“You made that rather clear. When you refused to expire, General Washington wanted your remains thrown upon a pyre. I believe the actual description he applied to you was an unholy abomination in the sight of the Lord. However, due to my small measure of reputation in the sciences, he thought I could ascertain what manner of beast the Hessians had unleashed upon us first, because heaven forbid we face any more soldiers so fearsome. So you were placed in a wagon and brought here as quickly as possible. You have proven to be a curious distraction. I am supposed to be preparing for an important diplomatic journey, but I’ve been engrossed in studying you instead. Would I be correct in assuming that you are the legendary creation of the alchemist Konrad Dippel?”

“Yes.”

The elderly fat man gave him an appreciative nod. “Then I can safely assure the good general that you are one of a kind.”

“My mission is to keep it that way.”

“I see . . . So the stories about you wandering the countryside destroying various nefarious supernatural beings are true. You are both a terror in battle and a scourge against any unearthly creature that crosses your path. Your fearsome reputation precedes you, sir.”

“I’m supposed to fight for you now.”

“General Washington’s letter mentioned you speaking briefly on this matter. May I inquire as to your motivations for joining our cause?”

“No.” If they’d thought about burning him before, nothing would stop them if they realized the truth. “But repair me, and I will serve you.”

The fat man thought about that for a long time. “I will not deny that I am intrigued by this idea; however, our noble endeavor to secure our liberties does not ask for servants, but rather free men, motivated by their own ideals, and governed by agreed-upon laws and contracts.”

“Then we make a contract.”

“We are men who will not be ruled by the arbitrary decrees of a king. Are you such a man?”

“No. I am Franks.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Franks. I am Benjamin Franklin. Let us discuss this hypothetical contract of yours . . .”

* * *

There was a mechanical hum. The gigantic blast doors began grinding open.

“Out of the way.”

The breaching crew didn’t even have time to shut their torches off before Franks had shoved past them. He caught a brief glimpse of the interior. It was a very large room resembling a factory, surrounded on all sides by catwalks and windows, but then Franks had to duck back when the surprised demons inside started shooting at him.

Franks turned around. Fifty men were eagerly waiting for their chance to fight some demons. “Two on the catwalk to the right. One on the left.” Somebody had let them in, but from the reactions, it didn’t appear to have been Nemesis. They needed to secure the entrance before Stricken closed the door.