That night, after the rehearsal, Ty went through the door to Nora’s adjoining room and, for the sake of anyone listening, made small talk like what they were posing to be: Maria Santos’s audio technician and hair and makeup artist.
After, they lay in the bed, whispering in each other’s ears, hoping it was too quiet for any surveillance device to hear.
“How was it,” Nora said, “seeing your mother?” “So weird.”
“It’s jarring.”
For a moment, they lay in silence, Ty feeling her warm breath on his ear. “I didn’t expect to see Penny here.”
“Does she seem similar to the one you knew?”
“Not sure. She looks the same. Same mannerisms. But it’s hard to know what she’s like. I do know this: we need information—on where your counterpart is being held and where missile control is. I think she’s our best shot.”
“I think our best chance is Kato replacing his counterpart.”
Ty sat up and gave her an exaggerated frown, then leaned close and whispered, “You don’t trust my covert agent skills?”
“No offense, but you’re the most honest person I know.”
Ty fell back to the bed. “I just feel like I need to try—to have a backup in case Kato fails.”
“Be careful, Ty.”
*
The next morning, Ty got up early and went down to the boiler house café. He got a coffee and a scone and sat in the corner, staring out the tall steel window, watching the sun come up. It was amazing how many of the staff were up early. Based on the activity there, he would have thought it was midday.
Ty was just starting to contemplate what he would do if Penny didn’t show up when she walked into the café. Like the woman Ty had known in Geneva, her eyes were puffy in the morning and her hair was in a tight ponytail.
She ordered a coffee and a blueberry muffin and, at the end of the counter, turned to find a table. Ty stood up and waved.
She bunched her eyebrows—only for a slight second of confusion—but then seemed to recognize him.
“Hi,” she said when she reached him.
“Hi. We met yesterday. I handle AV for Maria Santos.” “I remember. It took me a minute.”
“I don’t want to interrupt your day, but I was wondering—if you have time—if you’d join me.”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
When she sat, he said, “This is my first time visiting the Covenant, so naturally, I’m a little curious.”
She carved off a piece of the muffin with a fork, like an iceberg calving, and chewed it quickly, in sharp, small motions. “What would you like to know?”
Ty tried to sound nonchalant. “Nothing in particular.” He wasn’t sure he had succeeded.
“Well,” she said, carving off another bite, “we’re at a Reich military research facility. It isn’t much like the Covenant at large.”
“Even more interesting.”
“It is,” she said. “But assuming things go to plan, there won’t be a need for places like this anymore. Or even a military.”
There was an opening here—Ty could feel it—but try as he might, he couldn’t assemble the words to get through it. He was nervous. Even more nervous than the first time they had met in that coffee shop in Geneva’s Old Town.
The stakes were far higher now.
Not sure what to say, Ty asked, “Are you a student?” The question sounded lame even to him.
Penny cocked her head. “I was. I recently graduated with a master’s from Heidelberg University. I had considered doing a PhD in international relations at the University of Geneva, but I applied for this job as well. I didn’t think I would get it, but I did. I wanted to work in the realm of international peace efforts. In a way, that’s what I’m doing here. Though, it’s nothing like I expected. It’s funny how things turn out.”
Ty sipped his coffee. “Yes, it is. So what are your plans for the day?”
“I was going to go for a walk to rehearse my tour for the people arriving today.”
“Could I walk with you? I’d love to get some fresh air. And you could practice your tour on me.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Sure.”
Outside the power plant, they strolled along a paved walking path, the sun rising in front of them. Behind them, Ty heard a plane landing.
“So,” Ty said, “did you grow up in Germany?” She frowned at him.
Instantly, he realized what he had said. “I mean, did you grow up in the Reich?”
“Yes,” she said quietly.
To their right was a long, one-story building with a low-pitched roof. The stench coming from it was intense. Desperate for any change of subject, Ty motioned to it. “What’s that? And what is that smell?”
Penny grinned. “It’s the primate facility.” “Primate facility?”
“Yes. This is one of the sites for the Reich’s comparative genomics project.”
Ty must have looked confused.
“Come on,” Penny said, taking the path toward the building. “I’ll show you. It’s part of the tour for some of the scientists visiting today.”
Inside, the building was much like a horse stable. There was a small office near the entrance where a tired-looking man in a non-military uniform was sipping coffee. He hit a button, and the door buzzed open as he waved Penny through.
The main part of the building had a single lane down the middle and stalls for the primates on each side. They were spacious, and inside, Ty
recognized chimpanzees, gibbons, gorillas, and orangutans. “They’re using them for experiments?” Ty asked.
Penny nodded. “What kind?”
“I don’t know exactly, only that it’s part of the Darwin Program, specifically, the comparative genomics project. It’s aimed at understanding how we can share so much DNA with primates but be so different.”
Outside the primate building, they strolled along the path, Ty deep in thought. Were the primates connected to the A21 missiles? Or a completely separate project that just happened to be housed in the same location?
When they reached several larger buildings that were five or six stories, Ty said, “What are those?”
“Barracks. And the one on the right is the SD station here at Peenemünde. They operate some of their Baltic operations here.”
Ty nodded. If he had to bet, he would wager that Nora’s counterpart was being held there.
“The missiles launch from here, right?” Ty asked.
“Yes,” Penny said, resuming the stroll along the path.
“So is there a building that is dedicated to rocket control or operations?”
Penny studied his face for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was strained. “It’s not really my area.”
