"Well that explains a lot about Dar," Bea said. "I just got off the phone with John Peter at travel, and he said he heard they'll let planes start flying again tomorrow. You want me to book you home?"

Alastair exhaled. "See what you can arrange," he said. "I've got a feeling I'm not going to make it back there before I have to go talk to some double breasted pair of wingtips in Washington, but it pays to be prepared."

"Will do," Bea said. "How's Dar?"

"Typically Dar," her boss said. "Y'know though, I'm glad I got to travel with her for a few days. I've come to the conclusion I think I like her," he added. "As a person, I mean, not as my top ass coverer."

"You're deciding this now?" his admin asked, in a puzzled tone. "I always thought you liked Dar."

"I always liked Dar Roberts, my often pain in the ass but frequently brilliant beyond belief employee," Alastair clarified. "I didn't really know Dar the karate expert who does handstands on airplanes for fun."

"Ahh."

"She's neat."

Bea started laughing. "Oh, Alastair."

Alastair chuckled along with her. "What a stinking damned mess this all is," he said, after a moment. "I have to say, though, Bea, I honestly couldn't ask for a better response than we had from everyone in the company. Across the board."

"Absolutely," Bea agreed. "Jacques was just here, and he was saying the same thing. Horrific situation, absolutely, but we did the right things so far."

"Yup." Alastair glanced up as he heard someone coming down the back hallway. "Hang on, I think I'll know in a minute if you can book those flights or not."

A moment later, the door opened and Dar's tall form eased inside. She had a look on her face that Alastair had come to characterize as here comes trouble. "Hi there. Bea's on the line."

"Hi Bea," Dar responded promptly. "How are you?"

"I've had better weeks, Paladar," Bea said. "I'm sure you have too."

"Ain't that the truth," Dar sighed. "Alastair, how do you feel about ending up in Washington tonight? Gerry's offering a flight for us. I got hold of him."

"Yeah?" Alastair's brows twitched. "What's the scoop?"

Dar sat down in one of Kerry's visitors chairs. "It's--at first I thought he needed to pressure me to get the systems back up there, but he said he's been in touch with the folks on the ground and he's very happy with our response."

Alastair smiled. "That's what I like to hear." He watched Dar's face, its sharp planes twitching into a wry acknowledgement. "But?"

"But," Dar repeated. "The loss of facility down in the tip of Manhattan has knocked out the financial sector."

"Well, sure."

"They seem to think we can fix that," Dar said. "I explained to him that it's not our piece of business. We don't deal with Wall Street, that's all private service."

"Hm." Alastair looked thoughtful. "No, it's not our piece of business," he agreed. "Yet."

Dar tilted her head in acknowledgement of the unspoken words. "The government people put pressure on Gerry to get me involved, because they've got some idea I can do a fast fix, and that's their interest. They don't much care, I got the feeling, of whose business that really is, they just need it taken care of because they need to open the markets."

"Ahh." Her boss nodded sagely. "I was wondering about that. I know they closed the indexes with some mention of market stability, but knowing where they are--yes, I see their point. They can't let the bastards know they hit us that hard in the monetary groin." He nodded. "Get in there, Dar. That's not only important to them, it's also important to us. Our liquidity is tied up in those markets."

Dar gave him a look. "Gee, thanks." She groaned. "What in the hell do you expect me to do, go to New York and start running balls of twine and tin cans? Alastair, that's a lot of destruction in someplace we usually have to unearth hundred year old conduit to run through and have thirty seven pissed off unions to deal with."

"And?" Alastair inquired. "We lost a lot of facility there too, Dar. You were going to have to have people in there fixing things anyway. This is just one more tick on the task list. Call AT&T and Verizon, find out what their plan is, you know the drill."

"I know the drill," Dar said. "So back to my question. You ready to fly up and talk to the White House about all this?"

Alastair leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. "Unlooked for, Dar, and I hate to sound so mercenary given the circumstances, but this a first class opportunity for us. Of course I'll head up there with you. Are you kidding?"

Dar nodded. "Okay. I told Gerry you would," she acknowledged. "I'm waiting to hear back from his people on the pick up details."

"Great." Her boss seemed quite pleased. "Bea, can you write up something about this just to keep the board informed?"

"Absolutely," Bea responded. "So I won't bother trying to book you a flight then, I guess. You going to break the news to your wife or you want me to?"

"How big of a chicken do you think I am?" Alastair spluttered. "Good grief!"

Dar started laughing.

"Stop that." Alastair pointed at her. "You'd be a basket case if you had to tell Kerry you weren't coming up there and you know it."

Dar blushed visibly, but kept laughing.

"Pah." Her boss finally chuckled too. "I'll call her, Bea. I think she suspected it would end this way, after I told her about the Pentagon," he said. "I think I'll have to end up holding the fort there while our dynamic duo here go take on the real work."

"Dar, I have an ear in to the global conference," Bea said. "It's getting a little hectic in there. You might need to drop in--they're asking for Miami ops and I don't think Mark's on. His representative is getting squashed."

Dar got up. "Will do," she said. "I'll leave you to beg for your forgiveness in private." She sauntered over to the door and disappeared through it as her boss searched for something to throw at her. "Forget it." She stuck her head back inside the office. "Kerry doesn't leave trash around--whoa!"

A rubber ball bounced off the wall, deflected by a rapid motion of Dar's hand. "Watch it. I have darts in my office." She warned, pulling her head back in and closing the door.

Alastair chuckled then sighed. "Oh boy," he said. "I wasn't really ready to go up and duke it out with the White House this week. Bea, do me a favor and fill Ham in, will ya, while I call my wife"

"Sure," Bea said. "You tell Dar to take care of you, okay? No stabbing you with darts."

"With the amount of coffee I've had so far, I'd probably be better off with a pair of darts in my ass," her boss informed her. "Call you back, Bea."

"Will do, boss. Talk to you soon."

DAR DROPPED BACK into her seat, and gave her trackball a spin. She barely had a moment to review the information on the screen when her phone buzzed. "Yes, Maria?"

"Jefa, I have your papa on the phone for you. Line uno."

Dar pressed the key. "Hey Dad."

"Lo there, Dar." Her father's deep voice arose from the speaker. "That little girl helper of Kerry's just done left here."

"That was fast," Dar said. "Thanks for pulling a bag together for me. I'm waiting to hear back from Gerry."

"Don't they need you two in this here office?" Andy Roberts asked. "Seems like you'd be more use here then messing with those crazy people up north."

Dar leaned on her elbows, regarding the phone with some puzzled bemusement. "Well," she said. "I'm sure Kerry would much rather be here than in Washington, and I'd rather not get on a military transport when I've been up for what feels like three days but we don't really have a lot of choice."

"Why not?"

"Because it's our job, Dad."

"Silly ass company."

Dar chuckled a little. "Hey, the White House is calling for me, " she said. "What I am I supposed to say, no, I'd rather go lay in the sun with my partner?"

Andrew sighed. "World's just gone nuts," he said. "Ah just heard on the television that some of them people who took them planes down got trained to fly here."

"Here?" Dar asked. "In the states?"

"Here in this here town," her father corrected her. "They arrested some folks, and rousted a bunch more and they ain't finished yet."

Dar scanned the news ticker, seeing the confirmation there. "Crap," she muttered. "Like we aren't called a banana republic already."

"Anyhow," Andy said. "You kids be careful with them govmint people. Worse than alligators sometimes. Don't let Gerry get you into nothing, Dar.

He candy assed his way out of that last damned mess we did get into."

Dar had to privately admit that was true. "I know," she said. "I don't think this really involves Gerry though, Dad. He was just passing along the message. I'm taking my boss with me, so we should be okay."

"That Alastair feller?

"Yeah," she said. "And our corporate lawyer is going to be up there too."

"That coon ass?"

Dar snorted, and started laughing. She covered her mouth to stifle it. "Ah--yes." She cleared her throat. "Hamilton is not that backwoods, Dad. He's lived in Boston for years."

"Coon ass," Andrew grumbled.

The speaker buzzed a little. "Miami exec, this is Newark Earth."

"Hang on Dad." Dar opened her mic. "Go ahead Newark. Did you get cell back?"

"For the moment, Miami--just wanted to let you know the trucks just got here from APC. They're setting up now to generate some power for us. We just sent some of the ops staff out to get...uh..supplies."