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eg； fracturing the kneecap。 He went down just as Nicholas struck his collarbone with a teeth…rattling blow。
Nicholas scooped up the AK…47 and sprinted across the pound； pulling the burning feces off his arm。 His roll across the packed earth had already put out most of the fire； and he continued to damp down his pain receptors while he tried to keep from inhaling the stench of his burned flesh。
As he zigzagged across the pound； he tried to figure out what Mick Leonforte's motive might have been for leaving the lit cigar butt within his reach。 He strongly doubted it could have been anything but deliberate。 Had Mick wanted him to escape； and if so； why？ He thought he had an inkling。
Up ahead； there was a storm of motion。 The AK…47 gunfire had not gone unnoticed； and what seemed an entire squad of men who had been loading the trucks were ing his way in double time。 Nicholas ducked behind the corner of a thatched shed and； taking a bead on the last truck in line … the one nearest him … fired at the fuel tank。
The explosion rocked the pound； scattering the men who weren't caught in the percussion。 Nicholas darted from his hiding place and dashed for the doorway through which he had seen Mick disappear。 He reached it while the echoes of the eruption were still thundering and plumes of black； oily smoke obscured the farthest buildings。
He had expected offices or sleeping quarters； but instead he found himself in a glass…walled anteroom overlooking what appeared to be a series of climate…controlled laboratories。 He took a rough…concrete staircase down； then went through two metal doors。 The atmosphere had changed radically。 It was now noticeably cold； all the humidity had been sucked out； and he knew he was breathing recycled air。
Still in Tau…tau he recalled word for word the defecting scientist Niigata's detailed description of the laboratory plex； he already had a plete image of this building's layout in his mind； and he headed straight for Abramanov's lab。
Two men armed with machine pistols raced around a corner。 Nicholas； who had felt the vibrations of their psyches； headed into them。 He kicked out； catching one in the groin。 He slammed into the second。 The machine pistol went off； showering them with shards of concrete and sparks。 The lights in the corridor winked out。 The man lifted his weapon high； intending to bring the butt down on Nicholas's head。 Nicholas raised one arm； gripping the machine pistol； bringing it back down in the arc the man had intended。 As Nicholas did so； and seeming not to move at all； he shifted his upper torso out of the way。 When the machine pistol was waist high； he jammed the heel of his other hand under the man's left elbow； jerked it sharply upward。 The man lost his balance and went over； and Nicholas used a kite against his windpipe。
He went inexorably on； knowing he was nearly at Abramanov's lab。 The steel door was just ahead of him； and he put his shoulder to it。 It banged open and he raced inside。
There he found Abramanov。 He was on his knees； and Nicholas； projecting his psyche； knew he was too late。 He knelt beside the stricken Russian。 He had been shot through the stomach； Rock had picked a particularly painful way for him to die。
〃Abramanov。〃 Nicholas wrapped the Russian in Tau…tau。 If he could not save his life； then he could at least make his last moments more tolerable。
The Russian gasped； perhaps with the release from the blinding pain。 His watery eyes looked up as Nicholas supported him。
〃Who …〃
〃Where is Torch？〃
〃Rock。。。 Rock took it。。。〃 The Russian's face was pale with the massive loss of blood。 Nicholas could feel the life force fading； and he suppressed the pain receptors to their full limit。 If he was not exactly inside Abramanov's mind； he was close enough to feel the encroachment of death。 Even Tau…tau had its limits。
〃Where is Rock？〃
〃Outside。。。 the pound。〃 Tears leaked out of Abramanov's eyes and his nostrils flared。 His lungs were filling with fluid。 〃The danger。。。 you don't know。。。 There's more than。。。〃
Nicholas could hear in his mind the beating； as of the wings of an angel。 Then Abramanov pitched forward into his arms。
18
Tokyo/Virginia/Floating City
Every Friday at precisely six P。M。 Tetsuo Akinaga went to the o…furo； the public baths his father had erected decades ago。 He took with him more than a dozen men； all of them armed； who swarmed through the o…furo with the thorough determination of carpenter ants before the oyabun set foot inside the bathhouse。
Akinaga was justifiably proud of the o…furo his father had built。 Not that he himself was prone to such magnanimous gestures to the public weal； he did not have his father's disagreeable penchant for wanting to be loved and admired。 Akinaga reveled in his outcast status； he wanted no opportunity to wade in among the masses。 This weekly pilgrimage to the o…furo was a rite of respect for the memory of his father that the members of his clan spoke of endlessly。
As he disrobed in the steamy cedar locker room； Akinaga thought it ironic that in life Tsunetomo had fatuously mismanaged clan affairs； but in death he had been elevated to a status close to that of the emperor。 Deification was a natural concept to the Japanese； who were brought up to think of themselves as apart from the rest of the human race。 Making a cult of Tsunetomo among the Shikei had been Akinaga's idea； it increased his influence while securing his position as oyabun。 Like the Tokugawa shogunate； which lasted two hundred years； Akinaga was determined that his familial line would endure as oyabun of the Shikei for decades to e。 He would not allow a replay of the clever coup Mikio Okami had engineered within the Yamauchi； ousting Seizo and Mitsuba Yamauchi； replacing them with Tomoo Kozo； a man outside the traditional lineal descendants。
He stepped into the tiled shower room； sat on a low wooden stool while one of his men poured hot water over him from a cedar bucket。 He soaped up； then was rinsed off； the water sluicing away through the aromatic cedar slats。 No one； other than his own men； shared the shower room with him。
Then he rose and； acpanied by six of his men； entered the o…furo proper。 Steam rose from the six tiled pools sunk into the floor。 Laced with herbs； each had a different medicinal property。
Akinaga； as was his habit； entered the birch pool； which had been cleared of other bathers。 From the surrounding pools； men with cloths over their heads to keep the sweat from the clean water watched furtively as the oyabun settled himself in the deliriously hot water。 He spread his legs out； leaned back against the tiles； and closed his eyes to slits。 He thought of a haiku and； with its imagery； Ushiba。 It seemed to him a shame that the Daijin had proved such a disappointment。 He had planned to utilize Ushiba's influence inside MITI to solidify his economic position among the so…called reformers of the splintered Liberal Democratic Party。 He recognized that Japan was changing； slowly； agonizingly being more Americanized； as Akira Chosa would have said。
In the purely pragmatic manner he missed Ushiba； he felt Chosa's absence as well Chosa had known the Americans； he woul