Simon Hawke - The Timekeeper Conspiracy

"Coward!" D'Artagnan shouted at him, leaning over in the saddle and flailing at him with his hat. "You should have stayed and fought!"

"With what, Master?" Planchet cringed, attempting to ward off the blows.'' I don't have a sword!"

They rode at breakneck speed for St. Omer, beyond which lay Calais.

"Hawk One, where the hell were you?" Lucas said, furiously.

There was no reply.

"Hawk One!"

Silence.

"Damn you, Hawk One…" It suddenly occurred to Lucas why Hawk One was not responding. He simply wasn't there. Cobra had said that he would pull several men off the operation to check his allegations against Mongoose. He had been coldly efficient in making his selection. If what Lucas had said was true, then the Timekeepers would be striking back in Paris and manpower would be needed there. If Lucas had lied, then he had been disarmed of his most effective weapon and, as a traitor, would not require reconnaissance reports. The second floater could very well be overhead and he most likely was. Cobra had said that they would be covered every inch of the way. But Hawk Two was on a different frequency and, in any case, until the truth was known, he would not be reporting in to Lucas. Effectively, they were on their own.

Thus far, everything had happened according to the original scenario. History reported that D'Artagnan and all three musketeers survived the mission, but Andre and Lucas were both extraneous factors. That gave fate a lot of leeway.

A short distance outside Calais, D'Artagnan's horse collapsed. Planchet's animal was all done in as well, so Lucas and Andre each took a passenger and they barely reached Calais, their horses totally exhausted. Dismounting, they made it to the port on foot and sought out the captain of a small skiff, who was already engaged in a discussion with another gentleman. D'Artagnan ran up to them and interrupted, asking if they could set sail at once to England.

"I say, sir," said the well-dressed gentleman, somewhat taken aback at the Gascon's rudeness, but the captain raised a hand, silencing them both.

"As I was about to tell this gentleman," the captain told D'Artagnan, "I am able to set sail at once. However, this morning an order arrived stating that no one should be allowed to cross without permission from the cardinal."

"I have that permission," said the well-dressed gentleman, taking out a paper and holding it out.

"It must be examined by the governor of the port," the captain said.

"And where shall I find him?"

"At his country house. You can see it from here, at the foot of that little hill. The slated roof."

With an arch glance at D'Artagnan, the man departed with his servant, heading toward the house of the governor of the port. D'Artagnan returned, crestfallen, to confer with Andre and Lucas.

"We are undone," he said. "The cardinal has ordered that no one-"

"Yes, we heard," said Lucas. "No one can cross without his express permission. So? What is the problem?"

"But we have no such permission!"

"True," said Lucas, turning to look after the departing gentleman, "but that man does."

D'Artagnan followed his gaze and he frowned, then understanding dawned. "Ah, yes! Of course, how stupid of me. We'll simply take it from him." He reached for his sword, but Lucas stayed his hand.

"Not here," he said. "Follow him. Discreetly, eh? Andre and I will remain here and make sure that no one else tries to book passage."

D'Artagnan and Planchet followed the gentleman and Andre and Lucas took a little time to get some much-needed rest.

"What happens now?" said Andre.

"We wait," said Lucas. "Our orders are to finish out the ride, so that means we'll have to go to England and to Buckingham. You heard what Cobra said. If we make one wrong move, we'll be killed."

"But no one is about," she said. "They could not have known that we departed for Calais in such a hurry, before dawn."

"They know," said Lucas. "And I'll bet you they're watching us right now. We'll just have to play it by ear, that's all. If Finn still has his comset, Cobra said that he could trace him when he clocked in to Paris. If Finn gives him a chance to explain, then maybe they'll be able to stop Mongoose, if it isn't already too late. That's an awful lot of ifs."

"What if Mongoose cannot be stopped?" said Andre.

"I'd rather not even think about it," Lucas said.

After a short while, D'Artagnan returned with permission to sail, made out in the name of the Count de Wardes. D'Artagnan reported that the count had been unreasonably uncooperative, so he had left him bleeding on the ground with his hapless servant tied to a nearby tree. De Wardes was still alive when they had left, so just to be on the safe side, the Gascon had given the governor of the port a precise description of "D'Artagnan," whom the governor had been ordered to arrest if he arrived in Calais. The description D'Artagnan had given the governor was that of the Count de Wardes. Lucas congratulated him on his initiative and, with their clearance secured, they set sail for England. It was just as well that they had not eaten, for alone of the four, Lucas was the only one who was not seasick. But then, a little trip across the channel was nothing to a man who had sailed under Lord Nelson and served under John Paul Jones.

They arrived in England at ten o'clock and obtained post-horses for their trip to London. It was at this point that D'Artagnan realized that there were two aspects of the mission's planning that he had entirely overlooked. This knowledge came to him with something of a shock the moment he set foot in England. For one thing, he had no idea how to get to London, and for another, he didn't speak a word of English. Fortunately for the Gascon, Lucas both spoke English and knew the way to London, so they immediately headed for the residence of Lord Buckingham.

Upon arriving there, they were told that the duke was at Windsor, hunting with the king. Patrick, the duke's valet, offered to conduct them personally when told that they had come upon a mission of life and death, and he quickly had a horse saddled for himself and they were off to Windsor Castle. Once there, they were directed to the marshes, where Buckingham was hawking with the king. When they came within sight of the hunting party, Patrick bade them to wait at a distance while he rode up to the duke and informed him of their arrival.

"How shall I announce you to His Lordship?" the valet had asked.

"Tell him it is the young man who sought a quarrel with him one night in the Rue Vaugirard," D'Artagnan said.

Patrick raised his eyebrows. "A most unusual introduction," he said.

"I think you will find that it will be sufficient," said D'Artagnan.

Patrick rode off and, moments later, returned with George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, at his side. He had, of course, instantly remembered D'Artagnan and he was most concerned that some misfortune had befallen the queen. As Buckingham was fluent in French, there was no need for Lucas to act as an interpreter, so he and Andre drew away when they noticed Patrick beckoning to them.

"Glad you made it, Priest," said Patrick. "Wolverine, TIA."

Lucas shook his head in amazement. "Boy, when you people infiltrate, you don't kid around, do you?"

"I've been expecting you," said the agent. "I've heard all about it, of course. I received a message from the safehouse a little while ago. Terrible business."

"Then Cobra's contacted Delaney?" Lucas said, anxiously. "He's got his proof?"

"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you," the agent said. "Very bad news."

Using a laser, Cobra burned through the lock upon the door and quietly took his men inside. Finn waited, tensely, in the street.

From where he stood, Delaney could see the front door, the lighted window where the conspirators were, and the room on the second floor of Moreau's Tavern, where the two TIA agents had taken up their posts. He knew that Cobra thought that he was doing him a favor by placing him in the least dangerous position, but just the same, he would have felt a great deal better if he had gone along with them inside. Still, the raid looked almost foolproof. If Cobra hit them hard and fast, with the element of surprise upon his side, the chances of any of the Timekeepers being able to escape via chronoplate were virtually nil.