Liege-Killer

by Christopher Hinz

  Rome felt exasperated. “All this proves is that the ICN, and other organizations, supported the prevailing social views of those eras. E-Tech’s very purpose is to limit unchecked growth.”

  Passion colored Nick’s words. “You say they supported the prevailing social views. I say that the ICN, to a great degree, controlled those views. I say that at least one of the Ash Ock Paratwa has been manipulating your social structure since the time of the Apocalypse. I say that he has used the ICN as the primary means of accomplishing this control. I say that this Ash Ock has never stopped plotting the domination of humanity!”

  Rome shrugged. Nick’s theory was ludicrous. “The ICN has always been a conservative organization. Ninety-one years ago, they simply did not believe that Earth revitalization was a financially worthwhile project.”

  Nick bubbled with excitement. “A conservative organization? Yes, the ICN’s been a conservative organization throughout its history, except for these four time periods during which, in banking terms, they went mad.”

  Rome was growing tired of the argument. “So the ICN went through a radical period. That’s not unusual. Over the long term, most organizations go through such cycles.”

  Nick smiled. “Not unusual, huh? What if I told you that each of these four time periods ended with the director of the ICN dying in such a way that his body could not be identified?”

  Rome took a deep breath. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that two directors perished in shuttle crashes where the bodies were not recovered. One director supposedly committed suicide by stepping into a thirty-megavolt solar grid. He was incinerated. The fourth died in a fire, burned beyond recognition.

  “There’s more. All four of these men came from large urban colonies. All four had families in which the parents died relatively young. None of them had brothers or sisters. None of them had any close relatives, other than their parents. And none of them ever got married. Does all that suggest anything to you?”

  Rome shook his head. His stomach began to burn and he wished he had brought his antacid pills along.

  The midget continued. “Did you ever study a process called ‘sapient supersedure’? It was real popular back in the good old twenty-first century. If you wanted to become, let’s say, a banking executive, and you didn’t feel like wasting the time going through all that schooling and all those years of hard work, then you found someone who was almost there—someone who had his degree and who had a few years of banking under his belt and who everyone realized was a real hot shot, headed for the top.

  “After you found this person, you studied him, learned his history, got a hold of his records and his biocharts, and prepared yourself to replace him. As long as you were nearly the same size, the surgical alterations were rather basic. It was a time when people were constantly changing their appearances. There were surgeons everywhere who could shape your flesh into any form you desired.

  “The internal alterations and the biorhythmic and brainwave camouflaging were a bit trickier, but the technology existed for those who could afford it.

  “After you had been properly altered to look like the banking hot shot, you had him killed in such a way that his body could not be identified. Then you took his place. The whole process was a bit more complicated, of course, but essentially that’s what happened.”

  Rome caught the Pasha’s eye, knew that Haddad shared his thoughts. This can’t be true. This sort of thing occurred on Earth, during the height of human madness. Supersedure ended with the Apocalypse.

  Nick went on, relentlessly. “We only learned about a supersedure when the substitute made a mistake. During the final days, when this vicious craze was at its height, E-Tech conservatively estimated that four out of every five substitutions went undetected.”

  The midget paused. “My point is, there were some basic rules of success for the supersedure process. Your victim should come from a large city, or colony, where it was generally easier to retain anonymity. The victim should have few, if any, living relatives; the fewer family ties, the better. And substitutes tended not to marry.

  “Now, the Ash Ock, they mastered supersedure from the beginning. They were very good at it—a fact that E-Tech didn’t learn until it was too late.”

  “The patterns are here!” screeched Begelman, caught up in the throes of Nick’s excitement. “There is manipulation! There are patterns!”

  Rome turned to Haddad. The Pasha wore a curious expression.

  “A few weeks ago,” began Haddad, “I would not have believed any of this. But today, with the Colonies threatened by this creature...” He hesitated. “I don’t know.”

  “Ahh, yes,” said Nick. “The creature. Late last night, Gillian finally reached me. Our creature has a name.”

  Nick told them about the tavern, about Gillian’s discovery of Reemul, about the slain pirates and Gillian’s recruiting of Aaron’s people. Rome’s stomach felt like a hot oven.

  With deliberate calm, the Pasha crossed the room to an unused terminal. He began typing.

  Rome thought, This can’t be true.

  “There’s other evidence,” argued Nick. “Recall the subway tunnel under Philadelphia where Reemul was found. That was no run-of-the-mill stasis operation. It was an entire train, complete with power-generation equipment and fuel to last centuries. The tunnel was effectively sealed at both ends.” Nick wagged his finger. “A powerful organization was responsible for Reemul’s entombment.”

  Haddad began reading from the monitor screen.

  “Reemul. Breed: Jeek Elemental. Sex: male-male. Date of births: circa 2067 to 2073. Birthplace unknown. Popularly referred to as the liege-killer.” The Pasha tapped the keys, jumped to a new file, continued.

  “A free mercenary until circa 2090. At that time, believed to have been recruited by the Ash Ock. Believed to have served the Royal Caste until the Apocalypse of 2099.” Haddad paused. “No confirmation of death.

  “2091—believed responsible for assassination of four cardinals of the Holistic Catholic Peace Foundation in Mexico City. 2093—believed responsible for detonating a controlled nuclear device in the Novosibirsk Communist headquarters building. Nine hundred killed. 2094—responsible for slaughtering over a thousand settlers in the Antarctic Reclamation Areas. 2094—responsible for the so-called Parliament Purge in London. One hundred and twenty-eight members of the British House of Commons slain along with two hundred and fifty-nine army regulars and seventy-eight civilians.

  “Known to have murdered sixteen Paratwa of mixed breeds between 2094 and 2097. Believed responsible for numerous other Paratwa killings during that timeframe, all at the discretion of the Ash Ock.”

  Rome’s thoughts wandered as he listened to the Pasha’s words. Political manipulation via the ICN—could it be? Could an Ash Ock have been controlling our society since the time of the Apocalypse?

  Haddad continued. “2096—trapped by a U.S. Marine commando brigade within the city limits of Pensacola, Florida. Escaped, killing one hundred and eighty-eight soldiers.” The Pasha stopped. “The listings from 2096 on are more frequent.”

  Nick spoke quietly. “Toward the end, Reemul’s masters kept him busy.”

  Rome stood up. “Is Gillian absolutely certain it’s Reemul?”

  “In matters of Paratwa identification, I’ve learned to trust Gillian implicitly. He’s never been wrong.

  “As to the Ash Ock,” Nick continued, “I have no more doubts. The patterns and the manipulations are real. I don’t know whether we can prove this to you or to anyone who lacks deep training in the particulars of probability matrixes and social grids. But we’re convinced.”

  Begelman nodded vehemently.

  Nick stared up at the ceiling. “It’s likely that during these four time periods, an Ash Ock came out of stasis, perhaps via a timer-controlled Wake-up system. By means of supersedure, one of the tways of this Ash Ock infiltrated the ICN and eventually assumed control of the organization. The purpose of this control was to
limit technological advancement—in essence, to support E-Tech’s policies.

  “By periodically controlling the purse strings of the ICN, this Ash Ock was able to forestall the natural growth patterns of society, inhibit those forces within humanity that continually strained against artificial limits.

  “After this Ash Ock felt that humanity’s growth patterns were again under control, he arranged for a reverse substitution—someone who would take the Ash Ock’s place in a prearranged death.”

  Haddad nodded. “The four ICN directors, they were last-minute substitutes. Their bodies were destroyed.”

  “Exactly. Then the Ash Ock probably returned himself to stasis for another forty or fifty years until it was time to check on society and make sure that E-Tech was doing its job.” Nick smiled. “Oh, yes. There’s a fifth time period. An Ash Ock is manipulating your society right now.”

  Rome looked around the room, feeling suddenly alienated from everything and everyone. He forced himself to look at the midget.

  “This whole thing ... it’s too fantastic! How could an Ash Ock have gotten away with such substitutions again and again?”

  Nick held up his hand. “The most terrible mistake we made two centuries ago was in underestimating these creatures. No one dreamed, until it was too late, that the Royal Caste could so effectively infiltrate and manipulate human society.”

  “If all this is true,” Rome argued, “then why? The Ash Ock—in fact all the Paratwa—were the sworn enemies of E-Tech. They were technofreaks. Why would they want to limit technology?”

  Nick brought his gaze down from the ceiling. He hesitated. “I don’t know. Not exactly.

  “I do know that the Royal Caste were bred and trained to seek power. In pre-Apocalyptic society, they assumed positions of responsibility throughout the world. One of the tways of Aristotle, the Ash Ock who perished in a South African firestorm, was the prime minister of Free Brazil. His tway was a South American energy magnate. A tway of Codrus, we learned too late, had been a powerful member of the World Bank until his ‘disappearance’ in 2096.

  “Now, within your colonies, the power structure is more concentrated than anything Earth ever imagined. Irrya rules completely. Your Council and its representative organizations, a handful of powerful industrial brokers and a few religious leaders—they essentially control the Intercolonial decision-making process. Irryan senators and colonial governors are freely elected, but it is these appointed Irryans who wield the real power.

  “The Ash Ock possessed remarkable ambition and that fanatical perseverance found in history’s most destructive monarchs. Within Irrya’s concentrated power structure, I am certain that an Ash Ock would be able to infiltrate the highest echelons.

  “Remember, too, that technology today is a mere shadow of what existed two centuries ago. This Ash Ock would still have access to many of the lost sciences. Combine high technology with an extremely potent intellect and anything is possible.”

  Rome felt his hands clench. “You’re saying that an Ash Ock could right now be sitting on the Irryan Council.”

  “Yes.” Again, Nick hesitated. “But not both tways. I don’t believe that this Paratwa would risk having its tways together in public for extended periods. In such situations, the Ash Ock would experience difficulties with the interlace. When the tways are together, the urge to link becomes inordinately powerful. In a social situation, the tways would try to keep away from each other.”

  Haddad suggested, “The tways would assume complementary positions of power?”

  “Exactly. Each tway would utilize supersedure to gain control of a particular organization. But they would remain in two different social spheres.”

  The midget rubbed his jaw. The blue eyes opened wide. “The Ash Ock were not just five randomly gifted Paratwa. Their breeders foresaw that in order for the five to rule together, each had to be specialized—five cogs in a machine, each one necessary for the machine to function at its highest level.

  “Aristotle, who, we are certain, perished, was the master politician. We can be thankful that it is not him we’re faced with. It’s likely that Aristotle would have created far more subtle methods of manipulation.

  “Empedocles, also known to be dead, was the youngest of the five. He was to have been some sort of military figure, an overlord, ruling over the assassins.”

  Rome nodded. “And the three who were never accounted for?”

  “We know Theophrastus was a scientific genius, excelling in pure research. He wielded his secret influence within the world scientific community.

  “About Sappho we knew nothing. He, or she, remained a shadow presence.”

  Nick stared at a rack of terminals across the chamber. “The fifth Ash Ock is Codrus. His specialty was banking. On Earth, it was Codrus who was responsible for raising the funds to finance the Ash Ock’s rise to power.”

  “So Codrus is the one,” Rome said.

  “I think so.” Nick turned to Begelman, who was again lost in a mélange of flashing monitors. “The patterns we discovered and the fact that the ICN has been responsible for this manipulation makes me fairly certain. A tway of Codrus, secretly ruling the ICN, fits all the known facts.”

  “Drake,” suggested the Pasha.

  Nick shrugged. “He’s certainly leading the pack of suspects right now. But we can’t be sure.”

  “If this is all true,” asked Haddad, “then why did Codrus awaken Reemul?”

  Nick stared at Rome. “To change the direction that colonial society is heading in today, to make sure that restrictions are maintained on science and technology.

  “I believe Codrus realized that in our present climate, the ICN alone could not stop this tremendous resurgence in science and technology. So Codrus awakened Reemul and sent him on a killing spree.”

  Rome nodded. “With the attacks directed against E-Tech.”

  “Exactly. For the purpose of making E-Tech into a victim, thereby engendering its popularity. When E-Tech gains in stature, science and technology are brought under greater control. And Codrus has also arranged for E-Tech’s foes to be dealt severe blows.

  “Because of that West Yemen loan business, La Gloria de la Ciencia receives a financial setback. They were probably going to use that loan money for expansion of their programs. And because Bob Max turns out to be a major shareholder in West Yemen, La Gloria de la Ciencia gets even more intimately linked to the assassin. The net result: La Gloria de la Ciencia’s growing popularity is checked. They lose their power base.

  “The ICN loan money is redirected—toward Sirak-Brath. The money is not used to expand technology, but merely to renovate a depressed colony.”

  Haddad gave a solemn nod. “ The same sort of thing that happened ninety-one years ago, when Earth revitalization money was redirected into rejuvenating the Colonies.”

  Nick grimaced bitterly. “Yes. But I think that ninety-one years ago, there was another reason why Codrus did not want the planet redeveloped. I’ll get to that in a moment.

  “But I want to make sure you see the whole picture first—E-Tech becomes more popular, the ICN is stopped from funding scientific development, La Gloria de la Ciencia is disgraced...”

  “And the Guardians,” Rome said calmly. “They’re made to look foolish because they can’t stop Reemul.”

  Nick smiled wickedly. “Yes. The Guardians, too, are brought down a notch. And let’s not overlook the coup de grace, which I’m sure is scheduled to occur shortly.

  “The Council of Irrya, fuming because Artwhiler’s Guardians cannot bring Reemul under control, will turn the responsibility for stopping the assassin back to E-Tech.”

  “Drake hinted as much at the party last night,” said Rome.

  “Naturally, E-Tech will quickly and successfully end this threat. Reemul will be located and destroyed by your Security forces. Of course, Reemul’s body will probably be burned beyond recognition during the battle, but the Cohe wands will be found nearby. And the murderous rampages wi
ll stop. Everyone will be convinced that E-Tech truly ended the threat of the Paratwa.” Nick paused. “The real Reemul, of course, will be returned to stasis. He’s too valuable to waste.”

  Rome shook, invigorated by rage and wonder. “This whole thing has been a complete setup from the very beginning! Reemul planted those bugs at Paula Marth’s gallery in the hopes that she would contact us after she witnessed Bob Max’s murder.”

  Nick nodded. “Codrus planned Max’s murder with great care. Codrus knew it was likely that Paula Marth would only contact E-Tech following the killing. Max was working for Codrus, of course, and being Paula’s neighbor, he was able to tell Codrus all about her. She was perfect. An antique dealer with indirect links to the black market would never deliberately involve herself with the Guardians or the local patrollers. When she witnessed Max’s murder by the Paratwa, she called E-Tech.

  “Reemul, monitoring the bugs, confirmed that fact to Codrus. Codrus leaked the information to Artwhiler or Drake.” Nick smiled brightly. “Another variation suggests that Artwhiler or Drake is the tway of Codrus, in which case leaking the information becomes redundant.”

  Rome laughed bitterly. “I’m beginning to accept these fantastic speculations, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Artwhiler as a grand manipulator of civilization I cannot handle. The man does not have it in him.”

  Nick shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe Artwhiler is an incredibly gifted actor. But you’re probably right. Artwhiler controls the Guardians but in terms of wielding real power, he’s the most limited member of Council. This Ash Ock would not aspire to such a restrictive position.

  “At any rate, during the Council session, Artwhiler accuses you of trying to cover up the Paratwa killing. And so, through a chain of events, E-Tech is removed from an investigation that would have normally been within its province. Codrus gets an opportunity to discredit the Guardians, by having them eventually fail to stop the assassin.”

  “Such manipulation,” murmured the Pasha.