Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess

wing of Hoomhoffers and two Bug Squads to come with. They are to be fully armed and should be prepared to encounter moderate resistance. Captain DuPree is to be in Command. I shall travel on her ship. Inform her at once. Within twenty-four hours I shall expect to be followed by a full Inspection Team. I shall want Sturmhalten probed down to the bedrock.”

Boris nodded. “Very Good, Herr Baron.”

During this, Count Blitzengaard’s face has gone white. “My Baron!” he broke in, “The people of Balan’s Gap are completely loyal to the Empire! This is an invasion! You must allow me to contact—”

Klaus cut him off. “No contact.” To Boris he added, “With anyone.” The Count drew his breath in outrage, but before he could speak, Klaus verbally steamrollered him. “Whereas I am confident in the loyalty of the people of Balan’s Gap, I suspect there may be a threat to the populace of the Empire as a whole. Under those conditions, I may send in an Inspection Team protected by sufficient troops to ensure their safety and insure compliance. Boris will cheerfully recite the relevant passages from the treaty that Prince Aaronev signed when the city was annexed as he escorts you to your quarters. Good day.”

With that, the Count felt several hands clasp his shoulders and gently but irresistibly pull him from the room. As the door shut, Gil looked at his father and spoke seriously. “Are you planning on leveling Sturmhalten?”

Klaus frowned. “If I must.”

Gil felt overwhelmed. “This is all about Agatha, but she’s done nothing!”

Suddenly Klaus looked tired. “There is a possibility that she has done everything! ”

Gil paused. His father was not known as an alarmist. “Explain, please.”

Klaus paused. He considered his son for a moment.

Encouraged, Gil continued, “Father, if you’d let me just talk to her—”

But this had been the wrong thing to say. “Absolutely not,” Klaus declared flatly. “That family is utterly poisonous, and this girl may be the worst of all.”

Gil was lost. “But you liked the Heterodynes! You worked with—”

Klaus paused in the doorway. “Not the Heterodynes. The House of Mongfish. Your Agatha’s mother was the worst of them. I couldn’t stop her, but if I act quickly, I may be able to stop another war.” With that he strode off down the corridor.

Gil started to follow him when a frantic Zoing raced around the nearest corner and squealed excitedly. Gil impatiently listened, and several seconds later was running at full speed back down the corridor.

He burst into the lab to find a sweating Wooster desperately dashing amongst the various devices, trying to adjust them. He was failing most spectacularly. All of them were blinking red. Many of them were shuddering and venting great gouts of steam.

He saw Gil and waved his hands. “Gil! Thank goodness! I don’t know what to do!”

Gil strode forward and began twisting valves and re-routing cables. “Bleed the pressure here! Counter the loss by heating here...” Both Wooster and Zoing leapt into action as Gil continued to shout directions while performing his own corrections. Within several minutes, green lights shown instead of red, and with a sigh, Gil replaced a final clogged filter. He slumped. Wooster allowed his shoulders to droop slightly, and Zoing fell over sideways.

“Nice one, Herr Boffin” Ardsley muttered and then looked mortified at the slip.

Gil smiled. He hadn’t heard Ardsley use the phrase since college, when they were both students. He nodded, but otherwise ignored it. “Unfortunately, it’s even more unstable than I’d feared. I’ll have to monitor it closely for—” He stopped aghast. “I can’t—” He stared at Wooster and the Englander could see that Gil was deeply distressed. “I... I can’t leave!”

“Does Sir need to go somewhere?”

Gil’s face took on one of those intensely blank looks that Wooster had come to recognize. Within his head, Gil was frantically thinking. Assessing, sorting, imagining and computing possibilities faster than his friend would have ever believed possible. Wooster braced himself. Whenever this happened, it meant that things were about to get very interesting and very nerve-wracking, very, very quickly. This time, Gil outdid himself.

He blinked, and swiveled his head towards the waiting valet. “It will have to be you,” he said hollowly.

Wooster swallowed. “Me? Sir, what are you talking about?”

Even more worrying, Gil was again in deep thought. “But how to ensure...”

Wooster felt a prickle of fear. This was—

Suddenly, Gil was right in front of him. His face centimeters from his. His large, powerful hands gripping his upper arms. “Wooster,” Gil said very intently, “This is very important. Do you fear me?”

Wooster had braced himself for any number of things, but this was not one of them. “Sir?”

Gil gave him a small shake. “No, really. Be honest.”

Wooster considered the question carefully. Suddenly he realized that Gil was holding him so that his feet were not actually touching the floor. That helped clarify things. “Ah—a little, I confess.”

Gil searched Ardsley’s face. He nodded. “I can work with that.” Then he grinned. “Miss Clay—Agatha Heterodyne—she’s alive!”

Wooster’s jaw dropped at the news. “Alive!”

Gil nodded in delight. “Yes! She found people to help her and she tricked me!” He paused as another thought struck him. “And Captain DuPree no less! Hee hee, she’ll be furious! ”

Wooster nodded. “But—that’s wonderful, sir.”

“Yes, but there’s a problem.”

“Your father,” Wooster surmised.

Gil nodded. As he spoke he pulled down a large leather travel satchel and began placing useful things inside. “That’s right. He knows, and he’s going to go get her himself.”

Wooster frowned. “That... could be bad.”

Again Gil nodded and pulled open a cabinet containing maps. He sorted through them quickly and tossed a series of them into the bag. “Bad indeed. So I’m sending you to her.”

“Me?” Wooster didn’t even try to hide his surprise.

Gil pulled down a magnetic compass he’d been experimenting with. He hesitated, and then gently switched it on. Instantly his entire body was forcefully spun about until it was facing towards Magnetic North. Regretfully, he switched it off and placed it back on the shelf. “Yes, I want you to get to her first. Warn her. Hide her.”

Wooster looked lost. “Where? In my room?”

Gil sighed and closed the bag with a snap of fasteners. “Don’t be ridiculous. After you reported that she had escaped, you were ordered, if the opportunity presented itself, to do everything within your power to get Agatha to England.”

Wooster felt the floor drop out from under him. “I—Wh—What?”

Gil continued blithely. “This will enable you to do so.”

Wooster stared at him.

Gil rolled his eyes. “Please. You don’t work for me, you work for British Intelligence. You did when we met back in Paris. It’s why I recommended you for duty aboard Castle Wulfenbach, it’s why I made you my valet, so I could keep an eye on you. My father certainly didn’t object. To be honest, for a while I thought you might be one of his little tests.” Gil shrugged. “It’s been an enjoyable game, and I’m sorry I have to end it, but this is quite important.”

Wooster blindly reached back and found a chair. He slowly sank into it, shaking his head. “Oh dear,” he muttered. “You’ve known all along. They’ll be so angry...” He looked at Gil and a touch of his old smirk crossed his lips. “I suppose I’ll be in slightly less disgrace when I bring them Agatha Heterodyne.”

Gil did not smile back. “Yesss—” he said thoughtfully. “About that.” He leaned into Wooster and tapped his friend’s chest. “I do not intend to have Agatha escape from one potential prison by entering another.” His voice began to shift, and Ardsley grew alarmed.

“She will not be used as some political pawn against my father. She will not be enslaved for the ‘good of the empire.’” He leaned back, grinned, and playfully slapped Wooster’s face. “You knew me back at school, and perhaps