It was nearly nine-thirty in the morning when Odin Lowe got off the plane at the airport and close to ten by the time he drove his black Saturn rental car out of the lot.

He checked the city map and then got on I-75 highway heading north.

It was raining hard, but the traffic was moving smoothly. He should be at the CDC within a half hour. If he was lucky, this might be a very quick job.

***************

It took Heero and I almost an hour on I-75 South to make it to the CDC headquarters.

Heero pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine.

“Aren’t we going inside?” I asked when he made no move to get out of the car.

Heero shook his head. “Zechs is going to meet us here. He’s a cautious man.”

“If he was cautious, he wouldn’t be involved with you.” I tried to peer out the windshield. “And he’s going to be very wet.”

“Which will only make him worse-tempered.” He nodded at a tall, lanky man in a trench coat springing across the parking lot. “Here he comes.”

Zechs Marquise opened the back door of the car, dove in, and slammed the door. “It’s a bad sign.”

“The rain?” Heero asked.

Zechs nodded gloomily. “It’s a bad sign.” He stiffened when he saw me. “Who is he?”

“A friend.”

“Oh, great. Why don’t you invite the whole world, Heero?”

“He’s safe.”

“Until they get him to testify against me.”

“No one is going to testify against you.”

“Yeah, sure. If this goes down, everyone’s going to take a fall.” He thrust the briefcase he was carrying at Heero. “Take this and let me get out of here.”

“Arigatou, Zechs.”

“Just don’t ask me to do anything else. You know you could have probably done a better job than me. This was nasty stuff.”

“Did you do a double check on the test?”

“I’m almost sure it was positive, but there was too much deterioration of the sample. We’d need a lot more to do the job.”

“I know. I’ll see to it.”

“Make it quick. And I don’t want to hear from you until then.”

Heero nodded. “I won’t bother you if I can help it.”

“Find a way to help it.” He got out of the car. “We’re even, Heero.” He hesitated, raindrops pouring down his face as he stared at Heero. “It’s real nasty. You going to be able to do anything about it?”

“With a little help from my friends.”

“I’m not your friend. Do you hear me, Heero? I’m not your friend. Don’t you bring me back into this unless you have a way of stopping it.”

“Not unless its necessary.” Heero started to back out of the parking space and then slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a black Saturn that was whipping through the parking lot. “I’ll call you.”

“Don’t.”

The black Saturn was out of the way and searching for a parking spot in the next row. Heero backed out and headed for the exit.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Zechs still standing in the rain, looking after us. “He’s scared.”

“We’re all scared, aren’t we?”

But it had shaken me to realize that an expert in the field was so terrified by the results of the tests. I then suddenly remembered something Zechs had said. “He said you could do the tests your self. Could you?”

“Given the right equipment.”

“Then are you a doctor like Zechs?”

“No one’s like Zechs.”

“Don’t sidestep. Are you?”

“Hai. A long time ago, Zechs and I went to school together.”

“Then why—”

“Did I give it up to kill people?” Heero finished. “It takes time for someone to find their true vocation. Zechs leads such a dull life.”

It was clear Heero had no intention of telling me anything more. At least I had the little bit Zechs had thrown out. It put a whole new light on Heero.

Or did it? He had been an enigma since the moment I had met him.

“Don’t worry about it.” Heero shot me a sly glance as he negotiated through the traffic towards the freeway. “I didn’t mean to overwhelm you with my myriad qualifications. Just treat me as your run-of-the-mill hit man. I’m sure you’d prefer it.”

Damn him.

I changed the subject. “Will he help us again if we need him?”

“He’ll help us.”

“He deals with dangerous germs everyday. Why did the anthrax frighten him so much?”

“It comes packaged with money. He sees the potential. Money is alive.”

I shook my head. “Money is just paper.”

“Is it? Take a twenty-dollar bill out of your wallet.”

“This is stupid.” I flipped open my wallet and extracted a twenty. “It’s just paper.”

“Tear it up.”

My hand instinctively tightened on the bill. “Don’t be ridiculous. We might need it.”

“You see, its not just paper, its alive. That twenty-dollar bill could send your kids to college, pay for your house, free you from a job you hate, buy you a heroin hit to keep your body from screaming in pain. Who’s going to refuse it even if there’s a chance there’s danger of it being contaminated? Most people think bad things are only going to happen only to the other guy.”

“I can tear it up.”

“Then do it.”

I ripped the twenty-dollar bill in two.

“Congratulations.” Then he smiled. “But what are you doing?”

“Just putting the pieces back in my wallet.”

“So that you can tape them together later.”

My eyes widened as I realized that’s exactly what I had intended to do. “It would be stupid to lose the money for a silly experiment.”

“Right.” He swung onto the freeway. “They say self-preservation is the first law. Wouldn’t you say that twenty-dollar bill has just preserved itself?”

Alive. The idea was ludicrous. No, it was frightening. Because I now understood what it meant. Money was not only currency, it was knit into the fabric of people’s lives and dreams. Dekim couldn’t have chosen a more irresistible siren to deliver the bacteria.

“Diabolical.”

“Hai.”

“But if people knew, surely they’d reject it.”

“Maybe. But when we see them tearing up or burning money, we’ll know we’re really in trouble. What emotional response do you think it would take to trigger an act like that?”

Despair. Frustration. Fury.

“There would be an anarchy. Just the situation Trieze wants. It was his idea to use the money. He planned and worked for over seven years to steal those plates from Denver.”

“Where are they making the counterfeiting money?”

“They made the pesos in Libya. I think they moved the operation earlier this year when they started making the U.S currency.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere in the U.S. is a good bet.”

“You don’t know?”

He shook his head. “But it would make sense not to have to transport the anthrax all over the world.”

“My God Heero, what do you know?”

He was silent a moment. Then, “I found reference to Waterloo, Iowa.”

“How?”

“Dekim had a lieutenant removed when he became overly curious about what was happening at Tenajo. I searched his belonging afterward.”

After Heero had killed the lieutenant himself. It was too easy to make the connection.

“Hai.” He answered my unspoken question. “And if I hadn’t done away with Quinze, I would have had enough information to take the chance of getting you out of San Andreas.”

“I didn’t say anything. I just wish it had been Dekim.”

“My, how fierce we’re getting.”

“Waterloo, Iowa.” I shook my head. I could imagine the hidden laboratory in Libya or even Mexico but not in the heartland of America. “So the lab and the counterfeiting operation are both in Iowa?”

“Probably. It’s more than likely that they transferred the counterfeiting operation to the same installation as the lab.”

Everything in place ready to move. “Where is the target?” I murmured. “And how do we find out?”

I saw a flicker of expression on his face. “Were you lying to me? Do you know where the strike is going to be?”

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“But you do have an idea?”

“Quinze had a fax from Morrisey, who’s evidently some kind of advance scout. The fax said his next stop was going to be Cheyenne.”

“You aren’t going to warn them?”

“It was mentioned in passing. No clear threat. Should I panic an entire city when it could be nothing?”

“Yes.”

“And when Dekim learns of it, he’ll just shift the target and we’ll have no chance of intercepting them.”

“I don’t care about catching them. I just don’t want another Tenajo.”

His lips tightened. “Trust me. There won’t be another Tenajo. Not if there’s any way on earth I can help it.”

But what if he couldn’t help it? I leaned back, listening to the heavy pounding of rain on the roof of the car.

Bad sign, Zechs had said.

I hoped he was wrong. We didn’t need any more bad omens staring us in the face.

***************

“I missed them.” Odin said. “I was too late.”

“There was always the possibility.” Dekim said.

“Should I stick around?”

“No, get on a plane to New Orleans.”

“Is that where he’s going?”

Dekim smiled. “Oh yes, that’s where he’s going.”

***************

“Where is this safe house?” I asked as I gazed out the window. The rain had lessened as we drove east, but it was still a steady downpour. “We’re in North Carolina now, aren’t we?”

“About twenty minutes ago. We’ll be at the house soon. It’s in Northup, a little town a bit south of here.”

“I want you to call Wufei as soon as we get there.”

He nodded. “Whatever you say. Though I told you he might not have—”

Heero’s portable phone rang. He pulled it out of his jacket and punched the answer button.

“Shit.”

There was nothing impassive about his expression now as he listened. His mouth twisted and a vein pounded in his temple. “Are you certain, Relena?” he asked. “When?”

Something was wrong, I thought. The anthrax? Had Dekim set off—

“Bullshit. I can’t do that. I won’t do it.” He disconnected the phone and his foot pressed on the accelerator.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“In a minute.” He pulled off the highway onto a small road. He shut off the engine.

“Is it the anthrax?” I asked.

“No.” He looked straight ahead. He grasped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. “There’s been a development in New Orleans.”

“A development?”

“An announcement in this morning’s Time-Picayune.”

“What are you talking about?”

“An obituary for Quatre Raberba Winner, who will be buried two days from now.”

Shock froze me. I couldn’t breathe. Then I shook my head. “No, it’s not true. It’s crazy. It’s just some vicious trick of Dekim’s.”

He shook his head.

“Don’t tell me no.” My voice was shaking. “It can’t be true. Quatre was in Mexico. How would he— It’s a lie.”

“I wish it were.” His voice was thick. “I wish to God it were, Duo. It was confirmed. He’s at the Duples Funeral Home on First Street. They body was delivered last night by an air freight service with forged health department certifications, cash, and instructions for the funeral.”

“It’s a lie. He told me before he was dead and in the morgue, but it wasn’t him. It wasn’t Quatre.”

“It’s Quatre this time. They took fingerprints and—”

“I don’t believe it. You said Wufei was going to find him, that he was going to bring him—”

“He’s dead, Duo.”

I wouldn’t believe it. If I believed it, then it might come true. “No, I’ll show you. I’m going to New Orleans and I’ll go to the funeral home and I’ll prove—”

“No.” He suddenly turned and drew me into his arms. “I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry.”

He was trying to comfort me, I thought dully. But I couldn’t accept it. Accepting comfort would be the same as admitting Quatre was dead. “I’m going to see him.”

“It’s a trap. Why do you think Dekim sent him to New Orleans? It’s where you live. He knew we’d be monitoring everything that went on there. He wanted to draw you there.”

“So he killed him?”

He didn’t answer for a moment. “He didn’t have to kill him. He’s been dead for a long time. We think he dies of anthrax that first night in Tenajo.”

“No, he wasn’t sick. And he wasn’t at San Andreas. It wasn’t—”

“Shh.” His fingers buried in my hair and his voice was uneven. “I can’t take it. I never thought it would be like this.”

“I have to go. He’s not dead. I know it. He’s not—”

“Duo. He’s dead and Dekim wants you dead too. I can’t let you go to New Orleans.”

I pushed him away. “You can’t keep me from going to him.”

“Look, Relena’s rushing the DNA test. They’ll have absolute proof within a day or so.”

“Screw their proof. It’s not true.” It was all lies. “Start this car. Take me to an airport, any airport.”

“No.” He looked away from me. “I can’t do that.”

“You have to do it. I’m not going to any safe house. You can do without your damn witness.”

He shook his head.

“Don’t you tell me no. It’s my life.”

“No, it’s not. Not entirely.”

What was he saying?

“There’s a very good possibility you have an immunity to the mutated anthrax.” He said.

I looked at him in bewilderment. “Immunity.”

“You should have died at Tenajo. Everyone else did.”

“You said the anthrax dissipated too soon.” He shook his head. “It had weakened, but it was still potent enough to do the job. It killed him”

“It didn’t kill Quatre. Dekim—”

“It killed him, Duo.” A muscle in his cheek jerked. “You survived. Why do you think Dekim didn’t kill you right away? He couldn’t understand why you didn’t die, and he wanted to run blood tests.”

“I don’t remember—” The Band-Aid covering the needle marks. Not all sedative injections as I had thought. “Blood tests.”

“Dekim didn’t broadcast what he was doing, but I knew he didn’t like what he found.”

“What… did he find?”

“Immune antibodies.”

“You can know that.”

“Yes, I can. I stole one of the blood samples from the hospital lab before I took you out of San Andreas. Zechs ran a test last night. There was too much deterioration for it to be useful, but it test positive for immunity. Do you know what that means? It may cut the time for developing a serum from nearly a year to weeks or even days.” He paused. “That’s why you can’t take any risks. You’re the answer, Duo. We’ll need to take frequent blood samples from you so the CDC can work on a cure that will stop Dekim in his tracks.”

The answer. I didn’t want to be the answer to anything. I just wanted everything to be the same as it was before Tenajo. I just wanted Quatre to be alive and well.

And Quatre was alive. I had almost let Heero convince me that he was dead, that he was in that funeral home in New Orleans. “I’m going to see him.”

“They’ll be waiting for you.”

“So you need to protect your precious blood supply. I’m sorry to inconvenience you, but you’ll have to take a new sample in New Orleans.” I added bitterly. “Unless you want to follow Dekim’s footsteps and lock me up and keep me under sedation.”

“That option has been suggested.” When I stiffened he added roughly, “Do you think I’d let them do that to you? I’m just telling you the truth so you’ll realize how important this is. Relena didn’t even want me to tell you about his death.”

“He’s not dead.” I said woodenly.

“If you believe that, why run the risk of walking into Dekim’s trap?”

Because I had to know, I had to be sure. “If I’m immune then Quatre is too, and he’s always been healthier than me. I’m the one who always caught the colds and the—”

“It doesn’t work like that.” He said gently.

“And Iris,” I said desperately. “What about Iris? Iris didn’t die. Iris has to be immune too.”

He shook his head. “Iris has no immune antibodies. Dekim lost interest in her almost immediately. She was just lucky enough not to have been exposed to the money by actual physical contact. You and him were going from house to house and had to come into contact with the money at some point.”

The cantina, the general store—I couldn’t even remember all the places. Had we touched the pesos, pushed them aside as we tried to help—

I was becoming frightened. Heero’s logic was too convincing and I had to shut it out. “It’s not true. It’s not him. Take me to New Orleans and let me show you.”

He didn’t move.

My hands clenched at my side. “Please, Heero.” I whispered. “Onegai.”

“Goddammit.” He turned on the ignition. “It’s faster to go back to Atlanta. We can get a direct flight to New Orleans from there.”

Relief flooded me. “Arigatou, Heero.”

“For what?” He entered the highway with a violence that caused the tires to squeal. “Being stupid? Taking a chance that may get you killed? Taking a chance that could kill a city?” He picked up the telephone and dialed a number. “We’re coming Relena.” He listened for a moment and then said, “I don’t give a damn. We’re coming. So pull out the stops on security.” He pressed the end button and dialed again. “Meet us in Atlanta airport at the Hertz check-in desk in an hour, Zechs. I’ll have the sample for you.” He hung up again. “When we get to the airport, I need to take blood from you and give it to Zechs Marquise.”

“How are—”

“I told Zechs to include a kit in the briefcase he gave me this morning. I knew I’d have to get a sample to him as soon as possible.”

“So you were prepared,” I said slowly. “When were you going to tell me?”

“After I had you safe. But I wanted to tell you right away.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I couldn’t risk it. You couldn’t think of anything but your sister. If you knew how valuable you were to Dekim, you might have tried to arrange a swap for Quatre.”

“And you couldn’t permit that.”

“I couldn’t permit that,” he said grimly. “Any more than I can take you to New Orleans without getting that sample. It will give Zechs a small chance even if Dekim kills you.”

The bluntness of his words should have unnerved me, but it didn’t. I had to retain control, or I would fly into a thousand pieces. I had to hold myself together until I got to Qua— Oh, God it couldn’t be Quatre.

Quatre was safe, hiding somewhere in those hills in Mexico. There were so many places to hide. Iris and I had found caves and hollows and—

It wasn’t Quatre.