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“Well, the net is angry, but it’s more than that. I’m fairly sure it’s being controlled, not doing the controlling, at least, not all of it.”
“Who could control the net?” Alexander asked. “They’re created to stand alone and do what they’re programmed to do.”
“But they’re sentient, and a sentient being can always change its mind. Plus, the person who created the net could always find a way to control it, or create a fail-safe. Or merely program the net to obey at the right time.” Paul and I could control ACE, to a degree, anyway, but I didn’t share that out loud.
Instead I looked around at all the emissaries. “The plan is to get rid of all the other planetary leaders. And to do that, there needed to be an assassination squad. There were plenty of the best warriors around, in captivity on Beta Twelve. That’s why I know it’s the rest of Kyrellis’ crew who’re coming on that ship—it’s what they were created for, why their net talked to them specifically and told them what to do and who to listen to. The king of Alpha Four will join with the PPB consciousness from Queen Renata’s world and rule everyone, in both the A-C and Earth solar systems . . . potentially forever.”
Everyone looked horrified and a little ill. No one from the A-C solar system, however, looked all that surprised. From all we’d heard, this was business as usual for Alpha Four.
I looked at Chuckie. “So Earth has the most to lose, and the king of Alpha Four has the most to gain. Everything else, as always, was an elaborate ruse to keep us distracted from the real goal and what’s really coming.”
“I’m so proud,” Chuckie said with a small smile. “All those years, you really were paying attention.”
“To everything you ever said, yeah.” I looked back to Alexander. “I forgot to ask and you’ve never said—what’s Jeff’s good ol’ granddad’s name?”
“In your language, my great-uncle’s name would translate to Adolphus.”
I was quiet for a moment. “Wow. That’s so fitting it’s scary.”
“So, why was Reynolds’ room bugged?” Christopher asked me.
“Hitler’s royal A-C counterpart and the PPB net haven’t joined yet. I think Kitler wants to be sure he’s got a great story for the rest of the solar system’s inhabitants. You know, something like ‘Earth killed all your leaders and diplomats and all the heirs to my throne, so for the good of us all, I’m going to get some superpowers and fix everything.’ So, I assume he wanted to know if we’d figured it out or not as well as keep tabs on us.”
“Kitler?” Neeraj asked. “Who is that?”
“Adolphus . . . Hitler . . . King Hitler . . . put them together, it’s Kitler, also known as our Supreme Bad Guy?”
“Oh. This is more of your humor.” Neeraj didn’t seem amused.
“So to speak,” Chuckie added.
“So the Planetary Council is also a target?” Queen Renata asked, possibly to change the subject.
“You are, Renata. The rest of the gang are all identified as being close to their world leaders, so assume every member of the Planetary Council with us is in danger. Kitler’s agents here on Earth set off the laser light show not to a
“Uma is the sister of Alpha Six’s ruler.” Queen Renata sounded ill, and angry. “They murdered my mother for this insanity.”
“Babe, they’re just upset they didn’t murder you, too. Your dissidents do think they’re talking to God, though. I’ve seen the fanaticism up close and personal, and it’s real. I’ve also talked to ACE in my head, and if I didn’t know what ACE was, I wouldn’t have a hard time believing I was talking to God.”
“Especially if ACE said he was God,” Gower added dryly.
“So this has been pla
“Alex, you don’t plan to take over all the sentient inhabitants of two solar systems on a whim. This is a complex plan. His Royal Megalomaniacness has been pla
He shrugged. “My great-uncle spent much time telling me how onerous it was, how thankless.” I saw the light dawn. “He talked me out of it, didn’t he?”
“Yes. Welcome to the team, big guy. We’ll do the blood oath and pinkie swear rituals later, but trust me when I say you come from really nasty stock. They must hate you—you’re a lot more like Jeff and Christopher than your own brother.”
He nodded. “I’ve heard that I wasn’t like the rest of the family most of my life.”
“You know, we need to protect Alexander, Martini, White, and Gower, but Reader is still going to be target number one,” Chuckie said calmly.
“Why?” Reader asked, but so did a lot of the others. It was like we had our own echo even though we weren’t in a canyon.
“Because Paul and Kitty both love you, and ACE is in Paul and worships Kitty.” Martini’s voice was clipped. “And anyone spying on us would know that. That’s why you were the target in the first place, James. To cause emotional trauma, to remove the person they both rely on. To ensure that ACE had to deal with that kind of loss and horror alone—because the two people who could best talk ACE through it would be out of their minds with grief.” He looked at me. “I hate my family.”
“Not the family here, Jeff.”
“True.”
“Sins of the father,” Brian said softly.
“Will be delivered like unto the fourth generation.” I didn’t go to temple much or mass ever, but I knew the Bible. “Yeah. Jeff and Christopher are the fourth. It ends here. Tonight. One way or the other.”
CHAPTER 49
“I HAVE ONE QUESTION.” Christopher sounded thoughtful. “Shoot.”
“What is the point of the Poofs?”
“Good question. No idea. Alexander?”
He looked embarrassed. “They wanted to come.”
“Beg pardon?”
Alexander sighed. “Harlie has been around for a long time, before Gregory was born, maybe longer. It was always listless. I assumed it was because it was so old. When the a
“How did you get them out of the palace, let alone here with you?”
He shrugged. “I told you, they wanted to come. Only the person they’re attached to can control them, so if they want to go somewhere, they go. The other Poof, Tenley, stayed at home.”
“Protecting your great-uncle?”
“No, my mother. They seem more attached to females than males. Tenley has been my mother’s since her marriage was a
“Can we trust them?” Chuckie asked.
“Been helping us so far. But, to be sure, who did Harlie belong to?”
Alexander shrugged and shook his head.
Martini coughed. “My father.” He sounded embarrassed.
“I’d call that a big yes, then.” I pulled the Poofs out. They looked at me and purred. Then, one by one, they jumped. Harlie went to Martini, and the one I’d called Poofikins stayed with me. The others went to Christopher, Gower, Reader, Alexander, and Chuckie.
“Why is one with Reynolds and not, say, me?” Michael asked. He didn’t sound upset or jealous, just curious, which I considered massive personal growth.