Doctor Who_ Trading Futures - Lance Parkin [72]
‘We’ve a chance to agree strategy, while Baskerville’s busy with that alien.’
President Mather’s instinct was to keep his mouth shut, but then he remembered who he was talking to. Cosgrove had been entrusted with secrets that were kept from Prime Ministers and Presidents. Mather knew more than most – he’d been CIA, he’d been an astronaut working on all three SDI projects, he’d been Secretary of State during the Canisian invasion. But he suspected Cosgrove knew more than he did.
‘Those aliens,’ Mather said. ‘Do you recognise them?’
‘No,’ Cosgrove said. ‘You?’
‘No.’
‘It adds another dimension to all this.’
‘Makes a squabble between the United States and the Eurozone look insignificant? I suppose they’d be above all this.’
Cosgrove laughed. ‘I was wondering if they’d take sides, actually. The Eurozone might be able to offer them something they want.’
‘You, a loyal servant of Europe? We both know you’d fill in the Channel Tunnels given a chance.’
Cosgrove looked offended. ‘I’m no Little Englander. There’s not a drop of English blood in my veins. But, then, there’s no such thing as Eurozone blood, is there? You’ve dealt with them, Felix. They’re bloodless, faceless. There’s no history, no values, just political expediency. All they want is someone else to pay their farmers and fight their wars for them. When I speak up, they offer to increase my salary. They’ve turned me into a mercenary. The only reason they have power is that there’s not been a major war on their watch. And that record is going to come to an end, in a matter of weeks.’
‘It might not.’
‘You don’t sound convinced.’
Mather took a deep breath. ‘Well, perhaps that’s because I know you’re right.’
‘It’s madness, it’s suicide, and it’s inevitable.’
‘Nothing is inevitable. Jonah… we’ve known each other for a long time.’
‘Yes.’
‘I trust you. More than pretty well any of my advisors.’
‘Good.’
‘We work together? We can stop the war?’
Cosgrove nodded. ‘Mr President, if we have a time machine, we can do anything we want. We can undo anything we want.’
‘Undo?’
‘It must have occurred to you.’
‘I saw time technology as a…’
‘A what? Something to open up a new market for American goods? Somewhere else for your tourists to go? A major employer, like the Apollo programme?’
‘All of those things. It’ll revolutionise the world, Jonah. It’ll change the world, like the Industrial Revolution, or the creation of the atomic bomb.’
‘And we’ll be the masters. Are you familiar with the works of Agathon?’
Mather looked witheringly at him. ‘Can we assume I’m not.’
‘He was a Greek philosopher. He said that not even God could change the past. We’ll be able to. We’ll be above the gods themselves.’
‘You and me?’
‘Just you and me. We’ll rule over Time itself. As partners.’
* * *
The Onihr deputy leader filled the small TV screen in the rear compartment. Anji and Baskerville were hunched in one corner – she’d pointed out that having their dead comrade in the background of the picture might send out the wrong message, but it was difficult to work round.
‘You want time travel,’ Baskerville said. ‘I have time travel. You have advanced technology – I suggest a trade.’
Anji translated, not knowing how. It sounded like she was just repeating everything that was being said.
‘Onihrs don’t trade with primitive lifeforms.’
Baskerville looked uncertain.
Anji didn’t wait for him. ‘Then you won’t get time travel, and this discussion is at an –’
‘Wait! We will negotiate.’
Baskerville smiled. ‘Good. We should meet face to face. I will prepare a meeting place, and contact you with the co‐ordinates. We will speak soon.’
He cut the link. The screen went dead, the Onihr deputy leader faded from view.
And the Doctor was up there. How had he managed that?
Anji turned to Baskerville. ‘Happy?’
He didn’t look it.
‘I think I might be in too deep.’
‘You’ve kidnapped the President of the United States and some senile psycho with a licence to kill, you want to trade time travel with a bunch of giant alien rhinos, and you think you’re in