The Timekeeper Conspiracy

9

Jimmy Darcy and Tonio Valenti had seen Bennett and the woman enter the house on the Rue St. Honore. They had seen Bennett brandishing his laser.

"What do you think they did with Silvera?" Tonio said, scratching at his several-days'-old growth of thick black beard. Both he and Jimmy were dressed as common laborers.

"Could be they've taken him into custody and turned him over to other agents, maybe even clocked him out," said Jimmy. "Could be he's dead."

"That one chest seems pretty heavy," Tonio said. "What do you think they've got in there?"

Both men exchanged quick glances.

"This is really stupid," Jimmy said, beginning to test the waters. "There's absolutely no good reason to kill those two."

"Boss's orders," Tonio said. "Besides, they got Silvera. One way or another," he added, a bit more softly.

"So they got Silvera," Jimmy said. "Silvera screwed up. He never should've taken out that agent."

"He was the opposition," Tonio said.

"Christ, use your brain," said Jimmy. "They've probably got agents crawling over half of Paris; you really believe we can take them all on? What's the point? The only thing that matters is the plan and they have no idea what it is."

"Yeah, but maybe they can guess," said Tonio.

"Maybe, but I doubt it. Even if they do, so what? Stopping it won't be so easy. Even if they do stop it, we've still got the plate. We cut and run and start all over in another period. And this time, there won't be any infiltrators to tell them where we are."

"That bastard never had a chance to-"

"How else could they have found out about it? He must have lived long enough to leave a message."

"C'mon, Taylor left him with his guts all over the goddamn floor," said Tonio.

"Maybe that's just the point," said Jimmy. "Taylor didn't finish the job."

"Yeah, maybe."

"He thinks an agent known as Mongoose may be running the TIA operation," Jimmy said.

"Yeah? So?"

"The way I understand it, Taylor's got a pretty heavy grudge against him. It just makes me a little nervous, that's all. Taylor seems to want to get his hands on that guy pretty badly."

"You saying Taylor might be putting his vendetta or whatever ahead of the operation?"

"I don't know. Is that what I said?"

"No, not exactly. It's what you're not saying that interests me. Ever since that sex-change operation, he's been acting pretty strange."

"You noticed."

"Don't pussyfoot with me, son. Say what's on your mind."

"How long have you known Taylor?"

"Not as long as you."

"How do you feel about him?"

"What do you say we cut through all this crap?" said Tonio. "Either you level with me or you don't; make up your fucking mind."

"I think you know what I'm getting at."

"Yeah, but I want to hear you say it."

Jimmy nodded. "All right. Taylor is a pro. Unlike you and me, he's getting paid a bundle for this. I don't know how much, but I know it's pretty heavy. He makes all the right noises, but when it comes right down to it, he's an outsider."

"He's been with the organization for quite a while."

"He's worked for the organization," Jimmy said. "It's not the same. He's still an outsider. A very well-paid outsider."

"They have handed us our tools…" said Tonio.

"Yeah, sure. But it helps to know that you're using the right tool for the right job."

"You don't trust him."

Jimmy didn't reply for several seconds. "You realize he's crazy, don't you?"

Tonio chuckled. "Don't let Freytag hear you say that."

"Well?"

Tonio stared at him. "He's a paranoid schizophrenic most of the time, except when he's a psychopath. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, that answers my question."

"And you want to know what I'm going to do about that."

"Yeah."

"Absolutely nothing."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I heard you, but I didn't understand you. You agree with me about Taylor and you're going to do absolutely nothing?"

"You bet. It's like you said, Taylor is a pro. I'm just an amateur. Going up against Taylor would be dangerous, but going up against Taylor and Freytag would be fucking suicide. Taylor I've got my doubts about, but I know for damn sure that Freytag doesn't give a good goddamn about Professor Mensinger, the Timekeepers or the time wars. Freytag's a mercenary and Taylor is his paymaster. Neither you nor I nor both of us together can afford to buy him off and, frankly, I'd rather go up against a dozen Jimmy Darcys than one Freytag. So I'm simply going to pretend this conversation never happened and if you're smart, you'll watch yourself. Besides, he might be madder than a mayfly, but with Taylor, there's a hell of a lot more chance of this whole thing coming off than without him. Okay?"

Jimmy nodded grimly. "Okay."

"Terrific. Now what do you say we go and get the job done? It's dark enough to slip in there without drawing attention to ourselves. We'll make it nice and quick and there's one less thing to worry about. All right?"

"Sure," said Jimmy. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Let's go and kill poor old Doc Bennett."

Simon Hawke

The Timekeeper Conspiracy

"Just make sure you subdue the woman first," said Tonio. "She's an agent and she'll be the one to give us trouble."

Walking normally, they crossed the street and headed toward the house, going past it and then doubling back behind it. There was no back door, but they had been at Doc Bennett's house before and they knew the best way to break in. It didn't take them but a moment. They entered the house silently, weapons at the ready, listening for noise, the sound of conversation, footsteps, anything. There was no noise.

"Watch yourself," whispered Tonio.

It didn't take them very long to discover that their quarry had fled. The house was deserted and they saw that Bennett had taken care to destroy all of his equipment and supplies.

"We waited too long," said Tonio. "We should have moved in earlier."

"But how did they get out?"

"Obviously there's a way out of this house that we don't know about. Looks like Doc didn't tell us everything. Lucky for him."

"They must have just left," said Jimmy. "It took time to burn up all that stuff. Some of this slag is still hot."

Tonio had left the room and started searching the other rooms on the first floor. Moments later, he called Darcy into the library.

"Take a look at this," he said, indicating the chest on the floor in the center of the room. Most of Andre's clothes were still in it, several items hanging over the sides of the open chest, others on the floor around it. "Looks like she left in a hurry and repacked to travel light. But why repack in here?"

"The bookshelf," Jimmy said. He pointed to a space upon the shelf where several books were missing, having been placed upon the desk. Jimmy went over to the shelf and reached into the empty space, feeling around with his hand. "Jackpot," he said, as a click sounded and the shelf swung away to reveal the door behind it. He aimed his laser at the lock. "This should only take a second," he said and pressed the firing stud. The beam of light shot out for a moment and then he switched it off. He tapped the door with the palm of his hand and it swung open.

"Hold it right there!" someone said in English. Jimmy bolted through the door. Tonio made the mistake of reacting. He started to spin around and fire, but nothing happened. There had been a brief flash of light and he heard a thump on the floor at his feet. Wondering why his laser hadn't fired, he looked down and saw his hand, still holding the weapon, lying on the floor.

He came to and found himself sitting in a chair, tied down securely. The room he was in was dark, the windows shuttered and covered with blankets so that no light seeped in. He could just barely make out several figures in the room, one of them seated backwards on a chair several feet in front of him.

"Good morning," said the one sitting before him.

"My hand," mumbled Tonio.

"We left it on the desk back in Jack Bennett's house," the man said. "If Doc ever gets back, he can use it as a paperweight."

Tonio's mouth felt funny. He was having a hard time waking up and clearing his head.

"Oh, by the way," the man said, "we found your little cyanide capsules. Nice traditional touch. Your mouth feels funny because you're missing two molars. Our dental work isn't exactly top-notch quality, but that's the least of your worries."

"Mongoose?" Tonio felt lightheaded, wrapped in fog.

"Surprise, surprise," the agent said. "Right the first time. Adrian figured they'd send me, did he?"

"Bleeding…" mumbled Tonio.

"See to his mouth," said Mongoose.

Someone approached him and pried his mouth open with his fingers. Tonio tried to bite him, but received a stinging slap across the side of his head for his trouble. It seemed to him that he was moving in slow motion. Once again, the fingers pried open his mouth and he felt them reaching in, swabbing at where his teeth had been.

"We gave you a little shot, Tonio," said Mongoose. "We've already had a short chat, but you might not remember. You were still out of it. Blood stopped?"

Tonio tried to feel with his tongue. "Think so," he slurred.

"Good. You know there's no point in fighting it, of course. You're going to tell us everything. If you try to fight it, it will just take a little longer, but not much longer. You know I'm right, don't you?"

Tonio nodded.

"Good. I know you're feeling a little woozy, but all you have to do is tell us what the plan is and we'll give you another little shot to make you sleep."

"Going to kill me," Tonio said, thickly.

"No, Tonio, no one's going to kill you. I realize that there's no reason for you to take my word for it, but all you have to do is think about it for a minute and you'll see I'm telling you the truth. I could kill you, of course, but I'll get points for sending you back alive. It makes the agency look good. We'll just have us a nice little chat and we'll give you something to make you sleep and next thing you know, you'll be waking up in a nice warm prison cell back in the 27th century. Free room and board for the rest of your life, unless you decide to opt for re-education and enlistment in the Temporal Corps. No sweat, nice and easy."

"Nice an'easy…"

"Riiight."

"Nie an' easy…"

"What's the plan, Tonio?"

"B'ingham…"

"Buckingham, right, we guessed as much. Go on."

"M'us'teers… Di'mon stus…"

"All right, now we're getting somewhere," Mongoose said. He turned to the agents standing behind him. "We'll have this wrapped up by tonight." He turned back to the terrorist. "All right, we know that the musketeers are going to be sent out to retrieve the diamond studs from Buckingham. What's Taylor going to-"

Tonio suddenly jerked back in his chair. Blood began pouring from his ears, mouth, nose and eyes.

"Son of a bitch!" Mongoose jumped up, toppling his chair. Furiously, he kicked the chair across the room. Tonio's head lolled grotesquely against the back of the chair he was tied to. Blood dripped down onto his clothing, made droplets on the floor.

"What the hell happened?" said one of the other agents, rushing up to inspect the body. "How could he-"

Mongoose turned away. "Explosive implant," he said, flatly. "Detonated by remote control. Poor bastard probably didn't even know about it. Those tooth capsules were there just to throw us off. Taylor hasn't missed a trick."

"Jesus."

"I took a long shot and it backfired," Mongoose said. "We should've taken Bennett right from the beginning, instead of using him as bait."

"Want us to bring him in now?"

Mongoose nodded. "Yeah. Bring him in. But don't be rough with him. He'll probably be very glad to see you. He's got no friends now and he'll be scared. I think he'll want to talk."

"Suppose he's got one of those explosive implants, too?"

"Not a chance. Taylor would've detonated it, instead of sending people after him. No, good ole Doc Bennett's probably the guy who did the operation. It's nice and simple. A little shot while you're asleep and five minutes later, presto, walking time bomb."

"Some doctor."

"You're wasting time. I want Bennett in my custody before nightfall. He gave us the slip with that clever secret passageway and it may cost him his life. Get out there and find him before Freytag does."

"You know what I've been thinking?" Finn asked Lucas.

Lucas belched and patted his stomach. "What?"

"I've been thinking that we got a raw deal. We soldier our damn buns off and all these characters ever do is drink and brawl and screw. Some life, huh? Join the king's musketeers and get paid for raising hell."

They had joined the musketeers for dinner at Moreau's Tavern and, after stuffing themselves until they couldn't possibly eat another mouthful, Finn and Lucas sat kicked back against the wall, sipping wine and watching as Porthos and D'Artagnan regaled the crowd with an impromptu demonstration of the finer points of swordsmanship. Several tables had been pushed aside for the two to occupy the center of the room, where Porthos was discoursing upon the advantages of the Parisian style of fencing over the Florentine style. The Parisian style, as defined by Porthos, consisted of holding a rapier in one hand and a wine goblet in the other. He kept up a steady stream of chatter as he parried D'Artagnan's playful thrusts with exaggerated flourishes of his sword and Moreau's customers were loving it, guffawing, shouting "Well struck!" and pounding on the tables.

Aramis, emphasizing that he was preparing for the clergy, occupied himself with trying to convert the prostitutes. One at a time, he took them upstairs to lecture them upon the virtues of clean living and piety.

"I keep thinking about what Mongoose said," said Lucas. "I just find it hard to believe that one of the musketeers could be an impostor. Surely, it can't be D'Artagnan. Porthos seems like the real thing, all right, and Aramis-"

"If one of them is an impostor," said Delaney, "I'd say that this is our most likely candidate, right here."

Athos came back to the table, having left to get more wine. He sat down heavily and set several bottles on the table, bottles that were refilled periodically from casks Moreau had in his cellar.

"This wine is swill," said Athos, "but my throat is parched and I'll settle for almost anything. Come, Francois, Alexandre, drink up. It's our duty to get rid of all this garbage so Moreau can go out and buy some decent wine."

They refilled their goblets. Athos kicked back his chair to lean against the wall beside them. He frowned as he saw Aramis heading upstairs with yet another potential convert.

"Women," he said, scornfully. "They'll be the death of him yet." He was slurring his words slightly. "It's a wonder he hasn't gotten himself poxed already."

"You don't much care for women, do you?" Lucas said.

"I have no use for them."

"No romance? Never been in love?"

Athos stared out into the center of the room, eyes unfocused, seeing something other than the swordplay and the crowd.

"Once," he said, softly.

"What, just once?"

"It was enough, my friend. I will say, rather, that it was much more than enough. I was young and foolish and in love," he said those words as though they were an epithet, "and I did not do well in my selection of a mistress." Jerking his head slightly, as if suddenly aware that he had said more than he meant to, he reached out and grabbed one of the bottles off the table, knocking over two others in the process.

"I have another mistress now," he said, loudly, brandishing the bottle. "She's loyal and true and never strays far from my reach. She never fails to satisfy me; she never lets me down. She fills me to the brim with her warmth of loving kindness and she does not deceive me. Veritas in vino!" he shouted, raising the bottle high in a violent gesture that toppled him from his chair. He fell to the floor and remained there, dead drunk.

Lucas glanced down at him. "You were saying?" he said to Finn.

"On the other hand, maybe it's one of the others," Finn said.

Lucas didn't say anything. Delaney glanced at him and saw that he was staring intently out toward the center of the room. A young, elegantly dressed cavalier had come down the stairs and he was circling around the mock combat in the center of the room, heading toward the door.

Misinterpreting his stare as an effort to keep his eyes in focus, Finn rocked his chair back down, away from the wall, and set his goblet down upon the table.

"Hell," he said, "I've had about enough. What do you say we call it a night?"

Lucas glanced at him sharply. " What did you say?"

"I said, what do you say we call it a night?"

Lucas rocked his chair forward so hard that the few remaining upright bottles on the table were knocked over, spilling their contents onto the floor and into Delaney's lap.

"Christ, what's with you?" said Delaney, jumping up.

Lucas stared at the door, through which the young cavalier had passed seconds earlier.

"De la Croix" he said, softly.

"What? Lucas, what's the matter with you? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I have," he said. "Come on."

"What? Where are we going?"

"Come on, I said! Hurry, before we lose him!"

Simon Hawke

The Timekeeper Conspiracy

"Lose who?"

"The red knight!"

"The… what?" Lucas was heading for the door, pushing his way through.

They followed the young cavalier carefully, keeping their distance and staying in the shadows.

"Lucas, are you sure?" said Finn. "It couldn't be a mistake?"

"I told you, I never forget a face," said Lucas, vehemently. "The last time I saw that face, it belonged to the woman who was with Jack Bennett. And the time before that, it was in 12th-century England."

Delaney shook his head. "That's crazy. You've had too much to drink. It's a physical resemblance, that's all. It can't be the same man!"

"Then what was he doing with Jack Bennett, an underground contact? I told you I saw that woman before. No wonder I couldn't recognize her! She was a man dressed as a woman! I'm telling you, Finn, that's Andre de la Croix!"

Finn thought back to their mission in the 12th century and to a mercenary knight who had sold his services to Prince John of Anjou. Lucas had met him in the lists at Ashby and had taken such a battering that he hadn't been able to see straight for hours.

"He must have been in the underground all the time!" said Finn. "What's he doing here?"

"That's what I intend to find out," said Lucas. They were in the Rue des Fossoyeurs. The cavalier went up to No. 14 and knocked on the door. "That's D'Artagnan's house!" said Lucas.

Finn glanced behind them, but he couldn't see anything in the dark streets. "If Mongoose has his people tailing us, I hope to hell they're not sleeping on the job," he said. "This could get nasty."

They crept up to the window and peered inside. The cavalier was seated at a table, talking with an old man whom they had last seen entering the house in the Rue St. Honore.

"Jack Bennett," whispered Finn. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It looks like Mongoose was right," said Lucas. "Our friend D'Artagnan is a Timekeeper."

"I can't believe it," said Delaney. "D'Artagnan can't be an impostor!"

"You have any other explanation?"

"No, but… it just doesn't fit. It would mean that they've had us made right from the very start, before we even arrived in Paris!"

"Well, there's only one way we're ever going to know for sure," said Lucas. He went over to the door and pounded on it.

Someone said, "Who knocks?"

In a perfect imitation of D'Artagnan's voice, Lucas said, "Damn you, Bonacieux, let me in! I've forgotten my key!"

A moment later, the door was unlatched and as the person on the other side started to open it, Lucas shouldered his way in with Finn following close behind.

Jack Bennett was knocked back into the wall. Andre de la Croix leapt up, rapier drawn.

"We meet again, Sir Knight," Lucas said, speaking in Norman.

De la Croix hesitated, obviously taken aback. Bennett clawed for something in his pocket, but the point of Finn's rapier was at his throat in an instant.

"Don't do it," Finn said, in English. "Let's have it. Slowly."

With a look of resignation, Bennett handed over his laser.

"Who are you?" said Andre.

"It is you, isn't it?" said Lucas. "Andre de la Croix. What do you call yourself in Paris?"

"How do you know me?"

"We've met before," said Lucas. "In the lists, on the field of Ashby."

"At Ashby? Impossible. I don't-"

"I'll refresh your memory," said Lucas, switching to English. "You wore red armor and had a fleury cross for your shield device. I wore white and my shield device was an uprooted oak. I remember being quite impressed with your abilities. I never dreamt that you were underground."

"She isn't," Bennett said. "At least, she wasn't then."

"She?"

Simon Hawke

The Timekeeper Conspiracy

"Take a good, close look," said Bennett. "Andre is a woman."

Finn had put away his sword and was now covering Bennett with the laser. "What is this?" he said. "What are you trying to pull?"

Moving slowly, keeping his hands in plain sight, Bennett walked over to a chair and sat down.

"You're commandos, aren't you?" he said. "An adjustment team?"

"That's right," said Finn, watching him closely.

Bennett seemed relieved. "Andre, we have to cooperate with these men. They are soldiers from the future."

Andre nodded. She put her rapier and her dagger down upon the table and slowly approached Lucas.

"That's far enough," said Lucas, when she was almost within arm's reach of him.

"I am unarmed," she said, "and your friend can kill me easily."

She held out her hands to Lucas.

"Your hand," she said.

Hesitantly, Lucas lowered his rapier and stretched out his free hand to her. She came closer and took his left hand in both of hers, pressing it against her chest, then slowly moving it down between her legs. There was nothing sexual in the contact at all. She kept her eyes on his, watching for a reaction. She was surprised at what she saw. It was not at all what she had expected.

Lucas raised his eyebrows only slightly and said, "All right, so you're a woman. What does that prove?"

She glanced at Bennett, uncertainly.

"She's a unique woman," Bennett said. "The term that's used is displaced person."

Now Lucas really looked surprised. "Are you telling me that-"

"That she is not now nor has she ever been a soldier of the Temporal Corps," said Bennett. "Briefly, she was born in the 12th century and orphaned as a child. She started passing for male at an early age and through a series of fascinating circumstances, she acquired the abilities that enabled her to become a mercenary knight errant. I don't know the full story, but she was brought to this time by a friend of mine whom she met in medieval England. Hunter had intended for her to-"

"Reese Hunter?" said Finn.

Now Bennett looked surprised. "You knew him?"

"Knew?" said Lucas. "Past tense?"

"Yes," said Bennett. "He's dead. Assassinated by a terrorist named Silvera, who believed him to be a TIA agent. Hunter came to Paris with Andre to seek me out for the purpose of obtaining a black market implant for Andre. I've been a major contact and supplier in the underground for many years. To my everlasting sorrow, Hunter arrived at a time when I was involved in a terrorist plot with the Timekeepers. I was with them when he came looking for me. In inquiring as to my whereabouts, Hunter must have attracted the attention of the Timekeepers, who took him to be an agent. They trailed him to his rooms at the Luxembourg Hotel-"

"The Luxembourg!" said Finn.

Bennett frowned. "Yes, that's right. I thought you looked familiar. You were the men we passed on the stairs."

"Continue," Lucas said.

Bennett sighed. "Hunter was followed to the Luxembourg and killed there. Fortunately, Andre was not there at the time. On the other hand, if she was there, she might have prevented it. She's altogether a remarkable young woman. Well. At any rate, they must have staked out the hotel. When I received word that Hunter was in Paris and staying at the Luxembourg, I immediately went to see him. That was when I met Andre. By that time, Hunter was already dead and she was alone in the hotel with his body, not knowing how to dispose of it, who had killed him, or why he had been killed. I was seen going into the hotel, to Hunter's room. Naturally, the Timekeepers assumed I had betrayed them to the TIA and Silvera broke into the room with the intention of killing me and taking Andre prisoner. However, Andre managed to kill Silvera first." Bennett was reciting the story in a flat and weary tone of voice. "We had to smuggle both bodies out of the hotel-"

"That perfumed chest," said Finn.

"Yes," said Bennett.

"You passed us on the stairs and I thought I recognized Andre," Lucas said, "only I couldn't place her face. Of course, the last time that I saw her, she wasn't dressed as a woman. When I saw her as she is now, leaving Moreau's

Simon Hawke

The Timekeeper Conspiracy

Tavern, I recognized her, but I thought she was a man passing as a woman. Instead, it was the other way around!"

"You followed us to the Rue St. Honore?" Bennett said.

"That's right," said Finn. "When we saw you flashing that laser around-"

"You assumed I was a Timekeeper and that you had found the house where the chronoplate was being kept," Bennett finished for him. "You were almost right. However, I don't have my plate anymore. They took it from me. They have Hunter's plate, as well, but they don't know its fail-safe code. That's why they're after Andre. They don't realize that she's a displaced person and doesn't know how to operate it."

"And they want you dead because they think that you betrayed them to the agency," said Lucas.

"Kind of puts you in a tough spot, doesn't it?" said Finn. "As far as the agency team is concerned, you're with the Timekeepers. The Timekeepers think you've sold out to the agents. The question is, where do you stand?"

"Until a short while ago," said Bennett, "I stood with them. I'm against the time wars. That was why I joined the underground and it was why I became involved with the Temporal Preservation League."

"Then there is a connection between the league and the terrorists?" said Finn.

"Oh, yes. It's the most tenuous of connections, but it exists. I became convinced that the Timekeepers had a workable plan to bring pressure upon the Referee Corps to end the temporal conflicts."

"A timestream split is what you call a workable plan?" said Finn.

"That was only the announced intention," Bennett said. "The Timekeepers themselves never intended to bring about a split. The idea was to create adjustment situations throughout all of history, alerting the Referee Corps to each situation as it was created, so that they would be able to restore historical continuity, but at the price of extended manpower commitments, financial losses, and temporary historical instability."

"Interesting idea," Lucas said. "But surely you must have realized the chance that you were taking? Suppose one of those adjustment situations proved to be irreversible?"

"There was always that chance," said Bennett. "However, our aim was to conduct only the most controlled types of interference actions."

"What changed your mind?" said Finn.

"Adrian Taylor," Bennett said. "He's-"

"We know who Taylor is," said Lucas.

"Do you know that he's totally insane? That he is totally committed to creating a timestream split?"

"The agency is proceeding on that assumption," Lucas said.

"Then the TIA knows more than Taylor's own people do," said Bennett.

"Are you saying that the Timekeepers actually don't-"

"I told you what the plan was!" Bennett shouted. "But Taylor is uncontrollable! I became convinced of that when he killed the Countess de la Fere."

"But that's-"

"Milady de Winter," Bennett said. "Possibly the most important figure in this scenario. That was where my talents as a surgeon came in. I performed a transsexual operation upon Adrian Taylor. He is now Milady de Winter."

Finn put away his newly acquired laser. "Holy Christ," he said. "And Mongoose thought that one of the musketeers was an impostor."

"Ah, I see," said Bennett. "You followed Andre here and saw us in this house and you naturally assumed that D'Artagnan was a ringer. No, he's quite genuine, I assure you, as are the other musketeers. Moreau is an old friend of mine and he arranged this hiding place for me. Bonacieux owes him a favor. Bonacieux's name rang a bell with me, but what with everything that's been happening, I didn't put it all together until I arrived here and found out who his other tenant was. I was even toying with the idea of trying to get D'Artagnan to help me, until I realized how crazy it would be."

"Help you do what?" said Finn.

"I thought I had made that eminently clear," said Bennett. "Taylor must be killed."

"Where is he?"

"I can tell you where he was," said Bennett, "but it's a sure bet that he won't be there now. He's not a fool."

"I think you'd better have a talk with Mongoose," Lucas said.

"The agent in charge?" said Bennett. "I can't do that."

"You're not exactly in a position to say what you can or cannot do," said Lucas.

"You don't understand," said Bennett. "I'm an important figure in the underground. I know a great deal about the underground organization. Mongoose would have me arrested and clocked out, so that I could be interrogated. I won't jeopardize the lives of people whose only crime was in saying no to war."

"But you're willing to jeopardize the timestream," Lucas said.

"I told you, I want Taylor stopped as badly as you do. But I cannot allow myself to be taken into custody."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Finn said. "You're already in our custody.''

"Not exactly," Bennett said, producing another laser. Finn started and reached for the first weapon he had taken from Bennett, but Bennett fired his laser on low intensity, singeing Delaney's hand. "I don't want to do it," he said, "but if you force me to, I'll burn you where you stand. Don't forget that I'm a surgeon and I'm quite expert with this laser. Now take that weapon out very slowly and slide it to me across the floor."

Finn glanced at Lucas and did as he was told. As the laser slid across the floor toward Bennett, Lucas moved fast, grabbing Andre and jerking her around in front of him, holding her around the neck, his dagger at her side.

"Drop it or I'll cut her," he said.

The next thing Lucas knew, he was in mid-air and flying across the room. He hit the floor and rolled, coming up in a fighting stance, his dagger held ready. Andre was holding her own dagger by the point, ready to throw it.

"No!" shouted Bennett.

There was a fierce pounding on the door.

"Damn you, Bonacieux!" D'Artagnan shouted drunkenly from outside. "Let me in! I've forgotten my key!"