There was a pause. George prayed to the good God that Dick was deciding to pull him back and let him get the hell out of here.

Dick’s voice came back. “We need you to do this, buddy.”

Retching, George pitched forward.

“What just happened?”

He recovered himself, took a couple of deep breaths.

“Going in.” He’d brought his little Glock with him and now slid his hand into his pocket and closed it around the pistol. He’d had plenty of weapons training when he’d been in operations, but that was fifteen years ago.

He put his hand on the screen door. Inside, he could see tables, some of them turned over, a few chairs, a wall of booths, and, across the back, a bar with a badly cracked mirror behind it. He got back on his satphone.

“There is absolutely nobody—” He stopped. Because that was not true, was it? In the cracked mirror, he had noticed a flicker of movement. It appeared to be something dark and it was coming toward the door, toward him. But nothing was visible now.

“Something is happening,” he said.

“Is she there?”

Also, now, he could hear breathing. So was it behind him? But when he turned, it wasn’t there.

He should never have been sent to this ghastly place, and Gina shouldn’t have come, either. Poor woman, whether she had hybrid elements within her or not, he felt sure that she was loyal.

He said into the satphone, “I think I’m too late.”

“Look, Linda Hicks is in there. We just talked to her. So why don’t you get in there now?”

“She’s in the restaurant?”

“Yes, she’s in there, and Lyndon and Richardson are nearby. We’ve got Delta Force circling, man! Get to the drop zone and report back. Do it now!”

“Something is wrong, I’m telling you.”

After a clicking sound, he heard a familiar voice, sickeningly familiar—the president of the United States.

“Hook up with Hicks and proceed to the landing area. Scout it and report back. We need to confirm absolutely that it is safe. That’s why you’re there. You’re definitely not compromised in any way. Are you ready to do this for us, Mr. Hammond?”

It was not really a question. He replied, “Yes, sir.” He took a deep breath. “Linda Hicks! They’re saying you’re in here.” He stopped in the center of the room. “Linda, you need to come out now. We’ve got work to do.”

At first, nothing happened. Then, a voice, small, tentative, afraid: “Hello, George.”

“Dr. Hicks!”

She rose up from behind the bar. With her was another person, a man.