Hellfire Rebellion

10

Andre clocked with Johnny to the street outside Ebenezer Macintosh’s house. It was a calculated risk, one she certainly would not have taken during the daytime, when the traffic on the streets of Boston would have made such a transition highly dangerous. Clocking into a set of temporal coordinates that already happened to be occupied at that particular instant by some passing citizen or cart or horseman would have proved extremely messy and extremely fatal. However, at this hour of the night, the streets of Boston were practically deserted and the lack of street lighting served to mask the transition, thereby decreasing the likelihood that anyone looking out a window would see two people suddenly appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the street. No sooner had she pulled him over close to Macintosh’s door than he began to come around. He came to lying on his back. with Andre looking down at him anxiously.

“What… Andre! Where am I?”

“In the street outside Ebenezer Macintosh’s house.” she said. “Are you all right?”

He looked around. confused. “I–I don’t understand. What happened? I was in a room somewhere…”

“You fell and struck your head.” she said. “I was afraid you might be seriously hurt.”

“I fell?” he said. “I don’t remember. I was with Mr. Hunter… that man!”

“What man?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know who he was! He shot the other two!”

“The other two?” she said.

“Yes, the other two men! They had guns! They were going to kill us! And that man shot them both with that strange pistol… he fired several times without reloading! So fast! How could he have done that?”

“But. Johnny, there’s no one here,” she said.

“But I saw them. Andre! He shot them, I tell you! And then he made the body disappear-”

“ What body? Johnny, what are you talking about?”

He stared at her. “You don’t believe me!”

“You must have been dreaming.” she said. “You struck your head.”

“A dream?” said Johnny. “No, it could not have been a dream. I saw it. I tell you! I came running here. I was looking for Mr. Macintosh. I thought he could tell me where Mr. Hunter was and I could ask him where I could find you and then those men came and they were going to kill him and they were going to kill me, too. and-”

“But, Johnny, I just saw Reese Hunter.” she said. “And he didn’t say anything about two men trying to kill him.”

“He-he didn’t?”

“No.” She shook her head. “He said he spoke to you about us and then you started to run off, but you slipped and fell and struck your head. I helped him carry you over here, out of the middle of the street, and he said you would be fine in a few moments and asked me to watch over you until you came around. He had to hurry to meet with someone.”

Johnny shook his head slowly. “But-but it seemed so real! You mean it was all a dream?”

“What else could it have been?” she said. “How can someone fire a pistol several times without reloading and then make a dead body disappear?”

Johnny grimaced and rubbed his head. “I–I must admit it does sound foolish,” he said. “I don’t remember falling. But-but how did you come to be here.”

“I came looking for Ebenezer Macintosh,” she said. “I came to warn him. We’ve discovered that the horseman’s men, the ones who call themselves the Hellfire Club, are planning to kill him. It seems that they intend to kill the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, one at a time, striking in the middle of the night.”

Johnny gazed at her wide-eyed. “We must warn Mr. Macintosh!”

“He already knows. He’s gone to seek protection from his friends in the South End Gang.”

“We have to tell Mr. Adams!”

“That is already being taken care of,” she said. “The important thing for you to do right now is rest. You’ve had a nasty blow. After such a fall, rest is just the thing. Come on. I’ll help you to get home.”

She helped him up.

“I–I feel a little dizzy,” he said.

“That often happens when one’s had a nasty fall,” she said. “Can you walk’?” “Yes. I believe so.”

“Come on, then. I’ll walk with you.”

“I feel so strange,” said Johnny. “Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. I was only trying to find you and Mr. Priest and Mr. Delaney… where were you? Where did you go? I looked for you everywhere!”

“We had a great deal to do,” said Andre. “We were with the Tories, discovering their plot against the Sons of Liberty.”

“I was afraid that something may have happened to you.” Johnny said. “I feared perhaps the Tories had discovered your deception. I–I don’t know what I would have done if they had hurt you.”

She smiled. “I’m touched by your concern.”

He stopped. “It is much more than mere concern.” he said. “Andre

… I–I have never said this to a girl before…”

She quickly put her fingertips up against his lips. “Don’t say it. Johnny.” she said softly. “I know. And I am flattered more than I could say. But please try to understand. I am not free.”

“You-you are promised to another?” he said.

“Yes. Johnny, I am.” He looked down at the ground. “I see. I–I suppose I dared not hope that you would-”

“There is much about you that a girl could love. Johnny,” she said. “Someday, you will meet the one who’s right for you and then I’m sure that you will make her very proud and very happy. But I…” she stopped, listening. “Did you hear that?”

“What?”

“Sssh! Listen!”

The sound came to them on the stillness of the cool night breeze.

“Men shouting.” Johnny said. “It sounds as if it’s coming from the Common.”

“Something’s happening. Come on. Johnny, run!” she said.

They sprinted toward the Common, Andre leading the way. Johnny running hard to keep up with her. They crossed Marlborough Street and ran toward the granary, on the comer of Common Street. The sound grew louder as they approached. They pulled up short as they reached the tree-lined Mall at the edge of the Common. A large group of black-robed figures were heading toward the Liberty Tree. Several of them were dragging along a fiercely struggling man, whose hands had been bound and whose mouth was gagged.

“They’ve got Mr. Macintosh!” said Johnny. he looked at Andre with alarm. “My God, they’re going to hang him, like the others! What are we to do?”

Andre thought fast. There was nothing she could do, not with Johnny there. They had already reached the Liberty Tree and were throwing a rope over one of its stout branches.

“Run, Johnny!” she said. “Get help!”

“But they will never come in time!”

She took out her dueling pistol. “I’ll fire a shot in the air.” she said, “then reload quickly and fire again. They may think the Sons of Liberty have come to rescue him.”

“They will not be fooled!” said Johnny.

“I have to try!” she said.

“They will kill you!”

“Johnny, you’re wasting time!”

“It’s too late! I will not leave you! We have to run before they see us!” They were putting the noose around Macintosh’s neck.

“ Johnny…” In desperation, Andre hit him with a hard right cross. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. “I’m sorry. Johnny.”

She’d run out of time. They were already hoisting Macintosh up off the ground. He was jerking on the rope like a fish. Andre slid the metal plate in front of the pistol’s trigger guard forward, exposing the hidden magazine well, then she quickly reached into her coat pocket and removed a plastic magazine holding fifteen staggered rounds of specially designed ball ammo. She slapped the magazine into the pistol and racked the slide. She fired the pistol into the air and started running, heading around the circle of hooded figures gathered beneath the Liberty Tree, firing as she ran, trying to make it seem as if them were a number of men shooting from different directions.

At the sound of the first shot, the hooded men glanced around, startled, and with the second and the third shot, they started looking all around them in confusion. They began shouting and several of them started running. Andre kept on shooting into the air as she ran. The hooded figures bolted, thinking that a group of armed men was upon them, ‘the men hoisting Macintosh up off the ground released the rope and ran. Macintosh dropped down to the ground and lay there, jerking, the noose still tight around his neck.

Andre reversed direction and ran back the other way, still firing. She had no idea how many rounds she had left, but she kept going, firing as she ran, and her deception worked. Since they were completely unfamiliar with the concept of a semiautomatic pistol, the members of the Hellfire Club naturally assumed that they were facing a force of armed men and they took off in all directions, running across the Common, some of them heading toward Frog Lane and Treamount Street, others going in the opposite direction, toward Beacon Hill, where Hancock’s mansion stood. In moments, they had all scattered in panic and the grassy Common was deserted.

She ran over to the fallen Macintosh and kneeled beside him, loosening the noose around his neck. She pulled the noose over his head and then removed his gag. He sucked in air and started coughing and retching.

“Easy, man, easy.” she said, working at his bonds. “Try to breathe slowly.”

He gasped and there was a rattle in his throat as he made a series of horrible rasping sounds, trying to draw air into his lungs. Andre freed his hands and propped him up, steadying him with an arm around his shoulders. He was breathing like a patient in a cancer ward and clinching at his throat.

“Slowly,” Andre said. “Try to breathe slowly. Take deep steady breaths.”

She helped him to his feet and propped him up with his back against the tree trunk.

“Thought I was done for,” he croaked.

“Don’t try to talk,” said Andre. “Where-where are the others?” he rasped.

“I said don’t try to talk! They’re all chasing the men who tried to hang you.”

“Who-who are…”

“I’m a friend of Hunter’s,” she said. “Stop trying to talk, for God’s sake. Just breathe, slowly and steadily, in-out-in-out…”

His chest rose and fell as he tried to take slow, deep, steady breaths.

“You’re going to be all right,” said Andre. “Thank God we got to you in time.”

“I–I am most grateful to you.” Macintosh said, his voice still coming out in a wheezing croak. “You-you saved my life. What is your name?”

“Never mind that,” she said. “You were just lucky my friends and I were passing by.”

He nodded. “Must warn Adams… bastards could try for him…”

“Can you walk? You need my help?”

“Thanks, friend, you’ve done enough. I’ll manage. Must hurry…”

He clapped her on the back and shambled off across the Common, his hand still holding his throat. Andre leaned back against the tree trunk for a moment and sighed with relief, then she started heading back toward the spot where she had knocked out Johnny. She got no more than ten paces when she was struck hard across the back of her head. She grunted and collapsed to the moist grass.

Lucas felt like a sitting duck. The first thing he’d done was to have Linda Craven clock to headquarters with their prisoner. She clocked back in only minutes later, though she’d actually spent hours in the future, getting Dicenzo admitted and briefing the hospital M.P. detachment and the T.I.A. interrogation unit that would question him. They had all gone without sleep and they were tired, but the razor edge of tension kept them keenly alert. It would have been pointless to try going after Moffat, by now he could be anywhere. Lucas cursed himself for not having kept a closer watch on him. He had underestimated the hominoid’s strength, something he never should have done. They had to assume he had gone back to Drakov and now their base of operations was blown. If he didn’t already know about the house on Lime Street, Drakov would know about it very soon, which meant there was a possibility they could be hit at any time.

The trouble was, they couldn’t move the base. Their people were spread out all over the place and until they reported in. there was no way of letting them know what had occurred. Lucas had considered having Craven try to clock around the city, looking for them, but that would be too dangerous and he had no way of knowing exactly where the others would be at any given time. They had discussed it briefly, and when she had insisted upon staying because it would be too risky to leave him alone and vulnerable, he was forced to agree. He was not afraid for himself, but he could not risk being taken out and leaving the people under his command vulnerable when they returned to the field base, not knowing it was blown. They armed themselves and settled down to a tense wait.

“How about some coffee?” Linda said.

“You’ve got coffee?” Lucas said.

“What’s a field base without coffee?” she said, with a smile. “Or should we go native and drink tea?”

“No, I could sure use a cup of strong black coffee.” Lucas said.

“Make that two,” said Darkness. “I’ll take mine with sugar.” Linda gasped and spun around, instinctively going for her weapon.

“All right, if it’s that much trouble, forget the sugar,” Darkness said.

She expelled her breath and put away her pistol. “Dr. Darkness! You almost gave me a heart attack,” she said. Darkness had appeared sitting on the couch beside Lucas, his legs casually crossed, his right hand resting on a silver-headed, ebony walking stick, which he held upright, its tip resting on the floor. He was dressed in his habitual Inverness coat and tweeds, a faintly bored expression on his gaunt features.

“Doc, am I ever glad to see you!” said Lucas.

“Ah, well, such an enthusiastic greeting can only mean that you’re in it up to your hips,” said Darkness. “What have you done now, boxed yourself into your usual corner or are you experiencing difficulties with the transponder?”

While Linda went to make the coffee, Lucas quickly filled him in.

“Hmm. it does seem as if you’ve bitten off a bit more than you can chew this time,” the scientist said. “Drakov and the Network. And this Hellfire Club, as well. Drakov really is becoming a considerable annoyance, isn’t he

“Doc, you have a positive genius for understatement,” Lucas said.

“I have a positive genius for everything,” Darkness said, “but that is quite beside the point. The question is, what are we going to do about this situation of yours?”

He reached into his jacket pocket for a pack of cigarettes. It was a perfectly ordinary, casual motion, but his right arm left a blurred series of afterimages as he moved, giving the effect of rapid, stop-motion photography. He removed a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply.

“It really is most inconvenient that your people can’t carry communicators all the time,” Darkness said. “That would have solved this entire problem, but I suppose it wouldn’t do to have voices suddenly coming out of little boxes in colonial Boston. It could tend to upset people. And miniature receivers might still have been spotted, but under the circumstances, it would have been worth taking the risk. “

“All right, so maybe I was being too cautious, but it’s too late to do anything about that now. Talking about how I screwed up isn’t going to help us. You got any ideas

“Well, part of your immediate problem can be easily solved. I can locate Steiger. Cross, and Delaney through their symbiotracers and inform them of the situation-”

“Hold it! Wait a minute!” Lucas said. You told me their symbiotracers were malfunctioning!”

“Oh. no. I solved that little problem. It turned out to be merely a minor glitch in my receiving equipment. Simply a matter of fine-tuning. I can locate them anytime I want.”

“And You didn’t tell me?”

Darkness raised his eyebrows. “Well, you didn’t ask.”

Lucas leaned back against the couch and put his hands up to his head. “ Sweet God All Mighty!” he said. “I don’t believe it! Didn’t you hear what I’ve just said? The Network’s got Steiger! And all the time, you could have told me where he was!”

“As I recall,” said Darkness, “the last time we spoke, they didn’t have him or if they did, you neglected to apprise me of the situation. Frankly, I’m not really surprised. Steiger’s knack for getting in over his head is rivaled only by your own. I suppose you’d like me to get him back for you?”

“Yes, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.” Lucas said in an exasperated tone.

“No trouble at all,” said Darkness. ‘It’s not as if I haven’t got several dozen more important things to do. I really do wonder, Priest, how you ever managed before I came along. Every time I see you, you’re in some sort of difficulty. All things considered, it’s a miracle we haven’t got at least a dozen temporal disruptions to contend with-”

“ Doc For crying out loud!”

“Oh. I suppose you want me to leave now?”

“If you don’t mind!”

“What about my coffee?”

“Jesus, give me strength! We’ll keep the pot warm, okay’?”

“Well, all right, you don’t need to shout. You realize that I have no way of getting any sort of fix on your other people, since they’re not equipped with symbiotracers.”

“Just get Creed, Andre, and Delaney back here.” Lucas said. “Hunter’s with Delaney. Andre should be on her way hack here by now. In fact. I don’t know what’s keeping her… unless… “

“Unless what?”

“No. No. that’s crazy, she wouldn’t.”

“Can two participate in this conversation or is it a soliloquy?” said Darkness.

“Never mind,” said Lucas. “It’s not important. Just get them back here right away. Please?”

“Certainly. Don’t go away.” He disappeared.

Linda came back into the room. “Coffee’ll be ready in a min… where did he go? What’s the matter?”

Lucas was sitting hunched over, with his head in his hands. “Just once.” he said. “Just once, I’d like to catch him when he’s solid…

Steiger groaned as he tried to stand. Murphy helped him tip out of the chair and pulled his arm around his shoulder. Steiger sagged.”Come on, Steiger, you can make it.” Murphy said.

“Son of a bitch really gave me a working over.” Steiger said, through swollen and cut lips.

“I know.” said Murphy. “I’m really sorry about this, Steiger. I never signed on for anything like this, believe me. It all seemed so harmless in the beginning. Moving goods from one time period to another, supplementing the section allocation with a little temporal smuggling on the side, just a simple business enterprise where no one would get hurt. It’s practically impossible to operate a field section on our budget and they keep cutting our appropriations. I told myself the money was being raised for a good cause. And then, since we were doing so well, it seemed perfectly reasonable to divert a small portion of the profits, set a little aside for our retirement… ah, hell, the whole thing just snowballed. I never dreamed it would come to anything like this.”

“Nobody ever does, Murphy.” Steiger said, leaning against him for support “Shit. My goddamn legs are cramped from being tied down to that chair.” He shuffled one step forward. then another.

“Give me the coordinates for your base of operations.” Murphy said. “I’ll clock us out.”

Steiger turned and stared at him for a long moment.

“You don’t trust me.” Murphy said. “You think I may still be working with the others.” He nodded “Hell. I don’t blame you. But look, I gotta take you somewhere.”

“You’re not taking him anywhere.” said a voice from the door. They looked up to see a man in colonial dress standing in the doorway, a plasma pistol in his hand.

“Cash!” said Murphy

“Going somewhere. Murphy?”

“Put down the gun, Cash,” Murphy said. “Don’t be a fool.”

“Going into business for yourself, eh?” Cash said. “I thought we all had an agreement.”

“It isn’t what you think, Cash,” Murphy said.

“I was taking him out of here.”

“Were you’?”

“He needs medical attention. Stevens went crazy, he beat him half to death. Damn it, Cash, this has gone too far. I don’t give a damn about the Network anymore. I went along with the enterprise, but I’m not going to be a party to murder. You can keep my share of the profits, I don’t care, but let us go. I’ve had enough.”

“You always were a bit too soft. Murphy.” said Cash. “Too much of a guilty conscience. But like you said, you went along with it. You’re in as deeply as the rest of us.”

“I don’t care!” said Murphy. “When we scan taking con-tracts on our own people, it’s gone beyond the realm of sanity. It’s out of control, Cash. It’s got to stop! Think about what you’re doing. for God’s sake! We all took an oath-

“Oh. please. Spare me.” Cash glanced at Stevens, briefly, is he dead?”

“No,” said Murphy.

Cash shifted his aim quickly and fired. The low intensity plasma charge struck Stevens in the chest, incinerating most of his upper body. “He is now.” said Cash.

“ You crazy son of a bitch!” said Murphy.

“Morton and Dicenzo never made it back,” said Cash. “The commandos must’ve got ‘CM. I figured it was time to cut our losses and settle for what we’ve got. But now that it’s you and me and the five-million-dollar bounty on our friend. frankly. Murphy. I don’t feel like sharing.”

He raised his pistol.

“So long, Murphy,” he said.

The plasma pistol was suddenly plucked out of his hand by an unseen force.

“What the,-”

There was a loud, dull crack and Cash fell to the floor, blood streaming from the fracture in his skull. Darkness appeared out of thin air, standing over him and wiping off the heavy silver head of his walking stick with a white handkerchief.

“Who in their right mind would pay five million dollars for the likes of you?” he said to Steiger.

Murphy goggled at him. “I must be dreamin’,” he said. “I can see right through that guy!”

“Friend a yours?” said Darkness.

Steiger glanced at Murphy. “Yeah. I guess he is at that.”

“You look like hell.” said Darkness.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Priest sent me. There seems to be some trouble at the field base They’ve moved it, by the way. It’s in a house on a bend in the road where Lime and Lynn streets meet.” He gave them the coordinates. “And here, you might need this.” he added, tossing him the plasma pistol. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve a few more errands to run. Do try to get there in one piece, won’t you? Priest is having some sort of an anxiety attack.”

He vanished.

Murphy blinked several times. “Who in the hell was that?”

“It’s a long story,” said Steiger. “I’ll explain later. We’d better get moving. Oh. and by the way, you’re under arrest.”

“Yeah, right.” said Murphy, with a grimace. He entered the transition coordinates Darkness gave them into his warp disc and they clocked out.

Hunter and Delaney materialized at the corner of Pond and Short streets and started moving quickly toward the house where Dicenzo said Steiger was being held. They turned the corner and hadn’t gone more than twenty yards when a loud voice hailed them.

“Halt! Who goes there? Stand where you are and identify yourselves!”

“Damn, it’s the watch” said Hunter.

“We don’t have time for this,” said Delaney.

“Take it easy. I’ll take care of them,” said Hunter.

Three men with muskets approached them.

“Identify yourselves.” one of the men said.

“I’m Reese Hunter and this is Finn Delaney.” Hunter said. “I don’t know you. What are you doing abroad this time of night?”

“We’re on our way to see a sick friend,” said Hunter. “He’s badly ill. I’m bringing Dr. Delaney to him.”

“A doctor. eh?” the watchman said suspiciously. “There was some sort of a disturbance in the Common tonight. We’ve had reports of shooting. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that?”

“Shooting in the Common?” Delaney glanced uneasily at Hunter”

“No, we’ve heard nothing.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” the watchman said.

“They could be the Tories that we’ve heard about,” one of the others said. “No, wait,” said Hunter, reaching down into his shirt. He pulled out his Liberty medallion and showed it to them. “Look.”

“Excuse me,” said Darkness, suddenly appealing at their side. “I’d like a word with these gentlemen, if you don’t mind.”

The watchman leapt back with a startled cry.

“A ghost!” shouted one of the others. He threw down his musket and took to his heels. With cries of terror, the others followed him.

“And men like these managed to win the War for Independence.” Darkness said, shaking his head.

“Doc, we need your help,” Delaney said. “The Network has got Steiger. They’re holding him in-”

“Yes, yes. I know, I’m way ahead of you,” said Darkness. “I’ve already taken care of it. Steiger will meet you back at the field base on Lime Street. Priest wants you to get back there right away. Apparently, one of your prisoners has managed to escape.”

“Moffat!” said Delaney.

“Yes, I believe that was his name.”

“And he’ll go straight to Drakov,” said Delaney. “Come on. Hunter. We’ve got no time to lose.” He quickly punched up the coordinates on his warp disc and they clocked out.

“Thank you, Dr. Darkness.” Darkness said, with a wry grimace. “You’re welcome. Don’t mention it. Aaah, I don’t know why I bother…

He disappeared.

Andre came to lying on a comfortable couch. She groaned and felt the back of her head. There was a lump there and blood was matted in her hair. She blinked, her vision focusing on a pretty young woman holding a laser pistol aimed directly at her.

“Please remain perfectly still. Miss Cross, otherwise Sally will be forced to shoot you and she is a very accurate shot. Show her how accurate you are. Sally.”

Sally fired the laser and the thin beam burned a smoking hole in the couch right next to Andre’s left ear. Andre didn’t move.

“Drakov,” she said.

“Ah, you remember.” Drakov said, coming around to where she could see him_ He was dressed in flamboyant colonial finery, in black, as usual. His coat, was of black velvet with jeweled buttons, his waistcoat was black brocade shot through with gold, his breeches were black satin, and his shirt and hose were of white silk. He had silver buckles on his shoes and he wore a powdered wig. but Andre would have recognized him anywhere. That scar marring his dark. Byronic features and those unsettling, emerald-green eyes were unmistakable, as was the voice, rich and deep and resonant, a voice that stage actors would have killed for.

“Which one arc you?” she said. “Do you each have your own run number or do you all think you’re the real thing?”

“That is a fascinating question, Miss Cross.” he said, smiling down at her. “In fact, I’ve wondered about it myself on occasion, not that it makes any real difference. You see, we are all Nikolai Drakov, sharing the same genetic template. the same memories and personality. After a certain point, that is. Childhood experiences must, of necessity, vary, but at a key point in development, each replicate’s subliminal programming is triggered and from that moment on, the memory engrains of the original are manifested. All previous individual experiences are totally forgotten. Each of us shares the same memories from that point on, the same personality and past. Asking which of us is the original is pointless. We are all the same. You might say I am legion.”

Sally’s face was registering growing confusion, but Drakov proceeded as if she wasn’t even there.

“Just think of it as an exponential increase in the opportunities for our paths to cross.” he said, smiling. “You see, there you are. It’s happened once again. Actually, I quite look forward to our encounters, although I confess that each time I think it will be the last. Perhaps this time we will finally conclude our business. I feel rather confident on this occasion.”

“You always do,” she said. “But we’ve beaten you each time. And we’ll beat you once again.”

“Oh. I think not.” said Drakov. “Not this time. Miss Cross. Not this time.”

“We have Moffat, you know.” she said.

The woman called Sally gave a little gasp and her eyes went to Drakov, but only for an instant.

“Yes. I had already surmised that,” he said. He shrugged. “Unfortunate, but it is of no real consequence. He is conditioned to withstand a considerable amount of questioning, and when your friends think they have broken him, he will tell them only what he has been programmed to tell them. Moffat has served his purpose.”

The stricken look on the woman’s face only served to underscore what Andre had already concluded. Sally and Moffat were in love.

“Master…” she said in a pleading voice, but she got no further.

“Silence,” Drakov said. He deigned to glance at her-Don’t be concerned, Sally. You’ve done your part well. My promise to you still stands. I will provide another mate for you as soon as we are finished here.”

Sally said nothing and the laser in her hand wavered only slightly, but the anguish on her face spoke volumes.

“It isn’t going to work. Drakov,” Andre said. “Your Hellfire Club is going to fail, just like they failed tonight with Macintosh.”

“Merely a minor setback.” Drakov said. “The mere existence of the Hellfire

Club has already placed a strain on temporal inertia in this time period. My final touch will deliver the coup de grace and bring about a timestream split. The plan is elegant in its simplicity. I have pinpointed the three most important men in this temporal scenario. The first of them will die tonight, right under the very eyes of your compatriots, who have been keeping such a very careful watch on him. And Macintosh will never reach his friends in time. My assassin is already on his way.”

He smiled. “I only regret that I will not be able to see the expressions on their faces when it happens. It would have been much more effective if his chief pawn, Ebenezer Macintosh, had died at the same time, but it will make no difference. Without Samuel Adams to lead the Sons of Liberty, the task will doubtless fall to Otis. Hancock is popular, but he has no real ability for leadership and he lacks the genius Adams has for influencing popular opinion. The others will fall to arguing among themselves, and though he has already proven himself to be erratic. Otis is the only one with fire enough to draw them all together. When his mind finally snaps, the blow to the patriotic cause will be irreparable. The Hellfire Club will serve to unify the Tories and the arrival of the British troops will put an end to the rebellious spirit in the. Massachusetts colony.

“The second man to die will be Lord William Howe,” continued Drakov. “I have already established myself socially in England and Howe knows me as a friend. It will be an easy matter for me to see to his demise. Without his foolish indecisiveness and obstinacy, the British troops would have captured the entire Continental Army at the Battle of Long Island and the war would have been over before it even started. With Howe dead, Clinton or Burgoyne will be appointed in his place and either of them will easily prevail over the undisciplined colonial troops, especially without Washington to lead them.”

He chuckled at the expression on Andre’s face.

“Yes. George Washington will be the third to fall. The crowning touch. The father of his country will be assassinated by a bastard. A fitting irony. I think. I trust my father will appreciate it. The deaths of any one of those three men should be sufficient to bring about a timestream split. The assassination of all three should cause a chain reaction that will spread throughout all history.”

He pulled back his sleeve and entered a set of coordinates into his warp disc. And now, Miss Cross, the time has come for us to say farewell. It has been a fascinating game, but I’m afraid it’s over now.” He turned to Sally. “Kill her.”

Looking stunned, Sally aimed the laser at Andre’s chest.

“Sally. wait!” said Andre. “Don’t listen to him! Moffat is all right! Help me! I can take you to him!”

She hesitated.

“I said, kill her!” Drakov shouted.

“No. Sally, don’t!”

“Jared!”

Drakov spun around to see Moffat standing in the doorway. holding a flintlock pistol in his bloody hand. Before Drakov could speak Moffat fired. The ball struck Drakov in the chest. Sally screamed. Drakov stared at Moffat with utter disbelief, then he toppled to the floor.

For a moment, no one moved and then the laser was suddenly plucked out of Sally’s hand. She cried out as Darkness materialized, holding the laser pistol. Andre ran to Drakov and turned him over. he was still alive, but only barely. He looked up at her and coughed up blood.

“I seem to… have… miscalculated,” he said, struggling to get the words out. He coughed again and brought up more blood. “No matter

… you’re… too late. I… still… win…” His eyes clouded over and his labored breathing stopped.

Andre glanced up at Moffat. “What did he mean, he still wins?” Moffat stood there with the empty pistol still held in his hand, staring at Drakov’s corpse.

“Moffat! What did he mean?” Moffat’s lips moved, but he made no sound. Sally ran to him sobbing and threw her arms around his neck, but he was in a daze, as if entranced.

“It’s no use,” said Darkness. You won’t get anything out of him now. He’s in a fugue state. He’s suffered a breakdown.’”

“Adams…” Andre said. “Drakov said he was going to die tonight, right under our very eyes. But if we were watching Adams, then how could… Doc, we’ve got to get out of here, right now!”