Begley lowered his voice. Ill be honest with you. People are already questioning Dons judgment for bringing you up here. The Special Response Team is Dons pet project, right? The whole thing could get broken up and scattered to the winds faster than I even thought it would. You did me a favor today.

Begley rose from his crouch. Get the cuffs off these guys, he said to someone nearby. Then walk them out of here. Straight out to the elevator, then down to the street. No pauses, no chit-chatting, no looking right or left. If they give you any trouble at all, shoot them both in the head.

Sir?

Begley shrugged. Thats my little joke.

Two men pulled Luke to his feet. He caught a glimpse of Begley and Myerson leaving the room. The cops uncuffed Luke, then handed him his gun and his badge. Ed Newsam stood just to his left, receiving the same treatment.

Luke glanced at the computer, his external hard drive still attached to it. The horizontal bar was almost entirely green. The file transfer was nearly done. Luke caught Eds attention. Eds eyebrows arched for a split second.

Lets go, a cop said. Out.

Ed walked first, Luke following. Eds broad back filled Lukes field of vision. They took two steps out of the room. To the right, Ali Nassar sat in an accent chair. He was back inside his plush white robe, talking on his cell phone. A female cop injected a local anesthetic into his hand, and immediately began setting his fingers in temporary splints. Nassar made exaggerated winces from the pain.

Suddenly Ed dropped to the ground. His head hit the floor with a thud. His eyes rolled back, showing the whites. A violent tremor went through his body. His head and arms jerked. Within a few seconds, a trickle of white foam began to flow from his mouth.

Oh, Jesus, Luke said. He kneeled by Eds side.

Begley had turned around. Get out of there, Stone!

Luke stood and backed away, his hands in the air. The cops moved in.

Whats the matter with him? Begley said.

He has a seizure disorder. He was in a Humvee that took a direct hit in Afghanistan, and he sustained a serious head injury. Slight brain damage, altered brain waves. Im not really sure. You just have to keep his airways clear. It should pass in a few minutes.

You guys have an agent in the field that gets seizures?

I dont make these decisions, Ron.

Okay, step back. These guys know what theyre doing. Theyll take care of it.