Part 21 (2/2)

Anji readied herself for some racist bile. If Baskerville or whatever his real name was really had grown up in post*Soviet Russia, she could excuse him it, she supposed. Their civilisation had literally collapsed, a superpower that put the first man into s.p.a.ce had been reduced to lawlessness in a very few years. She didn't know how long it had taken to rebuild. It would have been many years after her native 2001, and they weren't that many years after 2001.

So, he'd blame the 'international financiers', or the 'Western Bankers', or maybe he'd come right out and just say 'Jews'. Or he'd blame some other immigrants, or dole scroungers, or single mothers. He'd blame someone who was manifestly doing even worse, getting even less, out of the system.

'No one,' Baskerville said quietly. 'That's the most frightening thing. There are all those conspiracy theories about secret cabals running the world. My conspiracy theory is that they're a myth, put about by people who desperately don't want their citizens to realise that there's no one in charge. There's no one flying the plane, and no one knows where it's heading.'

'The market '

'The ”market” is a myth. No... it's just a cosy way of saying ”the situation we're in”. It's a way of talking about the flow of capital, the trading of shares and commodities, the IFEC computers and traders pressing a b.u.t.ton or running a program that sells a trillion euros worth of shares because the President Minister of the UK is looking a bit peaky.'

Anji shuffled a little on her feet. There was a bit more to it than that. Admittedly not much more than that, though.

'It's not a perfect system. You have an alternative, I suppose?'

Baskerville nodded.

'Actually, yes I do.'

The Turkish government was a little surprised to receive word that the President of the United States wanted to meet the Turkish President to discuss the North African situation, and wanted to meet him at barely a day's notice.

They apologised profusely the Turkish President would need to fly back from the Far East, where he was heading a trade delegation, and the earliest they could arrange a secure venue would be that evening.

And the White House told them not to worry about it, and asked them to clear a floor of the Green Hotel for them to wait at.

Just as they'd planned.

Air Force One landed just before midday. The limousine and motorcycle outriders were waiting. President Mather made a short speech, expressed his desire to see the 'international situation' resolved, pledged support to the victims of the Athens disaster, and then stepped from the podium to the limousine.

There was a small anti*American demonstration, but nothing that would make the news back home that evening. Just the usual sort of people blaming him personally for all the troubles of the world.

It was about fifteen miles from the airport to the hotel, but the roads were cleared for the Presidential party.

At the hotel, the President was ushered upstairs, then into the suite that had been cleared for him. An aide told him that an American teletroop had hacked the system, managed to disable the safety overrides and had attacked a school bus in Tripoli. It required an urgent response, so before that he needed briefing.

A matter of greater urgency was that he needed to use the men's room.

Mather was surprised just how opulent the bathroom was there was an ornate carving on the ceiling, the floor was marble, inlaid with gold.

And Jonah Cosgrove was standing there.

'Felix,' he beamed, his Scots burr unchanged from the last time they'd met. 'How very good to see you.'

The President knew better than to call for his security. 'I know back in your day America and Britain had a special relations.h.i.+p, but I can unzip my own fly.'

Cosgrove grinned. 'Just get some intern to do it. You've got traditions to uphold, old chap.'

Mather sighed. 'How can I help an old friend?'

'Baskerville,' Cosgrove said simply.

'Uh*huh?'

'He's playing us off each other.'

'Is that right?'

'He'll raise his price.'

'As I understand it, it's a price worth paying.'

'As I understand it, the whole of eternity is big enough to share between us.'

'You think the Eurozone and the United States should both get time travel?'

'That wasn't the ”us” I had in mind. Look, Mr President, we both know that whoever doesn't doesn't get time travel will just steal it from the other side. They'd get the blueprints the same day. You've got access to ULTRA, we've got access to every computer at the Octagon. So let's just split the costs down the middle, eh?' get time travel will just steal it from the other side. They'd get the blueprints the same day. You've got access to ULTRA, we've got access to every computer at the Octagon. So let's just split the costs down the middle, eh?'

Mather considered the offer for a moment. Cosgrove glanced up at the ceiling, tapped his foot against the marble floor.

'We don't tell Baskerville,' Mather said finally.

'Why not?'

'Because there are things he doesn't need to know. We go in separately, we play along with whatever he's got in mind. Make him waste a lot of effort trying to play us off against each other.'

Cosgrove nodded. 'Yes.'

'Now, can I please go to the bathroom?'

'I was just leaving. Be seeing you.'

'Wait. Do you know what the Fourth Prophecy is?'

Cosgrove hesitated.

Mather smiled. 'Let me rephrase that. You know what the Fourth Prophecy is. Please tell me.'

Cosgrove thought about it for a moment. 'OK, you have done me a good turn today so I shall do you one back. Do not go into Toronto town centre today.'

'You have to give me more than that.'

'An atomic device is going to detonate in ' he checked his watch 'four hours. Not a bomb. Apparently it's a civil nuclear device, one that was going to be used for some engineering project.'

'If a nuclear bomb went off... in this political climate, we'd a.s.sume it was the Eurozone, and launch a counterattack.'

'In the circ.u.mstances, best if you don't,' Cosgrove said. 'You tell your people to expect it.'

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