The Merchant’s War

"Don't do that," Eric interrupted again. He glanced around frantically, looking for a pen and a Post-it: he hadn't expected this much information, so soon. "We have other resources to call on who are better at dealing with this angle." To be precise, Bob and Alice at No Such Agency, who-given a mobile phone's identifying fingerprints-could tell you everything about them. This was the trouble with ex-FBI staff: they did great investigative work, but they didn't know what external strings they could pull with Defense. "E-mail me the list immediately," he ordered. "I'll take it from there."

"Certainly, I'll send them right after-"

"No, I meant now." The gyroball, unnoticed, wound down. "If any of those phones are switched on, we can get more than a trace." He took, a deep breath. "I'm going offline now, waiting on that e-mail, Mandy." He hit the hangup button and shook his head, then speed-dialed a different number.

The phone picked up immediately. "James here."

"It's me. I assume you're in the loop over Lucius's little project? Well, Stony Brook has just hit the mother-lode, too. Mobiles, numbers. I'm forwarding everything to EARDROP. If any of them turn out to be live I intend to put some assets on the ground and tag them-then it's time to turn up the heat. If Herz confirms that the gadget under Government Center was planted by GREENSLEEVES, and Dr. Rand's friends confirm that no other weapons of the same class are missing, I propose to activate COLD-PLAY."

"Excellent," said James. "Get started, then get back to me. It's time to hurt these bastards."

* * *

Three coaches full of medieval weekend warriors drove in convoy through the Massachusetts countryside, heading towards Concord.

The coaches were on lease from a small private hire firm, and someone had inexpertly covered their sides with decals reading HISTORY FAIRE TOURING COMPANY The passengers, mostly male but with some women among them, wore surcoats over chain mail, and the luggage racks overhead were all but rattling with swords and scabbards: the air conditioners wheezed as they fought a losing battle with the summer heat. They looked like nothing so much as the away team for the Knights of the Round Table, on their way to a joust.

The atmosphere in the coach was tense, and some of the passengers were dealing with it by focusing on irrelevancies. "Why do we have to wear all this crap?" complained Martyn, running his thumb round the neckline of his surcoat. "It's about as authentic as a jet fighter at the battle of Gettysburg."

"You'll grin and bear it," grunted Helmut. "It's cover, is what it is. You can swap it for camo when we link up with the wardrobe department. And it'll do in a hurry, if it comes to it..."

"Consider yourself lucky," Irma muttered darkly. "Ever tried to fight in a bodice?"

Martyn blew a raspberry. "Are we there yet?"

Helmut checked the display on his GPS unit. "Fifteen miles. Hurry up and wait." Someone down the aisle groaned theatrically. Helmut turned, his expression savage: "Shut the fuck up, Sven! When I want your opinion I'll ask for it."

The medieval knight at the wheel drove on, his shoulders slightly hunched, his face red and sweating. The lance members wore full plate over their machine-woven chain vests and Camelbak hydration systems-it was much lighter than it looked, but it was hellishly hot in the sunlight streaming through the coach windows. Heat prostration, Helmut reminded himself, was the reason heavy armor had gone out of fashion in this world-that, and its declining utility against massed gunfire. "Hydration time, guys, everyone check your buddies. Top off now. Victor, make with the water cart."

A police cruiser pulled out to overtake the coach and Helmut tensed, in spite of himself. Thirty assorted knights and maids on their way to a joust and a medieval faire shouldn't set the traffic cop's alarm bells ringing the way that thirty soldiers in American-style body armor would, but there was a limit to how much inspection their cover could handle. If the police officer pulled them over to search the baggage compartment he'd be signing his own death warrant: Helmut and his platoon of Clan Security soldiers were sitting on top of enough firepower to reenact a much more modern conflict.

"Keep going." The police car swept past and Helmut sent Martyn a fishy stare. "Mine's a Diet Pepsi," Martyn said, oblivious. Helmut shook his head and settled back to wait.

Some time later, the driver braked and swung the coach into a wide turn. "Coming up on the destination," he remarked loudly.

Helmut sat up and leaned forward. "The others?"

"Braun is right behind me. Can't see Stefan but I'd be surprised if-"

Helmut's phone rang. Gritting his teeth, Helmut answered it. "Yes?"

"We see you. Just to say, the park's clear and we're keeping the bystanders out of things."

"Bystanders?"