“Speaking hypothetically.. I hope.” Delaney said, “what if what we’re going to have to do involves killing one of us?”
“Good Lord.” said Andre. “You don’t really think… no, that can’t be. Darkness said that whatever happened didn’t happen as a result of anything we did, directly. Just that we’re going to be in a position to change it.”
“Yeah but what if changing it means that one of us is going to die?” Delaney asked. “What if something that one of us is supposed to do indirectly triggers whatever disaster is going to occur? And the only chance the others have to stop him… or her… is to shoot?”
There was a long silence.
“We have to consider that possibility,” said Delaney, finally.”Suppose you had to kill me, Lucas. Or Andre. Could you do it?”
Lucas swallowed hard and stared at him for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. “Yeah. I could. I don’t know how I’d ever live with it afterward, but if I had to.. with everything that’s at stake… He shook his head. “I’d have no choice. What about you?”
Delaney nodded.
“What are you guys saying’?” Andre whispered her eyes wide.
“Andre?”
“This is crazy. It isn’t going to happen. It can’t-
“Maybe that’s why Darkness didn’t tell us any more than he did,” Delaney said.
“I can’t believe that.” she said. “I won’t believe it!”
“But what if it comes to that?” asked Lucas. “Could you kill me? or Finn?”
“How in God’s name can you ask me that?”
“Because I have to.”
She shook her head. How could I?”
“Because billions of lives in the future could depend upon it, that’s how,” Lucas replied. “There’s a chance, maybe a remote chance, but a chance that it could all come down to you. And if it does, Lieutenant. I’ll expect you to do your duty.”
She glanced from him to Delaney with a stricken look.
“ Lieutenant!”
“Yes, sir.” she said, softly, looking away from them.
“I didn’t hear you!”
She jerked around, looking at him as if he’d struck her. “I said, yes, sir!”
Lucas nodded, “Right. Let’s not waste any more time. Finn, I want you to clock back to Plus Time and get Colonel Cooper back here. He’s to bring no more than two men with him. Use your room over at the boarding house as the transition point. Tell him he’s to stay them and not budge from that room, no matter what, till we get back. If we’re not back by morning, or if he’s attacked, then he’s in charge. Brief him on the situation and get back here as quickly as you can.”
“I’m on my way.”
Delaney got up and popped the cover on his warp disc, then clocked out.
“Andre…” Lucas said gently
She got up, turned away from him, walked over to the window and stood there looking out, not saying a word.
10
“I count six,” said Ben Stone, standing in the vacant lot next to Fly’s Boarding House on Fremont Street.” How many do you make?”
“That’s what I’ve got, sir,” said Lieutenant Victor Capiletti, of the Special Operations Group. “Two across the street. two over on Third, around the corner, and the two that just ducked inside the alley. What do you think, Captain?”
“I’m not sure,” said Stone. using the corner of Harwood’s house, on the west side of the lot, as a cover from which to check the street. They were looking toward the Aztec Rooming House. “It looks like a loose security perimeter to me. They don’t want to attract attention, but they’ve got the place pretty well covered. They could be getting ready to clock in a strike force, using Delaney’s room upstairs as a transition point.”
“Can’t have that.” said Capiletti.
“No. we can’t, can we?” Stone replied. “Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect. We set out to take one T.I.A. agent and we may just wind up getting their entire strike force. All we have to do is secure the transition point and take them out as they clock in. It’ll be like shooting fish in a barrel.”
“We’ll have to take out-their external security first, without alerting whoever’s inside.” said Capiletti.
“I want your team to handle it without making any noise,” said Stone. “The last thing I want is interference from the locals.”
“Leave it to me.” Capiletti spoke into his radio. “Okay, people, we’re gonna take ’em. No noise. Repeat, no noise. And I want the bodies disposed of. Robbins. Mattick, Howard, Stein, you take the two in the alley. Andrushack, Washburn, Kent and Sagretti. you take the two on Third. Donninger and Miller, you stand by. On my signal, repeat, on my signal, use stingers to drop the two out front. Lethal dose. Okay, everybody got it? Move out!”
It was just a short walk down Allen Street to the hotel, but they hadn’t gone more than a few steps past the corner of Allen and Fifth, where the Oriental Saloon was located, when Scott heard the ominous clicking of a hammer being cocked.
“Don’t move, Kid,” said Curly Bill Brocius. “Keep your hands out at your sides and turn around, real slow.”
Scott stood perfectly still. Beside him, Jenny stiffened with a gasp and looked over her shoulder.
“Curly Bill! What are you doing? Have you gone crazy?”
“You step away from him now, Jenny. This is between the Kid and me.”
“Do as he says, Jen,” Scott said.
“But-”
“ Do as he says!”
She moved away from his side,
“Why didn’t you just shoot me in the back, Brocius?” said Scott, tensing.
“I don’t think I want to do that,” Curly Bill replied. “You’re gonna get it from the front, so everyone will know I can beat you to the draw when it counts.”
“I see,” said Scott, not turning around. “Only you’ve already got your pistol out. That’s not exactly beating me, is it?”
“Bill, don’t-”
“Stay out of it, Jenny!” Scott snapped.
“I will not stay out of it! Bill, this is murder! You’ll hang for it!”
“Maybe I will and maybe I won’t.” Curly Bill replied. “I’ll take my chances. I’ll give you a fair chance, Kid. Pistols loaded this time. Let’s do it for real.”
“How do I know you won’t just shoot me as soon as I turn around?” asked Scott.
In reply. Curly Bill lowered the hammer on his Colt and put it back in its holster. “I’ve holstered my pistol. Ask Jenny if you don’t believe me.”
Scott frowned. “Did he do it, Jenny?”
“Yes,” she said, in a small voice.
Scott glanced at her. “You’re too close. Move back.”
“Scott.
“I said, move back!”
She stepped back up on the boardwalk, watching them both fearfully.
“Go ahead, Kid. Turn around and make your play.”
Behind them, some people saw what was going on and made haste to get out of range of any stray bullets. Scott moistened his lips. Something was wrong here. Curly Bill knew he could beat him. Surely he wasn’t going to give him an even chance. Unless, of course, there was another gun pointed at him somewhere…
Still standing with his back to Brocius. Scott said. “I’d like to give Jenny a kiss, Curly Bill. Just in case. That all right with you?”
“Sure. Why not? Be quick about it, though.”
“Jenny..
She came running to his arms. “Scott..”
“Listen, Jenny,” he whispered in her ear, urgently, as he put his arms around her. “Look up at the roof of the saloon and tell me if you see anybody up there.”
He felt her stiffen, then she pressed her cheek against his as he hugged her close, so she could see behind him. He heard her sharp intake of breath.
“Oh. God.” she whispered. “Scott. I can see a man up there! He’s got a Winchester!”
“Okay. Jenny, keep calm.” Scott whispered back. As he held her close, with his hands behind her back, he popped open the hinged cover on his warp disc. Pretending to kiss her neck, he looked down behind her and quickly programmed the disc, hoping he could reedy estimate the height and distance…