“Don’t move,” he said.
Steiger froze.
“I’m sorry about what I said back at the penthouse. Priest.”he said evenly. “but as you can see. I had my reasons.”
“Steiger!”
“Jesus Christ.” said Andre. “I knew there was something familiarabout him!”
“It’s all right, Castelli.” Delaney said. ‘He’s one of us.Capt. Castelli. Col. Steiger.”
“I’ll be damned. Sorry about that. Colonel,” Castelli said,putting away his gun.
“That’s perfectly all right. Captain,” Steiger said. You didpretty good back there.”
“I should have guessed.” said Lucas. “That was you backthere.”
“No, actually, it wasn’t me,” Steiger said, coming into theroom with Castelli following him.
Delaney frowned. “But I thought you just said-”
Steiger sat down in an ornate, ivory-inlaid chair. “I wastalking about the hit they tried to put on Castelli, here. He handled himselfreal well.”
“ What said Lucas.
“I’m afraid I’m not following any of this.” said Travers asAndre sprayed a medicated sealant on his wound from a first-aid kit. “Who isthis person?”
“Col. Creed Steiger. Capt. Jonathan Travers,” Lucas said, introducingthem. “Col. Steiger’s T.I.A. He used to be the senior agent in the covert fieldsection. He’s also head of the Internal Security Division for the agency.”
“And he was also supposed to be back in Plus Time,” said Delaneywryly. “because he asked to be relieved of duty on this mission.”
“Up to your old tricks again. I see.” said Andre.
“I’m sorry about that,” Steiger said. “The idea was to backyou up, just in case your covers got blown. Which is apparently what’shappened.”
“Terrific,” Lucas said with a grimace. “We thought you mightbe the opposition. Damn it. Steiger. you could have screwed up this wholemission. Where the hell does Marcian fit in?”
“Marcian was really John Marshall, a former field agent whowent over to the Underground.” said Steiger.
“Was?” said Andre.
“Yeah. was. He’s dead. Looks like the S.O.G. got him. Likethey almost got Castelli and you. I came to warn you that this place is nolonger safe. I suggest we move elsewhere, quickly. “
“We’ve got a safe house set up,” Lucas said. “But we’d probablyhe safer here. This place is more easily defended.”
“Will someone please explain to me what’s going on?” askedTravers with a confused expression on his face.
“It’s pretty simple. actually: said Steiger. “I wasofficially relieved of duty in Plus Time so that I could clock back here undercoverand back up the team. They didn’t know I was here and they didn’t recognize mebecause I’d had cosmetic surgery.”
“Was this Forester’s decision?” Lucas asked.
“Yes and no? Steiger replied. “The truth is. I had my ownagenda. I wanted to demonstrate to him that there’s still a place for covertoperations. I’d been bugging him for a chance to prove my point, so he decidedto go along with it. only unofficially. Officially. I’m still on leave. Thatway. it’s just my ass that would be hanging in the wind if I screwed up.”
“You almost did just that. God damn it,” said Lucas. “Yourealize we wasted valuable time and manpower keeping you under surveillance?”
“Like I said. I’m sorry about that. But I had no idea I’ddone anything to give myself away. What put you on to me?”
“The chariot race,” said Delaney. “While we were watchingit. Andre figured out that it was fixed and that all the drivers were in on it.Travers said that the only one in a position to put in that kind of fix wasMarcian. SO we checked and found out that a man named Sabinus. Who came out ofnowhere, was the big winner that day and that he was connected to Marcian.”
“So you had someone watching Marshall. as well?”
“Lt. Donovan.” said Castelli. “He’s one of the new T.O.’s Ijust had brought in to help with the surveillance. Him and Sgt. Hall. Hall’sasleep upstairs. He was due to relieve Donovan in about an hour.”
“Well, you can tell him not to bother.” Steiger said.
“And you’d better check on Donovan, as well. They might’vegotten him. too.”
“Shit,” said Castelli. “I’d better clock over there rightnow.”
“Wake up Hall and Corwin and take them with you,” Lucassaid. “Make sure they’re both armed. Then go check on Andell. If Donovan andAndell are both all right, bring them back here and leave Hall and Corwin onsurveillance duty at Cleopatra’s house. But tell them to be very careful. They’reon to us.”
“I’ll get right on it.” said Castelli. hurrying out of theroom.
“What the hell happened. Creed?” asked Delaney.
“I’m not exactly sure.” said Steiger. “But we’ve all beenblown somehow. Like I said, your man Castelli was pretty good. I never spottedhim until tonight, but I had this prickly feeling at the back of my neck and Iknew something wasn’t right. so I started looking. I went out for a walk to seeif I could flush my tail, if there was one, and sure enough, after about fiveblocks, I spotted him. Just about the same time, they tried to hit him. Therewere three of them and by rights, they should’ve got him, but he was prettyfast. They missed their first shot at him and he clocked out right away. Didn’twaste a second. I didn’t know the players without a scorecard, so I didn’twaste any time doing the same thing. I clocked over to Marshall’s place.because I thought he might’ve had something to do with it. Only when I gotthere, he was already dead. Shot with a laser.”
“Why did you think Marshall was behind it?” Lucas asked.
“Because Marshall’s a deserter. and he was scared_ We wentback a long way together. He used to be in the covert field section. I guess itgot too much for him. He started slowing down and he decided to opt out. Hejust disappeared one day. But we’d both maintained contacts with theUnderground, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out what he’d done. Only I didn’tknow he was in Rome. When this mission came down. I started checking with myold contacts to find out if they had anyone back here and bingo, Marshall’sname came up.”
“Did I understand you correctly?” Travers asked with astonishment.“You maintain contacts in the Underground?”
“Occasionally. they can be very useful,”.Steiger said.
“But … but that’s against the law! Those people arecriminals!”
“Those criminals probably saved your life tonight,” saidSteiger.
“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.”