The scotch was single malt and old, laid down at the turn of the century, and kept cozy in an underground vault for eighty years. Feldman took a minute to just breathe it in, letting the warm vapors tease his senses with dark perfume. The first sip was a caress, and he set the glass down with quiet regard.
The pub was old as well, having a storied history hosting many of Northern Ireland’s famous authors over three centuries. The wooden bar was filled with the after-work crowd, but Feldman sat well back in a quiet corner booth. He preferred his club, but came here often enough to be considered unsuspicious. It was a convenient place to meet various contacts. This was his business tonight, and he glanced up when a body slid into the seat across from him.
He nudged his glass a bit to the side, preferring to savor the sensuous scotch in private. “Is everyone in place?”
“Aye.” A ring glittered on the man’s hand as he drank from his pint. “Last team went up this morning. They’ll need a few days to set up the equipment.”
Feldman nodded. “They’ll have time. What is happening with O’Malley’s cell?”
“Business as usual far as I can see. Recruitment’s at about the same level and they’ve got a few combat training sessions going. We haven’t tried to interfere with them.”
“Don’t leave them alone completely,” Feldman said. “Harass them a bit, otherwise they’ll wonder why you’re ignoring them.”
“Yeah, all right. We have agents around where they can see them, so they know we’re still paying attention.” The man took another drink. “We’ve located a couple more splinter groups in the area. They don’t seem to be affiliated with the main rebel alliances, at least not officially. But if we know about ‘em, there’s no doubt the rebels know about ‘em, too. Fact is, I’m bloody sure they’re already hooking up with each other. O’Malley’s been especially eager to build up the ranks within Orion. He’s got his eye on a big prize, I’m thinkin’.”
Feldman leaned back in his chair, the picture of calm. “Not a problem. Once our current mission is completed, the rebel groups will be knocked out of existence. Let them play their games, for now.”
The man nodded, and soon went on his way. Feldman addressed his scotch and thought about Sam Altair. In some ways, the threat of an invasion from another timeline was an annoying distraction, interfering with the plans and actions of this world. But Feldman saw another way. Whoever came through from Sam’s timeline would be handled promptly.
And could possibly be quite useful.
~~~
Dinnie sat at her desk, scanning the pingback report that shimmered on her virtual terminal. The back of her neck itched with discomfort. So far, no other detectors had reported activity. There’d been eight probes around Belfast over the last two months, but that was it. If this was an invasion, they were sure going about it in a weird way.
Why Belfast? Why not London, Washington D.C., and all the other major cities, if a world invasion was their plan? Dinnie rubbed her neck, unable to relieve the itching. The only reason she could think of was that Belfast was where the Sun Consortium’s headquarters were.
I’m just a cog in the wheel around here. But I know enough to know who pulls the strings connected to world leaders.
If people from the second timeline wanted to dominate this world, taking down the consortium was the first step. Sam Altair would have known that. He would have warned his own leaders about it, and thus, their first target was Belfast. Perhaps they were hoping for a clandestine attack, to infiltrate Sun and bring it down quietly.
Memories surged. Dinnie closed her eyes, fingers shaking on the virtual keyboard.
The man in front of her was taller than her da’. The sun was behind him, blurring his face, but the smaller, duller sun-on-blue patch on his uniform jacket was clear. Almost, she turned to run, but indignation locked her knees and gave boldness to her thin voice. “My brother said he hacked into Sun’s ‘puters. Said he told the rebels about it and that he was gonna do it again.”
The man was nice. He gave her an apple and took her home, and told her to go play in her room. She obeyed, but after a minute slipped back down the hallway and peeked into the living room where the man talked to her ma and brother. Ma always defended Dinnie’s brother, and Dinnie wanted to make sure he got what was coming to him. But the scene in the room froze her in sudden fear.
Ma was on her knees, tears covering her face. She made no sound, hands clasping her throat as if she couldn’t breathe. The man stood by the sofa, holding onto her brother’s arm. Billy was still, his face so pale every freckle seemed to glow.
The man was talking. “ ... lockdown until we get to the bottom of this. If he’s found guilty, it will mean a prison sentence. If he’s innocent, he’ll be sent to infantry training to help him understand where his loyalties should lie. He’ll be assured of a job and a good future that way, ma’am.”
Thirty years later, in front of her computer at the Sun Consortium, Dinnie covered her face with her hands as she heard once again the wordless, echoing moan her mother had made as the man walked away with Billy. The hearing did not prove his guilt, but it was five years before they saw him again, tall and brooding in his own Sun uniform.
I was only four years old, Dinnie thought. He broke my only doll on purpose. I just wanted to get him into trouble.
“I didn’t know.” She whispered the words to the data on her terminal, her whole body shaking with guilt. How could a four-year-old understand the ways of power and control?
Billy had been just thirteen at the time.
Whoever these people were who were trying to cross here from another universe, they couldn’t be any worse than the monsters who ran her own world.
Could they? Did she dare take the chance?
Did she dare do nothing?
She locked her computer and stood, reaching for her jacket. It was time to set things right. Her bosses played their positions like a game, trading the lives of innocent people for power and riches. Sam Altair was bringing in new players, but right now, only Sun’s leaders knew that.
She’d never tried contacting the rebels before, but she had to now.
It was time to alert the other side.