Act Two, Scene Fifteen
Jay hummed softly as he approached his building. It was owned by the Southeast Property Management Group, LLC, and he and six of his false identities between them owned Southeast Property Management Group, LLC because his father had spent a lifetime getting punched in the face by superheroes and he was absolutely hopeless at spotting embezzlement. Jay wore a disguise just to make him look older and boring, but it didn’t need to be one of the ones that would stand up to an inspection; one of the secrets he’d learned when he first actually started trying was that people wouldn’t start looking for an explanation if you showed something that didn’t need explaining. SPMG was supposed to be renting the building out, but since it was thirty percent above standard market rate and had a crummy webpage, nobody noticed.
In the storage room in the basement were crates and crates of highly expensive wines, which he resold at a small markup after borrowing their labels for bottles of cheap wine, and some very high-end electronic equipment, including a piece of tinker gear that he was sure nobody knew about because he wasn’t dead, and Jay was singing something about doing his job and doing it happily as he unlocked his door, locked it, unlocked his other door, locked it, unlocked his secret door, and made his way down the stairs into his basement before sitting down at a computer.
He changed again, made his preparations and opened up the video-recording program on the computer. On his side of the camera was the upper half of his body and the items that would casually confirm his identity in the background - clock, holstered laser pistol with the top sight made from actual ruby visible as it hang, wine cork just on the edge of the screen, half-full glass, and steepled his fingers as best he could. The broken finger on display in its tiny cast would help no one wonder if he might have faked the timestamp. Big words.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“Steelmind. This is a recording made on the 31st of May, 2013. Earlier today, you received an email from a ‘aislescore1618’ account which has been providing you with information on Bloody Lizzy’s small council.”
He smirked.
“That was me.”
He paused, before continuing. “To you, I am simply a norm and a town clown, the unneeded spare heir, living off my father’s wealth to fuel a worthless life. You say that I follow Bloody Lizzy for hope of profit, or casual entertainment, or perhaps the fascination of a petty villain for a true psychopath. It is absolutely true that I am a norm, Julius, but if I’m a clown I am at least not a stupid clown.” He leaned back in his chair.
“Bloody Lizzy is not only cruel but arbitrary. If she became sole ruler of Novapest, I would die as soon as I grew dull to her. So would everyone else with any wealth or power. As a protector, she is of some value to me; she keeps the lesser scavengers like Just or Fear off. As a queen, she would be a disaster, as you know as well as I, and so the only way I can continue to enjoy my drunken debauchery,” he finished in a dry tone, “is if I help a teetotal cyborg become king.”
He smiled.
“If I didn’t love irony I would have gone mad by now, yes. In addition to the information I have sent you, I have a considerable stash of evidence that can connect her to Murdernet funding for your parents’ bounties, direct assassination attempts on you and on Junia, and a host of admittedly petty war crimes - false offers of surrender and so on. All I ask in return for this and my continued support is full immunity for my crimes.”
He cut the recording off, encrypted it thoroughly and burned a few copies. If any computer other than one of his personal machines tried to play it, it would delete itself and, if possible, the computer. Then he started on the second. Stern but worried face, hands clasped. Show the broken finger; he would’ve needed a fake bandage if Lizzy hadn’t done him this favor. He didn’t think he had the willpower to break it himself.
“Catherine. This is a recording made on the 31st of May, 2013…”
He had another ten to finish and timestamp and if he wanted to maintain his reputation, he had to be seen tonight. Better get moving.