Page 86 of Gryphon

“Ms. Chase. If you would come with us please.” Two men in military uniforms met her as she and Meg stepped back into the hotel lobby.

“I was planning on a shower and breakfast.”

“This way, ma’am.” The two men moved in closer. She stumbled backward against the glass door. Meg sprang in front of her and barked viciously at both of them.

“Ma’am, we’ve been instructed not to touch you. Please, could you just come with us.”

Everything was a jumble. No sign of Jeremy yet this morning. Perhaps he was talking to Taz. Or had he been kidnapped?

And Mike and Holly were gone.

And that Tad Jobson had shown up claiming he could replace Andi, which was impossible. No one could replace her.

And the NATO general with the news that she’d been reporting confidential Swedish military information to an imposter general before he’d rushed away.

And Meg wouldn’t stop barking.

And—

She dragged on her headphones and turned the noise-canceling up to full. It wasn’t enough, and she started the audio track. It was ambient sound generated by transforming the frequency range of solar wind particles striking the Earth’s magnetic field. There was a gentle swooping randomness that always helped to soothe her.

Then she scooped Meg up into her arms and looked around for what to do.

Everyone was looking at her. Meg was still barking, though Miranda felt more than heard that fact. But Meg was no contest for such weapons.

When one of the armed men waved a hand toward the direction they wanted her to go, she bowed to the inevitable. Keeping her head down so that she didn’t have to see anyone, she went where they told her.

Meg stopped barking but kept banging the top of her head against Miranda’s chin as she swiveled about to watch everything. After the third time the impact made her bite her tongue, she firmly clamped her jaw closed and lowered her chin to her chest to avoid further collisions.

They held open a door for her.

It was the lecture room for the conference sessions. Enough tables for all the attendees to sit comfortably and view one of the two large screens.

She recognized the sole occupant by the black woolen trench coat draped over the chair beside him. In the half hour since she’d last seen him, he appeared to have lost some control. An open briefcase sat on the white tablecloth. A computer, his phone, and a battered notepad were spread before him. None of their edges lines up.

Meg pushed up in her arms and looked over Miranda’s shoulder. She turned part way so that she could see without blocking Meg’s view.

The doors had closed, with the two men now on the outside.

A careful scan of the room showed that it was only the three of them, Général Vachon, herself, and Meg.

She saw the general was speaking to her.

Miranda stopped the solar wind music. When that appeared safe, she risked turning off the headphones.

Still okay.

Before she could take them off, there was a chaotic noise that had her jumping away from the double entry door and turning the noise-canceling back on.

Meg began barking again.

Finally, a man burst into the room, with one of the soldiers grabbing at him.

“Jeremy!” she called out.

His mouth moved.

She turned off her headphones, but didn’t push them aside.

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