Nicolai emerged from the painting to find guns pointed at him, and his shield snapped into existence as he sidestepped, raising his gun-limb. He recognised an ally and connected to them over Local, querying them as to what was going on.
‘What?’ they replied, in a manner that suggested confusion.
His gaze was drawn to the shadows, which flowed in endless, thick streams over walls that seemed to rise endlessly and endlessly, the ceiling disappearing up and up and up, everything around him stretching and pouring. The figures surrounding him grew thin and tall and looming, gun-barrels pointing down in judgement.
Threat Analysis started beeping, drawing his attention inwards where he found the darkness extending thick tendrils out of the cage, roving through him. Nicolai and the Mask engaged it, working to corral the dark and return it to its cage. It was surprisingly easy. His thoughts ran differently to before. He saw the world in a more binary fashion.
The dark was just a dangerous program which had gotten loose from its sandbox. He just had to put it back inside, and he did so. Everything snapped back, normality returning. Nicolai let out a breath of air, coming awake. As he did so, he felt his thoughts change, loosening from their previous schema, his Mask firming on his face, and he recognised the people around him.
The others were already lowering their weapons, looking confused, so he surmised that they must have worried he may have been killed by the spirit, that it had been about to emerge.
‘It’s done,’ he grunted, casting a glance back at the painting. There was a red stain in the centre of it, widening and widening, consuming it.
‘What happened in there?’ asked Karl, staring at him through narrowed eyes.
‘I killed the thing,’ said Nicolai.
‘We saw a killbot in the painting,’ said John.
Nicolai stared blankly at them. Right. They saw what happened, then. For some reason, he hadn’t expected that. What did this mean? What should he do? How clearly had they seen? He opened his mouth to say something then stopped himself. This wasn’t a time to let out some blithe, thoughtless lie. He needed more information.
‘What do you mean?’ he asked, looking as confused as he could manage.
‘A killbot, that came right up to the painting… and then you emerged,’ said Karl.
‘What else did you see?’
‘We saw you go in, and walk out the corridor, and then it all got confusing,’ said Perro. ‘You disappeared, and the other thing did, too, but there was other stuff that appeared, a dragon, and this giant thing, and a killbot.’
‘I see,’ Nicolai summoned a smile. ‘In the painted world, one may take on any form they wish. That thing was going for all these fantasy shapes. I chose a killbot, and was strong enough to kill it.’ He looked to Karl. ‘Why? Did you think I’m a killbot?’
He laughed, because that was patently absurd and they would all know that. He didn’t need to try to lie, or to cover it up, because the truth of the matter—whatever that might be—was unbelievable. So, surely none of them would believe it.
They frowned uncertainly at him, exchanging glances. Most were shrugging, accepting his words, convinced, but not all. Some were giving him odd looks. Jo and Perro’s expression were near mirror images, both looking very thoughtful and far from convinced. And Karl’s suspicious gaze was, well, more suspicious than ever.
There was nothing to be done about any lingering suspicions; saying more in a further attempt to convince them would only draw more attention to the matter, make them aware it was important to him.
Nicolai did not want anyone to know of that portion of his history. He didn’t see any possible benefit to be gained by speaking on Zero-Twelve at the current time, only the risk of exposure, mistrust, and the possibility that such an admission could somehow, in time, find its way to the people he least wanted to hear it: GRECKON. He wanted to remain in the shadows until he struck, just a bot that had been lost in the chaos of Heaven’s arrival.
Best to just move on quickly. He scanned them thoughtfully, reminded of one of his new goals. ‘Did any of you ever work for GRECKON?’
‘I was in one of their refineries,’ said John.
‘Did some jobs for them, least I think so,’ said Cait.
‘They funded the force I was with,’ said Karl, watching him through narrowed eyes.
‘They…’
‘Right,’ Nicolai waved the words away. Of course. GRECKON had their fingers in just about every pie there was. He wasn’t looking for the billions of people who’d been used by them in some way or another. He was looking for the higher-ups. Such individuals would be recognisable, notable. No need to ask everyone he met.
‘Is it done, then?’ he asked Jo.
She didn’t answer, staring at him. He frowned at her, and was surprised to receive a Link communication.
‘Is what you said earlier true? About just taking on that form just like that?’
Nicolai gritted his teeth as he showed a strained smile. ‘Jo, is it done?’ he asked again. ‘This is not the time,’ he snarled at her over Local.
‘I’ve been wondering,’ she continued, her tone slow, almost as though talking to herself. ‘How could a Raw be so good with tech? How could a Raw take a drone so easily from me? You know, most people would just imagine a big gun or something. That was a very accurate depiction of a killbot. And just now, when you emerged. You sent me a message. I have it stored. It was… in binary.’
The shadows were pulsing. He didn’t know what expression was on his face, but her eyes met his own and she flinched, paling, looking around at the others.
‘Uh, yeah, yeah,’ she began with a start. ‘That’s right. Quest complete. Contract removed. Haha. Thank you.’
‘My pleasure.’ Nicolai ground out, his eyes flicking to the others. They must be aware something had happened due to the lengthy pause. He caught looks between the rest of the group, sensed that something was brewing with his Soul Sense. But his eyes narrowed when he realised it wasn’t what he’d feared. For the majority of them the possibility of him being, in some way, somehow, a killbot, was indeed simply ridiculous. Unbelievable. It was only Perro, Karl, and obviously Jo who suspected more.
No. That wasn’t what was brewing in the glances John and Cait were exchanging, and old Ben’s raised eyebrows when they looked to him. This was something else, something of a much more material and grounded nature. Nicolai almost smiled, then. Because he felt he knew what this was, and it was something he was well prepared to deal with. An opportunity he’d been waiting for. The matter of Jo’s suspicions, and whatever Perro was thinking, could be dealt with later. As to Karl, his time was limited anyway.
John had tried to speak with him a few times in the past day, as had Cait. Nicolai had pushed them off, saying he needed to deal with Jo’s painting problem. Now it was done he couldn’t keep pushing them away. A faint thrill stirred within him. Another fight, of a different kind.
‘There’s something we need to talk about,’ said John.
Nicolai met the man’s gaze expectantly. ‘Go on.’
‘The Trade Link. We want access to it.’
Jo and Beth’s features turned nervous, flicking glances at Nicolai. Likely expecting he would put them on the spot again. They needn’t worry. Nicolai recognised that was no longer an option. Old Ben had been talking, he could see it in John’s eyes and the way the old man avoided his gaze. They knew that Nicolai was the one making the decisions.
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John made this clear in the next moment, raising a hand. ‘And don’t say it’s up to these two.’ He gestured to Jo and Beth. ‘It’s not. We’re not idiots. We can see that.’
Nicolai formed a smile, doing his best to stop his Mask’s worry from infecting his face, and took count of how many of them there were, and where everyone stood, and the guns they held, and how ready they were.
‘I will not be sharing the location of the Trade Link,’ he said.
‘Why?’ Cait asked. She, along with the rest of them, didn’t look happy. Confused and upset and angered.
‘Because a secret, once shared, is no longer a secret,’ he said. ‘The more who know where it is, the more likely its location will be exposed. What happens then? The moment the Chosen—or anyone else in this place—finds out about it they will come for it. For us. What if one of us is captured and spills the beans? We’d lose it. Right now, all of you can benefit from it; through me. Why risk it?’
‘Because you might die. What then?’ said John.
‘I won’t die.’
‘No. You can’t know that. And why is it fine for you three to know, but not us? It seems to me the secret is already shared—just not with us. Why do you trust these two girls so much, and us so little? I thought we were a group?’
How much to tell? Not everything, but a little should be fine. ‘We have a Contract regarding the Trade Link, me and them. None of us can share the location of the Trade Link unless all three of us agree.’
‘Fine then,’ John said with a smile. ‘Then we can all form a Contract, too.’
Nicolai was about to bring up the fact the Contracts didn’t last forever, when he remembered Kleos. The head was still unaware of that fact, and this wasn’t to time to reveal his omission to it.
‘My slots are full, I can make no more Contracts,’ he said instead.
‘Be a little inventive,’ spoke up old Ben. ‘We don’t have to make it with you, we can make Contracts with one another, promising that we won’t share the information. It’ll work just as well.’
‘But what if both people decide to share? No.’ Nicolai shook his head. ‘It’s too risky.’
‘Doesn’t that also apply to you three?’ John nodded to Nicolai and the girls. ‘How do we know you lot won’t decide to share it?’
‘It does apply. Which goes back to my first point; the fewer who know a secret, the better. We count as one unit holding that secret. The risk is magnified with every new pair that knows it.’
John let out a frustrated sigh. ‘Why is it even so important? We’ve no idea how this castle will look in the coming weeks and months. Maybe there are many Trade Links, maybe everyone has one—except for us.’
Nicolai shrugged. ‘If that transpires to be the case, I will share it with you. But for now, it is not.’ Nicolai didn’t wait for the scowling John to summon another point. ‘Let me tell you all my plan,’ he said, his tone inviting. ‘I want to become traders. All of us, together. Me, Jo and Beth will buy things from the Trade Link. Then, we will sell those things to the others in this place. The Chosen have a strangle-hold on their Trade Link and as a result there is a void waiting to be filled. All the people here who aren’t Chosen are in dire need of the weapons and resources a Trade Link can provide. We can capitalise on that. But, I can’t do that with just myself and these two.’ He nodded to Beth and Jo. ‘We need muscle, numbers. That’s where you guys come in. When we go to sell, you’ll come with us as protection. We will continue to work as a group; the Trade Link remaining as secret as possible is simply the best way to protect ourselves.’
What he’d said about needing muscle was true, in a way. If it was just him and two others, any big group would be inclined to try and simply kill them or take them prisoner. Even looking as dangerous as possible, three people was three people and larger groups would have an instinctively simplistic view; big group beats small. Even with he and the girls well armed, and other groups not, this would incline them to do something foolish. Not to mention, Jo and Beth were both young woman with no surface augmentations, and he was similarly lacking in visible augments.
There were no two ways about it. They’d look weak.
This would lead to many trades becoming fights to the death. Nicolai wasn’t particularly worried about losing those fights, and he would still gain the points-tags he wanted. But he’d also lose those people as repeat customers, which he felt would be sub-optimal (considering the fact of Challenges, all groups would be gradually accruing more points-tags; if left alive), as well as have to waste ammo killing them. Ammo that was very expensive, which could lead to those gone-wrong trades giving very little profit, or even a loss.
Simply growing the number from three to say, seven or eight, all armed, would change things significantly. Groups would be much less inclined to attack, and Nicolai would be able to reliably extract the optimum value from each trade.
‘And what—‘ began John.
‘Wait. I’m getting to that. Obviously, you’ll deserve payment. Weapons. Resources. All of you will get a cut from what we trade with the other groups here, that will be your benefit. Together, we will thrive and grow stronger. All that you need to do… is work with me.’
They were all exchanging thoughtful glances now, even John looking a little swayed. Nicolai was pleased none of them had thought to press him on the exact size of their cut.
That was when old Ben spoke up. ‘You’re just putting yourself into position to become some kind of corporate overlord of us. Same shit, new world.’
‘Ben’s right,’ said a scowling Karl. ‘He’s not even told us what anything costs from the Trade Link. He see’s us as the same as these other groups he’s talking about. People to use and gain from.’ He turned to the others. ‘How bad of a deal do you think he’s giving us, on what he’s bought from the Trade Link?’
All very good and pertinent points. Need to nip this in the bud ASAP. ‘Where’d you get that gun, Karl?’ Nicolai broke in. ‘Where’d you get those clothes? The food rations you ate this morning? The bed you slept on? The bog roll you wiped your ass with? Who went out and brought it back for you?’
‘I—‘ Karl began, only for Nicolai to immediately cut him off.
‘No. I. I did. So what’s the big deal?’ Nicolai looked to all of them, struggling not to smile, suddenly eager. The moment had come. ‘Thing’s are good right now, aren’t they? But they weren’t always so good. Let’s all take a little trip down memory lane.’
He walked a few steps to the side then waved at a blank stretch of wall. ‘There you are,’ he said, as though painting an imaginary scene on the stone. ‘Just been chased out of your old place by the Chosen. How many people did you lose?’ He shook his head sadly. ‘Quite a few, I believe.’
He stepped over to the next section of wall, waving once more. ‘Ah, and there you hide in that shitty little room. Waiting to die to the creatures in the night when they inevitably overcome your barricade.’
Another step, another gesture. ‘But what’s this? Someone new arrives. It’s me!’ He chuckled. ‘Less than a day later you’re somewhere safe, truly safe! Only, then what? Oh no, the traitor!’ He formed a wide-eyed, shocked face as he looked over at them, then he pointed at himself. ‘Luckily, I was there, and I caught him in the act. I saved you. Again. And then what? Then the Chosen came once more, but I killed them, and I saved you, and I took you here. I brought you to safety!’
He was facing them now, the false passion in his voice and his features reaching out to them. ‘Again and again, I save you, I protect you. And now you have weapons, and beds, and food, and true safety. But what do you do?’ He sighed and ran a hand over his face. ‘You doubt me, and you press me. You rattle this wonderful warm house I have built for you, digging and digging at its foundations.’ He stared sadly at the imagined image on the wall. He shook his head with dismay. ‘And all the while you cry out to me: why is the house falling down, Nicolai?’
Nicolai lowered his hands, and sighed, and made himself look as though the very weight of the word was pressing down on him—but he held himself with noble strength, somehow holding it back.
They stared at him. Some mouths hung open in shock, some faces were drawn with concern, but many were thoughtful, and even remorseful. Except for Azure, who looked on the edge of laughter.
He stood straight and looked to John. ‘You are right. There is something we need to talk about.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘It is time we ended this charade. I am capable. I know what I am doing in this new world. If you all stick with me, and work with me, and follow my instructions… not only will you survive, you will prosper.’ His words had descended from the peak of passion and were now smooth and practised. He’d been preparing for this day for some time, had thought on what he would say when the time came.
Time for the closing statement. He looked over them all, injecting certainty and assurance into his face and his voice, drawing on various vaguely remembered speeches. It wasn’t so much about the words, in his opinion. It was about how you said them. But even so, good words were always better than bad.
‘The time for arguments, for uncertainty, for fear… is past. From now on, we prosper. Together. I shall lead, and I will make us the strongest, safest, richest group in this place.’
His gaze turned to John, who stood rigid as a fence post, mouth half open with shock, radiating confusion and anger. Nicolai pressed quickly close, lowering his voice. ‘The burden of leadership is heavy,’ he murmured, gazing into John’s eyes, entreating. He curved his mouth into a kindly smile. ‘I see how it wears at you. Let it bend my shoulders, not yours.’
He looked to the rest, smile fading to be replaced by a mask of solemn determination. ‘Otherwise, I think we shall have to part ways.’
‘We’re not leaving this place,’ Cait said, scowling. ‘We’re here now and we’re staying.’
‘That’s fine.’ Nicolai gave a little shrug. ‘Me, Jo, and Beth already found a new place. If you want to stay here, you may.’
‘Control your features,’ he sent to Beth and Jo, whose faces had begun to crease in confusion. ‘Look confident.’ He felt something like pride when they responded well, expressions firming. He didn’t have any particular place in mind, but had spotted enough little spots that could become a temporary nighttime hideout that he wasn’t worried. In fact, the Trade Link might make quite a nice place to stay. He was tired of being around people he had such limited control over and unable to make proper use of.
Either he was leader, or he was done with them. Out of respect for his Mask’s desires (and, of equal importance, his suspicions that it may be integral to resisting the dark, in which case he ought not to alienate it), he would extend the significant kindness of not killing them for the safe place if they refused him.
‘You found a new place?’ John was looking quite worried now, they all were. They’d just tasted the treasures of the Trade Link and they didn’t want to lose them. They knew that losing Nicolai would be the same as losing the Trade Link.
‘You’re right,’ snarled Karl, and Nicolai felt the aggression from him, saw how his hands gripped tight to the submachine-gun in his hands. ‘It is time we ended this charade. Tell us where it is!’ He snapped the gun up at Nicolai.