Deathstalker 03 - Deathstalker War

powered by energy crystals. Eventually they will run down, and then the toys will need new crystals. And the only place to get those is Human space.
    The toys will need humans. And humans will always need toys. But that's the future. Lionstone must never know the secret of Haceldama. She would look at my children and see only another Shub in the making. She'd scorch this whole world rather than risk that."
    "Give us the tactical information you possess," said Evangeline, "and we'll keep Lionstone so busy she won't have time to think about Shannon's World. Once it's clear we know what you know, your information will become redundant, you won't be important to her anymore."
    "But you know my secret," said Harker. "Can I trust you to remain silent?"
    "The underground has more important things to worry about than one basically neutral planet," said Evangeline. "As long as we come back with your information, no one will care where it came from. No one but us need ever know about Shannon's children."
    They all looked at Toby, who sighed heavily and then shrugged. "It would have been great footage, but I guess it can stay on the shelf till it's finally safe to show it. Wouldn't be the first story I helped to bury. Right, Flynn? So, no one will ever know."
    "Wrong," said Julian. "The Empire will know, because I'll tell them. I'll tell them everything." He stood up sharply, pushing back his chair, and the disrupter in his hand was trained unwaveringly on Harker. His face twisted with a smile
    that had no humor in it. His voice sounded strange, forced. "No one move, or Harker's dead. Before Finlay rescued me, the mind techs planted one of Wormboy's worms deep in my brain, with hidden instructions. To destroy any real threat to the Empire. Harker and his army have activated my worm and its programming. Get up, Harker. You're coming back to Lionstone with me. Anyone interferes, and I'll kill him, right here."
    All around, the toys lifted their weapons and then hesitated, unsure what to do that wouldn't lead to the death of their leader. Giles's hand went to his gun, but Finlay put a hand on his arm, stopping him. They couldn't risk it.
    "Can you teleport him out of here?" Finlay murmured.
    "No. His esp blocks my powers," said Giles quietly. "But I might well be able to shoot him before he can get off a shot. Let me try."
    "No," said Finlay. "I want to try something first." He raised his voice.
    "Julian, listen to me. I got you out of the interrogator's cell. You hadn't broken. You were too strong for them. Be strong now. Giles says your powers are greater now than they've ever been. Fight the worm. Fight it! Be your own self!"
    Julian frowned, his mouth working silently. The hand holding the disrupter began to shake. And then slowly the fingers opened, and the gun fell to the ground.
    Toby pounced on it, as Julian fell shuddering to his knees. Some of the toys aimed their weapons, but Harker stepped down from his throne to kneel beside the shaking esper.
    "Help me," said Julian, his eyes squeezed shut. "It's still in my head. It wants me to kill you. It always will. But I won't…"
    "You can be free," said Harker, his head down next to Julian's. "You can. My children broke their programming; you can break yours. Be strong. All you have to do is believe."

    Julian's back arched as a horrid pain coursed through him. His head snapped back, his face twisted in agony. His brief contact with Giles had filled him with more power than he'd ever known, and he drew on it all now, determined to be free even if it killed him. His left eye slowly bulged forward. And out of the bloody eye socket oozed a small grey worm, pushed out of the esper's brain by the sheer force of his will. It fell squirming onto the ground, and Finlay crushed it under his heel. Julian sank back into Harker's waiting arms. His eye sank back into its socket, and he managed a shaky smile.
    "Well-done," said Finlay. "I always knew you had it in you."
    "I'm half-dead, and he's cracking jokes," said Julian. "Someone hit him for me."
    They all laughed, even Julian, as they all took turns hitting Finlay.
    And that was the end of their mission to Shannon's World, wrongly renamed Haceldama, the Field of Blood. The humans and the toys celebrated long into the night, singing and dancing in the light of many fires, the occasional stream of moonlight, and the thick clouds of glowing spirits who came swooping in out of the night with their endless song. Bruin Bear and the Sea Goat