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"That’s because it’s only part of e do A way of paying the bills, if you like The Civilian Authority tolerates us because it has to In a way, it needs us as much as we need it We’re not so very different from your Expeditionary, just the other side of the saic felt too convenient, a way to justify his cri of the picture

"Colonel Apgar said you were an officer A scout sniper"

Tifty’s face lit with a quick smile; there was a story there "I should have known Gunnar would have so to do with this What did he tell you?"

"That you made captain before you busted out He called you the best S2 there ever was"

"Did he? Well, he’s being kind, but only a little"

"Why did you resign?"

Tifty shrugged carelessly "Many reasons You could say that military life didn’t suit me on the whole Your presence here makes uess would be you’ve gone off the reservation, Lieutenant How ht "Just a couple"

"AWOL is AWOL Believe me, I know all about that But in answer to your question, I left the Expeditionary because of the woman in the field More specifically, because I told Co about it"

Peter was dumbstruck "You knohere she comes from?"

"Of course I know So does Coo, I was part of a squad of three sent north to locate the source of a radio signal somewhere in Iowa Very faint, just little scratches of noise, but enough to catch it with an RDF We didn’t knohy, the Exped wasn’t in the business of chasing down every random squeak, but it was all very hush-hush, very top-down Our orders were to scout it out and report back, nothing more What we found was a city at least two, maybe three tihts By any reckoning, it shouldn’t have existed at all And you knoe saw? Trucks like the one I saw in the field just before the attack Like the one you saw three days ago"

"So what did Command say?"

"They ordered us never to tell anyone"

"Why would they do that?" Though, of course, they had told Peter exactly the sauess would be the order came from the Civilian Authority, not the military They were scared Whoever those people were, they had a weapon we couldn’t match"

"The virals"

The ers in your ears and hope they never ca I could sit with That was the day I resigned o back?"

"To Iowa? Why would I do that?"

Peter felt a hter could be there Sara, too You saw those trucks"

"I’m sorry Sara Do I know this person?"

"She’s Hollis’s wife Or would have been She was lost at Roswell"

A look of regret eased across the man’s face "Of course My h I don’t think he ever , Lieutenant"

"But they could still be alive"

"I don’t think it’s likely A lot of ti I could do about it Not then and not now You’d need an aruaranteed we didn’t have And in the leadership’s defense, these people, whoever they are, never returned At least until now, if what you’re saying is true"

So at the edge of his awareness "Who else ith you?"

"On the scouting party? The officer in charge was Nate Crukshank The thirdlieutenant nah Peter like a current

"Take me there Shohere it is"

"And ould we do e got there?"

"Find our people Get the, Lieutenant? These aren’t just survivors They’re in league with the virals More than that-the woman can control them Both of us have seen it happen"

"I don’t care"

"You should All you’ll accouess is, that would be a good deal worse"

"Then just tell o on my own"

Tifty rose from behind his desk, returned to the table in the corner, and poured hilass of water He drank it slowly, sip by sip As the silence lengthened, Peter got the distinct impression that the man’swas over

"Tell , Mr Jaxon Do you have children?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Indulge me"

Peter shook his head "No"

"No family at all?"

"I have a nephew"

"And where is he now?"

The questions were unco, the answers see forth of their own accord "He’s with the sisters His parents were killed at Roswell"

"Are you close? Do you nored the question He placed his elass on the table and returned to his desk

"I suspect he adreat Peter Jaxon Don’t be so modest-I know just who you are, and irl of yours, Amy, and this business with the Twelve And don’t blarinned "Perhaps another time Our subject at hand is your nephew What did you say his name was?"

"I didn’t It’s Caleb"

"Are you a father to Caleb, is what I’ around the territories, trying to rid the world of the great viral menace, would you say that’s true?"

Suddenly Peter had the sense of having been perfectlychess with the boy: one ame; the next he was boxed in, the end had come

"It’s a siarded him another moment, then said, with a note of finality, "Thank you for your honesty My advice to you would be to forget about all of this and go home and raise your boy For his sake, as ive you a pass and let you and your friends go free, with the warning that speaking of our whereabouts will not, how shall I put this, bring happy things your way"

Check?"

"Consider it the greatest favor anybody’s ever done you Go home, Mr Jaxon Live your life You can thankto say that estured toward the drawing on the desk "Those girls You said you loved the to help you Call me sentimental, but I won’t have your death on my conscience"