ABOUT 3 HOURS LATER. PUEBLO, COLORADO. 6:30 PM MST. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2025.
Heather ate dinner in
the public mess hall because she didn’t want to appear elitist, and
besides it was fast and she had unlimited meals there. Sometimes it
was great—venison stroganoff; usually it was adequate—shepherd’s
pie; just once, rebellion had threatened when it was rabbit, onion,
and cabbage aspic.
With just Leo for
company, she was finishing a pile of routine messages, and a plate
of fish loaf and field green salad, at her usual table by herself,
when Patrick materialized beside her. “Ms. O’Grainne, from crypto,
marked OPEN NOW URGENT FAR. You said no matter what—”
“I did.” She paid him
twice the usual meal coupons. “The second payment is for you to
never admit you carried a message or
found me tonight, no matter what. Not
even if I ask you in front of others; if I do that it’s because I
need you to alibi me.”
He stood taller. “No
messages for Ms. O’Grainne since ten this morning.” He was
gone.
She grabbed up her
things and gathered up Leo. “FAR” meant Field Action Request, i.e.
somebody out there had a situation that required immediate action.
Just bad luck that I’m out in public and can’t
rip it open right now.
At home, she checked
the lock, put Leo in his crib with a gentle settledown kiss on the
forehead, and opened the radiogram.
Debbie Mensche. Good,
so she was alive and—
Oh, Christ.
The message
read:
Arrived Blmgtn, rvz w DA & R BRKExtractn now, expect full success BRKURGENT: De follwd from border & attacked 4x BRKDa follwed from border & attacked 2x BRKR nothing till spotted @ Blmgtn by patrol BRKFull rept from Ft Knx BRKDe EOM
She knew what it
meant but checked anyway. Black envelopes in her safe held
materials for her eyes only. Black envelope number 19 held a piece
of paper with three simple notes:
De: A/L
Da: J/L
R: A/J
The Daybreakers had
been waiting and ready for the two scouts Leslie Antonowicz had
known about. The scout Leslie hadn’t known about had gone
undetected.
Crap.
It’s Leslie.