4) Empress in Durance Vile (Tock)

HEAS Monarch made its final approach to Grandeur City's main airship port. The Monarch was the largest airship ever built. She measured over 800 feet long with a beam of nearly 100 feet and was over 200 feet at her tallest. She boasted a broadside of over 2008- and 10-inch steam cannons. Suspended on her bottom she had a full squadron of 16 Raptor Fighter Aircraft. She had eight steam powered propellers situated along her hull which were on swivel type arms to ensure maneuverability. She had four lifter gas chambers which ran the length of the hull but were protected by the outer hull.

​The airship port was demarcated by several huge towers which allowed for the airships to dock. Once docked, the ships were moored at several points along the hull by huge cables. Then eight enormous steam powered winches were employed to pull the ships down to the ground and into bays which locked the ships in place. Once locked down, it was safe to turn off the electricity to the lifter gas.

​As the Monarch went through the hour-long docking process, an honor guard formed up along the main ramp where the eight-legged steam driven carriage was prepositioned to await Her Eminent Empress for her ride back to the palace.

​Unnoticed to the waiting crowd several technicians and other officials who had need to attend their duties and not wait for the whole process of docking left HEAS Monarch at the dock point on the tower and proceeded down either the steps or the clockwork elevator in the tower. Among those individuals was Captain Cooper who had important business to attend to. Also, among the few which left the ship early was a group of four figures in pilgrim robes.

​

​Since Halinar's HLS classes were finished for the semester and its students were on summer break, Ouihan was able to go out and watch the parade which honored the Empress' return from the war front. Since he wasn't able to get out of his morning chores, he was only able to stand in the back of the already gathered crowd whichwas already ten persons deep.

​He tried his best to find an ideal vantage point to see the parade, but it was difficult. Finally, he decided to go over to one of the many telegraph towers which ran along Imperial Avenue and climb up it. On his way to the tower he had to dodge in and out of the already thickening crowd along the avenue. During one of those dodges he accidentally ran into an individual who was dressed in black pilgrim robes who was in the middle of a group of three others similarly dressed individuals.

​“Pardon me...” He realized the pilgrim was female, so he quickly added, “Ma'am.”

​The pilgrim in the front turned to grab him but stopped suddenly when he looked at him. Ouihan couldn't help but notice there was something mechanical in the way the front pilgrim moved. He looked at the dark area which was the front opening of the pilgrim hood but couldn't discern a face. He then looked at the pilgrim he ran into and saw she had dark skin and very dark almond shaped eyes. She had a very stunned look in those eyes as she saw how the front pilgrim reacted to Ouihan.

​Ouihan heard her start to say something when suddenly four men stepped out of the crowd dressed in black long coats and black plate armor. One of them held up a device of some kind whichresembled a fist sized ball held by an eagle claw on the top of a foot-long handle. A blue arc of electricity flew out from this device toward the female pilgrim which Ouihan had bumped into. He instinctively stepped between her and the device taking the full blast of the arc. For Ouihan everything went black.

​It took a second for Empress Victoria II to realize the boy who bumped into her wasn't part of the group which was attacking. Before she could do anything about it, the officer who was accompanying her swept her unceremoniously off her feet and began to carry her down the street to the nearest safe house. The front sentinel plowed a path through the crowd in front while the back sentinel, running full speed backwards, interjected itself between the attackers and her.

​The four attackers tried to pursue her and her entourage for about fifty feet before they decided to turn off into an alleyway and make good their escape.

​The officer and the sentinels carried the Empress down severalblocks then turned off to a side street then took several seemingly random left and right turns down alleyways and foot paths until they came to a rather run-down looking house. Instead of going up the steps to the front door they went around back and down a flight ofsteps to a basement door. The heavy iron door seemed to open automatically to allow them in then slammed and bolted shut behind them. They proceeded down a short corridor to another heavy iron door which repeated the behavior of the first door. They entered what resembled the inside of a vault with another iron door to the back.

​Once they entered the vault Empress Victoria II said, “Major you can put us down now. We can walk the rest of the way!”

​“Yes, Your Eminence.” Major Thomas Gladly said but he made no move to put her down but continued to carry her through the final door into a rather luxuriant looking room where he put her down on a couch.

​The Empress closed her eyes and bit back the rebuke she wanted to say, realizing Major Gladly was one of her most trusted and dedicated officers.

“Thank you Major.”

​

“Your welcome Your Eminence.” he bowed.

​The two sentinels took position on either side of the couch in full guard mode.

​Major Gladly walked over to a cabinet on the far wall, opened it to reveal a telegraph device. He hit a couple of toggle switches and began tapping in code.

​“Major please see if you can have someone go look to the brave boy who saved us?”

​

“Yes, Your Eminence,” he continued to tap.

​Street life, being as it was in all cities had its own pulse, ebbs, flows and even economy. Even though efforts had been taken to eradicate street life it still persisted. It can be argued that, had the original plan been followed, street life would have been at least minimized if not out and out eradicated. However, since Calador had insisted on performing mass arrests, imprisonments and enslavement, all the while blaming it on the Empress, street life rebelled in its own quiet and hidden ways. Less on the surface and more underground.

​

Street life also had a way of recognizing one of its own. While Ouihan laid there on the sidewalk midst the chaos which came about from the failed assassination attempt, denizens of Grandeur City's street life recognized Ouihan, despite his school uniform, as formerly one of its own. So, while enforcers tried to clear the crowd and reestablish order, someone scooped up his unconscious body and took him underground.

​

​When Ouihan first woke up the only thing he saw were grates passing overhead at regular intervals. He heard the din of screams and shouts steadily growing fainter. Other than this, he heard a steady splashing sound and the occasional chitter and squeak of funk rodents. He heard labored breaths of someone carrying a burden and running. He also detected the dank smell he recognized as the drainage system he had to hide out in when he was younger. He tried to lift his head to get a look at who was carrying him, but everything went black again.

​When he came to again, he was in some kind of chamber which, although dank, did not smell as bad and felt drier than the drainage system usually felt. He saw pipes, valves and grates. The chamber was well lit by a single light orb suspended from the ceiling. He also saw crates and piles of gears, springs, cogs and other clockwork laying around in disorder to the untrained eyes. He was able to see the order in the apparent chaos.

​He heard hushed voices from another nearby chamber. Even though the voices were hushed he detected an argumentative tone to them. As his eyes cleared and he could focus better he saw a half open waterproof hatch with a turn wheel to lock it down in the center. The oval door swung open more and a girl walked through it. She looked to be his own age with brown hair, grimy but pale skin and dressed in patchwork clothes. She had a utility belt on with all kinds of tools and other accouterments hanging from it. Her skirt was leather and was uneven in length which at the longest point reached her right knee. The shortest point only reached down to the midpoint of her left thigh. She wore knee high boots with brass buttons up the side. On her forehead she wore a pair of workman goggles with several different size and strength magnifying glasses on swing arms.

​“...so, you decided to bring him here Brother?!”

​

“But Sister, he head hit and me know nowhere else. He one of us.”

​

“Not in those clothes he's not.”

​She looked at Ouihan and realized he was looking back at her blinking his eyes.

​“Oh great! He's awake!” she said sourly.

​A behemoth of a boy, with considerable effort, ducked through the same hatch she had just entered and exclaimed, “Goody!”

​

Ouihan held up his hands at his shoulder level, palms facing toward the girl which was street sign language for peace and said, “No worry I won't tell of your hidey-hole.” He carefully used the language and phrases from before he went to school, and not the stiff and proper common of the classroom.

​She looked at him skeptically but nodded and said, “Well you speak the speak but do ya walk the walk?”

​He decided to be honest and said, “Not for four years now. I was swept up from Nor Park Ring by hassers and sent to state. I step up to Halinar's two year now. Name is Ouihan. I used to hang with Tinker Man.”

​The large boy said, “We've been hiding from hassers since sweep up usselves. I'm Brother, and tha's Sister.” he pointed to himself then her.

​As Brother straightened up he looked to stand about six foot but he had a boyish look to his face which made him seem to look like he was about sixteen himself.

​“Well you were street but now no more. Time you went back!” Sister said forcefully.

​“Sure.” Ouihan started to stand up but got lightheaded and sat back down. He felt a burned spot on his chest and looked down to see his school uniform had an inch-wide scorch mark on it and his skin was reddened underneath.

​“See Sister, he was hit by a scorcher but still breaths. I saw it meself. Look like shadow man done did scorch him.”

​“Tha's nonsense. Shadow men don't come to Gran City anymore. Hassers will sweep em up.”

​“If Shadow men after Wehan we must hide im.”

​“Slack jaw if Shadow men after Ouihan then more importantly we need to rid ourselves of him or he'll bring ruination to us all.”

​“I say we lot it wit da others.” Brother said stubbornly. “We guise him while we hide him. Least till we know why shadow men try to scorch him. Besides you promise you won't call me dat again.”

​Sister closed her eyes then said, “Alright, we lot it with the others. Sorry Brother I didn't mean it.” She turned to Ouihan and said, “If you are gonna stay then you need to street yourself up. There are scrap clothes in those boxes over there. Don't mess with anything else. I got gadgets a working on here.” she turned and left back through the hatch.

​Brother straightened himself up, hooked his thumbs in his suspenders and looked pleased with himself.

​Ouihan said, “Thanks Brother for helping me. Looks like you and Sister take care of each other.”

​“Yessir we do. Worry not if she didn't like ya some she wouldn't have let ya stay. Now s'guise yourself.”

​Major Gladly was listening to the reply from his urgent message and looked frustrated. He turned to Empress Victoria II and said, “Your Eminence, the Grand Guard says to sit tight for a while. They said the Imperial carriage was also attacked, and your double was hurt badly. Several other Imperial assets were attacked as well,and no one is available to extract us just yet.”

​“How did they know we were traveling undercover? No one knew our route except us, and Captain Cooper. I know he did not reveal it.” she looked at Major Gladly and said, “Seize him!”

​The sentinels reached out quickly and grabbed his shoulders and pushed him into a chair.

​Major Gladly looked stunned and said, “How do you know it was not Cooper? Every man has a price. Calador could have found his!” as if as an afterthought, “Your Eminence.”

​She stepped over to Gladly, looked him in the eyes narrowing her own and said, “We just know.” with Imperial certainty. She then looked around the room and asked, “If you want to avoid the termination machine you will tell us how long we have until they arrive.”

​Major Gladly insisted, “Your Eminence I did not betray you!”

​She looked at the telegraph and saw one of the toggles was switched to the general network and not HQ and said, “Why does everyone underestimate us. We are not some hopeless royal who has not been properly instructed on things.” She turned back to Major Gladly, “Captain Cooper taught us much since he has been in our confidence. Sadly, he felt it was important we learn judicious skepticism. If you were talking to Headquarters, you would have set the toggle to HQ. So, we will ask this one more time. How long do we have?”

​He looked her in the eyes and said, “Seconds.”

​She said to the sentinels, “Bring him!” and she turned and went to the back door to the vault which was hidden behind a bookcase. She knew even the major wasn't aware of the back door. Cal made sure only certain people were educated about the safe rooms he established several years ago. The door opened to a corridor whichterminated into a shaft with a ladder going up and another going down. The door no sooner closed when they heard an explosion on the other side and felt the floor shake with the force of the blast.

​“It would seem, you were expendable Major since we very much doubt anyone would have survived such a blast in the safe room.” she said over her shoulder not slowing her pace.

​Major Gladly paled.

​Captain Cooper had been in the lobby of Halinar's HLS, following up on a lead, when he heard the commotion on the street outside. He ran out to see the chaos. Three things he could discern from the chaos with his trained eyes. First, he saw a boy laying on the sidewalk with smoke coming out of his chest like he had just been arc lighted. Second, he saw three people in pilgrim robes running away down the street, one man carried a fourth, toward what he knew to be a safe house. Third he saw four people in black coats following the pilgrim robed group for about a block before peeling off into an alley. He did a quick mental triage. He couldn't help the boy who was likely dead from the arc light or scorcher, which was the slang word for it. He knew among the pilgrims was his Empress and she was headed appropriately to the nearest safe room he had established. So, he decided to follow the shadow men in the black coats. He reached under his black duster coat and drew his bolt gun and began to chase the Shadowmen.

​Shadowmen belong to an assassin's guild which were said to be the best of the best. If one had Shadowmen on one's tail their life span was usually measured in seconds to minutes.

​Cal followed the trail of the shadow men down the alley then he took a left turn down a side street to run parallel to Empress Victoria's route to the safe room. He could discern from their path they somehow knew where the safe room was.

​“This does not bode well.” he said to himself as he took another turn to try to get ahead of them.

​He stepped out into an alley right in front of the four shadow men firing his bolt gun. The small two-inch-long metal crossbow bolts out of the wind-up clockwork pistol at fully automatic fire mowing down the first two. The third man leveled his arc light at him, and Cal said to himself, “Ooh this is gonna hurt.” as the blue energy hit him dead center of his chest. He fell to the ground and his body convulsed. He felt like he was hit in the chest with a sledgehammer and he couldn't control his body's actions and functions. He helplessly watched the two remaining Shadowmen run past him as he tried to compose himself.

​After a few minutes he stopped convulsing and he shakily got himself up, looked down at his silk vest and said, “Damn I just bought this.” as he gingerly touched the scorched hole in his vest and shirt. He ignored the state of his underwear and tried to follow the shadow men.

​He arrived moments after the explosive charge had blew in the vault door of the safe room. He was very angry at this point, thinking he failed the Empress, so he stepped up behind the two remaining Shadowmen and shot one in the back of the head with his bolt gun sending five bolts into his skull. He kneed the other man into the base of his spine while he used his bolt gun to knock him out. He then investigated the safe room to see no sign of the Empress and her entourage.

​“That's my girl.” he said proudly as he bent down and grabbed the remaining shadow man by his epaulets. Then he shoved him into one of the chairs in the room and proceeded to manacle him to it. He closed the outer iron door behind him and then quickly went through the pockets and clothes of the shadowman finding several devices and implements of death and mayhem. He also found a black capsule which he knew to be a suicide pill. He carefully put all the gear on a coffee table, and he went over to a wet bar and poured himself a single malt.

​

When he saw the man start to stir, he said, “Wakey wakey eggs and bakey.” he then slapped him on the cheek, grabbed his chin and shook his head to wake him up faster.

​“Wha... what?” he said groggily.

​Cal stepped back and took out his bolt gun, reloaded and rewound it, “You tried to kill someone who is near and dear to my heart. I think you now realize how unhealthy this is for you.”

​The shadow man tried to move but found out he was quite securely shackled to the armchair. He then looked up at Cal with narrowed eyes and said, “Don't matter what you do to me, I'm not telling you anything. You'll just waste time while my brothers kill her...” he looked at Cal a little closer and asked, “say I scorched you. How come you're still alive?”

​“Not the first time I've been scorched ole boy. I'm the one asking questions here.” He re-holstered his pistol then reached into an inner pocket in his duster and took out a small black leather case about eight inches by four. He unzipped the case and opened it up to reveal four metal and glass syringes. Two had green liquid in them. One had blue liquid and the last had red. “Do you really think I'm going to question you with such crude things as thumb screws, bamboo under the fingernails or red-hot pincers? Oh no ole boy, what I have planned for you is far less pleasant.”