Night had fallen once more across The City and The Voice parked the SUV by the side of the now deserted main thoroughfare of the Dreaming Spires District. With the windows of the SUV so heavily tinted and the black curtains drawn across, no one would realize that there was some one camping inside the vehicle. That person, of course, being me. I sit cross legged in the rear sleeping area set up for me, my eyes glued to the laptop, the screen illuminating the SUV's interior with its synthetic radiance. 

"As the clock counts down to the wedding of the century, our correspondent ..." the reporter rattles on the news feed being streamed on the laptop.

Still photos of the bride and groom scroll across the screen appended by a panning shot of the von Amsterg manor shows off the place decorated sumptuously for the wedding. Silk and satin is expensive right? Well, the Hero's uncle had certainly splashed out for a whole lot of the stuff. The reporter goes on the talk about the expected guests, a who's who of The City's movers and shakers apparently, with a few celebs thrown in for glamour. Can't have the reporters taking photos of nothing but wrinkly old men and women after all. But what concerns me the most of all is the date of the wedding. 

"Just a few days left." I murmur, "We are running out of time."

"No we are not." The Voice denies, "My preparations are complete. Enjoy the peace while you can, Transmigrator. This is the calm before the storm."

"You seem awfully relaxed about the whole thing." I point out, "Kidnapping the Hero will not be easy, even with Alley's help. He will fight us every step of the way."

"Then it is a good thing we will not be kidnapping the Hero." The Voice rasps, "Did you think I would actually allow you to reveal my real plan to an unwilling accomplice in a public place?"

"But I thought ..." I begin to protest but The Voice cuts me off. 

"Let me be more precise." The Voice continues, "We will be kidnapping somebody at the wedding, and the Hero will deliver himself in due course to us."

I fold my arms with a frown, "I don't understand. Who are we kidnapping then?"

The Voice dismisses the news stream and begins to display extracts from a series of tabloids on the laptop's screen. The publications themselves may be different, but the contents of the articles are all the same. Talk about the Hero's affair with the Idol, possible affair with Magic Police Girl and his general moral turpitude. There is even a racy comic portraying the Hero as an abomination with a triple dick, simultaneously drilling Big Tits, Magic Police Girl and the Idol all at once. 

"I get it. Our man is a laughing stock." I say, "The point being?"

The Voice rumbles, "Laughing stocks do not get the backing to become a Prince. The Hero's escapades have already badly disappointed the von Amsterg patriarch. Once the knowledge that his daughter has laid with the Hero as well comes to light, that disappointment will turn to rage, destroying the Hero's chances of inheriting the von Amsterg territory."

"Wait!" I jump in surprise, "Just when did the Hero do it with Brocon?"

"When Irene Scott was trying on her wedding gown." The Voice explains, "Turning back to the issue at hand, openly kidnapping the Hero would further damage his already tarnished reputation. We would have no way of giving an explanation for the Hero's disappearance or for our attack on the wedding that would stand scrutiny. There would only be one reasonable conclusion that anyone could draw."

"Our man had been irredeemably compromised." I conclude for The Voice, "Nicky's dad would drop the Hero like a hot potato. The duel would be a moot point. Fate wins. The end. What a player though. Banging another woman while your wife is getting ready for the wedding." 

"Correct. That is the reason why we will not be actually kidnapping the Hero." The Voice says, "Rather, we will be giving the Hero a chance to shine."

The laptop now shows a still shot the pub Alley and I had our meeting at. While the photo is focused on the two of us, hovering nearby is a familiar face that I remember all too well. 

"Its the Hawk waiter." I exclaim, "So he was listening in on us."

"A Legion covert operative." The Voice picks up the thread again, "The "waiter" had briefly met the Hero and Heroine Naiberg while they were escaping from an ORPO dragnet. He has already reported what he heard to Marshal St Clair, and the good Marshal in turn has decided to oppose us, if only on the ground to set my plans back on Fate's behalf."

"Are you crazy!" I blurt out, "That would bring an additional load of muscle crashing on my head during the mission! How am I supposed to deal with that?"

"You will not need to." The Voice exclaims smugly, "The Hero will deal with it. All you need to do is to set things up for him."

"Alright. Let's go over what the plan was supposed to be." I sigh wearily, "After I pick up Alley in the black cab, we will head directly to the von Amsterg manor. There's no change to any of that, right?"

"Correct." The Voice confirms, "You will deploy fully equipped and ready for action. All you need to do is drive there and begin your attack on the wedding."

"While in the meantime, Alley will make her way to the SUV which will be parked near the manor." I press on, "She will act as a getaway driver in case Celeste cuts you off from the SUV again."

"Judging from the range of the servant's power," The Voice muses, "I will almost certainly be cut off from the both of you once the battle starts. Alley will need to drive the SUV until she crosses the boundary of the blind spot. I will then take over if required." 

"I will grab the Hero and bring him to the SUV." I close my eyes, putting the plan together, "I hold the guards off while Alley makes the getaway?"

"Wrong." The Voice rasps, "As I said before, you will not be kidnapping the Hero."

"Who then?" I ask, genuinely curious. 

"Irene Scott." The Voice rasps in amusement, "The beautiful bride to be. Allow me to explain the real plan, Transmigrator."

Please do. My brain is starting to hurt from all this cloak and dagger business. 

"In broad outline, the plan remains the same. Both your and Mrs Alley will arrive at the wedding, with her securing the getaway vehicle and you just being your usual self." The Voice begins. 

"Hey!" I protest, "This is an unusual situation for me too you know."

The Voice laughs before carrying on with the briefing, "For your mission load out, I have modified the flash bangs to deliver the tranquilizer cocktail Archmage Naiberg had used on the perfecta. You will administer the tranquilizers on everyone at the wedding, then snatch Irene Scott. Can you guess what comes next?"

I think, chewing my lip meditatively. Tranquilizers. Meaning its not supposed to kill. Not outright at least. The Voice is deliberately handing out non-lethal munitions, and certainly not out of concern for the wedding guests. There's something else at play here. 

"The tranquilizers work on the Hero as well?" I probe. 

"I have upped the potency." The Voice answers, "The Hero will be out like a baby."

Then why not just grab the Hero directly? Then I remember something I has seen on the laptop. Someone else had kidnapped the Hero previously, didn't they?

"I take a shot at the Hero with the revolver." I hazard a guess. 

"Close enough." The Voice congratulates, "The tranquilizers will shut down the Hero's conscious mind and your attack on him will force his defense protocol to execute. With the Hero's awakening skill neutered thanks to the termination protocol, you will be able to resist any retaliation on his part and beat him back before making your way to Alley."

"That's assuming the new armor works as advertised and I can actually activate the core once Celeste gets going." I grumble. 

"It will. Have some faith." The Voice reassures, "Alley will make the getaway with Irene Scott, and be inevitably intercepted by the troops dispatched by Marshal St Clair."

"And the Hero, having recovered from being slapped around by me, will come charging straight out." I pull at the thread, "But he won't go after me, right? The Hero will be on that weird autopilot mode I saw after the fight with the Perfecta. And since Celeste installed that order for him to get hitched to Big Tits ..."

"The Hero will pursue Mrs Alley, not engage you in combat. Very astute Transmigrator." The Voice takes up the briefing again, "Our man of the hour will miraculously appear just in time to battle the villains sent by Marshal St Clair to kidnap his precious wife."

"In full view of the public of course." I grunt, "Yeah, I get the picture. But can he actually manage it with that termination thingy active?"

"Yes." The Voice confirms, "The Hero's powers may be deteriorating, but he is still powerful enough to deal with Legion troopers, even the elite black ops squads Marshal St Clair has on hand. Especially since the wedding will take place during the day."

"Meaning Loli vampire can't ride to the rescue." I nod, "But what about Alley? She can't hold the Hero off by herself once the Legion troopers have been dealt with."

"Again, she will not need to." The Voice says, "The Hero will instinctively recognize the SUV as an extension of myself. His body will self-sabotage any attempts to damage it. The SUV will lead the Hero to the inclinator at the Dreaming Spires District, where I will lock him in behind the blast door."

"That's the one leading to your place of power in the sarcophagus right?" I question, seeing where this is going. 

"Indeed." The Voice concludes, "Once he has been locked in, I will personally subdue the Hero and do the needful. He will reappear a few days later, a little worse for wear, but victorious in his quest to rescue his wife from the claws of the Legion."

"And the marriage?" I ask. 

"The Hero, in the spirit of self-sacrifice, will realize that his presence will only endanger the woman he loves." The Voice smirks over the earpiece, "With a heavy heart, he will insist on the marriage being called off, not for his own convenience mind you, but for the well being of Irene Scott."

"And fall into the embrace of his harem at the same time?" I stifle a giggle at how over dramatic The Voice's script is. 

"Of course not." The Voice rebuts, "The Hero's image has to be maintained after all. At any rate, all the Heroines are already pregnant. Further sexual intercourse with them would be unnecessary and counter productive."

"A True Hero." I start laughing at the hilarity of it all, "A production starring Tensei von Amsterg." 

"Nevertheless, I need to remind you that you do have an important role in this farrago." The Voice rasps, "I will be actively manipulating events in the background. You need to keep the servant's attention centered on yourself, so that I do not get cut off at an inopportune moment." 

"Where would a director be without his personal assistant?" I pat my chest, "Leave it to me. As long as you can pay, I will deliver."

"Very good. Then let us put on a show the whole world will remember."