Chapter 4: Briefing

Belle’s eyes were wide. Her blood pumping.

“Now, I’m sure you have a lot of questions to ask.”, said Mr. Fib.

“You set me up, you bastard!”, said Belle.

With one hand free, the reporter rejected Victor’s hand to reach towards her skirt. Before she could grab the knife, the guard behind her right grabbed her arm again, hard. She let out a yelp.

“Careful!”, barked Victor Cogston. “I don’t want a single hair on her head harmed.”

“But sir, she was going for something.”

“Yes, and you could've grabbed her arm more gently and stopped her all the same.”

Victor turned to her, and she take in the details of his face. Somewhat aged, early 40s. His eyes were brown and stared at a face just a moment before looking up at her hairline of all places. His jaw was weak, face clean shaven and smooth. His voice, even when shouting, was a tad on the softer side.

Belle was up close with the richest man in the nation, and she thought him oddly feeble.

“Belle Braxley. My associate here will release your arm and you are to slowly retrieve whatever weapon is stowed against your thigh and drop it to the floor. It would be unwise to try anything in the process.”

He gave a gentle nod to the man holding her left arm, and he pointed a pistol to her face.

Belle slowly did as she was told. This wasn’t the first time her life was threatened, though it was the first time it was with a gun.

‘If you got out of that, you can get out of this. Just play it calm.’, she thought.

“How do you know my name?”, she asked.

“My memory is near eidetic, and I memorized the faces of all the candidates.”

Belle dropped the knife to the ground and slid it over with her foot. Some security guard picked it up and took it away for disposal.

“Candidates?”, she said.

“You don’t think I just tipped off one reporter?”, chimed in Mr. Fib. “Do you remember, Belle, when I said analyzing people was an important part of my job duties? What do you think I was doing at The Golden Gear all day? I was there all day, I wouldn’t put a full day’s booking to waste.”

He chuckled, and Belle grew only more confused.

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ll explain it to you, everything, including why you’re here.”, said Victor. “I ask only for your patience and good manners. You won’t get away from us now anyways, so there is no point to resist. Do you understand?”

Belle paused a moment then nodded.

With a snap of Victor’s fingers the guards released their hold on her arms and ever so kindly moved the pistol muzzle from her left temple.

“Is your arm ok? Bruised?”, said Victor.

She rubbed it. “No, just squeezed a little tight I suppose.”

“Good, let’s walk and talk.”

Victor Cogston walked alongside Belle. Behind him was Mr. Fib and a group of security guards. The desks were large, dozens of feet in length. Towards the middle were most of the diagrams, which was where they were walking under the watchful eyes of security guards at the other end of the furniture and high up on the scaffolding at the roof.

“I’m sure you’ve no doubt noticed the giant brass woman?”, said Victor.

“You know, now that you mention it, I suppose that is a thing.”

He laughed.

“Good, a sense of humor is a good trait.”

“What is it for?”, she asked.

“The future.”, he answered without skipping a beat.

“What does that even mean?”, she asked.

“Ah where to begin.” he paused a moment, then spoke.

"Steam technology: developed independently by the British and Chinese; refined and improved by the Americans and Japanese. It spread everywhere, including to the imperialized colonies, only to be used by the native denizens in successful rebellion. It's a marvelous technology. The one uniter of countries across the globe is the mutual race in arms, productivity, and leisure with steamtech. I believe it is very much the key to humanity's glorious future, but the current trajectory points to a rather gruesome end."

They stopped walking at the center of the two desks in front of all the diagrams. He looked to the ones at the left, which displayed all sorts of things, though the center one was the largest, with the Brass Woman on the front.

“So you’re a doomsday theorist?” said Belle.

“No.”, said Victor. “I’m a realist. Surely you, a reporter, read the news?”

Belle smirked. Victor continued talking.

“The French are bitter about losing hold on their colonies in Africa. I say it serves them right, but they don't see it the loss as a learning opportunity even though they’ve had decades to do so. Their persistent, destructive, and futile efforts on the north of that continent are the only thing that keeps their ceasefire with the British going. The British, meanwhile, have used their vacation from fighting the French to harass Norway for resources they don't need, but want.”

He paused for a breath.

“Russia and Poland have decided to pick at the Ukraine, who’s enlisted the Ottoman’s to the south. While Europe is tangled in this web of avarice and alliances, China has started licking its lips at Korea, if the scarce reports of troops near Korea’s northern border are anything to go by.”

“What’s your point?”, said Belle.

“My point is that the world is at the precipice of an explosion of conflict. The moment things turn into an invasion in any of the locations I mention, I fear there will be an all out war. Alliances are tangled, grudges high. With all the mutual interests at odds, I fear a global war is on the horizon.”

“There have been wars before.”, said Belle.

Victor frowned.

“Are you being absurd on purpose? Playing devil’s advocate? You know war is horrible, but, there is a small truth to your words. There have been wars before, but not global, and not with the technology on hand or what is to come. Things are advancing rapidly in the field of airships and armaments. I worry the weapons of a new war could ravage human civilization beyond repair. We are in a unique situation where almost every country on Earth is excelling in terms of growth and development, yet wouldn’t bat an eye to stab their neighboring nations for a bite of their dinner.”

“So, is that why you built that giant woman? To make the machine of the future before anyone else?”, asked Belle.

“It’s no mere machine.”, said Victor. “It’s a body.”

He waved his hand at Mr. Fib, who dutifully moved to the center diagram with the Brass Woman on it. His fingers flipped the page to reveal a new diagram, showing a bit of an inside view to the thing. Belle had seen a similar view to this on the other diagram, but this one focused more on the pipes running through it. They looked almost like veins in the numbers and complexities of their neat arrangement.

“So, it is piloted?”, said Belle.

“Only in the sense of how your brain pilots your body, yes, you could say that. But, it’s not as though someone is in there with goggles, pulling levers and turning knobs.”

Belle was stunned. Mr. Fib turned the page again, showing a close up on the face of the colossus. There were detailed instructions for the flow of the hair and minutia of the face shape and symmetry.

“Impressive, isn’t it? I hired some of the best artists this nation had to offer. While designing the body, my goal was to treat the Brass Woman like the legends of Aphrodite. She was to be the perfect female form, with all deviations from it imperfections that make others unique. A paragon, divine.”

“And what do those artists think of your plan?”, asked Belle. “Your super weapon?”

Victor laughed.

“What did they think of my plan? You don’t even know my plan Belle.”

“’Did?’”, she interrupted. “Past tense now?”

Victor sighed.

“I took no pleasure in it, but once they knew of the working conditions here, and what the final goals were, most of them got cold feet. They wanted to leave the project. You know those artists types, always loving the ideal over the practical, always valuing freedom over their safety. Most had to be disposed of, but some saw the light of my vision, and are under my employ even now. Occasionally, a scientist or two, too, would get a sudden nerve to try and leave, but for the most part we are unified here at Voxhaben LLC.”

“So you... what is your final goal then? Your vision that’s worth those lives?”

Belle was angry, but also afraid. This was clearly a man willing to kill. She cheered herself up with a simple thought.

‘If I make it out of here, I’ll have one heck of a story.’

Victor clutched his cane tightly.

“Belle, although that body will be the greatest super weapon the world will ever see, I didn’t make it for something so crude. If I wanted a mere super-weapon, it wouldn’t look remotely human. It’s something for people to look to, admire, obey.”

Her turned to look her right in the eyes.

“The grand project of this complex, the effort I’ve sunk over half the company’s and my own personal fortune into isn’t the creation of a weapon: it’s the creation of a god.”

Belle’s jaw dropped.

“What? That’s... that’s mad!”

“Well you write the papers, you should know what kind of man I am: crazy!”

He laughed.

“A joke. I assure you, I’m entirely serious.”

“I... what?”

Henry Fib silently flipped another page on the diagram. This new one showing a design of some gears inside the body where the elbows, knees, and other joints were.

“Of course, important points of articulation are aided via gear systems. I wanted this body to sacrifice none of the flexibility afforded to a human one. Sacrificing speed was acceptable, but not flexibilities. Ah, next page Mr. Fib, it’s a good on.”

Henry obliged. The next page showed the space in the body between the outermost brass. It seemed there was a cavity there, and little puff-like drawings were speckled about within that area.

“Do you see this?”, said Victor. “It’s how the body feels a sense of touch, heat, and cold. Steam permeates cavities just under the body’s surface, and responds to vibrations against the colossus’s surface. Through some very complicated processes, this conveys touch to the body’s brain. I really wanted this body to be, well, a body: more than a contraption. I hope this doesn’t sound egotistical, but I’m confident more steamtech innovations came about from this project, *solely* for this project, than worldwide in the past decade at least.”

“A god, you said? Even if that wasn’t mad, how does that help your issue?”, said Belle.

“Think clearly here Belle. Here at Voxhaben we are leaders in securing military contracts. More than half the geartanks in the armed forces are our make, and that’s to nothing of the steam canons, pistols... If I wanted to just make a super weapon I could’ve done so far quicker and cheaper, but, what do you think that would accomplish.”

“Well, you could probably prevent that war. Strike first right?”

Victor laughed.

“Yes, if I wanted to make just a super weapon, I could develop the first ocean-traversing airship and fly an armada of them across the Atlantic. I could’ve researched more explosives and steam cannons, and used this army to conquer Europe, no the world, in the name of the United States government. Or, if I were particularly daring and self-centered, I could conquer it in my name with a private army. Then I’d be king of the world, but then what?”

“Well... I suppose you’d eventually die.”

“Exactly, and when I do, there’s a struggle for power. I can set up procedures for succession, but I can’t guarantee they’ll be upheld. That’s all assuming I’m not overthrown while I’m still alive. Even if I were immortal, something could go wrong. People could rebel, or lock me underground.”

“I... so you’re making a god?”, said Belle.

“Yes, because that’s what the people need. They need something to revere, to admire, to obey because it is inherently better than they are. The body is a super weapon, but it’s also a super idol. Too big to ignore. Too marvelous to deny.”

He smiled as he turned towards the Brass Woman, standing tall among the scaffolding and its shackles.

“The problem is human nature. People view the world as zero sum, as a hierarchy. I see greed in the rich as well as the poor. The evils of humankind are pervasive. Someone needs to keep it in check and guide humanity to the future. Someone beyond humans needs to prevent future conflicts by cementing itself as an absolute authority.”

Belle shook her head side to side.

“That’s ridiculous. So you’re going to put yourself in that in that giant body and call yourself a god?”

Victor shook his head fast.

“Oh no, no I spent too much money on surgeries to ever be seen as a woman again.”

Belle tilted her head.

“Ok, fine, but then why didn’t you build a giant male body?”

“Because that’s not my body. Its yours.”

“What?!?”

“I’m not fit to be a god. It takes more than engineering genius to be as successful as me. I’ve created inventions that have put tens of thousands out of work. For every government contract I won, others lost out. I knew rivals would go out of business for decisions I made, but I made them anyway. The owners were usually fine, having their banked funds and such. But what of the employees? How many jobs have I killed? How many people became homeless because of me, or starved? People think this stuff doesn’t weigh on me, but it does. I see the state of the city, and for all the good I’ve done there’s still so much negative consequences. Troublesome externalities abound in business, mine especially.”

He shook his head side to side.

“No, I’m as greedy and corrupted as most. I lack the traits needed to be a good god. But you, Belle, you’re the one.”

“I really don't understand what you mean. Why me of all people?”

“You passed my tests.”

“Tests? You mean, with Mr. Fi-, Henry over there.”

“Yes. Tell her, Mr. Fib.”

“When we met, you were neither obsequious nor egotistical”, said Henry. “You declined liquor, valuing the integrity of your judgment over cheap thrills. When it came to the food, you didn’t pig out on it, even though you knew you’d probably never have as rich a meal again in your life. At the same time, you weren’t so prideful as to resist sampling it: you were open to experiences.”

“Ok, no, I think you are all reading too far into this.”, she said.

Henry continued.

“All that lead me to giving you the better of the two press passes I kept with me. It was the one that got you past the doors to the complex, instead of marking you as a failure fit for termination by the front guards.”

Belle was still processing all this, so Victor chimed in.

“Don’t be frightened, the vast majority of people didn’t make it that far. Just reaching the front gates showed that you were brave enough to risk your career and reputation. You brought up having a tip about Voxhaben to your boss, did you not? He contacted our company shortly after, sending a courier to deliver a letter, ratting you out to try and curry favor with us.”

“He did?”, said Belle.

“He did, but I can’t blame him. No newspaper would dare to write a story I wouldn’t like. I own portions of many of the news companies, you see, and the ones I don’t are easy enough to bully into disgrace should the need arise. You probably remember a few such cases. It’d be career destruction to write a story leaking my company secrets, but you were willing to do it anyways.”

Belle listened, managing to resist the urge to run from the creeps all the while.

“Of course,” said Victor. “Getting to the central chamber was another feat. Those guards were sent on a scheduled patrol, but you showed cunning in hiding from them. Lastly, in entering this, the project room, you showed the bare minimum of resourcefulness by managing to overcome a simple lock.”

“And that’s it? That’s the prerequisites for your god plans? I’m just some woman you found; I’m no god.”, said Belle.

“Well, that’s not all. I did want to choose a woman. People seemed to prefer goddesses over gods in history’s past.”, said Victor.

Belle began to worry now. She was supposed to get a story and get out, not be roped into some gigantic steamtech... thing.

“W-what about the others?”

“If there were others, Belle, you would’ve met them in this room. You were the only one with a proper pass to get this far. No one else risked their career. Some of those who behaved poorly with Mr. Fib did reach the front doors, motivated by their greed with their fears tempered by stupidity no doubt. They had to be disposed of.”

“But, I don’t want this. I just wanted a story. I just wanted to be a great reporter.”

“Belle Belle Belle,”, said Victor. Her turned to face her and approached, arms spread wide with a smile. She crept backwards.

“I know you’re frightened, but you shouldn’t be resisting the idea this much. You’ll be much more than than a reporter. You’ll be humanity’s future. A god. A GOD! Don’t you want to be something more than human?”

“We can guide you along the way.” chimed in Mr. Fib, which earned a glance from Victor.

“yes, we can help you.”, said Victor.

“I don’t want to. I don’t want to be stuffed inside that body.”, said Belle.

“Relax, the surgery will be over before you know it.”

“Surgery?!?”

“Your current body is useless. Less than useless, a hindrance. A distraction. Only your brain is needed. We need to take it out of course.”

Victor took some steps forward. The security guards behind Belle slipped on some rubber gloves and slowly moved in.

“Get away!”, said Belle. She kept creeping back.

”Perhaps more details can calm you down. It’ll feel like your current body, only bigger, better. You’ll feel powerful. Mr. Fib, flip another page.”

Henry obliged and Belle glanced in horror at the next diagram. It showed a horde of... something running around the body. A single bit of that ‘something’ was connected by a line to a circle signifying a ‘zooming in’. In the circle was some weird spider-looking creation with a rectangle body holding oodles of thin pipes and poles on it.

“What are those?!” cried Belle.

“Ah, that’s not the best page. Forget it Mr. Fib.”

Henry flipped back to the previous page. Belle looked and saw that same spider-like thing on a diagram behind her. She also saw a stark black intermingling of cubes on another diagram.

“What is that? What is all this stuff? I’ll have no part in your mad experiments.”

She made a break for it, giving in to her body’s fear response. The guards were faster, stronger. Then grabbed her by the sides, wrapped their arms around her, and held her steady.

Victor moved in.

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain it during the procedure. Those diagrams will be coming with us as references.”

“No! I don’t want this!”

“I’m afraid there is no choice in the matter. The future of humanity is at stake. Just do your best to stay calm, it’ll make this all easier.”

Victor raised his cane and pressed the bottom of it against her abdomen in a poke. He pressed a button and a shock wracked Belle’s body.

She was limp, but conscious while they dragged her away.