Chapter 348: Skin in the Game

Chapter 348: Skin in the Game

We have all been where you have been, said Legion. We all had to find our place in this strange world, and made a poor job of it.

I considered this meeting as dangerous as any battle. Four against one, and all the big guns on their side of the table. My only advantage was that they needed me for some reason, but that meant they were going to go big dick mode with the lies and bribes.

My intention was not to get sucked in. Theyd given me back my ship already, so I saw myself as ahead already.

Okay, I said, so far, I believe you.

Legion sat down with a clank. He was probably wearing full plate under his black robes. His helmet was made of silver metal and entirely covered his face, but it wasnt quite like a helmet from a suit of armour, it was more like a very tight fitting astronauts helmet. A bit like something a Power Ranger might wear. You know, ridiculous.

There were small holes around the mouth area to allow air in. It made his voice sound a bit tinny. He may have been a robot.

Each of us at this table have one thing in common, he said. We quickly grasped the enormity of our powers, and focused on improving them. While the people we arrived with either met an unpleasant death or immersed themselves in living a fantasy life, leading to an even more unpleasant death, some of us put our energies into developing these staggering abilities wed been gifted. As, I believe, you are in the process of doing.

My gift isnt all that great, I said. Im not really sure what to do with it, even if I could master it.

But you will. We all went through it, said Legion. And then we tried to take over the world.

That escalated quickly. I think you may have missed out a step or two.

It isnt important, said Cowdrey, and quite embarrassing.

Nothing to be proud of, said Dorothea.

You believe it is something you would never do, said Morwenna. We all thought that, until hubris overwhelmed us.

They all sounded vaguely Eastern European, although I couldnt tell you where exactly, they all sound the same to me. Which isnt racist. You cant be racist when you comment on white people because we deserve it, or something.

You have to understand, said Legion, none of us is a ruthless megalomaniac bent on world domination. We saw a world struggling under incompetent leadership and archaic technology and thought we could improve things. We were guilty of naivete and good intentions.

I wasnt sure how seriously to take any of this. Even if it was true, that they started off trying to create a fairer world for everyone, when has that ever worked out? When has it ever got beyond the planning stage?

Thanks to a landslide election victory Ive been voted in on a mandate of reform and social justice. Let the raping and ethnic cleansing begin!

So you wanted to raise living standards through benign dictatorship? What was the rationale? That you couldnt make things any worse?

Exactly, said Legion.

Lucky guess, said Dorothea.

We thought we couldnt make things worse, said Cowdrey, and we were very, very wrong.

At least they werent trying to trick me into thinking they had changed the world for the better. Now I just had to figure out what they were trying to trick me into thinking.

The problem were the people, said Legion. They werent equipped to deal with stability.

Cowdrey shook his masked head. No matter how good they have it, they will find something to complain about.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

And blame you for it, said Dorothea.

They were quite a jaded bunch. The perfect group for me, you might think. Suspiciously perfect.

I understand, I said. I get it. You went in to sort things out, and came away feeling unappreciated and resisted on the most basic attempts to implement progress. And I assume anything that did go well was treated as an easy win anybody could have arranged.

Exactly. Legion turned to Dorothea. Cant be luck if he keeps doing it. No matter what we did, there was always something better someone else would have done.

The grass is always greener, said Morwenna.

What people fail to realise, said Cowdrey, is that the reason the grass is greener is because they arent over there.

Youre saying no? asked Legion.

Give me a chance, Spoiler-Alert. First, what about the other people involved in this shit-show? Peter. Remember him?

Hes dead, said Dorothea.

Are you sure? How do you know?

We have his body, said Cowdrey. Hes very dead.

And you dont think he can exist without his body like Arthur? And what about Arthur? What if he gets involved?

He is trapped on the island, said Legion. He cannot influence matters.

And Wesley?

They looked at me with blank faces. Because they were wearing masks, but also under them, you get a sense for it when it happens as often as it does around me.

His wife? She was killed, wasnt she? Morwenna looked around at the others.

Youre the one who told us, hissed Cowdrey.

I know, but then Where is she?

Sorry, I said, she values her privacy, too. Were they really unaware of Wesleys presence? If that was true, it could come in useful. If they were just faking it, well, business as usual. And Joshaya? Hes involved, too. The old gods might get out, as well. Theres a lot of variables to take into account, which is why Im out. I slapped my hands like a blackjack dealer finishing his shift.

I told you he wouldnt respond well to honesty, said Dorothea. We should have lied to him. Hes too miserable a person to do the right thing.

Morwenna nodded. You, who cling desperately to your misanthropy, will find it is a prison of limitations.

Now they were trying to nag me into going along? Maybe they werent as well informed on all-things Colin as Id thought.

Yes, misanthropy, I said, but its a breezy kind of misanthropy. Light and easy to swallow.

You wish to take your ship and leave, said Morwenna, like she was predicting the future.

Amazing. Its almost like you heard me heavily imply thats exactly what I plan to do. The real problem, though, isnt that I dont have anything to gain from all this, its that you have nothing to lose, so if you decide to bail on me, Im fucked. I dont like relying on people, especially when cutting me loose could easily be both their winning and losing after-party celebration.

We wont stop you leaving, said Legion, but please consider our offer overnight. You may feel differently after youve had time to think it over.

Okay, thats fair. It also made it less likely they would kill me now if they thought they still had a chance to sway me. Probably send me gifts and chocolates to woo me. I certainly hoped so. About time someone pampered me.

I rose from the table, the chair sliding away of its own volition. I turned to Cowdrey. And I dont want to wake up in the middle of the night to find you hovering over me.

I am not a vampire.

Good. Therell be an anti-bat patrol with orders to shoot on sight.

Grayson was waiting outside as he said he would. There was no sign of Biadet. We returned to the deck and were greeted by the sight of the Eternal Infinite floating off the starboard bow. It looked in better condition than ever.

It must have taken a great deal of energy to put it back together, so where did the commie bloodsucker get it? The sailors were running around as sprightly as ever, no signs of energy drain.

Lots of things werent adding up, but my main goal was to get back to the island and see Arthur. He and Wesley had to have more info on this lot.

There was no point trying to sneak off, they could find me and destroy the ship as easily as they fixed it, but they wanted me to think they could be trusted so Id relent and do their bidding. Fucking idiots.

Grayson escorted me back to land in a boat. The islanders were still on the beach, but rather than staring menacingly out to sea, they were looking rather concerned watching Damicar crying and Laney standing next to him.

I dont know whats wrong with him, said Laney as I waded ashore. I hardly touched him.

Now, this was more the sort of catastrophe I was suited to deal with.