The Pauper Princess and the Way of the Trilobite - Part 4

[maramcc]

Part three is here.

What: a fanfiction for Girl Genius, featuring my literary stand-in and stunt double Mara
Time: approximately four months after the events of The Pauper Princess and the Born Legacy

The story so far!
--The first-through-third year classes put on a show!
--Agatha approved, bowdlerized though it was
--A Grand Tour awaits

Legal disclaimer stuff:
"This story is not approved by, sponsored by or affiliated with Studio Foglio LLC or Airship Entertainment."

The Pauper Princess Fanfiction Theatre Presents:
The Pauper Princess and the Way of the Trilobite - Part 4!

In the courtyard, Agatha pulled the Princess aside from the others and quietly offered to assist in finding a cure for the King's ailment. Perhaps even enlist the help of her co-rulers? Someone was bound to know someone who knew someone who knew of a cure.

"That's an immensely generous offer," said Mara. "We would all be beyond grateful if a cure could be found. But know that Father would never consent to any... mm, extraordinary treatment that would end in some grotesque body modification. As he put it, he will 'not end up a head in a jar with a clank body.' If he must die - which none of us want to happen - he will do it with dignity."

"I don't blame him," said Agatha. "I promise to do as much as I can. There's always hope."

"Always."

"Meanwhile, where are we off to?"

"Well, let me think," said Mara, and pulled out a pocket watch. "Oh! It's almost time! Come on!"

She made it a point of not answering her guests' questions as she led them on a merry chase through the short, main street of Guildern, which was both crowded and being prepared for some special event. Visitors were being roped off against the walkways, and city attendants were efficiently guiding people off the streets. Mara led her group to a small building, where an attendant recognized her immediately and opened its front door. The building turned out to be a facade, with stairs leading upwards to a balcony. Mara offered Agatha the centermost spot.

After a few minutes, a loud announcement came from all around for an "Electrical Clank Parade." Agatha nodded in recognition; Kelvin had described this parade to her during their last visit. She had made a vague promise at the time to see it, so being here was more or less her fault.

As soon as the announcement finished, upbeat music was piped in through the same public address system, and, as Kelvin had explained before, just about every "ordinary" object lining the street in both directions suddenly shifted - whirring, clicking and humming their way into more or less anthropomorphic clanks that then began performing a series of merry dances all up and down the street. The tourists loved it and the locals were fine with it, as long as it brought more business to their shops (it did).

As she watched, Agatha could again feel Mara glancing her way from time to time, trying to gauge her reaction. As before, Agatha made it a point of hiding her feelings. It was something she'd learned observing her own teachers and professors during her school years, though during those years, "disappointment" was what she sensed the most. Mara had never had the benefits of a formal education and was mostly self-taught, but had made use of tutors here and there. And now Agatha herself as a mentor.

Mara pointed and started to explain about recent additions to the parade; Agatha shushed her. The new additions were a pair of "male" and "female" ballet dancers, who rose from the ground on lifts, then were given room by the other clank dancers to perform their... huh. It turned out to quite a well-choreographed dance. A well-executed one, too. Their movements were so smooth and graceful that she started wondering if Mara had cheated and put human performers in clank costumes, but that wasn't the case.

The ballet was finished to wild applause, and the whole parade came to a crescendo of frantic, comical music that signaled the clanks to return to their usual positions and functions as "ordinary" objects along the street. The last, loud, staccato note sounded at the moment that every clank finished their transformation. The crowd applauded enthusiastically, then dispersed and returned to their business as the ropes were removed.

Mara said nothing, but was watching Agatha expectantly, her hands clasped lightly in front of herself. Finally Agatha nodded a bit. "So that's the parade I heard about, eh?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Agatha looked back to the street and some of the various objects that had only moments before been performing can-cans and waltzes, but now served as lampposts, benches, kiosks, and even rubbish bins. "Entertaining," she said. "I liked the ballet especially. Did you research Van Rijn?"

"...Sorry?" said Mara. "'Fun ryne?' I'm not familiar with that term. But... you liked it, then? I mean, it was Guildern's, ah, reintroduction to Spark tech, and is still popular, but I can see places for improvement. So I'll understand if you have criticisms."

Agatha paused to take this in, then patted her on the arm. "None come to mind. You say it was the first thing you brought to Guildern, so... well done." Mara managed to choke back her usual gushing. "Well, then: what else shall we see?"

Mara thought a moment. "Oh, maybe we could go see some of..." She slapped her forehead. "Ah! Where are my manners?! You've been here all this time and haven't seen your cousin yet! Let's go see Theo and Sleipnir!"

**

Theo and Sleipnir worked most of the time in the enormous, underground Research and Development building. Once the lift doors opened, Mara and her visitors were greeted by a space the size of two airship hangars, filled with worktables, workstations, props, prototypes, mockups, tools, and machinery of all kinds. Agatha began an immediate visual scan of everything in sight, from the lift doors to the far end of the room, where she spied some of the play's props being brought inside.

Violetta nudged her Lady and pointed to Mara making a beeline to her heads of R&D. The others caught up, and much hue and cry erupted as family and friends reunited. Mara stood between the couple and put gentle arms around them both.

"Agatha, I can't thank you enough for recommending them," she said. "They're simply indispensable! And have become two of my favorite Sparks!" She was distracted by some loud activities going on in another part of the building. She began heading that way and urged everyone to remain behind and continue reminiscing and catching up.

Once she was out of earshot, Sleipnir leaned forward. "Please don't tell her that I'm not a Spark! The pay is much better!"

"Ah, you know she's just lumping us together, honey," said Theo. "She's said that she can't tell where one of us ends and the other begins."

"Heh. I admit that I think of you the same way," said Agatha. "So... how is it here? What sort of 'boss' is she? What are you working on?"

The couple traded looks, then shrugged. Sleipnir answered for them. "Great, great, and anything and everything. We've got at least a dozen projects going on." She addressed Theo. "Dear, which one do you think she'd like to see first?"

Before Theo could answer, Agatha got to the point. "Which one would work best as defense for the kingdom?"

The couple was stumped. They traded looks again. Theo started flipping through some designs near him. "Uh...." he said, "We haven't been tasked with that sort of thing. We run the R&D for the 'entertainments.' You know, the things for tourists and other visitors. But... I'm sure that a lot of the things we've made here could be reworked into something... dangerous?"

"I see," said Agatha, folding her arms.

Mara was heading back, all smiles. She clasped her hands together. "So!" she said, eyeing Agatha and Violetta. "Would you like to be test subjects?"

**

Agatha and Violetta had somehow been talked into sitting in a carriage-like vehicle that was wide enough for three slender people. Sleipnir made sure they knew that the carriage was of her making. A lap bar was keeping the two "test subjects" seated. Ahead of them was a set of closed, double doors leading to a fifty-foot tunnel that Theo explained was a working mockup of something they were calling "Journey to the Atom." Agatha did not recall having been sent the designs for it.

"We've been through this a hundred times," said Mara, "So we've probably lost our perspective. The idea is that you're riding in this 'carriage.' When the lights come up, you'll be riding through a countryside, when suddenly you start getting smaller and smaller, and everything around you gets bigger. Grass, dirt, and whatnot, and then you'll see things like... like enormous insects that, um-- well, I won't spoil that, but you still keep getting smaller and smaller, until starting to actually see the molecules of things, and then the particles! I do hope you think the experience looks, and most importantly, feels real?"

"Feels real?" said Agatha. "Why wouldn't you literally shrink us?"

"I do not want that to happen," said Violetta. "You heard my vote just now, right?"

"Oh, my goodness, that would be... that would be terribly dangerous!" said Mara. "For experimentation's sake, perhaps, but not for potentially dozens of people every day! Look, will you at least try it now and let us know what you think?"

Agatha sighed. "Fine," she grumbled. Sleipnir fired up the controls. The double doors opened, and the carriage began moving forward on narrow tracks.

Violetta called back over her shoulder as it went inside. "Just to be clear, it's pretend-shrinking, right? You're not really going to-?" The rest of her question was cut off as the double doors shut behind them.

Mara sighed and shook her head. "Sparks," she muttered. Then to the others: "Am I wrong in this? I understand what she means, but the risks of applying actual shrinkage, over and over... And bringing people back in the exact same state! Besides, we did try shrinking things."

Theo nodded solemnly. "We lost many rats then."

Mara led the group to the other end of the mockup, where the exit doors opened, and Agatha and Violetta's carriage emerged. Agatha had a hand to her chin and looked contemplative. Violetta had a death grip on the lap bar, a look of terror locked onto her face. Sleipnir unlocked the lap bar and had to gently coax Violetta's fingers off it so the two riders could stand up.

"What did you think?" said Mara. Before either could answer, she pulled out some clipboards hanging from the wall. "Oh, I know. Why don't you fill out these comment cards and-?"

"Ah, that's fine," said Agatha. "That's fine. It was..." She looked first to her shell-shocked assistant, then back. "It was a much more, ah, 'real' experience than I expected. But-"

"Oh, excellent!" said Mara. "Look, I understand that there may be Sparks visiting here from time to time, and they'd expect all manner of madness, but we're trying to appeal to most visitors, not all. It's why we can't have every bit of science here be... extreme? But you know, developing a microscope that could actually take moving images of molecules and their particles, now that took some science! Not to mention, how to project it all around you, no matter where you look!"

"Yes, but still-"

"There was a bee..." said Violetta, "It was breathing on me. And that humming...The stinger...!"

"Oh, you liked the bee?" said Theo proudly. "That was mine! True, insects don't breathe quite like that, but we took a few liberties for entertainment's sake."

"An ant tried to bite my head off..." Violetta's voice trailed off as Mara led the group to another section of the building.

**
Theo and Sleipnir rolled out some blueprints and specs, which Mara and Agatha leaned over. "I promise, I will be sending these to you for review, but the basic concept is a, a simulation of movement rather than a ride, per se. The reason is because it's supposed to cover quite a bit of distance, so rather than build a massive building with hundreds of miles of track, we're going to use gimbals, vibrations, air and sound and all sorts of tricks to give the perfect illusion that visitors are taking a long journey. Ready for this? It's going to be about sky pirates!"

"What's that now?"

Mara pointed to various diagrams and specs as she spoke. "See, visitors will sit here in the center, and it will seem like a nice, leisurely ride in an airship, when suddenly the ship is attacked! Not in reality, of course, but 'sky pirates' come inside and 'press-gang' the visitors into being their 'crew,' and from there it becomes a really... it's going to be like a chase as the sky pirates try to outrun the authorities. At the end they're captured, and everyone is 'freed' from the pirates. We were thinking of having the pirate be a well-known one, like um..." She puzzled over the name, then checked through her notes. "'Dupree?' Am I saying it right?"

"Bangladesh Dupree?"

"Yes, that's the one," said Mara. "And there'll be dips, and banks, and explosions, and-"

"Mara," said Agatha. "Mara, stop a minute. You're making a ride-- a simulated one, anyway-- about Bangladesh Dupree? You're obsessed with safety, yet throw out a welcome mat like that?"

"'Welcome mat?'" said Mara, looking to her assistants, who were equally puzzled. "I don't-- For whom? There are no pirates left in Europa. You three have eliminated them all, so she's gone... or dead, yes?"

Agatha looked away a moment as if gathering her thoughts, then returned her attention to the group and leaned forward. "Not her," she said in a low voice. "There isn't much I can tell you, but she's still out there. Taking potshots at us. Attacking and running. And using tech that..." She shook her head. "I can't say more about it this publicly, but I'll be frank and admit that it's something of a mutual embarrassment for us three."

"...I had no idea," said Mara quietly. "Is there anything I can do? Guildern, I mean?"

Agatha looked away and drummed her fingers briefly. "We'll see," she said. "We'll talk later."

"All right," said Mara, and took a moment to shift mental gears. "Uh... Well, team, we-- we need to-- Let's just revisit this later, then." She began rolling up the paperwork.

"What if we made up our own pirate?" Theo offered.

Mara smiled sadly. "Ah, Theo, I understand that it's your favorite project, but we must show respect for her victims. I don't want people thinking we're making light of such a thing. Now, the simulator itself is the important part. We just need to find some other concept than piracy. And Agatha: you'll get her someday. Of course you will. The three of you working together are, are unbeatable!"

"'Working together,'" Agatha muttered to herself. "Yeah."

Theo pouted a little. "Nngh, as you wish, Ma'am. Hey! What about a ride through space? A tour of the stars?"

"It's a thought, but we've already got the rocket ride through space," said Mara. "Oh! What about a, um..." She tapped a pencil against the blueprints. Suddenly her face brightened. "What about something underwater?" Her assistants murmured agreement. "Yes, a journey underwater. It starts out nice and safe, and then all sorts of crazy things happen! Giant squid show up, sharks batter it about, a giant fish almost swallows it...!"

Theo was excited all over again. "Yes! And there's always a bigger fish!"

"Exactly!" said Mara. She gathered up the various materials and handed them to her assistants. "Here, take this to the art department and explain the new concept. Have them come up with every real and imaginary creature they can think of. I want to see everything from sea urchins to krakens! And buy them a nice supper as a token of apology."

"You got it, Ma'am!" he said, and he and Sleipnir hurried away with the new marching orders.

"Well!" said Agatha. "You recovered from that quickly."

"It's what we do all day, almost every day," said Mara. "We have to be flexible enough to bend over backwards, and then some." She sighed. "So... Do you want to see a bit of construction going on? We've got the Spirit House in progress."

"Ah, with the 'ghosts,' right," said Agatha. She and Mara had brainstormed a bit about how to make "ghosts" during Mara's last visit. "Lead on."

**

At the walled-off construction site there was a sign outside proclaiming it to be a "Suit-Only Area." Agatha puzzled over that, until an attendant opened the door enough for the four of them to squeeze through. Mara and Heather hung back against the wall; the other two followed.

"This is as far inside as we can be without suits," said Mara. "My rules, and even I'm not above them."

"Uh-huh," said Agatha, nodding, but looking straight ahead. This would be a typical, boring construction site, except that the area was filled with men - and possibly women - wearing full-body suits of armor. These were not bulky, cumbersome things, but sleek and flexible. And shiny, like chrome, but with an unusual, glass-like quality to the sheen, as if one could see through the armor, but could not in fact. What sort of alloy was this?

Mara had been describing the "Spirit House" all the while. "-up a staircase from the basement, down some hallways - filled with all sorts of mischievous 'spirits,' of course- then into a ballroom, with a soiree in full progress! There'll be 'spirits' dancing and-"

"What's all this?" said Agatha, making a sweeping motion.

"Uh... The construction? I was just describing the layout of the house. Every room will have wall-to-wall-"

"I mean all this battle armor," said Agatha. "Why is everyone in battle armor?"

Mara chuckled. "Ah. Yes, the misconception is understandable and, um... common." Agatha gave her a Look. "I-I mean that it's easy to think that, that my workers are dressed for combat, but of course they're here to construct the building. These are construction suits. Like, um... the sign says." Agatha was quiet. "It's extremely important to me that my workers are as safe as possible, so I spent some time... designing what you see here. They're quite sturdy and have special material for the inner linings, as well. To keep them safe. As you can see, they're using the suits to... construct."

Agatha surveyed the scene, and as far as she could determine, they were, indeed, "constructing" with the suits. She saw workers carrying heavy equipment and materials single-handed, handing entire I-beams to other workers above, and even another person using what looked like a small heat ray - mounted in the hand - to cut some metal beams to size.

One of the workers stepped away from the others, stood with his arms straight to his side, looked up, and suddenly rocket blasts spewed from his boots and hands. In a few seconds he reached the top of the structure, landed gracefully, and walked casually to his work area as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"Tell me you have one of your own," said Agatha.

"Oh, oh, yes," said Mara. "In my workshop. My personal one." She smiled and blushed. "I should keep it with the other suits, in that work shed, but I admit that I do enjoy, er, flying onto the site. Just a little thrill that I - But then, I do keep tinkering with it. Adding little extras to it. You understand."

Agatha continued watching the scene a moment. Again, feeling Mara's gaze on her. Then she turned abruptly and made for the exit. "Show me," she said.

****

Back at the castle proper, near a nondescript tower, Mara was babbling about the secret entrance to her secret underground workshop that Kelvin had made for her. As she spoke, she pushed and poked at the various controls to open it. Before anyone else could head down the stairs, a cleaning woman emerged from below.

"Begging your pardon, your Highness," she said. "I'm all finished up down there. Spic and span."

"Oh, thank you, Beatrice!" said Mara, waving cheerfully to her before returning her attention to her guests.

"'Secret' entrance?" said Agatha as she followed Mara downstairs. "Remind me to have Gilgamesh have a talk with you."

**
"I tidied up a bit before your arrival," said Mara as the group entered and spread out. The piles of crates and boxes were still stacked along the walls. "The clutter was a bit much, I'm afraid. But as you can see, things are... well, less cluttered."

"You remember my workshop, don't you?" said Agatha. "Too bad. I was hoping to see more of your personal projects."

"Ah..." said Mara. "I-I could dig out something, if you like?" The worktable nearest them had some leftover items from her Morning Madness. She picked up a long piece of metal with a groove down the middle. The groove was lined with a rubber-like material. "This might interest you," she said. "It's going to be part of the braking system for the 'rocket ride.' As you can imagine, the heat from the friction-"

"Mara, that's fine," said Agatha, taking the piece from her and setting it aside. "You're very eager and excited and enthusiastic about all these lovely, ah... 'entertainments.' And the tech I've seen is... very nice, but I'm here for more than one reason."

Mara allowed a long, awkward silence to occur before replying. "I know," she said quietly.

After another pause, Agatha pointed to Heather. "How much does she know?"

"Heather?" said Mara. "Everything." She smiled at her assistant. "If I know it, she knows it." Heather smiled back.

"Fine," said Agatha. "Then show me the battle armor. That's the kind of thing I'm here to see."

"I thought you were keen on visiting us again," said Mara. "Seeing Isabel's play. Seeing family."

"Obviously," said Agatha. "But I'm mixing business with pleasure. Show me the armor."

"It's a construction suit." Mara suppressed a sigh and dutifully unlocked and opened a wooden, ceiling-high cabinet in a near corner. Inside was Mara's suit, seven feet in all, looking custom-built to her measurements, and the same shiny, colorless alloy, except the parts that had been painted in the Mouseheart colors of red, black and yellow. On the chest was the Mouseheart sigil.

Mara allowed Agatha to step over and peer at it, "hmm"ing a few times, before Mara pressed a few buttons in sequence. The suit opened suddenly with a BHOOSH, allowing for easy entry.

"I'm sure you're interested in giving it a go?" said Mara flatly. She gave Agatha a quick look-over. "I think it should fit you well enough?"

With a giggle that bordered on a cackle, Agatha pushed past her and stepped inside.

Violetta rolled her eyes. "Nope, no need to wait for instructions," she muttered.

If she'd heard, Agatha ignored her bodyguard and worked quickly with Mara to get herself situated. The suit closed up with a hiss and locked itself up.

"How's the fit?" said Mara.

"Uh... it's a bit tight in the chest" came Agatha's muffled voice from inside.

"I'm not surprised," Mara muttered. "All right, um... do what you will with it. Just mind the strength. The usual suits increase the user's own six times, but mine goes up to-"

A loud crunch later, part of the door to the cabinet had been crushed into splinters as Agatha pushed it aside to step out. "Sorry," she said. Mara just forced a smile and stepped back to let her mentor clump about the workshop, as awkwardly as expected until getting her bearings, until she was able to move with some amount of gracefulness. Agatha grabbed the edge of one of the thick worktables and lifted, and was mildly taken aback that the entire table was lifted with ease, in one hand. During the demonstration several snapping sounds had come from the ground. She set down the table and bent over as much as the suit allowed.

"Oh," she said. "It had been bolted down. Sorry."

"No worries, Ma'am," said Mara quietly.

Agatha lifted an arm and started poking at controls there. "I saw somebody using a heat ray. Which of these-?" Unfortunately she was pointing her arm more or less at Mara and Heather. Heather managed to dive to one side, and Mara jumped over to Agatha, as a small device popped out near the forearm and blasted a small, but neatly-round hole in the wall.

"Sorry!" she said, as Mara activated the controls to make the device withdraw. She struggled with the arm a bit until Agatha lowered it on her own. Mara helped her pop open the faceplate. Agatha was all smiles this time. "I like it," she said. "It feels light, but is obviously very strong. I like the cushioning inside. Very comfortable. Not a bad death ray, either. Is this the lowest setting?"

"It's not a death ray," said Mara. "I don't make those. But the cutting tool was at a wide setting."

Agatha said nothing to that, and let Mara assist her with reopening the suit. It was left where it was and not returned to the cabinet.

"Will I get my own?" said Agatha with a grin. "Or as you liked to say at my place, 'I want one!'"

Mara forced a smile. "As you wish, Ma'am. I'll take your measurements before you leave."

"And with a Heterodyne sigil?"

Mara smiled again. "Of course, Ma'am."

Agatha tapped her chin while studying the joints, grooves, and general construction. "I must say, with all the things you've shown me today, finally something that's showing some progress!" She tapped on the chest with a fingernail. It made a pleasant tinging noise. "I admit it; I can't work out what the alloy is. Steel, no doubt, but what's the mixture?"

"Oh..." said Mara with a touch of sadness that might not have been noticed, "Steel, yes. We call it Guildern Steel. Half of it is a common alloy. The other half... Well, that's something I had to employ a bit of chemistry for. I came up with a catalyst. It's added during the alloy mixing process. It, ah, reworks all the metals at a molecular level, rearranging them into a unique composition that, um... looks like that-" She pointed to the suit. "-And after cooling, becomes, as far as I've been able to determine, indestructible."

"In-- Indestructible? How indestructible?"

Mara was puzzled. "There are degrees of that?" she said. "All right, fair question. I'm sure it's not truly that, but I did quite a bit of testing: intense heat. Intense cold. Electricity. Blunt force. Diamond cutting tools, cutting beams, and so on. The point is that, once cooled, there's nothing I could find that would even... scratch it."

She waited for a reply, but Agatha was silent: "Mm. Oh, and this side effect might interest you: it's proven itself to be quite good at absorbing impacts. Kinetic energy, I mean. Honestly, I'm not entirely certain how that came about, but I consider it a happy accident." She flashed a genuine smile this time. "Speaking of accidents, I am thrilled to say that no one wearing a suit has been injured. In fact, there was one alarming incident not long ago, but the suit protected him without fail! So... what do you think?"

Agatha was still quiet, but Mara had nothing more to say, so an awkward pause ensued. Then Agatha turned to study the suit some more. She ran a hand along the shell, felt at joints, tugged on random pieces. Finally she turned around to face her mentee/cousin.

"I'm impressed," she said. Mara turned red and fidgeted. Agatha continued, "Like I've been saying, this is the kind of thing I came here to see. I was starting to think that you hadn't done anything to increase your defenses. By the way; Violetta, you owe me a buck."

"Yeah, yeah..." she said, pulling out some currency and handing it to her mistress.

Mara smile was completely gone. She spoke quietly. "They're construction suits."

Agatha's look was unexpectedly hard. "You do love your euphemisms," she said. "By the way, you were going to tell me about these, and the 'Guildern Steel'... when?"

"But I just have."

"Because I happened to stop by for a surprise visit," said Agatha. "If I hadn't come at all, when would you have said anything? And you have-- how many of these suits?"

Mara did some mental counting. "Twenty-four," she said. "Twenty-five, if you count mine. But I must beg your pardon; I wasn't intending to hide anything from you. I've been sending my designs for new things. All right, the talkbox was an exception, but I came up with the steel and even the suits at least a year ago, before you began mentoring me. You want to see new and old?"

"I want to see everything," said Agatha. "Fine; I wasn't completely clear, but I am now. Plus, use your judgment! How would I not want to see a formula for indestructible metal? The possibilities are endless. I'll review the formula and, if it needs it, improve it." She grinned. "Hey, Violetta, think the castle would mind having its metal parts replaced with indestructible pieces?" She chuckled. "Imagine Otilia and the tiger clanks with bodies cast in that! And new weapons for the Jägers." She returned her attention to Mara. "After I've conducted my own tests, of course. To make sure it's not just strong, but durable."

"Oh, but I've--" said Mara, then resumed her usual demeanor. "Of course. It's your prerogative to improve on my work. And I'll, um, make copies of past designs and send them. As well as a copy of the steel's formula and process. You are, of course, entitled to it."

Agatha cocked an eyebrow. "Mara, I'm not ordering you to do this," she said. "Isn't it something you'd want to share, anyway?"

"Yes," said Mara quickly. "Yes, absolutely."

"...Are you sure? You seem uneasy right now."

"Not at all," said Mara. "You're correct that I've been remiss in sharing... everything with you. And I shall remedy that. Except... Well, it's simply that I couldn't help noticing that the items you listed, ah, for the steel's use. They were all... military. And mistaking the suits for, ah, 'battle armor.' Understandable, of course, but still..."

Her words faded as Agatha was simply staring at her in a dead silence. Finally Agatha folded her arms and drummed her fingers a bit, her head down but peering up at her. Mara resisted the urge to inform her that she resembled Guildern's somewhat stern librarian at the moment.

"Mara," Agatha began quietly, "We talked about this four? five? months ago. And an extra sixteen days. We talked about what you have to do before you can reveal to the known world... to everyone... that you're a Heterodyne."

"I know."

"Then why are you telling me things like that the most obvious weapons you have won't be used as such?" she said. "Or are they just decoys? Are you being clever and hiding the real defenses?"

"I'm afraid not, Ma'am."

Agatha unfolded her arms and stood with them akimbo. "You haven't sent me one single design - not even an idea - that's specifically for Guildern's defense. Why?"

Mara held out her hands. "You see how busy things are here," she said. "We have schedules to keep for all our projects, and the ideas just coming and coming - you know how that is, yes? - and there was all the work for Isabel's play-"

"Mara-"

"-Entirely in my spare time, mind you, nothing from the regular staff, and not to mention time with family, which cannot be neglected-"

"Mara-"

"-And believe me, before Theo and Sleipnir came, I-I was getting... I don't even know how little sleep, but now on most days, I get almost two hours every-!"

"MARA!"

After the shock subsided, there was quiet. Agatha ran her fingers through her hair and adjusted her glasses. "I understand," she said. "You're very busy. I appreciate that. I appreciate all of this... work that you do, to make this kingdom the, ah, center of commerce and entertainment that it is. But the trouble is, you're stalling."

"No, you said 'why?' and I've been explaining that-"

"Again, this is something we discussed some time ago," said Agatha. "Forget about designs for a moment. What ideas do you have right now for building Guildern's defense? For paving the way to your big announcement? We could brainstorm. We do that pretty well, I think."

"Oh, that's-- that's very kind of you to say so," said Mara. "But you-you must understand..." Her look became vacant a moment, then snapped back into focus. "It's not all my decision. I did tell you then that we'd need to discuss this and... 'we' as in my family: Father, Mother Queen, Kelvin, myself... we'd need to discuss even the possibility of bringing weapons to Guildern."

"And how did that discussion go?"

Mara forced a laugh. "Oh... As well as you might expect. You know, this kingdom has never had weapons before. Never needed them. A miracle, I know."

"Did you come to a decision?"

"Um..." said Mara, fidgeting again, then forcing a smile. "You know, Kelvin is... He's really the one to have these sorts of political discussions with. See, he and Father-"

"No," said Agatha, shaking her head vigorously. "No. This is between us. In fact, let's pretend that you alone could make the decision. What would it be?"

Mara sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Ah, well, keeping in mind that such an occasion would be purely hypothetical, given that it is not, in fact, all my decision... Agatha, please understand that I don't enjoy secrets, and-and truly do wish to announce my, ah, additional name to everyone, but I also understand that there is, ah, tremendous risk in, in such an act-"

"What," said Agatha, refolding her arms, "Is your decision?"

Mara calmed down some, but still could not quite meet Agatha's gaze. "I... would decide... that I would... continue to honor... the tenets of peace that this kingdom was founded on. That I try to follow now, for myself."

Agatha drummed her fingers again. She kept her head down while in thought. "I see," she said finally, looking up. "Your decision, then, is to never reveal yourself?"

"Well..." said Mara, "That's not how I would phrase it. But if revealing myself would bring... that much risk to Guildern. To its people. To my family. My children. Then... it has to be my decision. As much as I wish it were otherwise."

"I see," said Agatha again. She had a veneer of calm as she spoke, but no one present was particularly fooled. "Mara. You do understand the... magnitude of the secret that you're asking me to keep, and everybody else who knows, correct?"

"I understand," said Mara. "But-"

"Ah-ah," said Agatha, holding up a hand. "Not finished. I'll give some more detail. I'm keeping this secret for you. Do you understand what you're asking of me? Of other people who know? Do you? As far as the world knows, I'm the Heterodyne. The one and only. No one else. No heirs, no legacy. I'm keeping this secret, for you, from my peers. People I've known and worked with and-- and yes, loved--- long before meeting you."

"I know..."

"Do you? Do you understand that, secrets being what they are, this will become known someday? Think about it, Mara: too many people know. If even a rumor - a hint - gets out, and people suspect... Imagine all the people out there that are still trying to get their hands on a Heterodyne, and they suspect that you're vulnerable and weak? Do I need to describe hypotheticals?"

"No," said Mara. "Please don't. I do that already well enough."

"Then what's the delay?" said Agatha. "Have you been explaining these things to your family? No, never mind. You already said no, so clearly you're not the sane one in that argument."

Mara cocked her head. "Excuse me!"

"You do realize the longer this secret goes on, the worse the consequences will be when it's found out?"

"But I can't-"

"What you can't do is live in this-- this fantasy world of yours any longer, Mara!" said Agatha, starting to pace. Violetta knew that wasn't a good sign. "You think it's a risk to tell the world? It's just as big a risk not to!"

"No," Mara groaned, "I will not bring war to this land. I will not."

"You of all people?" said Agatha. "Confusing preparedness for war with waging it? You?" Mara had no answer. "I didn't ask for war, either, but I was damned well prepared for it!"

"And yet it came to you."

"But I'm still here because I didn't go in with nothing!" said Agatha. "I'm not saying that any of it was easy-"

"I know it wasn't-"

"But I did what had to be done!" she bellowed. "Just as you have to. You are fully obligated to defend your people from all harm. You are a kingdom's ruler-"

"No, I'm not," said Mara. "I'm just a commoner who married up. Father and Kelvin-"

"You were never a commoner," said Agatha. "Think about it."

"??...Oh."

"'Oh?'" Agatha echoed. "What's that supposed to mean? You didn't marry into royalty. You were born into it! If anything, Kelvin's the one who 'married up.' Damn it, Mara, you're a Heterodyne! Act like one!"

"Act like-? What the bloody hell does that even mean?"

"Is that a real question?" said Agatha, fully in the Madness. "I laid it before you when agreeing to be your  mentor. What you agreed to as my student. To challenge you to think and to create to your limits, then surpass them, because there aren't any! A Heterodyne has no limits! Pretending to shrink people? Simulating journeys under the ocean? A 'rocket ride to the stars' that stays on earth? What are you thinking?"

"You don't understand," said Mara, "These entertainments need to be safe, they need to handle high volumes of-"

"Stop putting limits on your work!"

"I can't just shrink people or, or-- There is still science to what I've been doing here. Guildern is not for death-seekers. There's no shame in making the illusion of risk." She snapped her fingers. "The microscope. The microscope I created for imaging the very basics of all matter... Our hospital uses it for-"

"Enough," said Agatha. "If I had to grade your tech right now, Guildern steel excluded, I would give it a... B. Minus."

"B-b-but I thought you were enjoying my work," said Mara. "What about-? Not even the talkbox? You said that nobody had such a thing, until now. What about the designs I've been sending? And you called some of my work today 'impressive' and-"

"Fine," said Agatha. "The talkbox and steel get an 'A.' As for the rest... It's fine for the masses. But that's it! It's ordinary Spark work." Her pacing resumed. She was starting to gesture far more broadly now. Yes, full Madness time again. "But it's not Heterodyne work! Do you understand, Mara? For us, the laws of physics are suggestions! Stop playing with your toys, and join us at the adult table! What worked for Guildern in the old world won't work in the new world, and this - right now - is that! Where is the Mara who held my death ray for less than a minute, and yet made it powerful enough to destroy the moon with one shot? Where is the Mara who 'cobbled together' a plaything for a child - a plaything that brought the Castle to its knees in less than a day? That is the Mara I want to see again! Put away your childish things and build Guildern into the mighty kingdom it can be! That it will be! Make it a fortress that none can topple! Be Mechanicsburg's sister city! The two lands that no one and nothing would dare trifle with!!!"

"NOOOOOOO!!!"

Mara's single response came with such force and such... anguish? that even Agatha was stunned into silence. Temporarily.

"What?"

"I..." said Mara, fighting to breathe slowly, steadily, "I will not... Will not make..."

"What?" said Agatha. "Oh, spit it out, already!"

"Will not bring war," she finished. "Will not... welcome it." Finally she calmed herself, closed her eyes, then straightened up to her full height for the first time. She opened her eyes and met Agatha's gaze full in the face. "I am sorry, Agatha. I will not become a Lady of War. Guildern will have no weapons."

Agatha narrowed her eyes. Her voice was low, almost - but not quite - threatening. "For your sake," she said, "Tell me that you're joking."

"My Lady," said Violetta, "Why don't we all take a break about now and-?"

She halted in mid-sentence when Agatha's hand shot up between them. Then her mistress held up an index finger and wagged it slowly. Violetta grimaced and took a hesitant step back.

Mara's gaze did not waver anymore, but stayed fully on Agatha. She spoke with an eerie calm that hinted at a storm on its way. "I am not ashamed of what I do," she said. "Call them toys if you like; it doesn't wound me. My goal - my purpose here is to bring happiness and joy to others, and if I must 'live in a fantasy world' to do it, so be it. It's the path I choose now. Agatha, you know I was raised in violence."

Agatha grunted an acknowledgement. Mara continued in that same, unnaturally calm tone. "Born in blood from the moment I was cut from my mother's womb by a brute of a father who knew only hatred and anger. A Heterodyne father, but with no Spark. A father who taught me to kill, maim, dismember, even torture, and do it well, or suffer those same fates. Who taught me to hate the Spark within me. Well, he failed. Agatha, I have you to thank for making me confront my Spark, and my husband and my family and friends for helping me embrace it... to love it. But I will not use my gift to harm others. I walk the path of peace, and that is it."

Agatha let out a long, loud breath. "Such a lovely speech," she said. "But you're leaving out the parts about being selfish, for willfully burdening us with your very dangerous secret, about being naive, for thinking that-- that somehow the power of love and wishful thinking will protect your land and your people from danger, and about being a coward. You heard me. You're afraid to take responsibility for your legacy!"

"Mouseheart is my legacy," said Mara. "Heterodyne is an accident."

"It's a birthright!"

"I love you, Agatha," she said. "You are my friend, my cousin, my teacher. My Ladyship Most High. But I cannot join you. Not the way you envision it."

"Coward."

"You've mentioned that, yes," said Mara. "I suppose I'll have to wear that label with honor, then."

"Why are you doing this to me??"

Mara was puzzled. "Why am-? Because I won't make Guildern into a fortress?"

"Not that!" she spat. "How can you be a genius, yet so dense?? Look: being 'the last of my kind' makes for great stories, but in reality, it's...cold." She gestured towards Violetta. "There's family that I've made, but on my father's side, no one of blood. It was all on me, Mara. All on me to rebuild the legacy from scratch, and I'm prepared to do it, but... accident or not, you proved yourself to the Castle, and suddenly there's a little less on me. A little bit of... Or is there? Why isn't it the important thing to you, to stand tall and proud and announce yourself to the world? Do you want no part of it? Of me? Is that it? Why?"

"I never said-"

"Are you ashamed?" said Agatha. "Are you ashamed to be a Heterodyne? Are you ashamed of me?"

Mara just stared for a while, then: "Noo," she said. "How could you think-?"

"Why did you hesitate?"

"Wh-I was stunned by the question, I-"

"Why did you hesitate?" Agatha was back in the Madness. "Why can't you comprehend what your sheer, arrogant, ignorant, stupid, selfish, cowardly, illogical refusal to defend yourself does to me? I would defend you, yes, not just because I'm 'Her Ladyship Most High' and owe it to everyone in my empire, but because- you're- family! I would do anything for family! Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would!"

"Then why won't you do this??"

"Because what's required to do it goes against-- against everything I believe in!" said Mara. "Agatha, I am sorry, but-"

"You foolish, pig-headed woman, you have to meet me somewhere on this!" Agatha cried. "I can't be your front line! I can't swoop in and rescue you if there's nothing left to rescue! I can't-- I don't-- I don't want to lose you! Not you! Not Kelvin! Not your great, great kids. Is that what you need to hear? Are you--? Are you comprehending any of this? Is any of this getting through to you?"

"Yes," said Mara. "But-"

"'But?' Why is there a 'but?' How can there be such a thing?"

Mara, well into her own version of the Madness, was forced to stop and work out the logic of the question. After determining that Agatha was not inquiring about body parts, she righted her train of thought and answered, again very quietly.

"You must understand-"

"No, I don't," snapped Agatha. "In fact, I have no interest in 'understanding' you. We're done here. Forever? I don't know, but-- let's just say don't count on any Christmas cards, or anything else, for a long time. Let's go, Violetta."

"We're leaving now?" said Violetta, which got her a Look. "Right. We're leaving now."

Agatha pushed roughly past Mara, who did not resist the gesture. Then she stopped and turned back, shoving a finger in Mara's face. "Ashamed of what you are?" she spat. "Ashamed of me? I'm ashamed of you! You sicken me, you simpering waste of space! Goodbye, Mara! Have a long life, living with your cowardice. You and your family. Have fun hiding behind your toys, until someone comes along and smashes your little land of fantasy."

She paused to wait for a reply, and when none came, she threw up her hands and again headed for the stairs. And ran right into Kelvin, who was on his way down.

"Whoa, I am terribly sorry, Agatha!" He held out his hands to steady Her Ladyship, who was trying to push past him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she snapped, continuing her way up.

"Wait, what's...?" He peered around to check on Mara, whose back was to him. She stood motionless. "Agatha? My Lady?"

She stopped near the top of the stairs and sighed. "What" was the flat reply.

"Is something wrong?" he said. "Has something happened here? Mara?" His wife did not reply, either.

Agatha stayed at the level she was on, but turned to face him. She spoke in a monotone. "Where are my manners. Kelvin, you have been a most gracious host. Your hospitality has been much appreciated. Please pass on my love to your parents and your darling children. Tell Isabel that she could have a wonderful career in the performing arts. Good day."

"Thank you, but... What's this?" he said. "You won't at least be staying the night here? Please; if something has happened here, allow us the opportunity to make it right. You're clearly upset about something, and if you've been offended-"

"If you want details of that," said Agatha, "Ask your wife."

"Mara?" he said, whipping his head back and forth to view both women. "If there's been some misunderstanding-" Agatha scoffed "-Or disagreement between you two, please: we couldn't bear for you to leave us in anger. Won't you at least stay the night? Give yourself time to calm yourself, to think things through?"

Agatha considered this a moment, then shook her head. "No point to it. There's nothing here for me. You had certain... obligations that I expected to have been fulfilled, and they were not, so... good day to you."

"'Obligations?'" he said to himself, then called after the rapidly disappearing Spark: "Wait! My Lady! Do you mean weapons? Did she explain that it was our decision, as a family, not just her-?"

The THUNK of the "secret" entrance's door ended the one-sided conversation. Kelvin was torn between chasing after her or seeing to his wife, who was lost in her own Madness. Heather was beside her, rubbing her arm tenderly and murmuring apologies for not trying to stop... all of that. Eventually Kelvin put his wife first.

He crept around to face her. She was staring at something, but it wasn't him or her assistant.

"Mara?" he said. "Honey?"

Finally, slowly, her gaze drifted to him. She said something that he didn't hear. He leaned closer and ask her to repeat.

"I'm a coward," she said.

"What?" he said. "She called you that?"

"Yes," she said, and when he tried to pull her into a hug, she shook her head and kept her hands up between them. "Don't. She called me a coward. And that's fine. Who am I to argue with fact? I am a coward."

"That is not true!" said Kelvin, snapping into protective mode. "You are one of the bravest-! She needs to understand that it's not weapons of death and destruction that make a nation strong!"

"Don't."

"We've survived, and flourished, and prospered without ever firing a shot at an enemy nation! We have no enemies! It's the entire reason that we-!"

"DOOOOON'T!!"

The power and force of her voice was enough to startle even herself, to say nothing of her husband and assistant, who reacted as though physically shoved backwards. They both stumbled and managed to grab onto something to steady themselves, and could only stare open-mouthed as Mara struggled in vain to compose herself.

"I need--" she said, pacing. "I need to-- Have to figure out-- Find-- Must-- Have to--" After a minute or more of non sequitur mutterings, she stopped pacing and put a hand to her forehead, focusing on slowing her breath and clearing her thoughts. Eventually she managed to find some semblance of sanity, and closed her eyes while taking a slow, deep breath. She let it out just as slowly. When she opened her eyes again, the pupils were still dilated.

"I'll be in the exercise room," she said flatly, now looking at nothing. "Don't wait up for me."

Kelvin and Heather exchanged looks. "Understood," he said.

Part five is here