CHAPTER 10:

LETTERS AND PROPOSALS

It was one of the few joys Klaus got nowadays, doing his research. And he was troubled. He had been since Agatha and Harry ended up in his custody, and it had only gotten worse since they slipped through his fingers. What was more, Bangladesh DuPree's reports of the strange windows in space that seemed to show a possible future disturbed him. His son, dressed as a Geisterdamen, helping Agatha, Harry and Moloch do something. It also meant that she could still be The Other, using time travel technology to influence the past, but his gut was telling him otherwise, not unless something really bad happened.

Still, he had his people searching, along with Von Pinn. However, rumours were still circulating amongst the crew, and the student-hostages. Even his son knew, though thankfully, he didn't seem to show as many signs of being smitten with her as he feared. Interested, yes, but smitten?

Klaus also took some small consolation in the fact that he had at least made the girl aware of the dangers her mother posed. And they hadn't ruled out allying with him, they just weren't going to do so on his terms. Frustrating, but if he was lucky, he would be able to work with it. He just hoped his fears about those time windows and what they may portend were unfounded.

As he entered his lab and began donning his lab coat and surgical gear, he said to his test subject, "Good afternoon."

Othar merely grunted in contempt and anger, his eyes hidden by his visor. Few people knew this, but Othar had actually quite beautiful pale blue eyes. He probably had the visor to avoid people being too distracted by them.

"Well, it's understandable that you didn't sleep well," Klaus said with an genial smile. "But today is going to be rather interesting for both of us."

"You'll excuse me for not sharing your enthusiasm, you twisted fiend!" Othar snarled.

Klaus sighed quietly. He should start making a mental list of how many times Othar used certain phrases or lines(1). "It's quite all right," he said as he pulled on some rubber gloves. "I'm used to it."

"Well, you're wasting your time! I won't crack under any kind of torture!" Othar sneered.

"Oh, the question I want answered is very different, Othar," Klaus said. "Why you're a Spark, why you are different from other people. Yes, yes, I know you don't know. Neither do I. But I do intend to find out." He showed a now worried-looking Othar a drill bit. "I will destroy parts of your brain until you're no longer a Spark."

"…You can do that?" Othar asked, both afraid and, despite himself, interested.

"Of course, though it takes time and effort…though the quality of life thing afterwards is somewhat tricky, but I'm improving."

"But…my life's work! My mission!"

"Something of a bonus. I would do more psychological tests, but I've studied your habits for long enough while you worked for me. You are far too dangerous to continue the way you are now…"

"Herr Baron?"

Klaus sighed as the laboratory light was turned up to normal intensity, and he looked over to Boris standing in the doorway. "Yes, what is it?"

"I'm sorry, Herr Baron, but the Hufftberg City Council are getting even more vocal about the Glassworks, though that may be because they feel slighted because Tartown got the new university."

Klaus sighed again. "I'll donate the costs of the Corbetite terminal as long as they supply the labour. And if they continue to be difficult, then I will have the Jägers there in two days, and the City Council can build the terminal with their own damn hands!"

"Understood, Herr Baron. In addition, I have been asking for regular reports on the search for our escapees. To date, nothing has been found of either party. However, our forces at Mechanicsburg are on alert, as much as we can without having the locals getting interested."

"I see. Good. You may go, Boris, but I want no more interruptions." As Boris left, Klaus muttered, "It's like dealing with squabbling toddlers!"

"Oh? Does your empire give you no pleasure, tyrant?!" Othar demanded.

"Of course it doesn't," Klaus retorted, and got a small thrill out of seeing Othar wrongfooted by the honest response. "I detest politics, and yet, now I have to do it, day in, day out." He thought back to his wife and daughter, back in Skifander, the ones he was forced to leave behind to save Gilgamesh's life. "I haven't seen my wife in years," he muttered.

"Your wife?!" Othar yelped.

"All my old friends are gone…or turned into my enemies," Klaus added bitterly, though Othar's confusion gave him more satisfaction. "I haven't explored or travelled for years. At least with Bill and Barry, we had adventures, fights, it was fun! And now? I send in the soldiers, followed by bureaucrats with mops and buckets. It's become an old formula." He was about to return to his work, before he saw a ball of flame appear nearby. "What the…?!"

An ethereal song filled the laboratory, and a majestic flame-coloured bird appeared from within the flames. In fact, if Klaus didn't know any better, he would have said it was a Phoenix. And oddly enough, it had an envelope grasped in its talons. Once it deposited the letter, it left the way it came.

Klaus shared a bemused look with Othar, before he looked at the envelope, which read Baron Klaus von Wulfenbach. He reached for some special tongs, taking the envelope, before putting it into a sealed chamber, resistant to poison, biological hazards, or caustic chemicals. Once it was in, he opened the envelope carefully with the inbuilt gloves.

So it was a letter, from the Potter boy. The scrawl was untidy but still rather legible. It read thusly…

Baron,

I'm not going to apologise for escaping. Neither is Agatha. Bluntly, we don't trust you. But…for a tyrant, you at least seem remotely reasonable. Consider this my doing you a favour.

You wanted to know about magic and about those three who accosted us. Well, first off, Dumbledore. He was not only headmaster of the school I went to, but he held the equivalents of two other positions in the wizarding world. I dunno whether you have something like the United Nations, but he was like the Secretary-General. He also acted like…the Speaker in the House of Commons in our Britain. He may be old and half-senile, but he's a powerful wizard. The Phoenix I've sent to you with this letter used to be his familiar, but has since joined our side.

Severus Snape was my potions teacher. He's a smart guy, but as arrogant as he claims I am, and loves to be a bully. He's also a master of Dark Arts, and used to be a lackey of the wizarding terrorist who wanted me dead. Moody was a paranoid old Auror or policeman back home, and he's a bloody skilled combatant.

Now, I mentioned the three Unforgivables before I left. There's also a mind-reading magic called Legilimency that Snape and, I think, Dumbledore can do. There's also spells for cutting things, blowing things up, setting them on fire, and erasing memories.

Now, I can't really say much more without being there in person, and I'm not going to pop in for a nice cup of tea and a chat. But while we're at it, we'll let you know if we find anything of The Other's. We also found out something disturbing: apparently, well, Slaver Wasps? The infection is apparently asymptomatic normally. Revenants don't normally act like shambling zombies. I'm telling you this partly because we want to help, and partly because, well, I'm having a lot of fun imagining the look on your face thinking about that. But it's the truth. It comes from a source you trust.

Anyway, I hope this helps. But don't try to stop us.

Harry Potter

Klaus felt a thrill of horror at the words written on the page. While he wanted to deny it, if this was true, it would go some way to explaining why Bill and Barry, and thus Punch and Judy, didn't trust him. His forces had been already compromised by Lucrezia.

Klaus immediately opened the door to his laboratory. Thankfully, Boris was arguing with a Lackya. "Boris!" Klaus yelled. As the four-armed man came over, Klaus hissed quietly, "Have we got the Vespiary Squad at the ready with Wasp-Eaters?"

"They have been on standby ever since the Hive Engine was brought on board, Herr Baron, but only as a precaution in case there was a breach," Boris said. "Why? They can only detect Slaver Wasps and Revenants."

"Exactly." Klaus thrust the letter at Boris, who read it, frowning, before his eyes widened with horror. "We need to start going over everyone here on Castle Wulfenbach. Double-check the Sparks and Jägers as well, I can't dismiss the possibility that The Other created a Slaver Wasp that can infect either. That includes myself, you, my son, and DuPree. Recall her at once."

"Understood. What do we do about Othar?"

Klaus looked over at the trussed 'Gentleman Adventurer', and said, "I'll have to deal with him another time. Take him back into custody, and use the strictest procedures…"

Sirius was laughing. "They must be running around like headless chickens! And the best part of the prank is that it's true!"

"It's no laughing matter," Judy said. "The only reason why we allowed Harry to send that letter is that, like it or not, the Baron will owe us somewhat. And in any case, purging his ranks of Revenants will affect his manpower and ability to pursue us. And given what that Clank nearly did…"

The others nodded solemnly. The circus had been intercepted by a Clank, leftover from a war, abandoned, and going rogue. Agatha, as well as the circus' fortuneteller, Madam Olga, narrowly avoided getting killed while fighting it off. This had helped them gain more acceptance from Payne and his charges. Zeetha also seemed impressed, and decided to attach herself to the odd party. She was gently stroking Fawkes' feathers. "I'm glad you guys saved Olga. She believed my story about Skifander, even if she couldn't tell me where it was. I have known since my childhood that Death has a bad habit of cutting in on the dance, but even so, to lose her…" She shook her head. "Never mind. Agatha, Adam, Lilith…I have been wandering Europe for three years now, looking for any sign of my home. You, Agatha, are the first person I have met who has even heard of it."

"We only know what little her uncle told us," Judy said. "Even the location is very rough. We believe that the Baron himself may have been sent there by Lucrezia, though we don't know for sure."

"Even so, you must understand, I was beginning to worry that I had imagined it all, that Skifander was little more than fevered imaginings from my disease-ravaged mind. None of the cities or the universities had any information. I feared I was going mad. Until Master Payne came along, I was on the verge of just picking a direction and walking along it until I found either Skifander, or my demise. I didn't care which. To have one person tell me of it is lucky enough, but to have three, well…in gratitude for that, and for helping keep us safe, I have a proposal. If Agatha needs protection, then I will give her warrior training. The warrior tradition of the Royal House of Skifander is old, proud, and guarded closely. In this life, I am only allowed to train my daughters, save for one person I choose. That will be you. Our bond will be closer than friends, families, or lovers. We will be Kolee-dok-Zumil."

Harry noted that Punch and Judy's eyes had widened in shock. "Uh, is that a bad thing?" he asked, suddenly concerned for Agatha's welfare.

"What little Barry told us of their culture included that phrase," Judy said. "It's somewhat hard to translate. There's 'teacher and student', 'cause and effect'…but the closest translation is actually 'grindstone and knife'."

Agatha and Harry turned to Zeetha in horror, and she grinned unrepentantly, her teeth looking vaguely fanged. "Yep! Be ready at dawn tomorrow, Agatha! We're gonna whip that body of yours into shape!"

Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for Agatha, with her deer in the headlights look. But if Zeetha could help Agatha get into fighting shape, he would help make sure Agatha survived it. Still, that sadistic grin didn't do the green-haired warrior any favours…

CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:

So, the Baron has been warned about the Revenants in his midst, and Zeetha has vowed to torture…I mean, train Agatha. I glossed over the Clank attack, but Olga's fine, unlike canon. So, she hasn't been flash-fried to death, buried, and then regrown in a jar.

I think learning who Agatha is earlier also helped Klaus consider an alternative to what he believed the time windows to show a future of. I think in this version of events, having managed to get a slightly better grasp of Agatha's character, he is more doubtful about her possibly being The Other, even with the time windows. He's still open to the possibility that she is The Other, but he is more willing to believe that she could be innocent, and would prefer to think that way.

1. Klaus is channelling a bit of Frieza in Dragonball Z Abridged, who makes tallies of certain lines 'heroes' spout.