Apocalypse to Go by Katharine Kerr

been considering liaising with your agency for some time. It’s the only possible point of contact with your government that we can see.”
    “I’ll agree with that, for sure,” I said. “No one else wouldever believe you exist. Do you have linkage with any other governments?”
    “No, none directly. Only through Interpol, but even there, only two or possibly three people know. I say possibly because the third person is highly skeptical. We decided that the United States was the logical national entity to approach.”
    “Why? Because of our superpower status? Or because we tend to believe all kinds of really weird crank ideas?”
    “I prefer to think of it as your being open to new possibilities. In return, we can offer your agency something that you must need, that is, a police unit with cross-world capability. We have operational databases we can put at your disposal, for example, and various other support services.”
    “For instance, taking suspects like Belial off our hands?” I said.
    “Exactly, and we can ensure that they come to trial in an appropriate manner on their own worlds of origin. TWIXT operates under the same principles as Interpol. We follow the laws of whatever world or country we work in. We are not loose cannons. Nathan can tell you that.”
    “True,” Ari said. “You’ll remember that I had to answer to the NCB back home when I shot Johnson.”
    “Yeah, I do, and I was impressed. I need to consult with my superiors.”
    “Of course,” Spare14 said. “If they’d like, I’d gladly travel to your main office for a face-to-face meeting.”
    “All right, I’ll take this all under advisement. As to your other goal, I’m afraid I can’t hand over Belial without consulting with the higher-ups as well. They’ve ordered me to proceed with caution.”
    “No doubt,” Spare14 said. “I understand completely. Javert has the suspect’s body in custody already. It appears to be in some kind of deep sleep.”
    I had a sudden twinge of conscience. “I hope they can reunite the two halves. I’ve got his consciousness saved on a flash card. He deserves a fair trial, not an automatic death sentence.”
    “You’ll have to give them that camcorder,” Ari said, “along with the card. Up to them to figure it out.”
    “Which I’m sure Javert’s department can do,” Spare14 said. “They have that device that allows them trans-world travel of a sort, after all. Javert assured me that it has some property that will allow them to send the suspect back to his proper body.”
    “Beam me back in, Scotty,” I said.
    Both men gave me sour looks. I ignored them.
    “I can tell you a little more about this species,” Spare14 went on. “We’re all very lucky that they live underwater. With their high intelligence and psychic abilities, they’d be a menace to every other world if they could move about freely. As it is, if your superiors decide to remand the suspect, Javert will have to travel in a special vehicle, a mobile water tank, in essence.”
    “Is his world a deviant level of Earth,” I said, “or another planet?”
    “I’m not at liberty to give details.” Spare14 paused for an apologetic smile. “Not right now, at any rate.”
    The meaning was clear: only if the Agency agreed to liaison with his unit would he be allowed to share that intel.
    “If they’re underwater,” I continued, “how do they get their devices to work? I know the camcorder’s not going to function soaking wet.”
    “They do have air bubble chambers of some sort.” Spare14 thought for a moment. “And many of their machines operate on water pressure and the heat rising from underwater vents. You know, otherwise I don’t really know. I’ve never been there myself. I must ask Javert next time we communicate.”
    Spare14 delved into his briefcase again and brought out a large paperbound book that looked just like every Civil Service crammer I’d ever seen, except this one had “Security Rating 1: