Simon Hawke: Hellfire Rebellion

They stepped through the weapons detector, then had their palm prints, voice and retinal patterns checked before being admitted into Forester’s suite of offices and, beyond them, his personal quarters. Forrester himself detested the security measures, but Steiger had insisted on them, especially after a recent assassination attempt that had cost the lives of several of the general’s personal staff. It was solely for that reason that Forrester had agreed to have the security systems installed. He felt responsible for those deaths and he didn’t want anyone else to die because he was marked for assassination by the Network. Forester’s orderly, who now always went armed, conducted them into the general’s presence.

“Come in. people,” Forrester said, as usual not standing on ceremony.

No one in the service knew his exact age-his personal dossier was classified-but Forester looked ancient. His face was deeply lined, his hands were wrinkled and liver-spotted, and he was completely bald, yet his emerald-green eyes were bright and alert and his massive, six-foot six-inch frame was packed with two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. He worked out strenuously for two hours every day and could Curl an eighty-pound dumbbell as if it were a paperweight.

“Have a seat, he said gruffly. “Bar’s open.”

The last remark being a signal to Delaney, who usually did the honors, to help himself to Forrester’s bar and pour drinks for them all-single malt Scotch for Lucas and Andre. vodka and soda for Steiger. Irish whiskey for himself, and for the old man a horrible concoction known as “Red Eye,” a cheap, Old West rotgut whiskey Forrester had inexplicably picked up a taste for. The stuff could remove paint, but the old man tossed it back like it was water.

“Have the prisoner brought in.” said Forester to his orderly.

They all exchanged glances, but said nothing. Not until two armed I.S.D. men brought in their prisoner.

“Christ. it’s Hunter!” said Delaney.

“Okay, as you were. men,” Forester said to the two armed guards, who had snapped sharply to attention with Hunter between them, restrained in magnacuffs. The bracelets around his wrists were locked together by magnetic force and as the guards snapped to attention, one of them used the remote key to bring Hunter to attention, too. The bracelets fastened around his ankles abruptly came together with a sharp click and Hunter almost lost his balance.

“Give me a break, guys.” Hunter said. “I’ve got respect. I would’ve snapped to.”

“Shut up,” said the guard.

“I’ll take that.” said Forrester, holding his hand out. The guard gave him the remote key. “Okay, thank you. gentlemen. Dismissed.”

The two guards came to attention, saluted. about-faced, and left the room. leaving Hunter standing stiffly in the center of the room, his wrists and ankles tightly locked together.

“Permission to assume the position of parade rest, sir?” Hunter asked wryly.

“I can do better than that.’ said Forrester. pointing the small remote control box at him and releasing both sets of bracelets. “Have a seat. Delaney. get the man a drink.”

Hunter looked stunned.

“What’s your poison?” said Delaney.

“Uh.. got any beer?”

Any preference? Light, dark, imported, domestic?”

Hunter shook his head. “I don’t care. You’re buying. Hell. if I’d known you treated your prisoners like this. I might’ve surrendered sooner.”

“He surrendered?” Andre said, glancing at Forrester with disbelief.

“Clocked into base and turned himself right in.” Forrester replied. “Wouldn’t give a reason. He insisted on speaking only to you people.”

“I don’t believe it.” said Delaney. “What the hell are you trying to pull, Reese? You had a warp disc. You were free and clear.”

“But he couldn’t find the confluence point,” said Steiger. “That’s what this is all about, right. Hunter? You think you can swing a deal with us to help you get back home?”

“Why don’t we let the man tell us himself’?” said Forrester.

“Thank you. General.” said Hunter. He took a swallow of beer and sighed. “Ahh, I needed that. Sorry, my nerves are a bit ragged. Tell you the truth. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I figured on being interrogated, but I gambled that you’d give me a chance to talk before your people tried to break me down.”

“That’s still an option.” Steiger said. “Your cooperation isn’t necessary. Hunter. You’ve got nothing to bargain with. If we want to, we can open you up like a tin can.”

“I know it,” Hunter said. “And to a certain point, I’d spill everything I knew. But past that point. I’d slip into a coma. You see, pilgrim. C.I.S. agents all have subliminal triggers specifically designed to allow us to undergo a certain amount of interrogation, but there are certain things they wouldn’t like us to divulge. Ask the wrong questions and we switch right off. And for obvious reasons. I’d sort of like to avoid that.”

“If that’s not a bluff, then you took a hell of a chance by turning yourself in.” said Lucas “Why’?”

“I’ll answer that question if you answer one of mine first.” Hunter replied.

“You’re in no position to make any demands. Hunter.” Steiger said.

“As you were. Colonel,” Forrester said. “This isn’t an interrogation yet.

The man turned himself in voluntarily, let’s allow him some courtesy as a fellow officer. What’s the question. Captain?”

“I’m not asking for any classified details, you understand,” said Hunter. “But just tell me one thing. Have you got some sort of unusual temporal adjustment mission in progress in colonial Boston. around the 1760s?”

“If we did, then why should we tell you?” said Forrester.

“All right. I understand that. Let me put it another way.” said Hunter. “Let’s proceed, for the moment. on the assumption that you haven’t. And let’s also proceed on t h e assumption that if my people had crossed over and were attempting to create a temporal disruption in that time period. I’d know enough about your history and the way my people operate to recognize it going down. Okay?”

“Okay,” said Forrester. “I’ll accept that for the sake of the discussion. What’s your point?”

“With your indulgence, sir, I’d like to make one more assumption before I get to it,” said Hunter. “I know about the Network. I know they’re a bunch of renegade agents. but they’re basically into organized crime, temporal profiteering, right? I’m assuming they’d have no reason to create a temporal disruption that could endanger their own timeline and their money-making operations, correct?”

“Correct.” said Forrester.

Hunter nodded. “In that case, General, there’s something going down in colonial Boston and if it’s not you, and if it’s not my people, and if it’s not the Network, then who does that leave?”

There was a brief moment of silence.

And then Delaney voiced what all of them were thinking. “Nikolai Drakov,” he said.

“Yeah. that’s what I figured. too.” said Hunter.

“I think you’d better tell us what you know, Captain,” said Forester, tensely.

Hunter gave him a steady stare. “Let’s talk about a deal first,” he said.

“No deals!” said Steiger.

“Colonel, I said as you were,” snapped Forester.

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry. sir.”

“I’m listening. Captain, Hunter.” Forrester said.

“I appreciate that, sir.’ said Hunter. “And as Col. Steiger said, I realize that I’m in no position to make any demands, but

I’m asking you to consider that I came in voluntarily. I didn’t have to do that. I was also in a position to create a temporal disruption of my own, but I didn’t do that, either. Now I’ve already given you a lot for free.” He glanced at Steiger. “I realize that you could probably get the rest of it out of me through your interrogation techniques, but on the other hand, you just might wind up setting off one of those subliminal triggers and that would be all she wrote. I’d be a vegetable and you’d be right back where you started. You know there’s something going down in colonial Boston in the 1760s, but that still leaves you with a lot of territory to cover doesn’t it?”