Simon Green - Live and let Drood

He threw the Time Distorter on the floor and stamped on it, but it didn t break and it didn t change the way he looked.

He glared at me with his old, shrivelled face, and for the first time there was something else in his eyes apart from hatred. He turned away, grabbed the nearest gun, put it to his head and pulled the trigger. The whole back of his head blew away, spattering across the window. His body slumped to the floor and lay still. The gunmen stared at him silently. Some of them had blood and brains on them, but none of them wanted to be noticed just then.

This is the second time that s happened to me today, I said. I wish I could say I m getting used to it.

Damned fool! said Diana. They wouldn t have hurt him at Hush; that s the whole point. She broke off, unable to continue.

He didn t want to betray his family, I said. I can understand that.

He knew something he didn t want us to know, said Molly. Probably something really unpleasant that the rest of your enemies are planning, Eddie. Something really bad, to be worth dying over.

What do we do now? said Diana.

We cut off the Immortal s head and stick it on a spike and leave it somewhere prominent, I said. Or, at least, what s left of his head. Waste not, want not.

You re serious, said Diana, looking at me like she d never seen me before. You re really serious.

Of course, said Molly. You heard the scumbag; something bad is coming. We need to send them a hard message, now more than ever. Throw a real scare into them. They won t know he shot himself.

Diana shook her head slowly. I d forgotten how cold Droods can be.

She turned her back on Molly and me, walked into a shadow and was gone.

Molly looked out the side windows of the bus. Traffic s started up again. The Time Distorter must have broken when it went up against your armour.

The Immortal threw his pocket watch on the floor, I said. But I don t see it anywhere.

I ll bet you Diana took it with her, said Molly. You heard Patrick in the Armoury: The Regent s agents are always picking up useful items and taking them home.

The Regent will send more agents to look after this lot, I said, glaring about me at the assorted gunmen. So stay put, all of you. Don t make me come after you.

There was much general nodding and mutterings of complete agreement.

We need to get out of here, said Molly. Before someone official turns up and starts asking questions. I m really not in the mood to deal with official questions.

Right, I said. I looked at the dead Immortal.

You know, I m really not in the mood to do the whole severed-head thing. I m just not angry enough anymore. Let his body send the message.

Molly glared quickly about her. All right, everyone. Listen up! Do not take this as a sign that we re getting soft! None of you are to leave this bus until the nice agents from the Regent of Shadows arrive to take care of you! Anyone tries to do a runner, we will find out and we will track you down and perform acts of massive unpleasantness on you! Any questions?

A surly-looking gunman raised a hand, and Molly punched him in the head so hard that everyone around him winced in sympathy.

Any other questions? Molly said sweetly. I love answering questions.

I armoured down, and we got off the bus and strode unhurriedly back to the Plymouth Fury, ignoring the screeching of brakes and hooting of horns from the resumed traffic. First rule of being a pedestrian in London: Never let the traffic intimidate you. I opened the driver s door and then paused.

Diana s probably making a report on us to the Regent right now, I said. She seemed disappointed in me.

She doesn t know you like I do, said Molly. And, anyway, why should you care what she thinks about you?

I don t know, I said. I shouldn t care, but I do. She reminds me of someone.

I shrugged quickly, slipped into the driver s seat and settled myself comfortably behind the steering wheel, and then slammed the door shut. The sat nav immediately raised its strident female voice again.

Don t slam the door! You ll damage something! And can I remind you that you re supposed to be looking after me? The Regent made me your responsibility! What were you thinking of, letting me be shot at like that? I m a classic!

I looked at the sat nav thoughtfully. Are you speaking for the car, or are you the voice of the car itself?

I ll never tell! the sat nav said smugly.

Is there any way to turn that thing off? said Molly as she settled into the passenger s seat beside me and deliberately slammed her door shut.

Is there any way to turn you off? said the sat nav.

Shall I go back to the bus and get a gun? said Molly. Or perhaps a really big hammer?

You wouldn t dare! said the sat nav.

I m a loaner!

I know something that ll shut it up, I said.

I took the Merlin Glass out of its pocket dimension and fed it the revised time and space coordinates for Crow Lee s place through my torc. The Glass jumped out of my hand, ghosted straight through the Plymouth s windscreen, and shot forward to hover in the air ahead of us. It grew quickly in size until it was more than big enough for the Plymouth to drive through. On the other side of the opened doorway, I could just make out a leafy country lane. The sunlight there was subtly different. It felt odd to know I was looking at tomorrow.

What is that? said the sat nav nervously.

What the hell is that? I don t like it. Just looking at it makes me feel funny.

No one else is paying any attention to the big dimensional door hanging in midair, said Molly, peering quickly about her. The Glass is pumping out a really heavy-duty, don t-look-at-me aversion field. I didn t know the Merlin Glass could do that. Could the old Merlin Glass do that?

Beats the hell out of me, I said. But this new version is certainly keen to show off all the clever tricks it can do. Very eager to please

Do you find that as worrying as I do? said Molly.

Oh, at least, I said.

What? What? said the sat nav. What do you mean, worrying? What is there to worry about? Okay, forget it! I m not going anywhere!

Oh yes, you are, I said.

Heh heh, added Molly.

I fired up the Plymouth s engine, set the car rolling forward and aimed her right at the Merlin Glass hovering before us. The sat nav made loud whining noises of distress. I put my foot down hard and drove the Plymouth Fury through the gateway and into tomorrow.

I don t know what all the fuss is about over time travel. I drove through twenty-four hours in a moment, and didn t feel the slightest twinge of time sickness. From the city to the countryside, from today to tomorrow in one great jump. Though I couldn t quite decide whether I d lost a day or gained one. Molly took it all in stride, of course, as she does most things that don t involve incest, morris dancing or eighties revivals. The sat nav stopped screaming as soon as we left the Merlin Glass behind, and quickly subsided to low whimpering sounds and muttered swear words.

Please don t ever do that to me again, the sat nav said piteously. I ll be good!

I d settle for you being quiet, said Molly.

The Merlin Glass shrank down behind us, shaking itself down to hand-mirror size, and then hurried after the car, shooting down the road to ghost through the rear window and slip straight into my pocket dimension. Without being asked.

All right, I said loudly. You re showing off now.

I eased the car to a halt and looked carefully about me. Molly actually undid her seat belt to give her more freedom to twist back and forth and look in all possible directions. There was a definite sense of tension, of both of us waiting for something to happen, for some unpleasant reaction to our sudden arrival some sign that Crow Lee had people lying in wait for us. But everything was still and calm and peaceful. It was just a narrow country lane in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, there was no sign of Crow Lee s manor house anywhere.