Ch. 30

"Lily!" Martis yelled, seeing Stecchin race away toward the stage. He was torn. Looking back, he realized Septieme was gone. Frantic, he looked for her but didn't see her.

"Noble sir!" he heard Carlotta say. He saw her race up to him. "What happened?"

"Something's wrong!" he said, pointing to the stage. "But first we've got to find the princess! She ran away!"

They took off, heading in the direction Martis had last seen Septieme go. Within moments they found her at the entrance, waiting for her carriage. When Septieme saw them come together, her face crumpled in agony.

"Princess!" Martis cried. "Thank goodness you're safe!" Forgetting himself, he threw his arms around her in a hug. Stunned, she froze.

"Martis?" she said. "What's wrong? Has there been an attack?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But something's not right! I just saw Lily escape from Lord Taylor!"

"What? Where was Mr. Alan?"

Martis frowned, thinking. "I don't remember seeing him, but that doesn't mean he wasn't nearby. Still, I need to check if she's okay!"

"Go!" Carlotta said. "I'll protect Her Highness! I'll also alert His Majesty!"

"We both will," said a voice behind them. They turned and saw General Ulrich standing there. Oddly enough, his costume was his old Cavern City ninja-like clothes.

Martis looked to Septieme and grasped her shoulders.

"I'll be right back! Please don't do anything rash! I don't want anything to happen to you!"

He stroked the top of her head before racing away. Septieme's heart went all aflutter.

"Now," she heard Carlotta say, "let's get you somewhere safe!"

"We must inform my father first!" she declared. "Take me to him!"

They turned to go, only to hear Ulrich say, "I'm afraid I can't allow that, Your Highness."

She heard a thud and turned to see Carlotta falling forward. She cried out and looked up. Ulrich stood over Carlotta, pistol in hand with the butt of it sticking out. He then aimed it at Septieme.

"I'm so sorry, Princess," he growled, "but I have to protect my people. Come this way, please."

Jan could just see Oland and Alice kneeling together.

What, no happy reunion? he giggled to himself. I'll take care of that in a moment!

"Jan!" he heard behind him. He groaned and turned around.

Alan stood nose-to-nose with his brother.

"What are you doing here, Jan?" he demanded.

Jan sneered at him and said, "Well, if it isn't my dear brother coming to mingle with the commonfolk! How goes it with the ladies, Alan honey?"

"Enough!" Alan growled. "Tell me why you're here, Brother, and I might spare your other hand!" He looked down and saw a small, steel blue lantern Jan had set aside on the stage.

"Is that…what I think it is?"

"I saw you sucking face with that cheeky horn blower," Jan said, ignoring the question. "Now I'm wondering if she's good at blowing anything else!"

Before Jan could finish speaking Alan drove a fist into his face, knocking him back. Only the edge of the stage kept him from falling over. His arm knocked over the lantern as well and sent it rolling. He shook his head, licked the blood from his split lip and smiled at Alan wickedly.

"Screw it," he sneered, "I haven't had a good fight in ages! En garde!"

Hannah flattened herself as best as she could, equally fearing for her life and not wanting Oreldo to be injured.

Oreldo was furious, but kept his cool. He slowly faced Dr. Steinenburg and took up a fighting stance. The Doctor looked at him and smirked, immediately pulling something out of his pocket that caused Hannah to cry out a warning.

"No!" she said, "That's the thing that controls the suits! He'll kill me!"

Oreldo glanced at it before looking back up at him. "Doctor," he said in a hushed tone, "what have you done?"

"'Done?'" Steinenburg echoed. "I'm merely conducting an experiment." He tossed the gadget in the air and caught it again. "Handy little device, isn't it?" he asked. "I call it a pocket remote control. It's delightfully mobile."

Oreldo glanced at it again. "How is that possible?" he asked.

"It's amazing what one can achieve with enough funds and the right friends," the doctor answered mildly. He might as well have been talking about the weather.

"Now," he said, "let me show you how this works." He cocked his head to the side and gestured around him. "Let's conduct another little experiment. Which will you choose, Sub-Lieutenant? On the one hand, I can make your sneaky little lady friend here die in seconds, but the people in general will be spared. On the other hand, I can spare her, but the rest of the 906 will dissolve, causing hundreds of casualties. Which will it be, lad?"

Oreldo narrowed his gaze. "What the hell kinda choice is that, ya flippin' psycho? You can't just play with people's lives!"

Steinenburg was aghast. "Play, my boy?" he said, "Never! This is science! It's what I'm paid to do!"

"Were you paid to create the 906, then?" Oreldo asked. "Did you have a hand in all of the Invisible Nine?"

"Time's a-wasting, young man. I'd think fast, if I were you!"

"And if I were you, I'd be saying my prayers!" Oreldo snarled, balling his fists.

"Come, now!" the doctor crowed, "This is science! It's what I live for!"

"It's also what you'll die for," said a voice behind him. Dr. Steinenburg started to turn but not before Carlotta wrapped her arms around him, knocking the remote control out of his hands. Oreldo went flying and managed to catch it just as Carlotta broke the doctor's neck.

"Carlotta!" Oreldo shouted. "You idiot! We could have interrogated him back at HQ!"

Carlotta was subdued. "I'm sorry, sir," she said, not sounding very sorry at all. "If I'd tried to stop him any other way, he could have triggered all of the suits at once."

Oreldo sighed and looked at the remote carefully. He couldn't quite decipher it, but knew who could.

"Wait," he said, "wasn't Martis with you?"

"He went after Sergeant-Major Stecchin, sir," she said. "But that's not the worst of it! General Ulrich is a traitor!"

"Wait, what?"

"He's taken Princess Septieme! We must inform His Majesty!"

"Aw hell," Oreldo groaned. "Okay, start from the beginning."

Lionel started walking toward the stage. When he reached the rear of it, he saw Jan duking it out with his brother Alan. He sighed. Rodelian honor…what a waste. He saw Oland's lantern had rolled away to the side, as if it were any other prop. He brightened. Maybe this wouldn't be a total loss after all. He went and retrieved the lantern. The orchestra, who was waiting for the two main characters to return to the stage, had gone on playing. The commoners of the audience were beginning to notice something was wrong, but most were oblivious.

Lionel snuck to the back entrance and saw Alice kneeling beside Oland, touching his face. Enraged, he rushed over to them, holding the lantern like a beacon, even though he hadn't turned it on quite yet.

"Looking for this, big man?" he sneered at the enormous crouched figure.

They both looked up and gasped, but for different reasons.

"Give it to me!" Oland growled.

"Lionel, no!" Alice cried. "How dare you?" She stood up in front of Oland, reaching behind her and unsheathing her sword.

"Return that lantern at once!" she barked.

"Or what, my princess?" Lionel said, his tone sweet but deadly. "Or he'll become the monster he truly is?"

"Give it to me or I'll crush your skull," Oland rumbled, his own voice low and dangerous. Alice shivered in spite of herself. She'd never heard Oland talk that way before.

Lionel just laughed.

"Lionel," Alice asked, "why are you doing this?"

"Let's just say spring cleaning," Lionel replied in that sweet, sickening tone. "That, and it's high time you wake up and see just what you've been admiring all this time."

He switched the lantern on.