The Pimpernel Plot (TimeWars 3)

“The trouble is, we don’t know-”

“That’s right, we don’t,” said Finn. “We might’ve lost him, but then, I’m not entirely unfamiliar with the way he thinks. I don’t believe we have lost him. You know Mongoose. Put yourself in his place. Your remote unit has just given you the alarm, telling you that someone’s broken in. It’s either some local burglar or it’s one of us. What are you going to do?”

Cobra remained silent for a moment, then nodded. “I see,” he said. “If it’s a local, then chances are the defensive system’s taken him out. If it’s a member of the adjustment team, then they might’ve gotten by the system and if I try clocking back immediately, I may get caught in the failsafe detonation or wind up in the dead zone if the plate blows while I’m in transit. I’d wait about five minutes, then try the remote unit. If it didn’t work, I’d know the plate was gone.”

“There, you see?” said Finn. “You can reason these things out if you really try.”

Cobra took a deep breath. “All right. Don’t rub my nose in it. I should have thought of that, but I was just so furious with you that I couldn’t think straight. While I was waiting for you, I actually considered eliminating you, you know.”

Finn nodded. “I figured you would. Consider it, I mean. The reason I was certain that you wouldn’t do it is that you’re a pro.”

“Well, thanks for that, at least,” said Cobra. He stuck his hands in his pockets and hunched over slightly from the chill. “I’ll accept that the odds are very much in favor of Mongoose’s still being alive. Your having blown the plate eliminates a large degree of the threat to this adjustment and it’ll make Mongoose easier to track down. However, that still leaves me with a major problem. My people know about the plate having been blown. I can’t account for the whereabouts of two of them.”

“Darrow’s soldiers?”

Cobra nodded.

“Well, at least now you know who they are,” said Finn.

“I know who two of them are, anyway,” said Cobra. “Something might’ve gone down in Plus Time and Darrow sent one or more of his people back to contact them and tell them that the hit was on. Otherwise, they might have had standing orders to move the moment they knew where Mongoose was. They know who he is now.”

“I want him apprehended just as much as you do,” Finn said. “If he can’t be taken alive, so be it, but I’d rather have him that way. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to take that plate out, so we owe you. How can we help?”

“At this point, I honestly don’t know,” said Cobra. “With his chronoplate destroyed, it’s just a matter of who gets to him first. I’ve still got three people I know I can depend on: one in Paris, two in Calais. If Mongoose goes underground, we may never find him. If he’s smart, that’s what he’ll do.” He grimaced. “However, I don’t think he’s that smart. He’s just wild enough to take it as a challenge to his abilities.”

“That’s what I’m counting on,” said Finn. “I’ve got a problem, too. Now that his cover as Fitzroy’s been blown, I don’t have an Observer to pass on intelligence. He might’ve been a phony, but at least he played straight with me so far as that went.”

“He had to,” Cobra said. “Since the information came from the agency field office, his cover would have been blown immediately if he gave you faulty intelligence. I’d have known about it, the field office would have known about it, and it might have meant an irreparable disruption. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take over that function for you.”

“It will interfere with your trying to track Mongoose down,” said Finn.

“I know. It can’t be helped. I’ve got my loyal operatives looking for him; I’ll just hitch up with your team and hope he makes a move toward you. I’ll need a cover.”

“We’ll work something out,” said Finn. “By the way, I’ve got some information that should interest you. It’s about the boy.”

“You found him?”

“Andre did. He wasn’t completely honest with us, it seems. He is an orphan, but he’s got an uncle who runs a small tobacco shop in a cul-de-sac off the Rue de Vaugirard. Know what his name is? Lafitte.”

“Jean Lafitte?”

“Interesting, isn’t it? You think he’ll grow up to be a pirate?”

“I don’t know,” said Cobra.

“That Lafayette was born in 1780, in France. That would make him twelve years old right now. The boy’s about the right age. When he ran his small fleet of pirate ships out of Grande Terre Island in the Gulf of Mexico, his second in command was his brother, Pierre. I’d say it adds up to a hell of a coincidence, wouldn’t you?”

“Too much of a coincidence to be ignored,” said Cobra. “Christ! I don’t even know how to begin to handle this.”

“You don’t,” said Finn. “Adjustments are my territory. We’re already working on it. Just stay away from the boy. Pass the word on to your people.”

“I will,” the agent said. “What are you going to do?”

“The first thing we’re going to do is get that kid under control,” said Finn. “Andre was a little hurt in that explosion, but she still managed to get back to that tobacco shop and entice Pierre Lafitte away. She said she came with a summons from his brother, that the ‘gentleman’ who hired him had work for both of them.”

“Where is he now?”

“At Richmond.”