Prologue:
Ensei Tankado is dying in the Andalusian sun in Seville, Spain. Oddly, he is showing his left hand to the people trying to help him. To Tankado's frustration, no one understands and the last image Tankado sees is the light reflecting off of the ring on his finger.
Chapter 1:
The chapter starts off with David Becker proposing to Susan Fletcher while they were in the Smoky Mountains. Turns out, this vision was apart of Susan's dreams as the phone rings. On the other side of the line is David Becker who tells Susan that they would have to postpone their trip to Stone Manor because of an unexpected circumstance that came up. However, his time was limited so he told her he would call her later to explain everything. Susan takes a bath and is startled by a phone call. To her disappointment, it was not David Becker but instead, Commander Trevor Strathmore.
English: David Becker promo picture
English: La Giralda at dusk, the tower of the Cath...
English: Photo of Susan Fletcher, Ph.D.He informs her of an emergency in the Crypto Department at the NSA.
Chapter 2:
David Becker is riding in a Learjet 60. He tries to sleep but all he can think about is Susan.
Chapter 3:
Chapter 3 begins with Susan passing through many security checkpoints at the NSA. While she is entering the Crypto dome, she thinks about David. She gives detailed descriptions of David's achievements, assets, and appearance. "Becker was dark--rugged, youthful thirty-five with sharp green eyes and a wit to match." [pg 8] She recalls how the two of them met, when David was at the NSA earning extra money by translating some work. After he completed his assigned task, the head Cryptographer decided to have a word with him. Soon afterwards, the two were caught in a long conversation. "Their courtship was slow and romantic-stolen escapes whenever their schedules...