Quantico, Virginia, December, 2077, Wednesday…

"How can I help you, Agent Murphy?"

Caitlin knew immediately upon seeing the man's face on her screen that she didn't like him. She wondered if he had ever been out in the field. Probably not. He was also asexual, a bureaucratic android placed there to ward off anyone attempting to contact anyone at DHS or glean information from the guardians of the homeland. She recognized that all this was only a first impression, but it made her cautious. She had learned long ago to not discard initial hunches; they were often correct.

"I'm trying to track down two DHS agents, Sam Crane and Jerry Rivera. Are they working out of DC HQ?"

"I can't give out that information, Agent Murphy."

"My God, man, we're on a secure line. You know I'm calling from Quantico just as I know you've answered in Falls Church. We're supposed to co-operate, you know."

The bureaucrat smiled unctuously.

"Ma'am, you could be the cleaning woman, for all I know."

"The cleaning woman wouldn't know the passwords or have the clearances to make this damn com set operate. You know that."

"Well, it's just not our policy to give out that information about our agents. They may be working undercover. Ever since the Libby case at the beginning of the century, it's been taboo to blow an agent's cover."