James reluctantly left his bedroom with a slightly wistful glance at Fiona still asleep in his bed. She was sent over from his Service to help him heal from injuries suffered during his last mission. She was doing more than just heal his physical injuries, but also reminding him that even with his replacement parts, he was still a man! His still healing leg was stiff and uncomfortable, but he knew he had a very important appointment to keep and one does not keep her waiting.

The young Queen looked at the man kneeling before her. She wondered at the advisability of knighting someone in a secret ceremony, but the recognition was well deserved even if the need for anonymity was also paramount.

“Rise, Sir James!” She watched as he rose rather unsteadily, using his cane for support.

“Thank you, Your Majesty! I am honored.”

“No, Sir James, it is we who are honored by your steadfast service. We do so hope you will refrain from being injured in that service in the future.”

Sir James gave a small smile, “I will endeavor to abide by your wishes, Your Majesty.”

“See that you do! Also, we think it is time for you to think of settling down. There are only so many times you can dance on the edge and come back to us. We will give thought to your future in our service and also consider a future wife for you, Sir James.”

His face blanched at her words. The last thing he was interested in was marriage. His thoughts returned to whom he left sleeping in his bed before he took a steam carriage to his appointment with the Queen.

With his investiture over, he departed the palace the way he entered, though a small obscure entrance that few people knew existed and exited off the grounds through a little-used gate. He walked with care, using his cane for more than an affectation. He caught an old-fashioned horse-drawn hackney carriage to a non-descript building far off the well-traveled streets of London. He stood outside for a moment as the shadow of one of the now-ubiquitous airships passed overhead. “Who would have thought such times would come?” He said to himself briefly as he looked up. He didn’t notice who had just come out.

“Welcome back, Sir James,” said a familiar voice.

“Stuff that nonsense, Basil, the last thing I need is to draw any more attention to myself.”

Lord Basil Charleton, Sir James’s nominal superior, smiled at his comment. “Don’t let Her Majesty hear you call being knighted as ‘nonsense.’”

“Only if you tell her and then I’ll know who to blame.”

“How’s the leg and …” there was a slight pause, “… the hip?”

“It’s getting better, still some healing around the new pieces and parts. The nurse you sent is a marvel! And that doctor, wherever did you find her? She’s been over several times.”

“The doctor is from the West. She’s been working on several high-level projects and seemed the best choice since she was the one who made your new ‘pieces and parts’ as you called them. The Queen is the one who recommended her. They are both pretty spectacular, aren’t they?” Basil said with a sly grin.

“Are you keeping tabs on me?”

“Nope, I just know you. Having women nurse your sorry carcass back to health is one way to keep things quiet. I thought it might get a rise out of you being treated by a woman instead of one of the usual doctors.”

“That it did, but not the one you thought.”

Both men laughed at the double-entendre. Basil knew James wouldn’t mind. He was one of the more progressive agents he had, which is why he was also one of the most effective. The very idea of a woman conceiving the plot he recently uncovered and dealt with so effectively would never have occurred to half of Basil’s people. Even now there were a few that still didn’t believe it, despite the evidence.

“So, Basil, what do you have for me?”

“Not a thing until you are one hundred percent. Foot chases through Berlin are out of the question in your current state.”

“Oh, you heard about that?”

“I hear everything eventually, even if you forget to put it in your report… which I am still waiting on!”

James grinned, his lack of interest in the paperwork of his chosen profession was a running commentary between him and Basil. “When are you going to get a few of Charles Babbage’s analytical engines to handle report creation?”

“We have a bunch of them, but they will require information to be entered in them. Go home, James, wake up that nurse who tried her best to wear you out last night.”

“Tried? She succeeded all too well, Basil! You know too much for my comfort.”

“James, James, I am the Queen’s spymaster, I am supposed to know too much for your comfort. My only regard is Her Majesty’s comfort.”

“She thinks I should settle down.”

“Oh ho! Once she starts thinking along those lines, you better gird your loins because she is going to be looking for who she thinks would be a suitable wife. If you have any ideas, now is the time to drop a few names before she settles on one.”

“The last thing anyone in my profession needs is marriage!”

“My wedding precipitated my retirement from active duty and put me on a desk,” Basil said quickly.

“See? The last thing I want right now is a desk job!”

Basil laughed. “Maybe so, but if the Queen is serious, you might find yourself unable to refuse. You know how stubborn she can be!”

James laughed and changed the subject, “I heard Quentin wants to see me?”

“That he does since you’re here. He figured you might be tied up with the nurse and maybe even the lovely doctor for a while.”

“Does everyone here know about my love life?”

“Love life, no. However, your sex life is a constant source of amusement! Take the new lift.”

“Only if you’ve gotten the bugs worked out this time?” James said cautiously.

“Go and find out. I think you’ll be pleased.”

James went into the building and couldn’t believe the changes in a few short months. They had just installed the lift system when he was last here and it had a few problems. The lobby area looked almost the same, with an ornate set of stairs leading up. However, the old stairs leading down were gone and even the guard station to prevent anyone unauthorized from heading that way was missing. In its place was a small desk near a large mural on the wall.

The guard welcomed James, “Sir James, welcome back!”

“Easy on the ‘Sir’ stuff, Cedric. I work here just like you.”

The guard grinned. “Since the lobby is empty, I can fill you in.” He hands James a small square metal token. “There’s a small alcove,” he said pointing to the left, “in there’s another mural and it has a similar square. Hold it there, it’s magnetic, and the lift door will open.

James did as he was instructed and the mural slid to the side, double the width of a standard doorway. It opened to a small box-shaped room, which he understood would travel down and theoretically handle quite the load. His twelve or so stone weight shouldn’t be an issue. He mentally reviewed the word ‘theoretically’ and smiled internally.

“It’s perfectly safe, Sir James.”

“Cedric, old man, I flew back from Europe in an airship over the channel. I think I can handle the lift.”

“What was that like? I haven’t been up in one yet.”

“It’s a strange feeling, but pretty comfortable once you get used to the sudden ups and downs of the air currents. Not the same as a ship, but there is some similarity. Several people looked a little green, but nothing as bad as seasickness. The difference seems to be quickness. I mean the airship bumps in three dimensions rather faster than the slow-motion changes based on the water. I think people might be more susceptible to slower motion.”

“I’ll keep that in mind on my first trip. Can I do anything for you today?”

"Is Quentin in his den?”

“Yes sir, he’s been in several hours. Probably looking for tea shortly.”

James stepped in and waited as the doors shut and he started descending about as fast as he could have walked down the stairs.

As an added security precaution, it stopped just one floor down and the door opened to another desk and mural combination. Unlike Cedric upstairs, there were three guards, and they were armed with the new compression guns. James hadn’t had the chance to fire one of them yet, but ‘theoretically’ understood they could deliver ten bullets in two seconds at an incredible muzzle velocity. He eyed the weapons with interest.

They could be reloaded with a new magazine that included a tube of compressed air in a couple of seconds. While he had heard they made a distinctive noise when fired, they were much quieter than standard weapons. The added benefit was if you need that many bullets that quickly, they couldn’t be beaten. He heard there was one with a larger air tube and even more cartridges.

The guards were spaced around the room with one at the desk. James held out his credentials for their review. This level also contained many offices, somewhere was his own, but he rarely used it.

He knew all three of the guards, but he also knew that mattered little once you started down into the Sanctorum of secrets of the QCS, officially the Queen’s Clandestine Service. They cleared him and he repeated his actions at the mural behind this desk. Another door, another box-like room, only this one had a row of buttons indicating which level to stop at. He pressed the middle one and descended once again with a small wave at the guards. He thought if anyone realized that the basement which was dug when the building was built went deeper than anyone suspected. It was also one reason it was built on this motte, like the castles of old.

The small hill gave a good view of the area and plenty of room for several levels below ground. Of course, as London expanded, the view got pretty crowded as homes were on all the land around. Security used to be almost an afterthought, now with people so close, it was a byword.

It stopped at level three of five. This level was governed by the QCS’ own mad scientist, Quentin Evans Deveraux, also known as QED, which was Latin for “quod erat demonstrandum”, or “that which was to be demonstrated”. It was a notation most often placed at the end of a mathematical proof to indicate its completion. With Quentin’s ability to turn out incredible concepts often on quick notice, his initials seemed quite appropriate. QED was also known as ‘Quite Easily Done’, a phrase he not only uttered often but frequently made to come true. You can ask for nearly any type of gadget and QED will find a way to build it more often than not.

“James, my boy! Welcome back.”

Thanks, Quentin, at least you aren’t calling me ‘Sir James.’”

“I had forgotten about that, so you’ve had a busy morning.” QED smiled.

“Busy enough, you wanted to see me? Something specific?’

“Nothing dramatic. Since you are sidelined for a little while I thought I would take advantage and have you test out some of our new gear. Give it a real-life-operational viewpoint. How did the mini-cable work out?”

QED’s mini-cable was an attachment to a standard sidearm. It was about a couple of hundred feet of a thin, but very strong, wire wrapped cable. One end was an interesting projectile that you stuck in the muzzle of your weapon and you fire it at a stone or wooden structure. The cable is paid out faster than you can think and the end penetrated deep and then expanded anchoring the cable securely. It can handle the weight of two, even three people.

James laughed, “I used it a little different from how you envisioned.”

QED quirked an eyebrow waiting for him to continue.

“Well, I was about to use it to cross a busy street about a couple of stories up. Just as I aimed it, a fellow burst through a door and was about to object to my presence, can you imagine that?”

QED laughed at that mental image. “And?”

“I had your cable loaded up, I shot him with it. He was certainly surprised to see a cable through his shoulder. I yanked on it and it came free after tearing backward through the meaty part of his shoulder. It was a bit too messy to fire it again, so I used it as a regular cable to lower myself to street level with it. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t carry it back with me.”

“No loss, the Farions already know how to make that sort of cable. We stole the idea from them. The hard part was building the steam-powered extruder and wire-wrapping machines to make it.”

“So, what do you have for me to test?”

“We can get into all that on Monday. I think you’ll be pleased with some of our new toys.”

James picked up what looked like a silver lighter and flipped it around in his hand. Before he could light it, QED snatched it from mid-air. “This is one you will like, but don’t confuse it with your regular lighter. It’s a Compressed Air Bomb, we call it the ‘cab’.”

“How is that a bomb?”

“This container is filled with several hundred atmospheres of compressed air. It’s undetectable because there’s no actual explosive. Flick the flint wheel and toss it. In a few seconds, the inner container is breached and the heat from a small storage cell causes it to expand in all directions faster than the eye can follow. It’s not as destructive as an actual explosive, but it can apply an amazing amount of force in a small area. Anyone standing within three or four feet will not survive, the air itself will punch them. It would be like getting hit by a hammer with incredible force all over whichever side of your body was facing the CAB, not to mention the shrapnel from the case. Anyone close will be peppered with pieces of the lighter moving at almost the speed of a bullet. It will wound and may well kill someone out to nearly six or seven feet. Outside of ten feet, the projectiles slow to the point of not being lethal. Past fifteen, they won’t even break the skin.”

“Impressive! A bomb without the potential fire and destructive capabilities of an actual explosive and yet devastating within a set range. Nicely done and difficult I imagine?”

“Very, the equipment is both cumbersome and difficult, but it can turn out several cabs each day.”

How dangerous are they before they are primed?”

“That’s one of the tests I want you to do. How much damage can the casing suffer before exploding? We did some tests but need more. I want to make sure it’s safe to carry under operational conditions.”

“Safer than your mercury grenades?” James grinned as he said that. Those grenades, which used fulminate of mercury, were a spectacular failure, one of the worst in QED’s history. In theory, they worked well, but they were entirely too sensitive to use in the field. The only saving grace was there was a several second delay once ignited and there was a strong odor that warned the holder to get rid of them.

“Safer, much safer!” QED stated emphatically.

James smiled at the memory of a training scenario when one of the trainees realized his grenade had ignited and he tossed it over a wall to get rid of it. It was a perfect response; however, over that particular wall was an outside storage shed which happened to contain a large quantity of the mercury grenades.

It didn’t survive, but no one was badly hurt. It did take some fast footwork with the local fire constabulary to explain how the large brick ‘shed’ was demolished by a collection of paint and some other flammable materials. James knew he never did buy the story, but he had no evidence left other than the remains of the small building.

As the two of them walked back out of the work area, James slipped one of the CABs into his pocket.

“Enjoy the weekend James, I’ll see you here Monday morning to start testing. Oh, and be careful with the CAB you pilfered. There’s no sound or scent for those.” He said smiling.

As James walked away, he thought, 'That’s the problem with friends, they know what you are going to do even before you do it.'

He spent the rest of the day taking care of some personal business that had piled up while he was on the Continent. Reviewing his accounts at the bank was something almost enjoyable with the new calculation generators they were using. He lunched at his club and even voted on allowing women to join. He was one of the few ‘yea’ votes and he shook his head once again. He knew it would happen one day and thought clubs such as these could use an infusion of new blood!

Arriving back at his home, he found the doctor had come by for a check, and both she and Fiona, the nurse, were impatiently waiting for him and more than ready for another bout of ‘making Sir James well again’ in all aspects. The doctor, Rakell, and Fiona were ready to change his bandages and to take him to task for overdoing it. It wasn’t like he could say no to a summons from the Queen!

Once they took care of the medical business, Fiona, the nurse, joined him in his oversized bed. She laid across the bed and he rested his head on her belly while she played with his hair. It was a relaxing way to spend time until Rakell joined them.

She stood next to the bed and did something uncharacteristic to James, she stripped completely naked. James wasn’t sure where she was originally from, but ladies rarely went naked, even in bed with their paramours. She stood there, rubbing her body understanding it would have a certain effect on both James and Fiona. Her dusky skin shone in the subtle light in the room. The old-fashioned gas lamps had yet to be replaced mainly because James preferred the soft light to the harshness of some of the new ones. He felt there was a time and place for such lighting, but in the bedroom, the glow and flickering gaslights were more conducive to the type of activities he enjoyed.

Since he was already nearly naked from getting his injuries dealt with, Rakell slipped onto the bed from the base and slowly rubbed her body along James’ uninjured side until she reached her target. There she demonstrated something he knew she hadn’t learned in proper society. For a medical doctor, she certainly knew which buttons to push, or lick as the case may be!

Fiona wasn’t naked, but that didn’t take long to repair. She was pure English stock with alabaster skin, dark hair, and a willingness to do anything Rakell suggested. James wasn’t sure of the relationship between the doctor and her nurse but was thoroughly enjoying being part of it. Once he was at a full-extension, Fiona straddled his lap, being incredibly careful of his leg. He slipped inside her wet warmth and she slowly rode him.

The feeling was different due to his new ‘pieces and parts’, but he was coming to get used to it and like it as much. What he was also enjoying was his staying power. He thought Fi was enjoying it as well. Dr. Rakell knelt next to her and the sight of her darker hands on Fiona’s white skin was better than any aphrodisiac James had ever heard of, including oysters!

Unfortunately, he was still somewhat limited on his bedroom activities. He mused, 'Maybe having a doctor as a lover wasn’t the best thing.' Every time he tried something, she would push him back down and give him a look reminiscent of his mother when she knew he was trying to get away with something.

The doctor didn’t spend the weekend, she left Saturday morning and mentioned she was heading to the Palace. Fiona did stay and did her best to limit his activities to give the leg more time to heal. Monday morning found him hard at work inventorying QED’s newest toys and planning some real-world testing.

He decided to start with the CABs since he could think of several times such an explosive would have been beneficial. He also took the time to get some practice with the new weapons, including something QED called his Long-Distance Compressed Air Killer. His LDCAK was too bulky to conceal and fired a tiny projectile, but its range was as impressive as its accuracy. James also tried to think of a new name, LDCAK being a bit cumbersome as well.

The narrow shape of the projectile and the impressive compression driving it gave you a range of nearly half a mile and the force to penetrate even light armor. The velocity was just astounding, with an incredible accuracy that impressed James. Because it was small and quite aerodynamically shaped, there was minimal air resistance.

To test both, he took several cabs, set them up at various ranges, and used the LDCAK to shoot at them. At close range, the projectile was devastating. It pierced the shell and made the cab explode easily. Even at the furthest distance, it took an accurate strike near the center to make it explode. Any other hit just spun it off the stand. He tried several other methods to cause it to detonate and found himself admitting that QED got things right.

It was much safer than even standard grenades and much, much safer than his mercury grenades. The flint wheel made it even easier to use, instead of needing a rough surface to ignite the standard ones. He did suggest for QED to make a pouch for carrying a string of them like a bandolier and to make the pouches of strong material to offer an extra layer of protection.

Each night he went home to the ministrations of lovely Fiona, with the doctor visiting every couple of days. Thursday, Rakell even spent the night with them. James will never get enough of seeing the two ladies making love with each other. It was obvious that while Fiona liked him but there was no doubt she was in love with Rakell, who certainly reciprocated her feelings. James didn’t mind! He knew many who would, but not him!

Late that night something woke James. He was alone in bed and heard a small sound toward the kitchen. He assumed the ladies needed something and was about to fall back to sleep when another noise from a different part of the house caught his ear. He tried to leap from bed noiselessly, but his bad leg almost gave way. He stood across from his open bedroom door and could see partly down the hall from the reflection from a glass-covered cabinet. The shape of the hallway was different, a tall shadow narrowed it strangely. As he tried to puzzle it out, Fiona came out of the kitchen. The shadow lunged and she went down. In the dim light, James realized what he was looking at.

He grabbed something from the top of his wardrobe and watched the shadow in the hall. Rakell came partly out of the kitchen and when she saw Fiona on the floor went to move to her with a cry. The shadow turned toward her; James moved quickly. As he passed the shadow, he tossed something, then grabbed Rakell, forcing her back into the kitchen. They fell and rolled across the floor; James ended up on top of her when there was a loud muffled thump from the hall.

James got up and stopped Rakell from rushing out. “Fi’s already dead. The golem got her first.”

“A golem?”

Yes, a mechanical monstrosity. It operates on stored up spring power. It’s got a basic program to perform a specific task. My guess it was sent in here to kill me, but it wouldn’t be able to differentiate between people, so it would kill anyone who moved. Lovely Fiona was simply the first target. It would have killed you next if you took a further step.”

Rakell looked shocked, then recovered partly. She was a doctor but rarely had to deal with such realities. “How did you kill it?”

“A small device from the Third Level, something designed to explode without the typical aftereffects of an explosive.”

“Fi was already dead before your — device?”

“Oh yes, such golems are quite deadly. I just saw the strike, she probably never felt it. I didn’t know there were any in England, let alone in my own home. Someone knows much too much about me. Get dressed, we need to leave quickly.”

Rakell paused over Fiona shaking her head and James saw tears and recognized her courage to not dwell. She and James dressed and left through a small door on the side of his home, one well disguised from outside. James held a small pistol and a standard grenade, all he needed was a rough stone to use to ignite it. He hoped to not need either one because of the attention they would draw. He saw Rakell was also armed, only she had one of the new compressed air pistols. He did wonder why a doctor was carrying a weapon and thought about swapping with her but decided those questions could wait. She carried it with a comfortable casualness. He was glad because if she fired it, her pistol would make considerably less noise than his.

He went slowly and didn’t find anyone around the side of the back of his house. That surprised him, he assumed they had entered from the rear. They ducked between some bushes and through a wall opening that looked like an optical illusion. Unless you were standing in the exact right spot, the garden wall looked whole, but from that one spot, you could see the walls overlapped creating a short passageway into the next garden.

From there, it was just a matter of slipping between two houses and onto the next street. It was too early for a hackney, so they walked to the nearest train station for a quick trip into central London. They walked slowly as to not attract attention. Nothing caught the eye or ear more than someone who looked like they were running away.

More than once he regretted living such a distance out, but he thought his home was a source of peace and quiet — apparently, someone found it out. They boarded the early train, which was quite crowded with people heading to work in London. With the advent of the transportation system, more people were living further out from the town. With steam trains, steam-driven riverboats, and even the newer airships, you were pretty much guaranteed a rapid passage in and out of the city.

Rakell relaxed once they were on the train, but James did not. His instincts told him the obvious place for him to go if the golem attack failed would be the train. He almost went a different route but decided the speed in which they were moving would be enough cover. Whoever sent the golem was in the area and James assumed they would want to remove the evidence of it before anything else. The ones who boarded with them were all known to him from his earlier trips, but that meant little. If he had been planning this operation, he would have put people on several cars a stop of two up so they would be in place if the target boarded.

He didn’t see anyone paying them much attention, except for a couple of surreptitious glances at Rakell. The glances were no more than the usual glances one makes at a lovely lady. After a while, there was one who glanced several times more than anyone else. James took Rakell’s hand to lead her to the next car. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man moving with them, he caught up in between cars, but James was prepared, what he wasn’t prepared for was who the target was. The assassin was aiming a tube of something at Rakell, not himself! He regretted not taking James out first, the final regret in his lifetime.

They disembarked at the first city station and hailed a hackney. They took it to a townhouse not far from the QCS headquarters. “Where are we?” Rakell asked, saying something for the first time since leaving his home, even after what happened between cars on the train.

“A house owned by the QCS that very few know about. We have a communication line to the headquarters, right next to Basil’s office.”

“Will anyone answer? It’s pretty early.”

“It’s manned all the time, there are actually a few lines to several points around the city.” With that, he opened a small closet, unfolded a shelf, and swung out a telegraph pad. He started clicking away in something like Samuel Morse’s code but known only to a few people in the QCS. There was an immediate reply.

“They are heading to my home to deal with things there. I warned them about the golem and Basil seems as surprised as we were. He says we are to hold here until we know more.”

Rakell took all that in, but there was something in her face. “Are we safe here?”

“As safe as anywhere.” James looked at the lovely Rakell, “Who are you?”

“Just a doctor, why?”

“No, Basil told me you were a doctor and from my own experience, I know you are an excellent one. But who are you? The man on the train, he was after you, not me. The golem was sent to my home, it’s controller must have followed you there. I must ask the question again, who are you?”

Rakell looked down, “I cannot tell you.”

“Does Basil know?”

“Some, not all I’m sure. Very few know it all.”

“Does the Queen?” He asked quickly. He saw her reaction and realized some of the truth. There was something medical involving Rakell and the Queen. She didn’t answer him.

“Alright, enough questions, and I am tired. There’s only one bed in here so we’ll have to share. The telegraph will ring when a message comes in, so we will wake up.”

Rakell seemed to blush at his words about the bed, but it wasn’t a significant blush. Then she thought of Fiona and her face seemed to almost fall into itself. James caught that as well.

“Dr. Rakell, Fiona never knew what hit her. She went quickly with little pain. The golem’s strike was unbelievably fast. I doubt she even realized it. Come try and get some sleep, hopefully, we will have some answers later.” He took her hand and led her to bed. He undressed her completely, knowing already how she preferred to sleep in the nude. He stripped himself and the doctor in her checked his injuries. They lay together on the bed, neither really sleeping as both of them were lost in their thoughts.

The afternoon light filtered through the curtains and found the two of them on their sides facing each other. Rakell’s hand traced James’ face and he then gently pulled her against him. She tucked her face to his neck as they lay there against each other. While it didn’t have the energetic passion their threesome with Fiona had, they made gentle love in some ways as a memorial to her. Rakell got cleaned up and came back to bed. They were holding each other when the telegraph bell went off.

James transcribed a fairly long message and then spent quite a while deciphering it from its coded phrases. After he was done, he looked at Rakell. “I am under orders to get you to the Palace no matter what!”

She looked at him, “I was expecting such a summons. Did Basil tell you why?”

“No, he did explain the golem was found in pieces at my home and they have taken care of Fiona. They didn’t find the controller or even who transported the golem.”

“Transported?”

“You can’t exactly just walk around the outskirts of London with a golem following you. They must have used some sort of truck or small airship to get it close enough.”

“How about the man on the train?”

“They haven’t found his body yet. Before we go, can you tell me why?”

“I cannot, James. I swore an oath that I cannot break.”

“Is the Queen ill?”

Her face flushed briefly, and she realized she might have given too much away by not saying anything. “Not in a way you would understand.”

“I think I need to grasp what makes you a target. Golems are never used wastefully; they are too intricate and expensive to make. There was a man on our train, and he was there at least one stop ahead of us. I have to assume there were other people positioned at various points to prevent your escape. That speaks of professionalism and also importance. What makes you such a high-value target?”

She thought about how far she could stretch her oath. “James, what would throw the Empire in serious disarray?”

He considered the question, “There are a number of things. If the Queen suddenly died or was assassinated. If the Prime Minister suddenly...” He paused. “No, it’s not just if the Queen passed away, but if she passed away without an heir of her body. She and the Queen’s Consort have been married for a while and many wonder why she hasn’t conceived, but they are still young enough to have children. If she died without an heir, his German family might have a claim to the throne. It would have serious consequences in many areas. Few of us would accept a foreign ruler, which is why he’s the Queen’s Consort.”

As he said that, he watched Rakell carefully. “Your medical experience is helping the queen in this area, isn’t it?”

“I cannot say!”

He smiled and thought, “In this case, not saying is also confirmation.”

The townhouse was well-equipped, and they changed clothes to something less formal than what they would normally wear to the Palace. They looked like a pair of workmen and each carried a small carry bag one normally used for hand tools. Of course, their tools weren’t the type normally carried by plumbers or carpenters. Rakell hid her long, dark red hair under a cap and donned a shapeless coverall. A little smudge of charcoal changed the shape of her face and also made it look like she needed a shave.

They had no trouble getting close to the palace, but before they crossed a wide avenue, James stopped them at a sidewalk purveyor, just two apparent workmen having a quick breakfast and some hot tea before going back to work. He turned them down an alley with several other actual workmen. After a few hundred feet, James directed Rakell to the right and then right again and came back near the avenue, pausing in a dark doorway.

“The gate is being watched, several people who should be moving are just loitering. Two on this side and two closer to the gate.”

“What are we going to do?”

James smiled, “We aren’t unprepared for this.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a silver and bronze device. “We’re going to cross and approach the near side instead of the gate. We have to time it right, so stick with me.” He lifted the device lid, did something, then tucked it in a recess above the door.

Counting to himself, he started walking down the street and the two of them crossed the avenue. About halfway down toward the river, a loud noise came from well behind them. At that noise, a section of the wall opened in front of them, and in an instant, they were on the palace grounds.

“Worked like a charm,” said Lord Charleton. “Welcome, Doctor. I am very sorry about your nurse. We have taken good care of her.”

“She has no family!”

“Wrong, Doctor, she has all of us!”

For some reason, that statement brought a tear to her eyes. She went to thank him when he turned to James.

“Sir James, we need to get you two cleaned up. The Queen is waiting for you Doctor, you know where.”

They entered the palace through a different door than the unobtrusive one James had exited just a few days ago. For a moment he wondered how many secret doors and passages… then he realized it wasn’t something he needed to know or could even discuss.

Basil took him to a small apartment. “The Queen will want to talk to you later. Be ready.”

“Talk to me about what?”

Basil paused, “How much did the doctor tell you?”

“She didn’t tell me anything.”

Basil caught the emphasis, “So what have you deduced?”

“Rakell is helping the Queen conceive. My guess is something medical, probably something more elaborate than my own new equipment.”

“You are sometimes too damn smart. Don’t mention that to anyone. The Queen must have an heir and the Consort isn’t up for the job.”

“Sterile?”

“No, although that was the first thought until the Queen opened up to Rakell. More performance issues. Shall we just say he has issues performing with women? And if you repeat that, you might not live long afterward. I’m serious James. Even I am not supposed to know that, but you are going to find yourself in the middle of this as well, so you now have the necessity to know.”

“In the middle?”

“Her Majesty will explain, right after her — treatment. Apparently, Rakell has been talking to her about you.” On that note, he left James in the sitting room and speculate. Several things he imagined were too ridiculous to contemplate.

A few hours later a visibly exhausted Rakell came in. She looked surprised to see James. With a wan smile, she went into a closet, pulled out a new gown, and retired to the bathing room. James realized this was her apartment. After a while, she came out. “The Queen will see us after dinner.” She pulled a tasseled rope and a palace servant came to escort them. They dined in silence. James had many questions but something about Rakell’s face kept him silent. After dinner, Rakell took James to a wall and opened a doorway even a professional such as James would have never suspected to have existed.

She led him to another room, somewhere deep within the palace. The Queen was waiting for them. When he went to bow, she stopped him.

“Sir James, there is no need for court etiquette here. These are my chambers when something truly private is needed. Most of the staff are unaware these rooms exist. I need you to keep the good Doctor here alive. It’s very important to me personally and also professionally. I feel having the Crown in question if something happens to me too soon would be very dangerous in the world we find ourselves.”

“Your Majesty, I would do that without your orders.”

“Maybe so, Sir James, but I hope to spur your efforts to new heights by explaining the reasoning. Rakell tells me you may have deduced some of it. Would you care to speculate?”

“I think not, Your Majesty. I may have let my imagination head in the wrong direction and would rather know instead of guess.”

“Very intelligent of you. Tell me, how many assassination attempts have there been on my life?”

“I know of three that came close to hurting you.”

“And you were instrumental in stopping two of those. There have been seven and two of those were nearly successful. Someone, or some group, wishes to see this nation in disarray. There have been issues with my Consort, which I will not explain, but the assassination attempts made things a bit worse. The good Doctor here has been a huge help, but there have been several hurdles we need to overcome and that’s where you come in.”

“Me?”

At that, the Queen pulled aside the dress she was wearing. Rather than the usual petticoats and other bits of clothing, several things shone with a bronze gleam in the reflected light. James only understood what he was seeing from the appearance of his own injured areas.

“As you can see, the good doctor couldn’t use all the original parts to maintain proper functionality and she needed to replace a few things. I understand she did something similar to you.”

James sat back in his seat and thought rapidly. 'Basil may have thought the consort’s issues were because of having a preference for boys instead of girls, but the reality he might be having trouble with her new ‘pieces and parts’. What a perfect cover story!'

Her Majesty waited as she saw his mind working. She was quite familiar with Sir James based on everything Basil and Rakell shared. “I can see you have worked out some of it. Yes, my Consort cannot impregnate me because of all of these changes, but someone whose equipment is similar to mine can.”

“I understand that Your Majesty, however, Rakell has already told me my ability to have children went with my injuries. I don’t think I can help you.”

“Sir James, while having your children might be interesting, I must have children with my consort or my children will not have the legal or moral authority to govern.”

Rakell stepped into the conversation. “Your equipment has a built-in reservoir. We can fill it with the issue from the consort and then you and Her Majesty…” She didn’t need to continue, both of her patients understood. She knew the Queen would do whatever is necessary for the defense of her realm. She was also pretty sure as would James. She knew he wasn’t very disheartened at not being able to father children, but he was about his ‘equipment’ damage. That was until he found his new equipment worked. It took all of her skill and with Fiona’s able assistance to make sure James understood that children might not be in his future, but having sex was not diminished.

Something similar happened to the Queen. While she was reassured children were still possible, she didn’t really believe she would enjoy sex again, not that she would ever admit to enjoying it in the first place. She had felt enjoying it wasn’t particularly ‘royal’. Many of the nights Fiona was working on James’ male ego, Rakell was helping the Queen deal with her new reality. Rakell remembered the expression on Her Majesty’s face for her first post-healing orgasm!

She thought about lovely Fi again, knowing she would have loved knowing all her efforts were about the bear fruit — in more than one way. Fi had even told her that his staying power was remarkable, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. She learned from her own experiences that keeping him from overdoing was the hardest part. James didn’t yet realize how much more self-control he needed or he could hurt a woman badly.

The Queen understood that was well, which is why she understood the Queen’s Consort being afraid to consummate now that she had healed from those injuries of her own. They might not know it, but their… what had James called it, oh yes, pieces and parts… were made for each other.

Rakell waited patiently. She knew they might want privacy for taking care of everything, but she hoped not. It wasn’t a prurient interest, but just in case there were any physical issues. She went to the first cold box in the Empire and removed a small jar. She didn’t need to explain what it was. She almost laughed at the similarity of expression both the Queen and James had on their faces. But she also knew how tenuous things were right this second and a laugh from her would not be helpful.

James stood and bowed to Her Majesty and extended a hand, making a small motion toward the bedroom. She smiled at his gesture and also his not saying a word. They both understood not just what they needed to do, but that no one would ever know. The story her consort believed was that Rakell would use his sperm to impregnate her, but he didn’t understand just using a tube of sorts wasn’t enough. Rakell understood this and when reports of James’ injury were reported, conceived of this scheme. It took a while for the Queen to understand, but there was time because James needed recovery time.

In the bedroom, James disrobed and the Queen got her first look at, what he humorous called, pieces and parts. His equipment was obviously a male organ, but it gleamed like bronze. She understood it acted like a real one when he got excited, just as hers did. Rakell’s explanation involved nerve clusters and sensory nodes that went clear over her head. She didn’t believe it until she was almost completely healed and Rakell:

…

Rakell had stopped trying to explain things to Her Majesty and decided a practical experiment was needed. She undressed her down to her shift, feeling her nervousness. Then Rakell sat in the bed, her back against the ornate headboard, and bade her sit in front of her. She held her close and did nothing until she felt the Queen relaxing against her. Gently, she starting stroking her, first her arms and neck. It seemed to relax her more. She kissed the Queen’s neck and heard a small sound from her. It wasn’t much of a sound, but from her, it was plenty.

She started expanding her strokes, making them firmer and touching the Queen’s breasts through the shift. She felt her hard nipples and knew she was turned-on even if she might not realize it yet. Rakell smiled to herself, she hadn’t figured on enjoying it as much as she was. Before Fiona had seduced her, she never thought about making love with a woman. Making love with her Queen was never a thought in her mind. She knew the Queen was lovely, but she always seemed to be out of reach of regular people. She ran her hands around the Queen’s waist and pushed her fingers between her thighs and opened her legs slightly.

Rakell felt the Queen react and pressed her hand feeling both the natural and the new areas of the Queen’s nether region. She knew which spots were still tied to active nerves and in a few moments brought the Queen close to an orgasm. She slowed down, wanted the Queen to feel it. A quick orgasm might not be enough to restore her confidence in herself as a woman, so Rakell decided to ride the edge for a little while until Her Majesty couldn’t help herself.

Alternating between slow and light touches and hard and fast, the Queen was moving, unconsciously pushing her hips, looking for that orgasm. Rakell saw her hands cup and start squeezing her breasts. The Queen’s breathing was hard and fast and the low, sexy noises were getting to Rakell. Suddenly the Queen’s hands came down and clamped down on Rakell’s hand, clutching it to her sex. Her body tightened as she exhaled explosively as a huge orgasm overtook her.

…

The Queen watched nervously as her Doctor administered to James’ penis. She filled the reservoir with a small syringe. She pulled James closer to the bed and with one hand, Rakell stroked him to hardness. With the other she gently rubbed the Queen, making her body remember what it felt like. When she felt the time was right, she said something to James and he knelt between Her Majesty’s widespread legs. Scooting forward, he touched his penis to her and felt something unusual. As he pushed in softly, the only analogy was like plugging into a new electric socket. He fit in perfectly, but there was a vibration that he hadn’t expected.

Rakell wanted to smile but instead moved off to the side. Neither of her patients understood that their new equipment was made to do exactly what they were doing. The connection sparked nerve endings regular sex would never touch. She heard both of them gasp and as instinct took over, James started slowly, in and out, in many ways minimizing contact with his Queen. She was still his monarch and it might have inhibited him somewhat, but as he pushed back in, that vibration just felt so incredible, neither of them could stop.

In moments they were slamming against each other with abandon. Rakell knew something like that with a regular woman and she might be seriously hurt. By the same token, if the Queen clamped down on a regular penis, the gentleman might lose an appendage. She heard Her Majesty orgasm, by now she knew the signs. It took several orgasms before James responded with his own and he injected not-his sperm deep into the Queen. The Queen’s back was arched as she came at the same moment.

Rakell looked on at the amazed faces of her patients and knew the future of the Empire would be secure. The monthly timing was right, if the Queen hadn’t conceived that night, she would soon. She didn’t expect any problems bringing the two of them together as often as necessary!

The Queen did conceive, all with the help of Dr. Rakell and her marvelous machines. History never recorded the details or the role of Sir James. Rakell became Viscountess Rakell for “Services to the Crown” following the birth of her heir, a beautiful boy they named “Roger”. While the nature of those services was never revealed publicly, there was no doubt the young lady had the favor of Her majesty. Unlike Sir James’ Knighthood, it was a public ceremony and well attended by members of the QCS.

The Queen looked down on the Lady kneeling before her, “Rise Lady Rakell! We are most pleased with your service! We believe we can do you a service in return.”

Lady Rakell looked up quickly. This part of the ceremony wasn’t in the script as explained by the protocol officer and Lord Chamberlain.

“We have given thought to your future and an appropriate match for you. We know just the right husband for you!” The Queen said looking pointedly at Sir James.

Epilogue: The Queen availed herself of James’ and Rakell’s services for many years and had six children in total, four survived to adulthood. Even after her child-bearing years had passed, she continued to hold many private conferences with Sir James and his lovely wife for ‘stress relief’.