Deathstalker

  Whatever was left of them.

  Adrienne wiped her eyes, blew her nose thoroughly, and patted Evangeline on the arm. "I always cry at funerals. And weddings. Even when I can't stand the people involved. The ceremonies appeal to my dramatic side. I always meant to dance and cheer at Finlay's funeral. Once even told him to his face I'd piss on his coffin. He just laughed. But now he's gone… and I miss him. No one else ever stood up to me the way he did. Looking back, most of my life seems to have been a reaction to what he did and didn't do. Who am I going to find to fight with now? Who else is strong enough for me to sharpen my claws on? Oh, Evie; I never realized how important he was to me, until he wasn't there anymore."

  "It was good of you to come," said Evangeline. "He always admired your strength and your courage."

  "Don't, dear. You'll start me off again. You know you're welcome to come and stay with us for a while, if you want."

  "No, thank you. I'm not really in the mood for any company at the moment. Will you be all right?"

  "Oh, of course, dear. I'm a survivor, everyone knows that. You call me if you need anything."

  Adrienne patted Evangeline on the arm one last time, gathered up her children, and led them away. Robert finished checking that the seals on the mausoleum were secure again, and came over to stand beside her. They stood awkwardly together, neither sure what to say. They'd never had anything in common except Finlay, and they'd never felt the same way about him. In the end, Robert said it had been a nice service, and Evangeline agreed. Shame about the weather. Yes. He asked if he could do anything for her, and she said no. He said he'd pay off the vicar and take care of all the necessary paperwork, and she congratulated him on his newly announced engagement to Constance Wolfe. They stood together awhile longer, but neither of them could think of anything else to say. Robert finally bowed to her and walked away, taking the vicar with him, and they all felt a certain relief.

  Evangeline stood alone, outside the stone mausoleum. Ugly bloody place, but it was Family, and it was probably what Finlay would have wanted. It was still raining. Gray clouds for a gray day. Evangeline pulled the hood of her cloak a little forward, to keep the rain out of her face. Her hands felt like someone else's. As though she were sleepwalking through what was left of her life. It wasn't as though she didn't have more than enough to keep her occupied. With Gregor dead, she'd been next in line to become head of Clan Shreck, but she'd had to decline that honor. It would have involved undergoing a genetest to prove her bloodline, and she couldn't do that. It would have revealed she was only the clone of the original, murdered Evangeline, and that would have been a major scandal. It would also have made her a target for all kinds of fanatics, from all sides of the political spectrum. A clone, successfully masquerading as the original, undetected for years, was High Society's worst nightmare, an unacceptable affront.

  So she turned down the title, and the massive inheritance that went with it, on the grounds she wanted nothing from the despicable Gregor Shreck. People could understand that. Finlay, much to her surprise, had been practical enough to make out a will and keep most of his affairs in order. He left everything to her. There was some money. Enough to last several years if she was careful, and a few trunks of belongings that she would sort through when she was feeling stronger. Grace Shreck had agreed to become the new head of the Family. It had to be her or Toby, and he wasn't interested. Evangeline approved of Grace, in a distant sort of way. She was honest and straightforward and she had the best interests of the Family at heart. Pity about her politics, but you couldn't have everything.

  Besides, these days, Evangeline had her hands full with the clone underground. Even before Finlay's death she had become closely involved with clone politics, and many now looked to her for leadership and inspiration. Ever since the clone underground fought its way into mainstream politics, divisions and corruption had become major problems, and Evangeline had dedicated herself to dealing with the infighting while keeping it strictly out of the public eye. She had more than enough work to keep her busy for years. If only she could convince herself that any of it mattered…

  "Good-bye, Finlay," she said quietly to the closed stone door of the mausoleum. "At peace at last, my love. Sleep well, until I come to join you."

  She was living in a simple apartment, in a modest area of the city. Not a very big place, but then, there was only her. She unlocked the front door with her palmprint, and strode wearily in. The door shut itself behind her, the lights turned themselves on, and the viewscreen on the side table informed her in its usual snotty voice that she had no messages waiting. Evangeline stood quietly in her hallway for a long moment, her cloak dripping steadily onto the ugly carpeting that had come with the furnishings. Her arms and legs felt heavy as lead, and it was an effort to hold her head up. She felt as if she could go to bed and sleep for a week, but she'd been sleeping far too much lately, so she wouldn't have to think or feel. And there was still work waiting to be done for the clone underground meeting tomorrow. She couldn't put it off any longer.

  She took off her rain-soaked cloak, and hung it on the proper hook. Let it drip. It didn't matter. And only then did she realize there was someone else in the apartment with her. He was standing very still in the shadows at the far end of the room beyond, where the lights couldn't reach. Evangeline's heart jumped in her chest, and she sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly wide awake. She didn't waste time wondering which of her enemies had found her. There were too many. What mattered was that he had to be a professional, to have got past the security systems, and she didn't have a weapon on her. She hadn't thought she'd need them at a funeral. Stupid, stupid. The kind of enemies she'd made had no respect for occasion. She was still looking about her for something she could use as a weapon when the figure stepped suddenly forward into the light, and her legs suddenly went weak at the knees.

  "Hello, Evie," said Finlay Campbell, smiling. "You really should do something about your locks. Breaking in here was child's play."

  Evangeline started toward him, and then stopped herself. "What are you?" she said hoarsely. "Some ghost come to haunt me? My guilt, for sending you to your death? Or maybe some esper, hiding behind a mental mask. A clone, perhaps, prepared beforehand in case of the original's death. Or have I finally lost my mind, and now see only the things I want to see?"

  "None of the above," said Finlay. "It's me, Evie. I made it out of Tower Shreck, a bit singed around the edges but basically intact. After what I'd done to Gregor, I thought it best to go to ground for a while. I couldn't contact you. I didn't know who might be listening in. And then I heard I was dead, and decided that might be best for everyone. Time for a new face and a new identity, I think. Make a new life for myself. With you. It was cruel of me to let you think I was dead, I know, but it was for the best, for both of us. Say you forgive me, Evie."

  "Of course I forgive you," said Evangeline. "I always do, don't I?"

  And in a moment they were in each other's arms, hugging the breath out of each other. Tears finally ran down Evangeline's cheeks at her love returned, whole and real and in her arms again. They finally loosened their grip, and moved back a little to look into each other's eyes. They had parted on a quarrel, and thought each other lost, but now they were back together again, and their love burned so fiercely in them they could scarcely breathe. Finlay felt the need to calm things down a little, and stepped back, still holding her hands in his. He glanced around at Evangeline's new lodgings.

  "Don't think much of your new place, Evie. Whoever owns it must have really pissed off his interior decorator. And what happened to your two friends in jars; Penny De Carlo and Professor Wax?"

  "They're at the main hospital, waiting for their cloned bodies to stabilize so their heads can be grafted back… What does that matter? How the hell did you get out of Tower Shreck alive? And what did happen between you and my father?"

  "I killed him," said Finlay, his voice calm and controlled. "I killed him for you, for all the awful things he d
id to you. I took my time, making sure he suffered as you suffered, and when I finally sent him to Hell the fires of the Pit must have seemed like a relief. Valentine Wolfe was there too. I shot him."

  "Hold everything. The Wolfe is dead?" said Evangeline.

  "Unfortunately, probably not. Though how he survived a point-blank disrupter blast is a mystery to me. After I was finished with Gregor, I discovered Valentine's body was no longer where it had fallen. Searching for him, I found the secret panel through which he'd escaped. It turned out to be a concealed passageway, no doubt prepared by Gregor for last-minute emergencies. I followed it to its end on a lower level, disguised myself in a dead guard's armor, and joined the other guards as they evacuated the burning Tower. Then I just walked away. No one stopped me. And I've been hiding out here and there ever since."

  Evangeline let go of his hands and stepped back. "We held your funeral today. Placed an empty coffin with your name on it in your Family vault."

  "I know," said Finlay. "I was watching. From a discreet distance. Not much of a turnout, was it? Good of Robert to come, though. We never could stand each other. And Addie and the kids… they should be all right. Addie was doing very well in stocks and shares, last I heard."

  "So now you're officially dead. What next? A new life; someone completely different from the old you?"

  "Of course. It's not for the first time, after all. Finlay Campbell had his day, but it's over now. Time to move on. With centralized records still in chaos after the rebellion, adopting a new identity is easy these days. Lots of people are doing it, for all kinds of reasons. And whereas Finlay Campbell could never marry you, for all sorts of reasons, there's nothing to keep you and whoever I become apart. We can be together at last."

  They hugged again, Evangeline burying her face in Finlay's chest. "Won't you miss your old life?" she said finally.

  "Not really. Neither Finlay Campbell nor the Masked Gladiator were ever really me. Just parts of me. Things I did to pass the time. And anyway, people never did appreciate what Finlay Campbell did for them in the rebellion. Not like Julian, with his own holo show."

  "He's dead, you know."

  "Yes, I know. Poor Julian, at rest at last. At least he took that Chojiro bitch with him."

  "It's being presented as a lovers' quarrel," said Evangeline. "The official line is he lost his mind when he discovered he was dying, and wanted to take BB with him. The Chojiros went out of their way to say they didn't blame Julian. He was still very popular, after all. The whole city came to a standstill for his funeral."

  "I know," said Finlay. "I was there, standing in the crowd on the sidewalk as his funeral procession went by. Men and women were weeping openly. He was the people's hero. Not a legend like Owen or Jack Random, or shadowy figures like you and me."

  "You shouldn't have gone. It was dangerous for you to appear in public. Julian would have understood."

  "I was disguised. And I couldn't let him go without saying good-bye. I never really had a friend, before. He worshipped me, though I kept telling him not to. He could never understand how much I admired him. He was the real thing; an actual hero, fighting the good fight just because he believed in it. I was pushed into it. Only joined the underground so I could be close to you. Still; at least he got a good send-off. I was amazed to see his holo show was still running, with an actor playing his part. Bigger audience share than ever. He tried once to set me up as a guest star, but apparently the networks considered me unsuitable material." Finlay grinned. "How right they were. So; what are you doing with yourself, these days, Evie? From what I've heard, you seem to be practically running the clone underground."

  "Someone has to," said Evangeline. She pushed herself away from him, and sniffed a few times, her tears over. "The previous leaders let their new power and money go to their heads. They squandered their influence and voice for backroom promises and generous bribes, and achieved nothing. The clones should have been a major voice in the new administration. And by the time I'm finished, they will be. I got involved originally just to keep myself occupied, but you wouldn't believe the amount of corruption I uncovered. I couldn't go to the law; if word got out, it would discredit the whole clone movement. So, I've been slowly cleaning out the rats from the inside, and disposing of the bodies where no one will ever find them. You've come back from the dead at a very useful time, Finlay; I can use a strong right arm."

  "When did you get to be so practical?" said Finlay wonderingly.

  "I had no choice. I was alone. And I suppose I had to grow up sometime. Losing my hated father and my dearest love on the same day convinced me I couldn't afford to be a child any longer."

  "I can't be seen with you publicly," said Finlay. "Not until we can find a body shop we can trust, to change my face and body language."

  "You can wear a mask," said Evangeline, smiling. "You're used to that. We'll call you the Unknown Clone; a living symbol of all the clones who died to bring about clone equality. The movement can use a symbol like that."

  "Will I get to kill people?" said Finlay.

  "Oh lots," said Evangeline, and they both laughed.

  Daniel Wolfe sat bolt upright in his bed, trying not to scream this time. The nightmare was already fading away as he tried to hang on to it, and he could no longer remember exactly what it was that had disturbed him so. But his body remembered. He was soaked in sweat, his heart hammering in his chest, and he was panting for breath as though he'd been running for his life. Perhaps he had been. He pushed the sweaty sheets aside, and called for light. The lights snapped on with reassuring speed, and his bedroom appeared around him. His old bedroom, from when he'd been a child growing up in Tower Wolfe. Stephanie had had it opened up again especially for him, when it became clear how badly he needed somewhere he could feel safe and secure.

  Something had happened to him, during his search for his dead father, something awful. So bad he couldn't remember any of it. Except in his dreams.

  He swung down from his bed and padded over to the nightstand to wash his face in the basin. The cool water was soothing, but he remained troubled. He felt sure there was something he ought to remember. Something important. No matter how much it terrified him.

  His door slid open, and his heart jumped painfully in his chest. He spun around, arms raised to protect himself from… something. But it was only his big sister Stephanie, come to see that he was all right. She always knew when there was something wrong with him. She'd come straight from her own bed, her hair still disheveled, a cloak flung over her flimsy nightdress so as not to scandalize the guards. Daniel nodded jerkily to her, and moved back to sit on the edge of his bed. She sat down beside him, and put a comforting arm across his still shaking shoulders.

  "Was it the dream again?" she said quietly. "Have you been taking the pills the doctor prescribed?"

  "They don't help. I don't have any problem sleeping. Just dreaming. No one can stop you from dreaming."

  "Do you have any idea what it is about the dream that's so bad? So frightening? Or why you keep having the same dream?"

  "No. It's always gone by the time I'm properly awake." Daniel stared down at his hands, twisting together in his lap. He was wearing pajamas with pictures of Bruin Bear on them, just as he had when he was still a child. They comforted him, and gave him some feeling that someone was looking after him. "It's just… something bad is coming. I know it. But I don't know what, or why, or how… I wish you'd call in an esper. Have them dig it out of my head."

  "We've been through this before, Danny," said Stephanie firmly. "If we call in an esper, word would be bound to get out. And then people would talk. We can't have the other Families, or anyone else, seeing us as weak. Not with things… as they are. It's only a dream, Danny. You'll get over it."

  "If only I could remember…" Daniel glared helplessly down at his hands, clenched into useless fists.

  Stephanie made hushing noises to him, and rocked him back and forth a little. Daniel began to relax, almost in spite of him
self. He remembered his mother doing the same thing, when he was very young. "Don't worry about a stupid old dream," said Stephanie. "You're entitled to a few bad dreams, after spending so long trapped in the wreckage of your ship. Just be grateful your transponder finally decided to start working again, so we could track you down, and pay for your transport home. Be glad you're still alive, Danny. A crash that bad would have killed most people."

  "Then why can't I remember anything about it? Why do I have no memories at all of why I crashed, or what I was doing so near that deserted moon?" Daniel's face creased up with frustration, like a child's. "I was gone for months. Where was I, all that time?"

  "It'll all come back," said Stephanie. "Give it time."

  "I don't know if I want it to. I'm scared, Steph."

  "Look, try and tough it out for a while longer. If you're no better in a few weeks' time, I'll see about smuggling an esper in here. There are still a few people who owed Clan Wolfe favors. In the meantime, thank your lucky stars you crashed when you did. You were well on your way to the Forbidden Sector, and no one comes back from there."

  "So everyone keeps telling me." Daniel sighed heavily. "I wish I could have found Father. Or even just his body, to bring it home to the Family vault. I miss him so much, Steph."

  "I don't. He was a tyrant and a bully. Never cared for what we wanted, and far too ready to knock you about when it suited him. He never laid a hand on me. Knew damn well I'd stab him if he tried. We're much better off now he's gone. Valentine's disappeared, Constance is completely preoccupied with her forthcoming wedding… and I have secret allies. If we work this right, we could secure control of this Family, Daniel, and run it as it should be run. Make us a power in the land again. Isn't that what we always wanted?"