This is a boy’s adventure tale.
But this is not a boy’s adventure tale prepared by a stuffy old man in a tweed jacket with elbow patches. This is the sort of story that a boy might imagine for himself, filled with action, mystery, a red-hot space queen, and nary a whiff of precious moral instruction.
Well, maybe there is some moral instruction. But this is Reversed Black Maria. Nothing is as it seems, and the thread is very fine, indeed.
A Reversed Black Maria Novelette in Multiple Parts
The morning dawned bright and brisk. True to his word, Farfar Hendrick struck out at sunrise. Everyone was dressed for the weather, which meant sweaters and hats. To Oskar's secret disappointment, Inna honored Aunt Karina’s request. Her boxy houndstooth mantle and thick black leggings were a far cry from the luscious minidress she’d sported the previous day. In spite of her conservative attire she dominated the group, a mighty dark oak towering over a copse of colorful saplings. Her insistence on carrying Nils on her broad shoulders only reinforced the image. “The police are doing a better job today,” she noted dryly as they crossed Haakon Square. There were none in sight, and a few ordinary people were about.
Aunt Karina snorted. “I’m not impressed. This square should be busy by now.”
Farfar nodded. “I know none of these faces, and those I expect to see are missing.”
Morfor watched the passers-by uncomfortably. “I agree. Who are these people, Dottir?”
“Government agents, crisis actors, and holograms. Mostly holograms.” To prove her point, Aunt Karina snapped out a vicious right hook at the face of a pretty young woman in a red knit cap. Her fist whizzed through empty air, striking nothing.
Her unfazed target smiled and said, “God morgen.”
Morfor went white as a sheet, but Farfar tipped his hat to the polite projection as she walked past. “Dottir, don’t be foolish. We must keep up appearances,” he commented.
Oskar pulled in close to Aunt Karina. “How did you know she wasn’t real?”
“Long experience on both sides of the control panel. That was ‘Svetlana’. She’s a standard Unificare crowd augmentation virtualette. You can tell her by that ugly poodle hat she wears.”
“I like poodle hats,” Inna protested.
“I’m not surprised. Don’t get me started on your terrible taste in clothes!”
“Ahem,” Morfar cleared her throat. “Is this really the time, Dottir? All our neighbors are gone who knows where, and the streets are filled with fake people. What should we do?”
“Your neighbors are fine, Mama. The Unificare takes strong measures to minimize citizen contact with the empress. Everyone will be allowed to come home when she leaves. Until then, Pappa is right. Play along as if nothing is amiss.”
Farfar chuckled. “A woman agrees that I am right. A magnificent day it is! But it will be a dismal tour with no one around.”
“Let’s make the best of it, then!” Inna said. “There’s no point in visiting shops and museums. Those will be empty or closed. Are there any outdoor sights?”
“Are there any outdoor sights?!” Farfar exclaimed theatrically. “Your Imperial Majesty, this is Større Gamle Oslo, the beating heart of Nordrom and the oldest living city on Earth. We have all the sights you could ever hope to see, even if you lived a thousand years!”
“Lead on then,” Inna said with a laugh.
A few hours later they arrived at the waterfront. Inna’s prediction had been borne out to the letter. Only automated storefronts were open. The museums all bore prominent signs reading “Closed in Honor of Her Imperial Majesty”—the first official acknowledgement of Inna’s visit—and even the gardens were inaccessible, with anti-blizzard forcefields running at full power. Farfar watched as surprised birds bounced off the invisible shields, and shook his head. “Your Imperial Majesty, I believe someone wants you to leave as soon as possible.”
“They always do,” Inna replied. “It’s my fault. I despise attending official functions and meeting government flunkies. Showing up unannounced avoids all that.”
“It also avoids doing your damned job,” Aunt Karina put in acidly.
“Dottir!” Morfar squeaked, horrified.
Inna held up a hand. “Fru Winter, your daughter has bled for me. She can say anything to me that she wants to. So can you. In fact, I insist on it. Please forget my pretentious titles, and call me Inna from now on.”
“Your Imperial Majesty!” Farfar gasped, astonished.
“That’s Inna to you too, Herr Winter,” she corrected him.
“I’m flattered, um, Your...er, Fru Inna!”
She grinned. “You’re welcome.”
The party sat on a sunny seawall to rest their tired feet. The harbor pavilion was deserted. Not even a stray red-capped virtuallette was about. The only activity was a few drudgebots emptying the rubbish bins. Oskar was disinterestedly watching them when something strange caught his eye. A tiny oval of shade dappled the pavilion between him and the busy ‘bots.
Intrigued, Oskar scanned the pavilion and found many more identical shadows, arranged in a semicircle centered on Inna and his family. But there was nothing overhead but cloudless blue sky.
As nonchalantly as he could, he scooped up a pebble from a planter. Quickly doping the wind, he made to throw it at the nearest shadow.
Aunt Karina caught his arm. “We know they’re there,” she said quietly.
“What are they?”
“Soldiers wearing Casper suits.”
“I’m not sure whose men they are, but they’re well-armed,” Inna added.
“How can you tell?”
“I can see them.”
“They look scary. Too many eyes,” Nils said from his high perch.
Oskar stared intently at the space above the shadows. He saw nothing but a backdrop of colorful buildings. Had there been even light foot traffic about, he would have missed them altogether. He had no idea how Inna and Nils could see the men who cast them.
“Are they going to attack?” Oskar whispered.
“I hope they aren’t that stupid,” Aunt Karina replied. “Don’t worry. We often attract this kind of company.”
“Never this many at once,” Inna said darkly. “Something’s different. I don’t like it. Herr Winter, is there anywhere nearby we could go for a private chat?”
Farfar collected his thoughts before he responded. “No, not with everything locked up. But there is one possibility, if the pedways are running. Follow me.” He rose and walked away from the seawall at a casual pace. The group followed, with Oskar bringing up the rear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the shadows were following, too.
There was a pedway roundabout in the center of the pavilion. It was running. Farfar led them onto the moving sidewalk. Oskar realized what he had in mind. “We’re taking the Hovedøya Island tunnel, aren’t we?” he asked.
“Shh, boy!” Farfar hissed angrily.
They were. Farfar stepped off the roundabout onto the Hovedøya pedway. The mouth of the tunnel was only a few meters away. The group rode in. A few seconds later, a shutter closed over the opening.
“Was that supposed to happen?” Inna asked.
“No,” Farfar replied. But the pedway kept moving, bearing them into a clear tube running southwest under the harbor. Crazy sun dapples and the dark bottoms of boats passed overhead.
“That worked nicely. Thank you, Herr Winter,” Inna said.
“Is it wise to talk openly?” Morfar asked.
Aunt Karina opened her jacket. A glowing fob hung from a lanyard around her neck. “I’ve got an old Ord Lex privacy field. It should cover us while we’re in here.”
“Good,” Inna said. “These guys are unusual. They’re mercenaries, or we’re meant to think they are. One way or the other, the Unificare wouldn’t ordinarily let them operate openly on Old Earth. Somebody’s been paid to look the other way.”
“Another conspiracy. Wonderful,” Aunt Karina groaned. “I wonder who’s behind this one?”
Inna shrugged. “I have a galaxyful of enemies. Whichever one this is, they have deep pockets and a good organization. They are going to try something, I just know it. I’m not comfortable sending your family home until I know what’s going on.” She turned to the Winters. “We are taking a side trip,” she announced.
“To where, Your, er, Inna?” Farfar asked.
“My starship.”
Oskar’s heart almost exploded from excitement. He’d heard stories about the gigantic, superpowered Imperial yacht. She was supposedly as big as a luxury liner and outgunned a battle fleet. A visit to her was as exciting as meeting the Empress herself...well, almost. But Farfar and Morfar were concerned.
“I don’t know. My book club meets tonight, and it’s my turn to bring the refreshments,” Morfar said.
“What of Oskar?” asked Farfar. “He’s already missed a whole day of classes. A few more absences and his grades may suffer.”
“Farfar, really? We’ve been invited aboard the Imperial yacht!” Oscar exclaimed.
Inna laughed. “No, you’ve been ordered aboard the Imperial yacht. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but you’ve become my friends, and I won’t permit you to be harmed on my account. I promise that you can return home as soon we get to the bottom of this.”
Farfar bowed politely. “Thank you, Inna.” Morfar looked stricken, but made no further complaint.
“How will we get there? There’s no spaceport on the island,” Oskar asked.
“As soon as we’re out of this tunnel, I’ll signal my servants. They’ll handle the particulars.”
Morfar drew in a quick breath. “Not the Ersatzengel, I hope?”
“Yes, Mama,” Aunt Karina replied. “Don’t let them hear you call them that. It’s quite rude.”
“But, but, aren’t they terribly dangerous? We hear atrocious things about them.”
“Their Grand Dame once destroyed an entire city by herself, and she was not even fighting at full power,” Inna replied. “They are exactly the kind of allies we need right now. I don’t know if any of them are close by. Until someone arrives, I’ll protect you.”
“But you have no weapon,” Farfar observed.
Inna smiled a smile that bared far too many large, sharp teeth. “I’m never without weapons,” she said.
The watery light gave way to darkness, and a patch of sunshine appeared ahead. “Hovedøya island,” Farfar said. “At least the gate is not shut.”
“I’ll go first, and check it out,” Inna announced, striding toward the tunnel exit. Oskar bolted after her, but Aunt Karina grabbed a handful of his shirt.
“Don’t worry about her,” she commanded. “Stick close to me.”
“But what if something happens to her?”
Aunt Karina rolled her big green eyes. “You’d better hope nothing happens to Inna. She’s not lying. She’ll do anything to defend us.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
Aunt Karina grimaced. “God, yes!”
They emerged into the cool October sun, in the middle of a public picnic ground. It was inhabited by nothing but a scattering of grey tables and folded umbrellas. Oskar quickly cast about, and saw no strange little shadows on the ground.
“I believe we’ve lost our tail,” Inna said brightly.
“Takk Gut!” muttered Morfar.
Oskar looked back across the harbor at the Oslo skyline. It seemed so peaceful, so normal and benign. He wondered if soldiers really were shadowing them. It wasn’t as if he’d seen them, after all. Maybe none of this is real. Maybe I’m still dreaming, he thought. After his vision in the night, Oskar was no longer quite sure of anything.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since dinner the evening before. He spied a lonely vendorbot roaming among the empty tables. “Is anyone else interested in lunch?” he called.
A strong electric shock sizzled over him, and the world went black.
Next installment coming Feb 10!
