blue.
"In centuries past," said Janos, conducting Stoner on an impromptu tour of the lodge, "this was a hunting lodge for the Habsburg emperors and their aristocratic friends. When the empire was broken up, it became a tourist hotel, and then after the Second World War a youth hostel."
Stoner pictured hordes of red-shirted Young Communists demolishing the place just as youngsters anywhere would with all their teenaged noise and energy.
"It was refurbished as part of the great restructuring of Hun-
ganan society," Janos continued his lecture as the three of them walked through a snug library filled with books from beamed ceiling to bearskin-covered floor. An unused fireplace and stone chimney filled one corner of the room. Stoner saw no logs in its dark and cold emptiness, but a pipe for gas instead.
As they went from room to room, Janos did all the talking. Ilona was -as silent as a freshman attending her first lecture.
"The government has generously allowed us to use this lodge as our quarters," Janos concluded, heading toward the broad staircase that led up to the bedrooms.
"Quarters for your laboratory staff," Stoner asked
Giving a curt nod, Janos said, "Each of us has equal accommodations, from the lowliest maintenance personnel to the laboratory director, we share and share alike."
"Very democratic," said Stoner as they started up the stairs "I presume you are the laboratory director."
"Yes, that is true That is my room there, in the corner."
Stoner guessed that it was somewhat larger than any of the other rooms. Janos came across as the kind of man who considered himself rather more equal than anyone else.
"And the laboratory is nearby?"
"Quite close."
"Under our feet, actually," said Ilona.
Stoner looked at her quizzically.
Frowning slightly, Janos explained, "The laboratory is underground, below this building, buried quite deeply."
"Why underground "
"For security," said Ilona.
Janos darted an angry glare at her "It was built originally in the days of the Cold War as a bomb shelter for key members of the government In case of nuclear attack."
"I see," said Stoner.
They showed him to a bedroom where his scanty package of clothes had already been placed neatly on the rack at the foot of the bed. After telling him that dinner would be served in precisely two hours, they left him alone
Stoner surveyed the bedroom. Comfortable enough. No
telephone, though Jo must be climbing the walls by now, he thought I've got to call her
The door was unlocked At least that's something, he said to himself How many times had he been quietly tucked away in some remote location, behind locked doors or surrounded by security police' They always said it was for his own good, which always meant it was for their own purposes
Stoner's star brother pointed out that they did not know what fanos's true purposes were as yet Ilona's explanation about studying him in order to learn more about cryomcs might be true, but even if it was it covered a deeper purpose Biochips, replied Stoner, and the first steps toward nano-technology
The horrifying vision of the dead world flooded Stoner's mind for an instant Nanotechnology can lead to that' he asked his star brother The answer was immediate and implacable Yes
He went down the stairs to the spacious parlor and front hall No one there Not a soul Closing his eyes for a moment, Stoner recalled his tour a few minutes earlier through these rooms Not a telephone or communications system of any kind down here, he realized Ilona's up in her room, juicing herself into paradise, there's no help to be had from her
Only one place where a phone would be Stoner bounded back up the stairs and rapped sharply on Janos's door
Without waiting for an answer he opened the door and stepped in As he suspected, this was a much larger room than the others Windows on two sides gave splendid views of the hills and woods A king-sized bed, neatly made up with a chenille spread A fireplace Even a TV set
Janos sat behind a small desk, his mouth open and dark eyes blazing with surprise and anger Stoner saw a computer terminal on the desk And his own comm bracelet lying beside it
"You said I could phone my wife if I didn't reveal my location," he said to the startled Janos
"I will have someone call her--" Janos began to say
Stoner walked slowly to his desk and leaned both his fists on its top, looming over the professor "I would prefer to speak to my wife myself "
Janos began to shake his head, but stopped before he really started
Stoner said softly, "You wouldn't deny such a simple request, would you?"
For a moment Janos seemed to be struggling within himself Then, "No, it would be unkind to deny your request, I agree "
"May I use my own comm unit'" asked Stoner
"Yes Why not?" Reluctantly
Stoner picked up the silver bracelet and spoke Jo's name into it In less than two seconds her voice crackled through the tiny microphone
"Keith Are you all right? Where are you?"
"I'm fine," he said, pacing slightly away from Janos's desk "Sorry I couldn't call you earlier "
"What happened? Where are you?"
Knowing that she could get a positional fix on his transmission from the satellite relaying his call, Stoner replied, "I'm not in Budapest My Hungarian friends have taken me to one of their labs Nothing for you to worry about I ought to be on my way home tomorrow If there's any change in plans I'll call you "
"You're sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Jo " He smiled at her voice "I love you, darling "
"I love you, too You had me so worried "
"There's nothing to worry about Kiss the kids for me "
"You'll be home tomorrow?"
"I'll probably stop off in Moscow for Kir's funeral Can you meet me there?"
"Yes I'll have to move my schedule around a little, but yes, I'll be there "
"See you in Moscow, then "
"All right "
"Good night, darling "
"It's seven in the morning here."
"Did I wake you?"
"I wasn't sleeping."
"Have a good day, Jo."
"You sound like a damned airline steward!"
He laughed. Her sense of humor was back and the fear was out of her voice.
"'Bye for now."
"Take care, Keith."
Stoner held onto his bracelet for a moment, then handed it back to Janos. As if waking from a dream, he stirred, blinked his eyes, then snatched the bracelet as if it had been stolen from him.
"Thank you," said Stoner.
Janos watched with wondering eyes as the American calmly walked out of his room. He manipulated me as if I were a child, Janos said to himself. He has the power to twist a grown man around his little finger! If the president ever finds out about that he will want me to find the source of that power and give it to him. If the people in Hong Kong ever learn about it ...
Sinking back in his creaking plastic desk chair, Janos realized, But if I can find the source of such power, why would I give it to anyone except myself?