Deathstalker 01 - Deathstalker

other. Anyway, at least now we get to know why the elves summoned us here."
    Mr. Perfect glared at him. "The esper council summoned you, not the elves. They are only a part of the underground. The Stevie Blues do not speak for everyone here."
    Stevie Two sniffed. "You still come to us when you want something dirty done.
    Especially if it's risky. And who has a better right to speak than my sisters and I? We're both espers and clones; we understand the pressures of both sides.
    No one knows more of suffering than we do."
    "Right," said Stevie Three.
    "We will be heard," said Stevie One. "Our sister is dead, murdered by the Iron Bitch. We demand a vengeance."
    "I didn't know there were any esper clones left alive," said David quietly to Evangeline while the espers argued. "I thought they were all wiped out and further experimentation forbidden."
    "Lots of things are forbidden," murmured Evangeline. "But they still happen, if
    there's profit to be made. As I understand it, the Stevie Blues were a secret military experiment in cloning battle espers. Didn't work out. Most of the subjects died, and the survivors were too powerful. Too uncontrollable, unpredictable. Word about the experiments got out, and the Empress was furious that she hadn't been consulted. Gave the order to close everything down. The Stevie Blues were marked for execution, but they escaped. The elves took them in, gave them a purpose in life and a shape for their revenge. As both espers and clones, they were supposed to be a link between the two undergrounds, but no one seems too sure where their true loyalties lie. Perhaps even they're not sure."
    "Fair enough," said David. He realized the espers had stopped talking and settled for glaring at each other, so he raised his voice again. "I still want to know why Hood hides his face."
    "Oh, tell him," said the dragon. "Or we'll be here all night."
    "I am highly placed in the Empress' retinue," said Hood. "I have her trust, in as much as she trusts anyone. I am not ready to endanger myself by revealing my identity to those who don't need to know. The underground indulges me because I discovered the esper drug. None of us can afford for the Empress to learn about that. They'd get the secret out of me eventually; they always do. My identity remains a secret because it is in all our best interests. Now, as the Stevie Blues have pointed out, we have business to discuss."
    "I said that," said Mr. Perfect.
    "Then get on with it," said Valentine. "What exactly is so important that we had to be dragged here at such short notice and at such an ungodly hour?"
    "We have a plan," said Stevie One. "We elves have placed one of our own in the
    water purification department. Through him we have unlimited access to the water supply network for the whole of Golgotha. We propose to introduce the esper drug into the water system. I'm told a really small amount, as little as one part per million, would be enough to have an effect on anyone who drank it or even had contact with the affected water. No one would notice its presence until it was far too late. No one knows it exists but us, and unless you knew exactly what you were looking for, the esper drug would just blend in with all the other drugs in the water. It's pumped full of happy drugs and tranquilizers, as it is, to keep the common herd quiet. With millions of espers suddenly appearing overnight, the Empress would have no choice but to recognize espers as full citizens, with full privileges. After all, most of her subjects would be espers, along with most of her own people. Who knows, maybe we'll get really lucky, and she'll get a surprise in her drink, too…"
    There was a long pause as everyone took it in turn to look at each other. The Stevie Blues smiled at each other smugly.
    "You have got to be joking!" said Evangeline. "You're crazy!"
    "Oh, I don't know," said Valentine. "I rather like the sound of it myself."
    "You would," snapped David. "Anyone who is anyone drinks offworld bottled water.
    Only the lower classes drink tap water. And the Empress would rather wipe out every single one of them on this planet than be dictated to."
    "Nicely put," said Evangeline. "Didn't think you had it in you, David."
    "Dah-veed."
    "Don't push it, Deathstalker."
    "Look," said Stevie One. 'The esper and clone undergrounds have been fighting for self-determination for almost three centuries, and what have we to show for it? Nothing but increased security on all levels and greater