Reckoners 01 - Steelheart

a mechanical device that has been drained of energy? No battery power at all?”
    Prof looked to the side. Tia fished in her pocket and handed over a penlight. Prof tried it and no light came out. Then he hesitated. Finally he waved us out of the room. Cody remained, gun on Edmund, but the rest of us—Prof included—gathered in the main chamber.
    “He might be able to overload it and make it explode,” Prof said softly.
    “We
will
need proof of who he is, though,” Tia said. “If he can power that by touching it, then he’s either Conflux or a different Epic with a
very
similar power.”
    “Or someone who Conflux gifted his abilities to,” I said.
    “He registers as a powerful Epic on the dowser,” Abraham said. “We’ve tried it on Enforcement officers before who had powers given to them by Conflux, and it didn’t register them.”
    “What if he’s a different Epic?” Tia asked. “With some powers gifted by Conflux to show he can give energy to things and make us think he’s Conflux? He could act harmless, then when we aren’t expecting, turn his full powers on us.”
    Prof slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so. That’s just too convoluted, and too dangerous. Why would they think we would decide to kidnap Conflux? We could just as easily have killed him right there when we found him. I think this man is who he says he is.”
    “Why was he in the trunk, though?” Abraham asked.
    “He’ll probably answer if we ask him,” I said. “I mean, he hasn’t exactly been difficult so far.”
    “That’s what worries me,” Tia said. “It’s too easy.”
    “Easy?” I asked. “Megan died so we could capture that guy. I want to hear what he has to say.”
    Prof glanced at me, tapping the penlight against his palm. Henodded, and Abraham fetched a long wooden rod, which we tied the light to. We returned to the room, and Prof used the rod to touch the light to Edmund’s cheek.
    Immediately the flashlight’s bulb started glowing. Edmund yawned, then tried to settle himself in his bonds.
    Prof pulled the flashlight back; it continued to shine.
    “I recharged the battery for you,” Edmund said. “Might that be enough to persuade you to get me a drink …?”
    “Two years ago,” I said, stepping forward despite Prof’s orders, “in July, you were involved in a large-scale project on Steelheart’s behalf. What was it?”
    “I don’t really have a good sense of time …,” the man said.
    “It shouldn’t be hard to remember,” I said. “The people of the city don’t know about it, but something odd happened to Conflux.”
    “Summer? Hmm … was that when I was taken out of the city?” Edmund smiled. “Yes, I remember the sunlight. He needed me to power some of his war tanks for some reason.”
    It had been an offensive against Dialas, an Epic in Detroit who had angered Steelheart by cutting off some of his food supplies. Conflux’s part had been handled very covertly. Few knew of it.
    Prof was looking at me, lips drawn to a tight line. I ignored him. “Edmund,” I said, “you came to the city on what date?”
    “Spring of 04 AC,” he said.
    Four years after Calamity. That clinched it for me—most people assumed that Conflux had joined Steelheart in 05 AC, when Enforcement had first gained mechanized units and the power outages of 04 AC had finally begun to stabilize. But inside sources that I’d carefully gathered claimed Steelheart hadn’t trusted Conflux at first, and hadn’t used him for important projects for nearly a year.
    As I looked at this man, a lot of things from my notes about Conflux were starting to make sense. Why was Conflux never seen? Why was he transported as he was? Why the shroud, the mystery? It wasn’t just because of Conflux’s frailty.
    “You’re a prisoner,” I said.
    “Of course he is,” Prof said, but Conflux nodded.
    “No,” I said to Prof. “He’s always been a prisoner. Steelheart isn’t using him as a lieutenant, but as a power source. Conflux isn’t in charge of Enforcement, he’s just …”
    “A battery,” Edmund said. “A slave. It’s all right, you can say it. I’m quite accustomed to it. I’m a valuable slave, which is actually an enviable position. I suspect it won’t be too long before he finds us and kills you all for taking me.” He grimaced. “I
am
sorry about that. I hate it terribly when people fight over me.”
    “All this time …,” I said. “Sparks!”
    Steelheart
couldn’t
let it be known