chain, Creed. What do you want?"
"I need your help, John. Just like old times, remember?"
“I'm out of it now, Creed. I turned my back on all that.”
"You can never turn your back on it. John. You know that.”
"Damn you. I'm just trying to live a quiet. peaceful life."
"Peaceful? Staging gladiator fights, beast baiting, and chariot races in the arena? But I guess that doesn't count, huh? What the hell, it's only show business, right? I gather it pays well. Lets the noble Marcian buy young teenage girls like the one I just sent out of here."
"Where the hell do you get oil, judging me? Especially after some of the shit you've pulled."
Steiger held up his hands. "Okay. Forget it. So my hands aren't exactly clean, either. I guess I'm still sore about you going over to the Underground. You were a damn good agent, John. We can't afford to lose people like you."
"Yeah, and I can't afford to die, either," Marshall said, setting down the lamp on a small table and sitting down in a chair next to it. "I was getting pressure from the Network. Either you're with us or against us. And you know what happened to people who tried to buck the Network."
"I bucked 'em and I'm still around."
"Yeah, well, you always were a cowboy. You and Carnehan. The super spooks. Me, I got old and tired. I got slow. So I took early retirement.” He pressed something on the table and a hidden drawer popped out. Steiger instantly had a laser pistol in his hand.
"Hold it, John."
"Take it easy, for God's sake!"
"Whatever's in there, take it out slowly."
Marshall produced a pack of cigarettes. "Satisfied'?"
Steiger grinned and lowered the pistol.
"You want one?"
"Don't mind if I do. What happens if one of your slaves comes in and catches us smoking?"
Marshall lit one up and tossed the pack to Creed. "My slaves know what's expected of them. They don't come up here unless they're told to. I'm still a careful man, Creed."
"Yeah, but you're slipping. I got in here with no sweat."
"How the hell did you get in'?"
"Came down from the roof."
"You see? I told you I'm getting slow."
He held out the lamp for Creed to light his cigarette.
"So. You going to tell me what you're doing here?"
"I'm on a covert mission. We may have a potential temporal disruption on our hands."
"You part of an adjustment team?"
"No, but there's been one clocked back here. Delaney, Priest, and Cross. You know them?"
"I've heard of them. I also heard that Priest bought it in Afghanistan."
“Not exactly," Steiger said. "But that's a long story."
"So they sent in the first string, huh? Must be pretty big. Where do you fit in?"
"Sort of unofficial backup. Undercover."
"Meaning they don't know you're here," Marshall grinned. "You haven't changed. Still the same old cowboy. What's going down?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but it has to do with Caesar."
Marshall exhaled heavily. “That is big. What've you got?"
Steiger briefly told him what he knew. Marshall listened silently, not saying anything till he was finished.
"And this L.T.0., Travis?"
"Travers."
"Right. He thinks it's going to center around Caesar's assassination?"
"That's my guess."
"What do you mean, it's your
guess
?"
"I mean I haven't spoken to the man. All I've got is the first report he made of a possible anomaly involving Caesar."
"You mean the oracle.”
"That's right. Travers sent up the balloon and the team went out, but I've had no contact with him, so I don't really know what the latest intelligence is. Caesar's supposed to die in about two weeks. That's got to be the focus of the disruption."
"You think the S.O.G. is going to try to prevent the assassination.”
"It would make for a hell of a disruption," Steiger said. "It would probably bring about a timestream split. I think this is going to be a rough one. The old man didn't approve of contacts between the agency and the Underground, but I've been trying to convince him he was wrong about that. We're going to need all the help we can get
"I need your help, John. Just like old times, remember?"
“I'm out of it now, Creed. I turned my back on all that.”
"You can never turn your back on it. John. You know that.”
"Damn you. I'm just trying to live a quiet. peaceful life."
"Peaceful? Staging gladiator fights, beast baiting, and chariot races in the arena? But I guess that doesn't count, huh? What the hell, it's only show business, right? I gather it pays well. Lets the noble Marcian buy young teenage girls like the one I just sent out of here."
"Where the hell do you get oil, judging me? Especially after some of the shit you've pulled."
Steiger held up his hands. "Okay. Forget it. So my hands aren't exactly clean, either. I guess I'm still sore about you going over to the Underground. You were a damn good agent, John. We can't afford to lose people like you."
"Yeah, and I can't afford to die, either," Marshall said, setting down the lamp on a small table and sitting down in a chair next to it. "I was getting pressure from the Network. Either you're with us or against us. And you know what happened to people who tried to buck the Network."
"I bucked 'em and I'm still around."
"Yeah, well, you always were a cowboy. You and Carnehan. The super spooks. Me, I got old and tired. I got slow. So I took early retirement.” He pressed something on the table and a hidden drawer popped out. Steiger instantly had a laser pistol in his hand.
"Hold it, John."
"Take it easy, for God's sake!"
"Whatever's in there, take it out slowly."
Marshall produced a pack of cigarettes. "Satisfied'?"
Steiger grinned and lowered the pistol.
"You want one?"
"Don't mind if I do. What happens if one of your slaves comes in and catches us smoking?"
Marshall lit one up and tossed the pack to Creed. "My slaves know what's expected of them. They don't come up here unless they're told to. I'm still a careful man, Creed."
"Yeah, but you're slipping. I got in here with no sweat."
"How the hell did you get in'?"
"Came down from the roof."
"You see? I told you I'm getting slow."
He held out the lamp for Creed to light his cigarette.
"So. You going to tell me what you're doing here?"
"I'm on a covert mission. We may have a potential temporal disruption on our hands."
"You part of an adjustment team?"
"No, but there's been one clocked back here. Delaney, Priest, and Cross. You know them?"
"I've heard of them. I also heard that Priest bought it in Afghanistan."
“Not exactly," Steiger said. "But that's a long story."
"So they sent in the first string, huh? Must be pretty big. Where do you fit in?"
"Sort of unofficial backup. Undercover."
"Meaning they don't know you're here," Marshall grinned. "You haven't changed. Still the same old cowboy. What's going down?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but it has to do with Caesar."
Marshall exhaled heavily. “That is big. What've you got?"
Steiger briefly told him what he knew. Marshall listened silently, not saying anything till he was finished.
"And this L.T.0., Travis?"
"Travers."
"Right. He thinks it's going to center around Caesar's assassination?"
"That's my guess."
"What do you mean, it's your
guess
?"
"I mean I haven't spoken to the man. All I've got is the first report he made of a possible anomaly involving Caesar."
"You mean the oracle.”
"That's right. Travers sent up the balloon and the team went out, but I've had no contact with him, so I don't really know what the latest intelligence is. Caesar's supposed to die in about two weeks. That's got to be the focus of the disruption."
"You think the S.O.G. is going to try to prevent the assassination.”
"It would make for a hell of a disruption," Steiger said. "It would probably bring about a timestream split. I think this is going to be a rough one. The old man didn't approve of contacts between the agency and the Underground, but I've been trying to convince him he was wrong about that. We're going to need all the help we can get
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