The Cleopatra Crisis

altogether, but I have to keep at least a few to maintainappearances. I’ve got a personal transition point with coordinates in mybedroom in case of emergency, and you can set up your transition points eitherin 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?” saidLucas. “We’ve got to consider worst case scenarios, such as if we blow ourcover to the S.O.G.”

Travers nodded. “Good point. What about the gardens down bythe riverbank? Or the roof?” use both,” said Lucas. “The other thing we’ll needis an arms cache. If we have to take on soldiers of the S.O.G., we’ll needlasers and disruptors. Where can we keep them safely?”

“I’ve got that taken care of, too,” said Travers. “I’ve gotsome concealed storage places underneath the floor in the library.”

“Excellent.” said Lucas. He glanced at the others. “Have Iforgotten anything’!”

“What about a safe house?” asked Delaney..

Lucas snapped his fingers. “Right. We’ll requite a house orapartment somewhere in the city where we can hole up in case this place iscompromised?

“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. “Ihave a feeling this is going to be a tough one. God knows, we’ve had a lot moredangerous 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 thepublic 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 onMarch 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 materializedin his bedroom. He’d been sitting on his bed. with his door bolted, nervouslysmoking a cigarette, when the Network cell chief suddenly appeared before him.

“Christ. Simmons, you gave me a start!” said Marshall. exhalingheavily. “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 atanker-style holster at his shoulder. “I’d suggest you curtail your sexualdiversions 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’tsuspect you.”

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

“You must have done something,” Simmons said. He looked atMarshall’s cigarette with distaste. “Those filthy things are going to kill you.”

“If I don’t die of a damn heart attack first, from youpopping in here like that,” Marshall said. “I need these. They’re my only remainingconnection with the world I came from. An Underground connection picks them upfor me. They help steady my nerves.”

“Well, you’d better lay in a good supply, then,” Simmonssaid. “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 ofit. Marshall. for Christ’s sake. Start thinking straight. What happened? Whydid he leave?”

Marshall glanced down at the floor and took a nervous dragoff his unfiltered cigarette. “He wanted me to provide him with a separate safehouse.”

Simmons regarded him steadily. “That’s not all of it. Whataren’t you telling me?”

Marshall hesitated.

Simmons suddenly stepped forward and grabbed him by histunic, lifting him up off the bed. There was a sound of ripping cloth. “Don’tfuck with me, Marshall,” he said in a low voice, through clenched teeth. “Icould 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,” hesaid. “ 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 deepbreath and let it out slowly. “That stuff wasn’t supposed to have any aftereffectsand I know he couldn’t have tasted it in the wine. But he figured it outsomehow. He’s good. He always was.”

“So you gave yourself away,” said Simmons with contempt. “Howcome you’re still alive?”

Marshall shook his head. “When he confronted me with it, Iwas sure he was going to kill me. But he hasn’t put it all together. He thoughtI’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 Icouldn’t go through with it. That I’d lost my nerve. Since I hadn’t gonethrough with it, I guess he felt he owed me something. So he said he’d stay inthe apartment and he wasn’t going to contact me again. As soon as I walked outthe door, he’d forget I existed.” Marshall sighed. “He said I didn’t have toworry 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 thesame thing he said.”

“You’re lucky. It looks as if no real damage was done. Allwe’ve got to do is keep him under surveillance and take him out at theappropriate time.”

“You’d better tell your people to be careful,” Marshallsaid. “I wouldn’t count on Steiger getting soft. He just let me slide for oldtimes’ sake. He’s still the best damn field agent the T.I.A. ever had. If theyget too close, he’ll spot them.”

“Don’t worry,” Simmons said. “I’m not about to underestimatehim. What concerns me now is that surveillance on you. They must have caught onto you somehow.”

“Unless Steiger told them about me. I can’t see how,” saidMarshall. “Even after what’s happened, I don’t believe he’d do that. He’d haveto break his cover to blow the whistle on me.”

“So what? I don’t see how it would jeopardize his mission ifhe revealed himself to the adjustment team.”

Marshall shook his head. “No. he wouldn’t do that. I knowSteiger. He’s never been a team player. His whole purpose in being here is toprove to Forrester that the agency still needs the covert field section. He won’tlet the adjustment team know he’s here unless it’s absolutely necessary. Youhave 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 ownway. If the adjustment team stays in control of the situation, he’ll hold offand cover them. If they blow it, he’ll take Caesar out himself.”

“Well, if Steiger hasn’t told them about you. then obviouslysomething you’ve done has put them on to you.”

“I tell you. I haven’t done anything that would make them suspectI’m part of the Underground, much less the Network,” Marshall insisted.

“Maybe not,” said Simmons. “otherwise I can’t see any reasonwhy they wouldn’t simply move in and