Constance Verity Saves the World

by A. Lee Martinez

  Three guards remained on Connie’s side of the walls. She dealt with them efficiently, almost entirely by reflex. One guard, the door pressing down on his chest, had the presence of mind to attempt to aim his weapon in Connie’s direction, but she snatched the rifle.

  “Thanks.”

  Lady Peril barked muffled orders. Guards attempted to squirm through gaps left by the other henchagents and the floor. Connie kicked one in the face and pointed the rifle at another, who retreated with a squeak.

  “Is this your plan?” asked Byron.

  “Not mine.”

  The lights flicked off and on in a pattern, leading down a hallway. They followed. Five times, they were face-to-face with armed guards, only to have more security walls fall in place. A secret door opened in a smooth wall, and they entered.

  “Hello, Connie,” greeted the very much alive Larry Peril.

  31

  Very little surprised Connie.

  This surprised her. Sort of. Though she had to admit she’d kind of seen it coming, too.

  “Larry, you’re alive,” she said.

  “Now, Connie, I know you probably have a lot of questions.”

  She put her hands on his face to check for telltale plastic surgery scars, signs of cloning, waxy robotic pseudoflesh. When she was reasonably certain he was the real thing, she wrapped him in a hug tight enough to knock the breath out of him.

  “I don’t care why or how,” she said. “I’m not even mad at you, you son of a bitch. I’m just glad you’re not dead.”

  His minions were standard Siege Perilous issue, and Connie kept her weapon at the ready.

  “You don’t have to worry about them,” said Larry. “They’re my people.”

  “You have people?”

  “More than you might suspect. Certainly more than Mom expected.” Larry nodded at Byron. “This is him? This is the guy?”

  Connie performed quick introductions. Larry and Byron shook hands perfunctorily. They eyed each other with suspicion.

  “Larry’s an old friend,” said Connie.

  “Yes. Old friends,” said Larry.

  He left it at that, and Byron didn’t say anything, but he did move closer to Connie.

  “Follow me,” said Larry. “We have your escape route all prepared.”

  They walked through the secret passage.

  “I saw you die,” she said.

  “Did you?” he asked with a slight smile.

  “You sly bastard.”

  “I guess I picked up a few tricks from Mom, after all.” They turned a corner and came across a monorail tram, which they boarded. “I’m sorry. I knew Mom was up to something, but I needed time to figure out what it was. So I played along, doing what she expected me to do. When I figured it out, I staged my death to draw her out. Unfortunately, she moved faster than I expected. I didn’t realize how far along she was.”

  “Then why are we leaving?” asked Connie. “We should be stopping her.”

  “Getting you out of here will stop her. Or at least slow her down. It’s complicated to explain, but you are what this is all about. Not you specifically but the caretaker mantle that you carry. She’s been siphoning it from you slowly, containing it for her own purposes.”

  Connie said, “Is that all? Well, she’s wasting her time. It’s broken, fading. I broke it when I sacrificed some of it to stop the Great Engine from destroying free will in the universe.”

  “You can’t break it,” said Larry. “The essence scattered, but it will re-form.”

  “Well, um,” said Byron, “her plan is to destroy the caretaker once and for all.”

  “How do you know that?” asked Larry.

  Byron said, “She told me.” He sounded apologetic about it, though he didn’t know why. “She has this magic ritual that will gather all the spell . . . uh . . . stuff. Once it’s all hers, she plans on finally destroying it. I don’t really know how, but she seemed certain she could do it.”

  “Why would she do that?” asked Connie.

  “She seems to think that if it’s gone, she’ll be the inevitable ruler of the universe.”

  “That sounds like Mom,” said Larry.

  “We have to go back.”

  “Are you crazy?” asked Byron. “Haven’t you been paying attention these last few weeks? You’re in no shape to foil an evil scheme like this. There can’t be much caretaker magic left in you.”

  “It’s why we have to stop her now. This isn’t a situation that is going to get better by hiding. She’ll find me again and force me into some death trap, some no-win situation, drain whatever is left. Then she’ll have everything she needs.”

  “So, we escape and come back with reinforcements before that happens,” said Byron.

  “It might be too late by then,” said Connie. “Right now, we know where Peril is and we know where the caretaker force is being contained.”

  “I don’t remember how to find it,” said Byron. “I get all turned around in this place.”

  “I know where it is,” said Larry.

  “Can you get us there?” asked Connie.

  “I don’t know. Probably. Maybe. Hypothetically. But if we turn around, there’s every possibility that we’ll lose any chance to get you out of here.”

  “Exactly what Peril wouldn’t expect,” said Connie.

  “No, it’s exactly what she would expect,” said Byron, “because it’s a crazy, reckless thing to do. Don’t you get it? That might be why she told me about it. She was betting that you’d rescue me, and then I’d tell you, and then you’d go running into danger out of heroic reflex.”

  “That does sound like Mom,” said Larry. “And if she’s right, you’ll be at your most vulnerable.”

  “No, I’ll be more vulnerable tomorrow when there’s nothing of the caretaker mantle left,” said Connie. “And I’ve been foiling diabolical schemes for decades. It wasn’t some magic luck spell that made that happen.”

  “But what if it was?” asked Byron. “I know you don’t like the idea, but what if it was destiny?”

  “There are two options. Either the caretaker mantle didn’t matter, and this is just another evil genius I have to stop. Or it’s all about the caretaker mantle and allowing Lady Peril to destroy it is a crime against the universe. Better to use whatever scraps linger within me to stop that from happening.”

  “It’s crazy, reckless,” said Larry.

  “Crazy and reckless is what I do best. How many loyal people do you have here?”

  “Only about twenty percent, but many of them are in key positions, like the security personnel that overlooked your infiltration. I give the order, and we can sow a hell of a lot of confusion. I can get us there. Probably.”

  “Wait. So, we’re done debating this?” asked Byron. “We’re walking back into the lair of an evil genius without any real plan?”

  “I’ve learned there’s no point in debating Connie once she’s made up her mind,” said Larry.

  She took Byron’s hand. “I know it might be a bad move. I’m not at all sure it’s the smart move. I’m winging it here, and I could be making a horrible mistake. But this isn’t me rushing ignorantly into danger. I will be careful, I swear. I’ll think things through.”

  “No, you won’t,” said Byron.

  Connie shook her head. “No, I probably won’t. But I swear that if there’s a way to stop Peril and come out alive, I will find it.”

  “You can’t promise that either,” he said.

  “No, I can’t,” she said quietly, more to herself than him. “There are no guarantees. Not in my life. Not in anybody’s. But if I make it out of here, I’d like to believe that you’ll still be there.”

  Byron turned to Larry. “When you’re right, you’re right. And she’s right. This is what she does. And we need to help her do it.”

  “We?” asked Connie.

  “I’m coming with you. Even if the magic luck spell that gives you an edge is gone, I believe you can do this. But I also believe you�
��ll need plenty of help. Since Tia’s not here, I have to be your backup sidekick.”

  She took his hand. “Byron, that’s sweet but—”

  “It’s dangerous,” he interrupted. “I’ll only get in the way. You can’t worry about me. It’ll be better for everyone if I’m someplace safe. That’s what you were going to say, right?”

  Connie nodded. “Yes.”

  “Tough. I’m coming with you. I’m not helpless. I’ve been studying martial arts, and I still have my Swiss army knife.” He pulled it out of his pocket.

  “They let you keep that?” she asked.

  “Guess they didn’t think it would be dangerous enough to confiscate.” He flipped out the short, dull knife. “Their mistake.”

  “You’re holding that wrong,” said Connie. “You’d cut yourself if you tried to use it.”

  He adjusted his grip. “I knew that. Just testing you.”

  “You’re still holding it wrong.”

  He folded the blade and shoved the army knife into his pocket. “I’m not changing my mind, and you don’t have time to waste arguing about it. And if this is about the balance of the universe, I’m just as much a part of this as anyone else. I live in the universe too.”

  “I could always have the henchagents drag him out of here,” offered Larry.

  She considered it.

  “He’s right. It’s his choice. But I swear to God, Byron, if you get yourself killed, I’ll never forgive you for it.”

  He smiled. “I was about to say the same thing to you.”

  32

  Activate anarchy protocol,” said Larry into his radio.

  Moments later, a distant series of explosions shook the base. The lights went out for a few moments before flickering on as backup systems kicked in.

  “I’ve knocked out a few vital monitoring systems and jammed the communications systems. Security will be a mess, and emergency will be handling the fires.”

  “Fires?” asked Byron as he slipped into a spare henchagent jumpsuit. “Is that dangerous?”

  “It’s all dangerous,” said Larry, “but it’s more of a distraction than anything life-threatening.”

  “Those were explosions.”

  “Some people might have died incidentally,” said Larry. “It’s regrettable, but . . .”

  His voice trailed off.

  “Damn, I sound like Mom now.”

  “You can wrestle with that existential dilemma later.” Connie zipped up her own jumpsuit. “Let’s do this.”

  She caught Byron smiling at her.

  “You really are in your element,” he said.

  She kissed him before putting on his helmet then putting on her own.

  “Let’s go save the day,” she said.

  Larry’s forces led them through the complex. Once, they were stopped by a security detail, but Larry flashed a secret hand signal and they were allowed to pass. They used a secret tunnel to get around a checkpoint, and he knew the code to punch in to get them through every sealed security door. People ran around, but most were too busy managing the chaos to bother them.

  They burst into the magical chamber, expecting trouble, but there weren’t any guards.

  Only Lady Peril, who stood facing the sacred plateau with her back to them.

  “Hello, Larry,” she said without looking back. “So good to see you back among the living.” The slightest tone of disdain floated under her voice. She always sounded condescending, but there was a touch more this time.

  “You knew,” said Larry.

  “Of course I knew. There is not one thing you’ve done that I have not expected, not one surprising moment. You always were a predictable boy.”

  The arcane energies seething in the pit below howled distantly.

  “Why go to all this trouble?” asked Connie. “Why fake your own death? Why convince Larry to take the job? Why any of it?”

  Peril said, “Ah, yes. Here’s the part where I explain everything. I really shouldn’t, but it’s too delightful. Once I realized that you were never my enemy but the mantle within you, I found myself discouraged. I needed some way to remove the caretaker from the equation, but it’s an eternal force. It seemed impossible.

  “And then you did the impossible, like you always do. You fractured the force, unraveling it. On its own, it would have fixed itself, but seeing my opportunity, I used these magics to pull at those loose threads, gathering them here. It was only a matter of time before your own adventurous nature would accomplish the task without interference from me. But I saw no reason to wait, so I spurred things along. I created a series of problems within Siege Perilous and, after faking my own death, installed Larry as my successor. Larry would be too weak to solve the problems on his own, and spurred on by his continuing affection for you, he would use the situation as an excuse to call on you for help, which he predictably did.”

  Larry looked embarrassed. And angry.

  “You bitch,” he said.

  Lady Peril nodded to Apollonia, who punched Larry. He fell to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth, a nasty bruise already forming on his cheek.

  “Is that any way to talk to your own mother?” she asked. “There were backup plans, but I didn’t need them. Larry was ever so predictable. As were you, Connie. Always rushing heedless into danger, always saving the world. I need only set things in motion, bait the trap, and watch as you irresistibly walked into it, over and over again.

  “Believe it or not, I worried you might exhibit some sense, but sense has never been your strong point. No, you’re a caretaker, not just by magic but by nature. It’s who you are, and I relished the irony of weaponizing that nature against you.”

  Lady Peril stood before Connie. “My dear, you look positively exhausted. How does it feel to be so close to normal?” She caressed Connie’s cheek. “To know that, soon, the universe will give you no special consideration? To know that you will be no more blessed or cursed than anyone else?”

  “You can’t destroy the caretaker,” said Connie. “The universe needs it.”

  “Why would I destroy it when I can take it for myself?”

  “You’re a hypocrite,” said Connie. “You’re not trying to make the universe fair. You just wanted the power for yourself.”

  “Am I not worthy of greatness? Whereas you squandered it with your ridiculous adventures, I will harness it to achieve a glorious future for myself. The most powerful force in this universe paired with my superior intellect and ambitious imagination.” Peril raised an eyebrow. “What could be more fair that that?”

  She placed her hand on the biometric scanner. She stepped onto the bridge as it extended across the chasm.

  A tremble shook the mountain. Heat rose, followed by a wave of icy cold. A few pieces of stone fell from the roof, tumbling into the void.

  “This is too much power,” said Connie. “You can’t keep it stable.”

  “I can keep it stable long enough,” replied Lady Peril. “Although your presence has stirred up some unexpected agitation.”

  Lady Peril stepped off the bridge and onto the plateau. The bridge started to retract. Peril paused, waving at Connie.

  “Witness the end of an unfair universe.”

  Connie bolted across the bridge. She didn’t think it through. She expected to be shot, but if there was any luck left in her, she prayed it held out.

  Byron jumped on a guard. Or he tried to. He ended up with an elbow to the throat and on his back. The guard aimed his weapon at Byron’s chest. He might have screamed if he could breathe.

  Apollonia punched the guard from behind. He fell over. Another two blows knocked two more to the floor. A fourth minion fired a few rounds, but she grabbed his rifle and thrust it upward. Apollonia yanked the weapon from his hands and struck him across the nose with the butt of the weapon. Another tried to jump her. She pivoted, using his own force against him, and he went sailing over the edge into the abyss. His screams echoed for a long, long time.

  She dismantled the
remaining minions with surgical precision. Not a wasted move. Knocking the fight out of them with single, well-aimed strikes. The biggest guard took two kicks, but after she crushed his knee with a blow that made Byron cringe empathically (the visceral crunching sound helped), the goon fell.

  Byron stood. “Wait. You’re on our side?”

  “I’m on Larry’s side,” she replied as she punched a code into the door access panel that sealed the chamber.

  “But you punched him.”

  “Just following orders.”

  Larry rubbed his jaw. “You didn’t have to follow them so well.”

  Apollonia smiled. “I am a professional.”

  Connie had no time to worry about that. She sped toward the edge of the bridge and leapt across the void. The magic below roared, as if hungry for her. She landed with a few inches to spare, rolled forward, and hit a wall that knocked her on her ass.

  It was Lady Peril. She towered over Connie.

  “So predictable,” said Peril.

  The circle’s magic vibrated the air as the standing stones rang with forgotten druidic chants.

  Connie stood as Peril drew a ray gun from her coat. She might get one or two shots off before Connie closed the short distance. A gun this close wasn’t a great weapon.

  But she hesitated.

  Lady Peril read Connie’s mind.

  “Yes, you might be able to make it. But what if you don’t? What if you used the last bit of luck you had crossing that bridge?” Peril backed away, keeping her gun trained on Connie. “Do you feel that hot lump burning in your chest? Does your heart beat faster? Tell me. How long has it been since you’ve felt fear? Really felt it?”

  “What’s your game?” asked Connie.

  “You asked why I went to so much trouble? It’s because in order to take the caretaker mantle from you, I needed for you to come here. Willingly. Magic has all these silly little rules, and one of them is that the transfer ritual can’t be forced. The old caretaker and the new must meet on the circle, and here you are. All you had to do was not step on the circle, but I knew you would. I knew I only had to set the trap and let you do the rest. And now, by rite of worthiness, I take the final bits of magic and claim my destiny.”