The Emperor of Everything

Albany looked up at the killmech. “I sure hope this turns out to be worth it.” He shackled the cable to his armor, and the killmech began to reel them up.

Chapter 18

Chou lay in a heap, the roughly patched holes in her armor now obvious. The alloy and black plastic device clinging to her back was the corpse-walker Publius had used to animate her body during his attempt to bring them in quietly.

The killmech led them deeper into the tunnel, and they passed Moh’s body, huddled into the angle between wall and floor, as if she had died still terrified of the pit.

Publius had established a small camp, well away from the pit and its stinks. Now he sat at his portable picnic table, hunched over his lunch, studying the image in his flatscreen vid. “What did you do to my boy, Ruiz?” he asked in conversational tones. Ruiz looked over his shoulder, to see the new Yubere, standing where they had left him. His face seemed calm, but Ruiz imagined that he could see a trace of some cold abstract anguish in the dull eyes.

“Don’t worry; it’s not necessarily permanent. All I have to do is tell him the right thing, and he’ll be fine.” Ruiz’s injured shoulder was beginning to ache; he had been foolish enough to hold the pepperbox with his right hand. He already wanted to lower his hand, but Publius had no doubt instructed the killmech to seize him if his aim wavered.

“Ah? Well, that’s good news, at least. And what must I do to win your cooperation?”

“Fulfill our bargain.”

Publius made an impatient tsking sound. “Troublesome.”

Ruiz said nothing; Publius’s attitude was hardly a surprise.

Publius sighed. “Well, all right. I know when I’m bested.” His eyes glittered, and he looked as treacherous as it was possible for a human being to look. “What shall we do now?”

“Wait here for half an hour, then follow. We’ll meet you at the sub, and there we’ll put on madcollars.” Ruiz’s shoulder burned with the pain of holding the pepperbox, and he was afraid that Publius would notice his weakness.

Publius gave him a searching gaze. “You wouldn’t be planning any more tricks, would you, Ruiz?”

“If so, it’s no more than you deserve,” Ruiz said wearily. “But no. I need your help. Keep your word, help me and my slaves get off Sook, and you can proceed with your schemes here unhindered.”

Publius drummed his fingers on the table, giving an appearance of careful consideration. Finally he smiled broadly, a horrifying expression. “I’m reassured. It will be as you say. I coupled my sub to your repair chamber; my people are guarding your lock. I’ll call and let them know you’re coming — and tell them not to bother you.” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and returned to his lunch.

Ruiz stood for a moment, almost unwilling to believe that Publius would let them go so easily, then he turned and walked off down the tunnel, trailed by Albany.

Albany kept looking over his shoulder until they were well around the curve of the tunnel, and the lights of Publius’s camp were lost to view. “You’ve got odd friends these days,” he said.

Ruiz decided it was safe to lower his arm. The pain as he did so made him sway and miss his footing. He stumbled, but Albany caught him under the arm and kept him from falling. “You holed, Ruiz?” Albany asked.

“No,” Ruiz said. “I think I separated my shoulder a little when we killed the Moc. The painkiller’s wearing off.” He instructed the in-suit medunit to give him another ject, and he felt it begin to crawl toward his shoulder again, little clawed feet prickling over his skin.

“That’s a relief.” Behind his visor, Albany’s eyes were huge. “You got me into this. I’m depending on you to get me out of it. What was that about getting you off Sook? Take me too. I’ve had enough excitement for this century.”

“I can’t pay you until we get back to Dilvermoon.”

“That’s fine. If I ever do get back there, I’m going to have my feet welded to the steel. I’m never going to leave again.”

Ruiz smiled. “You’ve said that before.”

“This time I mean it,” said Albany.

For some reason, Ruiz felt a bit more cheerful, and it wasn’t only due to the warm touch of the painkiller.

He set off down the tunnel again at a good pace.

As they neared the lock, Ruiz raised the pepperbox again.

Albany looked at him. “Wait a bit,” he said. “Let me rig you an explosive charge inside your helmet, with a mouth switch. It’ll be easier for you to handle.”

Ruiz stopped, and wondered why he hadn’t thought to do that. Albany’s trap gear would provide explosives and a remote switch, and the armor would keep Publius’s killmech from seizing his weapon in a moment of distraction.

It took Albany only a moment to pat out a thin slab of explosive, wire it, and slip it under Ruiz’s helmet. “You want the switch hot, for real?” asked Albany.

“Oh yes,” said Ruiz. “I don’t want Publius to take me alive, however this turns out.”

“Whatever,” said Albany, plugging the leads into a squeeze switch. He offered it to Ruiz, who took it and bit down on it, activating the circuit.