When they had gotten back to the task in hand, she had given him a hundred doses for him to administer as he saw fit. He would take a few flights to visit various friends and family across the country, and then he would make a long, looping trip through Mexico and South America as well, under the guise of visiting War Colleges in various allied countries, culminating with a brief but fortuitous speaking engagement at the Argentine Naval Academy. Diplomatic status would help him bring the small dose cases with him, liberal anaesthetizing beverages with colleagues in each location would help him administer them.

Moving past the spread of the antigen, Neal brought them back to the topic at hand, “So, how do you think we should go about this? Do you want to lead the conversation or should I?” asked Neal.

“I think it’s probably best that I kick it off, introduce what we are doing, and give some background. Then you can take the lead on the technical part, he will trust that more coming from you, and you are better at explaining it. After that …” the colonel looked blank for a moment. He didn’t really know how they were going to handle it if things did not go as planned. He knew what he would have to do, he knew that all too well, and that is why he had not wanted to have the meeting in the Pentagon. But he also knew that to ambush the man anywhere else would probably be just as risky and far harder to arrange in secrecy.

“OK, Barrett, we’ll go with that.” agreed Neal, “How about you let me start with a brief explanation of why I have brought you in as well, seeing as he isn’t expecting you to be there.”

Colonel Milton nodded, and they stood silent for a moment. Neal inhaled deeply then raised his eyebrows expectantly, “Well, Colonel, shall we?”

“Absolutely, Neal. I forget where the admiral’s office is, so why don’t you lead on?”

“Oh, please, Barrett, you think that I know my way around this rabbit warren?” they laughed.

“OK, I’ll get us to the navy STRATCOM section and we’ll go from there, how about that?”

Neal nodded and they set off.

As they arrived at the Naval STRATCOM section, Neal noticed that it was not the same section of the building as the one he had met Admiral Hamilton in after returning from India. His suspicions were further confirmed when an assistant directed him and the colonel to the admiral’s office and they arrived at a wholly different location than he had remembered from before.

“Colonel,” Neal said, taking Barrett’s arm to get him to stop before they went in, “should I be concerned that the last time I met with the admiral he was in a completely different section of the building?”

“He hasn’t changed jobs since then?”