Alag and Cantrel follow him to a Victorian brownstone. Alag does second sight, and sees the fellow pull out a book from the case, and it turns out to be a communicator, and he checks in. It turns out that this person's link is unidirectional, and the fellow only files a report. We don't find out anything except that which we always knew, other than that we can see into where he is, so they've not psilenced the area thoroughly. He goes to bed.

Our group finds a B&B, and checks in. We slum around for the next two days, read the newspapers about The Great London Toon Riots. We giggle a little in our tea. We find that the Toon Question is before the Parliaments (British and European), and Ashleigh and Kate buy some reasonable period women's clothes.

We go to the Green Bear to meet our contact. At six, a fellow with a round face, sandy hair and a little portly comes over to our table. He looks at us for a moment and joins us. We buy him a pint. His name is Carson. We learn that they're looking for Sherrinford as well. He recommends a restaurant down the road. We all leave. Cantrel had a couple of candidates for people who might be Carson's backup. Alag follows, and notes that one candidate follows along.

We get a private room, and Lorelei asks if Carson's friend would like to join us. Carson explains that he's just there to make sure no one else follows. We go into the room, and Carson casually flips a switch even though the lights are on. Lorelei notices that something funny happens psionically. Carson tells us that we should be able to speak freely.

Carson explains that they have been looking for Sherrinford, and he is not extremely reliable but has done work for them. Carson explains that in searching for Holmes, they found information on Ashleigh (who is pleased that Sherrinford kept his mouth shut). He also hints around for what else they might be looking for, whom we suspect is the Mage. We learn that they haven't sent Deering off, but are contemplating it. Ashleigh recommends that they do so.

We ask about the structure of Paratime. They are cellular and segment information upward. They do use Holmes Effect devices sparingly (Ashleigh makes sure that she is accredited for the device).

They know of two other organizations. One they call The Black Organization (or Black Group), run by Killer Desquesnes (also known as the Time Pirates). He is from the 25th century. The other is one that they think are after them. They are called the Red Group. A possible fourth group may be the Worldbenders. They know of the fourth group and even the name Worldbenders.

We tell them about our run-in with the Worldbenders and ask Carson to tell them the game is over. They have deduced the existence of the fourth group with statistics.

We tell Carson about what we've been doing, and what we told Mycroft. We learn that in the summer of 1896 Mycroft vanishes. He is relieved to learn that Sherrinford was not in the fire. We tell him about the information we gave to the duck, and give Ashleigh's theory that the Toons are Sherrinford's Irregulars.

Carson goes off the record and tells us that they have been covering Sherrinford's back for a long time, and have covered him with the last Toon Riots, and one three months from now.

We talk a lot with Carson about all sorts of things what we know, deciding to level with him, even telling him a bit about Deering's mission. Suddenly though, Carson panics. He asks us if we have a fast way out. We dodge a bit, and then confess that if it's across town now, no. He mentions that he's just realized he has no direct knowledge of this building continuing existence, and that everyone in the building now is contemporaneous. Great.

We scoot out of the building to the Underground. Carson opens an unmarked door, and we follow. He brags about this area being built personally by him, and it is therefore likely safe. We end up in a building, and it is within sight of the restaurant. Carson mentions that there is something that is here as shielding that no one below detached service can detect. Lorelei can detect it barely on a probe. According to him, he could detect it, but not see into it.

Carson paces, and notices two people on the roof of the restaurant. Alag checks them out, and we don't know them. They walk to a specific spot, and puts something in a specific spot. It looks a lot like a black rubber suction cup. Cantrel suspects a shaped charged. The other one does something similar. Seven end up being put there. They climb off the roof, down the walls.

Alag sets up levitations to fly the devices far into the air and point them skyward. When the men are two floors down, he triggers the levitation. They loiter at a newsstand about a block away.

We tell Carson, and he approves, and notes that there will be a covering explosion and there are four dozen people in that building. We encourage him to save them, he says he'll be gone for an hour, and asks us to stay here. He walks into a closet and vanishes. We stay and raid his refrigerator. Lorelei and Cantrel scan our place thoroughly. Cantrel finds nothing on the quadcorder; Lorelei find an effect that turns on the shield. She also notices that going out of the room, she notices nothing when second sighting in. His stereo is real nice and probably can pick up Mars, or something. There is something in Carson's closet that must be part of his machine.

Ashleigh notices a car coming down the hill, away from where Carson suggested, which goes erratic, and out of control. Alag deals with it, and a car the first one dinged loses its brakes, and knocks over a streetlight which falls into the intersection. Then another car -- a mini-van -- hits the streetlight and veers into the wall of the restaurant, and then explodes.

Then the usual brou-ha-ha happens. At least the people who set this up took care to deal with the innocent bystanders. We lose track of the two men in black. Alag retrocogs, and sees one of them slowly start toward the restaurant a little. Then the explosion happens, and the guys look up. They talk with consternated expressions, and then leave. Alag himself got to see the effect in the sky. It wasn't precisely an explosion, but something happened.

Carson comes back, tells us about things, and we strip the house out and leave. He managed to go back and make sure that only agents had reservations that evening. No one ended up being hurt. However the people who analyze time travel with statistics will be interested in this one. We mention a bit about our having always been spoilers. Lorelei shudders at how boring it must be for people who use statistics in time traveling.

We end up deciding to take Chris's next pickup, taking Carson with us, stunning him first. He's not fond of the idea of being stunned, but accepts it gracefully.

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