by CB Conwy
I thought so. The Assessor's inner voice was strangely impersonal. Matt didn't do anything to hide his relief when the Himiko withdrew without finding the barriers protecting the real him under the weak human disguise. He was channeling your power when we met last.
Pietr shrugged. It's what you would expect. He is human, after all.
There was an almost invisible grimace on the Assessor's face. He most certainly is. Why did you bring him? And Robbie? He looked reproachfully at Aki, too.
He can't seem to recover from the attack. He had another migraine yesterday, probably because I was away from him for too long. And his migraines are my migraines, so I need to keep both him and his doctor close.
Matt took that as his cue to sway and reach out for Aki to support himself, resulting in the two Himika helping him to the couch in front of the Assessor's low table. He sat in the middle, with Aki and Pietr on either side and Robbie, Sam, and Jerry in the chairs to their left. So far, so good.
The Assessor expertly kept all of their conversation silent. Matt had to admire his skill; it seemed like no effort at all for him to control both his own message as well as the other participants' contributions. It was brutal, too. Jerry gasped as the Assessor yanked Matt's teacher none too gently into the conversation. The Assessor didn't notice the other Himiko's discomfort, or maybe he just didn't care. The way the Assessor seemed to create a barrier between himself and others, even as he was communicating, was almost sinister; it was like talking to a machine.
Matt leaned on Pietr, letting his outer layer of thoughts stray and bump clumsily against both Aki's and Pietr's minds to conceal what he was about to do. Only when they were deep in conversation with the Assessor did he dare so much as brush by the dictator's mind.
Nothing.
The surface of the Assessor's mind was so strong and so impenetrable that it was almost reflective. Only at the very last moment did Matt manage to control his attempt to find out more; if he wasn't very, very careful, his investigative probe would bounce off the impossibly smooth surface and be redirected at God knows what, revealing him immediately.
But that's illegal!
Matt had been too occupied with his work to pay attention to the conversation. Now he heard Jerry's outburst.
I didn't think that would be a problem for you. Of all people. There was a slight derision in the Assessor's words.
Hey, I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a cell somewhere. I'd fucking love to beat those short-ears to a pulp, but not if that's the price to pay. Jerry sounded harsh.
I can assure you that you won't be punished for this. Quite the opposite. I have given this a lot of thought, and I believe it's time to change the rules a bit. We are off-planet, after all.
I'm not so sure the rules should be changed. They are rules. Matt had to admire the way Aki carried himself. You'd never think that it was Matt's friend and Robbie's mate behind his cold and proper exterior. He really sounded like he cared about the rules more than anything else.
The Assessor nodded, smiling encouragingly. Oh, I quite agree with you; it's not something that should be done lightly. Only, we have a real problem on our hands. He made a dismissive gesture. Nothing we can't handle, of course, but... bothersome all the same.
The Assessor kept on describing the crowd gathering at the Mall, only a few blocks away. Matt's attention almost wavered when he heard that; they had so little time. Then he went back to the task before him, doubling his attempts to find a way into the Assessor's mind.
It was completely fruitless, and Matt got more and more desperate until he got just a bit too clumsy. The Assessor clearly felt him, and immediately turned to look at Matt.
Matt didn't have to fake his whimper; from what little he had learned about the Assessor, he knew that his blunder was enough to end his life right here and now. He squeezed his eyes shut, faking dizziness, and leaning into Pietr.
"What happened? Matt?" Pietr shook him, none too gently. He gets so sensitive now and then. You never know where you have him. There was nothing but cold annoyance in his mate's mind, and the icy condescension was enough to make Matt whimper for real this time.
Well, keep him in line. Otherwise we'll have to experiment with the alternative chip.
Matt cringed as he got a slight echo of associations along with the Assessor's words: humans as mindless slaves without any will of their own. Perfect humans, in other words.
With a start, he realized that he really could read the Assessor; however, the images were almost imperceptible because of the Himiko's protection. Matt had to trust his instincts and accept the elusiveness of the images instead of striving for the clear pictures he usually got. He relaxed and tried to sneak close, trying to catch the echoes of the Assessor's thoughts like he had done unintentionally with Aki, Sam, and Jerry the last couple of days. Careful to disguise his presence, he tried to see what he could get out of that. The result was terrifying.
The Assessor was evil.
There wasn't any other way to explain it. The Assessor's mind seethed with malevolence, and it was so disgusting that Matt almost got sick. The Assessor was also very different from any Himiko Matt had encountered; his mind didn't reach out in an attempt to create that kind of understanding that seemed to be the distinctive trait of normal Himika. The common connection that, according to Aki and Pietr, kept Himika sane.
Instead, the Assessor held back, watching for opportunities to manipulate his surroundings until he got what he wanted. He was power crazed to a degree that bordered on insanity.
Suddenly, Matt didn't have the slightest problem with the task ahead.
Matt only gradually came back to the conversation around him. So, you want us to... crop their numbers? Or just incapacitate the humans? It was Sam's voice. Matt held his breath; the answer would confirm if they really were going through with this. He still wasn't going to do anything potentially harmful to the Assessor if the Himiko only wished to uphold law and order.
I want to make sure that we don't see a manifestation like this again. That means destroying enough humans to teach the rest a lesson.
Free rein? Jerry grinned, sounding so bloodthirsty that Matt felt sick.
You can kill as many as you like. For the first time, the Assessor smiled. As a matter of fact, I think I'll make that an order.
The words were there, spoken between them. Deep under his shields, Matt could feel Pietr pulling all of his energy together. Matt casually let his left hand wander toward Aki. It was going to have to be soon, whether or not Matt had found an opening.
Sam saw Matt's hand hovering over Aki's and nodded almost imperceptibly. Then he stood up. Let's get to it. I can't wait to use my skills for real.
The Assessor got up, too, a little taken aback with Sam taking the initiative. Matt took the opportunity, grabbed Pietr's and Aki's hands, and stood up, too. He felt the energy going through him and attacked with the power of all three of them combined.
The Assessor took a step back as Matt let all their power fly against him. It was only a fraction of a second, though. Then he hit back, and Matt screamed.
The Himiko's power was overwhelming, all the more so because he was completely uncaring whether he hurt anybody or not. As a matter of fact, harm was his goal. Matt had no idea how they were going to defeat someone like this. How Matt was going to defeat someone like this.
Matt still tried, though, out of sheer desperation, pulling on the power of the two Himika united with him and lashing out again. The Assessor brushed off the attack almost casually and hit back once again. Matt could hear an awful, shrill sound in the room, and he was faintly aware that it was coming from himself.
This wasn't a fight at all. Matt pulled up his shields tightly around them, building them as high as he could, and just tried to survive. He briefly felt Jerry trying to help; then the Himiko was thrown against the wall, and Jerry fell to the ground, lifeless.
The pain from the merciless attack w
as excruciating by now, and Matt could feel Aki's power starting to falter. His mentor's rigidity was no match for this whirlwind of mindless, evil power.
The inflexibility that worked so well for the Assessor in building a hard shell didn't give Aki the power he needed, and his energy crumpled, forcing Matt to support him doubly now his own force was gone.
The Assessor gave a triumphant roar, and Matt felt the Himiko collect all of the immense strength behind that impossibly inflexible surface again, this time to finish them off. Matt closed his eyes and fumbled along the Assessor's walls in one last desperate attempt to find a weakness. There were none, only unbreakable walls that reflected any feeble attack Matt made.
Reflection.
In the endless moment before the final attack, Matt pulled up their shield again, as strong as before, but this time mimicking the reflectivity of the Assessor's impenetrable shield. When the final attack came, it rattled Matt to the core, and Pietr swayed next to him. Matt desperately tried to keep his shield up, but he could feel the cracks developing. It was only a matter of seconds now.
Bend, don't break. Aki's words were almost too weak to hear.
Triumph shot through Matt when he understood what Aki was trying to tell him. In a movement that made Pietr cry out in fear, he yielded to the Assessor's force, letting his shield retreat so much that it almost touched the core of their beings. The movement allowed his shield to heal, and he concentrated on reshaping it, creating a rubber-like texture.
Matt felt the split-second of bewilderment from the Assessor when his force hit the foreign surface. Then Matt's shield sent all of his enormous power right back at him, and Matt felt a blinding explosion of power and rage when the Assessor's shield shattered under his own force.
Matt cried out when the razor-sharp shards of energy and anger hit his shield, but he held on, desperate to protect his mate and his mentor. He poured his very last power into his shield, and then he felt the immense pressure from the attack disappear as suddenly as it had begun.
Matt opened his eyes, the sudden quiet in the room ringing in his ears.
Are you okay? Pietr? His first instinct was to reach out for his mate.
I'll live. Fuck, that was scary. Pietr was shaken, and Matt had drained too much of his energy for him to be entirely steady on his legs, but he would be fine. He leaned on the wall as Matt took in the rest of the damage.
He almost didn't see the Assessor at first. Then he found the Himiko lying on the floor, eyes open but staring into empty space. Matt cautiously reached out mentally. There was nothing there.
"Is he dead?" Matt's voice sounded odd, and he looked around the room.
Sam was bent over Jerry, who was lying in a heap by the wall. Next to Matt, Aki's legs gave out and he tumbled to the couch. His mind was a blur of fatigue.
Robbie was there immediately, bending over his mate and taking Aki's face between his hands. Aki stirred, and Robbie kissed his mate lightly. Then he got up and turned to the Assessor. It didn't take long.
"He's dead. No question about it."
"And Jerry?"
Sam looked up as he heard Matt's voice, face looking drawn. "I... I don't know."
Robbie went to check on Jerry. "He's hurt. It may take some time before he wakes up." Robbie sat in silence, and Matt felt him give Jerry as much of his healing power as he could spare. "But he will wake up."
Sam's face was a study in relief when the Warrior heard that, and Matt remembered the raw feeling in Sam's mind, his unrequited love for the other Himiko at the very core of his existence. Matt felt a wave of relief that Sam hadn't lost what mattered most to him.
Then Robbie stood up, a little unsteady, and went back to his mate, curling up with Aki.
"I killed him." Matt's words sounded odd in the silent room. Nobody looked up.
He killed himself, Matt. You just defended yourself and your mate. Are you all right?
Matt looked at his mate. Pietr was still leaning heavily against the wall. Matt slowly nodded. Yeah. I am, actually. It couldn't be any other way.
He was going to say something more when the door opened and Himiko guards rushed into the room. They stopped dead, taking in the scene.
"The power has changed." Pietr pushed himself off the wall. He was so tired, but he still stood up straight, growing in stature before Matt's eyes. "The Assessor once was the leader; he is no more. Now I am the leader of the Himika on this planet."
There was something almost ritual about his words, and the guards clearly recognized them. Matt could feel them hesitantly reach out, determining if Pietr's words were true, if he really had the power necessary to speak those words.
Matt poured the last remains of their joint energy into Pietr's mind, fortifying Pietr enough that he could defend the claim even now that he was almost empty of power. It was enough for the guards. There weren't any protests, just a simple acceptance of the change of power.
"The power has changed." The leader of the guards nodded.
"The power has changed." It was Sam, looking up from his friend.
"The power has changed." Aki looked dead tired, but he managed to say those important words.
"Take his body away. And get a doctor here, quickly, to help Jerry."
The leader of the guards nodded to Pietr before he turned to give orders.
The room was a bustle of activity during the next hour. Pietr sat on the couch, Matt as close to his mate as he could get. The guards looked, but they seemed to accept that their new leader had a human mate.
Matt had trouble staying awake until someone brought them some ReGen. The fluid felt so good that he almost got tears in his eyes.
You were tired. Pietr's words were quiet, and Matt turned to look at his mate.
The ReGen had removed some of the exhaustion from Pietr's face. He still looked tired, but there was something new about his posture. With a shock, Matt realized that Pietr had been holding back, hiding how powerful he really was except in those few instances when Matt had caught a glimpse. Those had been only fragments of what he displayed now, though, even in his weakened state.
It was necessary. I was strong enough to be dangerous to the Assessor, but not strong enough to beat him. That was a life-threatening combination.
Matt nodded and pushed close. He knew all about necessary decisions.
You did well.
I know. I... know. And I don't regret it. Still, I killed another living being. You shouldn't take that lightly.
No, you shouldn't. You've also saved a lot of lives today, though. Human and Himiko.
Matt just nodded. He didn't really know how to relate to his actions yet.
He had a thought. What are you going to do about the demonstration, by the way?
I'm going to let them be. They have a right to assemble.
It could go wrong. Matt had seen that before, and with far less important issues than this.
It could. I'm keeping the Himika as far away from them as possible and letting the human police forces handle any trouble. Then, tomorrow, we're going to hold a press conference to tell everybody that things are going to change.
Is it that easy?
Pietr laughed and pulled him closer. This is as far from easy as it gets. But we have to figure it out, and at least now the Himika can meet the humans with genuinely good intentions. That has to count for something. It won't be easy, though; too many mistakes already made for that.
You can make it. Matt's words were quiet, but he let his confidence in his mate flow into Pietr's mind.
Yes. With you, I can. There was no doubt in Pietr's words, or in his mind, and Matt sat back, enjoying the feeling of being loved and trusted. Sometimes, mates weren't all that bad.
Epilogue
Matt was pacing. He had tried sitting, looking out of the window, and watching TV, but now he was back to pacing again.
I can't believe I'm doing this. You're so going to pay me back for this.
You're going to be fine. Don't worry.
Do I look like I'm not worrying? Matt would have stopped to glare, but the pacing kept his nerves down to a tolerable level.
Not exactly, no.
Matt didn't have a clue how his mate could take things this lightly.
Pietr had worked all day yesterday, setting up meetings and gaining control over the Himiko society. Matt had stayed with him, but he'd had to nap a lot and go to bed early in the apartment they had borrowed; he had used almost all of his power fighting the Assessor and then given the remains of it to Pietr. Aki had been out like a light, too, and Robbie didn't fare much better after healing Jerry. The wounded Himiko had woken up this morning, to Matt's relief and Sam's wholehearted joy.
That was why Matt hadn't registered that Pietr had a meeting this morning. He didn't worry when he woke up alone; he'd needed his sleep, and when he came out of the shower, he could feel that Pietr was only a few minutes away. He had kissed his mate thoroughly when Pietr came back just as Matt had dried off.
Busy morning?
Pietr kissed him back just as thoroughly. Not too bad; I had a meeting with your leader. Things are looking up.
Matt was caught up in deciding whether he should try to seduce his mate before or after breakfast.
God, you must be hungry if you're even thinking about that! Pietr was laughing at him.
Matt tried to give his mate a dignified answer, but his growling stomach ruined that. I'm starving.
Let's get you something to eat, then.
Matt was busy choosing between eggs and toast -- he wanted eggs, but toast was so much faster -- when he absentmindedly remembered Pietr's words from before.
Who did you meet with again? The mayor?
Uh, no? Your leader. I told you that.
Matt looked up, a piece of bread in one hand and a slice of ham in the other. You had a meeting with the President? This morning?