Lucrezia’s slap threatened to dislocate Zola’s jaw. “FRAUD?” Lucrezia’s fury was palpable. “How dare you! You know nothing! NOTHING!” She reached overhead and brought down a headset encrusted with components, then slammed it down on Zola’s head. “I shall simply blast your mind from your body and rebuild your neural pathways!”
“You can’t,” Zola screamed from under the helmet. “Just like you can’t use the Geisterdamen! For pity’s sake, listen to me!”
Lucrezia—a live, sparking cable in her hand—paused. Zola continued. “Mother found your Loremistress Milvistle. She jumped at the chance to study such a high-ranking Geister. She learned everything Milvistle knew. One of the things she learned was how to block you, if you ever came back and tried to pull just this sort of nonsense. Even if you brainwashed me to the point where I wanted to sacrifice myself, I couldn’t let you take me over.” She peered out at Lucrezia. “And it would get very messy. Go on, test me. Run a blue phase engram alignment. I’ll wait.”
Zola could see Lucrezia’s fury rising. Now was her chance. “But! I can let you ride along inside my head! I can tell you how to do the modifications that will let you get out of here, if you’ll stop menacing me long enough to actually listen.”
Lucrezia stared at her and then carefully put down the cable. “Good heavens, dear. You seriously did intend to help me? But why didn’t you say so?”
Zola simply glared at her. Lucrezia shrugged. “Oh, I know. Working with family really can be infuriating. Fine. I’m listening.”
Zola nearly sagged with relief. “About time. So . . . You want the Heterodyne girl dead? I am all for that. But unless you work with me, you’ll lose everything you’ve learned here. Including everything you’ve just learned from me about the family.”
Lucrezia slowly tapped her finger. “Do get to the point, dear.”
Zola licked her lips. “Just what I said. I can let you in—you can share my mind—”
Lucrezia slapped the bench. “Share my power, you mean. I do see where this is going, you presumptuous little—”
“Precisely. I want to play too. Now, the Order has been very busy while you’ve been away. They have gone to a lot of trouble to set me in place as the lost Heterodyne heir. Their plan has gone wrong in every possible way, but it has its good points. Together, we can still make it work.”
Lucrezia growled. “Those fools in the Order with their stupid, shortsighted ‘plans.’ I knew I should have killed half of them years ago. The difficulty was in deciding which half.”
Zola felt a flash of sympathy. “Fools, yes, but most of them are still loyal to you.”
“Oh lucky, lucky me.”
“But the family—”
Lucrezia smiled. “Oh hush, dear, I already know everyone is plotting against me. But, purely by accident, you might have a valid argument.” As she said this, Lucrezia removed the helmet, then wheeled over an alarming-looking device that consisted primarily of a number of loaded syringes—which were all aiming at Zola’s head. Lucrezia picked up a switchbox and the device lit up and flexed slightly. A drop of solution fell next to Zola’s hand and a wisp of acrid smoke puffed upwards.
Lucrezia studied a small screen. “Now, lie to me. Just for calibration purposes, darling. Are you male?”
“Yes.”
Lucrezia nodded. “Good enough.”
Zola jerked in her seat. “What? No, it isn’t. To properly calibrate—”
”Boring,” Lucrezia sang out. “Just stick to the truth, darling. It’s usually easier to remember, anyway.” Zola stared back at her. “Is Klaus Wulfenbach really the ruler of Europa?”
“The Baron? Yes! Yes he is!”
“And everyone accepts this?”
Zola stared fixedly at the needles above her. “The Fifty Families don’t like it, but no one can resist him.”
Lucrezia sighed nostalgically. “I can believe that. And his empire—it’s stable?”
Zola paused. “He’s done nothing but expand it for the last sixteen years. He’s never had to deal with the problems of stability, per se.”
Lucrezia sighed. “That impossible man. He’s too good a piece to lose.” She nudged the syringe rack away with a foot. “All right, my dear, lucky for you, I simply must stay. We have a bargain.”
Zola allowed herself to relax back against the chair. She heard Lucrezia humming to herself as she began fiddling with a device on one of the work benches. She frowned. “Um . . . Auntie? Aren’t you going to release me?”
“All in due time, darling.”
Several minutes later, Lucrezia swept over lugging a complicated device that trailed several wiry cables behind her. She hooked it to the helmet and once again placed it on Zola’s head. “There we go,” she said cheerfully. “Now obviously I’ve had to make a few modifications, but this old equipment should prove quite adequate.” When she was satisfied, she placed another helmet on her own head and hooked up several more wires. Several lights came on and she nodded in satisfaction.
Zola spoke up, sarcasm thick in her voice. “Is there anything you need me to do?”
Lucrezia considered this and flipped a knife switch. Instantly a surge of power ripped through both women, causing Zola to gasp and driving Lucrezia to her knees. As abruptly as it began, the power cut off. Lucrezia took a deep breath and lifted the helmet from her head. “Try not to pass out?”
The girl in the chair stirred and her eyes flicked open. “Ooh,” said Lucrezia from Zola’s own mouth, with Zola’s own voice. “This does feel different.”
The first Lucrezia leaned over and gently tapped her forehead with Agatha’s finger. “And is our dear little niece still in there?”
“Yes, she’s here.” Lucrezia/Zola frowned. “It’s a bit odd . . . this head feels wrong.”
Lucrezia/Agatha giggled as she began releasing the chair’s restraints. “Hardly surprising, dear, it is wrong. Whatever else I will say about my daughter Agatha, she is a very comfortable fit.”
Lucrezia/Zola levered herself out of the chair and stretched. She frowned. “Oh. I’m getting some of her surface thoughts.” She looked pensive. “She’s . . . gloating?”
Suddenly Zola froze; her eyes widened with astonished admiration. “Good heavens, Auntie! You got the Baron with a slaver wasp?”
The Lucrezia-within-Agatha rocked back. “What! How—?”
Zola’s eyes opened even wider. “Oooh, and that’s why no one’s ever been able to find the Citadel of Silver Light! Amazing! It explains so much!”
“Get out of those memories,” Lucrezia screamed. “Lucrezia, darling, are you even still in there? Fight her off!”
Zola shrugged. “Oh, she’s trying, but she can’t.”
Lucrezia rushed forward, a heavy wrench held high, but Zola pivoted smoothly and drove a foot into Lucrezia’s midriff. “The family has had years to prepare for your inevitable reappearance and Loremistress Milvistle was ever so much help!” She smirked down at the gasping Lucrezia and tapped her forehead. “My copy of you is now safely ensnared in a neural trap where I can sift through your precious secrets at my leisure.”