Sunset of the Gods - By Steve White Page 0,73

of you. We were dropped off here on Mount Agriliki because of its location; the killer could slip down unnoticed behind the Greek center as it was being forced back. He ordered me to wait here.”

And of course you had to obey, thought Jason. The Transhumanists had no need to worry that their “god” would run away and cut himself off from the drugs that made his existence endurable.

“Afterwards,” Pan continued, “I am to be picked up and taken to Mount Kotroni.” He pointed northward, to the left of the plain. “Franco has a machine set up there, which he is very shortly going to use to induce uncontrollable fear in the Persians when they form their second line, protecting the departing ships.”

Jason called up his map-display; it made sense.

“That will have to be very soon,” he said, listening to the distant battle-sounds.

“Yes. They’ll be here for me any minute now. I am to show myself on the slope, so the Greeks can see me. The Persians’ panic—” (Pan did not smile) “—will be attributed to me.”

Well, well, thought Jason, so that was what their aircar was doing on Mount Kotroni when I took it. They were scouting out a good location.

“Afterwards,” Pan went on, “we are to return to Athens in the Teloi aircar. Even traveling cautiously to avoid being observed, we will arrive there in not many minutes—long before any runner that can be sent from here. I will appear to my worshippers in the cave under the Acropolis and tell them of the victory before anyone else in Athens knows. The Teloi will signal from Mount Pentelikon the instant the battle is over.”

“Aha!” Mondrago burst out. “So that’s the famous ‘shield signal’ that everybody has always wondered about.”

“Right,” Jason nodded. “The Greeks will think it’s traitors signaling to the Persian fleet, even though the meaning and purpose of such a signal will be hard to understand, and afterwards no treason will ever be proved. But now we know what it’s really for: to let Franco & Co. know exactly when they can proceed with the ceremony. It’ll make it even more of a belief-strengthening miracle for the true believers when their god appears to them and tells them about the battle just as it’s ending. A very precisely choreographed operation all around.”

“And one which we’re now in a position to abort!” said Mondrago wolfishly. “You’ve gotten your information out of him. Now let me kill him.”

Pan stiffened with fear.

“No!” said Jason, without really knowing why.

“Why not? Franco will have egg on his face when the ‘god’ doesn’t show up as promised.”

Which, Jason was forced to admit to himself, made sense. Only. . . .

All at once, it came to him. He wondered why he hadn’t thought of it before. But of course he had thought of it before, when he had last spoken to Pan on the Tegea heights above the road from Sparta.

“Listen, Pan,” he said hurriedly. “We’ve got to go. I just need to know one thing: do you know how to pilot the Teloi aircars that the Transhumanists are using?”

“Why, yes.” Pan seemed puzzled, as did Mondrago. “They taught me how, in case I should ever need to do it when alone.” He didn’t need to add that he could always be relied on to go to the destination he was ordered. In light of that utter reliability, it made perfect sense that the Transhumanists would have availed themselves of the flexibility of training him to pilot himself. But Jason had had to be sure.

“Good. Now, if I let you live, I know you’ve got to stay and do as Franco tells you . . . and I know why. But I’m going to do it anyway.”

Mondrago began to splutter, inarticulate with outrage. Jason shushed him.

“I’m going to leave you here. But I’m going to stop the Transhumanists from using you as they intend to, over there on Mount Kotroni. And afterwards I’m going to take you to Athens.”

“How will you accomplish all this?” Pan asked in a tone of dead incredulity, too hopeless even to sneer.

“Good question,” muttered Mondrago.

“Never mind that for now. Just remember what I told you before about getting help for you, and freeing you from your dependence on the Transhumanists and the Teloi? Well, I swear to you that I’ll do exactly that, in exchange for your cooperation.”

“Cooperation in what?” The high-pitched voice was no longer entirely lifeless, for a flicker of eagerness had awakened in it.

“I’ll want you