“I still don’t understand,” said Travers.
“Marshall must’ve been holding out on me,” said Steiger. “There’sapparently a bunch of them back here. I didn’t know that, hut it’s the onlyexplanation 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 Ioverheard you just now, before I came in. Which reminds me. your securitystinks. Why haven’t you got guards posted?”
“Because we didn’t know that we’d been blown.” said Lucas. ‘andbecause we couldn’t spare the people, no thanks to you.” He glanced up asCastelli 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 afteryou’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 incase 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. “Hewasn’t thrilled when I suddenly popped in on him,” Steiger said. “He wasworried 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 theother night. I guess he meant to kill me, but he lost his nerve. He said hecouldn’t bring himself to do it. But after what happened tonight. I thoughtmaybe he’d changed his mind. Only when I clocked back to his place, he’d beendead 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 itshiding place. He’d been murdered. My guess is the S.O.G. caught on to him somehowand took him out. His conscience must have bothered him, so he got his buddiesin the Underground to keep an eye on us. Maybe that’s what tipped theopposition. 1 don’t know, but it’s the only explanation I can think of for what’shappened tonight.”
“It would make sense,” said Lucas, nodding. “The Undergrounddoesn’t want a temporal disruption any more than we do. so they’re backing usup. only the paranoid bastards are staying out of sight so we won’t know whothey are.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, with Marshall dead, unless they contactus, 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’sno question anymore that our so-called Egyptians are really S.O.G. UnlessCleopatra issues lasers to her troops.”
“I’d just like to know what the hell gave us away,” saidAndre. “I can’t think of anything we’ve done that should have aroused theirsuspicions.”
“Maybe it wasn’t anything you did.” said Steiger. “Maybe itwas something I did, or something Marshall did. Or maybe they’ve already beenthrough this before.”
“What do you mean?” asked Travers.
It’s just an idea, of course,” said Steiger. “but maybe theysent in Observers of their own in advance of the mission, to document thescenario as thoroughly as possible. figure out who all the players were and soforth. Then they could have simply clocked in their Special Operations Groupback to the beginning, after they already knew as much as possible about theway things went down. If that’s the case, then we obviously would’ve stood outlike sore thumbs, because we weren’t around the first time.”
“Wait a minute.” Travers said with a frown. “That doesn’tmake any sense. It would be impossible.”
“Why?” asked Steiger, raising his eyebrows.
“Because it would violate temporal physics.” Travers said. “Thisscenario occupies a particular temporal location in the timestream. If theyclocked in Observers in advance. and then tried to clock in their S.O.G. teamback to the initial point of the scenario they were observing after theObservers had finished their task and made their report, then they would havealtered the very scenario they were attempting to observe in its unalteredstate.”
“ 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 thetemporal locus of the night before Caesar crossed the Rubicon. The Observershave strict instructions only to observe. to do absolutely nothing that wouldin any way interfere with the scenario. In effect, functioning as a TemporalPathfinder unit. We will leave aside for the moment the question of Heisenberg’sPrinciple and assume that they did not significantly alter the scenario bybeing here to observe it. So they complete their period of observation, say upto the time that Caesar is assassinated, go back through the confluence pointthey’re using. wherever the hell it may be, and make their detailed report. Sothen the S.O.G. team is clocked in to effect the disruption, going back towhatever optimum temporal locus point they have selected. Let’s say it’s thesame point, the night before Caesar crossed the Rubicon. Only their Observersare already
“Not necessarily.” said Steiger. “They would’ve had toreceive a report of the original unaltered scenario before they sent in theirS.O.G. team, so there would have to exist a space of time in which what theirObservers saw was an unaltered scenario.”
“No, you’re wrong. Creed.” said Delaney, who’d had much moretraining in the complexities of temporal physics. “Logic would seem to dictatethat you’re right, but logic breaks down when it comes to Zen physics. If we’reto assume that’s what they did, then the moment their Observers clocked back tothis scenario, they became a part of it, just as we are now. They altered it tothe extent of their presence here. And maybe what they first observed was thescenario as it had occurred before their S.O.G. team was clocked in. but themoment the S.O.G. team was brought in, then they became a part of the scenarioand-,changed whatever their Observers had originally observed. Travers isright. They would’ve created a temporal paradox. ‘They would’ve changed theirown past. That would have meant risking a timestream split.”
Only they would have risked it in our timeline.” Lucas saidwith 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 theydid.”
“Ah. but that’s exactly what they did do. my boy,” said anew voice.
Travers jerked around, startled, and found himself lookingat a tall, gaunt, dark-hired man with a neatly trimmed moustache, deep-set darkeyes, and a sharp. aquiline nose. he was dressed in a gray herringbone Harristweed sport coat shot through with fine threads of blue and peach: light grayflannel slacks: black kidskin loafers and gray silk socks: a button-down collarwhite shirt of raw silk, open at the neck, and a light blue silk ascot with agold paisley pattern. He was holding a blackthorn walking stick and there was agray. Irish tweed walking hat set at a jaunty angle on his head. Traversblinked. He could see the rolls of books right through him in their cubbyholeson the shelves.
“Oh. dear.” he said weakly. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“Capt. Travers. meet Dr. Robert Darkness.” Lucas said. “theman who’s faster than light. And who is. unless I miss my guess, about to makeour lives utterly miserable.”
Suddenly Darkness wasn’t there anymore. One moment, Traverswas staring at him and the next, he was simply gone. Only to reappear aninstant later standing directly in front of him.
“How do you do?” said Darkness, offering his hand.
Travers flinched. “Hello,” he said uncertainly, taking theman’s hand. It felt solid enough, but he could see his own palm through it asthey shook. The man seemed to flicker faintly. “I–I’ve heard of you.” saidTravers. “But I also heard that you were dead.”
“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated, to quoteMark Twain,” said Darkness. “I’ve read your book on Caesar. An outstandingpiece 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’refrom the future!”
