Read Ides of March (Time Patrol) for Free Online Page B

Frobish, to the Museum. National Security matter.”
    “Let me see that,” the cop said, indicating the I.D..
    “They’re with us,” another voice said, and the cop turned, facing Eagle and Moms.
    Moms had her own I.D. out. “National Security Agency. We’re on a Task Force. At the museum.”
    Eagle went to Roland and looped Mac’s other arm over his shoulder.
    The cop took two steps back. “What’s going on? Who are you people?”
    Another voice: “Let’s all chill out.”
    The cop turned the other way. Scout was standing there, looking much older than she had when they’d all departed on leave. Ivar was behind her.
    “And who are you with?” the cop demanded. His one hand was on the butt of his pistol, the other ready to press transmit on his radio.
    Scout spread her arms wide and smiled as she stared at him. “I’m peace and love, man. No one here means you or your city any harm. We just need to go into the museum. Do you dig it?”
    The cop blinked. The hand fell from the radio. The other from the weapon. He nodded. “Sure,” he said vaguely, not sure at all. “Sure. I dig it. You folks have a nice day.” And then he walked off, a little unsteadily.
    “What the hell was that?” Moms demanded of Scout.
    But Edith Frobish was too excited. “The Needle!”
    They all turned to her.
    “What?” Eagle asked.
    “This side! It’s blank. Someone chiseled the hieroglyphics off.”
    “I guess that’s bad?” Roland said.
    “Duh.” Mac wasn’t that far gone to ignore an obvious Roland dig.
    Edith grabbed Roland’s shirt with one hand. “You see it, right?”
    “Sure,” Roland said, smiling reassuringly. “I see it.”
    Edith let go. “But the policeman didn’t.”
    “Curious,” Ivar said. “We all see it being blank, but you say he saw the markings the way they should be?”
    “Yes!” Edith was relieved that she wasn’t crazy.
    “Everyone see blank?” Moms checked.
    She got a positive from every team member. “Well, that’s certainly interesting,” she said. “Let’s find out with this is all about.”
    Without another word, they trooped over to the south side of the Met. With more force than usual, Edith shoved open a metal door labeled: ‘Authorized Personnel Only’.
    The Security Guard barely looked up, but Edith showed her badge anyway.
    The rest of the team didn’t bother, but Edith was big on routine.
    The guard knew better than to ask questions of anyone who came in with Edith. She led the way down a hall, then turned right into a dimly lit corridor marked: ‘Closed For Construction.’
    Still not a word.
    They got on an old freight elevator, ignoring its ‘Out Of Order’ sign.
    Edith pressed a spot, allowing her fingerprint to be scanned, then pushed the ‘Fire Department Use Only’ key opening. The elevator descended six hundred feet, deep into the bedrock that was Manhattan, deeper than any of the myriad of man-made tunnels below the streets of the City the Never Sleeps.
    Six hundred feet of bedrock was enough for the place to survive a direct nuclear strike.
    The doors opened to a brick-lined, narrow corridor. They took a left. A guard clad in black body armor, and the deadly accouterments of his trade, had his automatic rifle trained on them. He never said a word to Edith. Never acknowledged her in any way.
    But he nodded as the team went by, recognizing kindred souls lost in the wilderness of violence from their past, and pending violence in their future.
    Eagle, as team sergeant, nodded back, soldier to soldier.
    Edith pressed her face to the eye scanner, got green, and a steel door slid open. The team piled in the space between it and the next steel door. The first slid down. Edith put her hand over the next ‘key’, her skin was pricked, her DNA was scanned, and the second door opened.
    A spotlight was focused on the HUB, in the middle of large, otherwise empty cavern in the bedrock.
    Since no one seemed very talkative, Edith didn’t ask if they were ready,