The Argonaut Affair (TimeWars 7)

"So you acknowledge that I have done it, then?" said Drakov. "That it is not, after all, beyond my capabilities?"

Moreau moistened his lips. "On paper, I must admit that it looks feasible," he said. "However, you have merely taken the first step. Still, I see that I have seriously underestimated you. I must congratulate you. Obviously, you are not as ignorant of the science of genetic manipulation as I thought. I cannot believe that you have learned all of this from me in so short a time."

"Now you underestimate yourself, Professor," Drakov said. "You have been an excellent teacher. However, you are quite correct. I am not an entirely unversed layman. Knowledge is power and power is a passion with me. To one who has lived as long as I have, and to whom time poses no barriers, it is not difficult to accumulate vast amounts of knowledge. I have spent years of study in preparation for this."

"You never told me," said Moreau.

"You would have been more guarded with me if I had," said Drakov. He poured Moreau a glass of wine. "It is pointless for us to quarrel, Professor. True, I have used you, but then you also have used me. In that sense, our relationship has been quite symbiotic. Look at all we have accomplished. I do not blame you for your concerns, but then you do not see the full scope of my plans. You do not have access to all of the details. I have learned long ago not to put all of my eggs into one basket. True, I have taken risks, but believe me, they have been well within the parameters of acceptability. I can understand your being protective, but you are being too conservative."

"Conservative?" Moreau snorted. "That's a new one. I have been called mad, but never conservative."

"That is because the people you have dealt with are little men," said Drakov, "and little men have little vision. I am not a little man, Professor. And my visions are panoramic."

"And you have really done this?" said Moreau, tapping the file. "This wasn't just an exercise? You have really taken this to the gestation stage?"

"That one and several others, as well," Drakov said. "But I could never have done it without you. As I have said, you are the genius. I am merely

a clever imitator."

"And where will you go from here?" Moreau asked. "To what use do you intend to put this... this creature?"

"It shall be brought along in a manner similar to all the others," Drakov said, "only this one shall be allowed to develop to its fullest potential, even beyond what we have achieved with the centaur. And what we have learned here with our little exercise in altering historical scenarios and making myths reality will be applied with this creature and others like it in my own timeline. I will clock it back to the appropriate time period, Professor, and then I will set it free."

The heavy bolt on the other side of the door was slowly drawn back and the temporal agents were on their feet in an instant. As the door started to open, Delaney grabbed it and pulled back on it hard, yanking the person on the other side into the cell. The others were standing poised to attack, but there was only the one man whom Delaney had knocked to the floor. He held his hands out in front of his face to shield himself from further blows.

"Don't!" he cried. "I've come to help!"

"Moreau!" said Hunter.

Delaney let him up.

"Here," said the professor, reaching inside his jacket and removing several warp discs. "Take these. Quickly. You must escape at once."

"What is this?" Hunter said. "I thought you and Drakov were in this thing together. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I must," Moreau said. "I've been a fool, thinking Drakov would help me prove the worth of my creations, demonstrate what they can be capable of doing, but he has perverted all my work, stolen the fruits of all my labors and now he plans to do something so monstrous that I cannot even imagine what the consequences will be if he is not stopped."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" said Steiger.

"I have given you the means to escape and bring soldiers here to stop him," said Moreau. "You must do it now, immediately, before it is too late."

"You weren't so concerned when you were helping him create a temporal disruption," Hunter said. "What's so terrible that you suddenly developed a conscience?"

"It's true," Moreau said, "I was angry, embittered, determined to make them pay for turning my creations into mindless slaves, but this... what he plans is unthinkable. It's madness. I have to stop him somehow."

"I think you've done enough, Professor," Hunter said. "The Special Operations Group will stop him. You're coming back with me."

"I don't think so," Steiger said. "I'm afraid we can't let you take him, Hunter."

"Well, I'm not about to let .vow take him, pilgrim," Hunter said.

"I guess the truce is over," said Delaney.

"Moreau's coming with me," said Hunter. "And if I have to take you out to do it, I will."

"All three of us?" said Steiger.

"You fools!" Moreau shouted. "There is no time for this!"