The Lead Crown: Ch 1c, Steam-Punked (pt 2)
Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 1-2, Steam Punked
Although Inigo's hesitation in believing the rumor was perfectly reasonable, Alarice couldn't have expected the bat to understand because he wasn't "in the know". She didn't know how long she had until the (alleged) sabotage yielded results but she sent the bat away to get the rest of her team-- if she was right then she'd need all of them in short order.
The audience was getting thicker, which was a mixed blessing for the woman; she was able to blend easier with the press of the crowd but it also meant that maneuvering through the tidal flow of bodies was that much more difficult. She glanced around as she went, keeping an eye on where the guards were, where the podium was, and, most importantly, the place where the scholars from the scaffolding were gathering.
Before arriving at the throng of UPU scholars, however, she ran into the shepherd/husky mix that, according to Inigo, had wanted to join in on the project team but had been turned down. The mutt looked her way twice as she approached before he realized that she was headed his way, "Hi." he noted, "This area is off limits for spectators." the dog's smooth voice was welcoming despite his dismissal; based on the discussion she had overheard via her bat, she had imagined that kind of voice for him.
The woman quickly recalled his name, "You're Alvis, right?"
The apprentice's ears went up immediately, his mismatched blue and hazel eyes focused, "Yes..." and one ear fell backwards, "I don't know you... do I?"
She smiled her patented charming smile... the one that had won her entry into many a private party, "Actually, no." she admitted, then pulled out the big guns as she thought about the conversation Inigo had overheard, "But Professor Milhoy sent me to find you."
The mutt's tail betrayed his excitement as it began to wag furiously. He practically hopped from foot to foot as he came right up to Alarice, reminding her for all intents and purposes of a four legged family pet, "He did? What did he say? Did he say I was going to get to join in on the cabin crew? Do I get to help mix the fuel?"
Alarice let the dog give her all the information she needed with his rambling before she replied, "He didn't tell me exactly... all confidential you know..." and she quickly picked out the most convincing option he had handed her, "but I THINK he DID say it had something to do with fuel, yes." she smiled sweetly, "I'll take over here for you and--" she didn't have a chance to finish as he raced by her... then slowed after several steps before turning back around.
"Uh..." he began, both ears falling in embarrassment, "Where was--"
"Across the way..." she replied, "He'll meet you down the street at Ernesto's." it was the most acceptable place she could think of on short notice. A reasonable meeting place since it was relatively safe and would hopefully be out of the danger zone of the presentation.
"But..." Alvis paused, "Why would he be over there?"
"You know how the Professor is about crowds." Alarice responded with a shrug, "And it's really not that far away, after all." It was all the convincing the mutt required, and he took off like a shot. "Well..." she murmured to herself, "One down..." and she looked back to the raised section of decking that was reserved for the scholars from the University; there were a LOT of them. Considering how long it took to deal with an apprentice she was losing hope that she'd be able to get many of them to safety.
"Well... maybe YOU'D like to explain to ME how some methane hydrate got into a vat of copper sulfate I was working with... hmm?" the accusatory tone was highly distinctive, and caught Alarice's attention. Turning to the side, just out of view of the general audience, she caught sight of the human scholar poking a fellow university student in the chest... it was the wolf-dog from earlier that had warned them about the sabotage. She drew closer to the argument, wondering where the silver-furred scholar got HIS information.
"I already told you, 'Shew, I had nothing to do with--"
The human interrupted him, "You know I don't want you calling me that."
"Whatever." the husky/wolf rolled his piercing blue eyes, "I'm just saying--" he paused when he caught sight of Alarice, "Can we help you?"
She realized she would have to use a little more tact with the two men than she had used on the apprentice, "Um... I'm not sure." she offered a hesitant, slightly demure smile. The wolf-dog seemed like the trusting type; all she had to do was--
The human spoke up immediately, "She was spying on us earlier, Roland..." and then turned to her, "Why were you spying on us?" his tinted spectacles glared accusingly.
"Pardon?" Alarice asked, taking a step back.
"Damn, Joshew... don't be--"
"She was spying on us." the human interrupted his furred peer.
"She wasn't spying." Roland countered with a scowl.
"I wasn't spying..." Alarice objected, "I was coming over to ask--"
"Not just now." Joshew waved her objection away, "Earlier... you and another man... probably a bat seeing as he was repeating everything we were saying." She opened her mouth to object, but he continued, "Don't argue... I recognize your voice, so please stop wasting my time and either explain yourself or let me call the guard."
The woman cursed her luck; the blind man was apparently DID have some keen senses. "Alright." Alarice sighed, "The truth?"
Roland scowled, "Should I get Eric? I'll go get Eric."
"Nah." the human scholar held out an arm to block the wolf-dog, "I want to hear this." and Joshew leaned back against the guard rail, a smug grin on his face.
Alarice laid her cards out on the table, "The project is sabotaged." She watched as the reveal wiped the smirk right off of his lips.
"I knew it..." Roland murmured, and looked to his fellow scholar, "I told you, 'Shew... when I heard--"
"Bullshit." Joshew cursed flatly, "I don't have to be able to see to know that you're trying to pull one over on us, lady... You overheard Roland blabbering about that earlier and now--"
She spoke right over him, "I was hired because Professor Milhoy was worried that--"
And he returned the favor by speaking right over her with no amount of disdain, "ANOTHER name you probably overheard."
Alarice reached up and with one hand and massaged the bridge of her nose; why were scholars always too smart for their own good? "You're not going to believe anything I say... are you?" she asked him flatly.
"Honestly? ...probably not." the human scholar responded.
"Why do you think there's going to be sabotage?" the wolf-dog asked, his fur slightly raised as he glared at her critically.
"I was hired by..." she paused, glancing to Joshew before looking back to Roland, "...someone... to make sure that the sabotage didn't take place."
"Who hired you?" Joshew asked, the incredulity in his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Does it matter?" she countered, and looked back to Roland, "You obviously heard it somewhere too, so you have to at least be thinking I MIGHT deserve the benefit of the doubt."
"And if we DID believe you?" Roland asked.
"You mean if YOU believed her." Joshew scoffed.
"Then you need to leave... now." Alarice responded, her heart beat picking up as she realized that she was running out of time.
"You were hired to evacuate the University staff?" Joshew interjected, "Then why start with scholars instead of going straight for the professors?"
"I wasn't hired to evacuate anyone." she snapped at the human scholar, "I was hiered..." she paused, and lowered her voice, "...to stop it."
"How does having us leave stop the sabotage?" Roland asked, putting his paws on his hips, "If you're thinking I have anything to do with--"
"I failed." she spat.
"What?" the wolf-dog took a step back, and even the human scholar raised an eyebrow.
"I can't find my contact..." she grumbled, "he said if he wasn't here then things were worse than he thought..." she let out a breath, hating to admit defeat... she didn't like losing. "...and that means that this thing is likely going to fall apart."
Joshew finally changed his tone, "If someone sabotaged the Albatross then the easiest way to do that wouldn't be by making it fall apart..." Alarice glanced to the human scholar, who had gone pale, "...it would be priming the fuel delivery system... it would explode."
"So... you believe her?" Roland asked.
"I'm not saying I do..." Joshew adjusted his glasses, "but there's definitely something going on here." he looked straight at Alarice, "Who is your contact?"
"Can we talk about this a little further away?" the woman asked, exasperated, and quickly running out of patience, "Just around the corner... a little restaurant... Ernesto's." she tapped her fingers on the railing, "If I'm lying you can have me arrested for... well... for whatever, I guess... for being a disruption to official University business or something." she glanced around the gathering area, looking for the fastest way out of the crowded square.
"What do you think?" Roland asked Joshew; in any other circumstance Alarice would have smiled at how quickly the two had made-up once they were forced with a unifying dilemma... but she didn't have the time to smile.
"Alright..." Joshew relented, "But I'm getting Eric... he's coming with us."
"The guard... right." Alarice nodded, "He's kinda cute." Both of the scholars shot he a look and she shrugged, "Well... we're being honest now, right? He is."
It took far longer for them to find the man than she would have liked but, thankfully, they convinced him to follow without much effort-- he was under the impression that they were following her to a restaurant and that she wasn't completely trustworthy. "Let's just be quick.. the unveiling in thirty minutes." Eric reminded the two scholars.
About twenty feet from the stage Roland came to a stop, "What about the others?" he asked, glancing back up at the stage.
"If any of the Professors were to leave the podium people would think something's up." Joshew answered, "If this is all a hoax then we'll be causing panic for nothing."
"If what's a hoax, Joshew?" Eric asked.
"Nothing." the scholar replied.
"But what if it's serious?" Roland asked, continuing on after the rest of them, "I mean... shouldn't we do something?"
"If whoever's responsible is here then THEY'LL know something's up if a lot of you leave the stage." Alarice countered, "May as well save your hide since you have a chance."
"Roland," the guard spoke up, "What's going on?"
"Remember how I said that I think someone wants to sabotage the Albatross?" the wolf-dog inquired of the human guard.
"Yea, but--"
Roland motioned with his head to Alarice, "I'm not the only one."
Eric glanced toward her, and Alarice gave him a pleasant smile, "I'm not usually pleased to be the bearer of bad news, but in this case I--"
"Where did you hear something like that?" Eric came to a halt, hand going to his sword then looked at the scholars beside him, "What reason do we have to trust you?"
Alarice paused when she saw the line of a circular tattoo visible beneath the edge of the man's glove, "Interesting tattoo you have there." she adjusted her sash. The guard quickly flexed his wrist, taking it out of view again, "Order of Blades, if I'm not mistaken?" she inquired.
Eric's attack came immediately. In the blink of an eye he had his weapon out... but Alarice wasn't one to blink, and she had already hopped back. The sword caught nothing but air as he swiped a long, overextended strike aimed at her neck. With little more than a flick of her wrist, the woman had her hidden blade out from its sheath in her sash. From there, the weapon crossed the distance from her outstretched hand to the man's exposed neck in an instant. He dropped his weapon and fell to the ground, blood gushing out from his wound.
She turned to the scholars, who were both backing away from her, "She just killed him." Roland explained to Joshew.
"Thanks... I got that." the human scholar replied.
Alarice sighed, realizing that she'd immediately lost their trust, but she didn't have time to be subtle. "Here." she noted, throwing a balled up leather missive at the wolf-dog, "Read it so he can hear... just do it quietly." she glanced around as she knelt to retrieve her knife, looking at the gathered audience to see if anyone had seen the altercation-- thankfully they were all facing the stage and it had been over so soon that nobody had seen a thing.
"Joshew..." Roland murmured, "This said someone hired some people called The Order of Blades to..."
"Sabotage your unveiling... yea." Alarice acknowledged, grabbing the leather back from the surprised furry scholar, "Your friend there was one of them."
"You mentioned a tattoo..." Joshew noted, seeing as he was blind, it was eerie that he was looking right at her.
"Back of the hand." she stated, "Circle with three lines... left line and right line are both arrows pointing up... check him out if you don't believe me."
Roland knelt down and pulled the dead man's glove from his hand, which still clutched at the hole in his neck. The wolf-dog nodded mutedly. "Don't just sit there wagging your head... what is it, man?" Joshew objected.
"It's the tattoo... just like she said." the wolf-dog stood, "We have to warn people."
"Hey!" the unpleasant shout of alarm was NOT something Alarice was hoping to hear. Several Newport City Guards were moving toward their location, "Stop!"
"It's time to go, gentlemen." the woman warned, and made her way to the nearest alley. She glanced back to see both of them standing over the body, "Do you know what they do to scholars in prison?" she questioned, and the mere implication of the nonsequitor got them moving. Roland and Joshew had just made it into the alley when the distinct sound of a loud click followed by what almost sounded like a musical note was broadcast throughout the square... and that's when it all exploded.