Chapter 12:
Olivia Rheinhold frowned in puzzlement at the sight of Elizabeth Taylor stepping out of the private dining room where she'd been asked to meet her husband's business partner for lunch. The slim bee-person looked natty in a figure-hugging gown in scandal-red.
Her favorite color somewhat hinted at the rumors that swirled around Ms. Taylor. Rumors suggested her eight children were bastards, sired by multiple paramours over the years. Darker rumor suggested that more than one of the eight might have even been sired by her late father. The elder Taylor had a reputation, though Olivia could honestly say she'd only ever seen his face once, many years ago.
Broad hips swaying sensually, Ms. Taylor strolled past Olivia with only the barest of acknowledgments. Of course, Olivia hardly knew the daughter any more than she knew the father, so that was no great surprise and of no great moment. Far more important was the strange summons she'd received.
Kim Kil Wan was another great enigma. He'd burst onto the scene decades ago, coming to work for Olivia's father-in-law. He'd quickly shown himself to be the sort of ambitious man who would dive headlong into any venture, so long as it made a profit. Rumors around Herbert Rheinhold's offices suggested that Kim had done a number of somewhat ugly deeds in those earlier days to make his bones. Those rumors had Olivia somewhat nervous just now.
With the death of Peter Taylor along with the deaths of Herbert and Matteo Rheinhold, their children were now the heirs of the vast business enterprise they'd built over the years. There was a lot of potential for those children to become targets. Olivia found herself rethinking this meeting. What was Kim's angle? She knew he was an ugly, ruthless man. Would he stoop to murdering his partners?
Swallowing around a mouthful of fear, the plump peanut-person knocked on the door. Immediately, the door was opened, and she found herself ushered inside rather forcefully, as if fear was driving Mr. Rainicorn's actions.
Inside, the room held a small table, laid out in intimate fashion, while a dozen bodyguards standing around the periphery told that this wasn't a social call. The door was shut, and Olivia feared what would happen, should she try to exit without Kim's permission. There was nothing for it but to go through the trap and see if she could come out the other side.
Striding forward, Olivia drew the chair, finding that a hint of Elizabeth's perfume hung over the seat. The bee-person had been here in this very seat, but Olivia had seen no hints of what she'd seen in her expression.
"Mr. Rainicorn," Olivia greeted her father-in-law's business partner. Resting his elbows on the table, the hybrid smiled back, the atmosphere making the gesture sinister. "It's Kim, Olivia," he responded. "Your late husband and I worked our way up together. You're with a friend, here."
Though the words and tone were jovial, it did little to ratchet down Olivia's terror. There were no friends in the world of high finance. There was just too damned much money involved. Kim could gain control of the whole of the business, lock, stock, and barrel, if he did in Olivia and her kids.
"I'm afraid, I don't have much time," she remarked. "I know," Kim responded. "Two funerals to arrange and the matter of your mother-in-law and Matteo's two grandmothers." Olivia grimaced. He knew all about their family arrangements and who lived at their house. Would he stoop to murdering old women and children? Olivia wasn't sure.
With a heavy sigh, the stranger declared, "I... wish I had the time to spend consoling you. Truly, this is a terrible tragedy. Unfortunately, matters are at a critical place, Olivia." "I'm afraid I don't understand," she responded. "My uncle," Kim explained. "He's the source of your pain."
Sitting up straight, the dog-icorn said, "it's this mad lust for power he's developed. He's rather insistent on taking control of the finances in all the kingdoms. He had an elemental agent of his brutally murder half the wealthy businessmen in Muscle Kingdom to prevent their involvement in that kingdom's recovery from the zombie plague just ended a few years ago."
Olivia's jaw came open. Her husband had been burned to a crisp. The Banana Guard still wouldn't tell her how it had happened, only explaining that his car had caught fire. His car had simply exploded in the middle of the road on his way home, killing both Matteo and his driver. With Herbert having been brazenly murdered in the middle of a park and Mr. Taylor having fallen to his death, Olivia had suspected foul play, but she'd blamed Kim!
With a gesture, Kim summoned one of his men. "I have resources," said the dog-icorn, as he lay papers out before her. "These documents temporarily assign power of attorney over the estate to me. They'll empower me to look after your assets... They... of necessity, transfer my uncle's ugly attentions from you to me..."
Olivia's jaw came open all over again. That was monstrous! "It's only a temporary gesture," Kim declared, as he slid the documents across. "I have acquired a home in Norbert's Estates. It's yours, for the duration of the crisis. Really, as long as you need. Electric heat supplied by a fission engine. There's no way for an elemental to enter. You and your daughters will be safe. I expect Ms. Taylor and her daughters will be there within the week. You'll have neighbors your children can spend time with."
"What... would I have to do," Olivia responded. "You only have to sign power of attorney," Kim responded. "I'll take care of the rest." His expression was neutral, bordering on sympathetic. Olivia had learned to distrust whatever one of her husband's colleagues had to say, though.
Soothingly, Kim suggested, "your every need's already taken care of. Your husband's dividend payments will be made on time every time. I need the power of his shares to make... certain movements. I need to secure our joint position against my uncle's predations. You understand, yes? We're stronger together than apart."
Olivia thought long and hard about this. As long as she wasn't going to lose her husband's shares in the business, she could see letting go. She had no reason to be involved in this war that Kim talked of. Reaching out, she took the papers and began to sign in the locations indicated. Pushing the papers back, she said, "thank you for your help, Mr. Rainicorn." "Kim," the hybrid responded, as he took the papers. "It's Kim. I'm always here to help look after Matteo's family, now that he's gone."
Olivia offered him a smile. She still didn't trust this man, and she wasn't very interested in moving into a home that he had control over. Peanut Kingdom would be lovely in the spring, and she knew some nice places to hide out there until this business blew over. Having the King of Ooo's attention focused on her husband's sinister business-partner would let her move her family without all the risk and trouble.
Rising, Olivia thanked Kim, even as she wondered if she should reach out to Ms. Taylor to warn her about him. Don't buy trouble, Olivia, she thought, as she turned to go. She had three elders and her seven daughters to move into hiding and little time to do it. Ms. Taylor would have to handle business on her own.
Far to the east, the King's landship rumbled and clattered to a halt before the gates of Sonbong. For Finn, it had been an interesting trip. If there wasn't Raggedy-Princess's flirting, it was playing mediator between his kids. Bonnie had varied between shrill and violent towards Jay, leaving Finn caught in the middle. Add in the troubles waiting on them at Sonbong, and Finn had spent a lot of time pacing up on the observation platform.
Now, as the cyborg crew unlatched and lowered the boarding ladder, Finn paced in nervous agitation. Sidling up to him such that her right hip was against him, Orzsebet rested a hand on his right shoulder and lay her head against his left. "The west is the danger," she murmured. "If they've taken the stolen hardware west, we have a problem. We also have some hope. It'll take time to move things going west."
She'd been telling him that the whole way here. A part of him wanted to believe she was right. Shipping things by boat was faster, even if they had to go all the way around one of the southern continents. Still, with Gordon Wells and his fleet of airships still in play, Finn feared that the weapons would find ready use all too soon.
As if reading his mind, his mistress rumbled, "resources, my King. The wax hustlers have resources on their island. They have to somehow get the goods through the broken lands, past the barrier, and then across the civilized kingdoms." "Peace," Finn muttered. He was tired of going over this. "My master is not yet at peace," the Agent Princess murmured, just before she broke contact.
When the door was opened, the King found himself face to face with his wife. Roselinen was waiting for him in the field with her bodyguard and Baek Hyeon at her back. Stepping off the ladder, Finn crossed the short distance to his wife.
There was a strange emotion in Roselinen's eyes, telling him that business had been particularly unpleasant. Orzsebet had brought him news of what had been going on. He'd been a little astonished and worried by the things Rosie had done. At the same time, he was painfully aware of the need for those actions.
Before he could say a word, his wife intoned, "Jacob Mertens." Finn grimaced as he realized who his wife was looking at. As he opened his mouth to speak, Roselinen stepped past him.
"Mom," Jay responded, as his mother approached. "Jacob Joshua Mertens," growled Roselinen. It was always a bad sign, when she used your full, formal name. Reaching out, she stroked her son's face almost tenderly, giving Finn hope that they could somehow get through this without an ugly reaction. Just as the thought entered his mind, the plump woman slapped Jay across both cheeks as hard as she could.
"Huh," burbled Annabelle, "you have a real way with people, babe..." Turning to her erstwhile 'daughter-in-law', Roselinen grabbed her by the ear and strode off, announcing, "we need to talk..." "Ow, ow, ow, ow...," howled the demoness as she was dragged out of sight. Finn remarked, "at least you didn't get kicked in the balls."
Moving on, the King turned to Lord Seo Joon's son. "Ok," said he. "What have we got?" "Six wagons, Your Majesty. All headed northwest." It was just as Orzsebet feared. They didn't have agents in the wild lands west of the coast. Continuing on, the young man declared, "they've been moving quickly. We haven't been able to catch up."
With a sigh, Finn declared, "we need to get our arms around this. Orzsebet? Attend." The slinky spy-girl strode forward. In short order, the King, his spymaster, and Lord Baek Hyeon were headed for the nearest carriage. Bonnie spent a moment staring at the thicket where her mother had taken Jay's wife. A part of her wanted to see the outcome of that. At the same time, her father needed her. Gathering up her skirt, she hustled to follow him towards the carriages.
Elsewhere, Loli slipped into an empty space surrounded by towering stacks of crates and bales to find her son tinkering away on the machine they'd stolen. Her husband was closeted with the wax-hustlers and their agents, much as he'd been throughout this trip. The obsession was killing their family. He wanted to butcher their niece, while Loli feared they'd made a terrible mistake in turning down the offer of the so-called King of Ooo.
Their progress, if you could call it that, hardly seemed worth the risk. They constantly feared discovery, and it seemed as though there was someone hunting them on every street corner. "What're you doing," the plump woman asked?
Chicle responded, "working on the issue of a power supply." He was, as usual, going off-script and doing his own thing, regardless of how it affected the rest of the family. "We need that weapon," Loli reminded him. "We can't afford for you to blow it up. We're unlikely to have another chance at seizing this technology..."
With a shrug, her son responded, "which is why I'm working with low voltage and probing circuits, mummy. From the look of things, they were working with alternating current in three phases. They were running a separate laser pump off each phase and using constructive interference to combine their outputs to amplify the power of each laser bolt. It's pretty clever tech, all things considered."
As Loli digested those words, her son glanced up from his work with a sigh and remarked, "I wish wax-boy could get us into that machine down in the desert..." Loli grimaced. He'd talked again and again of somehow getting into the massive facility in the desert, with its towering reactors and massive arrays of capacitors. Rumors amongst Wells' people suggested the garrison was doubled now.
"We need to make this work, Chicle," Loli retorted. "We need to be careful of the opportunity given to us..." "You sound like her, mom," Chicle rumbled. Loli flushed. Bonnibel was the careful member of the family, and honestly Loli had gotten along with her a lot better than her son and husband had. When Gumbald was pushing dreams of conquering the rubes around them with the might of their minds, Bonnibel was advocating for caution, ultimately leading to their eventual falling out.
Chicle motioned towards the other end of the device. "There's a port there, mom," he said. "You can help me measure continuity through the wiring harness. I'm trying to figure out which of those conductors is neutral."
It was the usual way that her son tried to deflect her from losing her temper. Give her something to do to make her part of the solution space, so she couldn't be standing around complaining of the risk. Just like always, he was going to win. Blowing out a breath, Loli Bubblegum moved to the far end of the machine to find a coupling that had been detached.
The wires appeared to have once been labeled, but the labels had been melted away in whatever conflagration disabled the machines. Thankfully, the conductors and insulation were mostly intact.
Taking hold of the test lead, Loli stubbed it against the first of the conductors. "Anything," she called out? "Nope," Chicle responded. "Next conductor," Loli sighed. "When are we moving," asked Chicle? It was out of the blue. It would have been, if Loli hadn't been thinking the same thing. She didn't like this land. She wanted out of here. A good chunk of that was the hard reality that they were literally standing in the home of the person they'd just robbed. There was a real risk that they would get caught out with the very evidence of their thefts.
Not that they need it, Loli thought. If Bonnibel had the power over this Finn character that Gumbald believed she had, Finn the Human would slaughter them out of hand, regardless of his words. Which thought led her right back to those tantalizing words. He was willing to give them a land of their own—something for them to build on. Gumbald could have his city of godlike power. All he'd have to do was pay a yearly fee to be left alone.
He's not going to change course, Loli, the plump woman thought. Her husband wasn't going to back down from his grudge against Bonnibel. Nothing this King of Ooo could say would change his mind. They were headed for a collision, whether she wanted it or not. So, the thing to do is make this weapon work, Loli, she thought.
Hundreds of miles away, the King of Ooo stepped out of his unpleasant meeting with Orzsebet and her agents. The news was every flavor of not good. The wagons had split up and moved down six different roads. They had no idea what was missing from the broken war machine and even less idea what was on each wagon. He was, in short, facing down another almost-existential crisis.
I want to put down these burdens, thought the King. The thought came unbidden, though it was certainly not the first time. He wanted to be home, with his wives and his children. Trouble was, men like Gumbald weren't going to leave them alone. Gumbald Bubblegum had a deadly grudge against Bonnie, and Finn feared just how far that grudge would go. Get through it, Finn, he sternly told himself. No way out, but through.
Shaking off his worry and indecision, the big man said, "we'll be leaving in the morning. We're going to try and intercept the wagons, best we can." "I'll make the preparations, master," Orzsebet responded, as she brushed past.
What did it say, when she didn't even bother hanging out to try to sniff up trouble. His mind wanted to go back to the things she'd said outside the city of the dead. A woman could stir up turmoil with just a few words, and Finn felt very conflicted about their arrangement just now.
As if that wasn't enough, the sight of Roselinen closeted with Raggedy Princess had him a little worried too. Rosie wasn't a fan of Annabelle. Knowing what they now knew about Jay's motivations for the things he'd been doing, Roselinen had come perilously close to hunting up Peppermint Butler or Sarah to figure out how to summon Marceline.
"I'll prepare to go too, father," Bonnie murmured. When Finn turned to face her, she remarked, "there's four of us, father. Maybe five, with your Informer. If we divide our efforts, we can maybe intercept five of the shipments. That's leaves only the risk of one dangerous item on the loose." Her eyes flicked to where her mother was talking to her 'sister-in-law'.
"Never ask a demon for help, Bonnie," Finn rumbled. "She has ties to Jay..." Glancing away, his daughter nodded, "understood, father. My brother does get himself into trouble, doesn't he?" "Dick-thinking, Bonnie," Finn sighed. "I had a measure of it, when I was young."
Frowning in puzzlement, Bonnie asked, "you're young again, same as my brother. How is it...?" "Nano-machines," Finn sighed. "I... have advantages that Jay doesn't. When the chemicals floating around in my brain get out of whack, the nano-machines vacuum some of them up. I... never really get to feel the way I used to." Gone were the reckless jaunts into emotional irrationality of his youth.
Bonnie's face whipped around, her expression suggesting how she took that news. Just as quickly, her face was placid again, reminding Finn that none of them were getting to feel the way they used to. Reaching out, the big man embraced his oldest daughter, stroking her long, pale hair. "We're going to be ok," he whispered, just before he broke that embrace.
Turning away, the big man strode over to where his wife and daughter-in-law were chatting. Rosie immediately rose to greet her husband. "We have some idea of where the wagons with the stolen machinery are going," Finn murmured. "So, when do we leave," Rosie asked?
Heedless of her husband's grimace of unhappiness, the curvy pillow announced, "we have six of us to go..." Shaking his head, Finn responded, "five, babe." He knew where her mind was going. "We'll leave in the morning...," he said. "That's when we'll have enough airships to make the trip." "How many do we have now," Rosie asked?
With a grimace of unhappiness, Finn responded, "we have two now." "Then two of us should go now," Rosie retorted. Before he could complain of it, the curvy woman said, "we'll play stone-cloth-shears..." From behind him, Bonnie agreed, "I'll play too."
The business played out in two rounds with first Bonnie and then Rosie 'winning' the chance to take the two existing airships. Offering him a peck on the cheek, Bonnie strode off, bound for the barracks to gather up some soldiers, leaving him alone with Roselinen.
"I'll see you in a few days," Rosie murmured. "Talk to Haryati. Mend fences, Finn." Standing on her toes, the plump woman kissed him the way she did in the early days of their relationship. Breaking contact, she gave him an impish smile and sauntered off in the direction Bonnie had gone, big butt wig-wagging sensually.
Legs crossed artfully, Annabelle asked, "what was that about?" "We have to go deal with the people who stole parts of that war-machine," Finn muttered. "Figured that out," the demoness responded. "Wondering what that business with five or six was about." "I won't be cutting a deal with a demon. I know better," Finn responded, before turning to go. The Raggedy Princess's curses rained down on him as he walked away.
The King of Ooo found the Ocean Princess hanging out in Lord Seo Joon's garden, staring up at the night sky. The original plan was for Roselinen to spend time mending fences with Haryati and maybe even convince her to come down to the shore near the lost city to spend time with Finn, working through their collective baggage. That had been the plan, anyway.
Haryati looked up at him, as he came alongside her. "I've never seen the moon like this," the mermaid princess murmured. "It's... just like you described it." Finn flushed. He'd promised they would get a boat or something from shore and spend some time sitting under the moon—making out. He'd never come back to her kingdom.
"I'm sorry," the King announced. "I'd hoped things would be different this time." In a voice that spoke of confusion, Haryati responded, "how so?" "We wanted to spend time and... talk," Finn explained. "I didn't want to blow in and out of here like last time. I haven't seen you..."
The Ocean Princess gave him a harumph. "I'm sure His Royal Majesty has urgent business. I imagine you'll be chasing down these thieves..." With a sigh, Finn responded, "Simone and Rosie wanted to bury the hatchet..." The mermaid stared at him in abject puzzlement. Blowing out a breath, Finn said, "I had every intention of closing down my old life in the Candy Kingdom..." It took a moment. Turning away, Haryati rumbled, "it's the past."
The haughty Ocean Princess was pretending that she was scarcely bothered by the fact that he'd basically kissed and run off. The fact that he'd basically hopped in bed with another girl and never returned just made it worse. "I made a promise," Finn responded. "I broke it. I had excuses for what happened, but I broke my promise to you all the same."
Haryati gave vent to a strangled sob. "I was a child," Finn rumbled. "I was fickle and childish, and I got stars in my eyes when Simone was dropped in my lap." A part of her was enraged. A part of her was horrified to hear the way he spoke, as she slowly began to realize that the man talking to her was the 'other' that folk spoke of. New Finn was laying bare his soul before her. The man she'd fallen in love with was long dead, replaced by this oddly sympathetic stranger.
"I have no way to make amends," Finn sighed. "I can't even spend the time here to visit with you as I'd promised..." Those words brought a stark epiphany to the woman he was struggling to apologize to. The world took you from me, thought Haryati. Glob caused us to meet, but he had more important things in mind for you.
"You weren't the only child," the Ocean Princess murmured. "It wasn't going to work, Finn. My people were never going to accept an outsider as my husband. When you didn't return, they politely suggested a different man—someone who'd be a good match. We weren't in love, but we made four beautiful children. My kingdom prospered."
Turning to face him, the Ocean Princess threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I like Rosie," she murmured. Wrinkling her nose, she added, "when she's not being a little tyrant." Finn flushed. It had taken a while for Roselinen to understand the world she now stood in, but she was now in full-on compensation mode.
"I hope to meet Simone, someday," said Haryati, "when the world is peaceful once more. The three of you can come and visit my family. I'll show you the sights." Hugging her back, Finn said, "that's a promise I think I can keep. I have to go in the morning. I'll write. I promise."
Stepping back, the mermaid held up his phone, announcing, "Roselinen spoke of something called InterFone. She said that I only needed to find a convenient place for them to build one of their towers... Then you could call me, using this... We can talk and catch up. You can meet my husband." "I'll put my people on it," Finn agreed, as he took the phone back and returned it to the pocket from which she'd swiped it.
Sorry about the patchiness of updates. Work has been eating much of my time, including days off. Spent months working a proposal, only for us not to get the contract. :( That's part of life, though, and I should have more time now and less stress.