—It’s been ten years! More than that! What are you waiting for? Grandchildren?

—I had no knowledge of this child until yesterday. Even now, I cannot confirm or deny her existence, nor can I validate the claim that she is the offspring of Ms. Resnik and Mr. Couture. That is what the mission is for.

—Why send Delta Force? You could just knock on the door and ask—

—I have reason to believe the Russian Government is sending a team of its own to retrieve the child. I do not know what their intentions are, but considering what length they have been willing to go to thus far, I would not put it past them to…remove any evidence if they feel their mission will not succeed.

—They would kill the girl?

—If all else fails. I believe their ultimate goal is to assemble an alternate team of pilots and, once they are reasonably confident they can operate her, take Themis for themselves by any means necessary.

—Why?

—They probably feel that the needs of Mother Russia would be better served if the weapon were available to them without the prior approval of the United Nations, preferably on an exclusive basis.

—They want to use it against us.

—I do not believe it is their intent to do so now, but they would certainly like to have the option available, if only as a deterrent. If the London events have proven anything, it is that whoever possesses Themis shall never fear a conventional army ever again. That is a very powerful motivation.

—Why me? What do you think I can do?

—As you said, it may be as simple as knocking on the door. If possible, I would like her to leave of her own accord.

—What about her parents? She must have parents.

—The United States Government would prefer for the child to come alone.

—This isn’t a UN mission?

—It is not. Neither the UN nor the EDC are aware of it.

—Why is the US doing this?

—Perhaps they too feel that their needs would be better served if Themis were available to them without the prior approval of the United Nations.

—And you think the parents will just hand over their daughter to a complete stranger.

—You will have to convince them.

—And what if I can’t?

—Step aside. Let Delta handle it.

—Step a…How long do I have?

—I cannot tell you precisely. Minutes.

—What will Delta do?

—They will do what they need to do.

—And the parents?

—They are not part of the mission. Retrieving the child safely is the primary objective.

—They’ll kidnap a kid?

—What do you see as an alternative? They cannot simply ask the parents for their permission.

—Why not?

—Because it would imply telling them where they intend to take the girl, and the United States Government does not want its involvement known.

—So you want me to lie to them?

—I want you to convince them to let their daughter leave with you in under ten minutes. How you achieve that goal is not particularly relevant. That said, I do not believe any parent would willingly let their ten-year-old daughter be trained to pilot a giant war machine should a conflict with powerful alien beings claim the life of one of her biological parents she does not know exist. I would suggest a more compelling story.

—Even if it works, the parents will know something’s wrong when their kid doesn’t come back.

—Certainly. They will contact the authorities. At some point, they will come to the conclusion that their daughter has been abducted by a human-trafficking ring or something of the sort. You might wish to alter your appearance slightly. Wear a hat. In any case, your story need only last long enough to avoid traumatizing the child.

—This is wrong, sir.

—Indeed. Yet, it is preferable to a dozen men armed with automatic weapons storming the house and grabbing the child. Right is a luxury we do not have at this time. It is an imperfect solution to a less-than-ideal situation. I suspect there will be a lot of those in the near future.

—I won’t do it.

—Yes you will. I suggest you grab your personal effects and head over to the airport. Your flight departs in ninety minutes. You will meet with the Delta team at Fort Bragg.

—I can’t leave just now. What do I tell my boss?

—I am certain you will come up with something. Think of it as practice.

FILE NO. 1541

TRANSCRIPT—LIVE BROADCAST—ABSOLUTE RADIO

Location: London, England

—That was Jason Bajada with his hit “Down With the Protest.” We’re live from our brand-new studio in London. You’re listening to the Night Shift with Sarah Kent on Absolute Radio. So nice to be back on the air with you night owls. It is…just before one thirty. Almost time for some freebies! What do we have for you tonight? Oh, you’re gonna love these. There is something very exciting happening this Friday. You know what it is! I know you know. I’ll give you a hint. It’s happening in a galaxy far, far away. Yes! The new Star Wars movie is coming out and we have two tickets for the…let’s make it the eleventh caller. The number is: 020 7946 0946. Here’s some music while you frantically dial in. This is Muse, on Absolute Radio.

[…]

Hello there, you’re on the air.

[Hello!]

What’s your name?

[Anthony]

What do you do, Anthony?

[I work in a bagel shop on Brick Lane.]

Do you have good coffee in your bagel shop?

[Yes we do!]

All right, folks. You heard the man. If you happen to be near Brick Lane and you need a late-night snack, go see Anthony. I’ll let you in on a little secret, Anthony. The thing I like most about our new studio is the coffee. We have the best espresso machine in the UK. If you hear me go “Mmmm” between songs, I’m having another latte. Well, congratulations Anthony! You and a friend are going to the Star Wars premiere at the BFI Imax cinema.

I have some great music for you in just…What is going on? You probably can’t hear it at home but there is quite the ruckus outside. Cars blowing their horns. It’s one thirty in the morning, people!

[Sarah, you need to get out of here.]

And now I have a visitor! Did you see the big red ON AIR sign outside the door?

[Look out the window. You need to get out now.]

There is something happening outside. Probably bladdered Arsenal fans upset over that humiliating defeat. Let’s not talk about that. I know you’re all curious now, so I will look out the window and…Bloody hell!