Unravel
(followup to ...Falls Apart)
"It will be a thing to do with the vistalrechar." said Voustrets. "Their big day of shipping it out. They'll have finished whatever chemistry process they were to do, and they will all be working to transport it to its destination. They will have even the janitor and the office boy carrying buckets of deadly poison, it is to be sure!"
Voustrets had called around and arranged for Rai, for Boodins, for Siertes and Dene to show up immediately. Rai and Boodins were on hand in a matter of minutes, and planning was underway on the lower level.
Brittery had abandoned her breakfast, scorned the planning that so interested Demarle and Faisand, and had taken a client back to one of the downstairs private rooms, from which issued lusty yowling and scrabbling. The ebon feline was apparently taking out her frustrations through her art, giving her Runge client a lovemaking session he'd not soon forget.
Daucery'd taken a client as well, but without any other change in her behavior, and from her workroom issued fierce rhythmic squelches and orgiastic moaning. The big butterscotch Nerre was doing it Runge-style again, as she so preferred. Nobody paid any attention, save Boodins, who kept looking longingly back towards the workrooms.
Dene and Siertes hadn't shown up, but Voustrets was not delaying a moment. He paced and thought out loud, his spectacular Estrai tail swirling behind him.
"We may assume that if it is a big day, they shall not finish their labors immediately, but time is of the essence. You, Rairate, will go with Boodins, who will take the role of a messenger boy from Resten, with a message either from, or to, Elistary..."
"Ah... Voustrets?" said Faisand, who looked distressed.
"The... what?"
"I was just thinking..."
"Share with us your thoughts," said Voustrets, "but do it in haste. And where is our Runge lady and the Tompar agent? The Tompar will wish to be on the scene of this operation."
"Voustrets... Elistary is really an evil bitch..."
"One with much deadly poison in her possession, about to be delivered somewhere!"
"No, I mean...what if it isn't a big work day she has in mind?"
"Young Hallem!" said Voustrets. "Please estimate the quantities of vistalrechar that passed through Ungovernment on its way to Dinsam Industrial Fabrication."
Hallem thought. "Barrels and barrels of the stuff. Pretty scary when you think about it. I know it was really cumbersome, because each barrel was like a whole protective thing around a much smaller vial of the actual poison. It would fill a big room with barrels. We got hold of a lot. It cost an incredible amount, we were just the couriers..."
"There you are- for anyone, transporting the entire cache of poison would be a big work day. They will surely not be able to do it all at once, and one does not throw deadly poison around lightly in any event! They'll work carefully, as accidents would be unthinkable."
Faisand fell silent, but still looked troubled.
"The first team will be Rairate, Boodins, and Siertes- where is she? The two warriors will be well able to protect the boy, and his species may be just what's needed to gain access to the inner sanctum. He will pretend they are bodyguards- or perhaps, they are city inspectors? A cross-cultural team investigating workplace safety?"
"Won't matter." said Siertes. "With an entire cache of poison, it's strictly about confusing them and barging in, because NO excuse will get you anywhere."
She was coming through the door with Dene, who clung to Siertes affectionately but also to mask her unsteadiness on her feet.
Voustrets stared, nonplussed. His ear twitched. He made no comment on Dene's wobbly gait, but one thing did make him comment.
"How is it that you know what we were talking about? Is it that you have the hidden microphone, here with us somewhere?"
Siertes smirked. "What would you do if I did?"
"Disable it." replied Voustrets.
Siertes frowned. "Figures. It wasn't that anyhow... you do realize, you were talking in sight of the window? As we walked up the street, we could see... ah, I could see you, at any rate. I could see your mouth moving..."
"Oh, lip-reading." said Voustrets dismissively. "Now that you are here, we must plan rapidly. You will, as you say, barge in?"
"Yeah, that'd be best." said Siertes.
"So, also, Dene and young Hallem will barge in. They will pretend to be seeking a bathroom for the boy. He will cause additional distraction while your team gain entrance..."
The planning had continued long enough for Brittery to finish with her client. He emerged from the room staggering, with a stunned look in his eyes that continued while he paid Demarle, and tipped Tery an extra five hundred credits while he was at it. The stunned look was still there as he staggered out the door, bumping against the doorframe as he went.
Brittery came out as the Dinsam-raid teams were leaving, and she could be seen climbing back up to the balcony, ignoring the departing visitors and resuming her breakfast. Jennis glanced up at her, nodded, and allowed her her space.
Dinsam Industrial Fabrication was fairly deep into Verss, but also on a high level- it was a bit to the north-east of the center, at the peak of Verss. As the first team approached the place, lit by light-pipes and diffusors as well as the more common artificial lighting, Rai considered the terrible risks of poison gas in such a confined space.
He blinked, realizing his assumption. "Siertes- is vistalrechar a poison gas? By that I mean- if it spills, is it dangerous to breathe vapors of it?"
"Ah, now you're asking something!" chortled Siertes. She seemed to become more jovial as the danger approached.
"Indeed I am asking. Can you tell me, 'aons?"
"It depends what they've done with it. If they've made delightful air fresheners out of it, we're all dead meat."
"But if it is still in its normal state? Is it then a poison gas?"
"No, not at all. You'd have to touch it, and even then, it'll be a lot more effective in your bloodstream. There aren't any vapors."
"Thank you. I hope we are not dead meat." said Rai politely.
Something occurred to Siertes, and the jovial mood dropped away instantly. "Kitty. My wolfess..."
"Yes?"
"You're going to protect her also." said Siertes grimly.
"Of course. She is my friend."
"If you don't... I'm going to kill you. Understand?"
Rai's ears went back. "I was already going to protect her, Siertes. Do not threaten me, 'aons."
"Sorry." said the Tompar, unconvincingly. "Just making sure."
Boodins looked on, wide-eyed, and Rai observed this.
"Siertes, will you also protect Boodins, 'aons?"
"Yeah, alright." said the Tompar, as the entrance to Dinsam approached. Across the enclosed street, Dene and Hallem got into position, not looking at the first team at all.
The three, Nerre, Tompar and Resten, began walking towards the lab entrance, with the two Runge waiting for their cue. It would be as near as possible to twelve seconds after Rai, Siertes and Boodins entered. Voustrets considered that the optimal time- the first team would press forward, and then the second would appear as a distraction, and stay as distracting as possible while the first team penetrated deeper into the possibly hostile territory.
Rai opened the door- and realized the distraction would be irrelevant.
Dinsam was filled with arguing Runge, in lab coats, in security guard uniforms, and it was chaos. Nobody was watching them enter. It was an opportunity to be seized, and with a glance at his companions, Rai determinedly made for a further door at the end of the room that looked promising.
He cut around a big Runge in a lab coat who was demanding, "Why haven't you got any paperwork on it? We've got to get hold of... hey! You!"
He'd whirled on Rai, who kept going. Siertes turned to intercept the guy, saying "Inspection."
"What kind of..."
"Ah, health inspection. For cross-species, ah..."
"This is a really bad time, lady. Can you get- hey! He can't go in there!"
Rai was almost to the back room, but it was too much to ask of him- the little feline, though deadly and determined, was unable to immediately contradict the wishes of the lab-coated wolf. He turned, automatically, and said, "Inspection. We will examine this back room, 'aons." Siertes could see him wanting to continue, but it was as if he was trapped waiting for the next bit of protocol to unfold.
Right then, Dene entered, on the heels of Hallem, who was hopping and whining "I gotta peeeee!".
"Scuse me, do you have a bathroom?"
"I bet there's one back there!" cried Hallem, and began to dart for the same back room Rai'd aimed for, but he was stopped by a shattering bellow.
"EVERYBODY HOLD IT!" shouted the big wolf in the lab coat. From the back room peeked some worried-looking Runge, also in lab coats, both male and female and looking a lot like unworldly scientists. The guy shouting was all too obviously the boss, part manager and part drill sergeant, and everybody did hold it, including Rai and Hallem.
The guy turned to his subordinate. "Do you at least have a shipping tracer? In any of the barrels. ANY of them."
"Barrels?" asked Boodins curiously.
"God-damn right. Barrels. Not getting into what we've got in them, but... okay, this is ridiculous, but did YOU see them? Were you around here earlier today, early morning?"
"What happened this morning?" said Boodins, guilelessly.
"Oh, never mind! Get the fuck out of here!" he snapped at Boodins, and turned to his subordinate.
Boodins wasn't dissuaded that easily. "Did somebody rip you off? I... I think I saw him! Big, um, dark... it was dark..."
The big Runge turned slowly to Boodins, and he didn't look pleased. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"I'm telling you, I saw the guy!" said Boodins, desperately trying to invent a story. He didn't even get started.
"Look. Kid. We've just had an entire shipment fucking vanish. Hundreds of barrels of, I'm not EVEN going to get into that, gone from the store-room before we could even ship it out, and we're on the hook for the whole thing. A guy did NOT put them in his pocket. Why don't you, ALL of you, get the f..."
His subordinate grabbed his shoulder. "I think we did have a trace! It's not ours, it's from the original barrel! You know, when we got in extra barrels to replace that one that got dinged by the forklift..."
"Yeah?" said the boss wolf. Across from him, Dene stood tensely, a look of intense thought on her face, and then she began to look more and more worried.
"Yeah!" said the subordinate. "I had to scan for a whole other vendor, but I think I've got something, and I bet you anything it's our v... our shipment! It could only be that one barrel- and you won't believe where it's going!"
"Well? If it's that interesting, how about you tell me... WHAT?" said the big Runge, turning to stare at Dene, whose look of worry had extended to gesturing frantically at her companions, without even pretending to only know Hallem.
"We, we really ought to be going." Dene stammered.
"Yes, you should." said the boss wolf, as Siertes braced to resist being removed, as Rai hovered near the back of the room, as Boodins drifted farther into the room and some of the scientists in the back room began to drift over, curious at the bizarre situation.
"Yeah..." said Dene, and mouthed GET OUT at Siertes desperately, at which Siertes raised an eyeridge.
"Don't let the door hit you in the ass." said the boss wolf. "Okay, if you've got the trace, where's our stuff gone?" A shadow moved somewhere outside the entrance. There was the suggestion of a faint click.
"It's up in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, about ten K west of Dennt-"
The room exploded in gunfire.
The big guy was clearly the first target- he'd been towering over the other guy with his arms slightly spread, and he came apart in a spray of red. Siertes and Rai- and, for that matter, Dene- hit the floor instantly, as the Runge with the trace let out a shriek that was hideously altered as bullets took his head and throat apart.
Rairate recognized instantly that there would be no shelter, and without knowing what exactly was happening, he attacked. He scrabbled along the floor, keeping low, and then in a frenzy of rippling feline muscle, he launched straight at the source of the gunfire without even standing first- launched as if coming off a ramp planted on the floor, razored claws flared wide.
Siertes hit the wall to the side of the door, Dene's hand tightly in hers. The Tompar Mued had grabbed her and bolted for a position out of the line of fire through the door. Rai hadn't had that luxury.
"Stay!" commanded Siertes, looking over to where Rai was slashing at someone with his claws- several someones, in fact, his arms and legs lashing out in all directions. She began to move in that direction.
"Hallem!" cried Dene, and began to move out into the room again, looking this way and that frantically.
Siertes cursed a guttural Tompar expletive and shouted "Get back, damn you!", but then, all at once, the entrance doors were closed. Rairate leaned against them, panting, bleeding from the arm, the head, the upper leg, his eyes frantically wild.
"What the fuck was that?" hissed Siertes.
"Their big day!" yelped Dene. "They're being whacked!"
"This is not good." said Rai, disturbingly softly. He stood amid a pile of at least four dead Runge, and as the smoke of the gunfire dissipated, their uniforms were easy to spot. Riot gear- police- just the same sort of squad that had attacked the Ungovernment base.
"There'll be more." said Siertes.
"There are already more. I heard them yelling into their radios."
"Hallem!" cried Dene, but right then a small figure latched onto her. "Yo!" it said.
"Where can we go?" said Dene.
"Boodins!" shouted Rai, weakly.
"They got a piece of you, kitty!" said Siertes.
Boodins poked his head out of the back room. "We're going to break a window! Come on!"
Siertes kept between Dene and the entrance the whole time, as Dene and Hallem helped Rai along. The ninja feline didn't complain, but he was limping, and wobbly on his paws. Boodins spotted this, dashed up and took over for Hallem, and things moved more quickly.
"We have to get out of here and tell Voustrets what happened!" cried Dene, as they joined several Runge in lab coats, who seemed to be trying to decide which chair or table was most suitable. The window wasn't large, but then it only looked out on an alley anyhow.
Boodins rushed over. "There's no time! This one!" He seized a chair, and with great determination, swung it at the window, where it bounced and flew from his grip, clattering to the floor with a bent leg.
"You see," said one of the scientists, "that's what we thought would happen..."
Siertes strode forward, glancing back at Dene to check she was still safe, and the scientist said "Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh'." said Dene breathlessly, "Stand back!"
Siertes grabbed the same chair up off the floor. She tossed it from hand to hand, gauging its weight. She shifted her grip to a chair leg, lining up the back of the chair as the striking point- moved up to the window- shut her huge, sensitive eyes tightly, and her body twisted and lashed out, ferociously, with the chair as a club.
The window exploded, with a fierce clangor that echoed in the alleyway. Very little was left in the frame, and Siertes jabbed what was left of the chair at it until there were no big shards. "Careful with your hands- you! Give me your coat!"
She covered the bottom sill of the window with the coat, and was about to jump through, then remembered.
"Crazy wolfess! Out!"
"No!" cried Dene. "Let these people go first!"
"Is!" cursed Siertes, but she allowed Dene and Boodins to herd the scientists out of the window. From the other room, they heard muffled shouting, as if from behind the blocked door. Siertes stared wildly back and forth, urging the awkward Runge to hurry, even shoving them when they proved cautious of the broken glass. "Get the fuck out, you!"
As the last scientist clambered through the window to the alleyway, there was a thumping from the other room. Boodins glanced huntedly out the doorway, and then he froze, as Siertes began urging Dene out their broken window escape.
"Somebody still here... up those stairs..." he whined.
"Boodins, come here now!" protested Rai.
"Get over here, puppy!" yelled Siertes.
"I smell Resten... none of those bodies are Resten..." whined Boodins, his tail tucked in fear.
The thumping and shouting was more intense- and then, gunfire from outside added to the chaos in the other room, as more cops began to force their way in, laying down fire to protect them from whatever had laid waste to their first wave.
"Up the stairs!" yelped Boodins, sniffing, and then he was gone- out the doorway, making for the stairwell that led further into the building.
Siertes' eyes went very wide, and then very cold. She physically tossed Dene over to where Rai and Hallem stood.
"Hold wolfy! You go out THAT way!"
And with that, Siertes dashed into the gunfire, going after Boodins.
"SIERTES!" shrieked Dene. Rai had grabbed her, and though he was gravely injured, the little cat gritted his teeth and hung onto his friend for all he was worth.
"SIERTES!" screamed Dene, weeping, trying desperately to follow.
"Out... this.. way!" managed Rai.
Hallem was up to speed on the situation. The Runge boy yelled in Dene's face, "Get outside! Meet her outside! Right now!"
"But, but!" yelped Dene.
"Outside! She's gotta jump from the second story! You gotta catch her!"
Running noises were heard from upstairs- then from the other room, and the gunfire was suddenly coming from inside the building, deafeningly.
"Now!" yiped Hallem, and Rai shoved Dene towards the window, and she tumbled awkwardly through it. Rai tried to turn to Hallem and do likewise, but the cub was having none of it.
"Go! Go!" he yipped, and shoved Rai in turn, who gave in and, wobbling, more or less fell through the window into the alleyway- caught by Dene. Hallem was through the window himself before Rai had even stood up, and the three staggered away to the cover of a big dumpster filled with rubbish. It was a nasty, dark alleyway, but that was all to the good. The scientists originally in the room had fled already.
There was a rushing and a shouting in the room they'd just left, a Runge voice shouting, "No time, don't go after 'em, check the upstairs!"
"No, no, no, no..." whimpered Dene, but just then a window above shattered glass out into the alley.
The dumpster had a lot of cardboard waste in it, and whatever else it contained didn't matter to the Runge woman who appeared in the window. She glanced back into the room just once, and flung herself into space with a sharp yelp of desperate terror- and dropped into the dumpster, the debris breaking her fall, slithering in a pile of garbage over the edge of the dumpster and dropping to the floor of the alley- which would be ground, except that it was the ceiling of other alleys, other buildings.
Dene went to help the Dinsam lady up, but it was superfluous- she scrambled to her feet and dashed off down the alleyway.
Two figures appeared at the window, and it was like two Boodinses- the mysterious Resten scent had turned out to be another Scruff-caste Resten, apparently working for the company. There was no sign of Siertes yet. Together, the canines leapt into the air, plummeting to the dumpster, sliding off the pile, landing on their paws and staggering halfway across the alley. Their combined impact was so great that the alley shook, and Verss around them settled a tiny amount, the mountain city shifting and subsiding.
Dene and Rai appeared shocked by the city-quake, but Hallem seemed to take it in stride. Boodins paid attention only to the new arrival, who was wagging frantically.
"I ALWAYS wanted to check out that dumpster-scent!" she said.
Rai gathered his thoughts, though weak from his injuries. "You must return with us, 'aons..."
"Oh, the poor thing, look at it!" cried the Resten girl.
"That's Rai, he needs our help!" replied Boodins.
Dene was a vision of tragic suspense, staring at the window, her body shaking, and it looked as if she was ready to go right up the side of the building and go back in after Siertes. When a fusillade of shots rang out, Dene began frantically trying to climb up the dumpster, perhaps to jump for the window, but she couldn't even get up that. A scream rang out, but it was a male Runge scream. More shots. Another scream, short like a yelp. The sound of scuffling, more shots...
Siertes soared straight out of the window in a headfirst dive.
She didn't even aim for the dumpster. She had apparently not had time to even look where she was going, she'd just dived straight out a second story window, a trail of sickly yellowish-green ichor spilling from her side. Dene screamed, watching her fall to the ground, and tried to reach her, but before she had made two steps, the Tompar hit the floor with a reverberating crunch.
Dene screamed again, and then she'd reached Siertes, and was trying to lift her.
"Oh my God, she shouldn't do that!" said Boodins. "What if something's broken?"
A shot rang out. Someone in the building had taken cover and was firing, almost blindly, after the fleeing Siertes. The shot richocheted off another building, well above those in the alleyway- apparently the cop in question was too intimidated to actually look into the alley just yet, and was firing in the general direction of the escape.
"Tompar... are dreadfully tough..." managed Rai. "More so... than I..." and he wobbled, and began to slump to the ground.
Boodins and Dene exchanged a look, with Hallem glancing back and forth between them in great excitement. Without a word, Dene began dragging Siertes away, immediately aided by Hallem- and then, astonishingly, by Siertes herself, who could be heard feebly cursing as she tried to get to her feet.
Boodins and the Resten Scruff girl seized Rai between them, and hurried after. Rai struggled weakly, then tried to help by supporting his own weight, and then collapsed into their arms, and was dragged along between the hurrying Resten.
(This is from the Tally Road novel, which IS complete, so the story continues at http://www.jinxtigr.com/writing/tallyroad/consequence.html and I'm working on getting the whole thing out on Kindle :) )