[pshrynk]

Vera sat in her office and made a desultory attempt at doing her work. Somehow, encryption analysis for the Army OIS just wasn't doing it for her today. She and Harv had had another fight and she just could care less about the Japanese Grand Fleet operations off the coast of Mexico, right now. Why did he have to be such a hard head about things like security clearance? She picked up a twix and looked it over briefly.

"Send a fish out to Point Blue and threaten anything that moves" she wrote on the dispatch and threw it in the Out box.

Her intercom buzzed. Happy to have any distraction, she slapped the key down. "Yeah?"

"Vera, my dear! How are you doing today?" came Biggles' cheery voice. "I was about to nip out for lunch and wondered if you'd care to join me?"

"Does it involve inappropriate contact?"

"I should say not!" There was a level of indignation in Biggles' voice only heard when he was losing badly at poker. Which was to say, often, but not usually in the office.

"Oh, well, I suppose I could go, anyway." Vera was really bored.

"Good! I need to talk with you about our friend Miyatake. More to the point his wife."

"What's up with Hilda?"

"I would rather discuss this where there are fewer chances of being overheard."

"I understand! Meet me at the front door in five minutes."