The Heterodyne Boys and the Clockwork Gravestone
A Nightmare
Every year Bill and Barry Heterodyne visited the grave of their parents in Mechanicsburg Cathedral on the anniversary of their deaths. It was a painful and upsetting ritual, but one they both felt they had to perform.
The grave was in a quiet corner of the Cathedral Vaults. Regardless of what they had been in life, the boys' parents had been Heterodynes and it was inconceivable that they should not be buried with their ancestors or have no memorial to record their names. However, the boys were well aware that there were citizens of Mechanicsburg who still looked back on the days of the old Heterodynes with nostalgia, so to ensure that the tomb did not become a shrine Barry had constructed a large bas relief to hide the gravestone from unwelcome pilgrims. A cunning mechanism enabled this fascia to be lifted to reveal the engraved monument for the annual act of remembrance. Incidentally, it also recorded the images and voices of anyone in the vicinity of the stone, so the brothers could identify people who were visiting it a little too often.
The Heterodyne Boys waited as the Curate of the Cathedral inserted the key into the tomb's mechanism and began to wind the spring. It was a large key and the curate was a rather small man, but the delay gave Bill and Barry time to reflect on their feelings towards their parents. Their mother and father had loved them in their own way, and they could both remember happy times as small children when they were all together as a family. However as they had grown older, the boys had come to realise more and more that something was very wrong at the heart of Mechanicsburg, a realisation that had grown to a conviction that something must be done, and, as they reached the natural rebelliousness of adolescence, the determination to make things change. Once they had both achieved (and survived) early breakthroughs and their Sparks had blossomed into full strength, it had been time to act.
Their first ally had been Castle Heterodyne itself, the sentient structure and childhood friend who had guided their upbringing and who they were gratified to learn shared their concerns. From there it had been a simple matter to sound out the Jäger Generals, where they found a staunch friend in General Zog. He had been instrumental in bringing the majority of the Generals, and hence the main body of the Jägerkin, in on their side. Once they were sure of core support, the boys had proceeded cautiously, surreptitiously modifying the many clanks and defensive mechanisms of the Castle to respond only to their commands, reconditioning or in extreme cases retiring the constructs who formed a large part of the Castle retinue and building alliances with the minor Sparks in Mechanicsburg who sheltered there beneath the Heterodyne name.
When the time for action came, they had achieved almost total surprise; their parents discovering that the trusted friends and colleagues of twenty years had suddenly turned against them. The minority of the forces still loyal had either been overwhelmed or had quietly changed sides as soon as they saw the way that the wind was blowing. The discovery that the Cathedral was an autonomous system, still obedient to 'The Heterodyne', had come as a nasty surprise and there had been some vicious fighting in and around the building that only ended when the brothers' parents had been killed, fighting side-by-side in front of the High Altar. It's how they would have wanted to die.
Once the accepted Heterodyne had been removed, the Cathedral ceased fighting immediately in accordance with the logic of its cognitive engine. Suddenly the Heterodyne boys were in control of Mechanicsburg and ready to Change the World with all the enthusiasm of idealistic teenagers. There had been a few who remained stubbornly loyal to the old Heterodyne, including the Seneschal, the chief minion and, most surprisingly, a handful of the Jägers, and they had had to be quietly disposed of, but all in all it had been a relatively painless transition with minimal collateral damage and quite in keeping with the traditions of Heterodyne succession. The Heterodyne Boys had rung the Doom Bell, a rather confused Franz had awoken to distribute largesse and once the celebrations were over the citizens of Mechanicsburg had enthusiastically embraced the New Heterodyne Era.
Finally, the curate finished winding the spring and withdrew to leave Bill and Barry alone. Bill reached across and pulled the lever to activate the mechanism. With a smooth ticking the fascia lifted to reveal the names and sigils engraved beneath. It was always a sad moment, bringing back poignant memories of childhood, but Bill always forced himself to remember just exactly what this parents had been, what they represented and why they had to die. It was the whole point of this annual ceremony really. He was just glad he wasn't the one who had fired the fatal shots at the end. He could not suppress the lump in his throat or the stinging in his eyes as he looked at the two sigils engraved on the slab; the Trilobite of Heterodyne and the Winged Rook of Wulfenbach. And beneath, the simple inscription:
Agatha Heterodyne
Gilgamesh Wulfenbach
United in Death
The Heterodyne Boys shared a moment of silence. Bill glanced over to his brother. Barry nodded. Duty had been done. Their parents had been honoured and remembered. Bill pushed back the lever and the clockwork gravestone closed on the inscriptions for another year. Without a backward glance, Bill Junior and Barry Junior, the New Heterodyne Boys, left the Vaults and returned to Castle Heterodyne to continue their crusade of spreading death and destruction across all of Europa in the best tradition of the Heterodynes of old.
Every year Bill and Barry Heterodyne visited the grave of their parents in Mechanicsburg Cathedral on the anniversary of their deaths. It was a painful and upsetting ritual, but one they both felt they had to perform.
The grave was in a quiet corner of the Cathedral Vaults. Regardless of what they had been in life, the boys' parents had been Heterodynes and it was inconceivable that they should not be buried with their ancestors or have no memorial to record their names. However, the boys were well aware that there were citizens of Mechanicsburg who still looked back on the days of the old Heterodynes with nostalgia, so to ensure that the tomb did not become a shrine Barry had constructed a large bas relief to hide the gravestone from unwelcome pilgrims. A cunning mechanism enabled this fascia to be lifted to reveal the engraved monument for the annual act of remembrance. Incidentally, it also recorded the images and voices of anyone in the vicinity of the stone, so the brothers could identify people who were visiting it a little too often.
The Heterodyne Boys waited as the Curate of the Cathedral inserted the key into the tomb's mechanism and began to wind the spring. It was a large key and the curate was a rather small man, but the delay gave Bill and Barry time to reflect on their feelings towards their parents. Their mother and father had loved them in their own way, and they could both remember happy times as small children when they were all together as a family. However as they had grown older, the boys had come to realise more and more that something was very wrong at the heart of Mechanicsburg, a realisation that had grown to a conviction that something must be done, and, as they reached the natural rebelliousness of adolescence, the determination to make things change. Once they had both achieved (and survived) early breakthroughs and their Sparks had blossomed into full strength, it had been time to act.
Their first ally had been Castle Heterodyne itself, the sentient structure and childhood friend who had guided their upbringing and who they were gratified to learn shared their concerns. From there it had been a simple matter to sound out the Jäger Generals, where they found a staunch friend in General Zog. He had been instrumental in bringing the majority of the Generals, and hence the main body of the Jägerkin, in on their side. Once they were sure of core support, the boys had proceeded cautiously, surreptitiously modifying the many clanks and defensive mechanisms of the Castle to respond only to their commands, reconditioning or in extreme cases retiring the constructs who formed a large part of the Castle retinue and building alliances with the minor Sparks in Mechanicsburg who sheltered there beneath the Heterodyne name.
When the time for action came, they had achieved almost total surprise; their parents discovering that the trusted friends and colleagues of twenty years had suddenly turned against them. The minority of the forces still loyal had either been overwhelmed or had quietly changed sides as soon as they saw the way that the wind was blowing. The discovery that the Cathedral was an autonomous system, still obedient to 'The Heterodyne', had come as a nasty surprise and there had been some vicious fighting in and around the building that only ended when the brothers' parents had been killed, fighting side-by-side in front of the High Altar. It's how they would have wanted to die.
Once the accepted Heterodyne had been removed, the Cathedral ceased fighting immediately in accordance with the logic of its cognitive engine. Suddenly the Heterodyne boys were in control of Mechanicsburg and ready to Change the World with all the enthusiasm of idealistic teenagers. There had been a few who remained stubbornly loyal to the old Heterodyne, including the Seneschal, the chief minion and, most surprisingly, a handful of the Jägers, and they had had to be quietly disposed of, but all in all it had been a relatively painless transition with minimal collateral damage and quite in keeping with the traditions of Heterodyne succession. The Heterodyne Boys had rung the Doom Bell, a rather confused Franz had awoken to distribute largesse and once the celebrations were over the citizens of Mechanicsburg had enthusiastically embraced the New Heterodyne Era.
Finally, the curate finished winding the spring and withdrew to leave Bill and Barry alone. Bill reached across and pulled the lever to activate the mechanism. With a smooth ticking the fascia lifted to reveal the names and sigils engraved beneath. It was always a sad moment, bringing back poignant memories of childhood, but Bill always forced himself to remember just exactly what this parents had been, what they represented and why they had to die. It was the whole point of this annual ceremony really. He was just glad he wasn't the one who had fired the fatal shots at the end. He could not suppress the lump in his throat or the stinging in his eyes as he looked at the two sigils engraved on the slab; the Trilobite of Heterodyne and the Winged Rook of Wulfenbach. And beneath, the simple inscription:
Agatha Heterodyne
Gilgamesh Wulfenbach
United in Death
The Heterodyne Boys shared a moment of silence. Bill glanced over to his brother. Barry nodded. Duty had been done. Their parents had been honoured and remembered. Bill pushed back the lever and the clockwork gravestone closed on the inscriptions for another year. Without a backward glance, Bill Junior and Barry Junior, the New Heterodyne Boys, left the Vaults and returned to Castle Heterodyne to continue their crusade of spreading death and destruction across all of Europa in the best tradition of the Heterodynes of old.