by Kim, Penny
“Perhaps I should ask around, if only to quell your insatiable curiosity!”
“Very well,” Kanon said, rubbing the puppy’s chin.
It must have felt good, the dog gave a little snort. This elicited a laugh from the Duchess.
“I shall make inquiries today. Do not worry, Cécile. I shall find out the latest for you.”
“I never worry,” Kanon said with a practiced air of indifference.
Her air of apathy must have intrigued the Duchess, who leaned back in her chair, scrunching her eyebrows together.
“I did see someone yesterday who was unknown to me. Short and thin—feminine features, almost like a cat! He wore a wig in the old style, powdered,” the Duchess finished, luring the puppy to her and wrapping her skirts around its wriggling form.
“Sounds like . . . ” Kanon began, focusing on the fleeting description.
As quickly as the thought occurred to her it vanished, and Kanon focused instead on identifying a plan of action. She had to determine who was helping Julius Arnold. If it were someone within the Directorate, the list of suspects was dizzying. She must make some headway before returning to headquarters.
Throwing her energy into their daily routine, Kanon and the Duchess made their usual rounds at court, stopping to talk to friends and acquaintances in their usual way. After a tedious conversation about sleeve lengths, the Duchess pulled Kanon away from their cluster of friends and whispered mischievously into her ear.
“You had asked me about gossip, Cécile, and you know I don’t like to disappoint you. I’ve heard that a handsome man just came from Paris. And he is particularly interested in meeting you.”
Kanon looked over to the man she was referencing, hoping to God it wasn’t Julius Arnold.
His back facing her, Kanon felt her pulse quicken as she recognized the erect form and full head of glossy brown hair. When he turned, he smiled at her confidently. Kanon assumed he had been watching her taking her turn around the room. The Duchess pulled her to him, giggling as he bowed in greeting.
“We met in Paris, last summer, I believe?” the Duchess asked, batting her lashes at Vin.
Kanon raised an eyebrow at this.
“Yes, Duchess, it is lovely to see you, and who might this be?”
Vin looked at Kanon with a smile.
“Oh, this is Countess de la Motte, my dearest friend. You must be best friends with us, we do everything together.”
Kanon smiled at the eagerness of the Duchess, always doing her part to secure an attachment.
“I am organizing a ride into the countryside this afternoon, perhaps we can extend our acquaintance then?” Vin asked, glancing from Kanon back to the Duchess.
He looked debonair in his jacket, tailored with exquisite taste. Kanon felt paralyzed by seeing him, not sure what to say or do. Luckily, the Duchess was not as shy.
“Oh! I have an appointment with the Dauphine, and you know I do not wish to keep her waiting. But Countess de la Motte can go with you?”
The Duchess nudged her friend, giving her a reminder to loosen up. Kanon gave herself a little shake. The unexpected appearance of Vin seemed to have a transformative impact on her.
“Yes, that is agreeable to me, where shall we meet?” Kanon asked with a coy smile.
She expected a carriage, but when Kanon arrived at the appointed location she happened upon two stately white horses. Vin appeared next to them.
“Here let me help you,” he said, gesturing to her mount.
“Thank you, I’ll admit it’s been awhile,” Kanon replied, erecting herself on the horse and taking the reins with a smile.
“Different than jumping over water jugs,” Vin responded, speaking freely as he mounted his horse, leading them down a path that snaked through the countryside. “My servant packed us a few things, how long do you have?” he said, his voice shifting into a business-like tone.
Excited to be with Vin and terrified the moment wouldn’t last for much longer, Kanon nudged her horse to match his pace.
“We shouldn’t risk more than a few hours, I want to be there when the Duchess returns from her audience with the Queen.”
“Alright then, let’s go,” he said.
They rode on until they were a mile or so away from Versailles. It was Kanon who broke the silence.
“One would think the monk would teach us something useful, like horseback riding. Instead of bending over incense sticks.”
Vin laughed heartily.
“It all seems very odd, when one is doing it,” he said.
“But then you have to leap from a castle wall to save your friend, and you realize why you can do it,” Kanon replied, unable to stop herself from smiling.
“Yes,” Vin responded as they fell into pace together. “I don’t think I thanked you for saving my life—so thank you.”
“Consider it a debt repaid,” Kanon remarked.
“It was impressive, no one was expecting you,” Vin said.
“And someone was expecting you when you leapt onto the guillotine?” Kanon asked.
Vin looked around, making sure they were alone.
Kanon would have enjoyed the endless banter, but she knew they had to discuss why he came to France. But nothing could have prepared her for what he said next.
“Headquarters believes you are in league with Julius Arnold,” he said. Kanon drew a sharp intake of breath. Watching her closely, Vin continued, “Chief Smiley believes you are working with him to lure inspectors to their death—selling their stolen webs on the black market.”
Kanon felt her face flush. A moment before she had been happy enough to relax in Vin’s company. This latest pronouncement made her blood boil.
“Does . . . ” Kanon stopped herself, not wanting to finish the question forming in her mind.
“Your father believes in you, so do I,” Vin responded in a low voice. “I get the strong sense that you are being set up,” he finished.
Their horses had stopped, perhaps sensing the shift in tone.
Vin dismounted, and Kanon quickly followed suit. She led her horse over to a tall tree—tying the reins to one of the branches. Vin took his time arranging their impromptu picnic, laying out a blanket and the various items he had brought for their journey.
After settling herself down, Kanon smoothed her skirts, her hands shaking in anger. Vin didn’t seem anxious to continue the conversation. He tore off a piece of grass and spun it between his hands, staring off into the green countryside surrounding them. The heat of the summer had broken, allowing a delicate breeze to flow through the air. The sun had begun its descent, casting ominous shadows around them.
“Tell me,” Kanon finally said, looking at Vin meaningfully.
He raised his eyes to hers, throwing the blade of grass aside.
“Chief Smiley has deployed me on a new mission.”
“To find Julius?” Kanon asked hopefully.
“To find you,” Vin said.
“ME?” Kanon cried, incredulous.
“Think it through, Kanon,” Vin said, looking at her intently. “The Directorate needs someone to take the fall. Once this budget nonsense is over, there will a congressional inquiry. Your dramatic rescue made front line news. Not a day goes by that there isn’t some lurid tale of Julius Arnold—speculation on how he travels undetected is sure to come.”
“I agree that someone in the Directorate is helping him,” Kanon replied, nodding affirmatively. “We need to find out who it is, before they have a chance to tar and feather me,” she snapped.
Kanon felt devoted to the Directorate by blood. To be offered up as a scapegoat so callously hurt her deeply.
“What about Chief Smiley?” she asked, as Vin began laughing.
“That guy would sooner sell out the Directorate than Mark Antony would hand over Cleopatra.”
Kanon smiled.
“Who would think someone as boring as Chief Smiley has something in common with Mark Antony. He lives with his mother you know, in the same house he grew up
in. The man has no life outside of the Directorate—a perfect example of someone who has turned into the job.”
“Hmm,” Vin replied, thinking about what, if anything, this told him. “If he’s so unlikeable why did he get to where he is today?”
“My dad likes that he’s on top of everything—and discovering PTS, of course.”
“Ah, so I’ve heard. How did he discover it?” Vin asked.
“Back in his inspector days, travelers were getting sick—reporting bizarre incidents during their travels. After suffering from it himself, Smiley put the pieces together—determining that too frequent travel jars mental stability.”
“Once a case of PTS is identified, are inspectors allowed to travel?” Vin asked.
“No. There are all kinds of public awareness campaigns about it, even in the private travel industry,” Kanon said, shooing a fly away before continuing. “If you have a particularly bad case, your code is decommissioned—you can’t travel as an inspector or with the private companies.
“Why?”
“Liability, losing yourself in time and never coming back is bad for business,” Kanon said. “So after his days of travel were over, and he impressed my father with the discovery, he became Chief Smiley.”
“Hmm,” Vin said, seemingly fixated on the topic.
“Enough about Smiley, he isn’t important,” Kanon said, sitting up suddenly. “What we need to focus on is Julius. We have to go back through the case files. Obviously, you don’t have your reading pane.”
“Of course, just as I don’t have anything else that would impact Standard D,” Vin said, accepting the change of topic nonchalantly. “Here is what I know. Inspector Quill took in the first report that Julius had overstayed.”
“Where?”
“Salem, Massachusetts—colonial era of responsibility. Central Computer turned off his code per protocol.”
“But, of course, it had no effect.”
“No, Julius jumped to the Middle Ages.”
“Did Quill know what his plans were?”
“Oh, that was clear enough,” Vin said. “As it has been during every incidence of Julius’ travels. He desires influence and power—and he obtains it with fear.”
“Why didn’t Quill bring him in?” Kanon asked, eyes narrowing.
“He moved to apprehend him, but Smiley screwed up the warrant. Julius then took off to this place.” Vin gestured around him. “After that, you know the rest.”
“I never got to tell you what I learned, after finishing my training,” Kanon said, changing the subject and wondering how much longer they had together.
“Oh, I saw what you learned,” Vin responded, looking at her coolly. “How are you able to use the web?”
“It’s a question of will,” Kanon said, feeling her face burn from the tone of his voice. Checking herself, she continued, “I can’t explain it to you. All I know is that it’s related to our training, separating your mind from your physical state. The web uses a similar process.”
“And it appears Julius Arnold made the same discovery,” Vin said ruefully. “We can assume he told Inspector Habit about it as well,” he said, searching for another blade of grass to toy with.
“Habit!” Kanon cried, remembering again her vague sense of familiarity when she saw Vin’s executioner. “Yes, I remember him. Eyes too close together, thin face. And here I thought he was decommissioned years ago.”
“Why?” Vin asked.
“He had one of the worst PTS cases the Directorate had ever seen,” Kanon said. “Reported all kinds of bizarre sightings—he was gone before I came on board.”
“Well, it’s clear that he went back at some point—or maybe he never came home. Habit must have run into Julius during his career,” Vin said.
“Or someone put them in contact,” Kanon offered, her posture stiffening as she looked at Vin intently. “Well, I’m not going to wait for you to say it. My father is certainly a suspect. He is privy to all kinds of internal happenings at the Directorate—suppose he knew.”
“It’s not your father,” Vin said succinctly. “Let’s go back to motive. What is Julius Arnold trying to accomplish? I had a few moments to question him before he ordered my execution.”
Kanon leaned back to grip the cool grass, the sensation calming her.
“What can a man so obsessed with decapitation have to tell us?” she asked glibly.
“I’m serious, Kanon,” Vin chided. “Julius has been a critic of the Directorate from day one. With this discovery, unregulated time travel could be brought to the masses. He said it himself. With deregulation, people could live out their most debauched fantasies in the past.”
“To what effect?” Kanon asked, confused.
“In order to preserve peace in the present.”
“You cannot be serious,” Kanon replied.
“I hardly need to add that he is close to proving his point. Think about what he has done thus far. Mass executions, who knows what else. He is being deliberately cruel to prove a point—that it doesn’t impact the present,” Vin said.
“And there has been no change in Standard D,” Kanon noted, furrowing her brow.
“But he’s not fully altruistic, not Julius,” Vin began, rubbing his hands together as he concentrated. “He is a business man at heart—he’ll want to monopolize the market, and force out competitors.”
“By collecting all our webs and eliminating the Directorate,” Kanon said.
“Making him . . . What is he worth now? Does the man really need more money?” Vin asked.
“It’s a game to him, and he’s winning. What does he want out of all of this?” Kanon asked.
“To be a leader of the free world,” Vin said. “Or something to that effect.”
“And we are powerless to stop him,” Kanon said, growing angry. “Forced to sit idly by and watch the dissolution of everything we worked for. Well, Inspector Damato, what are you going to do? You’ve found me, what are your orders?”
Vin stretched his legs, looking at the spread of food with disinterest.
“I’ve been thinking about that. If you could teach me how to use the web, maybe we could find Julius together.”
“Or you could just take me in. After my dad is fired, and Smiley takes over the Directorate, you could become Chief,” Kanon said sarcastically, hoping Vin would react.
He didn’t respond, staring at the tip of her shoes. Slowly, he looked up at her, with a tenderness that caught her off guard.
“Sorry,” she said softly.
She felt their isolation keenly, from the setting of the quaint picnic to the way he lapsed into casual silences with her. She dearly hoped she could both make it out of this mess, if only to extend the feeling a little longer.
“What happens when the budget crisis is over?” she asked, desperate for another topic.
Vin shifted away from her slightly, and Kanon felt her mood sour. Why couldn’t she just tell him how she felt? That she thought of him endlessly and wanted him to feel the same. Why did she have to push everyone away?
Oblivious to her reflections, Vin continued.
“Julius can evade one or two inspectors but he can’t avoid all of them. I’m sure once a budget deal is reached, the Directorate will deploy inspectors en mass.”
“And since I’m in the line of fire, they’ll be coming for me. Dead or alive, remember?” Kanon said, unable to stop her voice from breaking. Vin didn’t respond. He sat still, staring at her. Looking down, Kanon continued, “When do you think that will be?”
He stood up abruptly and began pacing. His anger seemed to quell her anxiety slightly.
“If I knew the answer to that question, I would be on a yacht somewhere,” Vin said.
“I wish we were,” Kanon muttered. “Can’t I have a great PTS experience where I’m on a yacht?” she said, smiling.
Vin didn’t laugh. He stood very still, before turning abruptly.
“Inspector Hay,” he cried, his enthusiasm growing, �
�I think you’ve figured it out.”
13
“PTS,” Vin said, shaking his finger at her.
“What about it?” she asked, laughing at his intensity.
He seemed electrified.
“A convenient explanation for any inspector who brings the same story back to the Directorate,” he said. “I’ll grant you, time travel can be disorienting. But enough to make up whole fictional stories? Especially when they are so similar?”
“Vin . . . ” Kanon began, before he interrupted—anxious to convince her.
“It’s a cover up, all of it, to prevent inspectors from realizing the full potential of the webs.”
He bent down, shaking her arm in excitement.
“But Vin, PTS is a confirmed medical condition.”
“I’m sure it is, but in this instance, they are using it as a blind. I think those inspectors had real experiences. I think they were using the web and ending up in different places.”
Kanon frowned, pushing a strand of hair from her face.
“Chief Smiley?” Kanon said.
“He possibly discovered it first, masterminding the creation of PTS,” Vin responded.
“To protect the secret . . . That would be classic Smiley. This is, wow, Vin.”
“I know,” Vin said, smiling broadly at her.
“If Chief Smiley is the mole, we are in serious trouble,” Kanon cautioned. “He’s in control of Central Computer—and my father.
“I agree the combination of Smiley and Julius Arnold is formidable. Unless we get to him first,” Vin countered.
Standing, he gestured for her hand. Kanon accepted it with pleasure. Standing, she shook the wrinkles from her skirts.
“What are our next steps?” she asked.
“We have to find Julius. Before they come for you,” Vin said matter-of-factly.
He directed his energy to putting their picnic items away. Kanon watched solemnly. She tried to appear nonchalant, but her stomach twisted in knots.
“I need to get back to meet the Duchess or else she’ll worry. Let’s talk later,” Kanon said, feeling herself shutting down as they moved toward the horses. “Here, help me.” She stood by her mount, staring at Vin. He began to move towards her, but stopped at the last minute.