him when he’s solid…
Steiger groaned as he tried to stand. Murphy helped him tip out of the chair and pulled his arm around his shoulder. Steiger sagged.”Come on, Steiger, you can make it.” Murphy said.
“Son of a bitch really gave me a working over.” Steiger said, through swollen and cut lips.
“I know.” said Murphy. “I’m really sorry about this, Steiger. I never signed on for anything like this, believe me. It all seemed so harmless in the beginning. Moving goods from one time period to another, supplementing the section allocation with a little temporal smuggling on the side, just a simple business enterprise where no one would get hurt. It’s practically impossible to operate a field section on our budget and they keep cutting our appropriations. I told myself the money was being raised for a good cause. And then, since we were doing so well, it seemed perfectly reasonable to divert a small portion of the profits, set a little aside for our retirement… ah, hell, the whole thing just snowballed. I never dreamed it would come to anything like this.”
“Nobody ever does, Murphy.” Steiger said, leaning against him for support “Shit. My goddamn legs are cramped from being tied down to that chair.” He shuffled one step forward. then another.
“Give me the coordinates for your base of operations.” Murphy said. “I’ll clock us out.”
Steiger turned and stared at him for a long moment.
“You don’t trust me.” Murphy said. “You think I may still be working with the others.” He nodded “Hell. I don’t blame you. But look, I gotta take you somewhere.”
“You’re not taking him anywhere.” said a voice from the door. They looked up to see a man in colonial dress standing in the doorway, a plasma pistol in his hand.
“Cash!” said Murphy
“Going somewhere. Murphy?”
“Put down the gun, Cash,” Murphy said. “Don’t be a fool.”
“Going into business for yourself, eh?” Cash said. “I thought we all had an agreement.”
“It isn’t what you think, Cash,” Murphy said.
“I was taking him out of here.”
“Were you’?”
“He needs medical attention. Stevens went crazy, he beat him half to death. Damn it, Cash, this has gone too far. I don’t give a damn about the Network anymore. I went along with the enterprise, but I’m not going to be a party to murder. You can keep my share of the profits, I don’t care, but let us go. I’ve had enough.”
“You always were a bit too soft. Murphy.” said Cash. “Too much of a guilty conscience. But like you said, you went along with it. You’re in as deeply as the rest of us.”
“I don’t care!” said Murphy. “When we scan taking con-tracts on our own people, it’s gone beyond the realm of sanity. It’s out of control, Cash. It’s got to stop! Think about what you’re doing. for God’s sake! We all took an oath-
“Oh. please. Spare me.” Cash glanced at Stevens, briefly, is he dead?”
“No,” said Murphy.
Cash shifted his aim quickly and fired. The low intensity plasma charge struck Stevens in the chest, incinerating most of his upper body. “He is now.” said Cash.
“ You crazy son of a bitch!” said Murphy.
“Morton and Dicenzo never made it back,” said Cash. “The commandos must’ve got ‘CM. I figured it was time to cut our losses and settle for what we’ve got. But now that it’s you and me and the five-million-dollar bounty on our friend. frankly. Murphy. I don’t feel like sharing.”
He raised his pistol.
“So long, Murphy,” he said.
The plasma pistol was suddenly plucked out of his hand by an unseen force.
“What the,-”
There was a loud, dull crack and Cash fell to the floor, blood streaming from the fracture in his skull. Darkness appeared out of thin air, standing over him and wiping off the heavy silver head of his walking stick with a white handkerchief.
“Who in their right mind would pay five million dollars for the likes of you?” he said to Steiger.
Murphy goggled at him. “I must be dreamin’,” he said. “I can see right through that guy!”
“Friend a yours?” said Darkness.
Steiger glanced at Murphy. “Yeah. I guess he is at that.”
“You look like hell.” said Darkness.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Priest sent me. There seems to be some trouble at the field base They’ve moved it, by the way. It’s in a house on a bend in the road where Lime and Lynn streets meet.” He gave them the coordinates. “And here, you might need this.” he added, tossing him the plasma pistol. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve a few more errands to run. Do try to get there in one piece, won’t you? Priest is having some sort of an anxiety attack.”
He vanished.
Murphy blinked several times. “Who in the hell was that?”
“It’s a long story,” said Steiger. “I’ll explain later. We’d better get moving. Oh. and by the way, you’re under arrest.”
“Yeah, right.” said Murphy, with a grimace. He entered the transition coordinates Darkness gave them into his warp disc and they clocked out.
Hunter and Delaney materialized at the corner of Pond and Short streets and started moving quickly toward the house where Dicenzo said Steiger was being held. They turned the corner and hadn’t gone more than twenty yards when a loud voice hailed them.
“Halt! Who goes there? Stand where you are and identify yourselves!”
“Damn, it’s the watch” said Hunter.
“We don’t have time for this,” said Delaney.
“Take it easy. I’ll take care of them,” said Hunter.
Three men with muskets approached them.
“Identify yourselves.” one of the men said.
“I’m Reese Hunter and this is Finn Delaney.” Hunter said. “I don’t know you. What are you doing abroad this time of night?”
“We’re on our way to see a sick friend,” said Hunter. “He’s badly ill. I’m bringing Dr. Delaney to him.”
“A doctor. eh?” the watchman said suspiciously. “There was some sort of a disturbance in the Common tonight. We’ve had reports of shooting. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that?”
“Shooting in the Common?” Delaney glanced uneasily at Hunter”
“No, we’ve heard nothing.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” the watchman said.
“They could be the Tories that we’ve heard about,” one of the others said. “No, wait,” said Hunter, reaching down into his shirt. He pulled out his Liberty medallion and showed it to them. “Look.”
“Excuse me,” said Darkness, suddenly appealing at their side. “I’d like a word with these gentlemen, if you don’t mind.”
The watchman leapt back with a startled cry.
“A ghost!” shouted one of the others. He threw down his musket and took to his heels. With cries of terror, the others followed him.
“And men like these managed to win the War for Independence.” Darkness said, shaking his head.
“Doc, we need your help,” Delaney said. “The Network has got Steiger. They’re holding him in-”
“Yes, yes. I know, I’m way ahead of you,” said Darkness. “I’ve already taken care of it. Steiger will meet you back at the field base on Lime Street. Priest wants you to get back there right away. Apparently, one of your prisoners has managed to escape.”
“Moffat!” said Delaney.
“Yes, I believe that was his name.”
“And he’ll go straight to Drakov,” said Delaney. “Come on. Hunter. We’ve got no time to lose.” He quickly punched up the coordinates on his warp disc and they clocked out.
“Thank you, Dr. Darkness.” Darkness said, with a wry grimace. “You’re welcome. Don’t mention it. Aaah, I
