“I know I come across like a wimp,” she said. “But I can hold my own with anyone when it comes to words. Julia will tell you that. She knew me at college.”
“She used to tie us all in knots debating,” Julia confirmed.
Rebecca shook her head and drew in a sharp, shaky breath that came close to a shudder. “But I’m not good when it comes to physical things. You know, the things you hear about: interrogation drugs; all the intimidation; worse. . . . I couldn’t go out on the street, knowing they might pick me up anytime. Haven’t really been able to sleep since it happened. . . . I have to get out of here.”
“Out of the country completely?” Cade said. “It’s really that bad?”
“She’s right,” Julia told him. “They won’t quit now—not after the fuss that this is causing.” The news that evening had brought reports of demonstrations in several cities, with more use of Hyadean sonic disruptors on the crowds, as had been seen in Washington, along with water cannon. In Kentucky, a group armed with shoulder-launched missiles and assault weapons, believed to be CounterAction, had attacked an ISS depot, declaring it to be an arm of the occupational forces of an illegal regime installed to advance alien interests.
“So how did you find Dee?” Cade asked Rebecca. “Did you know her at sometime too?” It seemed an unlikely coincidence. Julia had met Dee only after getting to know Cade and joining his circle of friends.
Rebecca shook her head. “When I started asking around the people we used to know way back, one of them put me on to Brad.” She looked at Julia. “He used to be your husband, right? Owns a couple of clubs.” Julia nodded. Rebecca went on, “Brad put me on to Dee and said I should try through her.”
Julia cupped both hands around her coffee mug and drank from it, then gave Cade a searching look. He stared across the table at Rebecca. Despite what she had said earlier about her verbal skills, her voice tonight had been little more than a whisper. She seemed all done in.
Just one more thing crossed Cade’s mind. “Do you still have your phone with you?” he asked. “And in your bags is there a laptop, compad, anything like that?” Virtually all electronic devices of any value, as well as things like automobiles and appliances, contained GPS chips able to fix their location on the Earth’s surface to within a few yards. In the case of loss or theft, dialing a specified number would cause them to return details of where they were. Rumor had it that government agencies had special numbers too, that would override the normal enabling functions. Cade had never been able to determine whether it was true or not.
Rebecca shook her head. “I threw the phone away. There isn’t anything else.” Cade nodded, satisfied.
“Well, there’s not a lot else we can do tonight,” he said. “Why don’t we all get some rest? Tomorrow we’ve got a boat trip organized with some friends. Why don’t you come along? A little bit of sun and ocean might make you feel like a new person.”
“Maybe,” Rebecca answered. She didn’t sound enthralled by the idea.
* * *
After Rebecca had left them, Cade and Julia went through to the bar for a nightcap. “If you do manage to pull something, I assume it will cost us,” Julia said.
Cade pulled a face. “I’m not sure. Rebecca sounds like a pretty good ally on their side. They might be happy just to get her over there.” This didn’t seem a time to let something like that get in the way. It wasn’t as if they were hard up, just at the moment. He downed a mouthful of his drink. “We can worry about that side of it later.”
“I can make the necessary arrangements . . . if that helps,” Julia said.
Cade looked at her. He knew Julia had assets of her own that he had never made it his business to pry into. “It’s really that important to you?” he said.
Julia nodded. “Yes,” she told him. “It is.”