“Sorry about that, Your Highness,” said Castelli. “But it’llbe okay. you won’t remember a damn thing.”
She collapsed in Corwin’s arms with a small moan.
Lucas gave the order. “Okay, people. Move out!” Bryant’steam clocked out to the palace. Simultaneously. Cooper’s strike force unitclocked to Cleopatra’s house. “Okay.” Lucas said to Castelli and Corwin. “Youknow what to do. Move.”
Castelli and Corwin snapped a preprogrammed warp disc aroundCleopatra’s wrist and clocked out to the future.
“Andell. you ready?” Lucas said.
“Ready,” said Sgt. Andell.
“Okay, Finn, get going,” Lucas said.
“Good luck. Lucas.” said Delaney.
“You. too.”
“Travers. if we’re not back in ten minutes. get the hell outof here,” Delaney said.
“You’ll be back,” said Travers.
“Okay.” said Lucas. ‘Let’s go for broke.” They all clockedout together,!caving Travers alone in the library. He crossed his fingers.
There were two S.O.G. men standing guard outside the door ofCaesar’s chambers. Two more were stationed in front of the sleeping quarters ofthe guards. There was a sudden whoosh. followed by a loud thwaack! One of the guards at Caesar’s door crumpled unconscious to the ground. Theother guard jerked around, startled, but he didn’t see a thing except theunconscious form of his companion. Suddenly a disembodied hand appearedfloating in midair, about a foot and a half in front of him. It was holding ablackthorn walking stick. The guard’s jaw dropped as he stared at it with astonishment.Whoosh. thwaack! Two down.
Major Bryant materialized in front of the two fallen guards.holding his disruptor. He glanced down quickly at their unconscious forms, thenlooked up to see Dr. Darkness leaning back a
gainst the wall, blowing animaginary speck of dust from the head of his walking stick. Bryant tossed him acasual salute. Darkness touched his walking stick to the brim of his hat.
At the same time, the other commandos of Bryant’s teamclocked in to their transition points. They fired their disruptors and theguards were briefly wreathed in the blue glow of Cherenkov radiation as theneutron beams struck them, then they disintegrated. They never even had achance to scream. Bryant aimed his disruptor down at the unconscious guards andquickly disposed of them, then moved quickly and silently toward the sleepingquarters of the other S.O.G. men. Moving softly, the commandos fanned outthroughout the room, covering the sleeping guards. One of them, either feelingthe call of nature or reacting subconsciously to their presence. woke up. hehad only an instant in which to register the black-clad men spread out through-outthe room. he opened his mouth to shout out a warning. but at that preciseinstant, they all fired. The room became bathed in the bright blue glow of Cherenkovradiation as the S.O.G. men, their bedclothes, and their beds alldisintegrated. It was over in a matter of seconds.
As Bryant and his team coped with the guards. Lucas and Andellclocked directly into Caesar’s bedroom. Calpurnia was sound asleep, but Caesar,a light sleeper with instincts honed by year of battle, awoke as they startedto move toward his bed. He sat up suddenly as Lucas quickly raised his stunnerand fired a dart into his chest. Caesar jerked and fell back onto the bed. Atthe same time. Andell fired a dart into Calpurnia. She jerked slightly andmoaned, then lay perfectly motionless.
“A trifle late, there.” Darkness said as he appearedstanding against the wall, toying with his walking stick. “How are the othersdoing?” Lucas said as he and Andell quickly started strapping preprogrammedwarp discs around the wrists of Caesar and his wife.
“Surprisingly, they seem to have the situation well in hand,”said Darkness. “I’d better go check on that great clod, Delaney, and see if he’smanaged to do his part without shooting himself in the foot.”
He disappeared.
“If you ask me. that man’s a few cards short of a full deck.”Andell said.
“Maybe,” Lucas replied. “but what cards he does have are allmarked. You ready’?”
“Ready,” said Andell.
“Okay, check your time. I want them both clocked back hereexactly one minute from now. Ready?”
“Mark!” Andell said.
“Go!”
Andell activated the warp disc on Calpurnia’s wrist while Lucassimultaneously clocked out Caesar. They both vanished.
“All right. I’m on my way,” Andell said. “Good luck, Lucas.”
“You, too.”
Andell clocked out.