Sam stopped at the gate and picked up the GEM box on the passenger seat. Activating it he keyed selected the freak for the gate and punched in the code. The gate opened and he drove through. The only other cars were a vintage Pontiac Trans-Am and a 90-something white Corvette. He knew the Pontiac was Bryan's ride. He hadn't seen the Corvette before.

Maybe a woman, he likes women that like fast cars.

Sam parked his Jeep a space away from the Trans-Am and got out. The door opened before he reached it, a young woman holding it for him.

"Thanks," he said as he went in. She followed and sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. Bryan was seated behind the desk.

Sam sat down in the other chair. Bryan was doing something with the computer, mostly using the keyboard.

"Be just a minute," he said. "Marianne, that's Sam in case you hadn't guessed." He continued typing.

"Don't believe we've met," Sam said. "Hello Marianne."

Marianne smiled.

"We haven't. I'd remember."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Sam said with a grin. Got a nice smile in return.

Marianne looked to be in her early thirties, tall, Sam guessed her at five seven. Very dark auburn hair, shoulder length, contained by a silver ring. She was dressed in khaki, military web belt and pants tucked into brown calf high boots. Brass tips on the toes of the boots, triple buckled straps around the tops. Bulge near the top of one that was probably a knife.

Bryan always has good looking women around, and they don't look dangerous.

Unless you know that to look for.

Bryan finished or got to a stopping point and looked up.

"I don't suppose you two solved any of my problems in the last couple of minutes."

"Hafta know what they are to figure that out," Sam replied. "You said I maybe ought to get up here so I got up here."

"I didn't want to spill too much," Bryan said, "even on a secure link. What do you know about about Red Salamander?"

"Probably more than I'm supposed to," Sam replied. "Since it isn't supposed to exist."

"Yet you do know something, if only that it exists."

"Word is it's some sort of doomsday weapon. Possibly in the form of some super ninja commando force. About it."

"And that's it?"

"About. Couple of times, chatter around Silverlake, apparently some of them were there. Other time was at Coppertree. figured it was the same bunch."

"Know who the chatterers were?"

"No idea. Had the feeling it was a slip-up."

"Sloppy work," Bryan said. "Probably the locals. Both operations involved some of our agents."

"Our?"

"I'm surprised you didn't already know. This is one of the bases."

"I didn't dig into it. You going to enlighten me?"

"Red Salamander is pretty much what you called it," Bryan said.