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either.
    “Stop,”
the man said, and took a step toward her.
    Chal did not
hesitate. She turned and ran, kicking her heels off as she allowed
her fear to fuel her muscles. Behind her she heard the man yelling at
her, and then his steps as he began to chase her.
    She aimed for the
elevator but then cut right, slipping sideways through the rows of
tightly parked cars. The man chasing her had to cut through as well,
but his large size slowed him down in between the cars. Chal felt
herself gaining distance and broke out from between the rows, heading
straight for the car exit.
    There was a black
van driving alongside the exit ramp, and she waved her arms through
the metal grating as it sped forward.
    “Help!”
she cried out. “Stop! Help me!”
    The black van pulled
around to the exit ramp, stopping twenty feet in front of her. The
side door opened, and Chal’s heart dropped.
    Two more men stepped
out of the van. Both were in suits.
    She opened her mouth
to scream, but an arm came around from behind her and muffled the
sound. She felt a hot pinprick on her neck, and then the warm
numbness of the sedative took her over, paralyzing her muscles. The
last thing she saw before the darkness swept over her vision was a
man in a suit standing above her, looking down with an expression
that bore no emotion. His eyes were a piercing blue.
    “I’m
sorry, Dr. Davidson,” he said. “We need you to come with
us.”
    ***

CHAPTER TWO
    Chal awoke to the
hum of an engine, her neck cricked badly at an angle. She peered
under her slitted eyelids, her vision still blurred, and realized she
was buckled into something. She opened her eyes. It was a bench seat
on one side of the van.
    The lecture.
    Chal’s head
snapped up with the sudden memory of her abduction. There was only
one overhead light illuminating the back of the van, two long black
leather seats running alongside both sides. The man with blue eyes
was sitting on the long seat on the opposite side of the van. He was
alone in his seat, but two large men in suits sat on opposite sides
of her. She was trapped.
    “Hello,”
he said. “I’m sorry to meet again under these
circumstances.” He reached forward and offered his hand. She
stared at it as though it could bite.
    “Where are you
taking me?” Chal asked. Her throat rasped with the dryness
caused by the sedative, and she tried to figure out if she could
reach over to the driver of the van, maybe cause an accident –
    “Phoenix,”
the man said. “Or rather, just outside of Phoenix.” His
voice was pleasant but firm. Chal had no idea if he was telling the
truth or not, and his face told just as little to her as his tone.
    “Who are you?”
Chal asked. Her eyes darted between the men sitting on either side of
her. They were both staring straight ahead. She slid her left hand
slowly down her hip, inching it closer to the seatbelt release.
    “Lieutenant
Johnner,” the man said. “Gray Johnner. I’m with the
M.I.D.” He pulled out a badge from his suit and held it in
front of her face. The letters were wavy, and she frowned, trying to
steady her vision.
    “The M.I.D.?”
Chal asked. She couldn’t believe it.
    “Military
Intelligence Department,” the man said, putting his badge back
into his pocket.
    “I know what
it stands for,” Chal said. Her voice began to rise in anger.
“Why have you kidnapped me?”
    “I assure you,
Miss Davidson – ”
    “ Dr .
Davidson.” Chal’s hand rested on top of the seatbelt
release. She could lash out with her feet, push herself toward the
front of the van. She could do it. Maybe. Her heart was pounding.
    “I’m
sorry. Dr. Davidson, don’t you remember me?”
    Chal blinked, her
hand tense on the buckle. Remember him ?
    “From the
M.I.D. research discussion panel. The digital intelligence convention
in Atlanta, four years ago?”
    Now Chal was
thoroughly confused. She vaguely remembered the panel, something
about practical applications of digital intelligence. It had been