Deathstalker 03 - Deathstalker War

down her shields, until she was the only one left in her head, and she was safe and secure again.
    She groaned quietly, and rubbed at her aching brow.
    "Serves you right for peeking," said a harsh voice from the doorway. Jenny's head snapped round, and she scrambled to her feet. She hadn't heard the door open. Standing in the doorway, looking as hard and uncompromising as before, was Investigator Topaz. Beside her stood a tall, painfully thin woman dressed in pale pastel colors. She looked almost as washed-out as her clothes, and stringy blond hair hung uncared for about a sharp, gaunt face with striking ice-blue eyes. There were patches of scar tissue around her cheekbones, and part of her nose had been eaten away. It gave her a stark, almost supernatural glamor. She might have looked dangerous, if she hadn't also looked like a strong breeze would blow her away.
    "It's rude to stare," said Topaz. "Frostbite, in case you were wondering. It gets cold around here sometimes. If you ask her nicely, she'll show you the
    stumps where some of her fingers used to be. Her name's Mary."
    Jenny made the connection immediately, and stared at the blond wraith with new respect. "Typhoid Mary? The plague carrier?"
    "I don't use that name anymore," said Mary. Her voice was quiet, little more than a murmur, but Jenny had no problem understanding her. There was an almost compelling power in Mary's speech and gaze. "Typhoid Mary was another person; someone the Empire created to do its dirty work. I'm just Mary."
    Jenny nodded. "I know about mind techs. They stirred their sticky fingers in my brain, too. Still, considering the damage you caused here in Mistport, I'm surprised they're letting you run loose. Hell, I'm surprised you're still alive."
    "Little Miss Tact," said Topaz. "We don't blame people for what the Empire did to them. Here on Mistworld, most of us have done things for the Empire we're ashamed of. The Council gave Mary over into my custody. We work as a team now.
    We have a lot in common. Mostly things we've lost, because of the Iron Bitch and her damned intrigues. Enough small talk. You wanted to speak to the esper union, but the powers that be are rather busy at the moment. You can talk to us. We'll take it farther, if need be. In the meantime, if you want to make a good impression, leave the flowers alone and respect the mental shields in this house. They're here for your protection, as well as others'. There are a lot of people here who came to us for help and protection, because of the terrible things the Empire did to them, before they found their way to Mistworld. Some of them have yet to be defused. And there are also a lot of people here still mourning for the friends and family and loved ones they lost during the esper plague. Respect their privacy."
    Jenny shrugged. She had a mission to fulfill. "They'll all want to hear me, once
    they know who and what I am. I represent the Mother Of All Souls, and her power moves within me. I will bring light to their darkness, and an end to their suffering. And with their backing, I will bring down the Empire itself."
    "Save the speeches," said Topaz. "We've heard it all before. Legends are ten a penny, here in Mistport. Mostly because there are so many people here desperate to believe in them. It's up to you to convince us that you're not just another esper with delusions of sainthood."
    Jenny let that pass, for the moment. "Tell me about the esper union. How did it start?"
    If Topaz was surprised by the change in subject, she didn't show it.
    "Originally? In the beginning, the union existed to call espers together, when we had to raise the psionic shield in a hurry. From there it grew into a self-help group, and then a political force, to look out for our own interests.
    Mistport's no place to be weak and divided. There are people on the streets here who'll eat you alive if they smell fear. And sometimes there are temptations few of us are strong enough to resist on our own.
    "These days the union is a political and economic power base with roots and interests throughout the city. And the people in charge aren't all that keen on having their considerable power undermined by some half-crazed ex-political prisoner claiming to be the avatar of the Mater Mundi. Some of them don't believe such a person exists, or ever did. And some have a vested interest in denying it. Which is why you're talking to us and not the leaders of the union.
    And at least partly because even your