Seras little snippet thread

“Gross.” I muttered as I peeled off the gloves and tossed them into a trash bin. “But a days rest, and they should be right as rain.”

“It von’t take dot long at all. Hyu’ll see, ve’ll be at you side in jusht a few minutes.”

“I said a day. If I find out you leave these beds before giving my work a days time to settle in, I’ll BREAK YOU UNTIL YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SIT IN PLACE WHILE YOU HEAL!” I roared at the arrogant Jager that was sending me a smirk.

The smirk that instantly was wiped off his face.

“Ve’ll be goot! Right?”

“Yah, goot! No trouble here. Hy needed a nap anyvays! For a full day! Right?”

“Right!”

I nodded pleased with their groveling. “Good. After that, since you’re some of the only Jagers in town, I’ll need you at my side.” I told them, reaching over and ruffling their hair for a moment.

The look I got in return. Their raw need to be needed struck me.

Truly my father and uncle were cruel men.

I turned and Mama Gkika who had taken on the duty of my guard for now nodded looking very pleased.

“Hyu do goot vork. Even for de first time.”

“I might not have been able to perform much practical’s while I was at TPU, but I knew I’d have to take care of my Jagers some day. I studied hard. Learned everything I could… Your assistance, and the information I pulled from the library helped.”

“Hyu ectually care about us. It’s been a vile since ve’ve had a Heterodyne dot’s done dot.” She noted, and I could only nod.

“You’re my people. Monsters or not.” I walked past and then through the sewers back up to the Mama Gkika’s club.

It was empty.

I’d given the Tourists of Mechanicsburg a week to sort their affairs and to get out, while I worked on repairing my city.

It hadn’t taken more than an hour for nearly all of them to flee Mechanicsburg.

Mechanicsburg might have been a tourist town for a while. A place to be faux scared by faux Jager girls. A place to buy Heterodyne boy junk, or maybe have a thrill or two.

But with an unknown Heterodyne at the helm, the fear hadn’t been so faux, it hadn’t taken long at all for the fleeing to begin.

It wasn’t at all because I’d demanded the Doom Bell be rung a second time.

I learned something about myself today.

I fucking love the Doom Bell.

I’d had a case of the Maniacal laughter for ten minutes after the first time I’d rung it.

Definitely going to set a schedule, maybe as a noonday bell while I was here? It really was delightful.

Shaking it off, I left Mama Gkika’s and walked right into a crowd. They kept their distance, but every one of them was a minion desperate to serve their master.

Their eyes were filled with desperate hope.

There was a connection between Heterodyne and Mechanicsburg that went beyond just loyalty, and passion.

Neither were complete without the other.

I raised a wrench and the entire crowd went silent.

“My town is damaged. My defenses broken, and enemies will soon be at the gate… Isn’t it great!? COME! WE HAVE THINGS TO FIX, ENEMIES TO RUIN, ALL FOR THE GLORY OF MECHANICSBURG AND THE HETERODYNE!”

“GLORY TO THE HETERODYNE!” The crowd screamed back, suddenly that excited energy exploded and I laughed as I marched towards the castle. Practically the entire town at my back.

Almost no Jagers. Most of the defenses were taken or broken down. And soon all of Europa eyeing my back.

Was there any better position for a Heterodyne to be in? I had Mechanicsburg, and so I had the world.

The rest of Europa just hadn’t realized it yet.

I marched to one of the towns large squares and found myself standing on top of a stage that had once been for Heterodyne Boy shows.

How Ironic.

“Where is my Seneschal?” I called over the crowd and smiled as both Caron, and his Grandson hurried forward, the crowd literally splitting for them.

“How can we serve Mistress?” Carson offered bowing.

“Gather my people into work groups! I want the Barons men gently escorted OUT of my town. I want a full review of all the defenses! Anything non functioning is to be reported! Tourists still have their seven days if they choose to enter the city, but I want them watched. No trouble from them is allowed!”

The crowd was eating out of my hands as I yelled my orders. Tools came out of pockets, and already people were splitting themselves into groups without a word.

“LONG LIVE THE NEW HETERODYNE! REJOICE!” Roared a large voice and I turned and couldn’t help but feel my smile grow.

A dragon. An actual dragon.

I had a dragon.

He carried a massive bag over his shoulder, and as he passed through the crowd he reached into it and tossed some gold coins into the crowd.

“And that would make you the new Heterodyne.” He greeted me, and I raised my hand as a lady would to greet a gentleman. Franz the Dragon blinked in surprise but his maw split into a smirk as he lowered a hand larger than my entire body to support my hand for a second and mimed a kiss.

“I am Agatha Heterodyne. And you are?”

“Franz Scortchmaw. A pleasure Mistress.”

“Right, don’t let me forget. THE MONSTERS OF MECHANICSBURG ARE MY PEOPLE. THEY WILL NEVER AGAIN NEED TO HIDE THEMSELVES. THIS IS MY TOWN, AND SO THIS IS YOUR HOME! AS LONG AS I AM HETERODYNE!”

I roared out, actually quite angry at the fact that so many of my people had been forced into hiding, or just away.

Not just from the Baron. My father and uncle had not gotten along with the monsters of Mechanicsburg.

Franz blinked at my call and then smiled and bowed to me.

The crowd erupted into cheers, and soon groups were running around gathering things I needed, and checking on everything I wanted repairs.

“You know Mistress. There are other traditions that need to take place.” Carson offered, the old Seneschal idly lighting his pipe as he did.

“Ah, you mean the Red Cathedral and such?” I asked, remembering that the Doom Bell was important, but not the final act.

“Indeed.”

“No.” I said firmly, leaving no room to waver. “You’ll find that I have a firm order on things. Work first. Then theatrics. Fools that mix the two often end up in the middle of their theatrics when everything falls apart. Presentation is only possible through preparation.”

“It is the way we confirm the Heterodyne.” He added a bit warily.

“I respect traditions, but let me ask you Carson, if the Baron shows up in a few days and walks over our defenses and captures me away to his stupid castle, do you think anyone will care that I went through the Theatrics? No. They’ll only know that I failed. Work first. Theatrics after.”

“Yes Mistress.”

I sighed and wanted to rub at my eyes, instead I took off my glasses and idly cleaned them.

The Baron. I’d have to deal with him, have to deal with all the nobility of Europa, of all the mad Sparks, and arrogant fools.

Hmm, the best way to deal with people like this is to just do what I want, and be considered eccentric, but…

What sort of eccentric? I liked the Madness place, but I wasn’t one for the subtle backstabbing politics. I hated that…

Right. I hated that, so I obviously didn’t want to do it. Besides, I don’t think I’d be that good at it, so I’d be at a disadvantage anyways.

“When dealing with the sneaky types, what’s the best way to mess with them?” I asked aloud as I put my glasses back on.

“Mistress?” Carson asked obviously not quite understanding.

“You know, I’ve had a lot of time to think about what kind of Heterodyne I’d be. A good one, a good one, a bad one, or a bad one. You know?”

“I think I understand Mistress.”

“But it’s not just about what type I want to be. I’m not a hero like my father and uncle. They… They failed. They tried to change the world, and the moment their back was turned it all went wrong anyways. But I’m not like my Grandfather… Honestly I almost wish I could have met him, but Grandmother poisoned him, so that’s that.”

“Ah Saint Teodora, may she rest peacefully in heaven forevermore.” Carson added and I just waived at that. Even though my Grandfather had been a Heterodyne, even the people of the town considered her a saint despite murdering him.

No, that was too much. I didn’t care to be a hero, but I didn’t want to be just evil.

A villainess had to have a certain class. A flair. A way of acting that made everyone want to keep them around maybe even with hope they could be turned to good. Yet, that was my mothers thing.

The idea of mimicking her made me sick, also I would suck at it. No, I had to do something else. Something that worked for me that disrupted everyone else's plans.

“Ah I forgot.” I mentioned smiling as the idea struck me. “Carson, do you know what the weakness of a liar is?”

“Bullets in my experience.”

“Hmm. Yes, that is a fun way to deal with one. But, no I mean a Spark Liar.”

“Run.”

I couldn’t help but give an unladylike snort at the old Seneschals deadpan. Good thing Lilith wasn’t here. “Amusing Carson, but no. You simply tell them exactly what your intentions are, without equivocation. A liar always assumes everyone is lying. Telling the truth is actually the funniest way to break all their plans.”

The old man puffed on his pipe and shrugged. “Whatever you say my Lady.”

“Right. Enough introspection. Back to work. HEY! THAT TORCHMAN NEEDS MAINTENANCE! BRING IT HERE!”

—--

Getting everything in order, I entered the front of my castle, and then walked through a few rooms before I entered a section of the castle that had been locked down.

Inside there was twenty people. All of them hunkered down as they seemed to be waiting for the blade to drop.

They noticed as the door opened. I took them all in, at the same time they took me in.

Everyone was silent, especially since Mama Gkika was at my side carrying a sword and looking more than happy to use it.

“I am Agatha Heterodyne. You’re in my Castle.” I said bluntly a sinister tinge to my voice.

“T-The Baron put us here!” One of the inmates argued and I glared, silencing him.

“I am well aware of why you are here, and who is responsible. Where is the one in charge?”

“Ah, that would be me Mistress. Professor Hristo Tiktoffen at your service.”

“Are you? Are you really? Or do you work for the Baron? Or perhaps the Knights of Jove? Oh no, I forgot. You only serve yourself.” I said. Hmm. I was right. Being absolutely blunt and honest about things really threw liars for a loop.

“Castle, disable him.” I demanded and waited, then nodded as everyone in the room stilled in confusion.

“I can’t?”

I nodded at the response.

“Of course you can’t! You think I was in here doing nothing? The Castle, the greatest invention in all of Europa! I wasn’t in here fixing the castle to let the Heterodyne return! I was here to claim the castle myself!” He roared and pulled back his sleeve showing a device integrated into his arm.

It looked… Worse than I remember from the comic, but then again it had been years.

It didn’t matter though. I already knew this.

“I expected as much.” I offered and before I could blink the man pulled out a gun and was half way to pointing it when his gun and hand along with it went flying.

Mama Gkika had moved so fast she had been a blur.

Tiktoffen screamed clutching at his amputated wrist as he looked up in horror.

“No! No! All of you! Kill the Jager! Kill the Heterodyne! I can control the Castle! I can be- URK.”

“Talking isn’t a free action.” I informed him calmly. While he had started ranting to the other inmates, I’d walked up, taken Mama Gkika’s sword and ran him through.

“Gkika, hold onto this for me.” I told her as I swiped again and hacked the mans arm off. “I want to know how he was able to disable the Castle.”

“Yes Mistress.” Gkika practically purred in delight as I looked over the inmates.

“Well, I know some of the rest of you are plotters and planners. Anyone else want to try their luck?”

So many heads rapidly shaking side to side was my only response. “A shame. Very well. I am not the Baron. This is Mechanicsburg and only I get to choose who lives, dies, or goes free. The Baron will be here soon. I’ll be going through your history and deciding who is welcome to be released here in Mechanicsburg, who needs to be kicked farther away… Or who needs to be kicked MUCH FARTHER THAN THAT. DO NOT DISPLEASE ME WHILE I DECIDE. YOU ARE GUESTS IN MY HOME. THE CASTLE CAN REMOVE YOU AT ANY TIME.”

I nodded at the terrified faces before turning and leaving.

I had work to do.

—--

Night fell, and despite the surge of energy I felt as everyone around me worked in tandem! Repairs! Machines, wonderful wonderful machines!

I mean my enemies wouldn’t think they were wonderful, but their opinion didn’t matter because they would be on fire.

But eventually I tired out. Headed out of the Great Movement Chamber. Getting the massive Water Wheel repaired had taken hours as I had limited the amount of Minions allowed to see it.

Only the most trusted according to Carson.

But it was fixed, and once more it spun generating power for the Castle. Thankfully it stopped the castle from constantly whining.

I walked through my castle. Getting a little lost as I was looking for Lilith. She’d… Ah, I smelled it. I turned through a door and then down a hall that was some form of sitting room, then into a hall, and there she was.

“Lilith.”

“Agatha, good food is ready. Come sit.” She called and there was Adam slightly greasier than normal, he’d been helping as well, and yet now he was here calm as ever a paper in his hands as he sat at the table waiting for dinner to be served.

I breathed in and out and let a tension that I hadn’t noticed building up disappear.

Home.

With Lilith and Adam, my parents here, still in my life I was content.

Taking a seat I felt my stomach rumble, earning a chuckle from Lilith as a plate was placed in front of me.

“Snails huh?”

“It’s a Mechanicsburg delicacy.”

Never had giant snail before guess I better get used to it.

—--

“I said 24 hours.” I grumbled at the four jagers standing around me as I was on the walls of the town repairing some of the old defenses.

Magma launchers! Excellent weapons!

“It’s de next day, yah? Dot counts!”

“Yah it totally counts… Right?”

“Hy hope zo, cause de Mishtress iz glarink.”

“I’ll allow it. Light duty. You’re my guards so Gkika can do what she needs to do.” I demanded looking at the Jager general who nodded and then gave the four a look which they all did their best to look innocent for before she sashayed away.

Gkika was unfairly attractive for a literal monster woman.

I bet I could pull off the sharp teeth look. It wouldn’t even be that hard. Plenty of Heterodyne’s had sharp teeth. No one would blink twice!

“Make yourselves comfortable. It’s gonna be a while until I fix all this.”

“No problem Mistress. Ve’re here to serve.” The first of the Jagers said, sounding once again almost plaintive.

“What’re your names anyways?”

“Ah, Hy’m Crishtol!”

“Mack.”

“Kruz Mistress.”

“Ah, vell everyone calls me-”

“Tim!”

“Timothy iz a perfectly goot name!” He snapped back.

“Hahaha! Tim, very fearsome yah?”

“It iz! Hy’m scary! Very scary!”

“Sure sure, ve believe hyu. Even if hyu hef a small hat.”

“Hyu take dot BECK!”

“Boys. All of your hats are lovely. I’ll have to hear the stories of how you got them sometime, but I need to get this fixed.” I grunted as I tightened a wrench.

“Uf course!”

“Ve’ll be quiet! Not a dishturbance at all!”

“Yah! Ve’re de besht at helpink! Ve can even hund hyu de… Ho.” One of my Dingbots handed me the wire cutters.

“Got that part taken care of. But keep an eye out. I’m waiting for the Baron.” They all nodded at that, and thankfully stayed focused letting me work.

I Heterodyned as I did, humming quietly as I rearranged the insides of this ancient canon. Someone, undoubtedly the Barons people had removed most of the parts to keep it active, and it had been a tug of war between the Mechanicsburgers and the Barons men fixing and disabling the weapon for over a decade.

I was here to fix it fully, but I needed to clean up years of different workers attempts to trick others.

Everything was like this.

Finally I finished the internals of the Magma canon.

I looked at the literal pile of trash around me, and sighed. Most of this was just fluff to distract whoever came to fix or damage the canon from doing their job.

“Wormy!” I called out and out from my satchel came crawling Wormy. “Eat this all up for me.” I told the Clank and then rose up and winced as I popped my back.

“Ho? Isn’t dot keenda femiliar. Vot doz it remind hyu uf Kruz?”

“Not sure, someting though?”

“Ho look it’s eatink de parts… Deedn’t Old Saturnus?”

“Ah! The Train! Ho dot vas a fon vun.”

“Ho dot’s right! The Train! Mishtress, iz it like de old Train?”

“The Beast? Did you? Oh right, you’re older than you look. You probably ran with my grandfather. Hmm. I did take some of the ideas from that. Although Wormy isn’t intelligent really. It’s basically a processing and refinery clank. It’s not smart enough to go wild and try to… Devour… The… Town.”

I looked over at the Clank working on eating the scrap. “I’ll double check whenever I upgrade it that it won’t do that.” I assured the Jagers and they nodded looking pleased either way.

“Mistress! Mistress! We are having trouble with the old Electro Turbine along the east wall!” One of my minions ran up to me gasping for air.

“Then I’ll go and fix it! Jagers! We go!” I charged forward jogging towards my goal, and the hoots of delight from the four Jagers chasing after me had me laughing along with them.

It wouldn’t be long now.

Castle Wulfenbach would come, and I’d have to deal with the Baron…

At least this time we’d be able to talk without Gil making things more complicated by falling in love with me.

Ugh. He was such a jerk too.

It didn’t matter. I wasn’t Agatha, the constantly stumbling idiot running from one emergency to another.

I was Agatha Heterodyne standing on the steps of her castle and daring the world to play catch up in preparation for her.