"What's the use? Until we're up again, what's the use?"
"What if we don't come up again?"
"I don't want to think about it," said the news director, his eyes dull and defeated.
"Hey, check this out. MTV is putting on a news bulletin."
Every man in the newsroom rushed to the bank of monitors.
A young girl in purple and silver hair was speaking in a spritely voice.
"Can you, like, stand it?" she was saying. "The networks are, like, having really, really major technical difficulties again. But chill out. You still have your MTV. So here's Fed Leppar with Petaluma."
On came a music video that compressed more scenes than War and Peace contains into 120 seconds of quick-cut disconnected plotiessness.
The news director snapped. "That's it! Nothing about the ransom demands? What kind of news bulletin is that?"
"Right now, the only game in town," said the floor manager, his eyes flicking along the other monitors.
Chapter 17
As the cab whisked them from Newark Airport to the BCN studios in the heart of Times Square, Remo Williams grew worried.
What would Chiun say when he found out the truth? Would he fly off the handle? Would he blame Remo? It was impossible to tell. Remo had seen the Master of Sinanju under every conceivable situation during their long association. But this-this was different.
Remo decided he would have to get control of the situation before it got out of control.
"Look," Remo told Chiun as Seventh Avenue flashed past. "We can't just barge in on Cheeta."
"Why not? She will be pleased to see me."
"Last time, she kept asking after me, remember?"
Chiun sniffed disdainfully and stared out the cab window. It was a sore spot with the Master of Sinanju. His infatuation with Cheeta Ching, even after her pregnancy, had not been completely reciprocated. On the few occasions when their paths had crossed, Cheeta had shown a strong interest in Remo-although she seemed unable to get his name right. Remo had chalked those incidents up to the supercharged pheromones his Sinanju-trained body constantly released. Still, for a woman carrying Chiun's child, her behavior was bizarre.
"And we're on assignment," Remo added.
"You are on assignment," Chiun sniffed. "I am on maternity leave."
"In your case, it's paternity leave, and did you clear this with Smith?"
"Emperor Smith understands these matters," Chiun said loftily. "He too is a father."
"In that case," Remo growled, "he understands a heck of a lot more than me. Anyway, we gotta treat this like an assignment. We can't blow it."
"I am not the blower of assignments in this vehicle," Chiun said.
"I won't argue with that-"
"Because you cannot," Chiun snapped.
"Okay, but chances are we're going to bump into Don Cooder."
Chiun's eyes narrowed and a slow hissing escaped his lips.
Remo said, "He's off-limits. Smitty said so."
"I will do what I must," Chiun said stiffly.
Inwardly, Remo groaned. His palms were actually sweating. He couldn't remember the last time they had done that.
The cab dropped them off at the studio entrance, and Remo got out first. He took the lead, Chiun following closely behind, his footsteps more quick than they normally were.
As they approached the security desk, Chiun called out, "What news of Cheeta?"
Remo's heart sank.
The answer came back. "None."
Chiun's features brightened. "Good. Then I am not too late for the joyous event."
Remo pulled a card out of a wallet that was stuffed with them. "Remo Neilson, FCC," he told the security guard. "I'm here about the blackout."
"That so? Any idea what's causing it?"
"We think it has something to do with hairspray buildup in the transmission equipment," Remo said with a straight face.
"Wow! Does that mean the anchors will have to shave their heads?"
"That's up to Congress," said Remo. "Point us to the guy in charge."
"You mean Don Cooder?"
"Who put him in charge?" Remo demanded.
"His agent." The security guard pointed. "Down the hall, take a right. then another right, then another right and again a right-"
"That's four rights, right?"
"Right. All the offices are strung around the newsroom. It's screwy, but that's the news."
Remo said, "Let's go, Little Father."
The guard looked at Chiun uncertainly, "He with the FCC too?"
"Korean version. We think this has international ramifications."