June 11th 2013, 12:11 AM
Julius’s meat-body in his little bunker lay in bed while his remote bodies took care of tidying up all the loose ends from the little war.
The main purpose of his remote bodies was to lead crews of soldier robots. Some were securing control of Lizzy’s palace, changing codes, purging any of her soldiers trying to use it as a base; others were looking through the ruins of Steelstorm Industries, trying to find survivors and bodies for burial. Others were extracting surrenders from those of Lizzy’s knights still in shape to surrender, and guarding all the ones who could be found, in shape to surrender or not. With the exception of Mase, any knights who had worked for Lizzy could be either pardoned on condition of service or pardoned on condition of exile. Some people inspire loyalty. Others are winners or they’re nothing.
No pardons for Fear, though, if he could be found; several of them were looking, but the count had disappeared completely. Steelmind was hoping to catch him; executions were an excellent method of getting deterrence. The counts must believe that treason would inevitably lead to destruction, and if Fear somehow got loose of the city he would not only be a rebuke to Steelmind personally but a permanent threat to Novapest.
Most of the rest of his bodies were doing the simple task of sweeping for soldiers. He wanted to make absolutely sure that all of the serum soldiers were dead, and that all of Lizzy’s soldiers who weren’t dead were out of the picture, before he reappeared in person. He had four remote bodies working with his knights and Proteus’s knights and… Nicator, and her new friends.
Nicator was a puzzle; he wondered where the ambitious knight had found anyone nearly so capable for her new henchmen. Lizzy’s spy had reported that her comital guard was having trouble finding knights. He’d wondered briefly if Nicator might be Ilderia; she was two inches taller but of similar build and the bilingual pun combined with a classical allusion was exactly Ilderia’s (insecure, flaunting) style, but they had too different powers to be explained just by a tinker enhancement. Which was, he supposed, all to the best, since it meant he didn’t have to lose anyone so useful. A few people who relied on him for advancement - her, Proteus’s son, whomever he found to fill Steelstorm’s slot (a stab of pain) who could fix his machines - would ensure that he had plenty of resources.
He used Levies - no need for remote bodies - for going through the streets restoring order and shouting that the crown prince of Novapest was back in control and justice would be meted out appropriately and there was no civil war anymore. They’d do for that. But he saved one body for the completely non-military but vitally important task of approaching, accompanied by a symbolic two guards, the ironclad door of the fortress of Count Heavyhand.
Julius knocked.
The door was opened by a servant. Not even a knight.
“I am here for the Count,” said Julius. “Tell him that Prince Julius is here.” His coronation could wait a day or two while he made arrangements.
There was a pause. Then Heavyhand came down the stairs, dressed informally-for-him in black slacks and a red polo shirt.
James was behind him, and coming down the stairs he looked taller than his father. He wore an armored villain costume in his father’s red-and-black colors as if he had a right to it; the Heavyhand mailed fist on his breast as if it was a joke.
“Count Heavyhand,” said Julius.
“Prince Steelmind,” said Count Heavyhand. “I’m… very sorry about your father.”
“As am I,” Julius said. “But I came here to discuss more urgent matters.”
“What?” said Heavyhand, leading them to a sitting room. Julius and Heavyhand sat, and James lounged.
“The conflict that was building was resolved last night,” said Steelmind. “Several of my friends met in Steelstorm’s palace. Lizzy attacked using electromagnetic pulse weaponry and Serum #24. I ambushed her when she returned, took her prisoner, and placed her into a stasis chamber.”
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Heavyhand nodded, said nothing. Jay had told him… some of it, Julius guessed. Or he had his own scouts. Still, they were moving fast if he already knew.
“The conflict being thus resolved,” he said, “I expect your oath of fealty.”
Heavyhand studied him.
“This the truth?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll have it.”
“I’m afraid there’s something else I need.”
“Me,” said Jay. The others looked at him, and the boy spread his hands.
“Obvious, isn’t it? You want a hostage to keep my father in line while you settle matters with Lizzy’s last lieutenants. You can’t have the strongest brick in Novapest running around free.”
Steelmind closed his eyes, opened them again slowly. “I’m afraid that that’s not the reason,” he said. “I don’t need any assurance of your loyalty beyond your word. However, James, you were an associate of my sister. Until such time as your precise role in Lizzy’s rebellion is settled, I would prefer to keep you under observation.”
Heavyhand half-rose from his chair, muscles taut. Jay made calming motions. “She’s an acquaintance, that’s all. But if you insist I will accompany you; you are the king, after all. May I have time to pack a bag?”
“Of course,” said Julius. “Bring anything you need.”
It was some hours later and the two of them were out of the house when Jay turned to Julius idly and said, “Aisle.”
Julius paused. “I beg your pardon?”
“Can we talk in private?”
Jay considered the situation as the next king of Novapest’s remote body offered him a seat. How much could he say? Julius might be making a recording of him as a way to engineer a public confession for his father. Of course, he could always claim that Steelmind had tinker sound-editing equipment… or had gotten Solaris or Whisper to do it. Hadn’t Whisper been caught doing that once or twice? And Solaris had her power, along with the powers of everyone else who’d been dumb or loyal enough to let him copy them. Not Lizzy’s, fortunately.
The question was how little he could afford to tell Steelmind, not what Steelmind would tell someone else.
“I assume the room is secure?”
“Of course.”
“You got emails from aislescore1618 detailing your main rival’s plans; that was me. I was your spy in Lizzy’s councils. It was my information you used to plan your ambush.” Jay steepled his fingers in imitation of Steelmind. “One could even go so far as to say that you owe your throne to me.”
“One could,” said Steelmind. “I would not, but one could go that far.” He considered Jay. “Knowing that there was a spy, or even the address from which the email was sent, is not sufficient.”
“Safe deposit box 983 in the sixth district’s postal station contains a timestamped confession,” said Jay . “It would be almost impossible to fake.”
“I’ll send a few levies to collect it. Assuming for the moment that your story is true, what do you want?”
“I want you to let me go,” said Jay..
“That’s a surprisingly low price for ‘my throne’.”
“Then should I rephrase myself?” James bowed mockingly. “If it please your majesty, I want a complete and absolute pardon for all acts I committed before you took your throne and royal confirmation as my father’s heir, and I want to be let go without being in any way injured or maimed. Is that easier to understand?”
“Your highness,” Steelmind corrected. “You don’t want to stay?” He smiled a metal smile. “After all, it would make you look suspicious if I released you immediately.”
“I am aware,” Jayy said. “But I have business interests that would suffer if I had to spend a few days under house imprisonment.”
“Surely you can manage them from a room in the palace.”
“I’m afraid not. They require my personal intervention, and a robotic escort would, ah, quite spoil them.” He paused, then added, in a helpful tone, “One of them is draining your sister’s private accounts.”
Steelmind considered.
“Did you kill Alex?”
“No. I just got him to quarrel with my father and leave town. Strange as it may seem to you, not all bad people are Lizzy.”
“My father’s profile of you suggests otherwise. Did you know that he considered you a potential threat to Novapest?” Julius’s eyes looked very pale and cold, and Jay shivered for a moment. How much does he know? “References to Iago were made.”
Jay sighed. “I would never dream of questioning your father,” especially since he seems to be the only one who spotted me, I thought he wasn’t looking “but I am afraid he made a minor error.” Another pasted on smile, but looking very real.
“Vengeance doesn’t pay. My brother is disgraced. I will, in sufficient time, become Count of the Second, as well as very, very rich. Certainly I envy those fortunate enough to have powers, but I have half the gene, I have ability aplenty, and once the shield goes down, I will be able to afford the services of some reputable biotinker who can give me whatever raw strength I need to fill out the brute requirements to be considered an equal by the other Counts.”
Steelmind closed his eyes.
“Box 983 contains an old laptop and a DVD. Playing them now. Your story appears to be verified.”
“Then shall I leave you to it?”
Steelmind considered a moment, nodded. “I accept your price. You’re free to go.” Held out his hand.
Jay took his hand and shook it in a firm grip, a smile on his face.
If I don’t get shot in the back of the head in the next fifteen minutes, he thought, I might actually get away with this.