well.” In the same defensive tone he added, “Maximus is dead, isn’t he? I remember him being right in front of me, and then . . . that was him on the floor, I guess. It was his cloak, so it had to be.”
Sestius had thrown off the wrappings that had kept him alive until his capillaries contracted and brought him out of shock. Calvus now bent and retrieved his toga without speaking. He had set the objective, but it appeared that he was going to allow Perennius full responsibility for the means of achieving that objective.
“Ah,” the agent said. Except for Gaius himself, the troops for the operation were an anonymous rank in his mind. He was not opposed to Sestius being one of them but . . . “Look,” Perennius said, “Maximus likely wasn’t the last to take early retirement because of this thing, Sestius. It’s going to be dangerous.”
“Herakles!” the centurion spat. “And what isn’t now?” He stood abruptly so that the unwelded back of his vest rustled on the leather. “Listen, sir – I joined the Army because it’d be secure. Nothing’s secure now, nothing . . . but if I could be home again, with my kin around me, then at least there’d be somebody to trust, somebody. . . . Sir, take me along. I’m as good a man as you’ll find, and I know the territory. And when you’ve done what you need done, just . . . turn your head. But I’ll stay with you until then, I swear I will.”
Perennius listened without expression. An Imperial soldier was planning desertion aloud and proposing to make the agent himself an accomplice in the plan. But Perennius had a task now on which he could focus. He could use that task as a set of blinders by which to shut out every other flaw and cancer in the Empire . . . and if the centurion’s proposal was as sincere as it sounded, there was nothing in it to intrude on the present mission.
“All right,” said the agent. Gaius, prepared for violence, sighed out a tiny breath in relief. Perennius found a scriber and one of the blank tablets he kept in his wallet. He sat on the corner of the bed and began writing in firm, rapid strokes as he continued, “Gaius, I’m giving you this note and the orders recalling me. Between them, they ought to get you to Marcus. If you can get through the mob inside without acting like me, fine. But remember, we’re in a hurry, however much fuss you have to make.”
“I couldn’t act like you, Aulus,” the younger man said with a grin. He was lacing his right boot, braced on the footboard. The tips of its iron nails winked where the rust had been polished clean.
“Sure, anybody can act like me,” Perennius said. He began to work the signet ring off his left little finger. “Just remember that everybody you meet in a place like Headquarters is more afraid of a scene than you are. Blazes, boy, you’ve got the right – this is all on his Majesty’s orders.” He tossed Gaius the tablet, signed and sealed. “Or are you going to let some jumped-up pretty boy in silk make you cool your heels because you’re afraid to raise hell?”
“Here, take this too,” the agent added more gently. He handed his pass to the courier as he had said he would. Gaius waited uncertainly, ready to lace his other boot as soon as he was sure that nothing else was going to be flipped to him. “I won’t bother to write down what we need, you tell Marcus personally and he’ll dictate the orders. First – ”
“Sir,” Sestius interrupted, “I should be on duty now myself, and – ”
“If you’ll hold your damned water,” Perennius snapped, “you’d hear that you’re going along with Gaius. I’ll get the Director to release you from your duties as of last night.” He frowned. “Your buddy too, Maximus. Might save inquiries that wouldn’t do us any good, damned paper-pushers. But first – ” he continued, turning back to the courier who jumped up from his boot laces – “I want letters to the Prefect of the Fleet at Misneum and whoever the hell his lieutenant is at Ostia. Full cooperation, he’ll understand. Make sure they’re countersigned by Respectabilities in the right offices so that we don’t get a lot of crap when we’re ready to move. While you get the paperwork going, Lucius Calvus and I – ” he nodded to the tall man – “are going to see whether we can find what we’ll need in Ostia.”