Chapter 10

Tuesday, March 31st, 1895

Sturmhalten

6:57 P.M.

There was a moment of silence. Then Marty appeared, looking stunned. "You know, I honestly thought that thing wouldn't work."

"Told you so," Emmett smirked.

Elias snarled. "You two again? See, Othar, you should have let me at those actors! I could have hunted them down!"

Othar just grinned. "Elias, I'm sure the actors have no idea who this boy and his companion really are. Why would they have let them join up otherwise?" He got back to his feet, pulling out his ray gun. "So, Emmett Von Braun, we meet again! Rest assured, it will be for the last time!"

"I certainly hope so," Emmett said, pulling a lever on the side of his gun. The wires glowed as it powered up again. "And my last name is Brown."

"Let me shoot him, Othar!" Elias said, muscling past his fellow Spark-killer. "You rotten bastard! I should have known your filthy mother would have given me an equally filthy Spark!"

"Don't you dare talk about Mother that way!" Emmett snapped. "You're not even a quarter of the person she was!"

"Now this is theater," Aaronev's voice remarked.

"Why would I want to be anything like that bitch?" Elias cocked his shotgun. "Don't worry though, boy. You'll be seeing–"

KRACK! This time Elias wasn't quite able to dodge. He screamed as the miniature bolt of lightning passed mere centimeters from his arm, burning it pretty severely. At the same time, Marty yelled, "Agatha, here!" and tossed her the second large death ray they had found.

Agatha caught it easily. "Worried about trouble too?" she asked, nodding at Emmett's lightning gun.

"I think everyone was – there was a bunch of stuff back there."

Othar fired his ray gun at Emmett, who was forced to duck. "If you stay still, it shouldn't hurt too much!"

"So start running boy!" Elias yelled, managing to fire a shot at Emmett's feet despite his injured arm. "I want to see you suffer!"

"Now, Elias, we should have mercy for those–"

"Yoo-hoo! Othar! Love the goggles!"

Othar froze for a moment. Then his face turned murderous. "YOU!" he roared, spinning to face Holly. She was standing near the left wing of the stage, smiling cruelly. "Do you know you nearly blinded me? Thanks to you, I was caught by the Baron!"

"Poor baby," Holly mocked. "And if you think that killing me is going to be as easy as killing my mother, you're dead wrong!" She made a few odd motions with her hands. "Because, unlike her, I don't waste diplomacy on idiots!"

Out of nowhere, a wind came up, nearly knocking Othar and Elias off their feet. They struggled to stay upright, leaning into the gale. Elias tried to fire at her. "You damned witch! I can't wait to hear you scream in Hell!"

"Oh, so you'll be joining me down there?"

Elias was briefly nonplussed. "Uh – no! No, of course not! I meant from Heaven, you vapid girl."

"Not what it sounded like," Holly shrugged as the wind finally died down. She started on another spell as Othar and Elias surged forward.

"Just die!" Elias snarled, raising his gun.

A hand suddenly closed on his shoulder. "Hyu leave my girlfriend alone."

"Max!" Holly cried happily.

Maxim beamed. "Heya sveetie!"

"Where's the rest of the dream team?" Marty asked, dodging a blast from Othar.

"Dey's around," Maxim said mysteriously. He gave Elias his best evil grin. "Hy chust had to tok to dis guy." He squeezed harder, his claws cutting into Elias's shoulder. "Not very schmot, is he?"

"Not at all," Emmett said, allowing himself a small smile.

"You're involved with Jaegermonsters?" Othar said. "I should have expected no less from menaces like yourselves!"

"You're the menace!" a voice rang out. Emmett turned to see Clara take the stage. "Everyone, do you know what's happened to your neighbor Passholdt? That monster poisoned the water supply and turned the people into mindless creatures who live only to eat! My friends and I just barely escaped them!"

"Lies!" Othar yelled, though Emmett noted he looked rather shifty. "This girl is just a simple construct! She knows not of what she speaks!"

"Yeah, you can't trust constructs! They're part of the same unholy curse as Sparks!" Elias agreed, pointing his gun at Maxim's head. Emmett couldn't help but admire his "father's" moxie.

"Really now?" Maxim said, his grin growing wider. He grabbed the gun from Elias and tossed it aside like it weighed nothing. "Hy kind ov like dat. Unholy curse." He leaned into Elias's face. "Vant a demonstration?"

Aaronev fired off his gun again. "Skip the editorializing if you would, please!"

"He can't believe this is part of the show," Marty whispered to Emmett incredulously.

"I think he's determined to make the best of things," Emmett whispered back. "He's pretty well protected by that gun."

Elias was shaking now, staring at Maxim's large teeth. "Othar? How – how do you kill these things?" he asked, too terrified to move.

Othar fired on Maxim, scoring a hit in the shoulder. "Just keep shooting until it stops moving!"

Maxim smirked, barely noticing the wound. "Heh. Stoopid hooman. VE HUNT!"

Dimo and Oggie dropped down from the ceiling, Oggie with his triple-bladed axe swinging. Othar dropped and rolled out of their way as the audience screamed and ran for the exit. Maxim yanked out his sword as Elias pulled away and readied his gun. "Oh, dis is gonna be fon!"

"Come on, everyone, let's get out of here while we can!" Emily yelled, poking her head out from behind the stage curtain.

Emmett loosed another bolt of lightning in Othar's direction. "You'll be all right up here, I'm sure?" he asked Agatha.

Agatha grinned. "I'll be fine," she said, firing her gun as well. "I've had enough experience with him."

"Then I leave you to him. Let's go!"

The five of them regrouped, dodging bullets and lasers, and ran backstage. "And so ends our circus career," Holly said. "Oh well. It was fun while it lasted."

"I just hope Master Payne allows us to grab our things," Emily said, wringing her hands.

"I'm sure we can convince him to let us do that much," Emmett reassured her.

Marty shuddered. "Maxim was pretty scary out there," he admitted to Holly. "You're sure he doesn't hurt you?"

"Yes, damn it!" Holly snapped. Then her expression turned worried. "But yeah, he was acting pretty wild. I've never seen him quite like that before."

"He is a Jaeger," Emmett said. "If you're really going to make this a serious relationship, you're going to have to prepare for him to get mean at times."

"Let's hope it's always with the enemy then."

"Stop! In the name of Prince Aaronev!"

The group started and looked behind them. Coming up fast were two rather burly men in uniform, each wearing a Sturmvarous crest. "Guards!" Emily gasped.

"What do they want with us?" Clara asked, confused. "We were helping fight Othar and Elias."

"I suspect they think we provoked them," Emmett admitted. "Which perhaps I did, a little. I – I just couldn't let that comment about Mother pass. . . ."

Marty patted his back. "I would have done the same thing, bud."

"Whatever they want us for, I don't think it's good," Holly admitted. "I'm all for splitting up and getting out of here."

"Good idea," Marty said. "Emmett and I will go to the right, you guys head to the left. We'll meet up again near camp."

"Got it." Clara kissed Emmett's cheek. "Be careful, you two."

"You too." They split up. The guards paused for a moment, watching the two groups, then went after Emmett and Marty. "Guess it's me they want," Emmett remarked, picking up the pace. "Well, at least we know the girls are safe now."

Marty nodded, then spotted a split coming up in the hall. "Right or left?"

"Right!" They turned, running up a stairwell. The guards, who were older and not quite as fit, began to lag behind a bit.

"We're losing them!" Marty cried.

"Yes, but we're not out of the woods yet! Come on!" They reached the top of the stairs and entered a new hallway. Ths one was much more richly furnished than the others, with carpet and paintings. "This must be the place where the royals get in," Emmett mused. "We'll have to find their entrance."

"Make it fast, they're gaining again," Marty said, looking behind them nervously.

Emmett spotted a curtained alcove. "We can duck into there for now." They jogged over and did their best to hide within the folds of the curtain. The guards ran on by them, too intent on looking forward. Emmett breathed a sigh of relief. "All right, now maybe we can–"

"Hey!"

Two pairs of hands reached through the curtain and grabbed them. A moment later, Emmett found himself looking into the scowling face of Prince Aaronev himself. Oh. My "alcove" was actually the top box. Wonderful.

Aaronev glared at him. "Who let you up here, you ruffian?"

"No one. We were just running for our lives," Emmett said, debating the wisdom of using his lightning gun. The trigger and handhold were shielded from the current, but with Aaronev holding him. . . .

"Why'd you send your guards after us?" Marty added, struggling in the grip of a young man roughly their age. Emmett guessed him to be the "Tarvek" from before.

"Isn't it obvious? The last thing Othar Tryggvassen and Elias Von Braun need is to be provoked!" Aaronev shook Emmett, causing the gun to nearly drop from his hands. "Imbecile! We need that girl!"

"What girl?" Emmett asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Careful, Father," Tarvek warned, glancing nervously at the captives.

There was a sudden loud "RAHR" from the stage. Everyone looked to see Dimo sink his teeth into Othar's arm for a split-second, before being forcibly yanked off by Elias. "They must be having a blast," Marty muttered. "Come on, guys, take 'em out already!"

"I thought I sent those Jaegers on ahead," Aaronev said, frowning.

"Guess they didn't listen," Emmett shrugged. "They are Jaegers. . . ."

Aaronev shook Emmett again. "I'll have you thrown in the dungeons for this!" he snarled, throwing the teen to the ground. "You and your friends! This was an excellent show, too!"

"Jesus, is that all you care about? Keeping yourself amused?" Marty snapped.

Aaronev turned on him. "I deserve it! And now – now that we may have found the girl–" His eyes lit up insanely as he rubbed his hands. "I may see her again. . . ."

"Who's her?"

"Never you mind. The point is, I rule these lands, so I'm entitled to a good show!" He suddenly smirked at Marty. "But then I'm sure you know a lot about entertaining people."

"Well, I am a musician," Marty said, confused.

"Not like that." Aaronev turned his smirk on Emmett. "I heard the silliest rumor about this circus this afternoon. Apparently, one of the performers was in love with a construct from the sideshow. Judging by your reaction when someone tried to shoot at the construct girl during your escape, am I correct in assuming the performer is you?"

Emmett sighed. "Yes." Great, now I get to hear another diatribe about–

"So, how does he squeal?"

Marty stopped struggling, shocked. "Father!" Tarvek cried. "Just because you're upset–"

"Come off it, boy! They were in one of the dirtiest Heterodyne plays ever written! It's not like I'm offending their ears!" He smirked again. "And really, who on earth could actually fall in love with a construct? It must be a cover for something." Aaronev grinned at the stunned Emmett. "I'm sure you two love each other's company. And being a musician, I'm sure he–"

"How dare you," Emmet whispered, feeling a white-hot rage growing in him.

"How dare I? Boy, you're the one who–"

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Emmett leapt to his feet and grabbed Aaronev's collar in a death grip, eyes alight with furious madness. "YOU INSIGNIFICANT INSECT! HOW DARE YOU MAKE EVEN THE SMALLEST ASSUMPTION ABOUT MY LIFE?! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM, YOU DISGUSTING WORM? I AM THE GREATEST SPARK EVER BORN! I AM THE PRODUCT OF TWO OF THE GREATEST LINES OF SPARKS OF ALL TIME JOINED INTO ONE! MY FATHER WAS BARRY HETERODYNE, MY MOTHER THE SISTER OF KLAUS WULFENBACH!"

Aaronev goggled. "Impossible," he breathed.

"YOU DARE DOUBT ME? I AM HETERODYNE-WULFENBACH! NOTHING IS BEYOND MY GRASP! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I COULDN'T RIP THIS PLACE DOWN AROUND YOUR EARS IF I SO CHOSE?!"

Marty stared, shaking. He had never seen his friend this angry! His voice almost rivaled Agatha's for making him want to run and hide. Even Tarvek and Aaronev seemed intimidated. "I – I–" Aaronev stuttered.

"SILENCE! IF YOU EVER DARE TO INSULT ME OR MY FRIENDS AGAIN, I WILL RIP APART THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF YOUR PITIABLE CASTLE, AND THROW YOU–"

BANG!

Emmett cried out as the bullet clipped his shoulder. Aaronev quickly regained control of the situation, throwing Emmett to the ground and putting a foot on his neck. "Guards!" he yelled, manning his gun as best he could so that Elias didn't get any more ideas. "Guards!"

Three guards rushed in. "Take this piece of filth and his friend to the castle, and throw them in the dungeons!" Aaronev scowled as they pulled Emmett off the floor. "Red fire! Babbling on about being a Heterodyne heir. . . ."

Emmett turned pale as he realized what he'd done. "Great Scott," he moaned.

"Yes, I shouldn't have been so stupid as to fall for it!" He fired on Elias and Othar. "To the dungeons!"

Emmett looked sadly at Marty as they were dragged away. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I shot my mouth off like that. I – I was just so angry. . . ."

Marty nodded weakly. "At least he didn't believe you," he said quietly. "Then we'd be in even deeper shit." He looked around. "I hope everyone else made it out okay."

"Me too. Because I have no idea how we're going to get out of this one."

Tuesday, March 31st, 1895

Sturmhalten

7:21 P.M.

A Heterodyne-Wulfenbach?

No. He had to be lying. He had to be! Klaus, Bill, and Barry hated each other by the end! How could Barry –

And yet, my intuition won't shut up about it. His little fit up there reminded me too much of Barry. I don't know how he could be telling the truth, but he is. Which makes him extremely dangerous. But – he might be useful as a bargaining chip. . . .

"Othar! Othar, can you believe it? He really is my bastard son! He's not even mine! Oh, I knew I couldn't father something like that!"

"Yes, excellent news for you Elias. But according to him, he's the son of Barry Heterodyne. That makes him more dangerous than even we thought if that's true."

"Which means even more people will want to kill him! This is wonderful!"

Heh. Elias's joy is infectious. It would be nice if someone else killed that waste of sperm for us. Though I'd prefer it to be me – or, hell, I'd settle for watching Elias. He overdoes things a little, but you can't fault his enthusiasm. And he doesn't have a bad body either. Wonder if that's the real reason Sarah married him. . . .

Well, unfortunately, there's no time in my schedule to ogle Elias. Now that I know Wulfenbach has another relative running around, it's time to take action. Back to Castle Wulfenbach for me – I need to see if I can bargain with Klaus. I'm sure he'd be interested in a Heterodyne heir that's related to him. And it might allow me to continue my mission in peace for a bit. Klaus is a tricky bastard, though. I'll have to be careful. Or, at the very least, work out the best Plan B to kill him with. I so wanted him to be the last. . . . Oh well, life is what happens while you're making plans. "Well, my boy, we must part ways again. Seeing this has convinced me that the Baron must die sooner rather than later."

Oh, look at that grin. God, I love that man's smile. Curse this male body! "Yeah, I'd better be off too, before those Jaegers find us again. Still wish I could have popped off that girl on-stage."

Ouch. I can't afford for Agatha to die just yet. I have plans for that girl. Can't share them with Elias, though – he's convinced I'm a vicious non-Spark, like him. The last thing I want is for him to turn on me like he turned on his wife. "Better luck next time. I'll see you later."

"Good luck, Othar."

"Same to you!" Elias pats me on the back, then heads out of town. I turn and head back into it, keeping an eye out for those Jaegers. Hmmm. . .I wonder if the royal castle has an airship I can "borrow. . . ."

Tuesday, March 31st

7:25 P.M.

"Eyes down. Agree vaguely with everything. Commit to nothing."

The seamstress finished her work on the dress. "There. You're all sewn in. No need to make things easy if – he's less than a gentleman."

Master Payne nodded – then noticed three figures skulking around near the wagon. "Hey! Who's there?"

Holly, Clara, and Emily moved out into the light. "Just us, getting our things," Holly said. "We'll be out of your hair shortly."

"You look beautiful, Agatha," Emily smiled.

"Thanks," Agatha said, attempting to smile back. "I'm a little nervous, though."

"You can't come off any worse than Emmett and Marty," Clara pointed out.

Agatha winced. "Yes. . . ."

Lars nodded, taking Agatha's hand. "Here. This couldn't hurt," he said, sliding a gold ring onto Agatha's finger.

"A ring?"

"Tell him you're married." Lars suddenly smirked. "I use that one to keep me out of trouble in town – so bring it back."

Agatha smiled at it, impressed. "Oh, very clever! Lars, thank you!"

Holly reached out and shook Agatha's hand. "Well, good luck at the palace." She turned around. "And for the rest of you, goodbye. Thanks for letting us stay this long."

"Yes, well, our hospitality ends when your friends start shooting up the royal theater," Payne scowled. "We're very lucky we weren't all arrested!"

"Didn't you hear Othar and Elias?" Emily cried, indignant. "They started it all!"

"Your brother still shouldn't have started firing. It's his own fault he and his friend are locked in the dungeons."

Holly held up a hand, silencing Emily and Clara. "We all know we're not going to get anywhere by arguing. Come on, we need to see if we can rescue our boys." Seeing Master Payne's look, she added, "We'll disavow any connection with you, don't worry."

"Hopefully the royal family will respond well to groveling," Clara muttered. "Good luck, Agatha."

"Thanks, you too. I'm sorry I wasn't able to score a direct hit on Elias before they fled."

Holly grinned. "Not a problem. I think Emmett wants to take him out personally anyway." They gave everyone a wave and headed for the edges of the camp.

Maxim met them there. "Aww, come by for a goodbye kiss?" Holly smiled.

"Gootbye nothing! Hy am comink vit hyu!"

The girls blinked. "I don't think claiming you're one of the Baron's Jaegers will work anymore," Clara said slowly. "In fact, they're liable to shoot you on sight, the way you and your friends behaved around Othar and Elias."

"Neffer mind about dat," Maxim said, waving a hand dismissively. "Ve need to get Emmett out of dere. He may not be the heir, bot he iz still a Heterodyne. Ve still haff some obligation toward him."

"I see – this is about your back-up issue," Holly said. "And with Agatha going up to the castle as well, you can keep an eye on both of them."

"Yeah, like dat," Maxim nodded.

Emily looked around. "So where are Dimo and Oggie?"

"Ve thot it vould be easier if only vun ov us vent vit hyu," Maxim explained. "Ve agreed hy should go because–" What appeared to be a faint blush colored his cheeks. "Vell, because ov Holly."

Holly smirked. "I see," she said teasingly. "So Dimo and Oggie are taking care of Agatha?"

"Yes, exactly." Maxim frowned. "Ve don't trust dese guys at all."

"Neither do we," Holly said, turning serious again. "Both Emmett and Agatha were tearing up that theater. So why does Emmett get a cell in the dungeons, while Agatha gets a dinner invitation?"

"Well, to be fair, Agatha didn't go ballistic on Prince Aaronev," Clara said.

"I still can't believe he would do that," Emily said, shaking her head. "It's just not like him!"

"Believe it – ve vas dere," Maxim reminded her. "He told Aaronev he'd rip de kestle right off de foundations. It vas beautiful."

"Guess he sounded just like one of the good old classic Heterodynes, huh?" Holly said.

"Actually, he sounded like Master Barry. Dat boy had a goot pair ov longs."

Holly laughed. "I'll take your word for it."

"De carriage is here!" Dimo's voice called from somewhere to their left.

The girls and Maxim looked at each other. "Think Agatha will mind if we hitch a ride with her? In secret, of course."

"Ov course not," Maxim grinned. "Let's go."

"Do you really think Aaronev will even see us?" Clara asked as they walked over. "We did quite a bit of damage ourselves to his precious theater."

"It's worth a shot," Holly shrugged. "We don't lose anything by being polite. If he refuses, we'll sneak in and do what we have to."

Emily hugged herself tightly. "Oh, I hope nothing's happened to them."

"Don't worry, Emily. I half-expect Emmett and Marty to have already escaped by the time we get to them."

Tuesday, March 31st

7:32 P.M.

"For a dungeon, it's pretty nice."

Emmett gave Marty an incredulous look from his position next to the door. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. The cell's pretty clean, it doesn't smell, we're not tied up, and we haven't seen one rat yet. When you compare it to some of the jails I've been in, this place almost looks like an inn."

"I – see." Emmett sighed deeply. "Marty, I'm really sorry about all this. I didn't even think that our hiding place could be the top box. And when Aaronev said those things, I – I was just so furious, I – well, you know. . . ."

Marty nodded, trying to smile. "It's okay, Emmett. I'd be pissed too."

"No, it's not okay. First off, I blabbed my true origins to an entire theater full of people. We're lucky most of them will think I was lying, but even still. . . . And two, I'm a scientist. I shouldn't let my emotions run away with me like that."

"Well, you're a Spark. Ranting comes as part of the package."

"Yes, but–" Emmett turned to fully face his friend. "I wouldn't do anything like that to you."

"Don't make a promise you can't keep. Sure you would. I shouldn't let myself get so freaked out by it."

"The realities of being best friends with a Spark finally hit you?"

Marty sighed. "I've just never seen you like that. Sparking, yeah, but not in full-on 'taking over the world' mode. It's scary, Emmett. Even Aaronev looked pretty freaked out for a moment there – and he's a Spark!" Marty was silent for a moment. "It's not the fact that you're a Spark that's bugging me. It's that you're a Heterodyne-Wulfenbach."

Emmett lifted an eyebrow. "You've known about my heritage for a while. Now you choose to be intimidated by it?"

"Yeah! It wasn't until you started ranting and raving that it hit me – you could make good on those threats! If you weren't such a good guy–" Marty stopped, as if unsure how to continue.

Emmett, however, was starting to understand. "I could have wiped Hill Valley off the map when its citizens turned on me? I could have destroyed towns, killed people, all of that?"

Marty nodded slowly. "I don't want you to be like that, Emmett. I like you as the guy you are right now. The one who builds stuff like mechanical puppies and gets kinda squeamish at the sight of blood."

"One ill-timed rant doesn't change that, Marty."

"Oh yeah? What happens the next time you get that angry, and you're near some tools? You've already got a slight obsession with death rays."

"If that happens, you have my full permission to render me unconscious."

Now it was Marty's turn to lift an eyebrow. "Are you nuts? You'd just end up going after me."

"I don't know – from what I've seen, you have a pretty darn good right hook. And I wouldn't go after you. I made a vow to myself right after I Broke Through that I was never going to experiment on humans."

"Really?"

"Really." Emmett went over and sat down next to his friend. "Being the next Baron Wulfenbach or the next Heterodyne Boy doesn't interest me. I'd rather just have a private lab somewhere out in the country, where all of us could live without fear of mob attack. I don't want to turn into one of the bad guys either."

Marty began to smile a little. "I'm glad. Though, will you be able to help being like your dad? It's in your blood to try and save people. Remember Passholdt?"

"How could I forget? But being the heir, traveling constantly, never getting a moment of peace or privacy. . .well, I'm less interested in that than Agatha is, and she's barely keen on the idea of herself." He sighed. "We really lucked out with Dimo, Maxim, and Oggie. If another group of Jaegers had found me, I would have probably been forced to take up the role of Heterodyne heir. And then the Baron would have found me, and forced me to keep it up. . .and most likely, I would have never seen you or Holly or Emily or Clara ever again." He looked at his feet. "I'd go mad – properly mad – if I couldn't be with any of you. That's why you don't have to worry about me, Marty. You're one of the things keeping me sane."

"Big job," Marty said.

Emmett smiled at him. "You've been doing great so far. Trust me." He held out a hand. "Still friends?"

"Still friends," Marty said, shaking it. "And you promise I can stop you if you go too crazy?"

"Please do. If you had before, maybe we wouldn't be down here."

"I doubt that." Marty looked around the confines of the cell again. "But as long as we're down here, any ideas on getting us out?"

"Fifteen. Unfortunately, they all require a tool kit." Emmett looked around as well, scowling. "We don't even have a rock to pound on the door."

"Damn." There was a moment of silence. "Do you think the girls will try and get us out?" Marty asked finally. "We didn't hear anything about them getting captured."

"Maybe. Holly in particular is pretty resourceful. I don't think she'd let us languish in here without at least trying to help."

Marty nodded. "Yeah. And since she's a Spark too–"

"Hey! Who goes there?" a guard suddenly cried outside, distracting them.

"Hyur vorst nightmare."

Emmett and Marty leapt to their feet. "Maxim!"

"It's one of those Jaegers! Quick, get your – AAHH!"

There was a loud thud, then the sound of gunshots. Marty and Emmett huddled by the door, listening intently. Next came a ferocious "RAR!" followed closely by a loud "BOOM!" Then, finally, footsteps. "Well, that was easier than I expected. Now, which cell do you think they're in?"

"Over here, Holly!" Emmett yelled through the door.

The footsteps jogged over. "Hello in there," Holly's voice said. "Seems odd quarters for a Heterodyne heir."

"Don't remind me," Emmett groaned.

"Everybody here?" Marty asked as Holly apparently fiddled with some keys.

"Yup, me, Emily, Clara, and Maxim," Holly confirmed. "They're acting as lookouts. Come on, where are – aha!"

There was the clink of metal against metal – then the distinct click of a lock opening. The boys moved back as Holly pushed open the door. "Don't loiter, guys," she warned. "I'm sure someone's going to come and investigate that explosion sooner or later."

"What exactly did you do?" Marty asked as they left the cell.

Holly grinned madly. "New mixture I perfected just a few days ago. I call it Flash-Bang Potion. Highly reactive with most anything. Near-guaranteed to blow something up."

"Interesting," Emmett said. "Hope you brought plenty."

"Just a couple of small vials, actually – I didn't want to bring more in case I accidentally bumped into something."

The boys winced. "Good point."

Emily, Clara, and Maxim were waiting for them near the entrance of the dungeon. Clara beat Emily in the race to hug Emmett. "Oh, Emmett, I'm so glad to see you're all right!"

"Same here," Emmett said, kissing her. "I hope you all escaped the theater."

"Yes, we got out without any problems," Emily confirmed, muscling Clara out of the way so that she could check up on her brother. "We waited for you until the circus left. They told us what happened. Did you really threaten to destroy Aaronev's castle?"

"Yes," Emmett nodded, looking very embarrassed. "He insulted me, and – I kind of lost it."

"What on earth could he have said to provoke that kind of a reaction?" Clara asked.

"He essentially said there was no way I could be in love with you, so I must be sleeping with Marty."

". . .Oh."

Holly scowled. "That asshole. Good thing he didn't say that to me about Maxim, I probably would have done something even worse."

Marty shook his head. "Sorry, Holly, I think Emmett's got the market on scary cornered."

"Ve'd better get moving," Maxim warned. "Ve don't vant to get caught."

"Right. Lead on."

They started walking along the corridors leading out of the large dungeon and into the main castle. "So, where do we go once we get out of here?" Emily asked.

"I don't know anymore," Emmett sighed. "I'm afraid to go to the Baron, and going to Castle Heterodyne would needlessly complicate our lives. Maxim, would you know of any places between Sturmhalten and Mechanicsburg we could hide out in for a while?"

Maxim scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Vell, dere's Zurton–"

He suddenly stopped, sniffing the air. "Ve've got guards coming," he said, lowering his voice.

"Uh-oh. And another fight will probably just bring more," Emmett whispered. "We'll have to avoid them."

"Here, let's go this way," Clara said, pointing down another passage. "They all lead into the castle – we can find our old route later."

The group jogged down the corridor, trying to make as little noise as possible. The new hallway terminated in a set of stairs leading up. Maxim went first, sniffing, while the others hung back. "Iz clear," the Jaeger finally called.

Emmett lead the rest up the stairs. "Where are we?"

"Near zome bathrooms," Maxim said, pointing out a pair of elegantly-tiled doors. "Ve need to find de kitchen."

"We snuck in through the servant's entrance," Holly elaborated. "We should be able to get out the same way – it's so busy there, they won't even notice us."

"Good. Any clue which direction we should go, though?"

"West, wasn't it?" Clara asked Holly.

"I think so. Max?"

"West, jah." They started walking, keeping a close eye out for guards or any other servants.

They'd made it down three hallways and past another flight of stairs before Maxim smelt out more people. A look around a nearby corner identified them as liverymen. Maxim looked ready and willing to savage them, but Emmett grabbed his arm. "NO. I don't care how good you are – if you fight them, we'll be caught." Maxim sulked. "We need to hide until they pass."

"Hey, we can – whoa. Okay, we have to check this out, hiding or not."

Curious, Emmett followed Marty into the room he had discovered. His eyes widened. The place looked like the palace chapel – but instead of the usual images of God and the saints, there were statues and pictures of a curvy woman clutching a baby. In the middle of the room was a huge chair, topped with a large glass ball filled with mysterious circuitry. Emmett frowned at it. "What in the name of Sir Isaac H. Newton is that supposed to do?"

The rest of the group ducked inside. They, too, gawked at the chair and the strange decorations. "So," Emily finally said, "they're not only rude and crude, they're also cultists."

"Wonder what religion this lady represents?" Holly asked, studying one of the images more closely. "She looks fairly benign, at least. . . ." Her lips curled up into a mischievous smile. "Fertility cult, perhaps?"

"Holly!"

"Hey, she is holding a baby. And the Prince did order the dirtiest of all dirty plays."

"Even still!"

"Well, unfortunately, we don't have time to linger and find out," Emmett said. "Are we all clear, Maxim?"

"Yez," Maxim nodded. "Hy – vait a minute." He sniffed again, then smirked. "Oh – de loudmouth pansy iz comink."

"Othar? What the hell is he doing here?" Marty demanded.

"A second attempt at killing Aaronev?" Clara suggested. "We interrupted his first try."

"Or maybe he was hoping to get Emmett while he was helpless in the dungeons," Holly said with a scowl. "If only Agatha had gotten off a killing shot. . . ."

Emmett nodded, looking disgusted. "And, unfortunately, killing him is contrary to our goal of escaping this place undetected. We'll simply have to disappoint him." They exited the mysterious chapel, lingering for a moment near the door to see if they could get a clue of Othar's intentions.

There was a crash of glass, then a thud as Othar apparently landed inside. "Aha! And now–"

There was a sudden moment of silence. Then Othar spoke again, sounding a little confused. "A Giester chapel?"

"Giester?" Emily squeaked. "As in Giesterdamen?"

"Shh!" Emmett said, listening with interest. So, Aaronev's involved with Geisterdamen? And Othar knows what their chapels look like? Hmmmmm. . . .

"Well, Lucy, you've certainly done well for yourself!"

The group blinked. Othar's voice had – changed. It still sounded like the pretentious blowhard they all knew and despised, but the tone was more – feminine. And who or what was Lucy?

"I'd forgotten Aaronev was one of your boy toys. He's certainly remained loyal to your memory, I see. Guess I have to put him at the bottom of the list now."

"Lucky Aaronev," Marty whispered. Everyone shushed him.

"I miss you, Lucy. I'm doing my best to finish what we started. It's hit more than a few snags, but, otherwise, things are going well. Even without the shk-mah."

"The what?" Emily said.

"Shh!" Emmett hissed.

"Guess you're not doing so well. I'd say I told you so, but look at me. Obviously, we both made pretty stupid plans." Othar sighed. "At least you're not being tormented by seeing cute boys everywhere."

Emmett's eyes bulged. He hadn't just heard that. He couldn't have.

"The latest was the worst. His name was Elias, and he had the dreamiest brown eyes. . .and the cutest little butt. . . ."

Emmett wasn't sure how he was managing to keep down his vomit. Having Othar praise his "father" in regular glowing terms was bad enough. But this! Looking around, he noticed that everyone else – even Maxim – looked similarly queasy. Perhaps we'd better leave now. Listening to this one-sided conversation is just proving things we already knew. And I don't know how much longer I can take hearing Elias described in that manner. He turned to go.

"Oh, God, that reminds me – there's another one of those damn Heterodyne brats running around!"

Emmett was back at the door in an instant. Othar had believed his little rant? That was a problem!

"Apparently Barry had a roll in the hay with Klaus's sister. I didn't know Klaus had a sister, did you? Well, I suppose you did, considering your close relationship. And they had a bouncing baby boy. Poor Elias got the displeasure of raising him. Hmmm – I came here to kill Aaronev and steal one of his airships, but maybe now I should kill Emmett instead. The less of that damn family around, the better – at least, those who aren't related to us."

"Just try it, you – you – is he a bastard or a bitch? The voice thing threw me," Holly admitted.

Before Emmett could reply, Maxim's head snapped up. "De prince iz comink!"

"Shit! Let's move!" They ran back down the hall and bore left, eventually hiding in what appeared to be a music room. "Great Scott," Emmett panted. "That was too close."

"What on earth was going on with Othar in that room?" Clara asked, sitting down on the piano bench.

"I don't know – maybe Othar suffers from multiple personality disorder," Emmett shrugged. "That probably makes him even more dangerous. Let's hope Aaronev catches him before he can do any more damage."

"You think 'Lucy' was someone real he knew or just a figment of his imagination?" Marty asked, admiring the piano.

"I'm not sure. He said she knew the Baron – intimately, no less. But the only relationship I know of the Baron having is with Lucrezia–"

He stopped, eyes widening. "Lucrezia – Lucy! Could he have been referring to Lucrezia Mongfish?"

"How?" Holly asked. "Isn't Othar a little young to have known Lucrezia personally?"

"Depends on how old Othar is. It's a possibility, anyway."

"But that would mean Lucrezia was involved with Aaronev as well as the Baron and Bill," Emily said, looking scandalized.

"Sounds like she was a busy girl," Holly smirked.

"Sounds like she was involved with the Giesterdamen too – in a different way, of course," Emmett added hastily as Holly and Maxim snorted. "I wonder if they were an experiment of hers?"

"You guys know about Geisterdamen too?" Marty asked.

"Traveling family who stopped in our town – apparently, one tried to abduct their daughter," Holly explained. "The story got the father free drinks for a week."

"Have you ever seen one in your travels?" Emily asked Marty. "The father told us they're horrible, pure-white women who ride on gigantic white spiders."

"No, I haven't," Marty said. "But that's what I've heard too. They're one of the regular scapegoats for everything that's wrong in the world. They blight crops, they steal kids – well, sounds like that one's true – they create revenants–"

Emmett went white. "I'm doing my best to finish what we started," echoed in his mind. Could it be – "Oh, oh no–"

"Emmett?" Clara asked, getting up and putting a hand on his arm. "What is it?"

The teen turned to her, brown eyes huge. "I – I think – I think Lucrezia Mongfish was the Other!"

"What?!"

"Emmett, that's impossible!" Emily protested. "The Other kidnapped Lucrezia! That's why the Heterodyne Boys got involved in the war!"

"Emily, how easy do you think it would be for a skilled Spark to fake a kidnapping?" Emmett shot back. "Othar told this Lucy he was trying to finish what she started! And Othar's mission is to kill all Sparks, just like the Other!"

Holly frowned. "It's all circumstantial evidence, Emmett."

"Maybe, but it's still pretty suspicious. Great Scott, I never expected to stumble into a possible conspiracy. . . ."

"Hang on a second, Emmett," Marty said. "Othar said it was their mission, not hers. He looks about 30 or so to me – I think that's just a little too young to have worked with the Other. Maybe he's just psychotic."

Emmett frowned, rubbing his chin. "You've got a point there. But something still stinks about the entire business. And I think it's related to the way his voice changed while he was addressing Lucy." He turned to Maxim. "You knew that lot – who would call Lucrezia 'Lucy?'"

"Bill deed zometimes," Maxim said. "Oh, und her zister deed too."

"Sister?"

"Yah, Belinda. She vas another scary vun. She didn't like anybody." Maxim rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "To tell de truth, Othar deed zound a bit like her. . . ."

"How on earth could Belinda Mongfish turn into Othar Tryggvassen?" Emily demanded.

"I don't want to think about that too hard," Holly said, making a face.

"Emmett, do you seriously think one of the Mongfish sisters was the Other?" Marty asked skeptically. "You think we would have heard about it before now. Lucrezia, at least, was pretty famous."

"Yes, for being the villain's beautiful daughter. It's not a given she reformed when she married Bill – and we have no information on whether Belinda reformed at all. That little one-man show has me worried. At the very least, we've got evidence that both Othar and Aaronev are involved in something that appears to be related to the Other's activities. And I think–" he swallowed "– I think we have an obligation to tell the Baron about it."

There was a brief silence. "You want to seek out Castle Wulfenbach again?" Emily finally said. "But I thought we agreed–"

"My distaste for being forced into the public eye doesn't mean much if these two are furthering the Other's work," Emmet said firmly. "Maybe we can get away with not telling him our names. Now we just have to figure out how to get there."

"Othar mentioned they had at least one airship," Marty said. "Maybe we can hijack it before he does."

"'Borrow' it, you mean," Emmett said with a nasty grin. "We'd have to get up on the roof to see, though. How exactly do we do that without being caught?"

Marty shrugged and idly pressed a key on the piano. He frowned as no sound came out. "What the–"

There was a soft scraping nosie from the other side of the room. As the group watched, tensed to run if necessary, a panel of the far wall slid away, revealing a gigantic weapons locker. "Well, that's pretty clever," Clara admitted.

"My lightning gun!"

Emmett ran in and hugged the monstrous weapon to his chest. "Great Scott, I thought I was going to have start over from scratch! And my firesword's in here too!" Emmett clicked the switch, and a flame obligingly burst out the tip. "Still works, thank God. I was worried they'd drain the fuel."

Holly walked in and picked up a pistol. A smile spread across her face. "Perhaps we won't have such a hard time getting to the roof after all. . . ."

Tuesday, March 31st

8:14 P.M.

"Being held at gunpoint does wonders for someone's manners, doesn't it?"

"I know. Anyone following us, Maxim?"

"Nein," Maxim replied, sniffing.

"How much farther to the roof? My feet are killing me," Emily complained.

"Not too far now – aha!"

Emmett stopped as the stairs ended at a small trapdoor. Putting a finger to his lips, he eased it open a crack and peeked out.

This section of the castle roof was a flat, featureless expanse of stone. Sitting not too far away were two little airships, each painted with the Sturmhalten crest. Emmett grinned. "Yes!"

Then Othar appeared from around one. "No!"

"What is it?" Marty asked, trying to see around him.

"Othar beat us up here," Emmett reported. "Damn, I was so hoping Aaronev would have captured him."

"Well, he's legendary for getting out of impossible situations. His luck must have kicked in again."

"Bloody annoying," Holly muttered. "Want us to go up firing? I still owe him for my mother."

Emmett sighed and shook his head. "Much as I'd love to, it was getting into a fight with him that got us into our current predicament. And if we hit the airships, our adventure's over before it begins. I think we should wait this one out."

Holly and Maxim both scowled. "Hyu're no fon," the Jaeger muttered, sitting on the steps.

"Look, you have my full permission to maul anyone who comes from the other direction." Emmett put his eye back to the crack, ignoring the suddenly gleeful expression on Maxim's face.

Othar hadn't noticed the trapdoor, too busy examining the smaller of the two airships. He stood still for a moment, regarding it thoughtfully. Then he nodded and leapt aboard. He disappeared inside for a few moments, then reappeared at one of the windows. He shot through the line tethering the ship to the roof and tossed the ballast. Moments later, the airship was airborne, puttering away.

Emmett waited for it to get a little distance away, then threw open the trapdoor and climbed out. "All clear!"

The group emerged onto the roof, heading straight for the remaining airship. "So, what's the plan?" Marty asked. "Head in a random direction and hope we run into the Castle?"

"Actually, I'd like to follow Othar and see where he's going," Emmett said. "If he's going to kill another Spark, maybe we can stop him. And if we run into Castle Wulfenbach along the way, so much the better."

Marty smirked at him. "'Not the adventuring type,' eh?"

"Shut it, McFly."

Holly noticed Maxim hanging back a bit, looking conflicted. "You know, if you want to stay behind to help Agatha, we won't mind," she told him. "I think we've got the situation under control."

"We'd appreciate your help, of course," Emmett added, examining the airship. "But I know your first loyalty is to the real heir."

Maxim looked at the airship, then at the trapdoor. He frowned, thinking hard. Then he turned back to the airship. "De Baron knows me a bit. Hy ken tell him to listen to hyu."

"Baron Wulfenbach knows you?" Emily repeated. "How?"

"Vell, hyu see, me, Oggie, and Dimo haff been friends for a vhile. . . ."

Clara looked at the envelope, then at the controls. "Um, Emmett, I think I've spotted a flaw in your plan."

"Oh?" Emmett said, testing the ropes.

"Yes. Do any of us know how to fly one of these things?"

"I'm sure I'll learn fast," Emmett said, smiling reassuringly. "How hard could it be?"

"He ate WHAT?!"