Strangers and Lies

by P. S. Power

  Groundling answered smoothly, his voice smooth and polite.

  "Very safe. Far safer than being on the ground in fact. I don't even travel with guards, myself. The work is difficult however, and you have to be willing to hustle the entire time, even as your bones ache and you want to sit and rest, so keep that in mind before signing on." He smiled then, his face formed into something that seemed a little sad, rather than anything else. His gaze went to the others in the crew though, and finally to Gwen, who smiled back. She could understand what he was feeling a bit, she thought.

  His act was done now. From that point on, if one of the men gave him lip, or even got in a fistfight with him, they weren't arguing with their shipmate Groundling at all, they were assaulting a nobleman. Not that they didn't respect him already, but it almost had to make a difference in how they perceived him. It was too much to ask, for these fairly common men to let that go. Unless they were all something different too? She wondered for a second, but couldn't think of a way to ask.

  Smitty and Meter were both some kind of ex-Air Navy and hadn't been officers as far as Gwen knew. Gloria hadn't either, but as a ship's Engineer, she was the next best thing really. If they were hidden nobility, well, none of them mentioned it at all. The conversation moved back to the events at the girls camp, which turned to telesar programming and how they were going to set up Agatha's show from the site, since she still had to keep working, even while there.

  That part was going to be left to Deborah Winslow however, who kept giving Gwen slightly strange looks. They hadn't really spoken since it was put out to the entire world that Gwen wasn't Katherine. No doubt they were going to have a talk about that as well. Hopefully it could wait a bit. Really, Gwen would have waited forever on that one, if it was up to her alone, but the woman deserved to know what was going on, having been Katherine's lover at one point. It wasn't something she looked forward to, but avoiding things almost never helped.

  There were so many people it was hard to talk to everyone, though she made an honest effort, even shaking hands with the kids she didn't know very well and making sure they all had her telestator code, in case they ever needed to call for anything. It seemed polite to her at least, even if no one else was doing it. Bethany had been very quiet through the whole meal, but smiled and made polite comments at about the right time, which was good enough. She wasn't normally shy, but... After a bit Gwen thought she understood.

  It was subtle, and not one of the working states that she'd ever been told about, but her friend was definitely in an altered state... Probably one to gather information from everyone in the room. It was brilliant, after a fashion. She wasn't the only one of the Westmorlands doing something like that either.

  They all left at once however, and Bethany stood next to her as she walked everyone to the front door, looking pleasant the whole time.

  Agatha Longbranch shook her hand warmly, holding it between both of her own, almost as if giving her a kind of hug.

  "So wonderful to meet you! We really should get together soon, if you aren't too busy? I'm afraid I work during the day, but... would you be willing to come and sit with me during my program tomorrow? I know it will be a bit tedious, but..." She smiled sweetly enough that Gwen nodded instantly.

  Why not, she'd been on the telesar a lot herself, over the past months, but she'd never actually seen how a studio worked. She imagined that it would be a set up sort of like a telestator, but she didn't actually know that to be the case.

  "Why, I'd love to. I don't know how to get there, of course."

  That got handled by James, who took down the address very professionally, then stood back, Ella next to him, watching Agatha very closely. There was a look of pure hero worship there. It occurred to Gwen that the Ella from the program that had called in with a question might well be the same one that was next to her. It was cute.

  Gwen didn't try to wrangle her an invitation, since she was nearly certain it would be polite enough for Ella to send invitations to the lady herself now, having been at the same party like they were. She was already having the Vernors over, so why not?

  Agatha didn't linger long after that, meaning that the crew of the Peregrine was up next, each either shaking her hand or pounding her on the back. They were friends after all, which was a good thing to remember. When Groundling got in front of her she grinned, but didn't question his lineage or anything like that. He was still the same person after all. Just more now than she had thought.

  "I was thinking of doing another trip with you people in a few weeks, after the camp thing. Try to work on Gloria for me, so that I can learn a bit about engines?" The woman herself was right there, so Gwen winked at her, including the muscular lady as she shook hands with the loader chief.

  For his part he grunted, which was far more in keeping with the Groundling she knew than the fine and smooth voice from earlier. The clothing still didn't work, since he was pretty nicely dressed, but it was a start.

  "Not my area. It can probably be done, but remember, engineers help load too. No slacking off, just extra work."

  That was pretty much what she'd expected, to tell the truth.

  Gloria laughed a little, and held on to Givens' hand, no doubt trying to keep him out of trouble. The man hadn't done poorly so far, but that just meant his natural predilection for getting into trouble was probably about to kick in any time now.

  "Curly, I'd be pleased to have you on as an apprentice. We can get that girl from earlier in to replace Darnell and you can cover for Forest, since he's going back to fleet. Do you think she can do the work? She's a little scrawny looking for a loader. Then, so are you and that worked well enough..."

  That got Gwen to shrug.

  "I don't know. We should try it though. It can't hurt and who knows? It could be the most brilliant thing anyone has ever thought of?" She was trying to just be polite, but the Goebbels were all right there, so it wouldn't hurt to be positive about the matter. It was probably what Gloria was actually doing too.

  People were actually decently efficient at getting out the door, since there was a line of people waiting. The Counts daughter shook hands with her and gave her a very grown up look.

  "Do I enquire as to setting up that position Duke Morten spoke of with you?" It was name and title dropping, probably in order to reassure her parents, who probably didn't want their little girl out of their sight at the moment, given everything.

  "Sure, that should work. Do it in the next few days however, you have the code to reach me here? I'll collect up the needed information for you. If you don't have a program already, I suggest you start some kind of fitness training. It really is hard work." She smiled as the Count looked away to hide an amused look, but the girl herself nodded and moved on easily. The countess glared at her a little, but gave her a hug and whispered in her ear after a half second.

  "Don't worry, it will be good for her. I just don't want to seem too supportive, or she won't want to try it."

  That made sense, in a backwards, reverse psychology manner. Gwen smiled and let her walk on.

  The Westmorlands all came at her one after the other, mainly giving her hugs too, including Kelvin, though his was quick and not half as much fun as they normally were. He didn't smile about it, but did pass her a note. She kept it hidden in her hand, not having anywhere to hide it.

  Erica, the girl that had acted as her aid for about a week hugged her too, and started to walk on, until Gwen took her arm gently.

  "Are you assigned to the Camp detail?"

  The girl shook her head, looking a little sad about it all.

  "No, Army duty right now. Infantry training cycle. I report in the morning. Marcus is working the boys section though. You should get in touch with him and see what they're doing. I think he's planning to lead his side in the war games between you."

  Gwen nodded, since it was a great idea, gathering intelligence early. She'd need to make sure her side was properly armed. The boys had the advantage here, for a half
dozen reasons, so some cheating was probably in order. Toy crins were a thing here and only boys played with them. Girls had dolls. It was a lot tighter that way than things had been back home.

  That thought brought to mind her little house, and how she was probably lying on her memory foam mattress, rotting all over it. The thought was gruesome but she didn't shy away from it this time. She was, like it or not, dead. That she was still moving around and in a different place was thanks to magic, not anything else. Hiding from that fact wasn't going to help her at all. Then again, neither would dwelling on it. She hugged the girl again and then shook hands with the next person in line, who was a Westmorland boy she didn't know at all. He was about thirteen or so, and looked hard, like they had him in serious training already.

  This went on until the last person, who, naturally, was Deborah Winslow. The woman stopped in front of her, and then gave Beth a slightly wry look. She didn't ask her to leave, just shaking her head a little and whispering.

  "So... Was this why you told me you didn't like women anymore? You're a different person? I... It's so hard to believe."

  It was for her too, so Gwen just nodded.

  "Yeah. I'm so sorry. You really are great and, you know, if I even thought I could do that, I'd certainly want to see if you'd be willing... I just... can't. I'm sorry." The last word was a little more plaintive than she would have wanted, but it seemed to take well enough, the woman patting her arm gently and not seeming too angry about the whole thing.

  "Don't let it worry you, it isn't your fault or responsibility. A bit of a shame for me, of course, but you know, if you ever change your mind, or get curious, get in touch with me?"

  There was a cute smile that went with the words and the thirty-something woman left without saying much else, which was good, since Ethyl and Robert had both been watching the whole time. Robert seemed a little flustered, but Mrs. Vernor looked like she was about ready to throw down, both hands in fists at her sides. As soon as the last person left she turned to Gwen and...sighed.

  "That went much better than last time. I have to admit I was a little worried that some of your friends might prove to be, well, out of place here, but they all fit wonderfully. I wasn't aware that you knew Duke Morten. Thomas never mentioned that he was serving with us."

  Robert flipped his hands up and managed to look dashing while he did it.

  "Perhaps he didn't know? We should make a point of having him over however, for a business meeting. Morten is a major stockholder. Now I know why."

  Gwen thought about it for a few seconds and nodded.

  "Right. By being on the ship like that, he gets firsthand information from all over the world. It wouldn't shock me to find out he's one of the more successful shareholders either."

  That started a discussion about what looked promising for investment, which was short lived, Ethyl pulling her husband away, so that the girls could get to bed. Beth followed her, still having not done more than respond a few times, when spoken to directly.

  Back in her room, Gwen pulled her friend in and stared at her for a few seconds, her mind blank.

  "Bethany, will you return to your normal state now?"

  There was a pause, a thing that was nearly imperceptible. Then the woman sighed and relaxed, just a bit.

  "Thank you. Adam set me the task. No one seemed other than what they were claiming to be. It is just possible that someone might have been so well masked that I couldn't tell, but if so the work on them was perfect. It means we can trust everyone that had been in the room."

  That was good news, but seemed a little bit over the top. Except of course that Gwen knew it really wasn't. Everyone had to be checked, regularly, didn't they? Except the Westmorlands since they were trained in a way that made them functionally immune to mental tampering.

  Gwen too now, it seemed. It hadn't been fun and she wouldn't want to suggest that everyone undergo the process if they didn't need to, but it was something to think about for key individuals. Like the King and his top aides. Slowly she outlined the plan in her head and then promptly tried to forget it. After all, no one would go for that, would they? It was... Horrible really wasn't a strong enough word for what it was. It was insane really. A thing that shouldn't be done to anyone, no matter how well it worked. Except...

  They didn't have anything else that might really work, did they? Even strong minded people had been taken by Debussey and her friends and forced to do things that were clearly insane. Killing themselves, and others, for instance.

  She walked Beth to her room, down the hall a bit, and said goodnight, since that seemed safe enough, even in the magical world they were in. It was well wishing, not a breaking off of the line between them. They didn't chat about anything important, but that could be for a thousand different reasons, including the most obvious, that there just wasn't a lot left to say.

  Sleep was fitful and didn't come very easily at all, but it was enough to allow her to get up and run for an hour before Beth came out and insisted she be tortured into working harder than was reasonable again. She really didn't want to do it. In fact, she hurt already, even before she was up in the air. Today the drill was different however, requiring Gwen to fly around the jogging path through the woods as fast as she could manage, pain starting anytime she fell below a certain speed. It wasn't fast, even given that, but it was nearly at her top running speed and Beth didn't let up for a long time. Really, she couldn't, since the device was on Gwen and Bethany was standing back by the house, waiting for her to come back around.

  It was like a bad movie.

  "Go below fifty miles an hour and the bomb goes off." She growled to herself, under her breath, since talking was too difficult at the moment, what with the panting and all that. Her lungs felt ragged and burnt when she was finally allowed to stop and her head ached so much she started crying. It wasn't an emotional reaction, it was pure pain making her eyes water, but it had about the same effect.

  Bethany looked sad and a little upset for a bit, but traded the device out for a different one that had a single radiative disk on it, placed on her upper back with some kind of sticky, but magically conductive, substance. After two minutes to catch her breath, the other woman swallowed and pointed at the path again, looking a bit out of sorts.

  "This is a timer. The unit on your flesh will deliver incredible pain if you fail to get back here in time, or if you try to remove it. You have to fly the entire course along the path and be back here in four minutes. Your best time so far has been six.... I'm sorry, but you have to do it." There was actual regret in the tone at least, which wouldn't help her at all in four minutes when the thing went off.

  She started off as fast as she could, ripping through the woods, forcing herself to keep going, even as her mind burned from the stress. That was discomfort, but the pain to come would be much, much worse, if she didn't hurry. She sped up as the time drew near, able to see Beth in the back yard, but also knowing she wasn't going to make it in time.

  The searing ran through her for a full minute. She screamed and writhed on the ground, her body tense and hurting so much she honestly believed she was about to die. It ended just before she started wishing for it. After a minute on the ground, Bethany walked over to her. It was clear that she'd been crying, but she also pointed at the little device again.

  "You only have another two minutes to recover, then you have to try it again. Three more times. You won't get as much time now, about ten seconds less. You can do it though. You were so close." She didn't say she was sorry again, but it wouldn't have helped at all anyway.

  Gwen stood, still feeling wrung out and like she couldn't possibly do anything.

  "God, is this how all of you are trained?" She didn't have to explain that she meant the Westmorlands, Beth knew what she meant.

  "Yes, when we're children. You need to get ready, you have about fifteen seconds..."

  This time she went faster. It was frantic and close, but she managed to land in time and tap the device on
the ground, even though she didn't know if she had to or not. Bethany looked proud at least. Then told her the next time would be faster still. By thirty seconds.

  She didn't make that one, screaming in agony again instead. Then she failed the test after that too, which would have required her to do it all in about three minutes. That would have been a speed over thirty-eight miles an hour, but she didn't get close to that. Instead she had to hobble out of the woods about ten minutes later, hoping they were done. She decided that she really didn't want to play this game anymore. It wasn't a useful skill even.

  Beth, and the Westmorland protocols apparently were ready for that, since the device had to be traded off for the next one before it could be taken off. If she tried anything else it would have delivered a vast amount of pain as a deterrent first. It wasn't fair, but it worked, meaning she was hooked up for the next session in a few seconds.

  She wanted to cry or scream, but knew it wouldn't help, not at all.

  Instead she spent an hour trying to hit increasingly distant targets, one every ten seconds, getting a solid jolt of pain each time she missed. The only thing that worked was making certain she was dead on and aimed at the correct one each time, which signaled that by waving a tiny metal arm slightly. She wasn't perfect at it, but she did better than she normally would have, trying to avoid as much pain as possible.

  Then yet another unit was traded in. This one, it turned out, was just to make certain she was ready for the next day and didn't run away. It was both insightful, and horribly evil. Worse, she was nearly certain that Bethany didn't have a choice but to do this to her. Probably some massive training she'd had at some point required it of her.

  On the good side she was nearly certain of two things by the end of the four hour long session. The first part of it was that Adam Westmorland had to have ordered this himself. If not, then Manly hated her guts too, and was just better at hiding it from her.