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I understand. I understand that my time here has amounted to absolutely nothing at all.”
    Kane remained sitting. He kept his tone calm. “You are an ordained knight of the most secretive organization in existence, with access to secrets beyond most people’s imagination. But, as always, you are free to give that up. You can retire your membership and leave any time you want.”
    You wish I would. But I have other plans.
    “I advise against that, however,” Kane continued, “because your commitment here has not gone un-noted. I’m an old man, Dr. Gornman, and there are not as many Generals to replace me as there once were. The time of personnel-laden wars is over. Drones and computers have replaced flesh and courage. The Order does not have access to the human resources it once did.”
    Gornman stayed silent, letting the man talk. It was one of her strengths.
    “You heard about Oklahoma? Their new Head of Facility?”
    Gornman nodded. “Dr. Gary?”
    Kane blinked slowly. “Yes,
Doctor
Gary. The order is changing its policies. It is no longer a given that a facility head position is only available to those who have served in the military. Before Dr. Gary was promoted, he was doing your job.”
    “Are you saying that I could be in charge here?”
    Kane nodded. “I am saying that you most likely
will
be in charge when I’m gone. But only if you show that you can follow orders and respect the chain of command. The Senior Wardens won’t accept someone questioning them.”
    Gornman took it in, made it fit into her head. Then she nodded. “I understand. I wasn’t thinking about the bigger picture. I allowed my ego to take over. I felt like I wasn’t being given the credit I was due.”
    “The thing about credit, Dr. Gornman, is that it takes a long time to accrue but can be lost in a heartbeat.”
    “I won’t question you again.”
    “Good. You can go now.”
    Gornman stood up and hurried for the door.
    “And Dr. Gornman,” Kane said before she exited.
    Gornman turned around. “Yes?”
    “One more thing. I was reviewing some security footage, and saw you at Cell 4 with the faustling. You were holding pieces of paper up to the glass but not speaking.”
    That’s because I didn’t want you hearing me, you voyeuristic fossil. I knew you had nothing better to do than spy on your personnel.
    “I was showing it some pictures, trying to gauge its intellect.”
    “What pictures?”
    “A variety. Animals, landmarks, famous people. Just trying to provoke a response. Obviously it didn’t work. Its first communication was with the Dennison-Joneses.”
    General Kane tapped his fingers together. “I see. Dismissed.”
    Gornman left the office, hiding her smile as she did.

Chapter Ten
    Breakfast was as over-the-top as everything else in the Spiral, and Andy’s stomach had been overwhelmed by the selection offered by the cafeteria buffet on level 4. Through the kind of anomaly only possible at breakfast buffets, he had somehow ended up with a bowl of muesli, a plate of eggs, several slices of bacon, some yogurt, and a banana. It was a strange selection, but he wasted no time in digging into it all.
    Sun had opted for a lighter breakfast of an apple and two slices of toast.
    Both of them had slept well; the bed in their suite being even softer than the one they had been given in the Coronado the night before. Now that a new day had begun, they were both ready to get to work.
    “I can’t believe how different this place is from Samhain.” Andy said as Sun bit into her Granny Smith. “The produce alone is a revelation.”
    Samhain had fed its staff from two large freezers, with deliveries being sparse.
    “I guess things have changed,” she said. “Now the government hides its secrets in plain sight. They probably bring supplies in here every day and gag any attempts to bring attention to it. The Press may as well have their paychecks signed directly by the US treasury these days.”
    Andy bit a strip of bacon in