Ortheris was speechless. He could only stare, slackjawed, at a sight he couldn’t comprehend. The troops from the alternate timeline didn’t stand a chance. Forrester had employed the same tactics against them that the Ghazis had hoped to use against the British troops, and the gray-uniformed soldiers could only ineffectually return the fire sporadically as they came through and died. Then, suddenly, the men stopped coming through.
Stability had been restored to the scenario and the rippling effect moved on. The confluence point shifted and those caught coming through at that precise instant screamed as they were caught between the timelines, materializing momentarily only to disappear again, trapped forever in the limbo of non-specific time known as the dead zone. It hadn’t lasted more than several minutes. Forrester’s men ceased fire while just out of sight, around the bend in the pass, the echoing thunder of rifle shots continued as the British engaged the Ghazis.
'What did we just see, lads'' said Learoyd. 'What in the name of heaven were all those lights' Who were those men''
'What men'' said Finn.
'What lights'' said Andre.
Learoyd turned to look at them, dumbfounded. 'But you were standin’ right here! Surely you saw them''
'Saw who'' said Finn. 'Learoyd, what are you talking about' Are you all right''
'It must have been the strain,' said Andre.
'Strain!' said Learoyd. 'Mulvaney, you tell them! You saw it!'
Mulvaney looked from Learoyd to Finn and Andre. 'Saw what, Chris''
'Those lights! Those men!'
Mulvaney licked his lips. 'I didn’t see no lights, mate.'
'You lying … Stanley! You saw it, didn’t you' You must have seen it!'
Ortheris looked away guiltily.
'Come on, Chris,' said Andre, holding out her hand to him. 'It’ll be all right. It’s over now.'
Learoyd looked from Mulvaney to Ortheris to Finn and Andre, then drew himself up. 'Right. Fine. It was all a bloody hallucination then, was it' A damned mirage' We didn’t see a bloomin’ thing, right' Right Fine. Splendid. Let’s get the hell out of here.'
Phoenix didn’t waste any time. He killed the guai (h. in front of Drakov’s headquarters and moved fast, run ning across the courtyard and into the main house. lie was dressed like a Ghazi, so the women in the main chamber paid him no mind as he headed for the upstair. s section. He met Sadullah coming down the stairs, btit the mullah took no notice of him. His face was as white as his hair as he hurried to the scene of battle.
Phoenix took the stairs two at a time. He peered cautiously around the corner, looking into the main room on the second floor. There was nothing there ex-cept for the opulent furnishings, the tapestries and the thick rugs and the cushions. He glanced at the balcony facing out over the pass and saw Drakov standing there, his back to him. He took aim with his disruptor and fired.
The figure on the balcony became briefly enveloped in blue mist and then was gone. Phoenix walked into the room and suddenly felt powerful arms around him. The disruptor was twisted from his grasp and he was thrown to the floor. Drakov stood behind him, wearing the clothes of one of his guards.
'I knew you’d be back for me, Martingale,' he said. 'Or is that really your name' You were with them all along, weren’t you' Right from the beginning.'
'It’sover, Nikolai,' said Phoenix. 'Your people have lost.'
'I expected as much when I didn’t find any of them at the temple,' Drakov said. 'And when Priest did not contact me, I guessed that you had somehow foiled his attempt on Churchill’s life, as well. And that means the entire plan’s collapsed. No point in going on. They underestimated you, but they won’t do so again. It isn it over. The war has only just begun.'
— What’s in it for you, Nikolai' They’re not your people. You belong in this timeline.'
Drakov shook his head. 'I do not belong anywhere, — he said. 'I must make my own world and find a place in it. And through this new conflict, I shall succeed. You are a survivor, Martingale, but then, so am 1. We could have accomplished unimaginable things together, but you chose to serve the enemy instead. So be it. We shall see which of us survives in the end. Meanwhile the game continues.'
With a smile he threw the disruptor on the floor in front of Phoenix, and before the startled agent could react, Drakov had clocked out.
'Son a bitch,' said Phoenix. 'He’s out of his fuck-ing mind, but the bastard’s got style.'
He picked up the disruptor and made a thorough search of the house, destroying whatever modern weapons and equipment he could find. He discovered a hideous thing in the tower and put it out of its misery. Then, having done all he could think of doing, he took one last look around at the year 1897 and went home.
The attack on Blood’s brigade lasted for six hours. The British soldiers held and the Ghazis finally retired before the devastating, superior firepower of the troops. The losses among the British were astonishingly slight, considering the ferocity of the onslaught. The most serious losses were among the horses and transport animals. The Ghazis left behind over 700 corpses. General Elles arrived with his brigade the following day, and the Bedmanai Pass was forced. The rebellion in the northern sector of the frontier was broken.
Winston Churchill never discovered what became of Finn Delaney and Andre Cross. One moment they were both pinning him down to the ground, the next they were gone without a trace. He searched for them and made inquiries, but they were nowhere to be found and it was assumed that they were carried off and killed by Ghazis. Their bodies were never recovered. Churchill was tempted to mention them both in his dispatches, but two things prevented him from doing so. One was that he recalled the promise he had made to Andre Cross to respect her privacy; the other was that it was later discovered there was no subaltern by the name of Finn Delaney on the lists. It was suspected that he had committed some sort of crime and had assumed a new identity in order to escape its consequences. The officers of Blood’s brigade agreed that whoever and whatever else he might have been, the man they knew as Finn Delaney died a hero.
General Lockhart defeated the forces of Sayyid Akbar after a fierce battle and continued on with the Tirah Expeditionary Force to crush the uprising of the Pathans. He brought the tribes to their knees and they submitted, surrendering their weapons and paying the fines the British Raj imposed. Sayyid Akbar was never found. Sadullah, likewise, had escaped. The swift ac-tion of a specially formed Search and Retrieve Unit from the 27th century prevented the British troops from discovering the bodies of soldiers wearing strange gray uniforms and carrying weapons that would have defied any explanation. The confluence point had shifted, and in that period of history at least, temporal stability had been restored.
Privates Learoyd, Ortheris, and Mulvaney were decorated for bravery, and a special, posthumous decoration was given to the Hindu bhisti, Gunga Din. He was buried as a British soldier, with full military honors. None of the three of them ever mentioned seeing anything unusual in the Khyber Pass, although when Mulvaney got drunk, he was sometimes heard to mumble
about 'them bloody lights.' None of them ever men-* tioned an officer named Finn Delaney either. Before Finn left them to — escort Andre back to Peshawar and on her return journey to England,' he 'confessed' to them that he was a deserter, wanted for a certain crime, and that it would be best for him if they did not mention his name. As men who were well-known for not being overfond of regulations, the three soldiers agreed to keep the secret. The only inquiries ever conducted were those made by Chris Learoyd on his return to England. He made a determined effort to locate a young woman named Miss Andre Cross, but he never found her.
EPILOGUE
The services were held for Major Lucas Priest in front of the Wall of Honor, where his name had been added to the list of those members of the First Division who had died in combat. The entire division had turned out in full dress, and Forrester, wearing his many decorations, delivered the eulogy. Director General Vargas was present and he awarded Priest a posthumous decoration, the Medal of Honor, the oldest and highest award a soldier could receive. At the close of the service, Forrester called the men to attention and Director General Vargas came forward to address them.
' Stand at ease,' he said. 'A solemn occasion such as this may not be the best time for this briefing, but we
