17

Question Time

They picked a spot under some trees around a park bench with nothing but a clear view of open lawn to satisfy Agent Harris’s security considerations. Lieutenant Phelps had their prisoner in a discreet wristlock behind the man’s back as he stood him before the bench where Agent Hessman and Dr. Weiss sat. Agent Harris took up position standing behind the bench, keeping her eyes peeled for possible trouble from all directions, while Professor Stein and Captain Beck stood with Claire several yards away.

“I can’t hear a thing from here,” the reporter protested.

“That is rather the idea, Miss Hill,” Captain Beck replied. “Certain classified matters may come up during the questioning that I am afraid I cannot allow you to overhear.”

“I thought this was a team,” she protested, “with me as a part of it.”

“You are, Claire,” Professor Stein calmly told her. “And once we find out what he has to tell us, we’ll fill you in.”

“Filtered, of course,” she pouted.

“It’s as Robert said. There are certain matters that no one can be allowed to know about. More than that I cannot tell you.”

“A fine partnership this turned out to be.”

She folded her arms crossly and glared at Professor Stein, but if she expected him to back down or flinch, to her surprise he did not. He met her gaze, then likewise folded his arms as he turned to face her full-on. For a few moments the pair simply stood, exchanging determined glares, until Claire spoke first, though her stance never shifted. “I’d not have thought a man who hadn’t seen combat action could be so stubborn.”

“And I’d not have thought a woman of this age could be so . . . determined,” Professor Stein shot back.

“Maybe I was born a few decades too early, but that doesn’t change the fact that I will find out what’s going on. You just watch.”

“I will.”

She coughed once before resuming her glaring contest.

At the bench, meanwhile, Agent Hessman was sitting calmly, looking up at their prisoner, who was short, of slender build, with black hair trimmed to his ears, and dressed much like most men in this city, with a suit, high white collar, and matching vest. While Lieutenant Phelps held the prisoner secure, Agent Hessman reached out and thoughtfully fingered the end of the man’s jacket.

“A fine material . . . except, as I’m sure Ben might confirm, nylon was not invented until about a decade or more later. You have to watch slipups like that. What if one of you gets caught by the more local authorities?”

The man said nothing but met Agent Hessman’s gaze in silent protest.

“I want to keep this friendly, but if it comes to it, David here can break your arm and paralyze your vocal cords at the same time so no one can hear you scream. Now, let’s start with the basics. My name is Lou. What do I call you? And please don’t reply with the old cliché of spitting in my face as an answer. This is not an old spy film; I just want to find out what’s going on. So: Name?”

The man seemed to think on the matter for a moment, felt an increasing pressure on one shoulder from the lieutenant, and replied with a grunt before voicing an answer. “Eiji Sato.”

“Very good. Okay, Eiji, I’ll tell you what we know of things; then you can feel free to fill in the blanks, okay?”

Agent Hessman sat back, assuming a bit more relaxed position, but never once did his gaze leave the other man. Eiji’s eyes darted around, pausing briefly on the glaring contest between Professor Stein and the reporter, then with a questioning look back to Agent Hessman.

“Oh, Miss Hill is not with our team. She’s more of a local, so for both our sakes, if you could keep your answers to discreet tones, I would appreciate it.”

Eiji nodded slightly. The next words he spoke were just loud enough to be heard by those at the bench and missed by the reporter several yards away.

“I do not know much,” he began. “I am the weapons specialist. You killed our history expert.”

“It was not our intent to kill, merely to discover what’s going on,” Dr. Weiss stated. “We recorded a TDW from this period, which necessitated an immediate investigation. When I searched his body, I found this.” Agent Hessman pulled out the photo and held it briefly up for Eiji to see before repocketing it.

“General Tojo. Quite the notorious figure to be looking for, don’t you think? Now, a few possibilities come to mind when I look at this picture. You could be thinking to offer him some advice on how to win a certain upcoming war, or at least when to stop pushing against the United States and simply hold on to what you’ve gained. Or maybe if you kill him, a better general might come along. So, which is it?”

Eiji said nothing at first, just looked around, but all he saw in the distance were groups of people enjoying the park, strolling, or sitting on the vast grassy lawn, a few clustering by a large fountain or recently added statue. Nothing, however, in the way of suggestive help.

“I doubt if your team’s reassembled quite yet,” Agent Hessman stated. “And I’m not waiting long enough for them to mount a rescue. We’re on the clock here, so just tell us what you know.”

The man paused briefly, considering his options, and finally he explained. “It is not as you think. Our involvement in the Second World War was a great dishonor upon the face of my nation. Before that, Japan was enjoying prosperity.”

“Hold on a second,” Agent Hessman cut in. “This sounds like something our own history expert needs to hear. Ben!”

Ben broke off from the glaring contest to see Agent Hessman signaling him, and gave a polite nod to the reporter. “I’m sorry, Claire, but my services seem to be required.”

“And mine aren’t? Why, I’ve half a mind to—”

Captain Beck laid a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder as Professor Stein walked quickly over to join the others by the bench. “You people are infuriating,” she fumed, ending with another cough.

“And you should do something about that cough,” the captain noted.

Professor Stein came over to stand before Agent Hessman and their prisoner.

“He was just telling us how Japan was enjoying a successful economy during this time period,” Agent Hessman began.

“They were,” Professor Stein replied. “It was quite the prosperous democracy until the military establishment decided to try things their way.”

Agent Hessman then eyed Eiji, who picked up his explanation. “As I said, that war was a great dishonor for my country.”

“But you rose to economic prominence afterward,” Professor Stein pointed out.

“But we had it before,” Eiji replied. “Between the war and the rebuilding, many years were wasted that we could have been enjoying the prosperity we had before.”

“So you came here to kill Tojo?” Agent Hessman filled in.

“Yes,” Eiji answered. “With General Tojo dead, we will not have entered the disaster that was the Second World War.”

“Resulting in continued economic prosperity,” Professor Stein added. “Economic victory without the war for which you would be reviled for many years thereafter. Not to mention that the atomic bomb doesn’t get used.”

“Exactly,” Eiji said in terse syllables. “Japan enjoys far greater prosperity while erasing its dishonor.”

Dr. Weiss now spoke up. “But Eiji, you must realize that time may not work out that way. There are many other variables involved that could still lead your country back into war or even worse results.”

“It is not my position to debate such matters; I am just a soldier. If this is a chance for my country to maintain its post–World War I prosperity while avoiding the mess that was the Second World War, then it is my duty to see it through. I understand why you came back to check the TDE, but you should be wishing my team well. After all, no Pearl Harbor.”

“Tempting, I’ll admit,” Agent Hessman admitted.

“But the flow of time may be self-correcting,” Dr. Weiss pointed out.

“Or we might get a world without the atomic bomb,” Professor Stein said. “Imagine that.”

“But as you say,” Agent Hessman stated, “we could also end up with something even worse. Eiji, what about the German team? What is your involvement with them? We know there must be a German team here also; we ran afoul of one of its members.”

“We do not work with them,” Eiji replied. “In fact, part of our goal is to discover what the German mission is. Much like yours is to discover our purpose.”

“Hmm, another mystery,” Agent Hessman pondered aloud. “The Japanese want to erase their involvement in World War II, while the Germans . . . what?”

He sat there for a moment, then nodded to Lieutenant Phelps, who pulled Eiji back far enough so Agent Hessman could stand up.

“What’s our next move?” Dr. Weiss asked as he, too, stood up.

“We need more information on current events,” Agent Hessman decided. “Gather everyone up. We need to find another newsstand.”

At a motion from Agent Hessman, Captain Beck pulled Claire back into the group as they took off across the wide lawn of Central Park, though not without a few words from the reporter.

“What’d you find out?” she demanded. “Come on, you’ve got to tell me something.”

But they did not, adding to the growing list of questions that Claire Hill had for her alleged partners.