Joe Dunhill Probationary Officer, Todos Santos Security
Isaac Blake Lieutenant, Todos Santos Security
Preston Sanders Deputy General Manager, Todos Santos Independency
Tony Rand Chief Engineer, Todos Santos
Arthur Bonner General Manager, Todos Santos
Frank Mead Comptroller, Todos Santos
Delores Martine Executive Assistant to the General Manager, Todos Santos
Barbara Churchward Director of Economic Development, Todos Santos
MacLean Stevens Executive Assistant to the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
Sir George Reedy Deputy Minister of Internal Development, Canada
Genevieve Rand Tony Rand's former wife
Alice Marie Strahler Executive Assistant to Tony Rand
Allan Thompson Student
Sandra Wyatt Assistant General Manager, Todos Santos
James Planchet City Councilman, Los Angeles
Mrs. Eunice Planchet James Planchet's wife
George Harris Businessman and convicted tax evader
Thomas Lunan Newsman
Amos Cross Chief, Todos Santos Security
John Shapiro, LL.D. Counsel, Todos Santos
Samuel Finder, M.D. Medical Resident, Todos Santos
Hal Donovan Lieutenant, Robbery/Homicide, Los Angeles Police Department
Cheryl Drinkwater Todos Santos resident
Armand Drinkwater Waldo Operator
Glenda Porter Tattoo Artist
Sidney Blackman District Attorney, County of Los Angeles
Penelope Norton Judge, Superior Court, State of California
Phil Lowry Newsman
Mark Levoy Publican; former Yippie
Ronald Wolfe General, American Ecology Army
Arnold Renn, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology, UCLA
Rachael Lief Bulldozer operator
Mrs. Carol Donovan Lt. Donovan's wife
Vito Hamilton Captain, Todos Santos Security
Vincent Thompson Subway mugger
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
—Edmund Burke
Elsewhere in Los Angeles it was late afternoon, but here was only twilight. The three invaders peering out of the orange grove were deep in shadow. The sky blazed behind them and sent chinks of blue-white light through the trees to make the shadows darker. There was a fresh smell of fertilizers and crushed orange peel carried on the warm Santa Ana wind.
Close ahead the eastern face of Todos Santos was a black wall across the world. Thousands of balconies and windows in neat array showed in this light as no more than a faceless void seen through gray leaves, a sharp-edged black rectangle blotting out the sky.
The invaders blinked as they searched through uncertain light, and froze at the thunder of wings above. Nobody was about. They had watched the grounds tenders leave. They had seen no guards.
"There." The girl pointed. Her voice was no louder than the leaves' rustle in the wind. "There."
The two boys stared until they made out a square outline, barely visible, at the base of the towering wall. It seemed about man-sized. "The big door," she said. "We're still a good way away. It doesn't look it, but that door is thirty feet high. The little one is to the left of it."
"I can't find it," said one of the boys. He giggled suddenly, and stopped as suddenly. He said, "Nervous? Me?"
The other boy was lean and sketchily bearded, and he carried a black case on a strap. He stared at tiny lights set on its top, then said, "Run for the big door until you see the little one. On the count. Three, two, one, go."
He ran holding the case in front of himself to cushion against shock. The others lagged behind. They were carrying a much larger box between them. The leader was already taking things out of the case when they came puffing up.
"This lousy light," he panted.
"Bad for the guards, too," said the girl. "It's late afternoon everywhere but here. At night they'd know they couldn't see. They'd be watching harder."
The other boy grinned. "We'll give 'em a hell of a shock."
There was a sign on the door. Below a large death's head it said:
It was repeated in Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
"Subtle, aren't they?" the girl said. She stiffened as the bearded boy pushed the door open. There was no sudden wail of alarms and they grinned at each other for a moment of triumph.
They dodged through fast. The bearded boy closed the door behind them.