Hidden Empire (Empire 2)

"So you told him you were coming to see me?"

"No," said Cecily.

"Exactly," said Verus. "If you had told him what you were doing, you could have gotten in to see me much more easily than the process you used. So you are here to ask me questions without your boss knowing you're talking to me."

"We assume he knows," said Cole. "He has a way of knowing everything."

"But you weren't going to make it easy for him, no. So you're not here as his representatives. In fact, you're probably representing another side. Another set of interests."

"Our own," said Cecily.

"Yes, yes, of course, everybody's always representing their own interests, ultimately. But you don't have any personal business with me. Unless you're looking for funding to start a cookie business, Mrs. Malich?"

That seemed to unnerve Cecily; she glanced quickly at Cole.

"Aha!" said Verus. "So you have cookies between you! An affair, not of the heart or of the bedroom, but of the palate!"

Cole raised his hand just a little, to signal to Cecily not to let him get under her skin.

"Yes, Mrs. Malich, don't get your dander up," said Verus. "Cole has serious business to conduct here." Then, in a fake deep babytalk voice, like Shirley Temple trying to imitate a grown man,Verus said, "What's your business, Mr. Coleman? Do you want to set up a company manufacturing nonmilitary Bones and Noodles to provide mobility for cripples?"

Cole shook his head. "I assume you're probably already doing it."

"Exactly," said Verus. "We had a prototype exoskeleton better than the Army's before we began our attempt to restore majority government. We proved our weapons-design capability, and now that branch of my operations—despite the unfortunate arrest and imprisonment of a significant portion of my staff—has more customers than it can handle. And one of the things we're working on is a civilian-friendly version of the exoskeleton to provide arthritics the ability to open a screw-off cap."

"Mr. Verus," said Cecily, using her stop-goofing-off-now-kids voice.

"We can end the interview right now," said Verus, "or we can conduct it in whatever way amuses me. Because it does amuse me, to see the two of you going off the reservation."

"We're not—" Cecily began, but Cole talked over her.

"Mr. Verus, our mission is personal in a way, but it has to do with Africa. Almost as soon as our exoskeletons were deployed, we were enticed into a trap at the American embassy in Bangui. We assume this was intended as the first real-world test of the effectiveness of the handheld EMP against our Bones."

"How did it do?"

"If you made them, you already know," said Cole. "Even if you didn't, you probably already know."

"Well, I do know a lot of things," said Verus. "I even know your fellow soldiers—the ones that were with you when you—what do we call it?—busted me."

That silenced Cole. But Cecily didn't realize the implications Cole saw. "Mr. Verus, we want to know how the Sudanese got word that our soldiers in Calabar were debilitated with sickness."

"Oh, come on, all of Africa knew by then, I even knew. I remember thinking, Oh my, those soldiers must be sitting ducks. I'm surprised their commander didn't bring in another force to protect them. What an oversight. Not very clever, for a modern major general." Verus leaned closer to Cecily. "If I were you, I'd have to wonder if Coleman somehow set up his own base to be targeted. You notice he wasn't in the building when the intruders got in, or any useful member of his 'jeesh.' And he did make sure that outside help was at least fifteen minutes away. They had the layout of the whole place and knew exactly where everything was. I think the fingers point at Coleman."

Cole rose from the table. "We're done here," he said.

"Struck a nerve, did I?"

"Come on, Cecily, we don't have a moment to spare."

"Oh, Colonel Coleman, have I hurt your feelings that badly? Don't you know a joke when you hear one? Though there are people in the Pentagon dining out on that particular rumor."

Cecily looked flummoxed, even a little angry, but she followed Cole out of the room. "What is this," she asked Cole as they went back through security. "He makes an absurd accusation against you, and you take offense?"

"What?" asked Cole. "No, no, it's what he said right before."

"I don't remember what he said right before."

"About the jeesh."