"Hello, Naan? Nadroj? This is Johnson. Leaving a message to tell you that we've located the sector they're most likely situated them. Don't take any of their threats or contacts seriously. Out."

      "At least the riots are becoming more isolated."
      "There's always that."
      "HO's! IU!"
      "That secretary is the most disrespectful secretary I've ever had," commented Naan, turning on the monitor set of the IU. "Oh, yeah, it's broken."
      Whether the IU was broken or working didn't matter. No picture was transmited.
      "Hello, HO's. I assume you know who I am. If not, then this is of no concern to you."
      'How *do* all these kooks get through?,' Nadroj thought to Naan. Naan shrugged. There was no telling if the emitter of the message could see the HO's or not.
      "I have a considerable amount of information about the whereabouts of your beloveds."
      "Who are you talking about?" asked Naan. Nadroj and Naan knew that they loved Nedran and Divab, respectively, but they would admit it to no one outside that small circle of four.
      "Nedran and Divab," said the emitter, taken slightly aback. "Are you meaning to say that they are not your beloveds?"
      'Let's have a little fun with this,' Naan thought to Nadroj. "Sorry, no, we've never heard of 'Nedran' or 'Divab.' You must've dialed the wrong number or something."
      "But I am speaking with the high officials?"
      "Yeah, we're really official."
      "Well, high-level officials."
      "Does that count?"
      "I want to talk to Mallom and Sansem right now!"
      "Golly. Don't get your massochistic hair in a knot!"
      "We'll transfer you real quick."
      Naan and Nadroj somehow suppressed their laughter. "Hello?"
      "I have a considerable amount of information about your beloveds."
      "How are Ref'd and Nacnar today?"
      "Huh?"
      "Oh, are you talking about Lible and Tigat?"
      "No! I am refering to Nedran and Divab."
      "Oh, they transfered the call the wrong direction. Hold on."
      "Hello?"
      "Do you even know Nedran and Divab?"
      "Yes," replied Nadroj firmly. "But I wish you'd stop calling here."

      "Johnson, you chameleon. Changing to their side just like that," chided Treynof. "I can't believe I actually once worked for a Core Member of the UPA. Oh well. Things change." Treynof turned to someone standing in the shadows. "Kill him," Treynof said unemotionally.

      "What would Treynof think of us leaving them alone in there like that?," Ceynara asked.
      "Oh I don't know," Nayla said, "And I don't really care. He'd just better split the spoils with us when this is all through. I don't like those two, too independant and strong willed. We're going to have to put forth too much effort to get these two in."
      "Don't say that, with the right amount of patience, anything can be accomplished."
      "You forget how little patience I have dear sister."

      Divab and Nedran sat down on chairs provided for them in the room. Divab looked around.
      "No way outta here," he commented, "Nasty green tiling."
      "Yeah the stuff is pretty solid," Nedran said.
      "No, I mean it's an ugly color green. Why not a cerulean blue or emerald green or something. This, this is like squished lima beans." Abruptly the room changed color to a blueish purple hue.
      "Nice trick," Nedran said, "How about some background music? Maybe some good old fashioned Earth swing or something." Jazz from the early 1900s on Earth started playing in the background.
      "Close enough," Nedran mentioned.
      "I think we've got something here," Divab exclaimed in a low voice, "Try this: ask for some contours in the room, a window or other exit and it should give us something."
      "It's worth a shot. This room is so flat, just four walls, how about a window, I can't remember what the outside world looks like." A door appeared in the left wall.
      "Now the question is," Nedran stated, "Do we go out it?"

      Naan thought about the message they had recieved from Johnson as she moved back into the apartment on the upper floor of the UPA building.
      "Haven't lived here in a long time," she thought, "Since the election. Now, if Johnson had really assigned a BUSA team to look for the building, it would have taken them longer than just a few hours. There's something strange about this. I don't think we should go through with it until the BUSA team comes up with something, if in fact they were deployed. I'll check on it tomorrow." She sat down to work on something for the internship and was interrputed by a transmission. Naan pushed a button and Johnson appeared on the screen.
      "Naan!," he creid, "You've got to help me. I'm in trouble deep and they're going to kill me tomorrow, I got myself out of this the first time, but I can't do it again. Get Nadroj and come to the address I sent you. Come in through a cellar window, I'll be waiting."
      "Johnson. Are you telling us the truth this time?"
      "Yes, and they're going to kill me tomorrow. I swear to the Lord of Fire and Water this is true."
      "We'll be there soon." Naan got up to go get Nadroj with some reservations. What if he was lying? But of course, the Lord of Fire and Water swear was pretty heavy for a true Hetteran believer. They'd just have to take the chance.

      Johnson hid the little transmitter in the palet he was given to sleep on. He hoped the H.O. came soon.

     

Part One
Part Two