“I doubt Nepe will work for you,” Blue said.
“I believe she will, before long.”
“I’m not sure you can even keep her captive long,” Mach said. “She has remained with Citizen Translucent because she knew she was part of the stakes; she was to be returned if we won. She did not try to escape because she did not want to interfere with our arrangements. But she has never agreed to be your permanent contact with Phaze. Now she will feel at liberty to make her escape.”
“Let me show you her current situation,” Purple said. “Oracle, tune in on my office suite and show the child.”
In a moment a half-life-sized hologram formed. It showed a bottle containing the head of Nepe. The rest of her was puddled protoplasm.
“As you can see, she is truly captive,” Purple said. “I am sure she can not escape that bottle. At the moment the air is good and the temperature comfortable, but there is no assurance that they will remain so. I believe she will elect to cooperate.”
“I doubt it,” Mach said, with his robotic control of reaction. “She knows that if you hurt her you risk rendering her unable to function. That will do you no good.”
“I see that you do not quite understand,” Purple said. “Should the child be rendered unable to contact the other frame, you will remain obliged to provide another instrument of contact. It is therefore to your interest to encourage her to cooperate.”
They mulled that over. They knew that he would not hesitate to torture the child, and that all he had to do was gradually heat the bottle. Like the spineless creatures they were, they capitulated.
“Put me through to her,” Blue said.
“Do it, Oracle.”
“Contact is established,” the Oracle reported.
“Nepe,” Blue said.
The child’s head looked up. “Grandpa Blue!”
“We had hoped to have you returned to us at this time. Instead Citizen Purple has elected to use you as his contact with the frame of Phaze. I believe it would be best if you cooperated with him.”
“You mean you can’t get me out?” she asked.
“Not at present.”
She seemed ready to cry. “I’ll do it, Grandpa. But I’ll escape if I can.”
“Enough, Oracle,” Purple said, and the hologram faded out. “I believe that concludes our business.” He walked out, with Tan following, leaving them to their chagrin.
Now the obvious thing to do was to use Nepe to get the key formulae from the Book of Magic in Phaze and begin aggrandizing his fortune. Wealth was the way to destroy Blue’s power. But that would take time, and Blue might well have some nasty tricks left; after all, Mach and Bane were now working on Blue’s side. So he would surprise them again, and take Blue out now, a different way. With luck, he would have it done before Translucent recovered consciousness, making his coup complete.
He had made a study of the capacities of the child Nepe, anticipating his need to capture her and hold her prisoner. She was more versatile than most people appreciated. She could assume virtually any form, her substance ranging from liquid of a chosen color to metallic. It took her time to do it, ranging from several hours for a new form to less than an hour for a familiar one. Once she assumed a form, it was stable as long as she chose, while she remained conscious. When she slept, she dissolved into a puddle, exactly as her alien mother did. But she was not identical to her mother; she had robotic ancestry too, and therefore was able to emulate the nature of a machine. That was why she had managed to remain hidden so long; she had fooled them all by masquerading as Troubot and doing an excellent job in the robot’s speciality.
Now he had to assume that the child might wait her opportunity, melt down, ooze through a crack, and form into something so remarkable that no right-thinking person would suspect. What would that be? And because he had thought about this a great deal, before capturing her, he had the answer. He knew what she would do, if she had the opportunity.
He never let her out of the bottle. There was air there, valved in under pressure so she could not flow through the tube; if she tried it, she would merely encounter an otherwise sealed tank. Food was put in by an alert robot. She could not escape until she was given greater freedom—such as that required to allow her to assume some more useful form and be interrogated. The enemy would assume that he would waste no time in making use of her ability to contact Phaze, now that her grandfather had told her to.
Instead he brought out a metal sheathing. It looked like the base of a wheeled robot servitor, the kind that transported supplies from one station to another. He sat on its stool and closed it around himself, so that only his top portion projected. From chest upward he was a solid living man; below he was like a wheeled robot. The wheels worked; a motor controlled by his toes propelled the device forward. Of course most of the effect was lost, because his voluminous purple cloak covered everything from neck to floor; it looked as if he were walking, if one did not inspect him too closely.
Now he put out a prepared bulletin, in such a way that it appeared to be unintentional. “…don’t find her, every serf will be fired with prejudice by morning! What happened to the safeguards?” It seemed to be an internal command that leaked outside his offices.
He made sure he was unobserved, and trundled out in his getup. Once clear of his offices, he made a direct approach to Blue’s offices.
No one challenged him, of course; he was a Citizen. But news of his progress preceded him, for when he arrived at Citizen Blue’s door, Blue was out to meet him.
“Further mischief, Purple?” Blue inquired tightly.
Purple’s eyes flicked up and across, as if checking for something. “We are observed,” he said, his voice deliberately tight.
“Of course. Speak your piece.”
His voice tightened further. “It must be private.”
“I have nothing private to exchange with you.”
Purple’s hand brushed across his cloak, drawing it up just enough for the metallic base to show. “Quickly, before they know!” he squeaked.
Blue saw the base. He of course knew of the leaked report that suggested Nepe had escaped. What form could she assume that would get her free unchallenged? That of Citizen Purple! But she would have to ride on a mobile machine, to provide mass and height, and cover it over with the cloak. A daring venture indeed!
Blue opened the door panel and let Purple roll in. Inside, the female humanoid robot and the robot son stood. Damn! He had hoped to nab them all at once, the alien and turncoat Tania too. Well, there were the main three, and of course the alien maid Agnes; the others could be covered when they turned up.
“Citizen Purple—in here?” Sheen asked, startled.
“I suspect not,” Blue said.
“Is it private?” Purple asked tightly.
“Yes,” Blue assured him.
He looked at Mach. “Do you not know me, Uncle?”
“ ‘Uncle’?” the robot asked, not getting it.
Purple rubbed his cheek, causing the waxy coating on it to crease. He lifted his cloak, showing them all the metal base. He seemed to be human only in the top third.
“Nepe!” Sheen exclaimed, astonished. “You look so real!”
“Where’s Mother?” he asked, hoping for one extra bit of information before he acted.
“She’s with Tania,” Mach said. “Getting some information on—”
“No!” the maid cried, entering the room. “That is not my grandchild!”
Purple looked at her. “What?”
Now Mach turned grim. “If you don’t know that Nessie is Agape’s elder portion—what we would call her mother—then you are not Nepe. Which means that—”
Purple activated the lethargy box. This was a special one, with simultaneous settings for Blue, Agape, Agnes and Tania, and special modified settings to nullify the two robots. Abruptly all four in the room were without volition.
“Remain here; do not communicate or attempt to leave,” he said curtly. “When a c
all comes from Nepe, you, Blue, will answer it and assure her that you are all right. You will say nothing of your situation.” He brought out the box and set it on a counter; they would be unable to approach it. Such a simple, neat device, but so hard to overcome, like a wicker thumb-lock.
Then he departed, closing the panel behind him. It might be days before any of Blue’s allies caught on to Blue’s situation; they would assume that he was deep in plans for resisting the increasing power of the Contrary Citizens. Any who did approach would be quietly taken out by Purple’s watching minions. With luck, by the time Blue got free, it would be academic: Purple would have consolidated his power, and it would be too late for any preventive tricks.
The problem with folk like Blue was that they were too trusting and scrupulous. That was why they had let Purple in without properly verifying his nature. They had not anticipated such a cunning ploy. If only the fool maid from Moeba had not caught on, and forced his immediate action, he might have had Agape and Tania too! Agnes was Agape’s parent-half? How had his researches overlooked that? It explained much of the child Nepe’s rapid progress in form changing, when she had at one point seemed retarded: she had had expert training from the start. Blue had been cunning too, and it would have been foolhardy to leave him free to work further mischief.
Now for the two missing ones, because otherwise they were sure to go to Blue’s residence and be admitted by his monitors. Tania was a cunning wench, and Agape could assume any form; forewarned, they could bypass his minions and disable the lethargy box. It would affect them as they came in range, but that was no good; at the fringe the effect was partial, and they would be able to back away, then send in a robot to turn it off. They would have to be taken out separately, which complicated things, but was necessary.
“Locate Serf Agape and Serf Tania of Citizen Blue’s employ,” he said to his communicator. “Do not alert them; merely inform me.”
In a moment he had his response. “Subjects located at spaceport,” Tsetse’s voice came. “Aboard ship destined for—”
“Stop that ship!” Purple shouted, causing a passing serf to jump; the serf of course had not heard the communication.
But it was too late. The two females, evidently warned, had taken the most immediate ship out, and it was taking off even as he gave the command. The two had escaped the planet.
Purple suppressed his rage. What did it matter, actually? They could do nothing offplanet, and if they returned, he would nab them. All he needed was to be rid of them.
“Monitor all interplanetary calls,” he said. “Intercept any relating to personnel allied with Citizen Blue.” That would prevent the two from calling in a warning to a Blue ally.
But who had tipped the two off? That person obviously knew, and could take action to free Blue. That person had to be nullified, and quickly.
Citizen Purple headed for home. Here was an early use for the Oracle! Soon he would know the identity of that person, and take him out.
He was half right. Soon he did know, but he could not take him out. It turned out to be a child no older than Nepe, whose residence had a monitor tuned to Blue’s residence. This was evidently with the complicity of Blue, a back-up in case of unexpected trouble. It was the residence of Citizen Troal.
Troal happened to be offplanet at the moment, but his son must have picked up the message and immediately alerted Agape.
And the two females had taken that child with them offplanet. That meant he was out of reach—but also no longer a threat. Purple relaxed; the only likely snag was no problem after all. Now he could concentrate on the main effort. There were pressing details to attend to, such as settling with Translucent, who would not be pleased, but who surely would recognize the effectiveness of Purple’s actions. If not—well, there was always the lethargy box.
Chapter 17
Fleta
Fleta trotted along comfortably, carrying Tania, as they approached the region of the West Pole. She had known of Tania’s designs on Bane from the outset, but allied with the Adverse Adepts as she had been, she had not been in a position to protest. After all, Bane had no woman in Phaze, and Tania had once been intended for him, or vice versa, because they were the only two of their generation definitely slated to be Adepts. Tania had been scrupulous about not vamping Mach, so that Fleta had never had cause for a challenge. That was just as well, because though unicorns were proof against most magic, they could not stand against any Adept. She knew it was neither integrity nor fear of her horn that had kept Tania honest; it was the fear of losing her chance at Bane if she ever glanced sidelong at Mach. Tania was unscrupulous but hardly stupid.
Then, gradually, the unexpected had happened. Bane had been proof against Tania’s charms, which were considerable (for those who might like that type), but she had not been proof against his. She had fallen in love with him, and in the process had assumed his virtues. Fleta had watched this process with private amazement, but there had been no doubt of its validity. Her own attitude had suffered a corresponding shift from enmity to friendship; she knew pretty closely how Tania felt.
Now they had shifted sides together, and Fleta was glad of that; they would never have to oppose each other. They worked well together, because they now knew each other well, and their abilities were complementary. Fleta could travel readily, while Tania could handle threats. But the question remained: what of Tania? She was doomed not to have her love returned, and Fleta feared she would take a drastic measure: the same one Fleta had taken, when she had seen no future in her love for Mach. Fleta did not want to see this happen, but what alternative was there?
She knew what. She would have to share. There was a precedent for having alternate loves in the frames; Fleta’s love was Mach in Phaze, but Bane was available. Similarly, Mach was free in Proton. Tania had changed sides and done good service; she was entitled in each frame to what it offered. Fleta just had not yet been able to bring herself to make it official.
Now they were checking on the Translucent Adept, because he had mysteriously declined to attend the ceremony of the transfer of the Book of Magic. Had there been some skullduggery between Adepts? It seemed likely, and the Adept Stile wanted to know, because he much preferred dealing with Translucent. Also, Flach remained on the undersea isle, with Sirelmoba the werebitch, and Fleta hoped to see him. There seemed to be little chance of that, because they were supposed to remain unobserved, but there was always hope. The Red Adept had given them an amulet that would protect them from observation by all except Adepts—but Translucent was an Adept. Certainly there would be no way to rescue Flach.
A bat appeared before Fleta’s nose. She jumped; she had not seen it approach. Then she recognized its smell. “Al!” she fluted in horn talk.
“Where be thee, O Aunt Fleta?” he piped in bat talk, the pitch so high she could barely hear it. “I see thee not!”
Because of the amulet. She nosed forward and nudged him with her horn. With the contact, he saw her. He changed to boyform, maintaining the touch. “O Aunt Fleta, I used my father’s spell to locate thee. He has been enchanted!”
Fleta changed to womanform so quickly that Tania barely had time to dismount. “The Red Adept enchanted?”
“Aye, mare. The Purple Adept did it. Tan, I mean. He got the Book o’ Magic, and then—”
“My brother!” Tania exclaimed. “I knew it!”
“Tell us exactly what happened,” Fleta said. “Fear not discovery; an thou maintain contact with me, naught be o’erheard.”
Alien was reassured. He slowed down enough to give a coherent report. “Purple and Tan came to the Red Demesnes as scheduled, and Stile was there with my father the Troll and my mother the Bat, and they gave o’er the Book o’ Magic. Then Stile asked for my friend Flach, thy foal, and Purple said no, he had decided to keep Flach to commune ‘tween the frames instead o’ Bane and Mach, ‘cause a child be more amenable. He quoted the terms o’ the agreement, and nor Stile nor Red could gainsay him, being much disappointed
. Then Stile departed, and without warning Tan and Purple turned on Red and together they stunned him so that he fell in deep swoon. My mother cried out ‘gainst this treachery, but Tan stunned her too with his Evil Eye. Me they saw not, for I was peeking from hiding. Then they consulted how they would send a goblin garbed like Flach to tell Stile he escaped, but the goblin would loose a spell to take out Stile and Bane and all else in the Blue Demesnes, for they thought thee there too, that no major Adepts be able to oppose Purple’s designs. But I knew thou wast elsewhere, and came to warn thee o’ this treachery!”
“But why?” Fleta asked, appalled. “The Adverse Adepts have already won! What need for this?”
“I can guess,” Tania said darkly. “Nor Purple nor my brother e’er trusted Translucent; they wanted to take power from him. They must have taken him out first, then struck at the rest, so they can rule; an they had waited. Translucent would have taken control, and been more generous. So they timed their treachery when none suspected—and now thy Adepts Red and Stile and Rovot be ensorceled, and mayhap killed when Purple feel secure. Brown be no match, and we be helpless.”
“But we be free,” Fleta protested. “We can go and—”
“And be trapped also,” Tania said. “They expect that. Be assured we can stand not against their magic; likely already there be goblins in search o’ us, and our time be measured.”
“But one thing—” Alien said.
Fleta glanced at him. “There be yet more?”
“My father gave me an amulet long since, saying an disaster e’er strike, invoke it. Be this the time?”
“Aye,” Fleta and Tania said together.
The boy brought out the amulet, which he wore on a chain about his neck. It was in the shape of a tiny tube. “I invoke thee.”
The tube expanded in his hand, turning silvery. It twisted, so that the mouthpiece pointed southeast.
They stared at it. “That be a little flute,” Fleta said. “What use be that?”
Alien shrugged; he knew nothing of this.