Long steel rods thrust out of his shaven head at regular intervals, radiating out for over a foot in length, connected by a wide steel hoop, like a great metal halo. The way the skin puckered around the base of the rods suggested they’d been there for some time. The combined weight must have been appalling, but Truman showed no sign of any strain. My first thought was that he’d been in an accident, and this was some kind of head brace, but the pride in his eyes and in his bearing suggested differently.
Look at what I have done to myself, his face said. Isn’t it magnificent?
"Yes," he said, in a deep authoritative voice. "It’s all my own work. I drilled the holes in my skull myself, inserted the steel rods one at a time, forcing them a specific distance into my brain, following my own very careful calculations. And then all I had to do was connect them up with a reinforcing ring, and I became the first man to realise the true potential of the human brain. Oh, yes, my friends, this crown of thorns serves a definite purpose."
"Really?" I said. "I’m so glad to hear that."
"It all arose out of my interest in acupuncture and trepanation," he said, carrying on with his prepared speech as though he hadn’t even heard me, and perhaps he hadn’t. "The rods in my brain activate the energy centres, expand my thoughts, and increase the power of my mind beyond all normal limitations. My brain is now the equal of any computer, able to store incredible amounts of information, make decisions at undreamt-of speed, and multitask like you wouldn’t believe. I hold the entire organisation of Manifest Destiny in my head, down to the smallest detail. Nothing escapes me.
"I can see all the scientific and magical forces at work in the world around me, all the things that are hidden to most mortals. I can see all the invisible and intangible threats to the works of man. And at the same time, I am invisible and invulnerable to all those forces who would bring me down, if they could. No magic or science can touch me now."
I tried to interrupt, but he was on a roll. He must have said this many times before, to new recruits, but I could tell he never got tired of it.
"I created Manifest Destiny through the force of my own will, bringing people to me and convincing them of the need for an organisation like this. People of like mind and true hearts, dedicated body and soul to the good and necessary work before us. Nothing less than freeing humanity from the ancient yoke of the Droods. Nothing less than setting mankind free, at last. Every day my agents walk abroad in the world, gathering new allies, sabotaging the Drood infrastructure, and clawing the world back from them, inch by inch. We’re not strong enough to go head-to-head with the Droods, not yet. But soon enough, we will be. And then…we’ll see a whole new world, with mankind no longer held in check by Drood authority, free to make our own destiny at last."
He leaned forward across his desk, fixing me with his powerful gaze. He was staring right into the golden mask of Drood armour, but it didn’t seem to faze him at all. "Join us, Edwin. You know now that everything your family taught you is a lie. Believe me; it is a far greater honour to free a world than to rule it. With your help, with what you know, and with the secrets of your incredible armour…there are no limits to what we might achieve! Join us, Edwin. Be my agent. And I will give you a new cause and a new purpose. Just like Solomon here."
He smiled briefly at the artificial man standing beside him. "My faithful Solomon. He was a lost soul when I found him. Discarded by his creators, abandoned by those he’d served so faithfully and for so long. A warrior without a war. I opened his eyes to a new cause, new possibilities, and now he is a part of the greatest and most important army this world has ever known. An organisation dedicated to one end…setting mankind free."
"Tell me," I said when he finally paused for breath, "did you start getting these ideas before or after you began drilling holes in your head?"
He stared at me blankly for a moment, and Solomon Krieg stirred ominously. And then Truman laughed, a big open cheerful sound, and Solomon relaxed again. Truman shook his head slowly, still chuckling.
"I know; I do tend to go on a bit once I get started, don’t I? But people expect a big speech from the big man, so…Damn, it’s good to have someone in here who isn’t intimidated or overawed by me! Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to have a normal conversation around here? It’s hard to just chat with other people by the watercooler, when everyone’s ready to agree with every word I say, as though it was holy writ…Come and join us, Edwin, if only so I can have someone around me who isn’t afraid to tell me when I’m talking crap."
He grinned at me, and I couldn’t help grinning back. I liked him rather more now, even if I still didn’t entirely trust him. First rule of an agent: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. Truman turned his smile on Molly.
"How’s my little fellow traveller? Still spreading chaos among our enemies? Good, good…You’ve done well, Molly, in bringing Edwin to me. I know how badly you must have wanted to kill him. I’m not blind to the history you two have. But rest assured, having him here changes everything. The time is coming when we will take Drood Hall by force, and you have my word that you will be with us on that day and wade in Drood blood up to your ankles."
"You know what a girl wants to hear," said Molly.
Truman smiled at Mr. Stab and Girl Flower, if a little more distantly.
"Be welcome here, my friends. There is good work here for you to take up, should you choose to accept it. If not, go freely and of your own will." He looked back at me, his smile broadening again. "Tell me the truth, Edwin. Now that you’ve seen Manifest Destiny, what do you think of it?"
"You have a very impressive organisation," I said carefully. "But doesn’t it all strike you as just a bit…Aryan?"
"Hell, no," Truman said immediately. "That was the past. We’re only interested in the future. We have military discipline here because you can’t get anything done without it. And everyone is expected to achieve their full potential. But we are all dedicated to the cause first, and ourselves second."
"I’m still not clear on the philosophy behind your cause," I said.
"Freedom is a marvellous concept, but a bit nebulous in practice. Overthrowing my family is one thing; but what do you propose to replace them with? What, exactly, is Manifest Destiny for?"
Truman sat back in his chair and considered me thoughtfully. He wasn’t smiling anymore. He knew set speeches wouldn’t work with me. Tiny sparks manifested briefly among his halo of steel rods, like passing thoughts. When he finally spoke, he chose his words carefully, directing them only at me, ignoring everyone else in his office.
"Man has gotten soft," he said flatly. "Under Drood rule, he’s lost his courage and his pride. The Droods have used unfair, nonhuman advantages to keep us in our place, like sheep. They maintain a bland status quo that allows alien and magical forces and creatures to run freely in what was always supposed to be our world. Man’s world. The Droods’ control over us must be broken, by any means necessary, so that these inhuman beings can be driven out of our world and man can be free to forge his own destiny at last."
"And yet," I murmured, "some of these beings are your allies. The Loathly Ones. The Lurkers on the Threshold. Some might call these beings…evil. Certainly they have no love for humanity."
Truman spread his hands. "I’m fighting a war, Edwin, against the greatest conspiracy this world has ever known, against a powerful and implacable enemy. I have to take my allies where I can find them. We work together, in common cause, to bring the Droods down. Afterwards…things will be different."