be going.
In fact, he did believe what she'd said about soon being too dangerous for
unconverted women. But he didn't for a moment believe that a woman who admitted
converting two other women would have any hesitations about converting more if
they qualified and were needed.
Mandi had tapped the President for money and a place to train people and
she'd felt it necessary and justified to convert him without asking how he felt
about it, so there was a definite need for convertees. It was as simple as that.
She'd need them in both genders, too, if she were training enough of them to
justify requesting a place to train them. The sense of total alienation would be
too much for many of the convertees, otherwise.
Nope. Either there already were more or there would be more convertees
reasonably soon, and about half of them would be female unless Mandi planned to
spend a great deal of her time servicing all her male convertees herself.
Choosing a booth, Cade told the waiter to bring him one of the lunch
specials. As the waiter left, Mandi came to stand by the booth.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Have a seat. Want me to call the waiter back?"
Shaking her head as she sat down, Mandi said, "No. I'll order a coffee or
something when he comes back."
For long moments, the two of them simply matched gazes across the table,
then Mandi said, "There are only two in Vegas. There are a few others elsewhere
around the country."
When Cade said nothing, Mandi asked, "Since you didn't ask about male
convertees, I'll..."
"I don't give a rat's ass about the men," he interrupted, "I want to know
about the women. Got any in Florida?"
"No. Georgia. They work with the Center for Disease Control and other
agencies. In fact, they've been working with another NIA branch this weekend. As
backups, you could say, in case more happened than I could handle at once. One
of them was even in the look-alike contest."
Sipping his water, Cade said, "Fascinating. Did you convert any of them
without asking first?"
With a sigh, Mandi said, "NO, and you said 'done is done', as I recall. I'm
sorry and that's all I can say. I thought someone your age would be..."
That rankled Cade a bit. "'Someone my age?' Would be what? That someone any
other age wouldn't be, that is."
Gazing hard at him across the table, Mandi said, "I'd very much appreciate
it if you wouldn't interrupt me when I'm speakin