Moreau chuckled. "I've weathered far worse storms."

When he left, Jack closed the door and turned to Andre. "I'm afraid that your disguise has resulted in there not being separate sleeping arrangements," he said. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm very glad for your resourcefulness."

"Do not concern yourself," said Andre, sitting down upon a chair and resting her rapier across her knees.

"I must say, you gave me quite a turn when I first came in. I almost didn't recognize you. How is it that you-"

"I have lived most of my life passing for a man," she said. "It gave me more freedom. But that is not important. I've waited long enough. I know nothing of what has happened and it is past time for explanations."

"Of course," said Jack. "You have a right to know. It will take a while to explain."

"We have all night."

"Indeed. Well. I don't know how much Hunter told you, but you obviously know something about time travel and the future that we came from. I'll start from the beginning and tell you everything I can. Stop me if you require further explanation; I will do my best. The Temporal Corps was formed in…"

Jack Bennett spoke for a long time, explaining everything he could to the best of his ability, answering questions, telling her about the time wars, the Referee and Observer Corps, the arbitration of temporal conflicts, and the work and theories of Albrecht Mensinger. When he finally stopped, at three o'clock in the morning, he was exhausted. He was also despondent, because of the role that he had played and because of the seeming futility of their situation.

"I was a fool to go along with them," he said, "an utter fool. But Taylor was persuasive', as was Darcy. You have to understand that I deserted all those years ago because I simply couldn't take it anymore. I could no longer give the system my sanction by being a part of it. It was lunacy. Mensinger told the world that it was lunacy and no one listened to him; why would anyone bother listening to me?

"No, if I couldn't change it, then I would no longer be a part of it. I had seen too much, I had realized all the dangers from firsthand experience and if the world was headed toward disaster, then at least I could have some small satisfaction in knowing that I had not been a part of it, that I had withheld my sanction. That I had washed my hands of it," he added, lamely, shaking his head.

"I deserted and I came here. I resolved to live out the remainder of my life here in France as a simple country doctor, removed from the city, away from all the foolishness of man. All told, it was a rather maudlin period during which I felt extremely self-satisfied, terminally righteous, and very much at peace. However, life doesn't necessarily work out the way you plan it.

"I don't know why I never destroyed my chronoplate. Now, I wish to God that I had, but at the time, I remember thinking that it was good to keep around as a sort of last resort. I was quite paranoid in those early days, convinced that even with my much modified, untraceable chronoplate they might still somehow find me. In that case, I would need to escape quickly. I think that, perhaps, I also knew that the plate would come in handy if I ever faced a situation that I would not be able to handle on the strength of my medical knowledge alone. That, in fact, is precisely what happened.

"An old farmer came to me with his wife and child-a man whom I had befriended and who had befriended me. They had always, from the very first, welcomed me into their home and made me feel a part of their lives. The child had cancer. The disease was fatal. It was in its advanced stages. It can occur that way, striking with very little warning. I knew at once what was the matter with the boy. They knew only that he was dying. I knew why he was dying, I knew what was killing him, and I knew how to cure it. But I could not cure it given the resources of this time. To do that, I had to travel back to my own time in order to obtain the necessary supplies. I was afraid, but I could not sit by and watch that child die, knowing that I had the knowledge to save him and was too afraid to utilize the means. That was when I made my first trip back to my own time. That was also when I first became aware of and made contact with the underground.

"I won't belabor you with the details of that story. What matters is that suddenly I was presented with an opportunity to do something about the time wars. I couldn't stop them, but I could help others to desert, to refuse to take part in the lunacy. I became part of the underground.

"That child was cured, but my life changed from that point on. I moved to Paris and established myself there as a physician. I would be a contact point in the underground and it's easier to conceal the comings and goings of people in a city teeming with people. That was how I first met Hunter.

"I kept returning to my own time, dangerous though it was, and contacting people in our organization who helped me to procure supplies. I had access to modern equipment, to stolen, modified implants, in short, I soon became a key figure in the organization. And on one of my trips back to my own time, I met the Timekeepers.

"There were people in my own time, members of the underground, who were involved with an organization known as the Temporal Preservation League. It was a group founded by Albrecht Mensinger and its aim was to stop the war machine. Most of the members of the league pursued this goal through peaceful means, but there were those who believed that they should stop at nothing to achieve their aims. These were the Timekeepers. Jimmy Darcy was a member of the Timekeepers, although when I first met him, I didn't know that. I simply thought he was a member of the league. In time, I came to learn the truth, and it was through him that I met Adrian Taylor.

"You must understand that I was and am against everything that the Timekeepers stand for. I could not and cannot condone terrorism. But they wove a very tempting web and drew me in. I'm not trying to excuse my actions, only to explain what motivated them.

"They had a plan to fight the war machine, an elegant plan that I believed could not fail to work. With my help, with access to my surgical skills and chronoplate, they could form a unit that would travel back in time and interfere with history. The plan was that they would announce their intent, then follow through on it if the ones in power refused to listen. They would refuse, of course; but in time, they would have no choice but to accede to our demands.

"We would go back to some period in the past and create a temporal disruption, set into motion a course of events that would interfere with history. We would then alert the Referee Corps, giving them ample opportunity and time to effect an adjustment, thereby preserving the natural, historic course of events. Yet, even as they worked to bring their adjustment about, we would already be in yet another period, creating yet another disruption. We would repeat the process all over again and keep repeating it, putting a massive drain on the power, resource

s, and abilities of those who perpetuated the time wars. In time, they would be forced to realize that they could not stop us and they would have no choice but to listen to our demands. I was so naive, I actually believed that.

"I know now that that was never Taylor's plan. Taylor is insane. He's a killer. I'm convinced that he never meant to create a mere temporal disruption. No, his goal is far more ambitious. What Taylor wants to do is to create nothing less than a timestream split, to bring about the very disaster that the league and even his fellow terrorists wanted to avoid. And I helped him."

"Then it is up to you to stop him," Andre said.

"I wish I could," said Bennett. "I know I'm going to have to try, but I don't know what I can do. I'm just one man."

"One man who can move through time as easily as I can cross this room," said Andre. "A man who can make a beam of light cut better than the sharpest blade, who can transform a man into a woman. After what I have seen and learned, I no longer believe that there is anything that cannot be done. After all that, what must be done seems very simple. Taylor must be killed, along with those who serve him. You are not alone, Jack Bennett. I will help you."

"I'm afraid that killing Taylor is not a simple matter," Bennett said.

Andre smiled. "Nor is killing me."

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.

Tags: Simon Hawke TimeWars Science Fiction
Source: readsnovelonline.net