The Cleopatra Crisis

11

They had counted on the element of surprise and they hadlost it almost immediately. The scream from the rooftop had galvanized theopposition 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 standand fight. In spite of the swiftness of their attack, Cooper lost almost halfhis men in the first three or four minutes of the assault. Three more werewounded, two of them seriously. As Andre ran across the atrium, a laser beamlanced out and burned a hole right through the left side of her shirt, missingher kidney by scant millimeters. Steiger, running right behind her, took outthe man who’d fired the shot, but another one they hadn’t seen until it wasalmost too late fired at him as he was bringing up his stunner. The beam struckSteiger’s forearm and burned a long furrow from his wrist up to his elbow. Hecried out, but managed to hold on to his weapon long enough to fire a dart intohis attacker, and Andre shot him with another one almost immediately. Hecrumpled to the floor.

“You all right?” asked Andre.

“I’m fine, go!” Steiger shifted his weapon to his left handand followed her as they moved quickly from room to room.

Cooper’s men had rappelled down from the rooftop and as soonas they secured the upper floor, they ran down the stairs to join the battle inthe main part of the house. Cooper heard the sounds of their booted feetcoining down the stairs and turned his head to shout a warning to them so theywouldn’t fire on their own men. In that instant, a laser beam burned its waythrough his left cheek and out the right. Cooper was so psyched, he didn’t evenfeel the pain. He spun around and fired, dropping his attacker, then kept righton going. If he hadn’t turned his head just at the right moment, the laserwould probably have killed him.

Delaney found himself pinned down behind a column in theatrium, under fire from three directions at once. Three laser beams bracketedhim, 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 thecolumn. In that instant, he saw a sight that made his jaw drop.

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

“Somehow I knew I’d find you in a situation like this,” Darknesssaid laconically.

“Jesus. Doc,” Delaney said, exhaling heavily, I wish youwouldn’t do that!”

“If I hadn’t done that, you lunkhead, you’d look like aSwiss cheese.”

“How’s Bryant doing at the palace?”

“Knocking them dead.” said Darkness. “You, on the otherhand, seem to be having a few problems. Excuse

Suddenly he simply wasn’t there anymore. Delaney heard asickening crunch behind him and spun around in time to see Darkness droppingthe 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 sawhis 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 ofhis men coming the other way. Andrew and Steiger came running up behind them.Several more strike force commandos came running into the atrium from theopposite 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 ontop 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 ifhe’s alive. Search the house and grounds. All bodies. tranked or dead, getclocked to TAC-HQ. Make sure there aren’t any weapons left lying around. Moveit!”

“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 asecond too late. He clocked out on us.”

“Well, we might get lucky and track him down through one ofthe 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 backthere and then just popped off, like he always does. But he said things at thepalace were under control.”

“We’d better get back to the house and check on how it wentwith Lucas,” said Andre.

“Cooper, why don’t you clock out with your wounded and getyourself 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. “Gotell Travers we pulled it off before he dies of an anxiety attack.”

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

“Steiger ….”

He turned around. One of Cooper’s men was standing by amarble 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 upwith his laser in his hand. Both men fired at the same time.

“Now.” said Lucas, and Caesar and Calpurnia suddenly materializedbeside each other on their bed. Lucas heaved a deep sigh of relief. Andell wasright on schedule. He laid his weapons on the bed and bent to remove the warpdisc from Calpurnia’s wrist, then went around to the other side to get the onethat Caesar wore.

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

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

“Don’t try it.” Hollister said. “You’ll be dead before youget your hands on ’em. Just straighten up slowly and keep your hands at yoursides, 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 hadfinally decayed. He had hated the damn thing, but of all the times for it to goout ….

“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 therewas no way out. The weapon in the S.O.G. man’s hand was dead steady. And deadon target. And what do I call you. Apollodorus?”

“Name’s Hollister. Captain. That was some job your peoplepulled off tonight. Took a lot of fuckin’ balls. My compliments, Colonel.”

“Thank you. Captain.” Lucas said. “I’m just sorry theymissed you. Mind if I ask how it went?”

“First-class operation,” Hollister replied. “Your peopletook some losses, but I’m afraid we lost. However, the war’s not over yet.”

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

“It’s funny,” Hollister said. “I came here to prevent Caesar’sassassination and instead. I’m going to be the one who kills him.”

“Of course.” said Lucas. “Caesar and his wife are murderedin their bed. the Egyptians turn up missing. and Cleopatra gets the blame. Verygood. Captain. That’ll change the whole scenario. For a piece of last-minuteimprovisation, that’s not had at all. I don’t suppose there’s any way that Icould talk you out of it.”

“I’m afraid not, Colonel. I’ve got my orders. Sorry.”

“Hollister, wait.” said Lucas quickly. “Listen to me. Youcan’t ever go back again.”

“I know that.”

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

Hollister smiled. You know something. Colonel? I believeyou. And because I believe you. I’ll make you a deal. I know you’d be willingto die to stop me. but you’d never make it, so why die for nothing? You give meyour 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’vegot my word.”

“Thank you. Colonel. Now, just to make sure you don’t attemptany last-minute 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 ahole in your kneecap.”

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

Hollister fired and Lucas screamed with pain as his legbuckled underneath him. He fell to the floor, clutching his kneecap and moaningin agony.

If it’s any consolation to you. Colonel, you never would’vemade 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 handand clattered to the floor. The blackthorn walking stick whistled through theair once more and Hollister crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

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

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

EPILOGUE

“Feel up to some visitors?” the nurse said, smiling. Lucaslooked up as Finn, Andre, and Travers walked into the room. Forrester came inbehind them and the nurse left to give them some privacy.

“How’s the knee?” asked Forester.

“They tell me it’ll be fine after I’ve had some therapy.”said Lucas. He grimaced. “First a bionic eye, now a nysteel kneecap. If I keepthis up, before too long I’ll be a cyborg. How’s Hollister?”

“He’s busted up a bit, but he’ll live,” said Forrester. “Darknessfractured his skull and broke his wrist. He asked about you too, by the way.”

Lucas smiled wryly. “He could easily have killed me.”

“Why didn’t he?” asked Andre.

“Because he was concerned about his men. He said he’d let melive if I gave my word as an officer and gentleman that they would be welltreated.”

“They will be.” Forester assured him.

“Hollister’s a good man,” said Lucas. “he just happens to beon the other side. In a way, I feel sorry for him. I trust the rest of themission went all right?”

“The mission was totally successful,” Forester replied.

“Capt. Travers tells me that there weren’t any problems withCleopatra’s reinsertion. Or with Caesar and Calpurnia. With the bodyguard outof the way, the conspirators were able to move against him and he died onschedule, in the Senate. Congratulations. You did a hell of a job.”

“Thanks,” said Lucas. He glanced at Travers. “How does itfeel to be back?”

“A little strange,” Travers replied. “It’s going to takesome getting used to, but I’ll have plenty of time. I’ve already started workingon my book. You’ve given me one hell of a final chapter. I’m going to dedicateit to Col. Steiger’s memory. and the other men who fell in battle.”

Lucas stared at him, stunned.

“Oh. hell,” Travers said with a stricken look. “You didn’tknow?”

Silence. After a moment, it was broken by Delaney.

“Creed didn’t make it, Lucas,” he said softly. “he caught itduring the assault.”

“Oh, shit,” said Lucas.

“Nobody saw it happen,” Andre said, “but we know who did it.Creed took out his own killer. It was a man named Simmons, a former field agentwho was involved with the Network. It’s possible that he was involved with theUnderground. as well, but if he was, the Underground probably didn’t know abouthis Network connection. They don’t knowingly cooperate with those people.”

“Damn,” said Lucas. “How did it happen?”

“We figure it had to be Marshall.” Delaney said. “He’s theonly one who could have alerted the Network to our presence in Rome. so he musthave been involved. Creed obviously never suspected that. He figured thatMarshall had just deserted to the Underground because he was burned out, but hemust have done it because he was afraid to be exposed. When Creed showed up. hemust have panicked.”

“So it was Network that intervened when the S.O.G. tried toambush us?”

“We think so,” Delaney said. “They couldn’t afford to have atimestream split go down any more than we could. The only one we found wasSimmons. so either the others got away or they pulled out when our reinforcementsarrived.”

“Simmons was a real hard case.” Forrester said. “AfterSteiger formed the I.S.D.. he busted up several Network operations. One of thebiggest ones he exposed was headed up by Simmons, only we never got him.”

“We never found Creed’s body,” Andre said. “but we foundSimmons. He’d been shot through the heart with a laser. ‘there was a disruptoron the floor beside him. The way we reconstruct it. Simmons got onto thegrounds when the assault was in progress. He was wearing Kaufman’s uniform, sohe must have taken it off Kaufman after he was killed, or maybe he killedKaufman himself in the confusion and took his disruptor. Then he waited for theright moment and made his move. They must have both fired at the same time.”

“So Steiger went down fighting,” Lucas said. He sighed “Iguess it’s the way he would have wanted it.”

“He was a good man.” said Forrester. “His name’s going to beadded to the Wall of Honor. At the same time as we take yours off. Officially,you’re back among the living.”

“What about Darkness?” Lucas asked.

“He disappeared again after the assault,” said Delaney. “Wehaven’t seen or heard from him since.”

“If it hadn’t been for him, Hollister would have beaten us,”said Lucas. “One more second and Caesar and his wife would have both been dead.”

“Maybe there was a time in which that happened,” said Delaney.“A scenario in which Hollister had won. If Darkness hadn’t changed your destinyback in Afghanistan, somebody else would’ve been in that room with Caesar. Thatcould have made all the difference. Maybe it would have been me or Andre, ormaybe Steiger. Perhaps his death was the price we had to pay to get historyback on the right track.”

“But is it?” Lucas asked. “What is the right track I wonderif we’ll ever know.”

“All we can ever know about for sure is our own past,” saidForrester. “To Darkness, his past is still our future. And for all we know,there may well be other people from the future in our present, and our past.trying to influence our actions in an attempt to compensate for whateverdisaster lies up ahead. Chances are we may not even live to see it.”

“I remember something a Roman centurion once told me. aboutthree thousand years ago,” said Travers with a smile. “It was on the nightbefore we crossed the Rubicon. when this whole thing started. He said, ‘If itis my fate to die tomorrow. I would prefer not to know of it tonight.’ And thenhe put his hand on his sword hilt and added, ‘I would sooner trust my fate tothis than to the prophecies of oracles and soothsayers.’ He was just a simplesoldier, but there was a lot of wisdom in his words.”

“Whatever happened to that oracle?” asked Lucas. “What washis name, Lucan?”

“Interesting that you should ask,” said Forester. “We foundhim.”

“You found him’?” said Delaney with surprise. “You nevermentioned that!”

“Because I’m still not certain what to make of it,” said Forester.he turned to Travers. “You remember how you said he seemed to simply disappearas soon as you passed him through the gate of Caesars camp?”

“Yes,” said Travers. “There was no sign of him. I figured heclocked out.”

“He did,” said Forester. “Or, more accurately, he wasclocked out. After we received your report, we went back a Search and Retrieveteam to apprehend him. They got him just as he was coming through the gates.”

“Then he disappeared because you clocked him out?” saidTravers with astonishment.

“That’s right.” said Forrester. “The temporal anomaly had alreadyoccurred with the prophecy itself. But for all we know, perhaps it wasn’t ananomaly. Because we interrogated all the prisoners extensively and none of themknew anything about the oracle. We also interrogated Lucan himself. As far as we’vebeen able to determine, he was absolutely genuine. He grew up in a village notfar from where Caesar made his camp that night.”

But … how is that possible?” asked Travers. “If he wasn’tfrom the Special Operations Group, how could he have known about Caesar’sassassination? He even knew the exact date, and the names of the assassins!”

“Apparently, he had precognitive powers since early childhood,”said Forrester.

“You mean he could really see into the future?” Lucasasked.

“It would appear so.” said Forrester. “It seems he reallyhad the gift of ‘second sight.’ if you can call it a gift. He seemed to thinkof it more as a curse.” He paused. “I suppose it must have been. I assigned anagent to keep him under surveillance after we clocked him hack to his own time.It was a very short-term mission.”

“Why?” asked Lucas. “What happened?”

“I suppose Lucan must have seen something again,” saidForrester gravely. “The morning after we clocked him hack to his own village.he committed suicide.”

“My God,” said Travers in a low voice. “He knew!”

“He knew what?” asked Forester, puzzled.

“Just before we passed him through the gates that night. Iasked him if he could look into my future,” Travers said. “He told me that hecouldn’t, because he needed time to recover …. And he was leaving on a longjourney in the morning.”