Hickman appeared nervous and in a hurry. David thought he could pry information from him by playing dumb. "So, just about the end of your day, hmm? How's it been, sharing space with-"
"Never mind that," Hickman said, sitting and letting his generous belly push past his unbuttoned uniform jacket. "Got a meeting coming up with the big guys, and I'd rather not go in there unprepared."
That'll be the day, David thought. "How can I help?" he said.
"We all up-to-date, up to snuff, on track, on target, on course?"
David shook his head, amazed. "All of the above, I guess. What are we talking about?"
Hickman grabbed a dog-eared pad and riffled through a couple of pages. "Guillotines, syringes?"
"You mean loyalty enforcement facilitators and biochip injectors?"
"Yeah, thanks!" Hickman said, scribbling. "I knew Viv had some special names for those. You know, Hassid, basically I was a cop. I'm honored and everything, but I gotta prove to His Majesty, ah, His Excellency, that I can handle this. That I'm not in over my head."
"You feel you are?"
"What I feel is that my loyalty and my devotion to the potentate will make up for any lack of experience I've had at this level of management. Now where are we on these things? What can I tell him?"
"That we're on track, on pace."
"Good. I can count on you then."
"Oh, can you ever, J-, er, Supreme Commander."
"Ah, you can call me Commander when it's just you and me. Keep it formal in public, of course."
"Of course."
"By the way, do you purchase livestock too?"
"You mean foodstuffs? No, that would be Food Services."
"No, this is live. I don't need food. I need a live animal."
"Still not my area, I'm afraid. Rolling stock, avionics, computers, communications hardware. That's my game."
"Who's going to help me procure a pig?"
"A pig, sir?"
"Huge and live, Hassid."
"I have no idea."
Hickman stared at him, apparently not accepting the dodge.
"I could look into it," David said. "But-"
"I knew I could count on you, David. Good man. Let me know first thing in the morning, 'cause the word I get is that the big man is going to assign me that today."
"Oh, you haven't even heard from him about it yet?"
"No, this is what you'd call a heads-up from a colleague who cares."
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah. Guy like me tends to accumulate friends all up and down the corporate ladder. Buddy told me today he was in on a meeting with Fortunato and Carp-oh, forgive me! I know better'n that. I should never use those names, especially in front of a subordinate. I'm gonna direct you to disregard that, Hassid, as your superior officer."
"Jury will disregard, sir."
"Yeah, good. Anyhow, this guy's in a meeting with His Excellency and the Most High Reverend, and he says they're agitated-you know what that means? Exercised, I guess you'd say."
"Understood, Commander."
"They're upset, up in arms, whatever you wanna call it, about the Judah-ites."
"I've heard of them, sir."
"I know you have. Their top guy, who Peacekeeping thought they had flushed out and sent packin', turns up now in a new place-we don't know where, which doesn't have Carp-the potentate, any too cheery, if ya know what I mean-and this Judah guy's turnin' out more and more of this anti-Carpath-well, I guess, yeah, it's OK in that context. This guy's disseminatin' anti-Carpathia stuff everywhere. He's predictin' and says the Holy Bible prophesies that Antichrist-which is what he calls His Excellency, imagine-is gonna defile the temple and sacrifice a pig on the altar."
"You don't say."
"I do say, and while I wasn't there, my buddy tells me the potentate is fiery mad; I mean he's hoppin'."
"I can imagine."
"Me too. He says to the Reverend, he says somethin' along the lines of, 'Oh, yeah, well, maybe I will show them.' You know how he talks, never usin' contractions and like that."
"I do."
"So, and this is the genius of Nicolae Carpathia, if you'll forgive the familiar reference. He's gonna like, get this, fulfill this prophecy-the one in the Bible and the one by Ben Judah-ite, or, um-"
"Tsion Ben-Judah."
"Right! He's gonna sacrifice a pig on the altar of the temple in Jerusalem on purpose, knowing what the guy and the Holy Bible are sayin'. Sorta in yer face, wouldn't you say?"
"That's for sure." In God's face, no less.
"Well, see I don't know this yet, you follow?"
"Sure. It's on the QT from your buddy."
"Exactly. But when he, you-know-who, asks me can I get him a pig, I want to be able to tell him no problem. Can I tell him that? You're going to check with, with, ah, your people or whatever, and I'm gonna get him this pig, right?"
"I'll do my best, sir."
"I knew you would. Hot dog, you're good." "You said that on purpose, didn't you, sir?" "What's that?"
"Talking about a pig, and you said 'hot dog.' " Hickman disintegrated into gales of laughter, then tried to pretend he had indeed said it on purpose. When he regained control, he said, "You know what I want, Hassid?" "Tell me."
"I want a pig, are you ready-?" "I'm ready."
"-big enough for His Excellency to ride." "Sir?"
"You heard me. I want the biggest pig you've ever seen in your life. Big as a pony. Big enough to put a saddle on, not literally, but you know what I mean." "Not sure I do, Commander." "I'm tryin' to earn a few points here, understand, Director? Just like you're doin' without tryin', 'cause you're just that good. But I wanna be able to suggest to His Excellency that if he's gonna take the gloves off and go toe-to-toe with his worst enemies, he oughta go 'em one better."
Take the gloves off to go toe-to-toe? Annie would have loved that mixed metaphor. "One better?" "He ought to ride that pig into the temple!" "Oh, my." David could not imagine Carpathia, even at his basest, lowering himself to such a spectacle. "Oh, my is right, Hassid. You read the Bible?"
"Ever?" "Yeah." "Some."
"Well, isn't there a story about Jesus ridin' into Jerusalem on a donkey and people singin' and throwin' leaves and whatnot?"
"I was raised Jewish."
"So no New Testament for you. Well, anyway, there is that story, I'm pretty sure. Picture His Excellency havin' fun with that. Ridin' a pig with people paid to sing and throw stuff."
Lord, please! "I can't imagine."
"I can come up with 'em, can't I, Hassid?"
"You can, sir."
"Hey, I'd better get in there. Get on that pig for me, will ya? I'm gonna tell him it's as good as got." "I'll let you know."
David was on his way out the door when Hickman called after him. "I forgot to tell you," he said, turning pages on his pad again. "There's a gal in Medical Services, a nurse. Here it is. She used to be a vet or something and she's shot biochips into dogs and cats."
"You don't say," David said.
"You might want to check her out, see if we can take advantage of her expertise. You know, in training people how to do this."
"I'll check her out. What's the name?"
"I don't think I have it right, Hassid. Some kind of a funny name. You'll be able to track her down."
"I'll ask for the nurse with the funny name, sir."
TWELVE
Rayford couldn't sleep. Pacing various floors in the cavernous Strong Building, he happened by Chaim's room. The door was wide open, and in the darkness he noticed the old man's silhouette. Chaim sat motionless on the bed, though Rayford knew he had to hear and see him in the corridor. Rayford poked his head in.
"You all right, Dr. Rosenzweig?"