Year's Best SF 10 by Gardner Dozois

Author:Gardner Dozois
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-04-13T00:13:42+00:00

“I’m getting just a little sick and tired of having guns pointed at me.”

“All in fun.”

“Even in fun. Especially in fun.”

Ranke chuckled and lowered the pistol. “You won’t always be so special, you know. Even with Garrick gone. Sooner or later, the agency’ll land someone who knows the same tricks.”

“You know it’s not tricks. It’s talent. Talent’s rare.”

“Not as rare as you think.”

Medlin had never seen anyone look so smug before. He said, “You’ll never be a traveler. You pitch wild.”

“We’re not alone here.”

“I’ve seen them, too. I saw them the first night I was here.”

“If you could see what I see—” Ranke gestured vaguely at the tableau outside the window. “All these different trails, like blurs of light on time-exposed film.

They’re threaded through the streets and criss-cross the hills up there. It looks like weaving with airplane contrails. There’re a dozen people here who—” he grinned his predator grin and wagged a finger in the air admonishingly “—shouldn’t be here.

Most of them, sure, are passengers. But at least one of them has to be a traveler, and maybe there’s more than just one. If they’ve come to this little hellhole, they must have travelers to spare.”

“They may not be as accommodating as you’d like. I didn’t get the time of day out of them.”

“I guess eventually we’re going to find out just how accommodating they can be. The day when we all just pretend not to notice other time travelers and don’t get involved with them is over. There’s a plan now, and it’ll only work if everyone sticks to it and does what they’re supposed to.”

“Ah yes,” Medlin said, “the coming world order. Or should I call it the coming world re-order?”

“The world’s in a mess. Things’ve got to change. From now on, whenever we run into other visitors, whoever they are, wherever they’re from, they’re going to have to listen to us. We’ll tell them, These are our rules, you have to obey them from now on. You want to hear Lincoln talk at Gettysburg or see Catherine the Great screw the pony, you have to do things according to our rules. Otherwise, there’s chaos.”

“Garrick told me a little about those rules.”

Ranke rolled his eyes ceilingward. “We both know what a talent she has for description. I’m sure she’s told you there’s some great mischief afoot.”

“I’m not as convinced as she is,” said Medlin, “that temporal engineering’s possible. I’m more concerned about being on a leash.”

“Ah. I thought she’d try to get you to go maverick with her if she had the chance.”

“She may yet succeed.”

“Listen to me, Medlin.” Ranke stopped toying with the automatic and slipped it back into his pocket as a token of his own seriousness. “You and I have always cordially detested each other. I know you think I’m jealous of the interest she’s always shown in you. You think her interest is affection. It isn’t. It’s self-interest.

She thinks of you as her only peer and also as her only rival. She’s always kept you close, by her side and on her side, so you couldn’t be used against her some day.

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