“So they sent in the first string, huh? Must be pretty big.Where do you fit in?”
“Sort of unofficial backup. Undercover.”
“Meaning they don’t know you’re here.” Marshall grinned. “Youhaven’t changed. Still the same old cowboy. What’s going down?”
“I’m not exactly sure. but it has to do with Caesar.”
Marshall exhaled heavily. That is big. What’ve you got?”
Steiger briefly told him what he knew. Marshall listenedsilently. not saying anything till he was finished.
“And this L.T.0.. Travis?”
“Travers.”
“Right. He thinks it’s going to center around Caesar’sassassination?”
“That’s my guess.”
“What do you mean, it’s your guess?”
“I mean I haven’t spoken to the man. All I’ve got is thefirst report he made of a possible anomaly involving Caesar.”
“You mean the oracle.
“That’s right. Travers sent up the balloon and the team wentout. but I’ve had no contact with him, so I don’t really know what the latestintelligence is. Caesar’s supposed to die in about two weeks. That’s got to bethe focus of the disruption.”
“You think the S.O.G. is going to try to prevent theassassination.”
&nb
sp; “It would make for a hell of a disruption.” Steiger said. “Itwould probably bring about a timestream split. I think this is going to be arough one. The old man didn’t approve of contacts between the agency and theUnderground, but I’ve been trying to convince him he was wrong about that. We’regoing to need all the help we can get from now on.”
“What made Forrester change his mind?”
“He hasn’t. At least, not yet “
“So what are you telling me? Ile doesn’t know about what you’redoing here’?”
“Not officially. I’m supposed to be on R amp; R. He knows whatI’m doing, but no one else does.”
“I get it. You fall down on this one, your ass is wide openand his is covered.”
“Something like that.
“And you wonder why I decided to get out.”
What can you tell me about Caesar?”
“That you don’t already know? Probably nothing.”
“What do you mean, probably nothing?”
“Just what I said. What do you think. I’m on his dinnerinvitation list?”
“But you’re the local impresario around here,” Steiger said.“Hasn’t he been staging chariot races and fights?”
“Well, yeah, but you don’t think I deal with the mandirectly. do you? he’s the Emperor. for Christ’s sake.”