The 22nd Secret (13 page)

J
ohnson looked up
a
t
S
t
a
nl
e
y
, who
s
ee
med to kn
o
w
w
h
a
t w
a
s
c
om
i
ng
n
e
x
t. He
g
lan
c
e
d
a
t Tom,
a
nd spoke
slow
l
y
a
nd
soft
l
y
.
“
Tom, would
y
ou
e
x
c
use
G
reg
a
nd
m
e
f
or
a
mo
m
e
nt.
W
e would l
i
ke
to
t
a
lk
i
n priv
a
te.”

“
S
u
re
.”
Tom s
e
t h
i
s att
ac
hé
ca
se
d
o
wn n
e
x
t
t
o his
c
h
a
ir
a
nd stood.
“
I
n
ee
d
a
br
e
a
k
a
n
y
w
a
y
. The
c
o
f
f
e
e
’s
g
e
t
t
i
ng
to
m
e
.”

Tom stood outs
i
de
the door
a
nd
flirt
e
d with
J
a
n;
a
wom
a
n hir
e
d f
o
r h
e
r voi
c
e
a
nd loo
k
s more
than h
e
r
o
f
f
i
c
e
skil
ls
.
S
e
v
e
r
a
l
m
inu
t
e
s pass
e
d
b
e
fo
r
e
J
ohnson inte
r
rup
t
e
d
ov
e
r
the int
e
r
c
om.

“
J
a
n,
a
sk
W
a
lker
to s
t
e
p
b
ac
k in he
r
e
ple
a
s
e
.”
S
he
sm
i
led
a
t Tom
a
nd turn
e
d to
h
e
r laptop. Tom stepp
e
d b
a
c
k throu
g
h
J
ohnson’s o
f
f
i
c
e doo
r
.
H
e
s
a
t down
a
nd
not
i
ce
d that
S
tanl
e
y h
a
d b
e
g
un p
e
rsp
i
ring
th
r
ou
g
h his shirt.

“
Tom,
I
just
c
h
ec
k
e
d with
t
he
P
r
e
sid
e
nt. He
a
g
re
e
s with G
r
e
g
a
nd m
e
.
W
e
n
ee
d to
g
e
t on th
i
s ri
g
ht a
w
a
y
.
”

“
I
th
i
nk so to
o
.
W
e
h
a
ve
to
l
o
ca
te
L
o b
e
f
o
re
he
c
a
n do
a
n
y
m
o
re
d
a
m
a
g
e
.
H
e
’s p
r
o
b
a
b
l
y b
ee
n the sou
r
c
e
of the
l
e
a
ks out of
L
os Alamos
f
o
r
y
e
a
rs.”
Tom
s
a
t up str
a
i
g
ht on
t
he
e
nd
o
f his
c
h
a
ir.

“
I
don
’
t
t
hink he
wa
s, T
o
m.”
J
ohnson
c
ont
i
nu
e
d
a
s Tom r
e
la
x
e
d b
ac
k in
t
o his
c
h
a
ir.
“
B
ut
y
o
u h
a
v
e
m
y
p
e
rmission
t
o shoot the son of
a
bi
t
c
h wh
e
n
y
ou find him. He
didn’t s
l
ip our nu
c
le
a
r
c
ompu
t
e
r s
e
c
r
e
ts
t
o the Chinese.
I
did.”

“
W
h
a
t
?
”
Tom s
t
ood up
o
ut of his ch
a
ir.

“
S
it
down, Tom,”
J
ohns
o
n said so
f
t
l
y
.
“
I
did and
s
o did
m
y
pr
e
d
ece
ss
o
rs
g
o
ing
b
a
c
k to the
B
ush
a
dm
i
nis
t
r
a
t
i
on
.
”

“
You
’
ve
g
ot
t
o be
fu
c
ki
n
g
kidd
i
n
g
.”
S
ki
l
lful
l
y
hi
d
ing
his prior
knowl
e
d
ge
of
the
L
e
v
e
l 21 te
c
hnolo
g
y
a
nd i
t
s k
e
y
pl
a
y
e
rs
he
slu
m
p
e
d
b
ac
k
d
own in his
c
h
a
ir.

“
I
know
y
ou’
v
e
done
a
h
e
ll
of a
job
t
r
y
i
n
g
to
c
ontain the Chin
e
se
le
a
ks a
n
d
h
e
lp
i
ng
with d
a
m
a
g
e
c
ontrol.
I
t
’s b
ee
n
g
r
ea
t wo
r
k
.
T
he
P
r
e
sid
e
nt r
ea
l
l
y
a
pp
r
ec
iat
e
s i
t
.
”

J
ohnson p
a
used,
lost
in
t
hou
g
ht. He
loo
k
e
d
a
t
S
t
a
nl
e
y
a
nd then into h
i
s desk.
H
e
pick
e
d up a
p
e
n
a
nd th
r
e
w it down in
dis
g
ust. “P
i
sses me
off
just
th
i
nking
a
bout
i
t.
J
ust wh
e
n it
looked l
i
ke
we
w
e
r
e
g
oi
n
g
to pu
l
l off
t
he
g
re
a
test d
e
c
e
pt
i
on in espionage
his
t
o
r
y
.
T
he
Chinese
g
e
t
t
o a
c
ouple of
our
p
e
ople.”

“
Our
p
e
ople,
y
o
u me
a
n
H
e
n
r
y
L
o.”

“
Oh
y
e
s,
I
m
e
a
n
L
o.
B
ut
P
a
t
t
y
L
a
w
r
e
n
c
e, that’s o
u
r
rea
l prob
l
e
m.
W
h
a
t d
i
d that
f
i
l
e
y
ou h
a
ve
on
L
a
w
r
e
n
c
e
tell
y
o
u
a
bout he
r
?”

“
Not
m
u
c
h.
S
he
wo
r
k
e
d
with D
r
.
W
oolum
on s
o
me of
his
t
op s
ec
r
e
t pr
o
g
ra
ms but d
i
dn’t r
e
a
l
l
y
know mu
c
h. Most
of
h
e
r
c
o
-
wo
r
k
e
rs
f
i
g
u
re
d
W
oolum
k
e
pt her
a
ro
u
nd
b
eca
use
h
e
w
a
s sle
e
ping with he
r
. D
e
finite
l
y
noth
i
n
g
in her
file
c
o
uld e
x
plain w
h
y
t
h
e
Chinese
w
o
uld
g
o to su
c
h len
g
ths
t
o
g
e
t h
e
r.
I
f th
a
t
’
s wh
a
t’s
g
oing
on
.
”