Maybe Science, Maybe Magic
Pieces of the plot are falling into place.
[Author's Note: This story follows the story Let's Make a Deal, and is the tenth episode of Volume 7.]
The four of them were sitting at a cafe in Atlas, exchanging news and stories.
" – for most of the time I was simply tied to a chair," Blake was saying. "It was quite a nice chair. The whole castle thing is ... well, she has some interesting tapestries, and a lot of old books, but I might have gone a different way."
"The decor aside," said Ruby, "did you learn anything that might help us?"
"Salem came in at one point. Man, she is scary. But she didn't say anything. Just stared at me, sort of sniffed in disdain, and then left. I can tell you, that illusion created by Emerald was pretty spot-on, although she is really just human-size. I would say that she hates us to a great and terrible degree. Well, I suppose that we have caused her a lot of trouble. What about you guys?"
Yang said: "I should probably mention that I owe Cinder and Team NAME a favour. For helping out. Seemed like a good idea at the time."
"I have a feeling that that might return to bite us, and so will handing Watts and Callows back," said Ruby. "Not that there was much choice. By the way, we located the Summer Maiden. She's an old lady who lives in the country, and she's sort of impolite."
"It's my grandmother, Faber Schnee," said Weiss. "And she's retired. I'm not sure if it's true, but she told us that Salem is the Destruction relic. Oh, and Ruby is the Choice relic, apparently."
"Uh, what was that last bit again?" said Blake.
"Heh heh, who knew?" said Ruby. "Little me. Well, my book did say that the power of the relics could be passed to living things."
"It would explain how you can read it when no-one else can, and why you could talk to the Knowledge relic, and how you did that thing with Penny," said Yang. "But still ... wow."
They were all quiet for a while, turning over their thoughts. It was a lot to absorb.
After a while, Ruby said: "Hey, is anyone else hungry?"
"Yeah, I could use a bite," said Yang.
"Your ... grandmother?" said Blake.
"Does anyone know the time?" said Weiss.
Yang told her.
"In that case," said Weiss, rising to leave, "I have to meet someone."
Salem looked around at the smoking ruins of her favourite library. There was only one person who could have generated a blast of fire like that. Well, there would be retribution, eventually.
So many of her wonderful books destroyed. Even, she suddenly realised, the Book of Relics – one of only two copies to have ever existed. She wondered where the other one was. The last she had heard of it, it was held by the Winter Maiden, Erde. But that was when they had been something like friends, many years ago – a long time before Salem had become ... what she was now. Not that the location of the book mattered, since no-one but her could read it. The only other way to decipher the text was by the light of the Knowledge relic, as she had done in order to become what she was.
Dr Arthur Watts entered the room. He looked around at the damage and gave a low whistle.
"When?" said Salem.
"Well, I have to complete the calibration work, and determine the inter-connectivity ratios, and do the calculations for the charging sequence – "
"I asked, when," said Salem. "Will it be ready in time?"
"To co-ordinate with events on the other end? I would think so. In other words, soon."
She nodded. "Soon," she said.
"Why did you ask for this meeting, brother?" said Weiss. "I see you did not bring the bodyguards."
"Can't it just be to share some good wine with my dear sister?" said Whitley, as he filled her glass. "And I see you did not bring your friend with the very impressive weapon. By the way, do you know if she is seeing anyone?"
"She has her eye on an extremely large man with an extremely large sword," said Weiss. "Please get to the point, Whit."
"Ah," he said. "Yes, the point. But of course I never do anything for free. What did you bring to trade?"
"First, say what you want to say. I've got other places to be, and people I would much prefer to be with."
Whitley took a sip of wine. "Do you happen to know how portal stones work?" he said.
"I know how they are used, but not how they work. Maybe science, maybe magic, maybe a bit of both."
"Yes, a bit of both, I think. It so happens that I came into possession of several of these interesting little items, and the smart people at Schnee Technology have been running some tests. Specifically, they combined one of the stones with the energy from the Creation relic."
"Ironwood said that some of the energy had been drawn off and stored in batteries. Is that what you mean?"
"Yes, and we were able to obtain a few of those for ourselves. Now, here's an odd thing. When my people ... procured ... them, they found that a couple more were missing from the military storage facility in Mantle. Three, in fact. The General really should have better inventory control."
"So what happens when you bring them together?"
"In the first attempt, a very large explosion. Instability of energy flows or something, I don't do the details. Second time around, we were much more careful, and stood further back. If the energy output level is increased slowly, it makes the portal stone much more powerful. Much more."
Weiss considered. "Yang said that the portals that appeared in Atlas were bigger than the ones we had seen before," she said.
"Probably a sort of test run, involving a single stone and a fraction of relic energy," said Whitley. "According to the people who handle the theory end of things, if you were to link a number of stones together, and add the power of several batteries, you could create a portal that is very large – hundreds of metres across – and keep it open for a long time. Of course, going through something like that might take a while. The portal would be more like a long hallway than a doorway. And it would take a while to charge it up and stabilise it. So I am informed."
Weiss considered. "Why are you telling me this, Whit?" she said at last.
"Because I do not want to see a chunk of Atlas destroyed by a punch-up between Salem's ghouls and Ironwood's battleships. It would be bad for business."
"There won't be a punch-up," said Weiss. "Because most of the Atlas military is currently in Vale. For the CCTS turn-on."
Whitley stared at her. Always pale, he seemed to become a shade paler. "Ah, yes," he said. "To mount a decent invasion, timing is everything. By the time the fleet returned the Grimm would have over-run the city and be entrenched. With enough of those big flying things in place, Salem could even take down the battleships."
Weiss drained her glass and rose to leave.
"Wait a second," said Whitley, recovering his composure. "You still owe me something, I think."
Weiss sighed, and lifted a bulky package from the floor beside her. She plonked it onto the table between them. It was an overcoat, tied into a bundle by the sleeves. Weiss opened it. "For your techs to drool over," she said. "Dr Watts' toys and gizmos. That fellow is very clever. And this news about the portals and the batteries explains why Salem went to such lengths to get him back."
Whitley picked up an object like a ... well, it was hard to say. "What's this?" he said.
"No idea, but if I was you I would handle it carefully. And I think I will hold onto this one." She picked a pocketwatch out of the pile.
"What for?"
"I might need to know the time. Does this seem like a fair exchange?"
Whitley nodded, continuing to examine the ... stuff. "One more thing," he said. "Our grandmother asked me to pass on her regards."
Tyrian Callows was watching Dr Arthur Watts tinker with the various gauges, cables and instruments.
"But she's just so cute," said Tyrian. He sighed. "And she doesn't talk too much."
"My understanding," said Watts, "is that she doesn't talk at all."
"Even better! Do you think that she carries handcuffs around with her all the time?"
"I suspect that they were just for the occasion."
Tyrian sighed again. "I kept the ones she gave me," he whispered.
Watts gave a little laugh. He said: "You, my friend, are crazy."
"True," said Tyrian, with a giggle. "And I'm hoping that she is too."
END (to be continued)