‘VERNER WELT SLAIN – Coup Plotter Found Dead after Night of Carnage!’
The headlines were unmistakable, but every solitary soul in the room had learnt about the previous night’s events long before the newspapers did. It was impossible to ignore the big question – who had killed Welt, and how had they discovered his location so easily?
The one man who knew the answer was being tight-lipped, unusually so. Micah had already sunk back into his seat like a turtle, intent on keeping his head down and avoiding suffering the finger-pointing that came with his part in the death of Jones and Welt.
The police had vowed to track down and capture the people involved, although most of the cabal’s members knew that their heart wasn’t in it. They were secretly celebrating one of their problems going away without their involvement, and they were now sweeping his safehouse for information. There was little they could do to stop them from collecting damning evidence about Welt’s plans.
A permissive judge was one tool in the arsenal, yet they were already investigating the building before they had a chance to rule on the matter. There was also an issue of finding a legal justification to stop them. The police were assumed to have the right to investigate anything they deemed integral to solving the crime.
On the bright side, it didn’t matter so much, because on top of Welt being assassinated in the gutter like a dog – the same rebels had also simultaneously lit their storehouses on fire and severely dampened their ability to control the capital. A list of those buildings was one of the few pieces of documentation that Welt possessed. He burned everything else.
“It’s a bloody disaster!” Jeremiah Vincent raged. A prominent vein pulsed on the side of his head.
Jonas Rentree crossed his arms and sighed, “What do you suppose we do now? Jones and Welt were essential to keeping control of this situation. If we lose our grasp over WISA and the King, then our hopes for a restoration of the monarchy will be dashed.”
Not to mention that many of the nobles who supported their plan only did so under the provision that Welt was involved. He cashed a lot of favours to make this happen, and now he was dead. They wouldn’t want to stick around without him.
“I have no confidence that Ekkehard will be able to keep his throne now. He’s scarcely made a single public appearance since his coronation, and what happened to Welt will only encourage him to be even more timid!” Vincent added.
Many sins could be forgiven if the replacement leader was charismatic and well-liked by the wider public, but Ekkehard was not granted such intense social graces and likability. Welt had chosen him because he was a weasel at heart. He had the legitimacy to say he had a claim to the throne, but he was also easy for them to manipulate. With Welt gone, the benefit of picking Ekkehard was now gone with him.
“We have to crack down on these agitators as soon as possible,” Jonas said.
“The police won’t agree to that. That’s the problem with letting the common folk join their ranks.”
The conversation was disrupted by the doors to the room swinging open and a group of three men entering to their own fanfare. It was Sloan and two of his mages, and he didn’t look the slightest bit concerned about the fact that Welt was dead.
“What are you doing here, Sloan?” Jonas sneered.
The scientist smiled, “What do you mean, Sir Rentree? I am just as much a stakeholder in this project as the rest of you. I was Welt’s right-hand man for most of the process.”
“Do you mean to suggest that we can salvage this situation?” Rentree inquired.
Sloan clapped his hands together; “I have come to assure you that you and I have the same goals in mind. I wouldn’t have dedicated my time and energy to assisting Sir Welt if I did not believe in his vision for Walser. This is not a coup or a takeover, I wish to course-correct the ship before it runs aground, and for that, I require your cooperation.”
Despite his harmonious message, the men gathered in the gentleman’s club cast a weary eye on the two armed men who had accompanied him into the building. They were both enhanced by his demonic serum. It felt like a takeover to them.
Micah finally broke his silence; “It’s over. They’ll have Ekkehard’s head on a bloody pike before the week is through. Why don’t we try to minimize the damage and our legal liability before it’s too late? He doesn’t have an ounce of authority in his entire body.”
Sloan shook his head, “The one who leads the nation is the one who possesses a monopoly over force. It is not about the right of Kings, or the machinations of nobles, it is all about the ability to exert violence against others.”
“And can your reduced force obtain that monopoly?” Micah countered, “Because as far as I’m concerned – those arson attacks have set you back beyond fighting the army and the police.”
“Weapons and drugs are easily replaced. Don’t you know the saying? A Walserian without a firearm under their pillow is like a bird without wings.”
Sloan knew best that it was going to be risky to continue, but his priority at that moment was convincing Micah, Jonas, Vincent and the others to support his ploy to retain control over Walser’s levers of state. A murmur of discontent travelled across the long wooden table that the noblemen sat at.
“Let me say this. Banish thoughts of what is safe or practical from your mind and focus on what you want to do. We all came together with Sir Welt for a singular purpose, did we not? We wished to bring Walser back to its full glory. We wish to cement our good names in the annals of history as heroes to our people. Would a hero put down their arms because of the personal risk their victory imposed upon them?”
But the room remained mostly unmoved. They remained firm in their stance that Sloan was not the one to take over the organization at that point. Sensing that he wasn’t going to get what he wanted without disturbing the status quo, he decided that revealing some important information would be to his benefit.
“Micah!”
The overweight noble bolted up in his chair.
“I heard some interesting news about what happened at that party you held the other night. They found Jones dead in the woods near that estate. Do you have something to share with the rest of the group?”
Micah swallowed a bitter pill and came out with the truth.
“Spare me your spurious accusations of treachery, Sloan. I informed Jones of the entire scope of the threat that he faced, and it was his decision to attend the party and use his presence to lure them out. I did not hide a single fact from the man.”
“A convenient story - but hardly believable.”
“They pressed me for information, but I, like everyone here, did not know where Welt was hiding. I said that Jones may have that information. Once they left, I worked with him to lay a trap to try and kill them before they could reach Welt. What happened there that night was a result of his operation going awry.”
Jonas was the only one who knew that Welt was hiding in one of his buildings but even that was obfuscated. There were
“And he was the one who told them where Welt was?”
Micah shrugged, “He must have been. Where else would they have found that information? I did not possess it, and within an hour of having killed him, they were at the building trying to murder him. They were members of WISA who Jones tried to kill, and Maria Walston-Carter.”
A murmur circulated the table. There was that name again...
If any of the statements being made in the meeting were to be believed by the majority, then Jones selling out Welt to save his own skin was it. The nobles had many reservations about assigning that overly ambitious sort to the post, and their fears were proven correct once he was in a position to bargain for his life. Jones only cared about being the boss and he’d do everything to keep his station.
Sloan had them all under his thumb, but they weren’t willing to admit to it yet.
“Whatever happened, it’s obvious that I’m the one best suited to take charge from here. I’ll gladly allow you all to handle the political issues and steer the King in the right direction – but I’m the only one who knows the full extent of the military force we have gathered. I have to reorganize them immediately before they have a chance to strike back at us.”
The silent blade that hung above their heads was that exact type of retaliation from the state. A prisoner’s dilemma had formed. They could not try to be rid of Sloan by turning his name into the police without exposing themselves as members of the conspiracy, and the most powerful force in noble society was a desire to retain their status and comfort.
Micah breathed a sigh of relief that his interrogation did not progress any further than that. He had every intention of staying out of the way and hiding on his estate to preclude Walston-Carter coming back for him.
“I will prove my intent through action, not words. Maria Walston-Carter and her partners from WISA are responsible for this. I will drive them from their holes and exterminate them. We have been soft. These protests will end as well. Do you have any objections?” Sloan demanded.
Not a word was spoken. It was possible to hear a pin drop in the room.
“Very good. I will return to you with the good news soon.”
The meeting was adjourned, even with much still to discuss.
----------------------------------------
It was early in the morning when we finally returned to the safe house, sneaking through the backdoor after spending an agonizing few hours laying low and dodging the police. I was dirty and tired, and more than a little exhausted after all of that trouble at the party and Welt’s apartment.
Samantha and the others were waiting for us in the loading area, having arrived a few minutes before us. We were later getting back than we expected.
“Did you do it?” Max asked.
“We did. Welt and Jones won’t be getting any more blood on their hands.”
Max wasn’t certain of where his feelings lay, but he was grateful that some form of justice had been dealt for what happened to his brother. My future self walked inside after closing the door. Max, Claude and Samantha had no experience with how the watch worked, so it was a shock to see two versions of me standing there.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Max pushed onward; “So is that all? Problem over with?”
“I’m afraid not. Ekkehard is still the King, his supporters are still organized, and the man who created those mutants has an entire platoon of them waiting to cause chaos. There are too many loose ends to say that we’ve won.”
Adrian pointed to the other me, “Did you use the watch?”
“Allegedly. Which means I’ll have to leave you in her hands and go back to set all of this up...”
“I didn’t know that watch could do this. Why don’t we make an army of Marias and take care of it?” Claude proposed.
My copy spoke up, “Don’t be silly. We don’t have enough blood to charge the watch over and over, and if I die during one of the loops, that’s it. I’m not a disposable copy. I’m Maria from two days into the future. There’s still only one of me.”
With that cleared up, they followed me up the steps to the second-floor office. I opened the door and stepped through, almost leaping from my skin as a figure reclined on one of the disused chairs. I drew my gun and pointed it at him.
“Maria!” the stranger said, “What an auspicious occasion this is!”
“Who the hell are you?”
“We’ve spoken before. It’s me, Xenia.”
This was not the form that Xenia took during our dreamscape discussion. In this case, they were bearing the guise of an androgynous-looking man in a long red coat and smart pants.
“For goodness sake! I nearly blew your damn head off!” I hissed.
Xenia smiled, “Apologies. I should have indicated that I was dropping by earlier, but diving into this chaos without using the Red Tree is somewhat difficult.”
“Who is this?” Veronica asked.
“My name is Xenia. I am the one who sees through the Veil. I am a being of emotion and energy, much like the Goddess who rules over this world.”
Veronica was having none of it; “Did this bloke get into the opioids?”
“Unfortunately - he’s telling the truth,” I grumbled, “There are a group of beings who live beyond the Veil in a reality that is entirely different to ours. They are what we would normally call deities.”
Claude scoffed, “First demons, then mutants, and now deities? Life truly is stranger than fiction these days...”
“I certainly wasn’t expecting you to visit me in person,” I said, “Isn’t it costly in terms of power to do so?”
“You’re correct. Durandia cannot do so freely, as she is using her powers to act as this world’s guardian. Combined with her recent efforts to bring you here, she has little to spare, which requires the usage of that queer machine in the museum. I am not a guardian, and thus I am at liberty to use my power as I like.”
“Well, you’d better hurry and explain why you’re here. We have some things to take care of.”
Xenia’s eyes drifted between me and my doppelganger. Surely the presence of a closed time loop wasn’t unusual from their perspective? The entire reason they were here was because they detested the paradoxical nature of letting their compatriots look into the future.
“Are we not friends?”
“We’re long past the point of playing these word games, Xenia. I suspect that we’re approaching the end of this sordid tale. Say your piece and stop leaving us in suspense.”
Xenia put on a disarming façade, “You are correct. This is nearly the end. I am not privy to what Durandia plans for you. I suppose you could say this is your last chance to try and fight against fate.”
“You and I both know that we can’t fight against fate. You said with certainty that the Red Tree’s predictions are accurate. It accounts for my behaviour and choices, and even outside intervention from people like you. It does not ‘bring’ those outcomes into being, it merely anticipates them.”
“Is that what you really think?”
“People never really change. You can predict what they’re going to do when you have all of the information in front of you. The idea of a machine so advanced that it can calculate these odds with such precision is not unrealistic to me.”
After all, I grew up in a world one hundred years more advanced than this one. We had portable pocket computers, instant wireless communication between nations, and sophisticated robotics and machines that would boggle the mind of anyone in Walser. Why wouldn’t a group of ethereal beings who exist as energy and emotion have something even more powerful than that?
“And why the sudden shift in approach? You only spoke with me before when I was sleeping so that Durandia couldn’t account for it.”
“I failed to account for your strong drive to see this through.”
“And isn’t Durandia going to be upset? You’re interfering with her plan.”
“She already knows, and she was a little irritated with me. She called me a ‘ideologue’ who needed to learn to mind their own business.”
“Is it business?”
“If we so choose, we are selected to become the solemn guardians of worlds inhabited by mortal life. With that position comes a great responsibility and a set of rules that cannot be broken.”
I crossed my arms, “I do not care for rules I am not aware of. You come to me and plead for me to walk to a different path based on your own beliefs – yet you have not once justified why I should do so. Please enlighten us.”
Xenia glanced at all the people present for their intervention and sighed wearily.
“Very well. I suppose I cannot position myself as a friend of freedom whilst keeping that information from you. You already understand the first rule. We cannot infringe on the free will of any single individual. All decisions made by mortals must be their own, even if that conflicts with the existence of the Red Tree.”
“And what is your solution to that matter?” I inquired.
“Personally, I would see to it that we are forbidden from using the Red Tree entirely, or that we become open to negotiating on even terms with the mortals in question at the least. By prying into the future – we ascend to an abusive position, capable of manipulating mortals as we please.”
“I see.”
“The second rule is that we are forbidden from crafting scenarios in which mortals find it easy to ‘ascend’ to the higher plane through the Veil. We shall not grant them power recklessly, nor shall we create worlds wherein such an achievement is taken for granted. Becoming one of us is a fate that must be chosen, and we do not wish to create an overflowing pantheon of deities.”
“Is this connected to Nihility and Regeneration?”
“Durandia did not fall afoul of that rule by aligning your spirits with those magical forces. You remain as a mortal would be in this world. It is possible for a grade five mage to become aligned with those schools of magic by chance. If she were then to assist you in seeking the ‘truth’ behind those powers and assist in your ascent, then she would.”
“Okay. Anything else we should know?”
“The third and final pillar is that one shalt always strive to protect and maintain their guardianship over their world. They are not to be used as crude weapons of war, and every mortal soul shalt be cherished regardless of circumstance.”
“And you’re permitted to interfere like this?”
“The Red Tree prevents such obvious conflicts from arising. Durandia already knew that I was going to come here and speak with you now. She would have acted to earn an injunction from the council if she felt it was problematic. I feel partly the fool for playing along with her.”
That was Xenia’s problem though. They may have appeared in my dreams to try and nudge this story in a different direction, yet they never offered an alternative to me. It was possible that the threat which loomed on the horizon would destroy this world. How else would Durandia have justified such a technical intrusion on their usual rules?
Freedom was one thing, but one couldn’t enjoy their freedom if they were dead. I had to do what Durandia asked to that extent. She may decide to pass judgement on my previous life at the end of it all, but sitting back and letting the worst come to pass would truly slam the door on getting a second chance. Me, Samantha, and everyone else would be dead.
“As distasteful as being manipulated may be I do concur with Durandia on this. Something must be done. Freedom is a benefit for those who live,” I stated firmly, “All of this is too esoteric for us to worry about. We do not exist on your side of the Veil. We do not subscribe to your rules or legalities.”
Xenia frowned, “What sayeth you, Samantha?”
“The Goddess told me that we are all passengers carried by the tides. She said that it was as much of a burden as it was a boon, to always know where the river led.”
“Does it upset you?”
Samantha shook her head, “No. I’m not going to quit because the Goddess had a hand in this. I want to protect the place where my friends and family live. I’m not going to back down now.”
Xenia considered our words for a long time, their eyes flickering between the various expressions on the faces of my cohort of killers and school friends. It was two minutes before they finally reached the revelation they were looking for.
“I understand now. I see why the council condoned her actions. Durandia chose a group of mortals she felt were aligned in purpose, and she used the Red Tree to demonstrate your values to them. In that sense – she has not manipulated you at all.”
The body Xenia piloted stiffly stood from the chair.
“But do not presume I will relent because of this. I fear what this type of thinking may lead to. You are all willing to do this because Durandia is a careful sort, yet I fear for what a similar cunning would birth from someone less scrupulous than her.”
Future Maria sighed, “Let’s step out and attend to the other matters.”
Max frowned, “Why?”
“Because Xenia is about to ask us to leave.”
Xenia nodded. Max, Claude, Frankfort and Veronica shared an uneasy look.
“Actually. I would like for Veronica to stay.”
The others stepped out of the room under my other self’s orders to prepare for the next steps. Once Xenia was happy that none of them were standing by the door and listening in, they turned to Veronica and grabbed that raw nerve with their full strength.
“How do you feel about her actions, Veronica?”
“What the fuck is this?” she complained, “Do you think this is something you ask a stranger?”
“You are the one who has endured the worst. Would that be fair of me to say?”
Veronica didn’t want to talk this out with some complete unknown like Xenia.
“I thought you existed in a world of energy and emotion. Why are you trying to piss her off with these clumsy questions?” I asked.
“It’s manipulation through deception!” Xenia declared, “We may not be permitted to control your minds or steer your hands, yet this was deemed acceptable by the council regardless! They manipulated you. They created Maria so that you would vow to do what you did, and so that you would end up standing here with us, yet the entire time she was nothing but a puppet without a soul. How readily do we make exceptions for ourselves?”
“I don’t care,” Veronica snarled, “What’s done is done.”
She did care – but she was also a realist at heart. She understood that there was no going back and keeping Durandia from doing it, nor did she expect to meet Durandia in person and exact some kind of revenge for possessing her daughter for a decade before dragging me through to take over.
Samantha frowned, “Is this all you have to say? Maria was right. We don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Why would we take your side in this debate? We can’t go through the Veil and give them a piece of our minds, and you said yourself that the ‘council’ accepted her plan without any objections.”
Xenia seemed disappointed by her response most of all. That was their mistake for assuming that she was a blindly optimistic idiot who would go along with anything so long as it appealed to her aesthetic senses. Samantha was kind and just, but not naïve.
“You don’t want to escape her script?”
“Maria thinks the world is going to end pretty soon – so I’m more worried about that...”
Xenia grinned and looked down to the floor, “This is my loss. You know, the most difficult aspect of living beyond the Veil is a lack of perspective. Of course, you’re concerned about living in the here and now, and not occupied with thoughts about godly machinations. I should have known. Durandia did not stop me because she understood I would not convince you.”
Xenia was fighting against fate alone. I could accept that they found the Red Tree distasteful because of problems like this – but it wasn’t my problem, and they were directing their ire in the wrong direction. We couldn’t stop it, nor would we choose to if we had that choice. Avoiding the world’s end was a good inventive to play along with what Durandia wanted.
If the ‘council’ that legislated these things had agreed to her exceptional level of interference, then the threat was great enough to bend the rules. Xenia believed they were simply loopholes and not a recognition of how bad the problem could become if they did nothing about it.
I suspected that the Veil was connected with this threat. It was a hellscape filled with terrifying demons and a powerful concentration of magical energy. Maybe the council were equally concerned about what would happen to their plane of existence should that disaster come to be. They were connected to it on the other end.
“I won’t leave without offering you a useful piece of information. Durandia did not institute half-measures to prepare you for this challenge. The powers of regeneration and nihility almost encroach upon our rule of dispensing divinity. If not for your limited capacity for veil energy, then it would be seen as problematic.”
Samantha was curious; “Really? I’ve mostly found it useful for stitching up injuries.”
“It’s all a matter of perception. Expanding your abilities beyond that requires a new approach, although being handed the answers will not dispense the lesson Durandia intends.”
I smirked, “I understand nihility well enough.”
“Your understanding is rooted in the rational sciences. Would you describe the Veil as a rational place?”
“No.”
I was not an imaginative person. I liked to fill that gap by reading creative works from people who were cleverer than me. I soberly noted that it had been a very long time since I even thought about what I used to do with my spare time. I had grown even more miserable and work-focused since then.
“There’s a lot more to explore. Think big. Our time is running short, so I bid thee farewell. I hope our next meeting is under less urgent circumstances.”
Without waiting for a goodbye, Xenia’s physical body dissipated into a cloud of smoke leaving no evidence that they stood there mere moments ago.
“And don’t come back, asshole,” I groused.
Veronica had been fully plunged into an extremely poor mood. I could see the storm clouds starting to gather around her head. She marched out of the room and slammed the door, leaving me to grapple with what Xenia said.
Samantha kicked one of her feet on the ground in a rhythmic tap.
“So... what do we do now?”
“Oh. We need to talk with Claude about seeing his Dad.”
No time to waste. We had another job to do.