Chapter #63Fakes Inside Fakes by: Seuzz   Aparijita. She's not one of the Stellae, but a member of the Akshardham, their Indian equivalent. For millennia people with planet-governed essentia have been showing up, and organizing themselves into groups. The Stellae grew up in Europe and the Middle East, and extended into the Americas after Columbus. China and the Indian subcontinent have their own schools with which the Stellae have cooperative relations. "What's she doing in the States," you ask Charles.
"Doing favors for us," Charles says. "If you're asking for Miko, it sounds like you expect some fighting. She's got some skills there--"
"But she's not Malacandran." No, her ousiarchs are Perelandra and Catilindria. You quickly run through the combinations, and realize with a leaping heart that Aparijita's planets are the only two you've not captured for your own constellation. "But we could probably use Perelandra out here," you say. "There's a lot of underbrush. When can you have her out here?"
"Tomorrow evening, if someone can pick her up at the airport. Where's the nearest one?"
"A puddle jumper can bring her in to Saratoga Falls. I'll meet her."
"How are the boys doing?"
"Pretty good. They chased the Libra to Cuthbert, and were smart enough to call me in after doing a recon. Why are you asking?"
"Paternal concern, Rick. It's their first real solo mission."
"Well, it's turned into a humdinger. I don't like this town. I told you about it after my first recon through it."
"John's been researching it. It's no surprise the Libra should have gravitated there. It was probably trying to get there."
"I don't like the thought of it in their hands. Get Aparijita out here quick, so we can hit them hard and fast."
Charles gets to work on setting up the flight, and calls back thirty minutes later with flight information. You then put Jasper's mask back on, and after that withdraw back into your own body. You set Aunt Sarah's alarm for an early wake up.
* * * * *
You pace the church basement impatiently, checking your watch. There's no schedule set, but it feels like things are taking too long. You don't relax even when Sam Gibson calls with word that "Frank and Joe" have left the Big House, because that puts the ball in Nate's court, and you've not an enormous amount of faith in his ability to pull things off.
So your nerves are in a tense state when you hear a noise from upstairs, and you scramble back into a corner as voices come nearer: Joe (loud) and Nate (inaudible). "So how long are we gonna have to wait," Joe says impatiently as he and Frank and Nate enter. He does a little double take when he sees you, but says nothing.
"Grandmother'll be along in her own sweet time," Nate says. He gestures at the chair sitting under the reassembled Still. "Take a seat." Joe just jams in hands in his pockets.
"Nate said to take a seat," you say. Joe and Frank turn, and both of them start. As well they should, for you've a pistol aimed at them. "I suggest you take it."
They turn at the click of a pistol from Nate's direction. "I'm a pretty good marksman, and even ol' Will ain't likely to miss at this distance," he says. "You, Blondie, sit in the chair. Will, put the other one in the cell." He indicates the small jail-like cell in the corner.
You wave the pistol and cock the hammer. Frank stares at you. If they were the real Stellae, he and Joe would have the guns out of your and Nate's hands by now, and would be feeding you chunks of concrete torn from the floor. But these are the fakes, and they've been instructed to follow your demands. So Joe slumps into the chair, and Frank slowly moves into the cell, where you lock him in.
You bind golem-Joe into the chair while Nate keeps him covered. "You know howda work this thing, Will?" Nate asks.
"I seen Grandmother do it a couple of times. You?"
"Done it myself under her direction a few times recently. 'Tween us, I guess we can get it right." He cocks his head doubtfully. "But she says these two are fakes--"
"I know they're fakes. Fed their skins to the Minotaur myself."
"--so it might not work."
"We want 'em out of the way anyhow, Nate. One way or the other." You shrug.
Nate shrugs too, and the two of you set to work. You jam the needle into the back of golem-Joe's neck while Nate busies himself with switches and whatnot. You spot a few errors and try to correct them, and it's only after some argument that Nate lets you set things up correctly. You then switch on the machinery.
It clunks and gurgles in a way that sounds worse than normal, but it works as it should. Maybe the extra noises are because it's trying to extract essentia and anima, which are not inside the victim. But otherwise the golem is built just like a normal person, and it sags and deflates just like the original Joe would have done, leaving only a skin and clothes behind.
Nate then directs golem-Frank into the chair, and destroys him.
"I'd feel better if we knew what they talked to Grandmother about," Nate says as the two of you separate the skins from the clothes. "If we're gonna pull this off--"
"Don't be such an old lady, Nate. You're almost as bad as Aunt Sarah." He glares at you. "We just need to tell her that we saw Nate and Will skulking around the church. No need to get fancy. Now, who do you want to wear?" You pull the last bit of clothing off Frank's skin. "The blonde guy or this one?"
It seems fitting that Nate should pick Joe. His is the skin you'd originally tempted him with.
You can't help grinning raffishly to yourself as you slip your legs through Frank's mouth, guide them through his baggy skin, and fill his thicker legs with Will Shabbleman's. So many layers of deception: You are remotely controlling the body of a fake Will Shabbleman, and are clothing it with the skin of a fake Frank Durras; and all this in the service of a con at the expense of the man who is clothing himself like Joe Durras. You take an inordinately long time at it, too, drawing out the process of slipping your legs into Frank's; your cock into his; your buttocks into his; your torso into his, and your arms into his. Nate already has Joe fully donned, and has finished dressing in jeans, tennis shoes, and a gray hoodie while you're pulling Frank's head over yours. The world goes dark, then reappears as you snap your eyes open behind Frank's. You rub your face, settling cheeks and jaw more firmly, then run your fingers through your hair. "How do I look, Joe?"
"Like an asshole," he replies in a voice more dour than the chirpy Joe uses. "Come on, shake a leg."
* * * * *
You hear Rosalie in the parlor, barking at someone, when you walk into the Big House. "Leave Sarah alone," she is saying. "She's doing what she's s'pposed to be doing."
"Yes'm," a meek voice replies, and instant later Melody Shabbleman flies out of the parlor, blinking back tears. It bothers you that someone has been trying to disturb your real self (locked in the bedroom upstairs), but put it aside. At least golem-Grandmother has been doing her job of protecting you.
But she's fully in character, too, and glares at you and "Joe" as you tramp into the parlor. "You boys take care of what I put you on," she demands.
"Yes ma'am," Joe says.
"But we seen something else too," you interject. "Do Will and Nate have business out at the church?"
"No. Why?"
"Because we saw them heading in there on our way back."
She frowns. "You ask after their business?"
"No ma'am. We came straight here."
Grandmother's frown deepens, and doesn't reply. But you rose early and snuck into her bedroom, to tell her what would be happening, and how to play along. And so after a moment's thought she springs to her feet. "Then let's go ask 'em." She brushes masterfully past you, and you and your confederate fall into her wake. Her ass is terribly inviting, and you stare at it all the way over to the church.
But naturally you find the basement deserted. "You sure they came out here," golem-Grandmother asks. "If so they didn't stay long."
"What's that there then?" Joe asks, pointing to a pile of clothes next to the chair.
She strides over, and stares down at them. "Nate's uniform," she murmurs, then raises her head to look around. "What the devil would he be--"
"Will!" Joe shouts. You spring over and grab Grandmother about the torso. "Cover her mouth! Don't let her--!" You clap a hand over the struggling girl's jaw. "Get her into the--!"
"Just get that needle into her!" you holler in turn. Grandmother fights, but you keep a tight grip. Still, it's hard for Nate, who's flailing behind you, to get a clear line so he can disable her. Only when you twist the girl around, exposing the back of her neck, can he get the needle in. She gasps and goes rigid. "Never mind the chair! Just hit the switch, Nate!" He leaps over to one of the big pipe and with a heavy click turns The Still on. You set the girl into the chair as the pipes begin to wheeze and groan.
Fifteen minutes later, there's nothing left but a skirt and blouse and sandals, and a skin that looks like the one Rosalie Stewart used to have. "I guess this is when the fun begins," Nate says quietly. He's already pulled off Joe's skin.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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