Ryan leaned back into the hot suds. To wait. Such an interruption was inevitable, he supposed, given Nadja's position as Chairman of the Draco Foundation and current nominee for vice president of the United Canadian and American States. It was fragging annoying, though.

"Damien, my good friend," Nadja said.

Ryan knew that Nadja despised Damien Knight, who was a hardball corporate shark. He was one of the most powerful people in the world, and no matter what her personal feelings, not a person to be ignored.

"Nadja," came Damien's voice, "what, no video? I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

The only time Ryan had met Knight was in Dunkelzahn's Lake Louise lair, at a birthday party the dragon had given for Nadja. Ryan remembered Knight as he greeted Nadja with a birthday kiss. He stood just shorter than Nadja's two meters, and he was broadly built, with salt and pepper hair and a rugged face. He also had hazel eyes and a platinum-plated datajack that gleamed discreetly on his temple, almost hidden under his perfectly coifed hair. He was very smooth and carried himself with the air of a man who was used to having his way. A man in control of his environment.

Nadja steeled herself, making her face a mask even though the video was blanked. "What do you want, Knight?"

"I was hoping you'd consider letting me vote your Gavilan shares."

Nadja smiled. "Ah, so you'd have control of thirty-four percent of Ares."

Ryan knew that Knight held twenty-two percent of Ares stock, the same as the Chairman of the Board, Leonard Aurelius. The two had been battling over control of the corporation for years. Since Nadja had just inherited Gavilan Ventures from Dunkelzahn, which included twelve percent of Ares stock, she was a prime target for internal corporate politics.

Nadja continued, "And what do I get out of it?"

"My blessing with the Scott commission and my influence in Congress to help get approval of your appointment as vice president."

"You have some influence there?" Nadja asked.

"There are those who appreciate my opinion."

Ryan didn't doubt it. Knight most likely had a third of the UCAS Congress in his pocket, and held substantial pull over most of the rest. Ares Macrotechnology was the single largest employer in all of UCAS and the nation's only "home" megacorp. Ares was based out of Detroit, while the headquarters of the other megas were located either in Japan, Germany, or Aztlan.

Nadja laughed. "What else?" •"Nadja, you drive a hard bargain." Knight's voice was a deep, smooth baritone. "I like that."

"If there's nothing else, Damien, my answer is no."

"Perhaps you need some time to think about it."

"Frankly, Damien, I can't see how twelve percent of Ares is equivalent to some political clout in FDC. I have no concerns here."

"Are you certain the Scott Commission will clear your name?" Knight asked. "It would be a shame for you to be indicted on conspiracy to assassinate the President. Something like that could be viewed in the media as equivalent to guilt."

Nadja didn't flinch at the implied threat. "I can handle the bureaucrats, Damien. Can you?"

Knight's deep laughter resonated from the telecom. "We should play chess sometime, Nadja. I think you'd be quite an opponent."

Nadja's smile showed teeth. "Yes, I think I might like that. As soon as I've beaten Mr. Aurelius, I'd be glad to start up a match with you."

"You've been in contact with Leonard?"

"Think about it, Damien."

Ryan didn't know if Nadja had been speaking with Aurelius or not, but even the possibility would make Knight nervous. Aurelius and Knight owned approximately equal shares of Ares. If Aurelius got control of Nadja's Gavilan shares, Knight's control of Ares would slip. He would undoubtedly be ousted as CEO.

Knight's voice was harsh. "You're playing in a very complex game of corporate politics, Nadja. A very dangerous game. If you give Leonard the proxy rights to your shares, Ares would splinter. The other megacorps would respond. The effects would be felt globally and the Draco Foundation would suffer. And so would UCAS."

Nadja's voice oozed sarcasm. "But you would prevent all that?"

Knight ignored her tone. "Dunkelzahn was informed, and he voted for the benefit of the corporation. Ninety percent of the time, his votes were the same as mine, you can check the data. But more than that, Nadja, he and I were friends. He trusted me. He would want you to trust me."

Ryan slipped further into the hot water. Knight might be right and he might be lying, probably a bit of both. / don't envy her, he thought looking at the lines of doubt now evident on Nadja's face. She has a tougher job than I'd ever want.

Nadja breathed an inaudible sigh. "I don't know what Dunkelzahn would have wanted, and neither do you. I have control of Gavilan now, for better or for worse, and the decision rests with me and me alone."

"Of course, I-"

"Now, I appreciate any support you can give as far as Congress and my vice-presidential nomination," she said. "And also with the Scott Commission-"

"Done."

"But I need to gather more information before I sign away the voting rights for Gavilan. You can understand the need to move cautiously, can't you?"

Knight gave a harsh laugh. "Certainly. We will talk again soon." The line went dead.

Nadja looked up and let out a long sigh. "I hate that man," she said.

Ryan keyed the jets, bringing bubbles and motion back into the water. "You were awesome," he said. "Knight doesn't know what hit him."

Nadja leaned back in the water, closed her eyes and let the fluid pummel her. Letting the tension drain from her body.

Ryan floated over beside her, drawing her into his arms. He poured some aromatic oil into his palm and massaged her shoulders with it. The sharp scent of ananya filled the room.

She responded with a smile, not opening her eyes.

Eventually, he worked all the tension from her muscles. She leaned back against him as he sank deeper into the water. The jets drove fists into his tight back as he kissed her neck. And as he worked his way up to her delicately pointed ear, he realized very slowly that she had fallen asleep.

Wonderful, he thought, resting her head against his shoulder. Now, how do I get out without waking her up?

In the depot's control house, Lethe's scream seared across Burnout's mind, almost causing him to freeze up. Like the howl of a trapped ghost, and it turned his circuits to ice.

The guard fired, and the massive pistol jerked from the recoil.

Burnout recovered barely in time to sidestep the shot with all his speed. Then he swept his foot upward, impossibly high, and shot his heel spike through the soft flesh of the man's exposed throat. With a downward jerk, the spike ripped the side of the guard's neck open in a spray of blood and cartilage.

The guard flopped to the pavement, clutching at his protruding wind pipe. He drowned in his own blood.

Burnout was already moving. The bored-looking attendants didn't look bored anymore. They were moving in Burnout's direction, pulling weapons from inside their coveralls.

These were no attendants, these were professionals, mercenaries. For a moment, Burnout wondered if Ryan had anticipated him, had lain a trap, but then instinct rode supreme, and the rotor-barreled M107, mounted on his articulate arm, was roaring above his head. Two short, controlled bursts, and the mercs blew backward as fist-sized holes appeared in their stomachs and chests.

That's that, thought Burnout.

The night was silent, but he knew it wouldn't stay that way much longer. He'd hoped to handle this situation with minimal noise, but even at this sparsely populated end of town, the sound of the M107 would make people sit up and take notice. In the sprawl, that was all right. So much drek went down that locals rarely got involved. In a little burg like this, Burnout guessed that the switchboard at the local law office was lighting up like a fire fight on a moonless night.