Simon Hawke - The Timekeeper Conspiracy

"Suppose he does?" said Lucas.

"If he does, he'll find it very difficult to mount another operation," Mongoose said. "He'll need more financing and more manpower." Mongoose smiled. "A short while ago tonight, one of my men clocked out with a recorded testimony, in Jack Bennett's own words, proving conclusively that there has been and continues to be a link between the underground, the Timekeepers and the Temporal Preservation League. That, added to the other evidence we've gathered, will constitute all the proof the Referee Corps needs to order the arrest and interrogation of every known member of the Temporal Preservation League. The interrogation sessions will result in all the others being rounded up, as well. It will break the back of the anti-war effort."

"And result in the arrest, interrogation… what is that term you people use? Oh, yes. Interrogation with extreme prejudice," said Finn. "It will mean the arrest, re-education and forcible induction of a lot of innocent people whose only crime was in disagreeing with temporal policy. That will make things very convenient for the Referee Corps, won't it? They'll be able to draft all their political enemies."

"That shouldn't bother you, Delaney," Mongoose said. "After all, you're already in the service, aren't you?"

The door opened and an agent entered, very out of breath.

"She got away," he said.

"What? What happened?"

"She got Zebra with that damn laser," said the agent. "I hit the dirt when she fired and when I got up, she was gone."

"You idiot," said Mongoose. "Get out there and find her! I want her wasted, you understand?"

"Seems like you've thought of everything, Mongoose," said Delaney. "Now all you've got to worry about is a displaced person on the loose in Paris with a laser."

"She won't be on the loose for long," the agent said, grimly.

"I wouldn't know about that," Lucas said. "We ran into her on our last mission in 12th-century England and she struck me as being extremely capable. Jack Bennett was the only friend she had in this time period. How do you think she feels about the people who killed him?"

"Are you seriously suggesting that she'd try to take us on?" said Mongoose. He laughed. "In that case, she's as good as dead. We haven't got anything to worry about."

"Just the same," said Lucas, "I'd watch my back if I were you."

"I'm telling you, we have to get out now," said Jimmy Darcy. "They got Tonio. They must know everything by now! It's over, Adrian!"

"Don't be silly, Jimmy," said Milady, smiling faintly. "Nothing is over. Adrian knows what he's doing."

"Stop it! Stop it! Christ, Adrian, you're losing it! You're not Milady, for God's sake!"

"Jimmy, settle down. This is a most unfortunate display. There's nothing to be served by your losing control and panicking."

Darcy glanced at Freytag in exasperation. "Bruno, for God's sake, don't just sit there!"

Freytag smoked a cigarette, regarding him silently. Darcy went up to him and took him by the shoulders.

"Bruno, listen to me. There's no way we can succeed, not here, not now. They've got us hopelessly outnumbered. We've lost. They know the plan!"

"They know nothing of the sort," Milady said.

"What are you talking about?" said Darcy, spinning to face Taylor. "They know we're going to try to prevent the musketeers from bringing back the diamond studs! They'll have all their manpower focused on-"

"Who said that was the plan?" said Milady, softly.

Jimmy stared at Taylor. He looked back at Freytag, then at Taylor once again.

"What are you talking about? Of course that was the plan! We worked it all out! You said-"

"I never said any such thing," said Milady. "Adrian might have mentioned something of the sort, but that was only for your benefit."

Darcy looked bewildered. "What? I don't understand."

Milady got up and crossed the room, moving gracefully to the window. She looked out at the sun rising over Paris.

"The opposition has greater resources than we have," she said, without turning around. "Adrian always knew and understood that. He knew that the only way we could succeed was by using misdirection." She turned around to look at Darcy and smiled. "For security reasons, only Adrian and Bruno, and of course, myself, knew what the real plan was. And now you'll be able to appreciate why that was necessary.

"In a short while, D'Artagnan and the musketeers will be departing for London in order to see Lord Buckingham and get back the diamond studs in time for the queen to wear them to the ball. Unbeknownst to the musketeers, they will be supported in their efforts by the entire might of the Temporal Intelligence Agency team. I've made certain that Cardinal Richelieu knows all about the mission of the musketeers and he will have his men attempt to intercept them at several points along their route. All of this works in our favor. Mongoose will have no way of knowing if the men who will be attacking the musketeers are Richelieu's people or Timekeepers. In fact, we won't be involved at all. They will all be off on a fool's errand, a wild goose chase.

"When they reach London, should they get that far-and with the help of the TIA, I have no doubt that they will-they will collect the studs from Buckingham and start back, only to face further attempts to stop them on their return trip. Mongoose will be handicapped by history. He will be forced to use a certain amount of restraint in protecting the musketeers, since the historical progression of events must be preserved. The tension will build. They won't know when they can expect us to strike. They won't know exactly what to expect."

"What can they expect?" said Darcy, hesitantly.

"They can expect a crushing defeat when they return," said Milady. "Oh, I have no doubt that they will return safely with the diamond studs. I'm certain that, after that, it won't take them long to guess my plan. By that time, Richelieu, Queen Anne, and King Louis will have been assassinated."

"Assassinated!" Darcy's voice was little more than a whisper. "My God, Adrian, you can't do that! Don't you realize what that would mean? It would cause a timestream split!"

"A rather massive one, I should think. With all three of them dead, France will be forced to abandon the siege of La Rochelle in the face of much greater problems. It will, without a doubt, affect France's participation in The Thirty Years' War and, of course, it would prevent the birth of Louis XIV. I should think it would be an absolute disaster, well beyond the hope of any effort at historical adjustment. And with Mongoose and his agents running about like chickens with their heads cut off, it shouldn't be too difficult to isolate him and settle an old and outstanding score. Brilliant, don't you think?"

Darcy's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment and his hands began to shake. " You're mad," he said at last. "Bruno, surely you can see he's mad! Our purpose, our whole reason for existence is to stop the war machine before something happens that will irreversibly affect the course of history and that's precisely what he intends to do! He wants to cause the greatest disaster ever to befall mankind! It's megalomaniacal lunacy!"

Taylor stiffened and his eyes glazed over for a moment.

"Bruno, for God's sake, we've got to stop him!"

"Why?" said Freytag, softly.

Darcy turned pale. "You're both insane," he said. He pulled out his laser. "I'm not going to let you do it, Adrian. I won't let you throw away everything we've worked for all these years. It ends right here."

"You're right, Jimmy," Taylor said, his hand in a fold of his dress. "It ends right here… for you." He pressed a button.

Darcy gave a violent jerk, like a hooked trout breaking the surface of the water. His head snapped back and blood erupted from his nose and mouth. It trickled down his cheeks, seeping from his eyes, and it flowed from his ears and down his neck. He was dead before his body hit the floor.