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had. Now move!”
    His answer was a cloudburst of angry shouts and a sudden surging forth of the mob. “Wait a minute!” Perez shouted—but his voice blended with all the others and was lost … and an instant later his body jerked with agony and numbness and the world tilted crazily and went dark.

Chapter 3
    â€œI S THIS,” MEREDITH ASKED icily, “your idea of staying put?”
    Standing with the stiffness of a sentry at the admin building door, the marks of dragged bodies still visible in the dust around him, Dunlop nevertheless wasn’t giving an inch. “I went out to talk as you suggested, Colonel. The mob moved forward, and my men opened fire in my defense. Frankly, sir, I don’t see the problem. We only had to stun a few of them before the rest dispersed, and they’ll think twice about starting trouble now.”
    â€œâ€˜The problem,’ as you call it, we’ll discuss later,” Meredith said, working hard to keep the fury out of his voice. He had no desire to tear Dunlop apart in front of junior officers, but that resolve was fading fast. “Now, where’s this person you arrested and what makes you think he was one of the leaders?”
    â€œHis name is Cristobal Perez, one of the field workers. He was in the front of the mob and led the move forward.”
    â€œI want to talk to him.”
    â€œIf you’d like—but I can tell you right now he’s not very cooperative. We’re holding him in one of the offices in back.”
    â€œAll right.” Meredith glanced once more at the scuffle marks on the ground and gestured Andrews to his side. “I want you and the others to locate and get statements from all the soldiers who were involved in this. Make it clear we aren’t out for scalps, just information. When you finish with them, look up any civilian witnesses or participants and repeat.”
    â€œYes, sir,” the aide nodded. “Do you want any of the Spanish speakers to stay with you?”
    â€œProbably should. Who’s best?”
    â€œCarmen Olivero,” Andrews said, gesturing to the attractive woman standing quietly among the uniformed men. The only one among them in civilian dress … on a hunch, Meredith nodded.
    â€œMiss Olivero, come with me. Let’s go, Major.”
    Dunlop led them inside and down a couple of corridors to a door flanked by two stunner-carrying soldiers. The guards came to attention; without bothering to knock, Dunlop opened the door and went in.
    Cristobal Perez was stretched out on his back on the floor in front of the desk, a wadded-up jacket serving as makeshift pillow. About twenty-five or twenty-six, Meredith automatically estimated, his face already showing the first signs of a lifetime out under the sun. His eyes, which had been shut, opened briefly to survey the newcomers and then closed again. “I don’t suppose you brought a doctor this time,” he said tiredly.
    â€œAll you need is rest,” Dunlop told him. “The effects’ll wear off in another hour or so. On your feet now—Colonel Meredith has some questions.”
    â€œColonel Meredith, eh?” Perez made no move to get up, but his eyes opened again, shifting from Meredith to Carmen and back. “You always let men in your command fire on unarmed civilians, Colonel?”
    â€œBe thankful they were only using stunners,” Meredith countered, watching the other’s face closely. “Other mob control methods are just as uncomfortable and usually take longer to go away.”
    A flash of anger swept Perez’s face at the word mob; but instead of the verbal explosion Meredith had expected, the Hispanic seemed to withdraw behind a stony mask. “You obviously haven’t been shot by one of the damn things,” he said, closing his eyes again.
    â€œNo. But I have been shot with real bullets. How about telling me what happened out there?”
    â€œMy word