Alfa Agency secretary Janine Spengler (named after two characters in the film "Ghostbusters") helps Nathan and Branko get an appointment with an industrialist:
Page 123 “Mr. Bacon is in his office from eleven until thirteen. His personal secretary is not… shall we say… very bright.”
(Nathan) “Thanks, Janine. What do you say? Should we go see Bacon?”
(Branko) “I'm sure I can't wait to see his secretary. If she's not bright, surely she's got other… qualities.”
(Darver) “Make up a convincing excuse for your visit.”
“I've got an idea. We'll use the protest at New Alamo. We're sure to get an appointment.”
Page 124 (Later, with Bacon's secretary) “I don't think I've received any request from you to meet with Mr. Bacon, and there's nothing on my computer.”
“Strange. But surely, memory lapses can happen, right?”
“But… well… Agent Never… I don't think I've forgotten anything.”
“If you tell Mr. Bacon, we'll certainly forget about the mix-up.”
“And besides, how could we blame a girl with such bright and well-manicured nails?”
“Oh, yeah, they're really nice, aren't they? I do them myself, you know? I'm glad you noticed.”
“Um, if Mr. Bacon were in the office anyway and free, we'd only take up two minutes of his time.”
“All right. Let's see what I can do”
Page 125 (Branko aside to Nathan) “'Bright, manicured nails?'”
“That's an old story. Forget it!”
“Come in.”
“Mr. Bacon, these are Agents Nathan Never and Branko of the Alpha Agency.”
“Please, gentlemen, take a seat. I can give you five minutes at most.”
“Five minutes will be enough, Mr. Bacon. Thank you for having us.”
“Now, you've given that damned band of terrorists down at New Alamo a good shakedown, I still have to thank you.”
Page 126 “We have done our duty; no need for you to thank us. However, we are sorry for the loss you have suffered.”
“If you are referring to Powell, there is nothing to be sorry about.”
“We thought he was your friend, as well as a business partner.”
“A friend who betrayed me? You have a strange conception of friendship. But perhaps you Mutates see things differently. They say you only have basic sensations and feelings, don't you? Hmm… I mean… after all, when they built you, you certainly didn't need to prove that you could ever use them?” (Referring to Branko's genetically engineered origin)
“Mr. Bacon, you have entered a minefield, I warn you.”
“No, Nathan, I am curious, I really am. I am very interested in the opinion of a man like Mr. Bacon.”
Page 127 “Oh, well, I don't have much to add. After all, there are only a few of you left. Some folks believe you are completely extinct after Hell's Island, but they are ill-informed. Rumor has it that there are more of you than is believed, and that a sizable group of you are hiding in the depths of the sub-city.”
“Yeah. And that one day all my people will come out to settle accounts with the humans.”
“Ha ha ha! Yeah… sure… I would really like to see that day.”
“Maybe you will see it, Mr. Bacon. And you probably won’t see the next one.”
“Huh?”
“Back to us… now that the terrorists have been routed, the flow of water from your dam should resume without interruption.”
“What do you know about the flow of water from the dam?”
Page 128 “Common knowledge, Mr. Bacon. We came mainly to get your thoughts about the protests of the citizens of New Alamo.”
“Citizens are furious about a progressive decrease in the flow of water into their homes. This morning's news highlighted protests in front of the mayor's office.”
“The citizens down there have been pampered. From not having any water, they have gone to having too much, that's the problem. So even a small hiccup immediately becomes a matter of life and death. But they don’t know how much work there is behind the dam and its pipes. Pipeline breaks are frequent, and if you consider that half of my workers are slacker idiots, you see the problem.”
“Anyway, Alfa Agency is still investigating Powell's death, in case more trouble happens, making your already-difficult situation worse.”
“For my part, the matter is closed. Or maybe not… what do you think of Powell's daughter that you let get away?”
“She wasn't accused of anything.”
Page 129 “Yeah, sure. She's just the daughter of the terrorist leader! Anyway, your time is up, officers.”
“All right. Let's get out of here. See you soon, Mr. Bacon.”
(Bacon to his majordomo) “Give me good news.”
“We found her, sir.”
