Richard sighed and came to a decision. “Well, it looks like he's getting his wish. At least for the time being.”
His aide frowned and pushed at her glasses. “Sir?”
“We can't send in troops. We don't have the budget to make a hardline, and no guarantee it would stay open even if we did.” He shook his head. “Call Grain. Tell him his proposal is rejected. Domina City will remain cut off from the outside world for a little longer.”
Chapter 34: IACET
KEVIN
Kevin Irwin was a Jotuun spy.
He didn't have any buffs or cosmos, but that was the point. It wouldn't be very subtle if he was three feet taller than everyone else. Passer was the common term, but he hated it. It implied that he was an assassin.
He was in his dorm room, with a depressed Simon and a jolly Steve. He had difficulty paying attention to Steve. Despite his height, he was just baseline, and years of training forced Kevin to memorize Simon's every word, since he was the enemy.
Well, enemy was a bit strong. He wasn't a Jotuun, and that meant he was a potential threat. Kevin was ordered to observe his movements—and those of his sister—but nothing more.
“Let me get this straight,” Steve said with a slow chuckle. “Your culture has some weird monster thing watching over your servers.”
“Correct,” Simon said. He was sitting on his bed, the picture of calm. Kevin was perched on his own mattress, the top bunk bed, where he got a good vantage of everything. Steve's bed was under his, but he was standing by the window.
“This creature didn't know about the screamers or the Composer or anything.”
“Right. He seemed to be on bad terms with the Power.”
“Right, right... and he was scared of MC and the Servants for some reason.”
“I think he was just paranoid.”
Steve was smiling at some private joke. “Whatever. The point is... you agreed to talk to MC on his behalf. Quiz her on how far the 'sarian research is coming, all that.”
“That's about the size of it,” Simon said. He took a sip of his drink, as though we weren't discussing anything more important than sports.
Steve laughed and rubbed his forehead. “Kevin, help me out here. Explain what an idiot he's being.”
Kevin shrugged nonchalantly, doing his best to quell his pounding heart. This was the most important discovery he had made since he found out Simon was working with a fey. If he used the same laptop for his interviews, the bug Kevin had planted would turn out to be completely invaluable.
“I don't think it's really that big a deal,” Kevin lied. “Every culture has secrets. His talks.”
Steve frowned, a rare sight. “No, I don't mean about telling us about it. I mean the fact that he's trying to screw over MC.”
“Hey, I'm not screwing her over!”
“Steve has a point,” Kevin said. “Letting someone listen in on your conversation without telling her will be a breach of trust. You should consider just telling her.”
“Somehow, I don't think Aramazd will appreciate that.”
“Hey don't worry!” Steve said, slapping Simon on the back jovially. “You said he was completely cut off from the outside world. He has to work with you.”
“Besides, it's not like you have to tell MC you're working with...” Kevin waved his hand. “An abomination. If she would even consider him that. Just say he doesn't get enough contact with people to feel comfortable talking to her.” He shrugged. “It's true enough, right?”
Simon rubbed his forehead, finally showing some consternation at what was coming. “I really don't want to trick MC at all. I mean, its MC.”
Kevin snorted. “Five minutes ago you were willing to lie outright. Now a little bit of subterfuge is out of the question?”
“That's different,” Simon insisted. “That was me fulfilling a promise.”
Kevin shrugged. “You can make distinctions like that if you want. Doesn't change what you're doing.”
He threw up his hands. “So, what? I have a choice between screwing over someone who hasn't seen another living soul in a month, or the most important woman in Domina?”
“Or just talk to the monster again,” Steve suggested as he sat down on his own bed. “Just explain that you don't feel comfortable messing with MC.”
“Somehow I don't think it will be that simple.”
Kevin sighed again. “You have your choices laid out in front of you, Simon. Pick one, and accept the consequences.”
Simon nodded. “You know what? You're right. I'm going to tell Aramazd it's off.”
That was about when Kevin realized that he was in the middle of convincing Simon to turn down a priceless espionage opportunity.
He sat bolt upright on his bed. “Wait, you can't do that!”
Simon stared. “Wait, what? You just said—”
“I know what I said,” Kevin snapped. “Look, your 'rex buddy wants to discuss things with MC, right?”
He nodded slowly.
“And MC like debating with intelligent people, right?”
“Well, obviously, but...”
“So you just have to convince both of them it's in their best interests to work together.” He shrugged. “Take the third option.”
Simon put his face in his hands. “Okay, okay. That's... that actually makes sense.” He shook his head. “But leaving aside your schizo behavior, I really don't think it will be that easy. Aramazd is really paranoid.”
Kevin really needed to keep him from thinking about his actions. “Well, you only met him once, right?”
Simon frowned. “No. Didn't I... no, I forgot to tell you. I met him last Friday. Talked to him a couple times since then, tried to work out a better solution. Didn't work. He's definitely scared of what MC will do to him.”
Kevin heard Steve giggle. “But c'mon. It's MC. What's she gonna do? Cut off his cell service?”
Kevin smiled grimly. “If you think that's the worst she can do, I invite you to see what happens if you piss her off.”
Steve laughed, and they heard rustling from his bed.
“Settle down, guys,” Simon said. “I'll figure something out.” He bit his lip. “I'll talk to Jelena. She's good at politics.”
“Yeah, but she's a spy for the fey now, right?”
“True. Even though no one has the heart to tell her.” Simon frowned at Kevin. “Wait, how'd you know that?”
Inwardly, Kevin cursed at his own stupidity, but he kept his calm and just shrugged. “You mentioned it earlier.”
Simon looked confused, then shrugged too. “Whatever. You're right, she's out. I guess I'll have to deal with it myself.”
Steve snapped his fingers. “The ferret girl might be helpful. The one rooming with Delphie.”
Simon cocked his head. “You mean Zusa? She didn't strike me as the type to have any experience in this area.”
“Well, she's the friendliest of the bunch. Might be able to give you a little advice.”
“Better than you two, at least,” Simon muttered. “At least she's sane enough to not do a complete 180 halfway through the conversation.”
“Don't be so sure about that,” Steve said with mock seriousness. “She is a woman.”
Simon sighed. “That makes one thing easy, at least.”
Kevin raised an eyebrow. “What's that?”
“I was considering bringing you guys along for advice when I talk to her.” He smiled grimly. “I've changed my mind.”
Chapter 35: ELECTUS
SIMON
“Strange?” Seena asked, taking a sip of Simon's drink before he could stop her. “Strange how?”
He gave up trying to rescue his beverage from his sister and just shrugged. “I don't know... like halfway through talking to me, he realized he was saying something he shouldn't.”
It was the morning after his little talk with Steve and Kevin. It was the earliest he'd been able to meet with Zusa. She'd decided to bring along Seena, Delphie, Veda, and Yolanda, which Simon ap
proved of, especially Yolanda. She sat to his right, with his sister to his left. It was a good brainstorming group, as long as they didn't get off topic.
Unfortunately, she'd also brought Jelena.
Zusa apparently hadn't gotten the memo, and looked at Jelena with concern. “What's wrong? You've been scratching all morning.”
Jelena grimaced, her arm arched behind her head to get at her back. “Got an itch on my spine that won't go away.”
“Have you seen a doctor?” Seena asked with well-faked innocence.
As expected, Jelena nodded. “Glasya herself checked me out. Said nothing was wrong, it was just a psychosomatic reaction to my capture.”
Simon felt for her, but there was nothing he could do. Glasya had explained to Seena that Jelena's spine was now a large radio transceiver, similar to the ones the fey used in their homunculi. It wouldn't allow for any kind of direct control, but all her sensory data was being piped directly to one of the crazy naked bitches.
Jelena didn't know any of this, of course. Which was probably why she was scratching the back of her neck, a frown on her face.
“Then I'm sure that's all it is,” Simon lied with as straight a face as he could muster. Luckily, she didn't seem to be paying much attention, otherwise she would have seen right through him. He never had been good at lying to her.
“That's not—” Yolanda blushed as everyone turned to her. “Simon was saying something about MC.”
Simon brushed his hair back. “Uh... yeah.” He didn't really want to talk about it in front of Jelena, though. “I just need to figure out how to convince her to talk to someone really paranoid.” Then he shrugged. “Well, I guess I really need to find a way to get him to talk to her.”
“It's MC,” Jelena said. “If he can't trust her, who can he trust?”
Simon winced. “Yeah... this guy is paranoid enough that that's not a good argument.”
“Bah,” Veda said. “That part is easy. You give him an ultimatum. Tell him he can talk to her or...” She waved her hand. “Or something bad happens. I don't know the situation. No.” She leaned forward eagerly, her furry ears twitching. “What I'm interested in is your suspicious roommate.”
Seena put Simon's drink down. “Why? What's so special about him?”
“Well, your brother thought it was worth mentioning. I'm curious as to exactly why.”
He shrugged again, a little uncomfortable at the attention he had heaped on Kevin without his knowledge. “I don't know, I just thought it was weird. He seemed so confident, and then just did a complete 180.”
“You probably said something stupid and didn't notice.” Delphie didn't even bother looking up from the mouse she was feeding in her lap. “You do that sometimes.”
Simon sighed and put his face in his hands.
“Aw, you broke him,” Veda crooned. “Be nice, mousie.”
“This from you? You're the one who almost got us killed yesterday when you called those orcs 'retarded vampires.'”
“I didn't mean anything by it.”
“Didn't... you spend too much time on the internet. It's desensitized you.”
Simon looked up and interrupted before Veda had a chance to respond. “So, there was another screamer attack the other day.”
Seena quickly jumped on the opportunity to switch subjects. “Yeah, five days ago. That was... Tuesday?”
Jelena leaned forward. “Yeah, that's right. Reports are scarce, but I heard that the Composer unleashed some kind of secret weapon. Killed most of the 'sarians.”
Zusa frowned. “The screamers just hardened their skin, right?”
Jelena shrugged. “That's what the official report says. But does that sound like something that could kill ninety percent of the Necessarians involved?”
“Hellions and Thors,” Yolanda corrected quietly. She blushed, but continued. “My uncle said most of them weren't from Necessarius. The General and the Hammer sent men to support the Paladins.”
Veda shook her head. “No, that doesn't make any sense. They aren't exactly on the best terms with Butler. Actually sending troops out under his command would—”
“—would take something major?” Simon finished. “Like, for example, a zombie apocalypse?”
Veda fell silent.
“Simon's right,” Jelena said. “The cultures were all gearing up to work together.”
Seena sipped at Simon's drink. “Were?”
Jelena smiled grimly. “They lost a hundred men or more each the first time they tried it. You think they're going to keep it up after that? Everyone's digging in, fortifying their bases. No one is sending Butler men anymore.”
Veda regained her courage. “That's good. The fortifying, I mean. Before, they were basically just milling around, waiting to get attacked.”
“I don't know...” Simon said slowly. “Is that really a good idea? It seems like this is exactly what the Composer would want.”
Zusa smiled. “Oh, come on. You can't pretend to understand what he's thinking. It's like the fey. They're all crazy.”
“The fey can be dealt with,” Jelena pointed out. “The Composer might not even exist.”
Veda nodded. “Yeah, I've heard that theory. They say the hackers are just screwing with everyone.”
“The 'sarians definitely think he's real,” Yolanda whispered. “Wouldn't they have a better idea than anyone else?”
Jelena shrugged. “Well, it makes them feel better if they're getting their asses kicked by an actual person, rather than just a mindless horde of zombies. I don't know if you noticed, but they stepped up the whole 'Composer' thing after this latest debacle.”
Simon finally grabbed his drink back from Seena. It was mostly gone, but there was still some left. “So, what, they're just blaming someone convenient and running scared?”
“Everyone's running scared. I'm sure Headlights can attest to that.” Veda glared, but Jelena just grinned back. It faded after a moment, though. “But yeah, they're scared. Everyone's scared. The warlords are pulling back, the 'sarians have their hands full with captured screamers, and the Paladins are still only five people.” She shrugged. “I know I'm thinking about packing off to one of the other parts of the city.”
“That's a panic reaction,” Seena admonished, as Simon dodged her attempts to retrieve his drink. “That is exactly what the Composer wants. Or if there is no Composer, it will still play into the zombies' hands. It's herd mentality. If we bunch up, that just makes us juicier targets.”
“She's right.” Delphie's mouse had disappeared when Simon wasn't looking. “Trust the assassin to know a thing or two about killing.”
Seena buried her face in her hand. “I told you, it's not like that...”
Delphie rolled her eyes. “You work in a bookstore, you learn how to read. You work around assassins, you learn how to assassinate. You overhear stuff. I'm not insulting you, sweetness, I'm just acknowledging you know what you're talking about.”
Seena readjusted her daygoggles for the umpteenth time. “Yeah... it's just not something I want to be known for.”
Zusa wisely steered the conversation back on topic. “So what are we supposed to do, then? If bunching up will get us killed, then—”
“Bunching up is different from herd tactics,” Veda interrupted. “Herds run away. The cultures are fortifying.” She shrugged. “I guess that's the right idea.”
“They need to make friends,” Zusa said. “Fortifying is all well and good, but if the cultures united, no one would be able to touch them.”
“Right now, the cultures are just slightly harder targets,” Simon said. He was more determined than ever to make sure Aramazd and MC allied. It was in everyone's best interest. He had to be able to convince him of that.
“Not really anything we can do, though,” Delphie grumbled. “Like Jelena said, no one is willing to take a chance right now.”
Jelena leaned back in her chair, a pained expression on her face. “Maybe it will get better in a few weeks, but I have
a feeling someone is going to get hit pretty hard before then. Probably the demons.” She turned to Yolanda. “None of your domains have been hit yet, right?”
Yolanda shook her head. “No... and I have a feeling you're right about us being next.” She grimaced. “I guess there's a decent chance this will be the last any of you see me.”
Death was a fact of life in Domina. More so since the screamers had appeared. Two of Simon's friends had died at Triple I, and another one was screaming. It was rare to really have a good idea of when you were going to die, though. They didn't have much disease, and bullets killed faster than sickness anyway.
So this left them all with a very unique opportunity. They could try sequestering her in the domain of a culture that had already been hit to reduce her chances of getting caught in an attack, but in the current political climate, that probably wouldn't work. Besides, what about all the other demons?
Simon could see it in her eyes. She was planning to stay with her culture, probably die at the next attack. She was stronger than she looked.
They could have a party, or something. Not a funeral, since that would jinx it, but even just spending more time together would make her happy. It was the least we could do, and from the looks on everyone's faces, they all agreed with him.
So he pulled her close and kissed her.
Chapter 36: INVIDENTIA
SEENA
“So,” Seena said. She glared at Yolanda as she stumbled out of Simon's room a few hours after lunch. “You're a succubus.”
Yolanda turned bright red. “Th-that's none of your concern...”
“Uh-huh. How many people were involved?”
She blinked. “What?”
Seena met her gaze levelly. She turned away.
After a second she blushed even more deeply, if that were possible, as she realized exactly what Seena meant. “OH! Just, uh, the two of us.”
Seena had her daygoggles off. The corridor was dark enough that while it was still uncomfortably bright for her, her nightvision was useful.
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