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  Sights, sounds, and scents merged to create a wonderful environment to meet in or just think. It was a cheerful, busy place, but today it wasn’t enough to snap the Net Force Explorers out of their gloom.

  “What next?” Megan asked after Matt called the meeting to order.

  The others looked at Matt Hunter expectantly, waiting for him to decide their next course of action.

  Matt returned their stare. “I say we keep trying to contact Julio, but I’m also willing to listen to anybody’s suggestion for our next move.”

  “I still think we should go public,” Andy Moore said once again. The others objected, but not so vehemently this time.

  Matt worried that they would soon disobey Jay Gridley’s instructions not to tell anyone else about this while Net Force investigated on its own.

  Even Matt himself was having doubts. Though he kept them to himself, he couldn’t help but feel that so far the State Department and the government of Corteguay were giving everyone the runaround. Their delaying tactics were costing valuable time, time in which anything could be happening to Julio and his family. Maybe the Net Force Explorers should go public themselves, or at least leak the story to the press or something.

  David Gray felt the same way, and he said so.

  “Why don’t we alert the media?” David said. “Surely someone will listen to us. Corteguay’s in the news; there’s always someone looking for a story.”

  “There are risks in going public,” Matt warned. “It might force the Corteguan government into doing something really bad, like making Julio and his family disappear to hide the truth.”

  “Haven’t they done that already?” Megan asked.

  “But maybe not permanently—at least not yet,” Matt said.

  That gave them all room for pause.

  The Net Force Explorers were still debating various courses of action when they were interrupted by a familiar voice.

  “Permission to join the meeting?” Jay Gridley asked, to everyone’s astonishment. The head of Net Force almost never came down to this level of the Net, let alone to the Net Force Explorers’ Lounge. Though his tone and demeanor indicated that this was a social call, Matt couldn’t help feeling that it was a surprise inspection by his commanding officer.

  “Permission granted, sir,” Matt said.

  “With pleasure,” Megan O’Malley seconded.

  The head of Net Force sat down, and placed a two-inch datascript icon on the table in front of him. Everyone recognized the logo on the ‘script. It was today’s Washington Times.

  “I was expecting you to report to me as soon as you got back,” Mr. Gridley said.

  Matt frowned. “The problem is that we don’t have anything to report ” They told him about Julio failing to appear in today’s simulator.

  “Don’t give up,” Mr. Gridley said. “There could be a lot of reasons for that.” He tapped the datascript with his index finger. “Like this, for instance.”

  He placed the datascript into the computer and the front spread of the newssheet was displayed, glittering in midair, where everybody could see it. Gridley pointed at one of the lead stories.

  The headline read: “FIND THE MISSING CANDIDATE.” The subhead asked, “How Can Ramon Cortez Win Corteguay’s Election Without Campaigning?”

  The story was written by someone named Carrie Page.

  “Is this good or bad?” Matt asked.

  Jay Gridley thought about it for a minute before he replied.

  “It puts pressure on Corteguay’s regime,” he said. “No doubt about that. But the pressure could have positive or negative results. It’s up to the Corteguans. The ball is in their court.”

  “I’ll bet it puts pressure on the State Department, too,” Megan said.

  Gridley nodded and smiled conspiratorially.

  “Apparently so,” he said. “I’ve been in contact with Ms. Page of the Times, and she thinks she may have forced the State Department’s hand.”

  “In what way?” David Gray asked.

  “She has been requesting a travel visa to enter Corteguay for months,” he told them. “So far, her requests have been denied. But now she thinks that State will have to arrange a video conference in the next few days. Other members of the media are becoming interested, and Ms. Page is very persistent. To satisfy her, and several other news organizations that have been asking questions, State has opened some diplomatic channels. We should see some results in a few hours.”

  “Video conferences can be faked,” Megan said. “Remember the Zaibatsu coup in Japan. That holoform Emperor fooled everyone, for a while at least.”

  “Yeah,” Mark Gridley said. “But that was the Japanese. They have some of the best virtual equipment in the world. We’re talking about Corteguay now. How can they fool ws?”

  “Don’t be too quick to dismiss their veeyar capabilities,” his father said. “They’ve had help in the past. From Cuba Libre, and from the Asian Freebooters.”

  Matt had heard of both terrorist groups. Cuba Libre was a cadre of true believers, who still fought for Fidel Castro’s cause, left over from the days when Castro and his communists were ousted and sent into exile in Iran.

  The Freebooters were even tougher. They had a new and original political agenda. The Freebooters believed that the achievement of any single individual was automatically the property of everyone—hence all copyrights and trade treaties were invalid and unjust.

  Naturally, the Freebooters’ philosophy caused them to pirate every invention they could get their hands on. That kind of pirating was theft, pure and simple—computer crime’s newest twist.

  “Well,” Matt asked, “if the Corteguans can trick us, then what’s to stop them from doing it?”

  Jay Gridley looked right at him. “You,” he said.

  An hour after the Net Force Explorer meeting broke up, Matt Hunter, who was ordered by Jay Gridley to stick around after the meeting, was summoned to the office of Net Force’s head—in reality. A short trip on the autobus later, he sat in front of Jay Gridley.

  “Matt,” Gridley said, “I’d like you to meet Mr. Walter Paulson, of the State Department.”

  Matt took a look at the man, shook his hand, and wondered if he was touching a snake. He had inherited his father’s abhorrence of Ivy League types, and Paulson was a prime example of the breed, right down to the school tie and the tweed blazer with leather patches on the elbows.

  “The State Department needs your help, Mr. Hunter,” Paulson said after they sat down. “I hope you will not refuse us.”

  “What can I do for you?” Matt asked.

  “Tomorrow evening, we have arranged a video conference with some members of the Cortez family,” he said. Matt’s heart leaped, but he remained outwardly calm.

  “Ramon Cortez will speak with some members of the national press,” Paulson continued. “Due to the concerns expressed by Mr. Gridley here, we have also arranged a second video conference following the first. A conference with your friend, Julio Cortez.”

  “And you want me to attend,” Matt said.

  Walter Paulson nodded. “In the interest of your own peace of mind,” he said.

  “What about my friends?” Matt asked. “Will they be allowed to attend, too?”

  Paulson nodded. “Just as long as their questions are brief. We’ll only have a few minutes.”

  “That’s fine,” Matt said.

  “The State Department makes only one more request,” Paulson said. Matt and Jay Gridley waited for the other shoe to drop.

  “We know that Ms. Carrie Page, a reporter for the Washington Times, would like to be allowed to attend your conference. She may want to interview you and the other Net Force Explorers afterwards.”

  Inwardly, Matt breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  “That would be fine, Mr. Paulson,” he said. Then Walter Paulson rose, signaling the end of the meeting.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said. “Seven o’clock. The conference will take place right
here at Net Force. I look forward to seeing everyone, and to putting this matter to rest once and for all….”

  Twelve hours later, the Net Force Explorers were gathered outside one of Net Force headquarters’ main conference rooms. As they loitered near the closed doors. Matt wondered what was going on inside.

  According to Jay Gridley, who had stopped to speak to them before going in, what was taking place now was the first video conference with Ramon Cortez, Julio’s father. At that closed session, Ramon Cortez would be interviewed by several members of the press, who would then pool their stories with other news agencies.

  The presidential candidate would also be grilled by Lettie Hanratty, the former U.S. ambassador to Corteguay.

  None of the Net Force Explorers were permitted to attend that formal conference. Their less formal talk with Julio was scheduled for after the main event, whenever that would be.

  Already, the first conference had gone over the allotted time, and the Net Force Explorers could do nothing more than wait for their turn. Their impatience began to show. Matt, especially, was growing anxious. The longer he waited, the more he worried.

  Matt wondered if he had the brains to outsmart a hostile government. So much was riding on his actions today—including Julio’s life. Was he going to be the victim of a government cover-up? Or was he really going to be speaking with his best friend?

  I hope so, Matt thought with a sigh. But he still had nagging doubts that just wouldn’t go away.

  Across the hall, Megan sat with David Gray. The two of them seemed composed, compared to Matt. Well, all they have to do is listen, he thought enviously. They didn ‘t know Julio as well as I did.

  Then Matt turned to the youngest member of the group.

  There was tension on Mark Gridley’s young face too. The thirteen-year-old had known Julio well, though not as well as Matt. Matt Hunter hoped that he could trust the Squirt to smell out any deceptions he missed.

  At that moment, the double doors swung open and a group of reporters filed out of the conference room, talking furiously. The reporters were already starting to think through their stories for the various media.

  Walter Paulson also emerged from the conference room with an assistant in tow. He walked right past Matt, but didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead, he concentrated on speaking with the reporters, trying to gauge the drift of the stories they would soon file.

  From what Matt could hear, the State Department policy wonk was working on spin control, not on getting at the truth. Matt tuned the man’s words out. He preferred to make his own decision, thank you very much.

  Jay Gridley emerged next. The head of Net Force was speaking with a tall, striking, reed-thin woman with craggy features, a shock of wild gray hair, and intelligent eyes. Matt recognized her instantly. Lettie Hanratty, the former ambassador to Corteguay.

  The woman was smiling as she spoke, and Matt wondered if that meant she was satisfied by the conference.

  Jay Gridley spotted the Net Force Explorers out of the corner of his eye, but he could not politely break away from Ms. Hanratty, who was speaking intently about some topic or other.

  Suddenly, a beautiful young woman with short red hair burst out of the crowd of reporters. She was wearing a skintight black jumpsuit, and high-heeled boots in a fashionable faux-animal-skin print, and right now she was pushing through the crowd toward Matt. She stopped right in front of him.

  “You must be Matt Hunter of the Net Force Explorers,” she said, her voice sweet and surprisingly girlish. “My name is Carrie Page. I’m a reporter for the Washington Times.”

  She thrust out her hand, and Matt shook it. Her grip was firm, yet still feminine. Matt was impressed by the combination. The woman’s striking green eyes stared at Matt intensely, as if she were trying to memorize every detail of his appearance for memory access later. Matt judged her to be in her early twenties—not that much older than he was, Matt realized.

  After a moment her intense gaze made him uncomfortable, and Matt hoped he didn’t blush. Carrie Page pushed some hair away from her forehead and raised her computer.

  “So, how long have you known Julio Cortez?” she asked, getting down to business. When he answered, Matt knew that the datapad she carried was recording every thing he was saying.

  She sure is thorough, Matt marveled. He liked that in a woman….

  Fifteen minutes later, Walter Paulson led the Net Force Explorers, Jay Gridley, and Carrie Page back into the video conference room. Due to the unusual rules that governed press contacts in Corteguay, they wouldn’t be using virtual technology for this interview. Two-dee technology was all that was allowed. As a result, they were treated to the unusual sight of a large flat-screen dominating the far wall, with all the chairs in the room lined up facing it.

  A technician sat at the control board, waiting for his cue to reestablish communication with Corteguay.

  Before that occurred, Walter Paulson went to the front of the room and addressed them briefly.

  “This call will only last about five minutes,” he said. “Mateo Cortez only has access to the government video facility for a limited period of time, and the first conference took considerably longer than Mateo had budgeted for.”

  Matt listened calmly, but inside he was in turmoil. Mark Gridley sat on his right, and Carrie Page on his left. As Paulson spoke, the journalist ignored the bureaucrat and continuously made notes on her computer’s datapad. Matt’s close proximity to this lovely woman increased his discomfort, but he tried to tough it out as best he could.

  Finally, Paulson finished his speech, and nodded toward the technician. The man at the control board, in obvious defiance of the State Department wonk, turned and faced his own boss.

  Jay Gridley nodded too, and the technician went to work.

  A moment later, the flat-screen came to life in a swirl of colors. Then, quicker than anyone expected, the smiling face of Julio Cortez appeared on the screen.

  The image was fairly clear, but disconcerting in appearance to Matt and his friends, who’d grown up in the age of holographic, three-dimensional broadcasts. The audio was crystal clear, however, and the group could even hear the sounds of people speaking in the background, out of camera range.

  Julio was wearing a blue silk shirt under his leather flight jacket. When the connection was completed, Julio focused on Matt, who was sitting in the front row.

  “Matt, mi hombre” Julio said with a twinkle of his eye. “How you doin’?”

  Before Matt could reply, Julio’s gaze shifted.

  “It’s the Squirt!” Julio said, pointing at Mark Gridley. “I see you haven’t grown much. My sister Juanita could still take you, kid!”

  Mark smiled, but said nothing. As per Walter Paulson’s instructions, he waited his turn.

  “I’m doing just fine, Julio,” Matt finally said guardedly. “How about you? How are things in Corteguay?”

  “This place is really something,” Julio continued. “There’s good and there’s bad. Like anywhere else, I guess.”

  Out of the corner of his eyes, Matt noticed Mark Gridley staring at the screen. The Squirt was still smiling, though, apparently convinced that they were really talking to Julio Cor-tez.

  “You should see the computers they got here, man,” Julio continued on, rolling his eyes as he spoke. “Yesterday I saw a Macintosh, with one of those old-fashioned mouse things on it. Some guy was working with that antique, can you believe it? The Mac wasn’t in a museum. It was still being used!”

  Matt heard some of the Net Force Explorers chuckle.

  “I even saw an old word processor,” Julio continued. “I said to the guy running it, ‘Hey, man, why don’t you get a typewriter?’ Real sarcastic, you know? He said, seriously, that he had one in the other room, but he just wasn’t using it today!”

  The image of Julio on the screen shook his head in amazement, and Matt recognized the gesture as pure Julio.

  “But it’s not all bad,” Julio went on. “The girls
here are very impressive. And ‘cause my dad’s running for president, I’m being treated like a pop star!”

  Then Julio’s eyes narrowed, and he focused on Carrie Page.

  “I see you’ve been real busy too, Matt,” Julio said with a trace of envy. “Introduce me to the lady beside you.”

  Matt, almost blushing, introduced Julio to Ms. Page. She nodded a greeting, but did not speak, leaving the valuable conference time to Matt and the Net Force Explorers, as the State Department representative had requested.

  “We really miss you, Julio,” Matt said.

  “I miss you guys too,” Julio said. “But as soon as my dad is elected president, we’ll get some veeyar technology here in Adello and we can all play together again.”

  “So you don’t have much opportunity to use veeyar?” Megan O’Malley asked from the second row.

  Julio smiled. “Hey, Megan,” he said. “I didn’t see you back there.”

  “Yeah,” Mark Gridley chimed in. “How do you live without veeyar?”

  Julio shook his head. “It’s tough, I’ll tell you. I really miss the flight simulators!”

  “You’re missing the Century of Military Aviation competitions,” Mark continued. “We could really use you in there.”

  ‘Til bet you’re all doing just fine without me,” Julio said humbly. “Even you, Squirt!”

  Mark smiled. “I shot down a Messerschmitt yesterday,” he said proudly.

  ”Good for you!” Julio said enthusiastically.

  “We have to fight screaming out your call sign, Julio,” Matt said in a neutral voice. “Until you moved, when we got into real trouble, we always knew who to call.”

  “Don’t worry,” Julio said, turning his back to the video-camera so that the Net Force Explorers could read the glow-script on his jacket. “The Ace of Aces will soon fly again!”

  At that moment, Matt’s heart went cold. He felt Mark stiffen at his side. But the Squirt held on to his control.

  Matt did too, though it was hard.