WARPING EFFECTS / CH. 16:CONNECTIONS 1
WED 12TH FEB, 4PM
“Hello again, Mona. Have a seat,” Vivan said. “How was Russia?”
“Urm... not very warm.”
“In the friendly sense, or the physical sense?”
“Physical, mostly.” Mona shrugged, “Well, the sailors did not think much of having their shore-leave postponed to pick us up, but they were polite. Some of the aircrew were happy to have an excuse for a trip to Moscow, though.”
“And I understand you were interviewed by some intellegence agents?”
“They wanted my impression of what was happening in their neighbouring state.”
“And you told them?”
“I... I gave them my personal opinion.”
“Which was?”
“That the king started off with a chip on his shoulder about his past and has been slowly been sliding deeper and deeper into what might amount to mental illness. I also told them that I had no real evidence, but I wouldn't be surprised if the section fifty-eight interview the press were gossipping about was with him.”
“I see. How did they respond to that?”
“One told me it wasn't a very polite thing to say about a ruling monarch, the other asked did that mean I had imaginary or complex evidence?”
“And you replied?”
“That my brother would love that joke, and would they mind if I passed it on to him.”
“So you didn't actually answer?”
“Not really. I said I'd seen some things I didn't think I ought to admit to seeing. They didn't press for more.”
“Can you describe the interview room?”
“It was another room in the hotel, much like mine. Oh, one of the agents — the one who made the maths joke, was wearing a truthsayer mask.”
“And listened to what you were thinking?”
“Not noticeably. Wooden chairs, no metal, no contact.”
“Did they ask you about your exit from the country?”
“They said they'd been told about it,” Mona replied.
“And why?” Vivian asked.
“Yes.”
“But they weren't curious about what you'd learned at the palace?”
“They didn't say so. They did ask me not to make it public that Russia had played a part in my getting here.”
“Yes. Let me tell you that this interview is mainly to tell you about what you can and shouldn't say — for instance Russia's involvement - and to allow you to ask any questions you might have, and generally make sure you can get on with life without any concerns.”
“Oh I've got lots of questions. Like, how did you know my name that night?”
“God let me know it, soon after he let me know you'd be lighting the candle. He saw fit to give me the mind-reading gift, quite soon after I became a Christian. That's automatically covered by privacy laws here, by the way.”
“I've got a whole heap of new laws to learn about, haven't I?”
“It very much depends on what you want to do. You'll be invited to some immigration class things soonish. But... generally privacy is important but for some things you need to expressly claim it, say you say something near a reporter. You can do it retropectively too, if you get there before they publish. Otherwise... oaths made by royalty get kept if the royal wants to stay royal, royal promises are almost in the same category. Government officials and civil servants get seriously reprimanded if they break promises, and normal people break promises at what I presume are the normal frequency for non-Mer.
I work in auditing; that means I have immense power to investigate and prosecute civil servants including full access to bank data and so on, but absolutely no power to investigate or prosecute normal members of the public. Just to confuse you, teachers are sort of in a grey zone. Headmasters count as civil servants, normal teachers as local government employees, so we don't normally investigate them, unless the police think it's going higher. We can't convict them, that's certain.”
“But you can pass stuff on to the regular police, I presume.”
“Not normally. They can ask Auditing stuff, of course, and get vague imprecise answers. If they point us at people they think we ought to be investigating we can pass them a bit more data, but if we start the investigation, then it stays under wraps. If you get blackmailed by a civil servant, then you can tell the sympathetic ears of Auditing all about it, incluing anything you've done less than conspiracy to murder, and walk away.”
“But I can't become a civil servant myself,” Mona said.
“Who said that?” Vivian asked, “You'd have to really pay attention in your immigration classes to learn about how things work here, and pass a civics test, but there's no restrictions on what you do that I'm aware of, other than not upsetting our allies, or causing any other diplomatic incidents. Want to apply to join us in Auditing? I absolutely will not pull strings to get you in; that'd be very bad. But I can tell you that an inquisitive mind, not taking things at face value, knowing the darker side of human nature and above average self-control are all pretty useful skills there. Oh, what might be a down-side... it depends on your attitude, the 'servant' bit isn't just a historic name. If you join up then you're giving up quite a few liberties the general public have. It's not a job you can just decide to quit.”
“I'd heard a bit about that, yes. Less liberty, more... the system cares for you.”
“Yes, exactly. More responsibilities on both sides. No hope of getting really rich, pretty much no chance of ending up in the gutter either, unless you break your oath of service.”
“Does the fact that you are interviewing me mean that you're not interested in what I saw in the palace either?”
“Unless it's within my area of professional interest — for instance corruption in our civil service, broken promises by our royal family or in the U.N., then no, I'm not interested.”
“And likewise what I did before you met me on the street.”
“If you feel like you'd like to share it with me, just so I can pray with you, then we can meet privately sometime. At the moment, I've got some colleagues watching through that screen to make sure I don't break any laws, so we're not quite private here. If you want to tell it to me so that I can give you an assessment of what impact it'd have on your career options, then that ought to be here.”
“And you don't have the capability to... I don't know... put it on record, so I can say, 'Auditing know all about it' if I do apply?
If you could, it'd mean I don't need to keep on worrying that someone's going to get far more than they bargained for at every interview, and I'm not going to get much sleep.”
“If you're almost sure you're going to apply to the civil service, we can do that. Alternatively, you can write it all down and we'll seal it away just in case you want to apply.”
“I'm not sure I'd want to trust it to a computer.”
“Paper's quite hard to hack.”
“Only 'quite hard'?”
“A few months ago the semi-secret big scandal was bugs in watering cans, a couple of years ago it was note-pads with sensors in to track hand-writing.”
“Oh. That's sort of scary. So was fleeing my home and getting interviewed by Russian Secret Services.”
“Did they give you their names, by the way?”
“The one in the mask got called 'Squirt,' but.. sort of respectfully. I didn't catch the other one's name. Mr Nameless was more... professional, I guess you'd say.”
“Did they ask about your brother?”
“Not ask, no. Squirt told me that if he decided life was getting uncomfortable there, and he needed a more reliable boat, then he ought to tell a certain one of his friends, to say the message came from Squirt, but not to say how I met him. I really don't know what to make of that.”
“I know of Squirt. He has some rather unusual contacts, some of whom don't know his other contacts. You can trust him though.”
“I can trust a Russian security agent?”
“He's a good Christian man. Whether he's actually a Russian Secret Service agent, I really don't know. It might have all been a cunning ruse to get that message to your brother. Have you told him?”
“No.”
“Well, I'd suggest you tell him that while you were in Russia one of his fans, called Squirt, met you. And then pass on the message.”
“But you don't know if Squirt is an agent or not?”
“Mona, I could imagine that Squirt is an agent, or is utterly convincing as an agent but not actually. I know he's a force for light in a dangerous twilight world. I know, and I expect your brother's friend knows that Squirt is very good at finding people, and knows lots of people who are good at finding out things.”
“I don't understand why it doesn't matter if he's an agent or not” Mona said, confused.
“I have a Spiritual gift where I could easily find out too much for my brain to cope with. Ignorance doesn't bother me one bit, it keeps me alive and keeps me sane, and helps me have normal conversations. So I'm not going to ask Squirt who he works for, or try to find out some other way. I don't need to know, and nor do you. If you tell your brother the context that Squirt gave you the message, then your brother might not trust it, and that might cost him dearly. I've spoken to Squirt's wife on occasions, and know some of his history. I don't think I've spoken to him personally, maybe at truthsayer conference. He's a trustworthy guy.”
“And he's really a fan? He said something about the embassy not managing to get in touch with Max about collecting his royalties. But I didn't understand.”
“Maximilian Kepler writes school plays, about corruption, abuse of power and little people managing to avoid getting squashed. I expect Squirtbpointed them out to the Russian office for public education or whatever its name is, and they're getting used either in English classes or someone translated them.”
“One of his friends translates them for the Russian community.”
“Well, there you are, then. It might not even have been Squirt who suggested it. But do pass on the message.”
“I will. I just wish I knew how to contact Max. He said he'd get in contact, but I've heard nothing at all. Sorry, that's not your problem.”
Vivian looked at the young ex-witch. “Mona, do you believe that that's not the sort of thing your new government might care about? And do you believe the creator of the universe loves you enough to direct our conversation to get you to say that in my hearing? We've been a long way off script as far as I'm concerned for quite a while, but this is very much the reason I'm talking to you not the normal guy.”
“Not the fact that we've met before?”
“Not really,” Vivian said, checking on Maximilian's skin. He was frustrated.
She told Mona that. “That's pretty much is normal condition as far as I can tell.”
“His overwhelming thought is frustration all the time? Even when he's writing?”
“No. You're right. And this time of day he'd normally be writing.”
“So... He's not in any prison or other institution. He's actually walking down a parallel road to where the truthsayer's offices are. Would you like me to ask someone there to talk to him?”
“Yes please.”
“Oh, do you know someone called Wendy?”
“One of his friends. Oh, might she be a thought-hearer? I think Max's said one of his friends was.”
[Hello Wendy, if you don't mind passing a message or two back and forward to Max from his sister, please stop. Then I'll listen in to your thoughts.]
“Max,” Wendy said, stopping, “you can stop looking for public phones.”
[Oh, his wrist unit's been blocked?] Vivian asked.
[Worse. Everyone's wrist unit suddenly stops working near his, and near anywhere he's spent significant amounts of time.]
[That's rather antisocial of someone, and it does rather send a message, doesn't it?
I presume that also makes him feel just a bit.. justified.]
[The heavy hand of the law... yes. But also a bit foolish that they know where he's been all along.]
[Let me tell Mona.] Vivian did and passed on Mona's message [Mona wants to say she's feeling welcome here. She is welcome, but she might think she needs to say that since I'm actually a civil servant. She'd also like to pass on a message she got from someone called Squirt who managed to talk to her in Russia. Apparently someone called Dimitri knows him, if that makes any sense.] It did. [The first bit is that there's plenty of space for him and any friends in the old hostel, and under the new management it's a lot more civilised, and the debates are just as much a feature as ever. Dimitri knows the address. The second bit is that the Squirt's heard that the embassy there hasn't been able to trace him to deliver Max's royalties, and the ambassador is getting really nervous about her cousin getting cross with her.]
[The Russian ambassador owes Max some money?] Wendy asked.
[Apparently. Hold on... Oooh {image} those dots are the headmasters of schools in Russia where the kids have performed one of his plays.]
[Performed?]
[Yes.]
[But... that's practically everywhere.]
[There's a lot less dots where they haven't. None where they won't in the next six months. It looks to me like he might just be a bit famous in Russia. No wonder the ambassador is getting nervous.]
[I wonder which play. Oops. I'd better pass that news on to Max.] Wendy said.
[Somehow... I doubt that wrist units will stop working near the Russian embassy. Or if they do, it won't be for long. That sort of intimidation isn't somthing anyone sane would want to try doing to the imperial ambassador of Russia.]
[Hi Vivian, can I interrupt?]
[Hello, Mystery. What can I do of you? And did you include the person I was talking to in that greeting?]
[Should I have?]
[No.] Vivian replied. [I'm anonymous to her at the moment.]
[That's all right then. You were thinking of Russian ambassadors and Mona's brother though. We've just had a request from Svetlana that Mona ask her brother to say hi to the ambassador there.]
[Do you want to pass that on to Wendy or shall I? She's standing right next to the elusive Mr Kepler.]
[Probably better if you do it, if that's OK?]
[Fine.] Vivian thought to Eliza [Wendy, I've just had a message... our government has just been asked by the Russian government to ask Mona to ask her brother to contact their embassy. No, sorry, I'm getting the message confused. Our royal family has just been asked by the Tsarina to pass on that message. In other words, there are probably some navy personel who are being asked why didn't you say he was on board.]
[Tsarina Svetlana herself?]
[Yes.]
[Wants to talk to Max?]
[I'm not sure. She might, but I guess at the very least, her cousin the ambassador must have a message as well as a large pile of cash for him.]
Vivian had been repeating the conversation to Mona, too. She said
“He's going to worry.”
“Russia does not have political prisoners. It has some prisoners who said the wrong things in the wrong place, which is called trying to start a riot.”
“And how many people have Secret Services killed in the last year?”
“One that I'm aware of, about to blow up a train station. They strongly prefer to arrest these days, because there's no risk of trial for the agent involved.”
“Trial?”
“Extra-judicial killings, the so-called rapid justice system, now get juducially assessed post-facto. If there was any doubt or the agent could have reasonably arrested the person rather than executing them, then the agent gets tried for abuse of authority, and possibly even murder.”
“I've never heard that!” Mona exclaimed.
“It's not widely known, but its part of Tsarina Svetlana's drive to totally stamp out corruption. There's often an international member on the oversight panel, I was on it, last year.” Just to Mona she added “That's where I met Squirt's wife.”
[So you expect it would be safe if he went to the Russian embassy?] Wendy asked.
[{image} This is people who will arrest, harm or harrass Maximilian if they are able to. There were dots all over the city. {Image} This is that category under the direct or indirect authority of the Russian state.] To Mona, Viviian said,
“I've just shown Wendy how many people there are who might arrest, harm or harrass your brother if they're able to. There are loads of dots. Under the direct or indirect authority of the Russian state, there's none.”
“He ought to go talk to the ambassador, shouldn't he?”
Wendy said to Maximilian, “I'm convinced, Max. Talk to the Russian ambassador.”
----------------------------------------
16TH FEB 2296, AUTOMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT FROM IHM COMPUTER. 5:25PM ALASKA TIME.
UN Resolution 56747, section fifty-nine, subsection seven, final warning.
At 5:24pm on Jan 16th 2296, Alaska time, an invitation under section fifty nine of resolution 56747 was issued in the city of Anchorage. The invitation was acknowledged after 93 seconds. Since that date, one calendar month has passed. No attempt to accept the invitation has been received by this institution. No notification of a section fifty-nine interview or appointment for interview at another institution has been received. No attempt to explain the delay in arranging the section fifty-nine interview has been received. This automatic announcement constitutes final warning. After twenty hours, the full identity of the person judged in need of a professional psych-counsellor's help will be made public under section fifty-nine subsection eight. Under subsection nine, the person whose identity is published under subsection eight is not to be considered able to fulfil the functions of their office in a balanced or adequate manner.
----------------------------------------
EMBASSY OF RUSSIA, ANCHORAGE 16TH FEB 2296,
Max had arranged with the ambassador that his entire acting group get the same protection he did. She'd readily agreed, but it had taken a while for word to get to everyone. The last to arrive were a couple of young men in their late twenties. They were just being greeted by the others when the ambassador walked in.
“Vasily? What are you doing here?” the ambassador said, shocked at seeing Svetlana's nephew, next in line to the imperial crown after her children.
Vasily shrugged. “Hanging around with interesting people, doing some acting. Translating Max's work into Russian, etcetera.”
“Does your aunt know you're here?”
“Maybe, probably not. Allow me to present Dimitri Yureivich. His mum certainly knows he's here.”
“Welcome, Dimitri. I knew you were in the group. I didn't know about your well-connected friend here.”
“I'm not allowed to use my connections, your excellency.” Vasily said, primly.
“No more than I can. But you're supposed to keep in touch with family, not hide from them. Letting your family know where you are is not the same as using connections.”
“I didn't know anyone was missing me,” Vasily said.
“Well I was wondering why I'd not heard anything about you, and why you haven't been in your normal place on Christmas day recently.”
“You notice things like that?”
“Of course. Now, are you going to introduce me to your friends?”
“I think they've probably guessed,” Vasily said, looking around at the faces looking at him. There was quite the family resemblance. “Boys and girls, lads and lasses, ladies, gentlemen and nobles,” Vasily said floridly “I present to you her excelency the ambassador of the empire of Russia and Taiwan, also known as her grace Tatyana, grand duchess of Volvograd, also known as my dad's cousin. In this company, I'm known as Vasily, your excelency”
“Thank you for the introduction, Vasily. And welcome all of you. Is there anything I can provide?”
“I'm sure Vasily would like an introduction to your secretary,” Dimitri said, having noticed where Vasily's eyes had been most of the time since they'd arrived.
“Hmm,” Tatyana said. “But does she want to be introduced to a wandering story-teller who doesn't think it's important to let his family know what country he's in?”
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Tatyana, that's not fair.”
“I'm family, aren't I? You knew where I was. Did you tell me you were here? No, not one word. And you snuck out of Russia, I bet. Across the straights in some fishing boat?”
“Sorry Tatyana.”
“Kristina, please show this young illegal immigrant to the secure terminal.”
“The secure terminal, your excelency?” Kristina was surprised.
“Absolutely. I do not want to bring shame on our country or the Tsarina by letting his call to his family be intercepted.”
“Who am I going to call?” Vasily asked.
“Your choice. Mum, Dad or Aunt. My preference would be your Aunt. Kristina has the necessary codes. If he does call his aunt, Kristina, make it clear he's calling at my request.”
Looking pained, but obeying, Vasily followed the young woman.
----------------------------------------
EMBASSY OF RUSSIA, ANCHORAGE
“So...” Kristina said, in the terminal room. “I'm not aware of any blood-connection between the Grand duchess of Volvograd and the third son of the Baron of somewhere non-existant in Siberia. I therefore await with extreme interest the discovery of whom your family connections really are, for the obvious reasons that I want to file charges.”
“Sorry Kristina.”
“'Sorry', that's all you can say? Sorry? You ruin my relationship with the guy I was hoping to have as a boyfriend, spend a month chatting me up, three months taking me out to wonderful places, then one night you get me drunk, tie me hand and foot, steal my grandma's jewelery and then vanish with half my savings, and you're sorry.”
“I'm sorry for stealing from you, I'm sorry for misleading you, I'm not sorry if that's the last time you let anyone get you that drunk, you're too nice a person to get raped.”
“And you think that bit of education gets you off?”
“No. But it means I can hope that I can make it up to you. I really did need to get away quickly, I really did mean everythinng I said when I was tying you up.”
“That you were being chased by an organised crime syndicate and needed to vanish?”
“Yes. And the reason I didn't go to the police is that I knew they were in the pay of the syndicate.”
“But you've got connections in high places.”
“You're about to witness how high and how good they are. Make your own judgement.”
“Her excellency seemed moderately happy to see you.”
“I always was her favourite blind spot. Let's see what her imperial majesty auntie Svetlana says. Feel free to say what I did to you.”
“Who's your aunt really?”
In a quiet voice he said, “I am prince Vasily of the imperial house of Russia, and until I was five my father was the Tsareivich. He was then publicly reprimanded, disinherited and demoted. I grew up with a huge chip on my shoulder and meeting you was the first time I ever thought about anyone except myself. I relapsed when I saw the thugs, panicked and have regretted what I did to you quite often since. I won't say every day; that would be dishonest. Did you get the packet I sent you?”
“Who did you steal that necklace from?”
“I told my mother what I'd done, and why. She said I ought to apologise to you face to face, but... I was too scared.”
“That I'd call the police?”
“That too. But mostly that you'd say you hated me and never wanted to see me again.” Vasily said.
“And otherwise you were planning to stay outside Russia and avoid me?”
“Otherwise I was sort of hoping you'd see me at some official function and write an irate letter to me demanding we meet if I was really me. So you could slap me across the face or kick me in the privates, or something like that, which I know I deserve, but not say you didn't want to see me again. Then I decided I was being stupid and of course you didn't want to see me again, and I came here to try to not see people who reminded me of you in every shop, park or restaurant.”
Kristina turned to the screen, and started the connection. “Did it work?” she asked, amazed at her vocal control.
“I think I did some good translating those plays. But no.”
“At her excellency's request, I'm making a secure call for a third party to her Imperial Majesty. Her excellency was explicit that the call be secure.”
Kristina said to the person on the other end. A little later, she said, to a new person, “Her excellency, her grace Tatyana of Volvograd believes her Imperial Majesty will want to take this call personally.”
“She hasn't declared war, has she?”
“Hello Krista,” Vasily said. “Her grace didn't expect me to walk into the embassy, and thought I ought to admit to leaving Russia without a passport.”
“Vasily. I see. Kristina, do you have your stunner?”
“Yes, maam.”
“Consider yourself authorised to use it if he tries to run.” Krista said.
“He's tacitly given me permission to kick him a few times in the privates. Should I do that before or after I stun him?”
“There's not much point in doing it while he's unconscious, unless you actually want to maim him. Which might not be a good idea.”
“Good point,” Kristina conceded.
“Wait a moment, please.” The screen went blank.
“I'm sorry, Kristina.” Vasily said.
“And you think that means I have to forgive you? Just becasue I'm a Christian?
“You are? I prayed you would become one.”
“You're just worried about how hard I kick you.”
“No. I was worried about your eternal soul.”
“You're claiming some faith too?”
“Dimitri was convincing. I stopped trying to be in charge three weeks ago. I won't say I'm good at sticking to that decision, but I made it.”
The screen came on. “Prince Vasily.”
“Imperial Majesty. Her Grace, Grand Duchess Tatyana of Volvograd decided that I should call you, and decided to send me here in the company of a wonderful woman I wronged badly in Sevastopol, though I don't think Her Grace knew that.”
“This would be the young woman you sent your grandmother's necklace to?”
“Yes, imperial highness.”
“What did she suffer from you to deserve such a gift?”
“I fell in love with Kristina, and she with me, and then I stole from her, to save myself a beating or maybe death at the hands of a group of criminals to whom I owed gambling debts. I stole her grandmother's neclace and most of her savings to cover what I owed them and to disappear because I was very late with the payment, and knew their reputation. I stole her hope and I stole her trust and her innocence. And as she thought the necklace I sent her was stolen, I probably stole from her any pleasure she might have in owning it.”
“Kristina?”
“Yes Imperial Majesty?”
“You still have the necklace?”
“Yes, Imperial Majesty.”
“Know that it was once part of the Imperial jewels, and was given to the prince's mother upon her marriage into the Imperial family by the Tsarina. If you or your children or grandchildren do not wish to keep it, then please offer it back to my family. We would not like to lose it to some foriegner. You will assuredly be paid its full value.”
“I do not know its full value, Imperial Majesty.”
“Me neither. More than most people earn in their lifetime, but that's poor recompense for Vasily's crimes.”
“Aunt, I think Kristina is now worrying about how she can keep it safe. Could it be guarded as though it were an embassy treasure?”
“Certainly. And you may ask on my authority for it to be protected at any royal museum or palace when you are not working at an embassy, Kristina. Now.... Vasily does your presence mean you're in bigger trouble than usual, or merely that you've decided to stop thinking you can solve all your own problems?”
“I know I can't solve all my own problems, aunt. I can't solve how I feel about Kristina, I can't solve the fact I don't have a passport, and I can't solve my sin. So I've realised that having thrown myself on God's mercy a few weeks ago, that might be a good precedent.”
“Hmm. And have you asked Krista what she thinks about you?”
“She said she wants to press charges and kick me a few times.”
“But he keeps on apologising and hinting that he thinks he's in love with me still or at least would like to be, so if I do everything I promised myself I would do to him, or get him thrown in jail, I'm going to wonder if I've done something as stupid as when I let him get me drunk. And why do I want vengeance, when that's God's? I don't know what to do.”
“That's probably a good starting point,” Svetlana said. “Vasily. If I hear that you have caused further distress to this woman or run away from any trouble you have caused, you will be hunted down under my direct order.”
“I understand, Imperial Majesty.”
“Good. Now you will extend a royal invitation to Maximilian Kepler and his friends to St Petersburg. You yourself will stay to work as a cleaner, maintenance man and general purpose serf in the emabssy there until you have earned enough for two-normal price return tickets home by commercial carrier and the standard fee for emergency travel documents.”
“I am paying for my guard's ticket too?”
“Exactly.”
“I understand, Imperial Majesty. Thank you for your leniance.”
“I'm not finished.”
“I listen, Majesty.”
“You may not use any other monies you have or receive to pay for that ticket only what you earn at the embassy. Your coming to Russia will be to apologise to your parents and to return to Alaska with valid papers. You will at all times behave in a manner that befits your station within the embassy as someone who knows he has been a disgrace to his name and position and to outsiders as one bearing the honour of the Imperial family. In such an event that there is an embassy ball or other event you will act as gracious co-host alongside Tatanyia, but giving full preference to her.
If on such an occasion Kristina decides she wishes to dance with you, then you will fully comply with her wishes, if she decides to shun you, you will not raise a single word of protest, nor will you approach her for a dance, unless she has asked you to do so before-hand. If anyone asks where she got the necklace, you will tell him or her you gave it to her as an apology for a gross insult when you were young and selfish. You will not expand futher on what you did to her.”
“You are kind to me, Aunt.”
“If Kristina eventually decides she wants to introduce you to her parents, you will pay for their travel, first class, out of your own pocket. The same goes for any other prospective parents-in-law should Kristina decide to utterly reject you.”
“From my own pocket? How will I afford such a sum?”
“Through taking up your duties as a prince, silly boy. Your father will explain them, I'm sure, when you visit.”
“May I ask, Aunt, how long I am banished from Russia?”
“That depends on the reports I get from those I trust.”
“I understand, Imperial Majesty. I am to become a reformed character.”
“Exactly. And you may not choose a wife without my permission. Remember that.”
“Not even if it is Kristina?”
“I will speak to Kristina some time in the future. For the moment, Kristina, I expect you to be very cautious about this man. He is a charmer, and has shown himself utterly self-centred in the past. More than you know. That is a kind of mental illness.
We can pray he has changed, is being healed, but do not demand a bigger miracle than God is prepared to give.”
“Aunt Svetlana. I agree, I have been ill, probably I still am ill. My earnings as a waged serf will not pay for counselling. May I seek section fifty-five help?”
“Remind me of section fifty-five help, nephew.”
“The Anchorage Institute are not taking on patients. But section fifty five says they must stand ready to provide counselling assistance to a person in authority who voluntarily approaches to determine their ability to carry out their function. Such a request, made through the embassy, leaves them no choice if they wish to keep their status. If they agree I'm nuts then it would be up to them to determine when I'm mentally fit to take up my duties. I would like to give Kristina that assurance before she makes any descisons about me. I don't want to hurt her again. But... such help would not be cheap.”
“Vasily, Vasily,” Svetlana said, “Money has never been the problem, or I wouldn't have approved your mother giving your broken-hearted girlfriend-victim a king's ransom in diamonds. Of course you may seek help. I had hoped the Anchorage
Institute would change its decision in the light of recent events. I had not thought of forcing them to open their doors to you, but then it had to be your decision. It is an excellent idea, and since you have made it, I will not allow you to take up any authority without their approval.”
“And if they do not believe I'm sick?”
“Kristina, would you be willing to accompany my dangerous shark of a nephew to the interview, taking with your necklace with you? And perhaps if you have a photograph of the one he stole? I think letting them see how highly he values you, and describing what he did might help them reach the right conclusion.”
“Might it not prove that he's infatuated with me and they decide they need to cure him of that?”
“An infatuated lover seems fun, but it doesn't help when there are nappies to change, or when you need to be forgiven for screaming and lashing out at him. Love helps and forgives, infatuation watches from afar or sulks like a hurt puppy. Get him over infatuation if you possibly can, then you have a much greater chance of meeting the real Vasily Andreivich.”
“Do you return to me my patronymic, beloved aunt?” Vasily asked.
“I will speak to your father that you are on the correct path at last. I will not deprive him of his decision but I remind you of the possibility.”
----------------------------------------
ANCHORAGE INSTITUTE FOR MENTAL HEALTH. 4PM, 16 FEB 2296
When the King of Alaska had demanded their building for his palace, the Anchorage Institute's director had decided against a direct conflict with the king, and so had given up their home building, rationalising it with the thought that their research and other activities could continue without serious harm, and the psych-conselling side of their activities had never been that profitable. They had signed a ten year lease, apologised to their single client and made other arrangements for her. Then they head moved into rented office space in what had once been some flats.
The heavily armoured embassy vehicle would not have looked out of place at the grand old office, but it looked very out of place here. Nevertheless, it stopped outside the building. Before anyone opened a door, another vehicle pulled up, and a squad of guards formed a perimiter around the vehicle. A powerfully built young man with unuly hair and a smart, ill-fitting suit and winter coat got out, and held the door open for two women. The older was wearing a richly embroidered fur coat and a tiara.
The younger was dressed less ostentatioulsy, but part of a diamond necklace could be seen at her throat.
The secretary had seen the flag on the embassy car, guessed what it meant and had done what she felt any sensible person might do; she said to the director in the next door office “Sorry, sir, I need a toilet break,” and fled.
She got out of the initial firing line just on time.
“Good afternoon,” the older woman said. “I am the ambassador of Imperial Russia, I am here to confirm that this young man is who he says he is.”
“I am prince Vasily of the Imperial family, and I seek help under section fifty-five of Resolution 56747.”
“I make myself available to give testimony concerning his highness's need for help, if that is necessary.”
“We... we no longer offer psyche-councelling, we do not have the facilities.”
Tatyana was not impressed. “I have just been reading a deposition to the United Nations that stated that you would temporarily be vacating the normal location, but that the fundamental operations of the Institute would contnue unaffected. I understand that you no longer take normal psyche-councelling appointments, however my cousin has finally admitted that the reason we his family are not allowing him to take up his role is that he is mentally unwell, and hebwishes to be better. We are very happy he has taken this step, and see it as a massive improvement but recognise he needs professional help. He is here, fully of his own idea — he suggested a section ffity-five interview to his aunt, her Imperial Majesty, and according to your audited accounts you have a number of qualified psych-counsellors on staff. If you do not have secure facilities here, then the embassy is happy to provide them, inbexchange for a reasonable reduction in the treatment costs, of course.”
“Madam ambassador, urm...”
“I believe the terms of the resolution are quite clear,” Vasily said, “A section fifty-five interview must be granted, and if the institute agrees that the problem is mental and not physical, then a treatment plan will be agreed to.”
“Let the man speak, cousin.” Tatyana chided, “Maybe he's new here.”
“I am not new, madam ambassador, I am in fact the director, however the request is impossible to respond to.”
“How so? This is the Anchorage institute is it not? A protected institution under U.N. resolution 56747?”
“Yes, your excellency.”
“So you are required to meet the very reasonable request of the Prince under that resolution, are you not?”
“We don't have any staff available.”
“Mr Director, I believe you are struggling to form a sentence that can I understand. Maybe my English is not as good as I thought? Are you saying that we're here at an inconvenient time, that your staff are currently occupied elsewhere, or are you saying that your accounts are a fabrication and you are operating in violation of the U.N charter?”
“Excuse me while I speak to a colleague, madam Ambassador” he said, and ducked through a doorway.
In Russian, Vasily said “I think I might fit in well here. They don't know if they're breaking the law by being here, and I don't know if I am by being here, either. Please, cousin, don't press too hard for that discount.”
“Oh, all right.”
“May I offer you a drink while you're waiting?” the secretary asked, emerging from her protective cocoon as she heard the tone of the conversation change from behind the door.
“Certainly,” Vasily said, deciding to push his luck, “I'll have a large whisky, like the director probably is, and I expect Kristina will have a Martini, unless I gave her such a complete shock to the system when I robbed her that she's teetotal now...”
“Three teas, please,” Tatyana said, “and ignore my trouble-maker of a cousin. He's just trying to be charming.”
“Actually I was just trying to flap the unflappable secretary, and find out how much damage I did to Kristina at the same time, your Excellency. Tea would be lovely. Do you have yak butter?”
“Yes sir, would you like rancid or fresh?”
“Touché” Vasily said, “I admit defeat. Half a centimetre of pasturised cow's milk please.”
“Will sterilised do? We only keep it for visitors. Yak butter is much better.”
“Fresh yak butter in mine please,” Kristina said, smiling. “You should always be prepared to try something new, highness,”
“New? I spent almost a year hiding so far off the beaten tracks that I had to earn my keep milking naks, which is to say female yaks, and making yak butter. Some tastes just bring back too many bad memories of fleas, frozen fingers and bruises.”
“Certain people's faces and voices do roughly the same thing.”
“Sorry Kristina,” Vasily said, his light-hearted mood broken.
Turning away, his heart aching at how he had hurt her, he went to the wall, pretending to look at a picture. His only comfort was that she'd not said she never wanted to see him again. How could she not say that? Was it because of Svetlana's order to him? Kristina saw her few words strike home deeply, and his bravado collapse. Part of her rejoiced in her power to hurt him back. Part of her was shocked at herself for rejoicing in another's pain. Another part nagged at her to be polite, to tell him the lie that it was all OK, that she'd got over it.
But she couldn't do that; She couldn't reassure him, not just because it was a lie, but she hadn't. She didn't want to reassure him. She wasn't sure she would get over it, she wasn't sure she wanted to. That barrier of pain that kept him out felt comfortable and safe. It probably wasn't healthy, but it was where she was at the moment. She didn't want to be vulnerable and exposed. Maybe she should have expressed her pain and anger by screaming and punching him, maybe she still should, whispered a voice. The same one that had whispered to her, years before, that she was happy and she was with the man she loved and who loved her, and maybe she didn't mind what happened as long he had his strong protecting arms around her. Maybe she should pretend to be more drunk than she was, and see what happened. She'd listened to that voice, then and those 'protecting' arms had become tormenting, restraining, and instead of stroking her throat, and shoulders his hands had stolen her necklace. Instead of half-expected alcohol-fueled intimacy she'd been bound, gagged, robbed. He'd had a knife. He'd spoken of his desperate need for money, and had made her empty her bank account She didn't want to touch him; she'd probably scream at the awakened terror. Why did she still feel the same thrill in her spine when he said her name?
“Kristina?” Tatyana's concerned voice snapped her out of her churning thoughts.
“Sorry.”
“Kristina, you were white and shaking.”
“I'm not surprised. Reliving a knife being held to my throat. Maybe I need help too.”
“I didn't hold a knife to your throat, Kristina!” Vasily protested.
“Sometimes I know that. Bad dreams answering 'what ifs' are less certain.”
The secretary looked between the two young people. “I'm afraid I don't know why you're here.”
“His Imperial Highness Prince Vasily turned up at the embassy today and has admittted he needs help. Thus he requests a section fifty-five interview. As one of his victims, now reliving visions of what might have happened last time I saw him, maybe I do too. The director ran away to consult with colleagues, he said.”
“Huh,” said the secretary. “More likely with a lawyer. Will you allow me to call an ex-colleague?”
“Certainly,” Tatyana said.
The secretary dialed a number from memory “Trevor?” she said, “Rosalind. Her excellency the ambassador of Russia is here with two young people needing help. At least one needs a section fifty-five interview, the young lady who I believe works at the embassy, yes, she's nodding, has just had a visibly traumatic minute-long flashback to when he might have held a knife to her throat but didn't, so I think she's not going to be able to function too well, either. I expect if you felt like staging that 'just happened to be passing dramatic come-back' to rescue the institute from its errant ways you've talked about, now would be a really good time to wander past. Ten minutes? Great!”
She turned to the visitors, and whisperred “urm, you didn't hear me undermining my employer just now did you?”
“I'm sure we didn't hear you say anything like that, Rosalind.” Vasily whispered back. “For one thing it's rude to listen to other people's phone conversations and secondly I am sure I only heard you arranging section fifty-five interviews for me and maybe Kristina under the auspices of the the Institute. Feel free to ask for a signed statement to that effect.”
Tatyana said, to her mute appeal. “Vasily is well known for being so self-centred and single-minded that he tries to avoid the bad thing that's currently got his attention at any cost, no matter if that's to himself or those he knows and even claims to love. I'm quite sure he wouldn't go to any trouble to help you if it wasn't in his interests.
That would be entirely out of character. Hence, I must have misheard.”
“Urm, cousin, that's not exactly a nice thing to say about me.”
“I'd never say something like that behind your back, Vasily, don't worry. And I still love you. But it's true, isn't it?”
“I hope it's not quite true any more, Tatyana. If nothing else, I can think of several nasty things I want to avoid right now, to several people. Should Kristina be a section fifty-five too?”
“Kristina is not in a position of authority. However, I think the sudden way you've come back onto the scene has reopened a few wounds, and I'm certainly going to authorise payment assuming the institute wants some income instead of a lawsuit in the United Nations.”
The director had entered just in time to hear that blunt choice and he decided he wasn't going to try to argue with this woman. “Rosalind, please see if Trevor or perhaps Jazmine would be willing to come in?”
“Certainly sir.” Rosalind said. “Might I suggest that Jasmine would be best for the young lady's needs?”
“Another chapter fifty-five interview? I thought she was just going to provide supporting evidence.”
“From what I've seen while you were conferring, sir, I'd say her needs are more acute. Jazmine, it's Roz. Lovely to speak to you after so long too. Are you still near the Russian Embassy? Oh? OK, well, this is actually an official call. I've got a young lady here who urgently needs a long chat. I don't know all the details, but I saw her going through a traumatic flash-back that is related to a 'you didn't but you might have' from the section fifty-five guy who has just turned up from the back of beyond at the embassy. Her excellency the Ambassador of Russia is here and supportive of them both getting help. Yes, certainly! I think the young VIP is more a Trevor type of problem, I hope you won't mind sharing. Yes, a real reunion. Well, maybe we can borrow a basement room again, or something. Her excellency has offered interview rooms in the embassy, if nothing else works. Oh! Trevor's just walked in, I guess I don't need to call him!”
“Mr director, can we talk about things like financial matters?” Tatyana asked. He ushered her to his office, but she deliberately didn't shut the door, explaining, “The Tsarina doesn't really trust her nephew not to vanish again, and would prefer I keep him in sight.”
“Are you a qualified psych counsellor?” Vasily asked the man in his late fiftys who'd just walked in.
“Yes,” Trevor said.
“Good. I'm probably a psychopath or some other emotive word. What do you call someone who robs their girlfriend at almost knife-point while still being madly in love with her, because he's just seen some underworld enforcers he owes money to? Other than me, five years ago?”
“I think, young sir, I'd like to call such a person my client, assuming that someone can persuade the director to give me my old job back.”
“Her excellency my cousin can be quite persuasive. Aunt Svetlana and her ambassador to the U.N, tend to be even more so.”
“Vasily, weren't you ever told when you were little to not use your connections?” Tatyana asked from the office.
“Only to father and grandfather. Otherwise I had to tell people not to use their connections to me and then my world changed and father was in disgrace, and I stopped listening. I have a few more months of being nominal heir to the throne, please allow me some leeway. Kristina, you've gone pale again.”
In Russian, Kristina said “No one told me you were heir to the throne! Kicking you into a pulp isn't sobtempting any more.”
“Oh you don't worry about that. I'm probably an insane criminal, no one's going to actually offer me the throne. I'd be an even bigger disaster than dad in peace-time or war. Dad once told me he would have been fine as long as there were actually some enemies to fight, it was impressing grandad during peace-time he couldn't cope with. Poor grandad; studied philosophy, reformed the constitution while no one was looking and by the time he died the male line consisted of a war-monger, a maniac, an artist and a teenager. Let all Russia rejoice God has given them aunty Svetlana, and may she have twins or triplets and keep me away from the throne.”
“You mean that, don't you?” Tatyana asked, turning away from her discussion from the director again.
“I have realised that I cannot rule my own life, only bring disaster and pain to myself and those near me. I have enough patriotism not to desire that for Russia, cousin. Translating plays seems a lot safer for the planet, and it's fun too.”
“Imperial Highness,” Trevor said, “I ought to admit I understand some of your native tongue. I'm not sure the reception area is really the place to discuss the succession or your legal status...”
“Speaking of which, it might be better if future discussions were held at the embassy. That's only because I'm not counted sane enough to have a passport, you understand.”
“I'm told that's not exactly the reason, but it'll do for now,” Kristina supplied, “Oh, and her excellency thought it might save some time if I told you about this necklace.”
“It's connected to this young man's mental state?”
“Yes. And mine.”
“Jasmine is on her way, Trevor.”
“Let's wait until she gets here then.”
----------------------------------------
MEETING ROOM, ANCHORAGE INSTITUTE, 4:20PM
Sipping her tea, and wondering how horrible the sterilised milk would have been a that this was a better idea, Kristina began her story. Vasily had agreed to wait next door, so she could speak without him interrupting. “Five years ago I was a student, as was Vasily. He chatted to me and right in front of the guy I'd been after for ages he declared I was going to be his girlfriend. He was charming and funny and won me over in the end. For six months I was his girlfriend and I was eventually hoping he'd propose to me, even though some things seemed a bit odd. He pretended to be the eldest son of the baron of a small place in Siberia, but I couldn't find it on any map program. He admitted that it was a lie, but swore he was noble, and that he'd tell me the truth before he proposed. “One night, saying it was the anniversary of when he'd first noticed me, he took me out to a restaurant. There, he spiked my drink and got me drunk; he took me back to my flat, where he tied me up while saying he loved me but said he needed lots of money. He threatened me and made me empty my savings account into his. Then he robbed me of my grandmother's necklace as well. It had three smallish diamonds in it. Because I'd done the transfer, and my scars were only psychological not physical, the police and the bank and the insurance company said there was no evidence that I hadn't given them to him as a gift. I'd had nightmares and was confused about whether he'd threatened me with a knife or not. The truthsayer said I wasn't lying, but I was confusing fact and dream and all they could be certain of was that I felt guilty and a fool for letting him get me drunk, that he'd left me gagged and tied, and now the necklace was gone and so was the money.
“About a year later, he sent me a parcel: this necklace, with a note saying he was sorry for taking the necklace, and hoped this would compensate, that he wanted to explain everything but was terrified I would tell him I hated him and never wanted to see him again, but would try to be in touch later.
"That scared me. He'd vanished totally, as if he'd never existed, except for the trail of debt he left behind, and his half-finished essay in his room. I'd decided he must be a total fraud, but I was pretty certain that if he did come back, he'd be able to convince me that he loved me and that I loved him and I'd be end up being caught up in his life of fraud and crime. I moved house soon afterwards, with strict instructions from the police to my former landlord to forward letters via the university but not tell anyone where I lived.
“I guessed the necklace was probably stolen, but didn't find it in any lists from interpol, so I buried it at the bottom of my wardrobe, not wanting to think about all the memories it stirred up. Today he walked back into my life, at the embassy, and her excellency greeted him as a cousin before I could recover from my shock and denounce him as a thief. He claims to have never stopped loving me, despite the fact that he never wrote or got in contact after sending the necklace, and every time I mention how I feel or what he's done to me he apologises, and then a few minutes later he's all jokes and charm as though nothing's changed. The ambassador didn't know about all this, and told mento take him to a very secure part of the embassy and put him in touch with is aunt. That turned out to be the Tsarina herself.
“Quarter of an hour ago I learned that on paper he's next in line to the throne of Russia. When he were talking to the Tsarina he explained what he'd done to me, and why I ought to hate him. She told me that the necklace is from the crown jewels, and she'd set the Secret Service to hunt him down if he did anything to upset me again. And she set various conditions on how long he's got to behave well before she lets him back into Russia, it's going to take a while, so she reminded him he needed to ask her permission to get engaged. He immediately asked if that included to me too. It's like.... he just thinks he can say sorry and I'll forgive him because we're both Chistians now, and then it'll be all like it was before he trampled my hopes and feelings and dreams into the ground and left me tied up and gagged in my bathroom for two and a half days.” Then in a whisper she added “And I'm utterly terrified he might be right, but that part of me will be constantly watching him for signs that he's going to do it again and one day I'll snap and stick a carving knife in his guts and ever so slowly twist and twist and tell him I love him while I'm doing it, like I dreamed of doing when I was tied up on my toilet. He's afraid I'll say I hate him, and utterly reject him. He ought to be terrified of what might happen if I don't.”
Trevor looked at Jasmine and said, “Well Jasmine, it looks like we've both got some work to do.”
----------------------------------------