The noise level rose as conversations began again around the table. Other voices shouted for Harrison’s attention.
Kenniston pounded his fist against the conference table. The resulting boom echoed throughout the room. Walter was certain that he heard the sound of wood cracking. The noise level dropped immediately. Several eyes glanced at Kenniston, some fearfully, before returning to face Harrison at the head of the table.
“A political war is not fought in the streets,” Sen asserted calmly.
“Not by us, anyway,” dePaul added.
There were several nods of agreement from around the table. Walter noticed that many of those who had not reacted—and even a few who had—looked uncomfortable.
“No,” Harrison agreed. “But by the people.”
“Like that’s likely to happen,” someone murmured. Walter did not see who it was and he did not recognize the voice.
“It could,” an older woman was speaking. Walter had seen her before, but could not immediately recall her name. “Propaganda works both ways.”
“Are you suggesting that we stoop to their level?” Carson snarled. His antagonism toward the woman seemed to run deeper than the disdain for her suggestion.
One of his cast-offs? Walter wondered.
Her eyes narrowed slightly at Carson. The look she gave him conveyed layers of meaning. Walter saw Carson’s expression tighten and he turned away quickly.
“Propaganda,” Harrison repeated. “Targeted advertising. Public relations. Whatever you want to call it. It might be our only hope.”
“If we could bring down Dark Matter,” Heard suggested, “it might go a long way in our favor.”
“Except that half the politicians are in their pocket,” the unknown voice muttered again.
“That has never been proved,” Harrison countered.
“Then they’re too afraid of them to take any real action,” DePaul said.
“And yet they prevent us from doing so,” Sen stated. “The question is: Why?”
“The answer,” a familiar voice announced from the doorway, “is All of the Above.”
Walter turned to see Red standing in the doorway. He was clad in his outfit, looking tousled and sounding slightly out of breath. The sunburst emblem on his chest pulsed like a living thing.
Harrison’s lips formed a tight, thin line. The equanimity between the two was well-known.
Red reached into a pouch at his waist and withdrew a small rectangular object. He tossed it in Harrison’s direction. Nearly all eyes in the room followed the tiny data cartridge as it skidded across the conference table. It came to a perfect stop just inches in front of Harrison.
Harrison eyed it suspiciously. Walter thought he spied genuine fear in the man’s eyes about what the cartridge might contain.
What secrets did he hide? Walter wondered. We all do, but he fears something more.
“Play it,” Red told him.
Harrison’s eyes moved to Red and then back to the cartridge.
“Play it,” Red repeated, sounding a bit more conciliatory now. “I think you’ll discover that the situation is far more complicated than we thought.”
Harrison regarded Red for a long moment before reaching for the cartridge. He examined it and then handed it to a young woman dressed in shimmering shades of teal at his side. She snapped it into her computer and activated the center screens.
Red stepped further into the room, seeking a better vantage point from which to view the recordings. As he moved, he seemed to become suddenly aware of a specific pair of eyes following his progress.
Random Factor’s eyes were shining with interest as they watched Red. Red dipped his head slightly in a genteel greeting; a slight smile danced across his lips almost before anyone else could notice.
Walter was even more intrigued by her now. She was obviously someone that Red knew well, although he could never recall Red mentioning her. Her expression had taken on a look of thoughtful amusement, as if she were recalling a pleasant memory.
The lights in the room dimmed. The immense displays mounted above the center of the conference table glowed to life.
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