The Timekeeper Conspiracy (TimeWars 2)

"He did," said Lucas. "You're doing fine, keep going."

"Freytag seemed concerned about you, but Mongoose reassured him, telling him that he would make certain that the two of you would be nowhere near him and Taylor. Then they spoke about Taylor. This was a part that I did not fully understand. Freytag said that there was something wrong with Taylor, that he was not sure who he was, I think. Mongoose asked Freytag if he could control Taylor long enough to get the job done and Freytag said that he did not know, that Taylor was crazy. He said that he killed Darcy. He said that he was the only one Taylor had left now, but that Taylor did not believe he needed anyone and that he-Freytag-could be next. Then Mongoose asked Freytag if he was losing his nerve. Freytag said that he was not ashamed to admit that he was frightened, that there was a great deal of risk involved. Mongoose replied that he had gone to a great deal of trouble to arrange things and he told Freytag to do as he was told. Freytag was reluctant, but he seemed to have no choice but to obey. There was no mention made of what it is they plan to do. No details were discussed. Freytag said that he had to return. He wished the man called Mongoose luck and they went their separate ways. I remained in hiding until they had gone. I do not know where Freytag went, but the man called Mongoose returned to the house in the Rue Servadoni and a short while later, you came out and I followed you."

"You can put your hands down, Andre," Lucas said. "You've convinced us. You co

uldn't have made that up."

"I do not understand this peculiar plot," she said, "but I can offer you my services, if I can be of any help."

"Maybe you can," said Lucas. "It looks like we're going to need all the help that we can get."

"Mongoose and Freytag," said Delaney. "Can you believe it? Obviously, we can't join the musketeers. The whole idea was to decoy us away. But why?"

"At this point," said Lucas, "your guess is as good as mine. I don't know what the hell is going on, but one thing is for sure. We've really been had."

"Damn," said Finn. "This whole thing is crazy. It's been wrong right from the start. We've been used and lied to from the very beginning. Mongoose has had our hands tied ever since we got here."

"The thing is, what can we do about it?" Lucas said. "We're totally dependent upon Mongoose. We can't push the panic button because it would only alert Mongoose. This isn't a military operation, it's a TIA show and we're essentially auxiliary personnel. Andre, I don't doubt your word for one moment, but the sad thing is that we don't have any proof. It'll be the word of a member of the underground against a high-ranking TIA agent. And without Mongoose, there's no way we can get home."

"Worse than that," said Finn, "with Mongoose in charge of the operation, there's no way the TIA can stop the terrorists. It's ironic, isn't it? The agency got wind of this plot because they managed to infiltrate the Timekeepers, so they put one of their best men in charge of the operation and he turns out to be on the other side, playing the double game. I've got to hand it to the Timekeepers-subverting a TIA agent. I wonder how long Mongoose has been one of them?"

"Does it matter?" Lucas said. "The point is that they got to him. Or maybe he got to them. I think I can even understand why he must have done it. Mongoose is a thrill junkie, he's in it for the risk, to play the game. What game can be more risky than burning the candle at both ends? If the Timekeepers succeed in creating a timestream split, it will probably mean chaos, and people like Mongoose thrive on chaos. Just think of the opportunities."

"It's crazy," Finn said.

"The time wars are crazy," Lucas said with a sigh, "but nobody twisted our arms to get involved. We both had a chance to get out, only you stayed in and I wound up re-enlisting. Maybe we're not so different from Mongoose, after all."

"If it's all the same with you," said Finn, "we can get into the philosophical implications of this thing some other time. Right now, we've got to figure out a way to stop the split from going down."

"The musketeers are going to be leaving Paris soon," said Lucas. "If we go with them, we're being decoyed away and we're playing right into their hands. If we don't go with them, Mongoose will know about it as soon as the musketeers get out of Paris and the floater scouts pick up the party. They'll notice that two people are missing, not to mention the fact that we won't be able to communicate with them." He reached into his boot and pulled out the gauntlet with the comsets wrapped inside. "What's the range of these things, anyhow?"

"I don't know," said Finn, "but I know what you're thinking and you just said why it wouldn't work. They'll be scouting from the air and they'll know that two people are missing. Besides, if these things are short range, we're out of luck. If they're not, it still makes no difference. It looks like whatever they're planning is going to go down in Paris. If we can stop them here, they've still got the chronoplates. Unless we stop them dead, they can outflank us and attack the musketeers. We can't be in two places at once."

"Not necessarily," said Lucas. He looked at Andre. "There's three of us now. One of us can take Andre and go along with the musketeers to cover them. That may fool the floaters and it will leave one of us to stay behind in Paris and go after Mongoose."

Finn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Just one of us? That's what I call a long shot."

"Unless you can think of something else real quick, it's the only shot we've got. Mongoose said that he'd be in position at the palace. I think that's exactly where he's going to be. They'll think that we're out of the way and they'll feel safe to make their move. Now what could they do that would create a major disruption in history? I think they might go after Richelieu. Maybe the king or queen, maybe even all three of them."

"God, it's Mensinger's worst nightmare," said Finn. "If they assassinate their target in front of witnesses, it will be next to impossible to adjust. And even if plants can be arranged in time, which I doubt, we're talking about major historical figures here. Even with genetic engineering, what are the odds of coming up with an adequate substitute Louis XIV? Each time an adjustment necessitates a substitution, you're risking a temporal disruption that could lead to a split. This one would guarantee it."

"There's always the chance that Mensinger was wrong," said Lucas, not very hopefully.

"Right. And we're only going to find out the hard way," Finn said. "Damn. Whichever one of us is going to stay behind is going to be completely on his own, with Mongoose manipulating the TIA people under his command. What do you think his chances are going to be?"

Lucas shrugged. "Whichever one of us takes Andre and joins the musketeers stands a good chance of not making it back. The one who stays in Paris is going to have to stay alive long enough to kill Mongoose, Taylor, and Freytag. Frankly, I'd rather not think about what our chances are."

"I knew I was going to hate this mission," Finn said. "All right, who stays and who goes?"

Lucas removed a coin from his pocket. He held it in his hand, staring at it for a moment, then he tossed it in the air.

"Call it."

12

Shortly before dawn, ten people on horseback left Paris by the barrier of St. Denis. The group consisted of Aramis and his servent, Bazin, a somber man of forty who dressed in black and affected a priestly air; Porthos and Musqueton, his lackey, an amiable peasant of about thirty-five who was dressed considerably better than his fellows in his master's cast-off clothes; Athos and his man, Grimaud, whose taciturn demeanor matched his name; and D'Artagnan and Planchet, the comical scarecrow of a man whose aimless, spirited babble more than compensated for Grimaud's and Bazin's glum reserve. They were just about to leave when their party was increased by two new arrivals.

Andre was readily accepted, both because Lucas vouched for "him" and because D'Artagnan, in a moment of careless exuberance, had let it slip that Andrew was the "brother" of that fascinating woman who had taken their side against the cardinal's guards at the abbey. That woman had been an object of intrigue and speculation among the musketeers ever since and now, with the appearance of her "brother" on the scene, each musketeer secretly hoped to obtain a private introduction. D'Artagnan was furious with himself for not having kept his mouth shut and thereby losing an advantage. In spite of their precarious situation, Lucas was quite amused by the musketeers' exaggerated overtures of friendship toward Andre and the sudden, boisterous camaraderie.