"You may have a point," said Lucas. "It might be worth a try. Only if we're dealing with the S.O.G.. that could tip our hand."

"Maybe," Delaney replied.”But it would also tell us what we need to know, wouldn't it?"

"That's like standing up in the trench to find out if the snipers on the other side are paying attention," Lucas said.

"So? Since when were you afraid of snipers?"

Lucas gave him a sour look.

"Sorry. Bad joke."

"Did I miss something?" Travers said.

"It's another long story," Lucas replied. "I’d tell you, except I still don't know how it's going to turn out."

"I'm hoping for a happy ending," Andre said.

"So am I," said Lucas with a tight grimace. "So am I."

Dinner in the Imperial Palace, Steiger thought. I'm moving up in the world. Caesar had been so amused at Antony losing a fortune to him at the races that he had invited "Creon Sabinus" to dine with him that evening. Being an excellent rider, Caesar was also interested in talking about horsemanship. Fortunately. Steiger was qualified to discuss the subject knowledgeably. Not only was he a member of the Pendleton Base Polo Club, but during various assignments in Minus Time, he had also served with some of the finest cavalry detachments in history, from the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan to Jeb Stuart's 1st. Virginia Cavalry. The only thing that gave him any trouble Was the Roman custom of eating in the prone position while lying on a couch. He kept wanting to sit up.

"You should have been a soldier. Sabinus," said Caesar. laughing as he watched him shift his position uncomfortably. "Like me, you have difficulty keeping still. I can see that you are not one who is accustomed to pampered luxury. A fit. strong man such as yourself, it is a pity that you never joined the legions. You understand a great deal about horses and you seem to have an instinctive grasp of cavalry maneuvers. I could have used a man like you in my campaigns."

"I would have been proud to serve with Caesar," Steiger said. "But my father died young and it fell to me to manage the estate. Besides, I am undoubtedly more useful as a breeder of fine horses for Rome's legions than I would have been as a ordinary soldier in the cavalry."

"I do not believe that you would have been merely an ordinary soldier." Caesar said. "You have intelligence and wit, all the makings of a fine officer."

"I thank Caesar for the compliment. However, my destiny took a different course. I could not change it now."

"I have heard it said that a man could change his destiny." said Caesar. smiling. "Now that Marcian is purchasing your estate perhaps you will have the chance to alter yours. I will soon be embarking upon new campaigns of conquest, adding to Rome's territories. I will require able men. Why not come with me? I promise you that you would not be an ordinary soldier. For your knowledge and ability, I would make you a tribune with my cavalry."

"I am indeed honored," Steiger said. "When do you intend to leave on your next campaign?"

"I have an old debt to pay the Parthians, to avenge the death of my old friend, Crassus. I plan to depart from Rome on the eighteenth of the month. That should give you sufficient time to conclude your business with Marcian."

"But I had planned to engage Sabinus to manage the estate," Marshall protested.

"I am certain that Sabinus has slaves and freedmen overseers who could manage it for you equally well. Marcian," said Caesar. "And doubtless you could pay them less. I have greater need of able men than you. What say you, Sabinus? You have already increased your fortune at my friend Marc Antony's expense, and you shall increase it further when your business with Marcian is concluded. Once that is done, you shall be relieved of your responsibilities and there will be nothing to prevent you from enlisting with my forces. You could arrange for your money to be invested wisely and when you return, you will be a rich man. And you shall have your choice of properties from the lands that we shall conquer. You may build a villa, start a farm and live there, or you could live in Rome and hire a freedman to manage your property for you, along with the slaves you shall receive from among our prisoners. I treat my soldiers well and reward them for their service. A man such as yourself could do well in the wars."

"Such inducements would seem impossible to refuse," said Steiger. He smiled. "As it would be impossible to refuse Caesar.

"Splendid! Then let us drink a toast to your new destiny!"

Parthia?" said Steiger.

Caesar smiled and raised his goblet. "To Parthia!"

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Marshall. after the evening was concluded and they had left the palace.

There's no need for you to join the legions. By the eighteenth. Caesar will be dead."

"But what if he isn't?" Steiger countered. "Suppose this anomaly with the Egyptians turns into a disruption and the conspirators fail to kill him? Then there will be nothing to prevent him from leaving on his new campaign against Parthia.”

"And you intend to be with him." Marshall said. "So that the first chance you get . . ."

"You got it."

Marshall snorted. "Just like old times. huh? Cloak-and-dagger wet work."

"Yeah. A tribune's cloak and a Roman dagger,” Steiger said.

"You're actually hoping it'll happen. aren't you? Christ, you really want the conspiracy to fail, so that you can take Caesar out yourself."

"I'll do whatever I have to do." said Steiger. "depending on how things turn out. But it would be a hell of a thing, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, I guess it would at that. You'd be the man who sanctioned Julius Caesar. Not even Mongoose ever pulled off anything that big."

"It would convince Forrester that there's a place for the covert field section," Steiger said.

"With you as senior section chief, no doubt." said Marshall.

Steiger glanced at him. -Why not? I'd be the logical choice. And I'll need good, experienced agents."

"Forget about it," Marshall said. "I told you. I'm all through with that. I've got a good thing going here. I'd like to keep it." he gave Steiger a long look. "I am going to get to keep it, aren't I?"

Steiger shrugged. "It's your choice. John."

"Is it?"

Steiger met his gaze. "What are you saying. John? You think I'd turn you in?"

"You'd only be doing your duty if you did," said Marshall flatly. "It would be another feather in your cap, wouldn't it? Busting a renegade agent and using him to nail all his Underground connections. Might even net you a promotion."

"I don't want to be general that badly," Steiger said.

"So you say."

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"Is that what it comes down to. John?" asked Steiger, his tone emotionless. "We can't trust each other anymore? Is that what being in the Underground has done to you?"

"It's made me very careful, Creed." Marshall said evenly. "Maybe we're both working toward the same end. but we're really not on the same side anymore, are we?"

"Aren't we?"

Marshall shook his head. "No, Creed. You're still on the inside. I've opted out. That makes me a criminal. You can drop the hammer on me anytime you feel like it. I'm not very comfortable with that idea."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," said Steiger. "But you could always leave Rome. Go deeper underground, in some other time period where I couldn't find you. Of course. you'd have to start all over, but that wouldn't be very hard for a resourceful man like you. If you really believe I'd turn you in, why take the chance of staying?"

"You don't really understand, do you?" Marshall said. "I've got a good life here. A pleasant. simple. comfortable life. For the first time, I've found a sense of permanence. I don't want to run, Creed. I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”

“Then you shouldn't have deserted." Steiger said. "What do you want me to say. John? That after all this is over, I'll go back to Plus Time and forget all about you? Fine. You got it. Is that what you want to hear?"

"I wish it were that simple."

"Yeah, so do I. but it isn't, is it? Because you don't trust me. If that's the way you feel, then nothing I say will make any difference. You see, that's what happens when you run, John. Sooner or later, you always wind up looking over your shoulder. If it's not me back there, it could be someone else. You'll never really know for sure. So you can keep running. Or you can stop and face the music."

"I'm not going back, Creed. That part of my life is finished. "

"Then I guess you'll have to live with your decision," Steiger said. "I'm sorry there's nothing I can say or do to make that easier for you. but that's the way it is..

"I'm sorry, too." said Marshall. Ile sighed. "Hell, let's go get drunk."

6

The dinner Travers had planned was a large one and he had invited some of the most influential citizens of Rome. Though he had not invited Caesar. One did not simply invite the Emperor to dinner. even if one was a close friend of his And there was a reason why they did not want to have Caesar present at this occasion. They wanted to be able to talk about him in a manner that his presence would not have, allowed. It was to be the occasion for Delaney, in his identity as "Fabius Quintullus," to make his first move in trying to insinuate himself into the conspiracy against Caesar.

Cassius and Marcus Brutus had been invited, as Travers knew them and many of the others from the Senate. as well as Antony and a number of his friends, at least one of whom, Trebonius, was known to them to be involved in the conspiracy. By this point, less than two weeks before the Ides of March. the conspirators would be well advanced in their plans. The thing to do was see to it that nothing changed them.

It seemed difficult for Delaney to believe that a conspiracy with so many people in it could have been effectively kept a secret, but then such was the character of life in Rome among the powerful. Everyone seemed to have two faces. The public face, which was worn from day to day, in the Senate and on social occasions, and the secret, private face, which was glimpsed only during moments of clandestine intriguing. Rome had seen many conspiracies and would see many more.

Travers had organized an entertaining party. His kitchen slaves had been at work throughout the day, preparing the many dishes that were served, and he had hired musicians to play throughout the evening, as well as dancers, wrestlers, acrobatic dwarves, and several magicians. It was mixed company, some of the men having brought their wives, others having brought their mistresses, and there were single women in attendance as well as a bevy of attractive slaves. It wasn't quite the decadent "Roman orgy" of legend, but as the evening wore on, things loosened up considerably and people started to drift off together to explore the house or "walk' in the gardens.

Marcian had come, as well, along with a number of the charioteers who had raced the previous day. Clocillus seemed quite comfortable rubbing elbows with Rome's upper crust. He knew that he was a celebrity. Some of the others, particularly the young Cassinus. seemed a little awkward, though Cassinus gradually grew more and more at ease as he was repeatedly complimented upon his win over Clocillus, who took the attentions paid his rival with good grace and added his own supportive sentiments to those of the others.

There was another man who came with Marcian, not one of the charioteers, whom Travers did not know. Marcian had introduced him as Creon Sabinus, a horse breeder from Ilerda whose farm and estate he was attempting to buy. Antony seemed to be friends with him, as well. They had dined with Caesar the previous evening. It turned out that Antony, an inveterate gambler, had lost a fortune at the races to Sabinus. who had been losing steadily until he had placed a daring bet on Cassinus during the final race. That made Lucas and Andre pay particular attention to him. It turned out that Caesar had been impressed by Sabinus, as well. He had offered him a commission in his cavalry for his campaign against Parthia. A campaign that, if history ran true to course. Caesar would not live to embark upon.

Talk of Caesar's upcoming campaigns gave Delaney the opening that he was looking for to turn the conversation toward politics.

“I had not heard that Caesar was leaving for the wars once again." he said.

"All Rome speaks of little else," said Trebonius. "He plans to set out first for Parthia, to avenge his old friend Crassus, and then to press on for the Orient, as his hero. Alexander. had once done. The army is already gathering in the provinces."

"Then he will be gone for a long time." Delaney said. "Who will govern Rome in his absence?"

"His aides and secretaries, Oppius and Balbus," said Cassius, "if you can believe it. And they are not even senators. WE are to be dictated to by mere functionaries while our Emperor pursues his dreams of glory in the East."

"But it is for the glory of Rome that Caesar embarks on these new campaigns." protested Antony. "Think of the wealth the empire shall acquire."

"I am thinking of the wealth that Caesar will acquire," Cassius said dryly. "And I am thinking of the days when Rome was a republic, not an empire. governed by one man who appoints mere secretaries to carry out the duties of his office while he goes adventuring abroad in an attempt to recapture the faded glory of his youth."

"A sentiment one could expect from someone who supported Pompey," Antony said derisively.

"Pompey never had himself proclaimed emperor." said Cassius. "If a man wishes to be king. then it would seem that the least he could do was stay and rule his kingdom as wisely as he can, not chase off to the far ends of the earth in a pointless quest to rival the exploits of a long dead general."

"It is Rome's destiny to rule the world." said Antony.

"As it was Caesar's to rule Rome?" said Cassius. "Well, I think it may be safely said that both those destinies have been realized. Rome does rule the world and Caesar now rules Rome. What need have we of further territories of dubious value? Rome prospers. I tell you, it is not for Rome's sake that Caesar goes to war again, but for his own. His hunger for power is one that can never be appeased. Already. he is a king in all but name. What more can he want?"

"To extend Rome's glory." Antony persisted.

More likely, to extend his own." Cassius replied.

"You would not speak so if Caesar were here himself." Antony said stiffly.

"Ah, but the Emperor does not mingle with us mere mortals, except to dictate to us from his throne in the Senate. Only queens are fit company for kings," said Cassius with a smile, referring obviously to Cleopatra.

"Are these secretaries to sit upon the throne in his place?" Delaney asked before Antony could reply. "It seems an incredible insult to the Senate."

"It is an insult, Quintullus," Cassius said. "Yet it is one that we are all expected to suffer."

"It is not Oppius and Balbus who will rule in Rome, but Caesar." Antony replied. "They will merely act for him in his absence."

"But why must they. Antony?" Brutus asked reasonably. "Is the Senate not capable of governing Rome. as it did in the days of the republic? Has Caesar not increased the House in order to enable it to better bear the burden'? Or does he believe the House so incapable that it must be guided in its actions by his secretaries'?"

It would seem that he does not wish the House to govern in his absence because he fears that they might make decisions of which he will not approve," Delaney said.

"I think Quintullus has struck upon it." said Cassius. "It is not Rome's power that Caesar seeks to increase, but his own that he wishes to protect."

"How can you speak this way?" asked Travers. "Look at all the good Caesar has done for Rome! He has restored Rome to prosperity and peace. from which we have all benefitted."

“Caesar most of all," Delaney said.

"I'm surprised at you. Fabius." said Travers.”You do not know Caesar as I do. What you say is not only unfair. it is untrue.”

"Is it untrue that he has become an autocrat'?" Delaney asked. "As Cassius has said, a king in all but name? Never has one man ruled all of Rome as dictator for life. How can Rome preserve her freedoms if all power is vested in one man? It seems dangerous to me.”

"You can't seriously believe that Caesar would deprive Romans of their freedom" Lucas said.

"I know this is a subject on which we do not agree. Marcus." said Delaney. "but I also know that your perceptions have been colored by your brother's correspondence over all these many years. You have studied Caesar's campaigns and fought them over in your mind until you know every step that every soldier took. Caesar has become a hero to you. as to many others. I do not dispute that Caesar is a great man, perhaps even a good man, but he is still a man and not a god. And men can be corrupted.

Especially by power."

"Quintullus speaks the truth," said Brutus. "Power is seductive."

“And we all know that Caesar is easily seduced,” added Cassius with a smile.

"You are merely envious." said Antony.

"Of Caesar's sharing Cleopatra's bed?" asked Cassius. "There is no shortage of beautiful women in Rome. Antony. I have no need of foreign diversions."

“That is still another matter." said Delaney. "I have heard it said that Cleopatra has great influence with Caesar. Is it right that a foreign queen should hold such influence in Rome? Especially a queen that holds no respect for Rome's traditions. Is Egypt Rome's possession or is Rome Egypt's? Why must Rome's ruler be protected by an Egyptian bodyguard? Are there no Romans suited to the task?"

The bodyguard was a gift front Cleopatra." Antony replied. "Caesar keeps them merely to please her."

"Or perhaps he does not trust his fellow Romans'?" said Delaney.

"You are speaking like a fool. Fabius!" said Lucas.

"I am only speaking as one who is concerned." Delaney replied. "Concerned about so much power invested in one man. Concerned that autocracy is not compatible with freedom. There is a danger here, Marcus. I sometimes fear for Rome."

"I think perhaps that what you fear is greatness," Antony said. "Most men are not capable of greatness. They are little men and they do not understand it. What little men do not understand, they fear. I do not fear greatness, Quintullus. And I have no use for fearful little men. Good night to

"Spoken like a true lackey," Cassius said wryly as Antony departed. "But it grows late and I am weary of the evening's entertainment. I would be interested to hear more of your views, Quintullus. We should continue this discussion. Will you be at the baths tomorrow?"

"Yes. I had planned to go sometime in the morning," said Delaney.

"Good. Then perhaps we shall see each other there. Good night to you, Quintullus."

"And to you." Delaney said. Most of the guests had already left. He waited till Cassius had left with Brutus and then turned to Lucas and Travers.

"I think the fish just bit.”

“Just be careful," Travers said. "Don't seem too eager. Cassius is nobody's fool."

"Neither am I," Delaney said.

"What did you think of Marcian and Sabinus?” asked Andre.

"I didn't get much chance to talk to them," Delaney said.

"Marcian didn't seem very interested in conversation," Lucas said. He disappeared somewhere with a couple of the women. And Sabinus spent most of his time talking with the charioteers. Of course, him being a horse breeder, that's not really surprising?

"He was the big winner at the races the other day," said Andre. "He took Antony and his friends for over one hundred thousand sesterces." She turned to Travers. "You said that Marcian was probably the only one who could have fixed the race and Sabinus was with him."

Travers nodded. "It's possible that they were in collusion. Marcian said that he was trying to purchase Sabinus' farm and estate. Maybe he set up the win to help his business deal. I can't see where such a risk would have been justified, but some men will do almost anything to win when it comes to business dealings. However, if that's the case. I don't see any connection to our mission."

"No. neither do I." said Lucas. "They don't seem like men who are interested in politics. But I think we made good progress tonight with the conspirators. Delaney can follow up on that and tomorrow, when you take me to meet Caesar. I'll see what I can do to get into his confidence. That still leaves Cleopatra."

"I'll figure something out." said Andre. She frowned. "Still, there's something about that Sabinus that bothers me. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'd swear there's something familiar about him."

At night, the streets of Rome were often noisy. Produce and supplies were brought into the city on heavy carts, fights broke out, thieves and cutthroats plied their trade. But some areas of the city were quiet. Marshall moved softly down the graveled paths of the gardens on the banks of the Tiber. It was about three o'clock in the morning and a cool breeze was blowing. He came to a sitting area where a large sundial had been set up and stopped, waiting. A moment later, someone said his name.

"Simmons?"

Marshall turned to see a figure emerging from the shadows. As the man came closer, he could make him out more clearly. He was dressed incongruously for the time and any Roman seeing him would have puzzled over his strange clothing. The man was wearing a 20th-century three-piece charcoal-gray business suit, with a button-down white shirt and 'a red silk foulard tie. His hair was short, dark, and neatly styled. He had a closely trimmed beard that ran along his jawline and there was the faint bulge of a shoulder holster beneath his jacket on the right side.

"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 if I wasn't certain?"

"Is he alone'?"

"Yes and no. There's an adjustment team that's been clocked back 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 covert field section."

"Yes, that's true. but Steiger's trying to convince him to reinstate it. He's running this one on his own, to prove his point that there's a need for the covert field section. And that it can operate without corruption," 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 the Underground and get away from it all. He used some of our old contacts in the Underground 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 he may 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 playing cowboy. like he always did. Him and his psychotic mentor, Carnehan. He's not convinced the adjustment team can insure that Caesar will get killed on schedule, SO he's managed to buddy up to Caesar and get offered a tribuneship with 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 out himself during the campaign, just to prove to Forrester that it couldn't have been done without a covert wet work specialist on the scene. If he decided to bring me in. as well, it would be an added bonus for him. They'd interrogate me about my contacts in the Underground and my involvement with the Network would be 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 cost us with his damned Internal Security Division? Not bloody likely. You take him out for us and you'll get the money, any way you want it."

"Not me," said Marshall. "No way I'm going up against Steiger 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," Marshall said.

"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."

"You actually saw him?"

"Only several hours ago."

"You're certain it was Priest?"

"Well, that's who Steiger said it was. I don't know the man, myself, so I suppose it could be someone else. But why would he tell me it was Priest?"

"I don't know. Unless he suspects you and he's planning something."

"I'm sure he doesn't suspect me," Marshall said. "If he knew I was tied up with the Network, you think I'd be here talking to you?"

Simmons hesitated "I don't know." He glanced around cautiously, and his hand went toward his shoulder holster. "You're certain you weren't followed'?"

"I had his wine laced with a sleeping draught." said Marshall. "He'll be out like a light till dawn. You think I'd take any chances with him around?"

"I just don't understand why they'd try to pass someone else off as Col. Priest," Simmons said. "It doesn't make any sense. If he doesn't suspect you, then why would he lie to you?"

"Maybe Col. Priest didn't really die," said Marshall.

"They inscribed his name on the Wall of Honor. Why would they fake his death? Unless. . . ."

"Unless what?"

"Unless Forrester or Steiger are running their own covert operation."

"Then why would they tell me it was Priest'? I mean, if they wanted to make it look like he was dead. It makes no sense."

"You're right, it doesn't. At least, not yet. But they're obviously up to something. You're absolutely certain that they don't suspect you?"

Marshall hesitated. "If they did, why wouldn't they have brought me in already?"

"Perhaps to smoke us out."

"Why would they need to? If they knew about me. they could arrest me. clock me back to Plus Time, put me through the wringer, and find out everything I know before the Network even realized that I'd been busted. Then they could simply pick up all my contacts one at a time."

Simmons nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. But the rest of it doesn't. We'll have to be very careful. There's obviously something going on here we don't know about. We'll have to bring some people in."

"What do you want me to do?"

For the time being, play along. For your sake. Marshall, I hope you're right about their not suspecting you Because we can't afford to have you taken in."

Marshall tensed. "You're saying that if they arrest me. I'm a dead man?

You'll have me hit?"

"If they try to arrest you. you know what to do."

"And if I don't you'll do it for me. Is that it'?"

You know how the game is played. Marshall.”

Marshall sighed. "Shit. So I'm stuck right in the fucking middle."

"It's your own fault for not covering your tracks better. If Steiger knew about your old contacts in the Underground. you should have broken off with them. You have only yourself to blame for allowing him to find you. Incidentally. if you're entertaining any thoughts about taking off again. I wouldn't advise it. Then you'd have both us and the T.I.A. looking for you.”

"Hey, I've always done my part. haven't I?” said Marshall. "If I was thinking of going on the lam. would I have sent for you?"

"No. I suppose you wouldn't have."

"Damn right. You guys tried to take Steiger out in Plus Time and you couldn't do it. Well, I'm giving you a chance to hit him when: he won't expect it and I intend to collect on that contract.”

"You do your part and I'll see to it you get the money. But be careful, Marshall. Don't tip him off."

"Don't worry. I know what's at stake."

"Where is Steiger now?"

"Asleep at my house. It would be the perfect time to do it."

Simmons shook his head. "No, not with a potential temporal disruption going down. We simply can't take the chance."

"So what the hell am I supposed to do'?"

"Hang tight and don't lose your cool. I'll bring some people in to cover you. In fact. I'll take charge of this myself. I'd like to see this so-called Col. Priest."

"You know him?"

"We've met. We'll move in close and keep an eye on things. Let Steiger and the adjustment team do what they have to do. Then once the temporal threat is over with, we'll take care of Steiger."

"What about the adjustment team?"

“Do they know about you'!"

"I don't think so. Steiger's playing his own game, close to the vest, as usual."

"Then they may not be a problem. With any luck, we might be able to pull it off without them catching on. But if they get in the way, it'll be just too bad for them."

"So what you're saying is that I'm supposed to hang out in the breeze until Caesar's been assassinated, one way or the other."

"Or until they've neutralized the S.O.G."

Marshall grimaced. "Terrific. So we've got Steiger, the adjustment team, the fucking S.O.G., and me right in the middle of it all, out in the open. Damn it. I want some protection!"

"Take it easy. I said we'd cover you. If they don't suspect you, then all you've got to do is continue to cooperate with them. Long as you don't lose your nerve, you should be okay."

Marshall moistened his lips and nodded. "All right. But if they make a move on me. someone had better be there."

"Don't worry. They will be. I'll be in touch."

Simmons clocked out and disappeared.

Marshall reached into the folds of his toga and took out a pack of cigarettes. Normally. he never took the chance of taking them outside his room, where he could smoke with the door bolted and the wood brazier masking the smell, but his nerves were on edge and he really needed one. As he lit up, carefully hiding the flame with his hand and holding the cigarette with his palm cupped around it, he thought about the laser pistol he had hidden in a secret drawer in his room

The trouble with Roman clothing was that it wouldn't hide it very well. A tunic wouldn't hide it at all, the bulge would be easily detectable beneath the drape of his toga and he couldn't very well walk around wearing a cloak all the time. He'd have to leave it where it was and count on his dagger to protect him, which any Roman male could wear openly without arousing any suspicion. But the thought of going up against Steiger with nothing but a dagger made his stomach churn. He had no doubt what the outcome of that would be. He wouldn't stand a chance unless he took Steiger completely by surprise. Get him while he's asleep, thought Marshall, and drive the son of a bitch up to the hilt into his kidney. Either that or cut his throat. He looked out over the rippling, moonlit surface of the Tiber and exhaled heavily. He wished there was another way. but there simply wasn't. Steiger had him backed into a corner. Damn cowboy, he thought. This wouldn't have happened if he'd just gone along with the others in the organization. Or if he'd simply kept his mouth shut. But no, he had to get up on his white horse and take on the Network. Had to form the I.S.D. just to clean out all of the so-called "corruption." As if there was any harm in people trying to make a little money on the side.

The agency expected you to risk your life and all you got for your trouble was a lousy government pension. So what was wrong with trying to salt a little away for your retirement? All right, it was illegal, but so what?

Everybody always looked the other way. Even the old director had been in on it. But then old man Forrester came in and got all tight-assed about it. Decided to put the Network out of business and bust everyone who was involved, right up to the old director. Jesus. It was his own fault the Network put a contract out on him. People were only trying to protect themselves.

Steiger should have stayed out of it, thought Marshall. He should have just kept his damn mouth shut and stayed out of it. It's not my fault, thought Marshall. He's left me no other choice. It was too had that Steiger had to die, but there was just no way around it. And if it had to happen, why not collect on the contract, so at least some good would come of it? If not him, somebody else would get it. It might as well be him. You just do the best you can and take what comes. thought Marshall. That's how the game was played.

7

Drummond and Andell had both hated the idea, as had Travers. They thought it was much too dangerous, but Andre had overruled them, and to their surprise. Priest and Delaney had hacked her up. The timing. they had said, was too good to pass up. They thought it was a chance worth taking. As Drummond and Andell were conducted into Cleopatra's presence, each of them tried to keep his nervousness from showing. If this goes wrong. Andell thought. we could all be dead in the next few minutes. "Stop! What have you there?"

"A gift from Caesar," said Andell, trying to keep his voice steady. "For Queen Cleopatra."

A tall, well-built man approached them. His head and face were both shaved and he was dressed in Roman style. in an immaculate white toga worn over a gold-embroidered tunic. He was slim. but his muscular definition spoke of a man who was given to sport and exercise rather than luxury. He had, thought Andell, the bearing of a soldier. He frowned as he met Andell’s gaze. Andell tried to keep his expression neutral. he lowered his eyes. as a slave would be expected to do.

"Have you examined it?" the man asked the two guards who had conducted them inside.

The guard hesitated. "No, Apollodorus. But if it is from Caesar . ."

"Fool!" Apollodorus said. "Set it down at once!"

Suddenly Andell heard a throaty. feminine laugh.

“Apollodorus. do you not recall what day this is?"

Andell glanced up and sucked in his breath sharply. It was his first close glimpse of Cleopatra. Her hair was jet-black, worn in the Egyptian style. long and straight down to her shoulder. on the back and sides, in bangs over her forehead. She was a small woman, delicately framed, with a narrow waist, full breasts, and long, shapely legs. The thin, silky white shift she wore was diaphanous and it clearly outlined the lush curves of her body. Her face was sharp-featured, with a graceful, Macedonian beauty and her eyes were dark and striking, outlined in kohl and heavily shadowed.

"He remembered," she said with a smile.

"Caesar'?" said Apollodorus. frowning. "Remembered what?"

"Do you not recall, Apollodorus?" she said. "It was on this very day that you first brought me secretly into Caesar's presence, concealed within a carpet. And now he sends me one, to commemorate the occasion of our first meeting."

It should still have been carefully examined." said Apollodorus. still frowning. "We do not know it came from Caesar. You have many enemies in Rome. my Queen. We cannot be too careful."

"You worry too much. Apollodorus." she replied. "Do you really think that some assassin would dare attempt to murder me here in this very house, with all your guards'? And with Caesar's soldiers outside? I am as safe here as I would be in my own palace." She turned to Drummond and Andell. "Unroll it. Let me see."

Andell bent down and untied the fastenings. then he and Drummond unrolled the carpet. The guards gasped and reached for their swords as Andre was revealed, rolled up inside the rug. Cleopatra stared in astonishment.

"What is the meaning of this?" said Apollodorus angrily.

Then Cleopatra laughed and clapped her hands. "Oh. it is wonderful! Do you not see? How witty of him! Caesar has sent me a slave girl as a gift! And he has presented her in the same manner in which I arrived to him!"

"I hope that you will not take offense, Your Highness," Andre said, rising to her feet. "but I am not a gift from Caesar. Nor am I a slave."

Cleopatra frowned. "I do not understand."

"Who are you?" Apollodorus said. "Explain yourself this instant!"

"I am Antonia, wife to Marcus Septimus," said Andre.

"Septimus?" said Cleopatra. "You mean Caesar's friend?"

"That is Lucius Septimus," said Andre. "My husband, Marcus, is his brother. These two men are his slaves. To be truthful, my husband knows nothing of this. I fear that he would not approve. But I had heard so much about you and I wanted so very much to meet you! I had heard it said that you first came to Caesar in this manner when you met in Egypt and I struck upon it as a way to meet you. I thought that you might be amused. but I had no idea that your first meeting with Caesar took place on this very day. I apologize if my little ruse had made you angry. Such was not my

intent."

"This is insufferable!" said Apollodorus. "You must leave this house at once!"

"She shall do no such thing," said Cleopatra.

"But. my Queen . . ."

Cleopatra smiled. "Do you not see. Apollodorus? It is an omen. Since I first came to Rome. I have had no one save yourself, my guards, and my female slaves for company. Except when Caesar comes, I am always lonely. And, unlike other Romans, who merely suffer my presence, this woman has sought out to meet me. The manner in which she chose to do it shows cleverness and wit. No. Apollodorus, she shall stay and dine with me this evening."

"But, my Queen," protested Apollodorus, "we know nothing of this woman!"

`"We know she is the wife of the brother of Caesar's closest friend." said Cleopatra. "Septimus has always treated me with courtesy, deference, and kindness. Caesar's regard for him speaks for his quality. I would expect no less from his brother."

"But we do not know his brother." Apollodorus persisted.

"Then we shall arrange to meet him," Cleopatra said. She smiled mockingly. "Or do you believe that he has sent his wife to murder me I do not know what has come over you, Apollodorus. You see conspiracies everywhere. Come. Antonia. Pay no mind to my servant. He is merely overzealous in his duties."

"Perhaps he would like to search me, to make certain that I have no weapons," Andre said.

Cleopatra laughed. "Your wit appears to be a ready weapon." she said.

"Come, sit with me. Apollodorus, we shall have some wine."

"As you wish. my Queen." Apollodorus said, though he was obviously displeased.

Cleopatra led Andre over to a couple of couches and a small table.

"I must admit," said Cleopatra. "that I am disappointed that Caesar did not choose to commemorate our meeting with this gesture, but doubtless, he has much on his mind now that he is preparing to leave on new campaigns. I fear he has forgotten. Still, I am pleased you came to see me in this fashion. It has added spice to a most dreary day."

"I was afraid that you might be angry at such an intrusion," Andre said.

"I might have been," said Cleopatra with a smile, "but I have too many other things to occupy my emotions these days."

"What things'?"

"My son. Caesarian. who is growing up more Roman than Egyptian; my servants and my guards, who bore me; Apollodorus, who stifles me; Romans. who despise me . . and Caesar, who maddens me when he is absent, but whose presence fills my heart with lightness. But tell me about yourself. Antonia. What made you want to come and see me?"

"I was curious," said Andre. "My husband says that it is my worst trait. I had heard that you were very beautiful and that your beauty had made Caesar your captive. Ever since I had arrived in Rome. I have heard of little else but you and I was seized with a compulsion to meet you."

"You do not live in Rome, then?" Cleopatra asked.

"We live in Cumae," Andre explained, reciting her cover. "I had never before visited Rome. Marcus came to visit Lucius. as they had not seen each other since Lucius left for the wars. We came with our friend Fabius Quintullus. Marcus, Lucius, and Fabius have been friends since childhood. Marcus is very interested in Caesar's Gallic campaigns. He thinks that Caesar is a great general. Perhaps even greater than Alexander."

Cleopatra smiled "Caesar would love to hear that." she said. "only do not say 'perhaps.' Tell him that he has eclipsed the fame of Alexander and you will make a friend for life."

"What is he like?"

"Caesar? You have not met him?"

"Not yet. but Lucius had promised to introduce us. I do not know what to expect."

"You may expect to find him very charming," Cleopatra said. "He is not the handsomest of men, but there is much about him that is appealing. His wit, his strength of character, his self-possession, his intelligence. . . He is a most unusual man. When I was still in Egypt, before we had met. and I received word that Caesar wished to see me, I was prepared to meet an arrogant Roman. I expected a man full of his own self-importance and disdainful of all others. Yet Caesar was none of those things. He had an easy manner and a confidence that required no boasts to support it. I was very taken with him right from the beginning. I know they say in Rome that I am some great seductress who has used her wiles to ensnare the Emperor. but the truth is that I was myself seduced. Caesar is a most compelling man."

“You must love him very much." said Andre.

Cleopatra smiled a bit sadly. He is the first man I have ever truly loved. I left Egypt at his bidding to be in Rome with him, both because I wanted to be with him and because it is here, in Rome and not in Egypt, that I can best serve the interests of my subjects. I have borne Caesar's son, though I know that there are many here in Rome who denounce my claim as false, despite the fact that one can see his father's features in his own. Yet, unlike you, Antonia, I may not marry the man I love. Caesar will not divorce Calpurnia and he cannot marry me. He is Emperor of Rome and I am Queen of Egypt, by his own decree. Egypt is little more than Rome's possession now. And as Caesar is Rome, so I am Egypt. A mere possession."

Perhaps it was her loneliness that had made her vulnerable, perhaps she had caught her at an unguarded moment. but Andre found Cleopatra to be nothing like what she had expected. Instead of the cruel and imperious daughter of the pharaohs, the cold and calculating seductress that history had painted her as, here was a woman of warmth, candor. and perception. A woman who cared about her subjects, a woman of passion. As Andre sat listening to her, it seemed difficult for her to believe that this was a woman who had coldly ordered the murder of her own husband, who was also her brother, and yet history had reported that as fact. Although there had been many times when Andre had discovered that history had been in error. According to history. there had never been any love lost among the Ptolemy family. They intermarried, they quarreled. they fought and intrigued and killed each other, and yet Cleopatra was regarded by her subjects with affection. Though she was portrayed as one of the great seductresses of history, there was never any evidence that she was ever sexually involved with anyone but Caesar and Marc Antony. What Andre saw before her was not some Machiavellian female bent on manipulation. but a woman who seemed earthy, lonely, and very much in love.

fear for him," Cleopatra continued. "Between Caesar himself and Apollodorus, as well as my slaves who run my errands for me. I hear much of what goes on in Rome. Caesar has made many enemies. They say that it is I who have fed his lust for power, but the truth is that I have only tried to feed his caution, which has hut little appetite. He says that the republic can no longer function, that the nobles have grown decadent and cannot rule. Without him, he says. the government would collapse and there would once more be civil war. He cannot believe that Rome would wish that. Perhaps Rome does not. but I fear that there are many Romans. men who seek influence and power, who do. Caesar is a great man. Antonia. and great men inspire jealousy in lesser men."

"But Caesar is well protected. is he not?" asked Andre. "Does he not have the Egyptian guard that you presented to him?"

"Yes, he does." said Cleopatra. "but he keeps them only because I begged him to take them for my sake. he begrudges their presence. He says that they make him look afraid, distrustful of his fellow Romans. He says that no man can truly guard against assassins who are determined. Must one live in constant fear. he says, trusting no one. afraid to eat without a taster. afraid to set foot outside his rooms without a dozen guards? I have changed my destiny, he says. I have set my feet upon a new path. I know not what he means when he says such things. He believes that Rome cannot do without him and so there is little risk to him. But I am happy that he keeps the guards, even if he does it just to please me. It was Apollodorus who suggested it. He picked the men himself, knowing my concern for Caesar. He promises that they will keep him safe. but I fear for him just the same. Even now, there are doubtless those who plot against him. Frightened, desperate men. I have learned." she added with a look of grave concern. "that desperate men do desperate things."

The thermae or the Roman baths. had not yet reached their zenith. In the 2nd century Roman baths were little more than small wash houses, reserved for men, but in time, they grew to tremendous size, becoming luxurious in their appointments, a place where Romans could spend the entire day bathing or taking steam or fortifying themselves against the cold with brisk baths in the frigidarium. They were places where Romans could engage in impromptu wrestling bouts or be massaged by slaves or simply relax and gossip with their friends. For the price of one quadrans. the smallest Roman coin, a citizen could gain admission to the baths for the entire day. It was a place where one could get away from the cramped, noisy, and often smoky gold and exquisite tiled mosaics. The baths were not only a place to bathe, they were also recreation center., equipped

with gymnasia, gardens. libraries, and reading rooms. No expense was spared in making the baths a palatial and comfortable community resource.

In the coming years, when the empire reached its zenith, the baths would become architectural marvels. The Baths of Caracalla, which would be constructed in A.D. 211. would have a height of over 100 feet and the main block would cover over 270.000 square feet, an area greater than the modern houses of the British Parliament. The Baths of Diocletian would be even larger, capable of accommodating over 3.000 bathers at one time. The first baths built on a truly palatial scale would be constructed during the time of Agrippa. in A.D. 20. and they would be followed by the baths of Nero. Trajan. Trajanus Decius. and Constantine. But at the time of Caesar. the public baths in Rome were still relatively small and nowhere near as spacious and luxurious as they would become in the coming years.

Delaney paid his admission and entered the baths where he had agreed to meet with Cassius and his friends, he entered the small anteroom, where he removed his tunic. toga, sandals, and loincloth and hung them up where they would be watched by a slave attendant. As the baths would grow larger in the coming years, the theft of clothing would become more and more of a problem, so that most Romans would wear only their oldest and most threadbare togas and tunics to the baths in anticipation of losing them and having to go home in thief's clothing or of having to send a slave

home to bring them something to wear.

Delaney went into the main room, which was far smaller than the larger baths that would eventually be built. It consisted mainly of a pool with a tiled floor, considerably smaller than an Olympic-sized pool, the water in it kept warm by the hot air circulating beneath the floor, from the fire stoked in the basement. Off to one side was the smaller frigidarium. essentially a cold plunge. and through an arched doorway in the back was the calidarium, a small room that was similar to modern Turkish baths, except that the steam came from heated water, not from pipes. he passed a small area where several men lay naked upon tables, being scraped by slaves. There was no soap in Rome at this time and the bodily impurities released by perspiration were scraped off with a metal, bone, or wooden scraper called a strigilis. which had a curved blade, similar to the scrapers used on modern polo ponies after they had lathered up.

Several of the men were being anointed with oils and perfumes, others were being carefully depilated. A few of them made little grunts as their body hair was carefully pulled out with tweezers. On the opposite side of the pool was a lavatory, essentially a small, square-shaped room with benches running around all four walls. The toilets were merely holes cut in the benches with the waste dropping down into running water underneath. Instead of toilet paper. Romans used sponges on short sticks, which could be rinsed off. It was not the most sanitary of arrangements, but the practice was much more hygienic than what was known to most of the rest of the world at this time.

Cassius and the others were in the steam room, seated upon marble benches. All of them were nude, of course, as was Delaney. Romans had a healthy attitude about nudity, though mixed bathing was not practiced until the time of Nero. Men worked out and wrestled in the nude, and athletic competitions on the Campus Martius were engaged in with only the bare minimum of clothing, often nothing more than a simple loincloth.

“Ah Quintullus!" said Cassius. "We were just talking about you. Come, sit with us."

Delaney joined them on the bench. They all stared at his physique. His muscular development was on a level that was virtually unknown in Rome and it predictably took them by surprise.

By the gods!" said Trebonius. "Look at the size of him!"

"If I did not know better. Quintullus." Brutus said admiringly, "I would swear that you had once been a gladiator. Truly, you possess the physique of a Hercules!"

"I come from a family of large men." said Delaney. "And life in the country entails considerable physical labor."

"But do you not have slaves for that? asked Albinus, frowning.

"My family is not as wealthy as that of Septimus," Delaney said. "We do have slaves, but their number is far smaller than most of the estates around us. But, to tell the truth. I enjoy physical labor. It may be unfashionable. but I find that it keeps me strong and healthy."

"A sound mind in a sound body," Trebonius said.

"Truly, that is the Roman ideal. But you. Quintullus. have carried it much further than any man that I have ever seen. Aside from labor, it is clear that you engage in sport. Am I correct in guessing that you are a wrestler?"

"I do enjoy wrestling," said Delaney with a smile. "I find that it relaxes me."

"I will wager that you do not often lose." Trebonius said with a grin.

"That is true. 1 have not been bested since I was a boy." "My friends. I see an opportunity for us to make some money here." said Trebonius.

"We did not come here today to speak of making wagers." Casca snapped.

"We have matters of much more import to discuss."

"Patience. Casca." Cassius said. "Let us not rush into things. Let us take a little time and get to know our new friend. Fabius Quintullus." He turned to Delaney. "Casca is always fervent in his opinions, especially when it concerns politics."

"Politics often make for fervent opinions," said Delaney. "My friend Marcus and his brother, Lucius, both find mine a bit too fervent on occasion."

"I had that impression." Cassius said with a smile. "Our discussion at dinner last night became somewhat impassioned. I had the feeling that they did not entirely approve of our opinions. But we were, after all, merely expressing our concerns about Rome's welfare."

"Do not mind Marcus Septimus." Delaney said. "You must understand that he has led a quiet, uneventful life in Cumae. His brother. Lucius. went off to the wars and it fell to Marcus to remain behind and manage the estate. He always wished that he could go and experience some adventure for himself, win some glory, share in the booty of war, hut that was not to be. So he had to content himself with the letters that Lucius sent home. Lucius painted such a picture that Marcus became enthralled with Caesar. He would read those letters over and over again, playing out the

battles in his mind, as if he were there himself."

"That is not uncommon," Cassius said understandingly. "There are many Romans who followed Caesar's campaigns in such a manner, wishing that they could have been there with him. But as one who has been to war himself. I can tell you that the imagining is always much better than the actual experience. Much safer, too."

"No doubt." Delaney agreed. "For my part. I do not think that Marcus would have made much of a soldier. He has too soft a disposition. But who is to say? Men who fear a battle have often proved themselves the bravest soldiers. while those who swagger and boast of fearlessness often turn coward in the thick of the fighting."

"Yes, that's very true." said Casca.”I see you speak from some experience. Quintullus."

"I have had my share." said Delaney, "but Marcus has always known only the quiet life. And Lucius has always had a gift for writing. We often thought he should have been a poet. He described his experiences in Gaul so vividly that Marcus came to idolize Caesar from afar. To speak against Caesar in his presence is like a personal affront. I can understand the way he feels, but in certain ways. Marcus can be blind to what is happening around him. In Cumae. he is removed from the politics of Rome. They affect him only slightly. Whereas I. who plan to settle down and live in Rome. have concerns that are considerably stronger."

"We had started discussing some of your concerns last night," said Cassius. "I would be curious to hear more of your thoughts on the matter."

Delaney shrugged. "Like you. I have certain opinions when it comes to Caesar." He glanced around, as if with some discomfort. "But perhaps they are opinions best kept to myself. I had a little too much wine last night and spoke a bit too freely. In such troubled times, one should be careful what one says in public."

"Come now, Quintullus," Casca said. "You are among friends here. And from what you said last night. it would seem that your thoughts and your concerns echo our own."

"Indeed?" Delaney said warily.

"Casca speaks for us all," said Cassius. "Men of intelligence can see that there is danger in one man having absolute power to rule in Rome. Especially a man like Caesar. In some ways, he is like another Sulla. Only Sulla was never made dictator for life."

"And he never took the title of Imperator." said Trebonius. "nor had so many honors and privileges been heaped upon him."

"What is the difference between emperor and king?" asked Casca angrily.

"They are but different names for the same thing."

"It would seem so," said Delaney.

"Rome was done with kings ages ago," said Cassius. "Under the republic, we enjoyed freedom and democracy, a life such as no nation in the world had ever known. Through the Senate. the citizens of Rome all had a voice in how they were governed. Yet what have we now? A Senate that is little more than Caesar's tool. Look at the new men whom he has elevated. Are there any Ciceros among them? No. They are all merely acolytes to Caesar. bowing to his every whim. Hardly anyone in the Senate dares to dispute with him. His word is law. His every action is unquestioned. And now he plans to leave on yet another campaign, to play at being Alexander, while we suffer his surrogates. mere secretaries, not even members of the House, to dictate to us in his absence! Is this not a mark of the contempt in which he holds the Senate?"

"I cannot disagree." Delaney said, nodding. "Since he became Emperor. Caesar has become more and more the autocrat. It is not in the tradition of Rome's institutions. Only what can anyone do'? He has the support of the people."

"Perhaps he has the support of the plebeians," Brutus said, "who know only not to bite the hand that feeds them, but there are many men in Rome. men such as ourselves. who perceive the growing danger of his rule. Caesar has always catered to the masses, with his corn dole and his public feasts and entertainments, but in his ascent to power, he had made more than his share of enemies."

"Such as yourself. Brutus?" asked Delaney. "I have heard that there are intimate bonds between yourself and Caesar."

Brutus flashed him an angry look. "I am not his bastard. if that is what you imply!"

"I imply nothing." said Delaney. "I only repeat what I have heard. Did he not pardon you after you took Pompey's side during the civil war?"

“He pardoned Cassius, too," said Brutus. "And Casca and many others. It was all his way of showing himself to be magnanimous, the great general who was gracious in his victory. It was but another way to curry favor with the mob. It was no different from when he ordered Pompey's statues put back up after the mobs had torn them down. You think that he had any love for Pompey?

If so. then why did he pursue him into Egypt? Why did he destroy his sons? Did he make a great show of remorse for having done so, as if he had had no other choice? No. He returned to Rome to celebrate a triumph. A triumph celebrating the destruction of one of the greatest families of Rome! There was your true Caesar. not the one who gave out pardons and ordered Pompey's statues put back up!"

"That was nothing but a show: said Casca derisively. "Another entertainment. It was as if to say. 'Let us have the statues put back up. to celebrate the greatness of the man I have defeated. thereby proving I am greater still.' His ambition seems to know no bounds. For the good of Rome. that ambition must somehow be curtailed."

"Strong words," Delaney said. "but then what good are words without acts to back them up?"

"We do not merely speak words. Quintullus," said Casca intently. "We plan to act as well!"

"Indeed?" Delaney said, raising his eyebrows. "What is it that you plan to do?"

"Peace. Casca." Cassius said, laying a hand on his arm. "Perhaps now is not the time."

Delaney smiled. "Yes, I have heard such talk before." he said wryly. "It is the wine-fueled courage of the dinner table, the whispered conspiracy of the baths. Men talk boldly, but when it comes time to act, they hesitate and say. ‘Now is not the time.' And somehow, the right time never comes."

"What if it were to come?" asked Cassius. "Where would you stand. Quintullus?"

"Where I have always stood, with the strength and purpose of my convictions." said Delaney. "If there was something to be done and if there was a way to do it. and if Rome stood to benefit from the act that I was contemplating. then I would stand for Rome, of course." He shrugged. "But then, we speak only impassioned words. Impassioned acts are what is needed. Yet, as you say. Cassius. there are no more Ciceros. Even Cicero himself has retired from public life. No one opposes Caesar openly. There is nothing to be done."

"Perhaps there is," said Casca. "If, as you say. you are indeed a man who stands for the strength and purpose of his convictions. A man who stands for Rome."

Delaney gave him a steady stare. "So far. all I have heard is talk," he said. "To oppose Caesar in the baths is one thing. To take a stand against him publicly is quite another. As you say. Caesar controls the Senate. What can a few men do?"

"Perhaps we are not quite so few as you suspect," said Brutus. "There are many others who share our feelings and concerns."

"I do not doubt that." said Delaney, "but I repeat. Caesar controls the Senate. When the House belongs to Caesar. what can anyone do?"

"We could remove Caesar from the House." said Casca.

There was a moment of tense silence.

"There is only one way to do that. You speak of murder. Casca," said Delaney softly.

"Not murder," Casca replied. "Tyrannicide! That is the only way to stop a man like Caesar! Or does the thought disturb you, Quintullus?"

"It is a disturbing thought," Delaney said.

"What happened to the man who spoke of the strength of his convictions?" Casca asked snidely. "A moment ago. you spoke of the need for action. Yet now, it is you who hesitates."

They were all watching him carefully.

"To hesitate is not the same as to weigh a course of action carefully." said Delaney. "It is one thing to huddle together in the baths and whisper boldly. It is another to plan a course of action. Such things should be entered into with great care. There have been others in the past who acted rashly. They did not live long to regret their choice."

"No one speaks of acting rashly," Cassius said.

"Then you have a plan?"

"We have considered it," said Brutus. "But we must be certain that those to whom we speak of it stand with us. You seem to be of a like mind with us. Quintullus. We spoke of that last night. The question is, have you the courage to stand with us?"

"Do I look to you like the sort of man who lacks the courage to stand for that which he believes in?" asked Delaney.

"No,” said Brutus. "you do not seem like such a man. Yet that is not an answer."

"Before I give you one." Delaney said warily." first tell me why you have chosen me, a stranger to you all, to reveal your thoughts to. That meant taking a great risk. How do you know that I will not denounce you?"

"A fair question." Cassius said. "And one deserving of an answer. First, we were favorably impressed with what you said last night. You spoke boldly and frankly, expressing thoughts similar to ours. A man such as yourself, strong, clear-thinking, forthright, did not seem to us like someone who would be afraid to follow words with deeds."

"There was a risk, of course, in sharing our thoughts with you," said Brutus, "but the risk was not so great as you imagine. You are, as you have said, a stranger and a newcomer to Rome, whereas we are all men of position and influence. Them are no witnesses to testify to what has transpired here just now save for ourselves. If you were to inform on us—"

"Which would be rash, indeed." interrupted Casca.

"If you were to inform on us." continued Brutus. "it would be merely your word against ours. And we are all in a position to make certain that you could not pose a threat to us."

"Make no mistake. Quintullus," said Cassius, "we do not intend to threaten you. Brutus merely seeks to explain our reasoning."

"Your reasoning seems sound, so far." Delaney said.

"There is yet one more thing." Cassius said. "Your friendship with Lucius Septimus, and the fact that you are staying in his house, means that you could be very useful to us. Septimus is close to Caesar, a frequent visitor to the palace. He has Caesar's confidence. And you seem to have his."

"I see." Delaney said. "And Trebonius is friends with Antony, who is also close to Caesar. I begin to understand your methods."

"Yes, as you can see. Quintullus. we are careful men.” said Cassius. "We must see to it that not a thing is left to chance. There is much at stake. The very fate of the republic, to say nothing of our lives."

"Indeed." Delaney said thoughtfully.

"So. What is your answer?" Cassius asked "Do you stand with us, or against us?"

"I stand for the republic." said Delaney.

"Then you are with us?" Casca asked.

"If I am to be asked to risk my life." Delaney said. "then I would be a fool to undertake that risk for nothing."

Brutus frowned. "Is it payment that you seek?"

"I am not some assassin who works for hire. Brutus," said Delaney with an affronted tone. "I believe in the republic and I have come to Rome to build a life. But if I am to be instrumental in saving the republic, then I would like to have a hand in restoring it. as well."

"And so you shall," said Cassius. "We will need men of ability when the time comes. to prevent Rome from falling into chaos. Never fear. Quintullus. you shall not fall by the wayside. At the very least, a tribuneship could be arranged. What say you to that?"

"I think that I would like being a tribune." Delaney said with a smile.

"Then it is settled." said Cassius. "We shall meet again at my home an hour before sunset. And we shall drink to the future of Rome!"

8

"This will do," said Steiger, looking around at the small apartment in the tenement block that Marshall owned.

"Are you sure about this. Creed?" Marshall asked. "You don't have to stay here, you know. You're perfectly welcome to remain at my place."

"Am I?” Steiger said, giving him a hard look. His pale. blue-gray eyes were like cracked ice.

"Look. Creed, if it's about last night—"

"Yeah that's what it's about," said Steiger, an edge in his voice. “Why didn't you kill me last night. John? What's the matter. lose your nerve?"

Marshall hesitated only a fraction of a second. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Come on, John, you think I can't tell when I've been drugged? You must've slipped me a Mickey in the wine. You had your chance. Why didn't you take it?"

Marshall looked as if he were going to protest again. but then his shoulders sagged and he exhaled heavily. "All right. Look . . . I admit I thought about it. but when push came to shove, I—I simply couldn't do it. I just couldn't. You gotta understand. Creed, it wasn't because I wanted to. it's . . . I was just afraid."

"I must be slowing down," said Steiger flatly. "I suppose I should've seen it coming. I just never expected it from you."

There was an awkward pause. Marshall felt fear knotting his stomach. He wanted to run, but he was afraid that if he did, he'd never make it to the door. Sweat stood out on his forehead.

"What are you going to do'?" he asked anxiously.

"Nothing, John," said Steiger, turning away from him. He stood at the window, looking out into the street. He sounded suddenly weary. "You caught me with my guard down and you had me, but you didn't do it. I guess that counts for something:

“Creed,! . . Hell, I wish . . ." His voice trailed off."I simply don't know what to say."

"There's nothing to be said." Steiger replied in the same flat tone. He shook his head. "You've changed, John. You used to be one of the best. Now you've become a frightened little man."

"Creed . . . try to understand. I didn't want to do it. And when it came right down to it. I—"

"Spare me, John. all right? Look. I appreciate the help you've given me, but I don't really need you anymore. Go back to your house and your teenaged female slaves. Go live your fantasy. Don't worry. I won't turn you in. I don't really give a damn about the Underground. Besides, you're just not worth the trouble."

Marshall looked down at the floor. "Creed, look . . I was just scared, that's all. I didn't know if you were going to--"

"I don't really want to hear it. John, all right'?"

Marshall sighed. "Okay. Look . . . you can stay here as long as you like. Do what you have to do, I won't come around and bother you. But if there's anything you need, money or—"

"Get out. John," said Steiger, without looking at him. “Just go away. I don't want to see you anymore. The minute you walk out that door. I'm going to forget that you exist."

Marshall moistened his lips nervously and nodded. "All right." He felt enormously relieved. "For whatever it's worth, Creed, I'm Indy sorry things had to turn out this way."

"So am I. John. So am I."

"We're making good progress," Travers said, coming into the room. "That was a messenger from Caesar. We've been invited to dine with him and Cleopatra at her house tomorrow night." He glanced at Andre and grinned. "Cleopatra must have told him about how you managed to gain entry to her house. He said to be sure my brother brings his clever and audacious wife."

"Great," said Lucas. "I've been wanting to have a look inside that house. Good work. Andre. You got us in."

"The invitation did not include you. I'm afraid," Travers told Delaney.

"That's just as well," Delaney said. "I'm supposed to meet with the conspirators again tomorrow night.

"So then you're in?" asked Travers.

"For what it's worth, I guess I am." Delaney replied. "But if I didn't know that these guys actually pulled it off. I'd say they were a pretty sorry bunch of assassins. They seem to be all talk and no action. Less than two weeks to go before the Ides of March and they still haven't really got a plan."

"Disorganized?" asked Lucas.

"You'd have to see it to believe it," said Delaney with a derisive snort.

"They're like a damn sorority trying to decide what decorations to put up for the dance. The leaders get together during the day, usually at the baths, where they huddle in a corner in a little group and whisper, then at night, they meet at Cassius' house for a long, leisurely dinner and gallons of mulsum. I don't know how they stomach the damn stuff. They just sit around drinking and trying to psych one another up. They say they have a plan and they're refining it, but there isn't any plan that I can see. It's just a bunch of guys tossing around wild ideas. And all during the night. other conspirators keep drifting in and wandering out, as if they were dropping into some lodge meeting. I can believe that there were about sixty people in on this thing. It's like a damned convention. These people are rank amateurs. They haven't got any security to speak of. just a couple of guards at the door who pass people in and out. The way they're going about it. if Caesar hasn't heard about this so-called conspiracy by now, he must be off in some other world."

"Well, according to history, there were many rumors of conspiracies against his life." said Travers. but Caesar simply discounted them. There have always been conspiracies in Rome of one sort or another, but few of them ever came to anything. Caesar was even involved in several aborted conspiracies himself, such as the one with Crassus. He knows there's opposition against him. but the people support him and he's got the Senate cowed. If word has reached him about this conspiracy, maybe he feels the same way about it as you do. That they're all talk and no action.

"But would he just ignore them like that?" Andre asked with surprise.

"If he were anybody else, he probably wouldn't." Travers replied. “But he's Caesar. He's survived more bloody wars than any other general in Rome. The man simply has no fear. Maybe he really believes that he's invulnerable."

"According to your report, he didn't seem to believe it the night he heard the oracle's prophecy." said Lucas.

"A lot's happened since that night." Travers replied. “The Caesar who was about to cross the Rubicon was full of doubt and indecision. He'd always bucked the odds before, but for the first time in his life, he really wasn't sure. No Roman general had ever marched on Rome before. Even for Caesar. it seemed like going much too far. But he pulled it off. And he hasn't looked back since. After he defeated the great Pompey, he didn't think that there was anything he couldn't do." Travers paused. "After his death. Caesar was deified, but in his own mind, he's halfway there already.”

You mean he actually thinks of himself as a god?" asked Andre.

"No. I doubt that. I'm sure he doesn't, not in the literal sense. But with all he's managed to accomplish, it's clearly gone to his head. You know the old saying. Absolute power corrupts. absolutely. Caesar hasn't really been corrupted. at least not in the same sense as Tiberius. Caligula. and Nero were. but be really does believe that he's infallible. Besides, his mind isn't really on what's happening in Rome. Being emperor doesn't seem to interest him anymore. He's bored."

"Bored'?" said Lucas, raising his eyebrows. he's run out of challenges. Since he became emperor. Rome has been at peace. And peace is not Caesar's milieu. he's a soldier. He’s not really alive unless he's in the field with his troops. It's what he does best. He can't wait to leave on that campaign. The old war dog wants one last taste of battle. He's not a young man anymore. This is his last chance to go down in history as the greatest general who ever lived, the man who surpassed even Hannibal and

Alexander. 'There's a world to conquer out there." Travers shook his head.

"He's not going to concern himself about a few malcontented senators."

"I wonder what would have happened if he wasn't murdered." Lucas said, musing out loud. You think there's a chance he would have pulled it off?"

"I don't think there's much chance he wouldn't have." said Travers.

"Jesus, wouldn't that be something'? Rome's empire would have extended all the way from western Europe to the Far East. Caesar would have become the most powerful ruler who ever lived. History would have taken a very different course. Who knows how things would have turned out!"

"Let's hope we don't have to find out." Delaney said.

Travers glanced at him, as if suddenly remembering what they were here to do. "Yes." he said quietly. He sighed. "What's our next move'?"

“Well, tomorrow we'll have a good chance to take stock of the situation at Cleopatra's house." said Lucas "I'd like to look around and see if there', a good place I can drop in unexpected sometime."

"Probably the gardens." Andre said. It looked like there were a few places where you could clock in unobserved. But I still can't believe that Cleopatra could be a ringer. She just seems so . . . genuine. It's Apollodorus I have my doubts about."

"You know how long he's been with her?" asked Delaney.

"Since she was sent into exile," Andre said. "She says he's served her loyally ever since. He was the one who smuggled her in to see Caesar." She looked at Travers. "You were there, you must remember him."

"Yes. I do," said Travers. "and I've seen him a number of times since then, but I've never really spoken with him."

"What's their relationship like?" asked Lucas.

"He seems to be a bit more than just a servant or a slave," said Andre.

"He defers to her, of course. but I noticed that he does try to manipulate her, though that can't be easy. He's clearly in charge of the household. Cleopatra said something that I found very interesting. She's concerned about Caesar's safety, but she said it was Apollodorus who

suggested she present him with a bodyguard. And he picked the men himself."

"That is interesting," said Lucas. "We'll have to keep a careful watch on him."

"We've got Castelli and Corwin watching Marcian and Sabinus." Delaney said. "That leaves Andell and Drummond free. We could assign them to work shifts on Apollodorus. Watch the house while he's inside, follow him when he leaves."

"Hell. I almost forgot to tell you," Travers said. "When Corwin relieved Castelli early this morning and Castelli came in to get some sleep, he reported that Sabinus has apparently moved out of Marcian's house and into a small apartment in the Argiletum."

"Isn't that sort of a working-class district?" Lucas asked, frowning.

"It's not one of Rome's best neighborhoods." Travers replied.

"Odd place to live for a man who just won a bundle at the races," said Delaney.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Lucas said.

"I can't shake the feeling that there's something very familiar about Sabinus," Andre said. "I don't know what it is. I don't forget faces and I'm sure I've never seen his before, but there's still something. . . . I don't know. It's just a feeling."

Lucas glanced at Delaney. "Finn?"

Delaney shook his head. "He rang no bells with me, but then I didn't get a chance to talk to him. I was concentrating on Cassius and the others."

Andre shrugged. "Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know, it's just sort of a hunch. . . ."

"I've learned to respect your hunches." Lucas said. "We'll leave Corwin on Marcian and have Castelli stay on Sabinus. We'll need to bring in some more people to relieve them."

"I'll go wake up Castelli," Travers said.

"No, let him sleep." said Lucas. "There's time. When he wakes up. tell him we'll need a couple more T.O.'s transferred in."

"Just two?" asked Travers.

"For now," Lucas replied. "I'd like to keep the numbers manageable. The more people we bring in, the more chances we're taking of disrupting the timestream. We're taking enough chances as it is, interacting with the most pivotal characters in this temporal scenario. Let's walk softly, okay?"

Travers nodded. "That makes good sense to me."

"All right." said Lucas. "In the meantime, there are several things we'll need to do. First, we need to set up safe transition points for each of us somewhere in this house. Someplace where well be able to clock in or out, any time of day or night, without alarming any of the household slaves and with no chance of two people clocking in at the same time."

"I've already anticipated you," said Travers. "I keep only a few slaves and they've all got strict instructions not to enter my private rooms unless they're told to." He grimaced. "I would have liked to dispense with slaves altogether, but I have to keep at least a few to maintain appearances. I've got a personal transition point with coordinates in my bedroom in case of emergency, and you can set up your transition points either in there or in the library. Those would probably be the best places."

"Good. We'll get those programmed in right away? said Lucas. "What about outside the house?"

You want to set up transition points outside the house?" asked Travers. puzzled. "Suppose we've got hostiles inside the house?" said Lucas. "We've got to consider worst case scenarios, such as if we blow our cover to the S.O.G."

Travers nodded. "Good point. What about the gardens down by the riverbank? Or the roof?" use both," said Lucas. "The other thing we'll need is an arms cache. If we have to take on soldiers of the S.O.G., we'll need lasers and disruptors. Where can we keep them safely?"

"I've got that taken care of, too," said Travers. "I've got some concealed storage places underneath the floor in the library."

"Excellent." said Lucas. He glanced at the others. "Have I forgotten anything'!"

"What about a safe house?" asked Delaney. .

Lucas snapped his fingers. "Right. We'll requite a house or apartment somewhere in the city where we can hole up in case this place is compromised?

"I'll see to it," said Travers.

"Anything else?" asked Lucas.

Delaney shook his head. "I think we've got it covered."

"I hope so." Lucas said. he made a tight-lipped grimace. "I have a feeling this is going to be a tough one. God knows, we've had a lot more dangerous missions before, but I don't think we've ever had one with so many variables. How the hell are we going to take out a dozen people who are constantly in the public eye without having anybody notice?"

"The answer to that one's simple," said Delaney. "We can't. Unless we can figure out some way to separate Caesar from his bodyguards on March fifteenth, it's going to get messy.”

“Maybe we'll get lucky," Andre said.

They simply stared at her.

"On the other hand," she said wryly. "maybe not.”

Marshall jumped about a foot when Simmons suddenly materialized in his bedroom. He'd been sitting on his bed. with his door bolted, nervously smoking a cigarette, when the Network cell chief suddenly appeared before him.

"Christ. Simmons, you gave me a start!" said Marshall. exhaling heavily.

"You should be more careful. What if I'd had a girl in here?"

"That would've been too bad for her.” said Simmons flatly, he was dressed in black commando fatigues and there was a laser pistol in a tanker-style holster at his shoulder. "I'd suggest you curtail your sexual diversions for the time being. You've got more important things to worry about. Did you know you're being watched?"

"I'm being watched?" said Marshall. stunned.

"That's right." said Simmons. "I thought you said they didn't suspect you."

"But . . I don’t see how they could!” Protested Marshall. "I haven't done anything to alert them or give myself away! I swear!"

"You must have done something," Simmons said. He looked at Marshall's cigarette with distaste. "Those filthy things are going to kill you."

"If I don't die of a damn heart attack first, from you popping in here like that," Marshall said. "I need these. They're my only remaining connection with the world I came from. An Underground connection picks them up for me. They help steady my nerves."

"Well, you'd better lay in a good supply, then," Simmons said. "You'll need your nerves steady. I see Steiger's left the house.”

"You've got-him under surveillance?"

"Of course. You think we're playing games here? Snap out of it. Marshall. for Christ's sake. Start thinking straight. What happened? Why did he leave?"

Marshall glanced down at the floor and took a nervous drag off his unfiltered cigarette. "He wanted me to provide him with a separate safe house."

Simmons regarded him steadily. "That's not all of it. What aren't you telling me?"

Marshall hesitated.

Simmons suddenly stepped forward and grabbed him by his tunic, lifting him up off the bed. There was a sound of ripping cloth. "Don't fuck with me, Marshall," he said in a low voice, through clenched teeth. "I could do this just as easily without you. Get my drift?"

"All right, all right! Let go of me!"

Simmons released him and stepped back. "Let's hear it," he said. " All of it."

"He found out I drugged him the other night."

"How? I thought you said he wouldn't suspect a thing?"

"I don't know how!" Marshall said. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That stuff wasn't supposed to have any aftereffects and I know he couldn't have tasted it in the wine. But he figured it out somehow. He's good. He always was."

"So you gave yourself away," said Simmons with contempt. "How come you're still alive?"

Marshall shook his head. "When he confronted me with it, I was sure he was going to kill me. But he hasn't put it all together. He thought I'd gotten paranoid and drugged him so that I could kill him while he was out, because I was afraid he'd turn me in. I let him think that and convinced him I couldn't go through with it. That I'd lost my nerve. Since I hadn't gone through with it, I guess he felt he owed me something. So he said he'd stay in the apartment and he wasn't going to contact me again. As soon as I walked out the door, he'd forget I existed." Marshall sighed. "He said I didn't have to worry about him coming after me. I wasn't

worth it."

"That's it?" asked Simmons skeptically.

"That's it."

"He must be getting soft."

"That's funny," Marshall replied dryly. "That's almost the same thing he said."

"You're lucky. It looks as if no real damage was done. All we've got to do is keep him under surveillance and take him out at the appropriate time."

"You'd better tell your people to be careful," Marshall said. "I wouldn't count on Steiger getting soft. He just let me slide for old times' sake. He's still the best damn field agent the T.I.A. ever had. If they get too close, he'll spot them."

"Don't worry," Simmons said. "I'm not about to underestimate him. What concerns me now is that surveillance on you. They must have caught on to you somehow."

"Unless Steiger told them about me. I can't see how,” said Marshall.

"Even after what's happened, I don't believe he'd do that. He'd have to break his cover to blow the whistle on me."

"So what? I don't see how it would jeopardize his mission if he revealed himself to the adjustment team."

Marshall shook his head. "No. he wouldn't do that. I know Steiger. He's never been a team player. His whole purpose in being here is to prove to Forrester that the agency still needs the covert field section. He won't let the adjustment team know he's here unless it's absolutely necessary. You have to understand what drives him. he wants to go back to covert field work. Alone, in deep cover. Just the way his old mentor. Carnehan, always used to do it. The Mongoose and Steiger were cut from the same cloth. Both mavericks. Both in it for the thrill. Steiger's going to

do things his own way. If the adjustment team stays in control of the situation, he'll hold off and cover them. If they blow it, he'll take Caesar out himself."

"Well, if Steiger hasn't told them about you. then obviously something you've done has put them on to you."

"I tell you. I haven't done anything that would make them suspect I'm part of the Underground, much less the Network," Marshall insisted.

"Maybe not," said Simmons. "otherwise I can't see any reason why they wouldn't simply move in and apprehend you. But you must have done something to arouse their suspicion. Think. What have you done recently that might have drawn their attention to you?"

Marshall shook his head. "I tell you. I can't think of anything!"

You had to have done something."

Marshall shrugged helplessly.

"Have you done anything different lately? Anything that was out of your ordinary pattern of existence? Anything at all?"

Marshall frowned. "The only thing I've done recently that I've never done before was fix a chariot race."

Simmons frowned. "When?"

"A couple of days ago. But I can't see how they could possibly know about that."

"Why did you do that'"

"It was Steiger's idea. He knows I've had contact with Marc Antony and he wanted to use that contact to get next to Caesar. So he had me fix the race so he could take Antony for a bundle, which would give him the chance to play the gracious winner and entertain Antony and his friends on his winnings."

"And you haven't done anything else out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing."

"Then that must have been it. Somehow they figured out the race was fixed and that you fixed it." I don't get it," Marshall said. "Even if they found that out, and I don't see how the hell they could have, why should that make them suspect me of anything other than being a crook?"

"You're not thinking. Marshall. They're on the lookout for any pattern of events that could connect to Caesar. If you arranged for Steiger to win a conspicuous amount of money from Marc Antony and that led to Antony introducing him to Caesar, it was something that would obviously attract their attention. Especially since Steiger came out of nowhere and suddenly he's interacting with key figures in this scenario."

"So that's what that invitation from Septimus was all about!" said Marshall with sudden realization. “that's why they asked me to bring the charioteers! They wanted to have a chance to look us over!"

"Who's Septimus'?"

"He's an L.T.O. named Travers, who's been assigned to Caesar," Marshall explained. "Steiger warned me about him at the party. He wanted to make sure I kept my distance from him and the adjustment team."

"Oh. that's nice. Any other little details you conveniently forgot to mention?" Simmons asked dryly.

"I'm sorry. I meant to tell you about him, but—"

"But you were too busy worrying about your own skin."

"Okay, so I've been under a lot of pressure. You think it's been easy for me? Anyway, that must explain it. Septimus . . that is, Travers. knows who I am. I don't mean who I really am. I mean he knows who Marcian is. If they somehow tumbled to the fact that the race was fixed. Travers probably figured out that I was the only one in a position to do it. That must be why they're having me watched. They can't really know anything; they're just not taking any chances. They'd never recognize Steiger with his new face and they don't realize he's here undercover. backing them up."

"Then it follows that they'd have him under surveillance, too," said Simmons. "For all they know, he could be S.O.G. This is turning into a regular Chinese fire drill. If he's not careful, he's only going to wind up interfering with their mission."

"We can't allow that to happen." Marshall said. "A temporal disruption would affect us all.”

"You think I don't know that?" Simmons snapped. "If he spots the surveillance they've put on him, he's either going to figure out they're working at cross-purposes and break cover, or he'll think it's the S.O.G. and take out whoever they've got watching him. Then they'll be convinced that he's the opposition, and by the time they get everything straightened out, it could be too late."

"So what are we going to do?" asked Marshall.

"I'm almost tempted to play them off against each other," Simmons said.

"It would really be something to make Steiger's plan backfire on him and have his own friends take him out for us. But with the S.O.G. around, that would be taking too much of a chance. We're just going to have to get Steiger to break cover and start working with the others before he screws everything up."

"But then he won't be on his own anymore," said Marshall. "He won't be as vulnerable. If you try to move against him then, he'll have the adjustment team to back him up."

"So we'll simply wait until they've completed their adjustment." Simmons said. "Then, if necessary, we'll take them all out."

"You must be crazy," Marshall said. "Going up against Steiger's bad enough, but I'm not about to try to take on a whole adjustment team!"

"No one's asking you to." said Simmons. "You let me worry about that."

"Yeah? And suppose you blow it? They'll he coming after me! Unh-unh. There's no way I'm going to take that kind of chance. I'm the one who's got the most to lose here. You want to take out Steiger. fine, but you stay away from that adjustment team!"

"Or else what?" asked Simmons softly.

"You just stay away from them, that's all. I'm not about to risk everything that I've built up here just because you want to be a cowboy, Simmons. Remember, I'm the one who called you in. I'm the one who gave you Steiger on a platter. And I'm going to be the one to call the shots."

"I don't think so." Simmons said.

He drew his laser and shot Marshall in the chest.

9

It was one of the most fascinating evenings Lucas had ever spent. It was an intimate party, himself and Andre. Travers, Caesar and Cleopatra. The Queen of Egypt had provided a sumptuous repast, seven courses served with excellent Greek wines. A trio of musicians played softly and unobtrusively throughout the meal on cithara, lyre. and pan pipe. There were no jugglers or acrobats or midget wrestlers, merely silent and attentive slaves who brought them food and kept their goblets filled, under the watchful eye of Apollodorus.

Caesar was relaxed and loquacious in Cleopatra's presence. He was delighted to discover that "Marcus" was a student of his campaigns and they spent long hours discussing his wars against the Helvetii and the Nervii, the invasion of Gaul by the German tribes, the campaigns against Vercingetorix and the Aedui and the civil war against Pompey. Lucas quickly realized why Travers had such affection for the man and why Caesar's soldiers had always felt such a fierce loyalty toward him. Caesar had an enormous amount of charisma. He was a man of strong personality. He was quick-witted, with a sense of humor, an unintimidating manner, and a way of knowing how to make people feel comfortable around him. He was a fascinating and compelling conversationalist, but he also knew how to listen, an ability rarely found in men with large egos. He conveyed a sense of tremendous forcefulness and drive that was restrained. yet capable of being unleashed at any time. As Andre put it later. he was. quite simply. a very sexy man.

Lucas was constantly aware of Apollodorus throughout the evening. And of Caesar's Egyptian bodyguard. Most of them were stationed outside, but there were four of them present during the meal, two on either side of each entrance to the room. Their eyes never left the party at the table. Several times, Lucas caught Apollodorus staring at him intently. He smiled at him, but got no response. Apollodorus remained impassive. Caesar noticed Lucas glancing at the guards and gave Lucas and Travers the opening that they'd been waiting for.

"A grim-looking bunch, are they not?" said Caesar. "I am sorry if they make you feel uncomfortable. Apollodorus. tell them to take their posts outside. I very much doubt that I will be set upon in here." Apollodorus hesitated a fraction of a second, then moved to comply with Caesar's order.

"Do they go with you everywhere?" asked Lucas.

"Everywhere." said Caesar wearily. if I would let them. I think they would sleep at the foot of my bed. Cleopatra means to protect my imperial person from murderous shopkeepers and senators."

"You joke." said Cleopatra somberly. "but you have many enemies. There are men in Rome who resent your power over them. You should not treat such things so lightly."

"Should I concern myself with a handful of malcontented senators when all the rest of Rome supports me?" Caesar replied.

"It takes but one determined man armed with a sword or dagger to end a life." said Cleopatra.

"I have survived many determined men armed with swords and daggers." Caesar replied. He turned to the others. "You see, we have had this argument before. Cleopatra acts as if we are still in the palace of the Ptolemys, where assassins lurk in every shadowed corner and intrigues abound."

"There are intrigues in Rome, as well," she said. "I only want to keep you safe.”

Caesar smiled. "I am as safe in Rome as I would be in the midst of my legions. The people love me."

"The people are cattle." Cleopatra replied scornfully. "They always have been. Their affections can be bought, as you well know, since you have spent so much to purchase them yourself. It is not the people you should fear, but those who stand to gain the most if you were to be removed from power."

"If I were to be removed from power, who is there who could take my place?" asked Caesar. "Antony? Perhaps, if he were to settle down and be more serious. But he is one of my dearest and most trusted friends and he does not wish to become serious. He would require a guiding influence, most probably a woman, but there is no woman in Rome strong enough to hold him in his traces. Save yourself, perhaps," added Caesar with a smile. "Antony would be no match for you. But I hardly think we need to worry about Antony. He is my staunch supporter. Who else, then? Cicero? he is an old man and much more suited to making speeches criticizing those who are in power than to rule himself. And though Cicero might still cherish dreams of the republic, he has no real ambition. Cassius. perhaps? An oracle once warned me to beware of men named Cassius, Casca. and Brutus. You remember. Lucius. you were there.”

“I remember that night well; said Travers, nodding. "Then you will remember the oracle also said that a man could change his destiny." said Caesar. "I took his words to heart and I have taken firm control of mine. I know that Cassius and his friends bear me no love. I do not underestimate them, but they would be incapable of ruling in my place. They would only fall to arguing amongst themselves. I have heard rumors that they plot against inc. but these are but the idle whisperings of malcontented men. They would be fools to think the people would forgive them if they moved against me."

"With your bodyguard around you," Cleopatra said, "they would never dare."

"They would not dare in any case." said Caesar. "But with your Egyptians at my side, it makes my enemies believe I fear them and that only serves to bolster their opinion of their own importance."

"Caesar has a point," said Travers. "Though we know it is not true, there are those in Rome who believe that Caesar has become distanced from the people. An Egyptian bodyguard cannot help but contribute to that feeling,"

There, you see?" said Caesar. "Have I not said the same myself?"

"My concern is only for your safety," Cleopatra said. "I merely wish to keep you out of danger."

"Perhaps you overestimate the danger," Lucas said. I, for one, find it difficult to believe that a general who was victorious in so many battles and who defeated no less a commander than Pompey the Great need fear for his safety in the streets of Rome."

Cleopatra shot him an angry look. “In battle. Caesar was surrounded by his legions. In Rome, he is surrounded only by bitter, jealous, and ambitious men. Is the Emperor not entitled to protection? Does he not have the right, the privilege, to maintain a bodyguard? Or would you have him travel about the city without a retinue, like any common citizen?"

No one expects the Emperor to act like a common citizen." said Travers placatingly. "but perhaps the common citizens would take it better if the Emperor's retinue was Roman, rather than Egyptian. Please understand, I mean no insult, but there has been talk that Egypt has far too much influence with Caesar."

"You mean to say that I have too much influence," said Cleopatra angrily. "You disappoint me, Lucius. I should have thought that you, of all people, would be above listening to common gossip

"I am sorry. I did not intend to make you angry." Travers said, "but the truth is that it is more than common gossip. You should know that I would be the last to speak ill of you in any way, but there are those in Rome who do not know you as I do and who believe you have little respect for Roman freedoms and traditions. They see an Egyptian guard protecting Caesar and it makes them feel uneasy that their Emperor chooses to surround himself with the soldiers of a foreign queen. It is a matter of appearances."

"Why should Caesar care about appearances?" she replied hotly. "He is the Emperor! It is not for common men to question his decisions!"

"It is not for common men to question kings," said Travers gently, "but Rome will not be governed by a king."

"Enough." said Caesar. who had been listening to their exchange with a frown. "Let us not end this evening with an argument. I have always valued your opinion. Lucius, and I have had similar thoughts myself. But I am not convinced most Romans feel this way. The people of Rome know that my concern is only for their welfare. Still. I do not wish to give the appearance that I am fearful for my safety." He held up his hand, forestalling Cleopatra's response. "I will give the matter careful thought. But we shall speak no more of this tonight"

The streets were dark when they left Cleopatra's house and started on their walk hack to Travers' villa, a short distance away. Their way was lit by two slaves bearing torches and another five slaves accompanied them as their armed retinue. The streets of Rome were dangerous at night. They spoke in Greek, a language that would not be unusual for educated Romans to converse in and one which none of Travers' household slaves would understand.

"What did you think of Cleopatra?" Andre asked.

"If she's a fake, then she's a good one." Lucas replied. "I'm inclined to believe she's genuine. I think Apollodorus is definitely the one to watch."

"Caesar's guards all looked very capable to me," Delaney said. "Alert, high level of fitness, taller than average . . . they could easily be our men."

"Caesar seemed very ambivalent about having them around," said Lucas.

"What do think. Travers?"

Travers sighed. "I think there's a good chance he may dismiss them. unless Cleopatra manages to change his mind. The question is, what will we do if he doesn't?"

"Well have to make sure he does," said Lucas. "An attempt on Cleopatra's life would convince him that there are people in Rome who fear her influence on him and conspire to assassinate her. He'd believe the threat to her was greater than any threat to himself and assign his Egyptian guard to protect her. That would get them out of our way."

"It might work, but it would be dangerous." said Travers.

"We knew that going in," Delaney said. "But we've only got a little over a week left. We can't afford to waste any more time."

They turned into a quiet side street.

"The best way to get inside would be through the gardens at the back of the house," said Lucas. We go in wearing masks and we knock out the guards. We don't want to kill any of them, at least not until we're sure about them. The thing is. we want to get close. but not too close. We need to make enough of a commotion to arouse the guards inside the house, so that - "

Travers suddenly cried out as a bright beam of laser light penetrated through his left shoulder. It all happened very fast. The two slaves ahead of them dropped their torches and fell as laser beams stabbed through them. Two of their armed guard dropped before any of them had a chance to react.

"It's an ambush!" Delaney cried out, dropping to the ground as the street became a crisscross latticework of light. The three remaining slaves took off in fright. One of them, ran directly into a beam, screaming as he fell. Lucas vanished as he translocated and a second later. Delaney also disappeared as he clocked out.

"Get back to the house!" Andre shouted to Travers as he fumbled for the controls of his warp disc. Then. suddenly, it was all over. It had all taken no more than twenty seconds. Travers vanished, clocking hack to the transition coordinates inside his house about three quarters of a mile away. Andre stayed put, stretched out behind the body of one of the fallen slaves. She had pulled the laser pistol. which she had strapped to her lower thigh, beneath the loose, ankle-length. pleated tunic she wore. She lay very still, staring intently into the darkness. The street was deserted. A moment later, she heard Lucas.

"Andre, it's me."

"Are you all right'?"

"Get back to the house. Right now." She reached for her warp disc, which was disguised as a heavy bracelet, and punched in the preprogrammed transition code for Travers' house. Moments later, they were all together in the library. Travers was in some pain, but fortunately, his wound wasn't very serious. The beam had penetrated the shoulder bone and gone straight through. cauterizing the wound.

"Well, it looks like the cards are on the table." Andre said as she examined his wound. "Did you see any of them?"

"Yeah.” said Lucas. frowning as he opened up the hidden weapons cache beneath the floor. "We found them."

She paused and glanced up at him. "You found them?"

"They were dead." Delaney said, taking a laser pistol from Lucas and checking its power pack. "We found six bodies. I recognized two of them from Cleopatra's house. One of them served us dinner. They'd been shot with lasers."

"What the hell'?" said Andre. But . who?"

"We don't know," Delaney said. "But whoever it was saved our asses."

"It was probably the Underground," someone said from behind them. They spun around to see Sabinus standing casually in the entrance to the library. Only he had spoken to them in English. There was something very familiar about his voice. Castelli suddenly came up behind him, putting a laser pistol to the back of his head.

"Don't move," he said.

Steiger froze.

"I'm sorry about what I said back at the penthouse. Priest." he said evenly. "but as you can see. I had my reasons."

“Steiger!"

"Jesus Christ." said Andre. "I knew there was something familiar about him!"

"It's all right, Castelli." Delaney said. 'He's one of us. Capt. Castelli. Col. Steiger."

"I'll be damned. Sorry about that. Colonel," Castelli said, putting away his gun.

"That's perfectly all right. Captain," Steiger said. You did pretty good back there."

"I should have guessed." said Lucas. "That was you back there."

"No, actually, it wasn't me," Steiger said, coming into the room with Castelli following him.

Delaney frowned. "But I thought you just said—"

Steiger sat down in an ornate, ivory-inlaid chair. "I was talking about the hit they tried to put on Castelli, here. He handled himself real well."

" What said Lucas.

"I'm afraid I'm not following any of this." said Travers as Andre sprayed a medicated sealant on his wound from a first-aid kit. "Who is this person?"

"Col. Creed Steiger. Capt. Jonathan Travers," Lucas said, introducing them. "Col. Steiger's T.I.A. He used to be the senior agent in the covert field section. He's also head of the Internal Security Division for the agency."

"And he was also supposed to be back in Plus Time," said Delaney wryly.

"because he asked to be relieved of duty on this mission."

"Up to your old tricks again. I see." said Andre.

"I'm sorry about that," Steiger said. “The idea was to back you up, just in case your covers got blown. Which is apparently what's happened."

"Terrific," Lucas said with a grimace. "We thought you might be the opposition. Damn it. Steiger. you could have screwed up this whole mission. Where the hell does Marcian fit in?"

"Marcian was really John Marshall, a former field agent who went over to the Underground." said Steiger.

"Was?" said Andre.

"Yeah. was. He's dead. Looks like the S.O.G. got him. Like they almost got Castelli and you. I came to warn you that this place is no longer safe. I suggest we move elsewhere, quickly. "

"We've got a safe house set up," Lucas said. "But we'd probably he safer here. This place is more easily defended."

"Will someone please explain to me what's going on?" asked Travers with a confused expression on his face.

"It's pretty simple. actually: said Steiger. "I was officially relieved of duty in Plus Time so that I could clock back here undercover and back up the team. They didn't know I was here and they didn't recognize me because I'd had cosmetic surgery."

"Was this Forester's decision?" Lucas asked.

"Yes and no? Steiger replied. "The truth is. I had my own agenda. I wanted to demonstrate to him that there's still a place for covert operations. I'd been bugging him for a chance to prove my point, so he decided to go along with it. only unofficially. Officially. I'm still on leave. That way. it's just my ass that would be hanging in the wind if I

screwed up."

"You almost did just that. God damn it," said Lucas. "You realize we wasted valuable time and manpower keeping you under surveillance?"

"Like I said. I'm sorry about that. But I had no idea I'd done anything to give myself away. What put you on to me?"

"The chariot race," said Delaney. "While we were watching it. Andre figured out that it was fixed and that all the drivers were in on it. Travers said that the only one in a position to put in that kind of fix was Marcian. SO we checked and found out that a man named Sabinus. Who came out of nowhere, was the big winner that day and that he was connected to Marcian."

"So you had someone watching Marshall. as well?"

"Lt. Donovan." said Castelli. "He's one of the new T.O.'s I just had brought in to help with the surveillance. Him and Sgt. Hall. Hall's asleep upstairs. He was due to relieve Donovan in about an hour."

"Well, you can tell him not to bother." Steiger said.

“And you'd better check on Donovan, as well. They might've gotten him. too."

"Shit," said Castelli. "I'd better clock over there right now."

"Wake up Hall and Corwin and take them with you," Lucas said. "Make sure they're both armed. Then go check on Andell. If Donovan and Andell are both all right, bring them back here and leave Hall and Corwin on surveillance duty at Cleopatra's house. But tell them to be very careful. They're on to us."

"I'll get right on it." said Castelli. hurrying out of the room.

"What the hell happened. Creed?" asked Delaney.

"I'm not exactly sure." said Steiger. "But we've all been blown somehow. Like I said, your man Castelli was pretty good. I never spotted him until tonight, but I had this prickly feeling at the back of my neck and I knew something wasn't right. so I started looking. I went out for a walk to see if I could flush my tail, if there was one, and sure enough, after about five blocks, I spotted him. Just about the same time, they tried to hit him. There were three of them and by rights, they should've got him, but he was pretty fast. They missed their first shot at him and he clocked out right away. Didn't waste a second. I didn't know the players without a scorecard, so I didn't waste any time doing the same thing. I clocked over to Marshall's place. because I thought he might've had something to do with it. Only when I got there, he was already dead. Shot with a laser."

"Why did you think Marshall was behind it?" Lucas asked.

“Because Marshall’s a deserter. and he was scared_ We went back a long way together. He used to be in the covert field section. I guess it got too much for him. He started slowing down and he decided to opt out. He just disappeared one day. But we'd both maintained contacts with the Underground, so it wasn't too hard to figure out what he'd done. Only I didn't know he was in Rome. When this mission came down. I started checking with my old contacts to find out if they had anyone back here and bingo, Marshall's name came up."

"Did I understand you correctly?" Travers asked with astonishment. "You maintain contacts in the Underground?"

"Occasionally. they can be very useful," .Steiger said.

"But . . . but that's against the law! Those people are criminals!"

"Those criminals probably saved your life tonight," said Steiger.

“I still don't understand," said Travers.

"Marshall must've been holding out on me," said Steiger. "There's apparently a bunch of them back here. I didn't know that, hut it's the only explanation that makes sense."

"But you said you thought he was behind what happened tonight," said Andre.

"That's what I thought at first," said Steiger. "until I overheard you just now, before I came in. Which reminds me. your security stinks. Why haven't you got guards posted?"

"Because we didn't know that we'd been blown." said Lucas. 'and because we couldn't spare the people, no thanks to you." He glanced up as Castelli came back in with Donovan and Andell.

"I need a report fast." he said.

"I didn't see anything tonight. sir," Donovan said.

"Me, neither." said Andell. "Nobody left Cleopatra's house after you'd gone."

"They must have clocked out to set up the ambush." Said Lucas. "We'll fill you in later, but right now, we need some security around here in case they try again."

"Right," said Castelli. "Andell. you take the roof. Donovan. watch the back. I'll take the front."

They hurried to their posts.

"All right, get back to Marshall," Lucas said to Steiger.

"He wasn't thrilled when I suddenly popped in on him," Steiger said. “He was worried that I might turn him in when this was over. He should've known better, but he wasn't the man he used to be. He caught me off guard and drugged me the other night. I guess he meant to kill me, but he lost his nerve. He said he couldn't bring himself to do it. But after what happened tonight. I thought maybe he'd changed his mind. Only when I clocked back to his place, he'd been dead for hours. In his room, with the door bolted from the inside."

"Suicide?" asked Andre.

Steiger shook his head. "No, his laser was still in its hiding place. He'd been murdered. My guess is the S.O.G. caught on to him somehow and took him out. His conscience must have bothered him, so he got his buddies in the Underground to keep an eye on us. Maybe that's what tipped the opposition. 1

don't know, but it's the only explanation I can think of for what's happened tonight."

"It would make sense," said Lucas, nodding. "The Underground doesn't want a temporal disruption any more than we do. so they're backing us up. only the paranoid bastards are staying out of sight so we won't know who they are." He sighed. "Unfortunately, with Marshall dead, unless they contact us, there's no way we can get in touch with them."

"Sure looks that way," said Steiger.

"Well, at least we know one thing," said Delaney. "There's no question anymore that our so-called Egyptians are really S.O.G. Unless Cleopatra issues lasers to her troops."

“I'd just like to know what the hell gave us away," said Andre. "I can't think of anything we've done that should have aroused their suspicions."

“Maybe it wasn't anything you did." said Steiger. "Maybe it was something I did, or something Marshall did. Or maybe they've already been through this before."

"What do you mean?" asked Travers.

It's just an idea, of course," said Steiger. "but maybe they sent in Observers of their own in advance of the mission, to document the scenario as thoroughly as possible. figure out who all the players were and so forth. Then they could have simply clocked in their Special Operations Group back to the beginning, after they already knew as much as possible about the way things went down. If that's the case, then we obviously would've stood out like sore thumbs, because we weren't around the first time."

"Wait a minute." Travers said with a frown. "That doesn't make any sense. It would be impossible."

"Why?" asked Steiger, raising his eyebrows.

"Because it would violate temporal physics." Travers said. "This scenario occupies a particular temporal location in the timestream. If they clocked in Observers in advance. and then tried to clock in their S.O.G. team back to the initial point of the scenario they were observing after the Observers had finished their task and made their report, then they would have altered the very scenario they were attempting to observe in its unaltered state."

" You want to give me that again?" said Steiger, looking puzzled.

"It violates the Principal of Temporal Uncertainty." explained Travers.

"Assume they clocked in their Observers first, say to the temporal locus of the night before Caesar crossed the Rubicon. The Observers have strict instructions only to observe. to do absolutely nothing that would in any way interfere with the scenario. In effect, functioning as a Temporal Pathfinder unit. We will leave aside for the

moment the question of Heisenberg's Principle and assume that they did not significantly alter the scenario by being here to observe it. So they complete their period of observation, say up to the time that Caesar is assassinated, go back through the confluence point they're using. wherever the hell it may be, and make their detailed report. So then the S.O.G. team is clocked in to effect the disruption, going back to whatever optimum temporal locus point they have selected. Let's say it's the same point, the night before Caesar crossed the Rubicon. Only their Observers are already there. And what they will wind up observing would no longer be the original scenario, but the scenario as it's affected by the presence of the S.O.G. team! It's a temporal paradox."

"Not necessarily." said Steiger. "They would've had to receive a report of the original unaltered scenario before they sent in their S.O.G. team, so there would have to exist a space of time in which what their Observers saw was an unaltered scenario."

"No, you're wrong. Creed." said Delaney, who'd had much more training in the complexities of temporal physics. "Logic would seem to dictate that you're right, but logic breaks down when it comes to Zen physics. If we're to assume that's what they did, then the moment their Observers clocked back to this scenario, they became a part of it, just as we are now. They altered it to the extent of their presence here. And maybe what they first observed was the scenario as it had occurred before their S.O.G. team was clocked in. but the moment the S.O.G. team was brought in, then they became a part of the scenario and-,changed whatever their Observers had originally observed. Travers is right. They would've created a temporal paradox. 'They would've changed their own past. That would have meant risking a timestream split."

Only they would have risked it in our timeline." Lucas said with a thoughtful expression upon his face.

It suddenly got very quiet.

"Ooops." said Delaney.

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Steiger broke the silence.

"Of course, it was only an idea. We don't know that's what they did."

"Ah. but that's exactly what they did do. my boy," said a new voice.

Travers jerked around, startled, and found himself looking at a tall, gaunt, dark-hired man with a neatly trimmed moustache, deep-set dark eyes, and a sharp. aquiline nose. he was dressed in a gray herringbone Harris tweed sport coat shot through with fine threads of blue and peach: light gray flannel slacks: black kidskin loafers and gray silk socks: a button-down collar white shirt of raw silk, open at the neck, and a light blue silk ascot with a gold paisley pattern. He was holding a blackthorn walking stick and there was a gray. Irish tweed walking hat set at a jaunty angle on his head. Travers blinked. He could see the rolls of books right through him in their cubbyholes on the shelves.

"Oh. dear." he said weakly. "I'm almost afraid to ask."

"Capt. Travers. meet Dr. Robert Darkness." Lucas said. "the man who's faster than light. And who is. unless I miss my guess, about to make our lives utterly miserable."

Suddenly Darkness wasn't there anymore. One moment, Travers was staring at him and the next, he was simply gone. Only to reappear an instant later standing directly in front of him.

"How do you do?" said Darkness, offering his hand.

Travers flinched. "Hello," he said uncertainly, taking the man's hand. It felt solid enough, but he could see his own palm through it as they shook. The man seemed to flicker faintly. "I—I've heard of you." said Travers. "But I also heard that you were dead."

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated, to quote Mark Twain," said Darkness. "I've read your book on Caesar. An outstanding piece of work. Highly illuminating."

"But . I haven't even written it yet!" said Travers, thoroughly confused.

"Ah. but you will." said Darkness. "Assuming, of course, that things proceed on schedule."

Travers stared at him as it finally sank in. "My God. You're from the future!"

"I am from a future, Mr. Travers. About which, for an entire plethora of reasons. the less said, the better."

"Then if he wrote the book, the mission was . . . is going to be . „

successful," Lucas said.

"That will be entirely up to you." said Darkness. "I did not say how the book ends, did I?"

Delaney exhaled heavily. "Jesus, this is it, isn't it? The key point in time. The reason you came back. This is where it's all going to hit the fan."

"Only partially correct, Mr. Delaney," Darkness said. "This is one of the key points in time. but it is, or it is about to be, a highly significant one."

"You're saying we blew it the first time around?" asked Steiger.

"The first time'?" Darkness said. "There is no first time. As Delaney was just saying, quite correctly, there is only time. A nebulous commodity that can be disturbingly fluid and unstable. This moment, right now, is in fact a temporal disruption. I am a temporal disruption. And if the time-stream has become a sea of instability, we are about to enter into the eye of the storm. What you are about to do, one way or another, will change the course of history. That you will effect a change is unavoidable. That you will effect the right change is conjectural. But you will effect a change."

They all remained very silent.

"I see I have your attention," Darkness said with 'a slight smile. But it was a smile that had no amusement in it whatsoever. "In the past," he said, "I have interfered, in one way or another, in each of your lives. Except, of course, for you, Mr. Travers, as we have never met before. Your role in what is about to happen will be minimal. Whereas theirs"—he indicated the others with a sweeping motion of his walking stick--"will be pivotal and crucial. You doubtless have questions that you'd like to ask, but I'm afraid that I have neither the time nor the liberty to answer them right now. However," he continued, addressing his comments to the others, "everything that I have done up to this point has had a purpose.

"There is a great deal that I simply cannot tell you," he went on, "but I can tell you this—something has occurred in the time period from which I came that has resulted from a series of pivotal events that took place in the past. Not all of those events involve you, but some of the most significant ones do. And this one is, perhaps, the most

significant."

"Will it be the last?" asked Andre softly.

"That all depends, Miss Cross," Darkness replied. "If we pass this test—and it is very much a test, for you as well as me—then there will be at least one more challenge that we shall have to face together. But if we fail here and now, then it will all be moot, for I will have only one chance to attempt to set things right. Because, as you were saying just a few moments ago, to risk attempting it a second time would create a temporal paradox and the consequences of that would be dire, indeed. For we are already involved in one, you see. In a manner of speaking."

"What do you mean, in a manner of speaking?" asked Delaney.

"I cannot tell you all the details of what is about to happen," Darkness said, "but Steiger has guessed correctly. The Special Operations Group from the parallel universe has indeed created a temporal paradox by their actions in this scenario. Had they done so in their own timeline, they would have risked bringing about a timestream split. But they have done it in our timeline. which changes the situation considerably."

"I'm not sure I see how," said Travers. "If they sent in Observers through the confluence point who then returned and made their report, then by sending through an S.O.G. team and having them clock back and interfere with temporal continuity during the same period their Observers had reported on, then the minute their Observers return, they will have altered their own past."

"Not necessarily," said Darkness. "Not if the Observers do not return."

"What?" said Lucas. "You've lost me. They would have had to have returned in order to make their report, so the S.O.G. team could come through and act on it. Because if they didn't return and make their report, then how could the S.O.G. team have received it in the first place? It's the Grandfather Paradox."

"Precisely," Darkness said. "So let us use that as an example. Assume that you clock back into the past in an attempt to kill your grandfather before he ever met your grandmother and you succeed in doing so. Your grandfather has now died before he could sire your father, which would have made it impossible for you to have been born. If you had not been born, then how could you possibly have gone back into the past to kill your grandfather?

The most basic problem in temporal physics. Seemingly insoluble. Only Mensinger had solved it. His solution, of course, was the timestream split. however. Mensinger had not anticipated a

Grandfather Paradox that could involve two separate universes. And this is precisely what we are confronted with.

"Let us now take our particular example of the Grandfather Paradox and follow it through using the two separate timelines," Darkness continued. "Step one: the people in the parallel universe locate a confluence point and send Observers through in order to research as thoroughly as possible the temporal scenario they wish to disrupt. Step two: the Observers complete their task, go back through the confluence point to their own timeline. and make their report. Step three: a team is assembled from your counterparts in the parallel universe, the Special Operations Group, and sent through the confluence back to the scenario the Observers had already reported on. Of course, since they are going back into a past scenario into which they had already sent Observers, those Observers are still going to be here when they arrive, because they will not yet have finished their task and made their report. And if at that point the S.O.G. team does anything to disrupt the original scenario, then obviously that will affect the scenario, changing it from what the Observers had originally reported on. You with me so far'?"

"Right," said Lucas.

The others mumbled their assent or nodded.

"All tight, then." Darkness said, we understand that the moment the S.O.G. team arrives here, then the moment they do Anything that affects this scenario, they change the past. They change what their Observers had originally seen. And at that point, they create a temporal paradox. So in order to avoid that, they proceed immediately upon arrival to step four. They kill their own Observers."

"Wait a minute," Travers said. frowning. That wouldn't work. Then they'd still be faced with a paradox. Their Observers had to have made their report in the first place in order for the S.O.G. to receive and act on it."

"You're absolutely right," said Darkness. Now they're faced with the hypothetical dead grandfather. Only in this case, he's been killed in another timeline. So what they've done has not affected their timeline at all."

But it would still affect them," insisted Travers. "The ones who did the killing. I mean. The paradox still exists."

"You're quite right," Darkness replied. "And it centers around them. Only they are no longer in their own timeline."

"I can't see what difference that makes." said Travers.

"Can't you? Follow it through. What has actually occurred in their own timeline? They sent Observers through a confluence point. That doesn't change. Their Observers completed the task they were sent out to do and came back to make their report."

"That does change." Travers said. "The team went back and killed them, so now they never come back."

"Correct," said Darkness. "But let's get back to their original scenario. After the Observers made their report. The team went through the confluence point to effect their disruption. So what do we have so far? Observers leave on their mission. They come back and report. The S.O.G. team leaves on its assignment Only part of their assignment is to kill the Observers, so now they can't come back. The grandfather has been killed. So now the grandson can't possibly exist. Only he does exist. Not in his own timeline. but in ours, where he doesn't really constitute a paradox. The temporal paradox would only come into play when he went home again, back to his own timeline. Because then we'd have an S.O.G. team that would be returning to a universe where their actions in ours had changed the past in theirs. As a result of what they'd done. their Observers never returned. And since their Observers never returned. the S.O.G. team never would have left. So they can't return. either."

"I'll be damned," said Travers slowly. He moistened his lips nervously and nodded. "It works. So long as they don't go back, there's no temporal paradox in their own timeline." He shook his head with awe. "It's positively brilliant. They came here on a suicide mission!"

"No, they didn't." Lucas said quietly.

Travers glanced at him. "But then, how . . ."

"They just came here on a one-way trip," said Lucas.

"They can never go back. But they can go anywhere they want to in our timeline."

"A guerrilla disruption team," Steiger said. "They can spend the rest of their lives clocking through our timeline. disrupting our history everywhere they go. And since they can never go home again, they've got nothing left to lose."

"Which means that we not only have to stop them from preventing Caesar's assassination," added Delaney, "we've got to make sure we find every single one of them. And kill them all."

"You'll need to do much more than that," said Darkness. "Keep in mind that they're in a position to affect the lives of at least two pivotal figures in this scenario. Any well planned mission has both a primary and a secondary objective."

"Cleopatra," Andre said.

"Precisely. If they fail in their objective to prevent Caesar's murder, they can still affect the course of history by killing Cleopatra. Or Marc Antony. for that matter. Or even Octavian. who will become Caesar Augustus."

"Hell. I knew I was going to hate this mission," said Delaney.

"We can have Antony and Octavian covered." Lucas said, a worried look on his face, "but they've already got Cleopatra."

"Which is why I'll have to kidnap her." said Darkness.

10

Capt. Zeke Hollister of the Special Operations Group sat on a couch in his room at Cleopatra's house, scowling and smoking a cigar. He was scowling at the men standing before him, dressed in white cotton tunics and sandals. They were all standing at attention, their eyes firmly fixed on a point somewhere above his head.

"At ease " said Hollister in a voice that was quiet, yet laced with barely suppressed fury.

The men assumed a position of parade rest, their eyes still focused on a point somewhere above him. They did not look at all at ease.

Hollister looked up at his platoon sergeant. "All right, Maselli," he said, around his cigar, "what the hell went wrong'?"

Sgt. Robert Maselli’s jaw muscles tightened for a moment before he replied. "We got hit, sir."

"I know you got hit. God damn it, what I want to know is how? And by whom?"

Maselli swallowed nervously. "We don't know, sir."

Hollister stared at him for a long moment. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an effort to control his temper."Tell me what happened."

"We took three squads." Maselli said. “Petrone led the first. Morton the second. I took the third. I figured we had plenty of time to conduct the operation. I knew we had at least a couple of hours once they went into the bedroom and I figured half an hour at most would be enough, plenty of time to get the A team back before Caesar was ready to leave."

Their platoon was divided into three squads— A team. B team. and C team. The A team was Caesar's bodyguard. with Sgt. Morton in charge. B team, under Cpl. Petrone, remained stationed at the house with Hollister. C team. under Maselli, was recon and surveillance.

"It was going to be a fast operation," Maselli continued. "hit and run and get out quick. Petrone led the detachment from B team against Septimus and the others. They set up an ambush on a quiet side street a short distance from their baseops. Morton led the group from A team against that Sabinus character and I went in with four men from C team to get Marcian. I know the idea was to take him alive for interrogation. but he was already dead when we got there."

"Dead how?"

"Shot through the heart with a laser." said Maselli. "And there's one more thing. A guy was watching his house."

"What guy'?"

"I don't know, sir. I never saw him before. He was taking good cover and we almost didn't spot him. We took a risk and clocked straight in from the coordinates I picked up when we were at that orgy Marcian had a couple of weeks back. We found him dead in his room, with the door locked from the inside."

"Suicide?"

"No chance," Maselli said. "Whoever killed him had to have clocked out."

Hollister frowned. It wasn't making any sense. "Go on.”

"We decided not to do anything about the guy keeping Marcian's place under surveillance. Apparently, he didn't know Marcian was already dead. so I doubt he was involved. For all we know, maybe he was just a burglar. casing the damn place.”

"You should have taken him.” said Hollister.

"I'm sorry, sir. I guess I made the wrong decision. It's just that finding Marcian dead really threw me. It simply didn't make sense and I didn't want to take any unnecessary chances."

"All right." said Hollister. chewing on his cigar. "What the hell happened with the other two assault teams?"

"After we found Marcian dead, we clocked over to back up Petrone's team," said Maselli. "Only we were too late. They'd already been hit. No survivors. I left Church behind to take their discs and clock the bodies out and the rest of us clocked over to check on Morton's group. They'd been hit, as well."

"I don't believe it," said Hollister. All right, Morton. let's hear it."

Sgt. Morton picked up where Maselli had left off. "We clocked over to the Argiletum, where Sabinus had just moved into a small apartment. We figured he was only one guy, we'd have no trouble. We could probably take him alive for interrogation. Only there was someone keeping him under surveillance. We held back and while I was trying to figure out what the hell that meant. Sabinus came out and started walking down the street.”

"Alone?"

"Alone. And this guy started tailing him. So we started tailing them both. I didn't know what the fuck was going on. But after a couple of blocks. I was pretty sure that Sabinus or whoever the hell he really is spotted the guy who was tailing him so we decided to move in. Only before we could, somebody opened up on our tail with lasers."

Hollister frowned. "What the hell .

"That's just what I thought, sir. And right about the same time, we got hit. as well. I don't know where the hell they were. I never even saw them. Randall and Biers were down before we knew what hit us. Sabinus and the guy tailing him both clocked out to who knows where. Then we got the hell out of there ourselves before we all got wasted. That's all there is. sir."

"Son of a bitch!" said Hollister. through gritted teeth.

"What the fuck is going on? how many sides are there to this thing'?"

"The only explanation I can think of is that it's their Underground." said Macelli. "They must have an entire cell back here. They've caught on to us and started backing up the T.I.A. team to prevent a disruption on their home turf."

Hollister nodded. "That would fit," he said. "They could be covering the T.I.A. people, but that doesn't explain the hit on Marcian. We're pretty sure that he was either in their Underground or another L.T.O. In either case, why take him out'? It doesn't make any goddamn sense!"

“There's obviously something going on that our Observers weren't aware of," said Maselli.

"We allowed for the possibility of a T.I.A. adjustment team being clocked in," said Hollister, "but we didn't count on members of the Underground coming to their aid. We should have foreseen that possibility. But it's still not necessarily a problem." He got up and started pacing back and forth.

"Marcian's murder bothers me. It simply doesn't fit. Why would they want to take out one of their own people?"

"Maybe he wasn't one of their own people," Morton suggested. "Maybe we were wrong about him. Maybe he was just an ordinary Roman whom they used."

"Then explain the cigarettes we found in his room," said Maselli. "And the warp disc and the laser he had hidden away. No. Marcian or whoever he really was had to be either T.I.A. or Underground. We know their Temporal Intelligence agents used contacts in the Underground from time to time. Hell, we've done the same thing. So either way, it doesn't make any sense that they should kill him. There's got to be a part of the picture we're not seeing. In any case, it probably doesn't matter anymore. If they had any doubts about us before, they don't after tonight. I think it's time we considered aborting the mission."

Hollister spun around to face him. "We're not aborting anything, Maselli!

We've come too far and we're too close to give up now! Besides, we're still holding all the cards. So long as we stick close to Caesar and Cleopatra. they can't touch us. Not without risking a temporal disruption. They can bring in as many people as they want, an entire fucking army, and it still wouldn't do them any good. Caesar's got to die on the fifteenth and he's got to be murdered by Brutus. Cassius. and the other conspirators. Anything they do to change that would play right into our hands. Even if they figured out some way to get the conspirators past A team and take out Caesar we've still got Cleopatra. And we can still shift our objective to Antony or Octavian. Their hands are tied by their own temporal continuity. We don't have to worry about that. do we?"

"No. sir, I guess we don't," said Maselli.

"You're damn right, we don't. Just about anything we do here can constitute a disruption, so we stick to the original objective. Morton, you get back to the rest of A team. If Caesar asks about the missing men, tell him that you sent them out for wine or something and they were set upon and killed. That should make Caesar think twice about discounting the rumors of a conspiracy against him. Maselli. I want you to bring the rest of C team in. From now on, A team sticks to Caesar like glue. B and C teams remain right here at baseops. If Cleopatra decides to go out, B team stays as close to her as possible. She's our insurance. In the meantime, we'll double the guard here, just in case they're crazy enough to try anything. And nobody, nobody, gets inside unless they've been cleared through me first. Got that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Any questions?"

“No, sir. “

"Right. Dismissed."

They all snapped to attention. Morton and Maselli both clocked out and the others went back to take their posts. Hollister took his cigar out of his mouth, spat out a soggy piece of tobacco, and crushed the butt out in a small dish he was using as an ashtray.

Merely a minor setback, Hollister told himself. So they'd lost a few people. They had expected that. They had all volunteered for this assignment. this mission from which there would be no return, and they had all expected to die, if not in this temporal scenario, then in some other one they'd clock to after they were finished in Rome. The plan was simple. Cross over and research one temporal scenario early in their history as thoroughly as possible. create a disruption that would have maximum impact, then immediately clock ahead to another time period and try to pull off another one. Keep doing that, building on the domino effect of temporal disruptions in their timeline until they were either all killed or until there was no possible chance of the T.I.A. being able to reverse their actions. Then, thought Hollister, their one remaining chance for survival would be to find some time period that was still relatively safe. While the damage escalated of its own momentum elsewhere in the timestream.

Until tonight, everything had gone off like clockwork. The one part he hadn't liked was killing their own Observers, but there was no avoiding it. It had to be done. The poor bastards hadn't known what was coming, of course. They had thought that they were just sent through to scout a temporal location for a baseops that would serve as a jumping-off point for temporal assault missions further down the enemy timestream. But at least they were able to make it quick and painless.

The rest of it was easy. Killing the real Apollodorus and taking his place had proved no problem. Hollister had been carefully selected for the mission so that his body type would correspond with that of Apollodorus and the rest had been accomplished by cosmetic surgery. Cleopatra had never suspected a thing. The rest of it, getting the others into place, had all been easy once he had assumed the identity of Apollodorus. Cleopatra trusted him. Even now. she was sleeping soundly in her bedroom, having had her bones jumped by the Emperor of Rome, never suspecting that anything was amiss in her household. So long as she was there, she was the perfect hostage. There were guards outside her door and all around the building and the grounds. Even on the roof. They still had a firm lock on the situation.

Hollister poured himself some wine and walked over to the window. The shutters were open to let in the cool night breeze. He looked out at the dark surface of the Tiber, and along its banks, toward the house where Travers lived.

“Come ahead, you bastards." he said softly. "Take your best shot."

The scene inside the library of the handsome Roman villa of Lucius Septimus was highly incongruous, to say the least. It was three o'clock in the morning. The library door was bolted, just in case any of the household slaves felt restless in the middle of the night, heard voices in the library and decided to investigate. Travers had given strict orders to his household slaves and they knew that certain rooms in the house were off limits to them, especially the library, but had they glanced inside, what they would have seen would have astonished them.

Reinforcements had arrived. Finn Delaney, Creed Steiger. Andre Cross. and Lucas Priest had all doffed their Roman tunics and were now dressed in black combat fatigues, with lasers holstered at their sides. They had spare charge packs attached to their belts and combat bowies

strapped to their calves, above their boots. They wore extremely lightweight, black nylon. Balaclava-type hoods over their heads, leaving only the area from the mouth to the eyebrows exposed, and those parts of their faces had been blackened with camo stick. There were two dozen other people in the room, all similarly dressed for night fighting. Some of them, in addition to their laser pistols. were armed with night-scoped laser rifles, others with the ugly, mean-looking disruptors designed by Dr. Darkness, which looked incredibly innocuous for what they were. They resembled a cross between a small riot gun and an antique blunderbuss.

but they were considerably more sophisticated than either, capable of firing a pulsed neutron beam on either tight focus beam or wide spray. Their inventor sat comfortably in a carved ivory chair, observing the proceedings.

Lucas and Finn stood over a couple of hastily drawn

interior maps of both Cleopatra's house and the imperial palace. Seeing Lucas had been a shock for those who had arrived, because they had all believed him dead. But it was a mark of their professionalism that, stunned as they were, they simply accepted his remark that there would be time for explanations later. They were all bursting with questions. but those questions would have to wait. They had a mission to perform.

"All right, let's go over it again," said Lucas. "Bryant, you'll take your team into the palace. Where are the guards' quarters'?"

"Right here," said Major Bryant. He pointed to the drawing with his bowie knife. "There will probably be at least a couple of them posted in the corridor. We're going to have to get in fast, clocking directly to the transition points that Capt. Travers has supplied, which will put us here, here, here, and here."

"Good," said Lucas. "Now remember, we don't want any accidents, so be sure that everyone clocks in no closer than three feet away from each other, Check your final coordinates now."

He waited while they did so.

"All right. Caesar's chambers are right here." He pointed to the diagram.

"He sleeps there with his wife. Be sure to take out the guards at his door right away. And you've got to do it without making any noise. Now, these areas marked off here, with stars, are where Roman legionaries are usually stationed. Stay the hell away from them, whatever you do."

"What if something goes wrong and we accidentally alert any of the Roman guards?" asked Bryant.

"Make sure you don't," Delaney said, staring at him hard. "If you have to, knock them out, but under no circumstances are any of them to be fired upon. We can't afford to raise an alarm in the palace. You've got one thing going for you. None of the S.O.G. people will be wearing Roman uniforms. As part of their cover, they'll be dressed as Egyptian soldiers. Either that, or they'll be in their quarters, asleep. I doubt they'd expect us to try anything this desperate. So with any luck, you'll get most of them in bed. I hope."

"Yeah, so do I," said Bryant.

"Use disruptors on all the bodies," Lucas said. "I want them all to disappear without a trace."

"How are you going to explain that?" asked Sgt. Neilson, who'd worked with them before on a mission in 19th-century London.

"It's not your job to worry about that, Scott," Lucas said. "Leave that part to me. I've got it covered."

"Yes, sir. Sorry. sir."

"No need to apologize. You just do your part, well take care of ours. You'll have more than enough to worry about. You guys are going to have to move fast and there won't be any room for mistakes."

"That's what I've always liked about you. Lucas," said Bryant with a smile. "You always give me the easy jobs."

"You'll have the Doc here for backup," said Lucas. "in case anything goes wrong. But don't count on him for everything. He can't be everywhere at once, even though it sometimes seems that way."

"Glad to have you along, Doctor." Bryant said.

"Just try not to trip over one another and wake up the whole palace." Darkness said.

"We'll take our shoes off and walk on tippy-toe," Bryant replied, deadpan.

"Okay, Cooper. let's go over your end of it," Lucas said.

Col. Cooper was the commander of the Temporal Counter insurgency strike force headquartered in Galveston. The T.C.I. troops were elite combat commandos, specially formed by General Forrester to deal with S.O.G. infiltrations. They were on constant standby. in combat readiness, and for this operation, Cooper had clocked in with a dozen picked men.

"We'll be going in with Delaney. Cross. and Steiger to hit Cleopatra's house." Cooper said. "There are some Roman soldiers stationed outside, here at the front gates." He pointed to the second diagram. "We trank them with stun darts. I have three men clock in here, here, and here. That should give them a good shot at the guards. What about traffic in the street?"

"There isn't any traffic on that street this time of night, so the the risk should be minimal." said Lucas. "But if any pedestrians happen to get in the way, trank them, too."

"Got it," Cooper replied with a curt nod. "The rest of my people clock in here. here, and here. Three on the roof, three in the back garden, three in the atrium."

"Right." Lucas said. "Now here's where it gets unpleasant. Some of the people in there could be Egyptian slaves, or they could all be S.O.G. Unfortunately, we haven't got any way of telling that for sure. That puts your people in a pretty tricky situation. Except for the legionaries at the front gate, anyone stationed on guard duly will be S.O.G. for sure, so don't take any chances with them. Take them out right away. But the moment you get inside the house, you run the risk of killing innocent civilians, so use your stunners. Unless you see someone carrying any weapon other than a dagger or a sword. In that case, take 'em out. But we need to get at least one or two of them alive for interrogation, just to make sure we've got them all. Now there's going to be a risk factor involved in doing it that way. Anyone you trank, you got maybe a second or two before they go down, and if they've got a concealed weapon on them. they just might have enough time to get off a shot before the drug takes effect, so watch yourselves. Stay in your teams of three. Two men carrying stunners, the third ready with a laser or disruptor. Again, speed's going to be critical, but remember that these people are all pros. All right, Finn. let's go over your part."

"Creed. Andre, and I are clocking in directly to the peristylum, right here." Delaney said, pointing to the drawing. "Our objective is to try to take Apollodorus alive, if possible. As soon as the house has been secured, we conduct a thorough search, remove anything that doesn't belong there, then get right back here."

"Right," Lucas said. lie looked around at them. "Any questions?"

Cooper shook his head. "No. My people are ready." "None here," said Bryant.

"I guess we're set," Delaney said.

Lucas took a deep breath. "All right, then. Everyone stand by. Doc, you want to go get our guest of honor?"

"I'd be delighted," Darkness said. He disappeared.

Simmons listened on the headphones as he aimed the dish mike at Travers' house.

"What's going on?" asked one of the Network men beside him. They were concealed behind a clump of bushes near the riverbank.

"They've clocked in reinforcements." Simmons said. "From the sound of it. some of them are old First Division commandos and some are T.C.I. troops."

"T.C.I.?" one of the others said. "Jesus. they brought in the fucking strike force?"

"Yeah. Cooper's in there. I can't tell exactly how many of his people he's brought with him, but I'd say at least a dozen, plus the T.I.A. assault team. Bryant's in command, so it sounds like they brought in some of the old First Division people."

"Shit. This just became a brand-new ballgame."

"It's still the same game, Rick. There's just a few more players, that's all," Simmons replied.

"The hell you say! Taking on First Division commandos is had enough, but Cooper's a stone-cold killer. Some of his strike force recruits don't even survive the training. What the hell are they planning in there, a goddamn war?"

"That's about the size of it," said Simmons. "They're about to launch a simultaneous two-pronged assault against the S.O.G.. in the palace and at Cleopatra's house."

"Fuck. They are crazy. No way do I want any part of this!"

"We came here to do a job, Warren." said Simmons.

"Yeah, against Steiger and maybe the adjustment team. but not a whole assault force. There's only eight of us, for Christ's sake!"

"We don't have to take on the whole assault force," Simmons said.

"All we have to do is pick the right moment, take out Steiger in all the confusion and we're gone."

"Forget it! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not about to take my chances against those kind of odds. You want that bounty on Steiger so bad. Simmons, you're welcome to it. I'm outta here.”

"Warren . . ." Simmons began. but Warren had already clocked out. “Warren? Son of a bitch!"

"Warren's right," one of the others said. "This whole thing just became too hot to handle. Let's get the hell out of here. It's not worth it."

"It's worth it to me." insisted Simmons. "That bastard busted up some of our hest operations and he cost me my career. And he did the same thing to every one of you."

"So there'll be other opportunities to square accounts," the man named Rick said. "This one just went sour. It's just too risky. I'm out."

"So am I," one of the others said.

"Me, too. I didn't bargain for this."

"Fine," said Simmons coldly. "If you gutless wonders want to tuck your tails between your legs and run, then go. I don't need you. I'll do it myself

“

"Don't be a fool. Why take the chance? There'll be another time."

"No," said Simmons firmly. "It's gonna be this time. Right here. Right now."

"Suit yourself.” said Rick. shaking his head. "It's your funeral."

"Oh, there'll be a funeral, all right." said Simmons. "Only it ain't gonna be mine."

There were two guards standing on either side of the doorway to Cleopatra's bedroom. Neither of them heard a thing as Darkness suddenly materialized beside the Queen of Egypt's bed. He reached out and flung the bedclothes off her and as she jerked awake with a gasp. he pulled her into his tachyon field and translocated. Before Cleopatra could even react to what was happening. she had reappeared with Darkness a nanosecond later in the library of Travers'

home. Corwin held her while Castelli fired a stun dart into her upper arm.

"Sorry about that, Your Highness," said Castelli. “But it'll be okay. you won't remember a damn thing."

She collapsed in Corwin's arms with a small moan.

Lucas gave the order. "Okay, people. Move out!" Bryant's team clocked out to the palace. Simultaneously. Cooper's strike force unit clocked to Cleopatra's house. "Okay." Lucas said to Castelli and Corwin. "You know what to do. Move."

Castelli and Corwin snapped a preprogrammed warp disc around Cleopatra's wrist and clocked out to the future.

"Andell. you ready?" Lucas said.

"Ready," said Sgt. Andell.

"Okay, Finn, get going," Lucas said.

"Good luck. Lucas." said Delaney.

"You. too."

"Travers. if we're not back in ten minutes. get the hell out of here," Delaney said.

"You'll be back," said Travers.

"Okay." said Lucas. 'Let's go for broke." They all clocked out together, !caving Travers alone in the library. He crossed his fingers.

There were two S.O.G. men standing guard outside the door of Caesar's chambers. Two more were stationed in front of the sleeping quarters of the guards. There was a sudden whoosh. followed by a loud thwaack! One of the guards at Caesar's door crumpled unconscious to the ground. The other guard jerked around, startled, but he didn't see a thing except the unconscious form of his companion. Suddenly a disembodied hand appeared floating in midair, about a foot and a half in front of him. It was holding a blackthorn walking stick. The guard's jaw dropped as he stared at it with astonishment. Whoosh. thwaack! Two down.

Major Bryant materialized in front of the two fallen guards. holding his disruptor. He glanced down quickly at their unconscious forms, then looked up to see Dr. Darkness leaning back against the wall, blowing an imaginary speck of dust from the head of his walking stick. Bryant tossed him a casual salute. Darkness touched his walking stick to the brim of his hat.

At the same time, the other commandos of Bryant's team clocked in to their transition points. They fired their disruptors and the guards were briefly wreathed in the blue glow of Cherenkov radiation as the neutron beams struck them, then they disintegrated. They never even had a chance to scream. Bryant aimed his disruptor down at the unconscious guards and quickly disposed of them, then moved quickly and silently toward the sleeping quarters of the other S.O.G. men. Moving softly, the commandos fanned out throughout the room, covering the sleeping guards. One of them, either feeling the call of nature or reacting subconsciously to their presence. woke up. he had only an instant in which to register the black-clad men spread out through-out the room. he opened his mouth to shout out a warning. but at that precise instant, they all fired. The room became bathed in the bright blue glow of Cherenkov radiation as the S.O.G. men, their bedclothes, and their beds all disintegrated. It was over in a matter of seconds.

As Bryant and his team coped with the guards. Lucas and Andell clocked directly into Caesar's bedroom. Calpurnia was sound asleep, but Caesar, a light sleeper with instincts honed by year of battle, awoke as they started to move toward his bed. He sat up suddenly as Lucas quickly raised his stunner and fired a dart into his chest. Caesar jerked and fell back onto the bed. At the same time. Andell fired a dart into Calpurnia. She jerked slightly and moaned, then lay perfectly motionless.

"A trifle late, there." Darkness said as he appeared standing against the wall, toying with his walking stick. "How are the others doing?" Lucas said as he and Andell quickly started strapping preprogrammed warp discs around the wrists of Caesar and his wife.

"Surprisingly, they seem to have the situation well in hand," said Darkness. "I'd better go check on that great clod, Delaney, and see if he's managed to do his part without shooting himself in the foot."

He disappeared.

“If you ask me. that man's a few cards short of a full deck." Andell said.

"Maybe," Lucas replied. "but what cards he does have are all marked. You ready'?"

"Ready," said Andell.

"Okay, check your time. I want them both clocked back here exactly one minute from now. Ready?"

"Mark!" Andell said.

"Go!"

Andell activated the warp disc on Calpurnia's wrist while Lucas simultaneously clocked out Caesar. They both vanished.

"All right. I'm on my way," Andell said. "Good luck, Lucas."

"You, too."

Andell clocked out.

Now came the tough part. Lucas held his laser pistol in one hand and his stunner in the other. he stood back against the wall, out of immediate sight of anyone who might be coming through the doorway. but in a position where he could clearly see them. Now all he had to do was keep the room secure and wait for the longest minute in the world.

Cooper's strike force troops started moving the second they clocked in. Three of them took down the legionaries posted at the front gates. aiming carefully and firing their stun darts into the exposed flesh at the upper arms and thighs of the soldiers, where their breastplates could not deflect them. Then they immediately started moving onto the grounds. Three more men clocked in on the roof and that was where they sustained their first casualty.

One of the S.O.G. guards on the rooftop just happened to move to the same spot where one of Cooper's men was clocking in. Two objects could not occupy the same time and space simultaneously. There was a brief, agonized scream, and then a hideous, misshapen mass of bloody, writhing flesh that was barely recognizable as being human fell to the rooftop. For an instant, the other rooftop guards were too shocked to move and in that instant. Cooper's men fired their disruptors. The S.O.G. men were briefly

wreathed in a blue aura, then they disappeared.

"Oh. God," one of Cooper's men said, staring at the horror lying at his feet.

The other one fired his disruptor at it, disintegrating the sickening remains of two fused human bodies. come on, snap out of it! The whole house must've heard that scream!"

Indeed, the whole house had. In that moment, the element of surprise so necessary to the speedy conclusion of the raid was lost. Hollister heard the scream and came awake instantly. rolling out of bed and lunging for his weapon. He was already shouting out a warning at the top of his lungs as his fingers closed around it and he went running out into the hall barefoot, dressed only in his tunic The guards outside Cleopatra's bedroom immediately ran inside to seize their hostage and were dismayed to see the bed empty. They wasted valuable seconds looking for her around the room. By the time they heard the sounds behind them, it was already too late. The stun darts struck them as they turned and collapsed to the floor.

Outside on the grounds, laser beams crisscrossed in the darkness as the firelight erupted between the S.O.G. men on security duty and the men of Cooper's unit. As Delaney. Steiger, and Andre clocked into the peristylum, they could already hear the sounds of shouting and running feet.

"God damn it!" said Delaney. "Come on. let's move!"

They ran across the open space of the courtyard, heading toward the servants' quarters.

"Watch it!" Andre shouted.

She dove to the ground and rolled as a laser beam stabbed through the air above her and fired as she came up. One of the S.O.G. men fell. Delaney dropped another one and they kept going, moving as quickly as they could, the adrenaline pounding through their systems.

Hollister spotted three men moving down the corridor and fired without hesitation. Two of Cooper's men fell dead, one of them the man armed with the disruptor. The third man brought up his stunner and fired, but Hollister quickly ducked behind a column and fired. The third man went down.

Laser beams made a webwork of light in the atrium as the two opposing forces met in the central hall. Cooper's team had taken casualties, but the S.O.G. men in the grounds had all been dealt with and the fight now moved entirely indoors. Several of the household slaves ran screaming in terror down the corridors and were dropped by stun darts, though a few ran directly into the path of laser and disruptor beams and ceased to exist. Others cowered fearfully in their quarters, convinced the world was coming to an end, while a few simply dropped down to their knees in supplication before the invading demons and were quickly tranked.

Outside. Simmons moved carefully across the grounds. crouching low and taking advantage of the darkness, holding his laser pistol ready. His warp disc was already preprogrammed with his escape coordinates. Screw the others, he thought. Who needs them? This was the perfect opportunity. In all the confusion, he could slip in and nail Steiger. then be gone before anybody realized what had happened. He bent over the body of one of Cooper's men. Perfect. He quickly stripped off his own clothes and started putting on the corpse's T.C.I. fatigues. He slipped the black Balaclava hood over his head, then smiled as he picked up the disruptor.

Hollister came bursting into Cleopatra's room, then stopped as he saw the unconscious bodies of his men lying on the floor. There was no sign of Cleopatra. Somehow, incredibly, they had managed to get her out. He couldn't believe it. He heard running footsteps coming down the hall. He quickly punched in a preprogrammed sequence of transition coordinates and clocked out just as Delaney came diving through the doorway, firing his stunner. The dart passed harmlessly through empty air.

Lucas waited tensely, glancing every couple of seconds at the readout on his warp disc. The time was almost up. Andell had clocked to Plus Time with Caesar and Calpurnia, as had Castelli and Corwin. with Cleopatra. It would take days for them to be properly conditioned by the psych teams at TAC-HQ, but then they would be clocked back to Minus Time so that only one minute would have passed since they'd been gone. They would reappear, sedated. safely in their own beds. They would wake up several, hours

later. completely oblivious of what had happened to them.

As soon as the operation at Cleopatra's house was concluded, assuming that it was concluded successfully, the survivors would be clocked to Plus Time and interrogated under drugs. The household slaves would then he separated from any surviving S.O.G. infiltrators. Castelli would take charge of a team that would clock out to ancient Egypt. where they would purchase slaves that would replace the S.O.G. men. Once those slaves had been acquired from the markets in Alexandria. they would then be tranked and clocked to Plus Time, when: they would be conditioned to believe that they had been in the Queen of Egypt's service all along. Cleopatra herself would be conditioned to believe that they had come to Rome with her. Then Castelli and his team would clock back in with them, all before daybreak.

Cleopatra would remember nothing of what had happened to her. She would recall meeting Marcus Septimus and his wife, Antonia, though she would believe that they had left Rome. Both Caesar and Calpurnia would recall how he had dismissed his Egyptian bodyguard because he did not wish to give the appearance that he feared his enemies or that he was too much under the influence of a foreign queen.

In a matter of seconds. Lucas thought, if all goes well. Caesar and his wife would reappear in their bed and they would wake up in the morning as if nothing had ever happened. Cleopatra and her new slaves would be clocked back into her house.

They had put the plan together quickly. but it seemed to Lucas as if they'd covered every contingency. At least, he hoped they had. Everything hinged on the assault against the S.O.G. unit at Cleopatra's house being successful. Lucas checked the time again. Another few seconds. He swallowed nervously. Had they covered everything? All right. he thought, come on. What have we missed? What else can go wrong?

Hollister materialized inside the quarters assigned to his men at the imperial palace. And froze. absolutely stunned. He recovered quickly and glanced around, sweeping his weapon around the room, but Bryant and his team had already left. He had missed encountering them by scant seconds, he moved quickly to the door leading to the corridor and listened intently. Everything seemed quiet. For a moment, he simply stood there, not moving. He risked a glance out into the corridor. There was no sign of his men. They were all gone, every last one of them. Jesus, Hollister thought. they must have hit the palace and the house at the same time! He was staggered by their audacity. They must have clocked into the palace, and while Caesar slept just a short distance down the hall, they had killed every one of his men and gotten out again, a lightning operation, brilliantly executed and devastatingly efficient. He had never dreamed they would dare take such a risk. He had vastly underestimated them and it had cost him. It had cost him everything.

His mind reeled as he realized that his operation was totally undone. All that work, all that preparation, wiped out in just one night. It was beyond belief. How in hell had they managed to snatch Cleopatra? And how could they cover everything that they had done without risking a temporal disruption? He had to think. He had to put himself in their shoes and imagine what he might have done if he were in their place. And if he were desperate enough to try something like this. Desperate. hell. he told himself, the bastards had actually pulled it off.

All right, he thought, if they snatched Cleopatra, they could do a wash job on her brain. Program her and she'd come out believing whatever they wanted her to believe. They'd have to do the same with Caesar. Make him believe that he'd dismissed the bodyguard. God damn it. it'll work, thought Hollister, They've beaten us.

His heart sank with the realization. But it wasn't over yet. He was still alive. And if any of his men got out, they'd clock to their escape coordinates and rendezvous as planned. He wasn't finished yet. Even if he was the only one left, he could still do some damage here.

Hollister. well trained in temporal terrorist tactics, had quickly and professionally sized up the situation. He was not the sort of man to panic when things fell apart. He was a pro and he kept his mind on his mission. The parameters had changed drastically and he had to adapt to the new situation without a moment's hesitation. he realized that the success of the T.I.A. strike was totally dependent on everything being accomplished during this one night. The activities of mission support teams back at headquarters in Plus Time would have to be completely governed by the timetable of the team in Rome. The timing would be close. If they'd taken Caesar when they killed his men, which would have been the only time when they could do it. they would have to return him by morning in order to minimize the danger of a temporal disruption. Then, with their teams in place to monitor events, they would remain to make sure that Caesar was killed by the conspirators on schedule.

Only what if he died a week early, murdered along with his wife in his own bedchamber?

There could then be no explanation for the sudden disappearance of the Egyptian bodyguard. The blame for Caesar's death would fall on Cleopatra. instead of on Brutus, Cassius. and the other conspirators. She would be arrested, tried, and executed. She would never live to join forces with Antony against Octavian. It would not be as great a disruption as they'd originally planned, but it would be a disruption nonetheless. It might even bring about a timestream split. Best of all, the T.I.A. wouldn't be expecting it. When they discovered that they'd missed "Apollodorus," they'd naturally assume that he'd escaped to some other time period. It would have been the logical thing for him to do. They'd never think he'd risk coming to the palace. It would be foolhardy. Almost as foolhardy as what they'd done tonight. Hollister smiled. Learn from your enemy, he thought. It was risky as hell, but it was worth a try.

Slowly, cautiously, holding his weapon ready, Hollister moved out into the corridor, heading toward Caesar's chambers.

11

They had counted on the element of surprise and they had lost it almost immediately. The scream from the rooftop had galvanized the opposition into action and even though they hadn't expected such a bold attack, they responded like the pros they were. They didn't run: they chose to stand and fight. In spite of the swiftness of their attack, Cooper lost almost half his men in the first three or four minutes of the assault. Three more were wounded, two of them seriously. As Andre ran across the atrium, a laser beam lanced out and burned a hole right through the left side of her shirt, missing her kidney by scant millimeters. Steiger, running right behind her, took out the man who'd fired the shot, but another one they hadn't seen until it was almost too late fired at him as he was bringing up his stunner. The beam struck Steiger's forearm and burned a long furrow from his wrist up to his elbow. He cried out, but managed to hold on to his weapon long enough to fire a dart into his attacker, and Andre shot him with another one almost immediately. He crumpled to the floor.

"You all right?" asked Andre.

"I'm fine, go!" Steiger shifted his weapon to his left hand and followed her as they moved quickly from room to room.

Cooper's men had rappelled down from the rooftop and as soon as they secured the upper floor, they ran down the stairs to join the battle in the main part of the house. Cooper heard the sounds of their booted feet coining down the stairs and turned his head to shout a warning to them so they wouldn't fire on their own men. In that instant, a laser beam burned its way through his left cheek and out the right. Cooper was so psyched, he didn't even feel the pain. He spun around and fired, dropping his attacker, then kept right on going. If he hadn't turned his head just at the right moment, the laser would probably have killed him.

Delaney found himself pinned down behind a column in the atrium, under fire from three directions at once. Three laser beams bracketed him, one passing to either side of the column, the third grazing the marble, inches from his head. He dropped down low and risked a glance around the column. In that instant, he saw a sight that made his jaw drop.

Darkness suddenly appeared out of thin air and, moving faster than the speed of light, plucked the weapon from the hand of one man while he knocked him senseless with his cane. Then he materialized behind the second gunman and clubbed him to the ground. before his afterimage had even faded from where he had first appeared. He repeated the same procedure with the third S.O.G. man, but at the speed with which he moved, it all happened in the same instant and Delaney actually saw three of him. He jumped about a foot when Darkness appeared standing right beside him.

"Somehow I knew I'd find you in a situation like this," Darkness said laconically.

"Jesus. Doc," Delaney said, exhaling heavily, I wish you wouldn't do that!"

"If I hadn't done that, you lunkhead, you'd look like a Swiss cheese."

"How's Bryant doing at the palace?"

"Knocking them dead." said Darkness. "You, on the other hand, seem to be having a few problems. Excuse

Suddenly he simply wasn't there anymore. Delaney heard a sickening crunch behind him and spun around in time to see Darkness dropping the limp form of an S.O.G. man whose head he'd smashed against a marble column. Then he jerked as he suddenly heard Darkness speaking beside him even as he saw his image disappear again.

"I'd move somewhere else. if I were you:

"Thanks, Doc."

"Don't mention it."

He vanished.

Delaney crossed the atrium and encountered Cooper and two of his men coming the other way. Andrew and Steiger came running up behind them. Several more strike force commandos came running into the atrium from the opposite side.

"Our wing's secured. sir."

"Second floor secured."

"Grounds secured. sir."

"How many did we lose?" asked Cooper. glancing around quickly.

"Kaufman bought it outside," one of the men said.

"Hockett's dead," another man said. "He clocked in right on top of one of the roof guards.”

"Poor bastard: said Delaney

"We lost Bishop and Grant."

"Campbell's wounded. We had to clock him out."

"How bad?" asked Cooper.

“Pretty bad. I don't know. He may not make it."

"Connors. you hit?"

"I'll make it."

"Where's Sharp?"

Silence.

"Damn it. Okay, you all know what to do. Find Sharp, see if he's alive. Search the house and grounds. All bodies. tranked or dead, get clocked to TACHQ. Make sure there aren't any weapons left lying around. Move it!"

"Well done. Colonel." said Delaney.

"You're hit."

"So are you."

"Yeah, but I'll be okay long as I don't drink any beer," said Cooper.

"Did you get your man?"

"No. dammit." said Delaney. "I had a shot. but I was just a second too late. He clocked out on us."

"Well, we might get lucky and track him down through one of the prisoners, but he's probably long gone." said Steiger.

"We'll have some of Bryant's people on Octavian and Antony. just in case." said Andre.

"Where's Darkness?"

Who the hell knows?" Delaney said. "He saved my ass back there and then just popped off, like he always does. But he said things at the palace were under control."

"We'd better get back to the house and check on how it went with Lucas," said Andre.

"Cooper, why don't you clock out with your wounded and get yourself and them some medical attention?" Steiger said. "I'll take over here."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Okay, I'll meet you all back at the house," said Steiger. "Go tell Travers we pulled it off before he dies of an anxiety attack."

Andre and Finn clocked out while Cooper hurried to check on his wounded. Steiger stood alone in the atrium. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I'll be damned, he thought. We did it.

"Steiger. . . ."

He turned around. One of Cooper's men was standing by a marble column about twenty feet away, holding a disruptor.

"What is it, soldier?"

"It's payback time, you bastard."

"Simmons!"

As Simmons fired. Steiger made a flying dive to the left. The deadly blast from the disruptor barely missed him. He rolled and came up with his laser in his hand. Both men fired at the same time.

“Now." said Lucas, and Caesar and Calpurnia suddenly materialized beside each other on their bed. Lucas heaved a deep sigh of relief. Andell was right on schedule. He laid his weapons on the bed and bent to remove the warp disc from Calpurnia's wrist, then went around to the other side to get the one that Caesar wore.

As he started to remove it, he heard a voice say. "Freeze."

An invisible fist grabbed a handful of his insides and started squeezing. His laser and his stunner were both on the far side of the bed.

"Don't try it." Hollister said. "You'll be dead before you get your hands on 'em. Just straighten up slowly and keep your hands at your sides, where I can see them."

Lucas knew his only chance was his thought-controlled transponder. All he had to do was concentrate and . .

"Move away from the bed."

Nothing! Lucas tried again, with the same result. It had finally decayed. He had hated the damn thing, but of all the times for it to go out. . . .

"What's your name?" asked Hollister.

Lucas swallowed hard. "Priest. Col. Lucas Priest."

"You in command?"

"That's right," said Lucas. His mind was racing. but there was no way out. The weapon in the S.O.G. man's hand was dead steady. And dead on target. And what do I call you. Apollodorus?"

"Name's Hollister. Captain. That was some job your people pulled off tonight. Took a lot of fuckin' balls. My compliments, Colonel."

"Thank you. Captain." Lucas said. "I'm just sorry they missed you. Mind if I ask how it went?"

"First-class operation," Hollister replied. "Your people took some losses, but I'm afraid we lost. However, the war's not over yet."

Lucas moistened his lips nervously. There was no chance to rush him. He'd be dead before he got two steps.

"It's funny," Hollister said. "I came here to prevent Caesar's assassination and instead. I'm going to be the one who kills him."

"Of course." said Lucas. "Caesar and his wife are murdered in their bed. the Egyptians turn up missing. and Cleopatra gets the blame. Very good. Captain. That'll change the whole scenario. For a piece of last-minute improvisation, that's not had at all. I don't suppose there's any way that I could talk you out of it."

"I'm afraid not, Colonel. I've got my orders. Sorry."

"Hollister, wait." said Lucas quickly. "Listen to me. You can't ever go back again."

"I know that."

"I give you my word of honor as an officer and a gentleman that if you surrender to me. I'll see you're treated well. And I'll guarantee that the men we've taken prisoner from your unit will get the best of treatment."

Hollister smiled. You know something. Colonel? I believe you. And because I believe you. I'll make you a deal. I know you'd be willing to die to stop me. but you'd never make it, so why die for nothing? You give me your word that you'll see my people are well treated and I'll let you live. Sorry. but that's the best I can do."

Lucas sighed. "Damn you." he said softly. "All right. you've got my word."

"Thank you. Colonel. Now, just to make sure you don't attempt any lastminute heroics, would you be so good as to lie face down on the floor?"

Lucas hesitated.

"Now. Colonel," Hollister said. -Unless you want me to burn a hole in your kneecap."

If I dive across the bed, thought Lucas, he might not kill me with his first shot and I may have a chance to-

Hollister fired and Lucas screamed with pain as his leg buckled underneath him. He fell to the floor, clutching his kneecap and moaning in agony.

If it's any consolation to you. Colonel, you never would've made it," Hollister said. “I'm a dead shot. Remember, sir, you gave your word."

He raised his laser and aimed it at Caesar's sleeping form.

Whoosh, thwaack!

Hollister cried out as the weapon was struck from his hand and clattered to the floor. The blackthorn walking stick whistled through the air once more and Hollister crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Lucas looked up, grimacing with pain, and saw Dr. Darkness standing over him.

“Got yourself shot again, I see,” said Darkness. cheer up. At least you didn't get killed this time."