He squatted down so as not to stand over her. “Are you being welltreated?”
“I guess. It’s clean. Nobody hits me or yells at me.” Humiliatingly, she began to cry; it was such a relief that someone seemed to care. She wiped at her eyes. “God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“You know my job is to hear all about it.”
“I didn’t do anything, I didn’t tell anyone anything, I’m as loyal as you are.”
He sighed. “I can’t imagine how you could have done it, but the evidence Heather showed me—”
“That’s part of it, Doctor Yang, I can’t even imagine how there could be any evidence—”
“Were you so careful?”
“No, I mean I didn’t do anything, so—”
He raised his hands gently, and spoke quietly and kindly. “Leslie, a moment ago you were talking about the evidence.”
“How could it possibly—”
“Leslie, I really want to believe you. But you’ll have to put it all in my hands. I’m going to ask you about things going back a decade or more, and some of them won’t have any apparent connection to this situation. You know that you and I both want to clear you. If there is evidence anywhere that will clear you, if you tell me everything, hold nothing back, I can find my way to that evidence, Leslie. I couldn’t tell you why, but I believe somehow you’re innocent, and if you’ll help me, I can find the path to the truth. But you’ve got to cooperate; answer my questions, no matter how personal, even if I just ask you to ramble on. Withhold nothing, object to nothing, just give me what I ask for. Will you promise to help me try?”
She wiped her face with the little piece of toweling they’d given him. “With you all the way, Doctor Yang.”
“Arnie. If we weren’t before, we’re going to be friends.” He leaned forward and said, “Now, as much as you remember, had you ever heard the word ‘Daybreak’ in any kind of political or environmental context, any time before October 28th, 2024?”
THE NEXT MORNING. PUEBLO, COLORADO. 9:04 AM MST. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2025.
This is not going to be easy. Heather looked down at the notes she had scrawled minutes ago, after her quick conference with Arnie. Leslie Antonowicz had been no more forthcoming this morning, refusing to answer any questions, saying only that she was innocent, which is kind of what you’d expect, isn’t it?
She looked up; both delegations were silent, either watching her or working over notes. Probably they both already know. It’s not like we’re hard to penetrate or anything. Her own sarcasm was bitter brass in her brain.
She drew a breath and began. “There’s something we need to cover before talking about anything else this morning. Last night an ongoing investigation discovered that one of the Reconstruction Research Center’s top analysts, Leslie Antonowicz, was working for Daybreak. At this point we don’t even know what that really means, whether she was actually in the pay of some Daybreak-related organization or whether she is a believing convert to the Daybreak system of ideas. Ms. Antonowicz is in detention at a secure location.
“My senior researcher, Doctor Arnold Yang, is interrogating her, and I hope within a few days we will know much more about what has been going on, for how long, and how much damage has been done. At this point, however, because she was on our Board, the librarian for our field reporting system, and a senior researcher, and therefore her routine access to information was at such a high level, we have to assume that no communications between RRC and anywhere else—including either the Temporary National Government or the Provisional Constitutional Government—have been secure, since the founding of the RRC. The responsibility for this is entirely mine. I urge that you immediately contact your home offices by your own most secure channels and begin appropriate investigations. I ask your patience while we investigate our own very serious situation. Thank you.”
General Grayson cleared his throat as if to say something, but Cam froze him with a glance, then pulled a file card from his pocket and read, “‘Whereas any agreement on the matters currently in negotiation is absolutely dependent on maintenance of full security, we believe the conference must be canceled for the time being, until RRC is able to show that security is re-established. We expect that this will take a period of weeks or months and therefore will return to the temporary capital at Athens in the TNG District. We regret this necessity and look forward to reconvening at the earliest feasible date.’”
He had that ready to go on his card; he knew.
Graham nodded, pulled out three cards (Heather could see they were in Allie’s all-caps printed scrawl), and selected the one he wanted; he read, “We will be happy to reconvene as soon as security issues are settled, but we do not believe this can be done at any early date, so we are returning to Olympia, where we will await the successful conclusion of the RRC’s investigations.”
And Allie had prepared Graham Weisbrod to go three different ways. Gah. There used to be high school marching bands that had better security than we do.
That afternoon, walking back with James from seeing off the PCG train to Olympia (just twenty minutes after the TNG train to Athens), Heather spotted a newsboy running up the street toward the riverfront. She flagged him down, paid him, and showed James the extra edition of the Pueblo Post-Times. Half the front page was headline:
“This might be the first issue, ever, that I don’t read,” she said. As they walked on they could hear the shouts of “Extra!” in the streets around them.
“I don’t suppose many people will be collecting those,” James said. “Not the way they did the PEACE headline a few months ago.”
After another block, Heather said, “I got all three of your notes about Leslie. James, we all know you’re her most loyal friend. There’s no reason for us to consider you a suspect, but it’s only common sense for us to keep you away from the investigation. And for God’s sake, James, it’s Arnie. Are you expecting him to torture her or something? He’s told me already that he really wants to believe she’s innocent, but she’s not cooperating at all. I know she’s important to you, but what else would you have us do? Now, of course you have to worry. She’s your friend and you don’t think she’s guilty. But I know that if she’s innocent, Arnie Yang will find that out. And I promise, no matter what, you’ll see her again.”
James nodded, said, “Thanks for understanding,” and walked away, hands in his pockets, head down, kicking at the dirt.
He’s thinking, and that’s not as good a thing as it usually is, Heather thought, turning toward her own office door. And I hope he doesn’t realize how likely it is that when he sees Leslie again, it’ll be to sit up with her the night before we hang her.
THE NEXT DAY. SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. 8:30 AM PST. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2025.
The big thugly types at the main gate of Castle Castro held their black-powder carbines pointed down. Carlucci had left weapons and deputies at home; he carried three letters. The most important one was from Natalie Thanh, a Federal district judge. Finding that Article IV, Section 4, of the Constitution outlawed hereditary monarchy and any form of feudal aristocracy on American territory, she ordered the League of Southern Castles dissolved, voided all oaths of fealty to the League, and demanded the renunciation of all titles.