The Nautilus Sanction (TimeWars 5)

“How did you manage to get on the inside?” Lucas said.

“The Underground has something similar to a Code Red,” said Martingale. “We’ve all been on the watch for the surviving Timekeepers ever since we heard their leaders got away. Some of us almost got Falcon one time, but she slipped away. Well, now that she’s dead, that leaves only two of the original group. Drakov and Benedetto. Santos is harmless by himself, but Drakov is another story. We always figured it would be Falcon who would start it up again. We got hold of their dossiers and circulated them through our network of contacts. We’re not as well organized as the TIA, but we got the word out. We didn’t want the Timekeepers starting up again any more than you did. They were scary enough the first time.”

“So you had the entire Underground on the watch for them?” Andre said.

Martingale nodded. “When Drakov started recruiting his mercenaries, one person got in and put the word out. We had no idea where he’d be recruiting or in what time periods, so everybody kept their ears open. I got a lead from a soldier who managed to get in and I clocked over to sign up, as well. We thought we ‘d try to get as many of our people on the inside as possible, find out what the story was, then contact the Temporal Corps. But we had some bad luck. First off, we were only able to get five people in. Drakov moved very fast. Of the network people, that is, the ones who have the homing grafts the Doctor can trace, I was the only one who got recruited. Stroke of luck there. But we failed to take an important thing into consideration. One of the people who got in was recruited in ancient Rome. Another in the 14th century, another in the 16th and so on. Drakov put most of the primitives through reeducation, so they would be able to accept 27th-century science. We should have thought about that. Can you imagine trying to explain time travel to a Thuggee?”

“So you lost your people when they went through the conditioning process,” Lucas said.

Martingale nodded. “They’re now part of Drakov’s loyal crew. I was the only one who didn’t get brainwashed. I was put through Benedetto’s little head game, too, but it didn’t take for some reason. I had a real bad moment there.”

“It doesn’t always work on everyone,” said Finn. “Geniuses are supposed to be difficult to condition. So are hardcore sociopaths. But when it doesn’t take, it usually results in a complete mindwipe.”

“I heard that,” Martingale said. “The Doctor said the reason I survived it had something to do with my brain waves being altered somehow by the homing graft. He said he anticipated that when he designed it.”

“I can’t wait to meet this guy,” said Finn.

“You will. He’s already overdue. He could pop in at any moment.”

“Why haven’t you been

able to get the word out about the location of the base?” said Lucas.

“Because for a long time, I didn’t even know where it was,” said Martingale. “You’ll understand what I mean when you see it. Besides, I had no way of getting in touch with anybody. See, all of Drakov’s people were issued warp discs, but nobody knows how to use them. I’m okay with a chronoplate, but there was no way I could take one with me. Too damn bulky. If I brought along a remote unit, it would have been turned up in a search. Drakov wants to be able to control his people’s transitions.”

“You mean the destination coordinates are pre-set for them?” said Lucas.

“That’s right. Take the submarine crew, for example. Should anything happen to the sub, their discs are pre-set to clock them back to the base. That way, at least, Drakov won’t lose any personnel. That’s if they react quickly enough. Ditto the crew of the Valkyrie. Anytime he sends people anywhere, they have to report to get their discs set for destination and return. They know how to activate them, but that’s it. He provides the coordinates. He programs the discs. I never even saw a manual on these things. I never even heard of warp discs until Drakov gave me one. They’re too damn new.”

“Couldn’t Darkness have shown you how to program them?” said Andre.

“Sure, if there was enough time,” said Martingale. “Remember, he didn’t invent them. He’d need time to scope one out first. It wouldn’t have taken him long, since they work on principles he developed, but he couldn’t be bothered with that. It was up to me, as the guy on the inside, to find out where the base was and tell him when he checked in with me. Then he could notify your people. Meanwhile, he’s been trying to track down Drakov’s other movements, in other time periods. And working on the warp guns.”

“So you can’t go anywhere Drakov doesn’t want you to go,” said Lucas.

“Not only that, but it took me a long time to work my way up in his organization,” Martingale said. “And he still doesn’t trust me all the way. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when you three came aboard the sub, but I couldn’t talk to you because I knew Drakov had your dosimeters bugged. He was worried you might try to sabotage the sub.”

“Well, at least we can fix one problem right away,” said Lucas. “We can show you how to program the warp disc. There should be enough time.”

“You know, back when I was still in the Temporal Corps, I was just a grunt,” said Martingale. “I don’t know anything about temporal adjustments. You people are supposed to be the experts. What do you think of our chances?”

Lucas took a deep breath. “You sure you want to know?”

“That bad, huh?”

“Well, if we can get word to Plus Time about the location of the base and if the First Division can be mobilized quickly enough, then they’re going to have to attack at exactly the right time. They’ll have to hit hard and fast. How well defended is the base?”

“It’s not a fortress, if that’s what you mean,” said Martingale. “The personnel are armed, but Drakov isn’t set up to repel a large attack force. First off, he won’t be expecting it and second, why fight when you can clock out?”

“So you’re saying small arms, basically?”

“The sub would be the biggest threat,” said Martingale. “The missiles will be my worry. There’s a gray steel box in the control room which opens the firing circuits and arms the warheads. It’s opened by two little silver keys. Drakov has one, on a chain around his neck. Shiro has the other one.”

“If we can prevent his firing the missiles and neutralize the sub, we may have a chance of getting out of this without serious damage to the timestream,” Lucas said. “What about the base personnel? You said Drakov never taught them to program the warp discs. If they’re already at the base, are their warp discs set for any other destination?”

Martingale smiled. “No. Drakov was very careful about that. Anytime someone’s disc is programmed to clock out, it’s preset for a round trip. Once they’ve returned to the base, the discs would have to be reprogrammed before they could clock anywhere else. Hot damn! His own paranoia about control is going to beat him. If the First Division hits the base hard and fast, there won’t be any time to reprogram all the discs. They won’t be able to escape. They’ll be forced to stay and try to fight it out. If they see the odds are against them, most of them will probably surrender. Then, with the base secured, your people can just wait around and pick up the others as they clock back in. That hadn’t occurred to me. But they’d have to come in real fast for it to work. And they’d be liable to sustain heavy casualties.”

“What’s the layout of the base?” said Lucas.