"I don't know what to do," Lewis said finally. "I've never felt like this before."
"Never?" said Jesamine. "Haven't you ever been in love before?"
"No," said Lewis. "There's only ever been me. And Douglas."
"Hush," said Jesamine, and raised a hand to touch his mouth with her fingertips.
Lewis turned his head away. He looked out across the tea room, and that was when he saw Anne Barclay, standing there, watching him with Jesamine. And Lewis just knew, from the expression on her face, that she'd been watching for some time.
"Anne?" he said, though his voice didn't sound like his at all. "What are you doing here?"
Jesamine looked around sharply and saw Anne, but apart from a slight widening of her eyes, her face betrayed nothing at all.
"What am I doing here?" said Anne, advancing on the two of them with the inevitability of destiny. "More to the point, what the hell are you two doing here? No; don't say it, Lewis. Whatever you were about to say, it would only have been a lie, and you never were any good at that. And I really don't have the time or the patience to stand here and listen to you stutter. I came here looking for you. You're needed back at Parliament, both of you. Douglas has been called to an emergency Session of the House, and he's going to need all the support he can get.
"You may have noticed the commotion outside, when you weren't busy eating each other's faces. Well, that march is just one of seven, all of them equally large, equally angry, and equally determined. They're all headed straight for the Parliament building, and absolutely no one thinks they're coming to hand in a petition. There's a really bad feeling in the air, Lewis. We've called in every peacekeeper in the city, but we can't afford a direct confrontation. The Church has made it very clear it isn't going to be stopped, or diverted. We even try and put up barricades, and they'll use that as an excuse to hit out with everything they've got. If we don't find just the right way to defuse this… it'll all end in tears. Guaranteed. Now get your arses moving, both of you. I've got a gravity barge waiting out the back."
Jesamine just nodded, and headed for the cloakroom to fetch her fur coat. She passed straight by Anne, her head held high. She still hadn't said anything, and Lewis could only admire her grace under pressure. He could feel the flush reddening his face, and he didn't know what to do with his hands. Anne and he stood and stared at each other until Jesamine returned with her coat, having dismissed her security people. She headed for the rear of the tea rooms with a calm and composed face, as though she didn't have a care in the world. Anne glared at Lewis, and he almost flinched.
"How could you?" she said, her voice so low it was almost a growl. "What the hell did you think you were doing, Lewis? She's marrying Douglas in two weeks' time! Your best friend! She will be Queen to his King. You're going to ruin everything!"
"Do you think I don't know that?" said Lewis, trying hard to keep his voice under control. "I don't know how it happened. It just… happened. I know it was wrong, but… it's not like she loves him. It's an arranged marriage. Not much more than a business merger. And Jesamine… she's special. She matters to me. Damn it, aren't I allowed anything for myself? I'm not a Paragon anymore. I'm supposed to be the Champion, but no one seems to know what that is. And ever since my best friend became King, he's had no time for me. I'm so alone, Anne… I never wanted to be Champion. Never expected it. I only agreed because I thought Douglas needed me. And now it seems like I've lost everything that ever mattered to me. Am I so wrong to want something for myself, Anne? She makes me happy. She cares for me."
"Don't fool yourself, Lewis." Anne's voice was more contemptuous than angry. "She's an actress, remember? I've known her for years, and there never was a man she couldn't twist around her little finger. Much more likely, she was bored and you were there. She's going to have to give up a lot to become Queen, including a lot of freedoms she's always taken for granted. You were just a last fling, a last gesture, one last taste of freedom before she has to give it all up and become respectable. I thought you were smarter than this, Lewis. Stronger than this. If even a hint of this were to get out, the gossip shows would have a field day, you know they would. And the King's enemies would use you to destroy him. Is that what you want?"
"Of course not! He's my friend!"
"Then act like it! And from now on keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself whenever you're around little miss hot-to-trot. I may not be able to trust her, but I thought I could trust you."
"You can," said Lewis. His face was calm now, and his voice was cold and steady, and only someone who knew him really well could have seen the sadness in his eyes. Anne, who had known him since childhood, took him gently by the arm and guided him towards the rear of the tea rooms.
"Come on, Lewis. There's work to be done, and we're needed. It's not the same as being wanted, but it will have to do."
Over at Finn's charming apartment, the Durandal and his people were watching the Church/Neumen demonstration on the over-sized vidscreen that took up most of one wall. The colors were a bit overpowering, but the three dimensions and surround sound made it just like looking out a window. Finn didn't have much use for toys, as a rule; but when he did decide he wanted something, he never settled for anything but the very best version available. He sat, completely relaxed, in his favorite chair, drinking a fashionable wine and smiling happily as his plans unfolded before him.
Angelo Bellini sat in the chair next to him, intent and focused on the vidscreen, smiling now and again when he forgot himself. He had a drink in his hand but was so caught up in the drama of the events he'd help orchestrate, he kept forgetting the drink was there. Every now and again he would lean forward suddenly as he spotted a familiar face among the marchers, and loudly identify them to the rest of the room, who if truth be told weren't really all that interested. Angelo didn't notice, entirely wrapped up in himself and his own reactions. And every now and again, he would suddenly twitch or scratch himself, in an exaggerated fashion, and never know it wasn't by his own volition.
Brett Random sneered at him, sitting slumped in a chair as far away from the others as he could get. He'd drunk the best part of a bottle of brandy in the past hour, but it hadn't done a thing to improve his disposition. Brett was in a foul mood and didn't care who knew it, though he still had enough sense to keep quiet whenever Finn glanced his way. His stomach still hurt, but now he had a throbbing headache to go along with it. Thanks to the esper drug, Brett had to spend a lot of his time tuning out the constant roar of all the minds thinking around him. It was slowly getting easier, and he had a feeling that eventually he'd be able to do it automatically. And somewhere off in the distance, in a direction he couldn't identify, he could see or hear or feel something… splendid. Something that shone like the sun. Something that felt like the home he'd never known. It was calling to him. He thought it might be the oversoul.
It scared the crap out of him.
He'd started to experiment with his new abilities. He'd already discovered that with a little concentration he could influence people around him. Make them do things. Nothing major, nothing important. But he could make Angelo's face twitch, and make him scratch an itch he didn't actually have. A cheap laugh admittedly, but in Finn's service you had to make do with what you could get. It wasn't the most useful of talents, but it was a start, he supposed. And it pleased him to have an ability Finn knew nothing about. Never knew when you might need a weapon for the future. An ace in the hole. Brett smiled, and drank his brandy.
He'd tried out his new ability on Rose Constantine, but she immediately turned and looked right at him, so he didn't try that again. The last thing he wanted was to attract her attention. He was still trying to come to terms with that astonishing moment when their minds had briefly touched. Ever since, he'd felt differently about her, though he couldn't say how. Rose kept looking at him, and he couldn't read the expression on her face. It was a bit like waking up the next morning after a really good party, and discovering a stranger in bed
with you. So that there was now someone new in your life that you'd been close to, but really didn't know at all. She'd drawn up her chair right next to his, almost uncomfortably close. And she kept looking at him. For the moment she was watching the events on the vidscreen, because Finn had told her to, but Brett could tell she wasn't interested in any of it. He just… knew that.
"You did a good job, Angelo," Finn said suddenly, and Angelo and Brett both jumped, just a little. Finn smiled lazily. "Joining the Church and the Neumen at the hip was one of my more inspired ideas. Though I never dreamed they'd take to each other so completely, and so quickly."
"It was surprisingly easy," Angelo admitted. "The right words in the right ears, at the right level, and suddenly people at the top on both sides became very receptive. It helped that both sides were frustrated with their lack of progress; once I showed them what they could achieve if they joined forces, they couldn't wait to get started. And of course, once word came down from on high, the lower orders were only too happy to go along. I've always been very good at pointing out to people where their best interests lie. And it's always been easier to get people to hate than to get them to love. Doesn't matter in the end whether it's religion or politics; people do so love to have a scapegoat, someone to blame for all the troubles and failures of their little lives. Someone other than themselves, of course. And what could be more other than aliens? I should have thought of this years ago."
And then he broke off and leaned forward in his chair again, as trouble broke out on one of the marches, and all the media cameras zoomed in for close-ups. Security forces had apparently decided enough was enough, and had started setting up barriers to block off the road leading to Parliament. The marchers went crazy, as they were forced to halt. There was shouting and screaming, the shaking of fists and a lot of bad language. Angelo Bellini pursed his lips disapprovingly at the latter. These were supposed to be Church-going people. The marchers pressed forward, pushing at the barriers and threatening the security people behind them. Already some people were throwing things from within the safety of the crowd. The security forces backed away, looking nervously about them. They were vastly outnumbered, and unsure what to do for the best. No one had seen a demonstration this large, and this angry, for years. But still none of the security forces had drawn a gun, or even a sword. Not yet. They'd all been given strict instructions not to start anything. But some of the stones and missiles flying through the air were coming dangerously close. And the barriers were flimsy things. They wouldn't stop the marchers if they were determined to break through, and both sides knew it. The marchers could see the House of Parliament now, and just the sight of that symbol of authority inflamed their passions even further. They were going to enter the House, by force if necessary, and make the MPs listen to what they had to say.
And a few peacekeepers and security people with frightened faces sure as hell weren't going to stop them.
"How soon before it becomes a riot?" said Brett, so fascinated by the drama unfolding before him that he actually forgot his stomach hurt.
As soon as my overpaid agents provocateurs are all in position," said Finn, sipping his wine delicately. "I want all seven marches stopped outside Parliament before I let all hell break loose. Security might handle one mob, but not seven. And especially not seven outraged blood-crazed mobs, whipped into a frenzy by the carefully honed rhetoric of my people."
"But… there's no way they'll actually get inside the House," said Brett. "I mean; that building's got all kinds of antiterrorist defenses built into it, from the bad old days. And you can bet security's got them all up and running after that suicide bomber."
"They're not supposed to get inside," Finn said patiently. "They're supposed to riot. Cracked heads, and men down, and blood running in the gutters. The peacekeepers won't be able to contain it, security will break and run, and dear Douglas will only have one option left open to him. And then… he will play right into my hands. You must be patient, Brett. I know what I'm doing. And you'll get to play your part soon enough."
"And I'll get to kill someone?" said Rose.
"I promised you a shot at the Deathstalker," said Finn. "And you know I always keep my promises."
In the House, every single Member of Parliament was present, for once, packed shoulder to shoulder in their seats. All the alien representatives were there too, along with clones, Shub, and the oversoul. Parliament's authority hadn't been challenged this blatantly in a hundred years. They could hear the roar of the mob growing ever louder outside the House, a dark disturbing violent sound, and a lot of the MPs looked nervous, even the few who were only present as holos. They were in unknown territory now. King Douglas sat scowling on his Throne, Jesamine on his left, Lewis on his right. Jesamine looked calm and composed, even regal. Lewis was scowling even harder than Douglas, even though Anne was talking constantly in his ear, telling him to relax dammit, he was spooking everyone. Armed security men lined the walls, looking twitchy and sweaty.
A large viewscreen was floating in midair on the open floor of the House, so that the honorable Members could watch the latest media reports of the converging marches. Anti-Church and anti-Neumen demonstrators were turning up in large numbers now, drawn by the media coverage. The Church Militant had a lot of enemies, from all kinds of political and philosophical positions. Security and peacekeepers now had the extra responsibility of trying to keep the two sides apart. Already there was a lot of angry shouting, as both sides screamed insults and threats at each other. Stones and other missiles were flying from all directions. Some people had been hit and were sitting bleeding and dazed on the ground, but the medics couldn't get to them. Most of the medics were frankly too scared even to try. Where the two sides did occasionally manage to get at each other, fistfights and worse broke out immediately. The peacekeepers and the security forces were running scared. They hadn't a hope of controlling or even containing the situation anymore, and everyone knew it. They hadn't been trained in how to deal with mass civil insurrection. No one had ever thought it would be necessary.
No one had drawn a weapon yet, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time now.
"Send the troops in," said Tel Markham, Member for Madraguda. "The peacekeepers are out of their depth. Someone's going to get hurt soon. Really hurt. Call out the army. Let them handle it. One look at trained professional fighting men, and the mob will fall apart."
"What if they don't?" said Lewis.
"I'm reluctant to have armed troops running loose in the city, attacking civilians," Douglas said heavily. "The last thing we need is for this to escalate. Lewis is right. If the crowds see troops bearing down on them with weapons in their hands, they won't run; they'll go crazy. Intelligence says a lot of the marchers are armed, some of them with energy weapons. They were expecting trouble. I don't want blood and bodies in the streets. That smacks too much of the bad old days; the kind of tactics Lionstone was famous for. We're supposed to be better than that. We need a way to defuse this situation, before anyone gets seriously hurt."
"Exactly," said Meerah Puri, Member for Malediction. "Troops haven't been allowed into the Parade of the Endless for over a century. Not even for parades. We mustn't let this mob panic us into taking measures we might regret later."
"If those thugs break through the barriers and storm the House, we could end up regretting that even more," said Rowan Boswell, Member for Hercules IV "They've got fire in their bellies and blood in their eyes. Let them even scent weakness, and they'll take the House by force; and we could all end up hanging from ropes!"
"Hysteria doesn't suit you, Rowan!" snapped Gilad Xiang, Member for Zenith. "Take a few deep breaths and stick your head between your knees. Before I have someone do it for you. There is no need for panic. We're all perfectly safe in here. There's no way the protesters can get to us. The House has been on security Red Alert ever since the suicide bomber got in here, and all the old defenses have been reactivated. The House has its own blastproof steel doors and i
nterior force shields. We could stand off an army if we had to. Whatever happens out there, we're safe."
"We still don't know how that bloody bomber got in!" said Boswell shrilly. His face was pale, and his mouth was trembling. "Maybe we should… agree to meet someone from the Church. A delegation…"
"We are not opening our doors to a mob!" Tel Markham said immediately. "We can't give in to threats. We certainly can't afford to appear weak before them. Give the Church Militant an inch, and we'll never be free of them. And if we start making concessions to the Church, where would it all end? They aren't the only extremists with demands. We have to set an example. Show everyone that we can't be intimidated. We have to break up the mob, and send the militants packing. And for that we need the army!"
"The troops are in their barracks, outside the city limits," Douglas said steadily. "Even if the House gave the order, it would take time for them to assemble and get here in force. I doubt we'd see them in under an hour.
And a lot can happen in an hour; especially if the mob found out armed troops were on their way to shut them down."
"How would they find out?" said Boswell.
"Don't be naive," said Xiang. "This demonstration didn't just happen; it was organized. By people who aren't stupid enough to be down here themselves. Whoever they are, you can bet they'll be monitoring this situation very carefully. If we give the order, you can bet the militants will know almost as soon as the troops. And then the shit really will hit the fan."
"There is… an alternative," said Lewis, and everyone in the House turned to look at him.
"Is there, by God?" said Douglas. "I for one would very much love to hear it."