After the Second Fall Pt. 02.2

"I see. Thank you for your discretion, Constable. I will take up the matter directly with the Meister."

"Of course, ma'am." When the Executive Director didn't say anything further, he nodded and left the room. Finally alone, Lilith slumped back into her chair, eyes closed, hands pressed together tightly in her lap.

Her solitude didn't last long, as the Meister reentered the room and closed the door. "So?"

"You were right, Cassidy. We were right on the verge of a total program collapse, or maybe even worse, a hostile takeover by Jacobs."

Cassidy nodded gravely. "How would you like to proceed?"

"Two things to start. The first is that I want that detective."

"Constable Reeves? What do you have in mind?"

"What happened with Jacobs never should have been possible, but there is already too much to do, and me trying to ensure that a thousand people are behaving themselves isn't going to happen. I want somebody inside the Complex permanently to make sure we know what's going on."

"The Chief won't want to give him up: Reeves is probably his top detective."

"He doesn't have to work for the Complex; in fact, it's probably better if he doesn't. You can call him a liaison, or anything else you want."

"But why him?" persisted Cassidy.

"Actually, that's the second point. He enlightened me regarding Adams and weapons."

Cassidy nodded. "I thought that point was suspiciously absent in his report. And?"

"He's shown that he can act with discretion, and that will be important. I need somebody here that is acting in the best interests of the Complex and the city, not trying to make a name for themselves."

Cassidy considered Lilith's argument and finally acquiesced. "I'll see what I can do," she said, but Lilith already knew her request would be granted.

"I also need you to change that ordinance, or at least write an exception of some kind for Pip. I've already told him I want that knife accessible at all times."

"Shit, Lilith, why don't you just ask for the moon," Cassidy stated tersely. The Meister was quiet for longer this time, but the outcome was the same. "You're right, of course. I don't know how I'm going to push it through, but I'll figure something out."

"I knew you would," said Lilith appreciatively, finally letting her professional demeanor slide away. "How are you holding up?"

"I should be asking you that, not the other way around." Cassidy sighed. "Not so well, if I'm being honest. Losing John is something I will be trying to cope with for a long time, but we weren't as close anymore as you and he were. It's the guilt of letting all this happen that is eating me up from the inside."

Lilith nodded. "I feel like I let everyone down, but him most of all."

"I don't know if it will be worth it, but if we learn from our mistakes, then at least we'll have something to show for the pain."

Lilith stood. "Are they waiting for us?" Cassidy nodded, also rising. "Then let's get this mess over with," she said, leading the Meister toward the training arena where the execution would take place.

Chapter 11

"So what's the play, Geoff?"

"Well, we don't actually have many options. Since the challenge was formally issued and accepted, we either send an Adam or forfeit."

"But Pip's unavailable for at least a couple months... Your recommendation?"

"Forfeiting doesn't make sense: the penalties are too stiff."

"So we send Stash?" asked Lilith uncertainly.

"It's an option," came the non-committal reply. "He's been in the Arena once, so it won't be too big a stage for him. The upside is that he has a good chance of coming through it relatively unharmed, because I expect Marbelo won't risk one of their best for Theiss. I would put his odds to win at something like seventy percent, but that's just a guess based on past experience."

"And the other three fights?"

"More or less the same: we're already committed. I don't expect the fights for the other two cities to be against top tier fighters for the same reason as with Theiss, but Marbelo will almost certainly send their number One or Two to protect their own core interests."

"And Stash's chances against Marbelo?"

"Fair: I would say fifty-fifty, which is as good as we ever got before Pip." Lilith nodded, but before she could ask another question, Geo continued. "There is also the matter of defending our own territories, in case we receive an unexpected challenge. I think the best bet is to hold off on using Stash as long as possible, just in case. Maybe Pip will be up and moving sooner than we expect." Lilith gave him a doubtful look, but decided not to argue the point.

"So other Adams for the fights with Theiss, Hammersfield, and Prince Volk, and then Stash for Marbelo?"

"That's the safest route I see."

"What then?" Geo looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable, figuring out how to respond, beginning and stopping a couple times. Lilith quickly grew impatient and snapped, "Out with it."

Geo had one more false start before he finally got himself rolling. "It really depends on whether or not we want to pursue the strategy we developed before the whole mess caused by Jacobs. We wanted to take out as many Marbelo fighters as possible to put pressure on them. This assumed that we had enough fighters to continue to press until they eventually capitulated. With Pip out of action, it's not so simple."

"The alternatives?"

"The first is that we stay the course," said Geo directly. "That means that after these three fights, we'll have four more with Marbelo before the end of the year. Then it's another eight fights for at least the next two years, not counting whoever might come against us. Our pool right now is still talented at the top, but also quite thin. Our new graduates have been good recently, but it still takes time to get ready for the Arena, so even if we expand by five or six Adams each of the next couple years, which would be unprecedented, we are a few bad losses from a very difficult reality."

"So we get through the next three fights and then rebuild," stated Lilith.

"That's the less risky option, but I agreed with the strategy John developed, and I think we can still make it work. We aren't in nearly as strong a position as before, but we still have an opportunity to be aggressive. If we back off, we could miss our chance at Theiss for at least the next decade.

"If it were solely up to me," he continued, "I would send our our new Three and Four to the next two or three fights, depending on how they go. Rover is legitimate, and Chaz is very good, so the odds for victory wouldn't change very much compared to us sending Stash. As for the Marbelo fight, there's no reason to make a final decision yet, but Stash seems like the logical fit."

Lilith was silent for some time, fingers steepled, considering. "Can we make the aggressive play now, and then back off if the fights don't go as planned?"

Geo nodded his head slowly, then faster. "Yes, that should be fine. We can wait until after the Marbelo fight to make the second round of challenges, and only then if we're still on course."

"What would that look like?"

Geo took a breath and let it out slowly. "Well, I think there are three things. First, we need either Rover or Chaz to come through their fight and be ready to go again in two or three months. This sets us up reasonably well for the next round.

"Second, we need to win the Marbelo fight, not so much because of the acquisition, but because we really need to eliminate one of their top tier fighters.

"Third, and most importantly, Pip needs to be ready to go for some of the fights later in the year."

As the two directors debated, across the Complex, Pip was moving slowly back to his room with Rosie after an aborted walk around the Courtyard. His left arm was still bound loosely to his side, but it was a staggering headache that was causing the trouble.

"Still seeing double?" she asked.

"Kinda. It's like things are just slightly out of focus."

"Worse than before?"

"Not really, but being in the sunlight and having to squint isn't helping. I'll be glad when we're back in my room."

Rosie chuckled good naturedly. "That's not what you were saying the last three days. All you could talk about was moving around again."

"Yeah, well, maybe Maggie was right after all," said Pip evasively. Rosie grinned and squeezed his hand.

As they approached the Adams' dormitory, the door swung open and Mars stepped out, raising a hand to shield his eyes against the sudden brightness. Rosie was shocked when Pip suddenly dropped to his knee, putting his right hand down to keep from pitching over. When her entreaties went unanswered, Rosie gestured to -- and then yelled at -- the larger Adam for help.

Mars was reluctant to get close to the kneeling Adam, knowing Pip's reputation as the most dangerous man in the world, but when Rosie planted a surprisingly hard fist into his left thigh, he overcame his indecision and helped Pip to stand. The trio made their way back to Pip's room, where Pip was laid gently on his bed, still only partially aware.

His assistance rendered, Mars stepped quickly into the hall, intending to be away from the situation. Rosie's hail brought him up short and he turned to see her gesturing for him to return. Sighing, he walked back to the young woman in blue and tan.

"I'm sorry I needed to hit you, but you weren't responding," she said without preamble.

"Uh, it's okay. I mean, I'm sorry for not helping sooner. It's just that I didn't want to be that close to Piper -- I know what he can do."

Rosie waved him off. "Not today. Listen, I need to go find my doctor friend, so stay here outside his door and make sure nobody comes in until I get back."

Mars' eyes widened. "But... I have a training session."

Rosie took in the black shorts and sleeveless shirt for the first time. "I understand, but this is more important. Stay here and I'll be back as soon as I can." Without waiting for a response, she was off down the hall toward the entrance, leaving Mars dumbfounded behind her. Not sure what else to do, he assumed a relaxed guard pose in front of the door.

A quarter bell later, a woman dressed in professional attire turned the corner, slowing down as she approached, appraising him all the while. "Is Pip okay?"

Mars stiffened and stood up a bit taller. "Yes, ma'am, I think so."

When he didn't say anything else, the woman asked pointedly, "Why are you guarding the door?"

"I'm not sure, ma'am. One of the, uh, PETs... she told me stay here until she gets back with a doctor."

The woman moved to step around him, but Mars gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but the other lady, she said nobody could go in."

The woman's eyebrow raised, and she asked, "Are you aware that I am a director here?"

Mars slowly shook his head. "No, ma'am, and I'm sorry if I'm doing the wrong thing, but I don't really know what's going on. Please wait here, and when the other young lady comes back, I hope she can explain."

Rachel looked critically at the Adam standing in front of her. She was quite certain that he was the tallest man she had ever seen, probably a full hand more than even Max had been, and while he was not nearly as muscular, his broad shoulders and hips indicated he would fill in later. His young face had gray eyes that were staring down at her earnestly, giving her a strong impression that he was doing his best in a situation with which he had no experience.

"The young woman that left was Rosie, Pip's First; you did the right thing in listening to her. My name is Rachel, and I'm the Director of Logistics. More importantly, I'm Pip's friend and former personal assistant. What's your name?"

"Mars, ma'am," he replied, relaxing some at Rachel's conversational tone.

"Okay, Mars, please tell me what you know."

The recap was very brief, and ended just as Rosie and Maggie hustled around the corner, barely giving Mars a glance as they stepped around him and into Pip's room. Their appearance was so sudden and brief that Mars and Rachel barely reacted.

"Well," Rachel said after an awkward moment, "I guess you can go."

"Thank you, ma'am," said the Adam uncertainly. "Before I do, is there anything else you need?"

Rachel smiled at him and shook her head. "No, but thank you for asking, and for staying in the first place. I will make sure I mention it to Director Humbolt."

Mars nodded and moved off, still confused, while Rachel stepped inside. Pip was sitting up, looking more or less like himself. Maggie was shining a light in his eyes and asking him what sounded like routine questions, so Rachel sat down to wait; Rosie was pacing nervously back and forth in front of the bed. Momentarily, Maggie finished her check and shrugged. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Try to use the Effect again, but really slowly... or lightly. However you think about it." Pip nodded, then winced. "Same thing?"

"Yeah," he replied, lying back on the bed. "I just eased into it a little and the pain was immediate."

"So you tried to use the Effect earlier?" Rachel asked, attempting to catch up.

Pip gave a small nod. "When one of the new Adams stepped out the door in front of Rosie and I. He raised his hand and my reaction was automatic. The pain was bad: it felt like somebody hit me on top of my head with a hammer."

The three women looked at each other, holding a silent, worried conversation. "We need to tell Director Collins," Rachel said at last. Rosie's eyes said she wasn't convinced, but she acquiesced without argument and laid down with her head on Pip's shoulder.

"I'll come with you," volunteered Maggie, and the two women departed directly, heading toward Lilith's office. As they turned the first corner, they found Mars stomping back toward them, clearly upset. Rachel stepped directly into the middle of the hallway, tugging Maggie's sleeve to get her to pause as well.

"Your trainer was upset you missed your session?" Rachel ventured.

Mars, who had been intending to step around the two women, came to a stop, then took a couple calming breaths. "You could say that," he answered tersely.

"Good, because I would like you to come with us. We're going to see the Executive Director, and I would appreciate an escort."

"Seriously?" he exclaimed. Rachel gave him a humorless smile and nodded, so he took another breath and stepped out of the way, holding up his arm and gesturing them past.

Instead of proceeding, Rachel nodded to the woman next to her. "Mars, this is Maggie, Pip's Second. She's also his personal physician, which is why she was in such a hurry earlier."

Maggie smiled pleasantly. "I'm sorry for being rude, and for apparently getting you in trouble. I hope you can understand how much we appreciate you watching out for Pip while he convalesces."

"Yeah, of course. I mean, I'm happy to help, it's just that I still don't have a clue what's going on."

"Fair enough," replied Rachel. "Let's start walking and we'll talk a little bit." With Maggie on his left and Rachel on his right, the trio made their way across the Complex while Rachel explained parts of Pip's story that Mars had never heard. As they reached Lilith's office, he understood more, but still not why they wanted him to come along.

Rachel knocked on the door, then stepped in, finding Lilith and Geo deep in a discussion on replacing newly opened positions following the failed revolt. After a brief exchange, she appeared again and motioned for Maggie to enter, then looked up to Mars. "I know it's still about as clear as mud, but give us a little while and everything will start to make sense. Yes?"

Mars smiled despite himself and nodded, watching Rachel disappear again inside. Once again with nothing to do, he adopted his guard pose and let his mind wander.

Inside, Maggie explained the situation to Lilith and Geo; unfortunately, she didn't have answers to provide. "So his gift -- his Effect -- is it gone?" Geo asked.

"No way to know right now, but my suspicion is that his concussion is somehow... interfering. It's been less than a week, and his type of head injury can take months to overcome; I would strongly suggest that we don't ask him to push it." Lilith and Geo shared some meaningful looks, then she sighed.

"It is what it is, but we need to give him every chance to recover. Maggie, I don't want you or Rosie doing any more rounds: your full-time jobs are now to take care of Pip."

"Yes, ma'am," said Maggie brightly. "He's going to get sick of us, but I think you're right that it's the best course."

"Does Pip also need an assistant if he's got them?" Lilith asked Rachel.

"Actually," she replied, "I think it would be a good idea. While he's recovering, they can learn about him without having too much to do -- it should make it easier once he's on his feet again."

"You have somebody in mind?" asked Geo, personnel being his purview.

"Emily Weisskauf. She's bright and energetic, and is underutilized in her clerk role. She's not a natural leader, so putting her in the open manager role doesn't make sense, but I don't like seeing her potential wasted. She doesn't have the pure intellect that Fetching would have brought, but she's a natural problem solver, so she'll do well."

Geo blinked a couple times and nodded. "Anything else?"

"What can you tell me about the Adam named Mars?"

The question caught the director by surprise and it took a moment for him to marshal his thoughts. "Well, the most obvious thing is his size. He's the biggest Adam to ever come into the pool, and by a pretty fair margin. In three or four years, once he puts on some more mass, he's going to be an absolute monster. We decided to promoted him to the pool half a cycle early because he was so far ahead of his peers, meaning a couple of other promising candidates are no longer in the program. He's vicious in a controlled way, and there's no quit in him -- a bit like Pip, actually. The main point is that he relies on his athleticism too much right now, so his technique isn't as good as, say, Stash or Pip, but then again, there's a reason they're our top Adams."

"I had a favorable impression of him," volunteered Lilith. "He and Stash stayed with me after... anyway, they acted as my bodyguards for the three days Constable Reeves was conducting his investigation." She paused for a few beats. "You want him to act as Pip's bodyguard?"

Rachel nodded. "I hope it's unnecessary, but caution may be the right approach here."

"Of course it makes sense," Lilith replied exasperatedly, "and I'm pissed at myself for not already thinking of it. Geoff, is Mars the right fit, or do you have someone better?"

"If we're talking about protection against other Adams, it's the same names we were discussing earlier, and they need to be training. To guard against people our size, one Adam is as good as another. We could even use some of the adolescent Adams."

Lilith shook her head. "Pip is too important, even if the actual risk to him is low."

"Then it sounds like Mars is a good fit, especially if you three are already comfortable with him."

The women nodded and the impromptu meeting broke up. Rachel and Maggie opened the door to find Mars standing with his arms folded, scowling down at an older man with an armful of papers. "I have an appointment," the man whined, but Mars just shook his head.

Rachel and Maggie shared quick smiles at seeing the Adam getting into his role as door guard before coming to the rescue. No apologies were offered, but the old man was allowed to pass while Mars and the two ladies strode off down the hallway. Rather than heading toward Pip's room, Rachel steered the trio toward the family dorms. Knowing that her friend had a good reason for the detour, Maggie kept silent; still significantly underinformed, Mars also kept his peace.