The Cleopatra Crisis (TimeWars 11)

“I hope this is important. Marshall.” he said.

“Steiger’s here,” Marshall replied.

“Creed Steiger? He’s in Rome? Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. You think I’d have sent word to you ifI wasn’t certain?”

“Is he alone’?”

“Yes and no. There’s an adjustment team that’s been clockedback here and he’s technically working with them, but they don’t know about it.He’s undercover.”

“Undercover?” Simmons frowned. “You mean working on his own,independent of the team? That’s impossible. Forrester disbanded the old covertfield section.”

“Yes, that’s true. but Steiger’s trying to convince him toreinstate it. He’s running this one on his own, to prove his point that there’sa need for the covert field section. And that it can operate withoutcorruption,” he added wryly. “He even wanted me to come back in.”

“He still doesn’t know you’re in the Network?”

“No, he thinks I’ve simply skipped out to join theUnderground and get away from it all. He used some of our old contacts in theUnderground to track me down. He wanted me to help him on his mission.”

“That’s interesting. It could be very useful. What is the mission?”

“A temporal anomaly involving Caesar. There’s a chance hemay not be assassinated on schedule. They think the S.O.G. might be involved.”

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s very possible.”

“That could make things difficult We can’t afford any disruptions.”

“Tell me about it. But I also can’t afford being busted.”

“Is that what he intends to do?”

“He says no. but I don’t trust him. He’s still playingcowboy. like he always did. Him and his psychotic mentor, Carnehan. He’s notconvinced the adjustment team can insure that Caesar will get killed onschedule, SO he’s managed to buddy up to Caesar and get offered a tribuneshipwith the legions Caesar’s planning to take on a campaign to Parthia. That way,if Caesar doesn’t die when he’s supposed to. Steiger’s going to take him outhimself during the campaign, just to prove to Forrester that it couldn’t havebeen done without a covert wet work specialist on the scene. If he decided tobring me in. as well, it would be an added bonus for him. They’d interrogate meabout my contacts in the Underground and my involvement with the Network wouldbe exposed.”

“We can’t have that, can we? Where is he?”

“Not so fast. About the contract. It’s still on. isn’t it?”

“You think we’d cancel it after all that son of a bitch costus with his damned Internal Security Division? Not bloody likely. You take himout for us and you’ll get the money, any way you want it.”

“Not me,” said Marshall. “No way I’m going up againstSteiger by myself. Why do you think I called you?”

“You want to set him up for the hit, that’s fine. too.”

“I’ll still get the money?”

“You’ll still get the money. Provided Steiger’s dead.”

“That adjustment team might complicate things,” Marshallsaid.

“Who are they?”

“Priest. Delaney, and Cross,” said Marshall.

“That can’t be. Col. Priest is dead.”

“Well, he’s a pretty lively looking corpse, if you ask me.”