Chapter 6:
Clockwork Chronicles of Zahn: The Orphans
Captain Calvin Cooper was born in the year 1965AD in a small city in upstate New York, on another world in another reality. In this reality he now inhabits there are only four continents and magic isreal, not some legend or sleight of hand parlor trick.
In his world and time, he lived a normal life and became a soldier then an officer. He retired as an Army Intelligence officer after thirty years at the rank of captain. He had his share of adventures but for the most part he had been very jaded and disillusioned.
Several years ago, he had somehow been pulled or dropped intothis other reality. The first person he met in this reality was Crown Princess Victoria II Arkanti who ordered him arrested immediately for being in her dressing room where he had appeared.
Soon after, the Regent ordered his execution by the Termination Machine which was a machine which quite literally sucked the life out of you. He can attest the sensation was very unpleasant. However, for some reason his life would not leave him. He later found out he was, in this realm, immortal.
During his trial and subsequent sentencing Victoria had gotten to know him and realized he was not at fault for being where he was. She was unable to override her regent's sentence at this point. However, after the failed execution she convinced her regent to commute his sentence and she then enlisted Cal to her Special Service. This was also the time Calador and the Council were moving against the regent.
Victoria II saw what was happening and began to move and consolidate her power. As a matter of fact, Cal was instrumental in swinging the council's vote in her favor when she petitioned for ascension. Between then and now, Victoria and he had become very close. He began to regard her as a daughter he never had, and he liked to believe he was some sort of father figure to her.
She had often referred to him as her secret paladin, but he knew if he were even close to being a paladin, he would be a tarnished one at best. His reasoning being there wasn't anything he wouldn't do to protect Vicky.
He was thinking about this as he washed his hands looking at the drooling and twitching 'shadowman' strapped to the chair. The information he got from the assassin was useful to a degree. There wouldn't be enough evidence to arrest and convict High Lord James XVI Baron of Calador of treason because men like him are always careful enough to keep at least three levels of separation between them and their plots. But then again arrest and conviction weren't really on Cal's agenda now.
What he found out from his interrogation of the assassin was the backup plan was the public assassination of the Empress' body double and then an announcement there was a move to put an impostor on the throne. Meanwhile, there are teams stationed between their target and the palace to prevent her from getting there safely.
He eyed the telegraph device considering whether or not to reach out for and update but decided against this. He had other ways to find out what was going on. He did realized if what the 'shadowman' said was true, and he had little doubt it was due to the alchemical agents he used, then by this point the Imperial Guard has been effectively taken out of the picture and the Council Guard will be in charge of further investigations and security around the palace.
So this left him with a dilemma. How to secure his witness and how to see to Empress Victoria's safety. So, he left the safe room, leaving behind the prisoner for the time being and went through the back door and down into the passage system. He needed to exit up onto the streets at the right point and make the right contact. He took the time to change into fresh clothing and restock his supply of bolts from stores which he had strategically placed in this safe room. He had such stores in the network of safe rooms he had created throughout the city.
Once he was up on the street, he made his way to a certain bookstore. As he entered the store, he saw the shop keeper was with a customer, so he acted like he was browsing. Once the customer finished her business with the proprietor and left Cal went up to him and started to speak but a couple other men walked into the shop. Without seeming to notice the two, who looked not like avid readers, he said to the proprietor, “I was wondering if you would be interested in buying or selling on consignment this book?” he then reached into his hip pocket of his duster and retrieved a small, rather old looking, book and put it on the counter.
The shop keeper took the book and leafed through it briefly and nodded, “I have a regular customer who was looking for this very book.” he then flashed a glance at the two other 'patrons' in the store and went on, “If you leave me your contact info I'll be glad to arrange a sale.”
Cal took a fountain pen out of his pocket and scribbled an address on a piece of paper and slid it across the counter to the shop keeper then retrieved the book, inconspicuously leaving the fountain pen on the counter. He then said, “Please if you can, I am in a bit of a hurry to get what I can for it.” he replaced the book into his pocket and smiled and left the store.
He saw one of the other 'customers' followed him out while the other stayed behind. Cal walked down the street about a block and a half and turned down an alley. The other man followed, all the while walking slightly faster and catching up to Cal. Cal walked about halfway down the alley then stopped and turned around to look directly at the following man.
The thug reached behind his back under his vest and pulled out a rather nasty looking long knife and said, “I'll have that book now chap.”
“I doubt you can read, let alone be able to appreciate such a sophisticated book.”
“I'll be the judge of that mate.”
Cal shrugged and reached into his pocket and took out a brown package and tossed it to the man. The package made it about three quarters the way to the other man and exploded into a shower of sparks temporarily blinding him. By the time he was able to recover his sight Cal had dodged down the alley and turned to the left. He then stopped short as he ran directly into the other thug who had an identical knife out his partner had.
“Wow what a wicked knife you have there. Where might I get one?”
The thug smiled a crooked tooth smile and said, “Here have mine.” and he stabbed at Cal's gut.
Cal sidestepped to his right and half a step back causing the thug to reach out to his left and be slightly off balance. Cal then grabbed the man's wrist, sweeping his arm up and over his head. He then ducked down and pulled the thug forward thrusting the thug’sknife into the other thug's chest who was just rounding the corner. Then Cal stepped back to look at his handy work.
Both thugs looked rather surprised. Cal looked pleased.
As the stabbed thug slowly fell backwards off his partner's blade, Cal leveled his bolt gun at eye level to the other thug, “Looks like you took a knife to a gun fight ole boy.” he then pulled the trigger.
He quickly went through the pockets of the thugs and other than the usual tools and paraphernalia of mayhem, the only thing out ofnormal was the slip of paper which he had put his information on at the book shop. Since his fountain pen wasn't among the items, he was certain his message was going forward to his intended destination.
He also found another piece of paper with a list of addresses on it. He recognized those addresses at a glance as the list of safe houses he had set up for the Empress. This caused him no less consternation. Only three people knew the complete list of safe houses. Himself, the Empress and finally, Major Gladly, the Empress' personal bodyguard.
He suddenly felt like time was getting away from him. He felt like he was desperately behind the curve. His mind raced as to what to do next and where to go. All his carefully laid out plans were shot. He took two hurried steps forward but then he realized he had no idea where he was headed. He stopped, closed his eyes and took a long breath and forced himself to relax and think. If he was going to save her and be her tarnished paladin, then he had to keep his head about him.
High Lord James XVI Baron of Calador sat at his desk looking through the reports his secretary had collated and neatly stacked in order of understood protocol. His desk appeared exactly as one would expect for someone of his exalted position, made out of hand carved exotic woods from faraway lands and whichprobably cost an average man's salary of ten years.
For the most part the desk was clutter free and everything had a place, and everything was in its place save a couple of sundry items which were related to the stack of reports he was going through. Standing in front of the Baron's desk was a nondescript looking man dressed in a long black button up coat, top hat wearing darkly smoked glasses. He also wore elbow high gauntlet gloves with black buttons up one side. Both hands rested on the top of a cane which was standing directly in front of him. The cane's head was a hooded bust of Death carved into some sort of black crystal. Despite his lack of frilly adornments, he looked elegant and above all the simple folk which occupy the world.
The Baron had finished reading through the stack of reports and leaned back into his chair simultaneously pushing the stack away from himself, smiled and said, “Splendid. Everything is going as planned for the most part. So far anyway.” He then pressed a button on the ornate panel to the left side of his desk and after a moment his secretary stepped into the office and said, “Sir?”
The Baron just waved his hand in a dismissal way signifying he wanted the reports to be taken away.
The secretary, a short well if economically dressed, balding and harried looking man, wordlessly gathered up the papers and sundry items and left.
The Baron waited until the door was closed to his office then said, “Well Alexander, how soon do you expect to have the bitch in hand?”
Alexander lifted his left hand and tipped down stylistically his glasses and said, “Ah Baron this should be in hand already. I am still waiting for my team to report back. I have the best men available on this, um shall we say, project.”
The Baron didn't miss the slight qualifying of terms, “Best men available?”
“Well Baron, as it was, we had to expend ten thousand gold sovereigns to convince the good Major of our plan. I do not think we could have, at any price, convinced Captain Cooper to join our cause.”
“Good man Cooper. Although a bit unorthodox.” the Baron said nodding, “Well there are ways to convince the terminally honorable types.”
“Sir, I have two very good men seeing to this as well.”
“Splendid!” Baron James clapped his hands together and then he reached for the button on the console, “Let us have a celebratory drink.”
“Thank you, no milord, but I will not be drinking until I have all the details in hand. Forgive me but even though I'm optimistic I am aware things may go wrong. I wish to have my wits about me to take care of such situations.”
“Well suit yourself.” his finger paused next to the button, then he shrugged and said, “Perhaps you're right. Maybe we should both keep our wits about us until we have the bitch and her captain dead.”
“If you will excuse me Milord, I have other details to attend to.”
“Right of course Alexander.”
Alexander bowed and left via a side, hidden, exit.
Alexander was met by a small looking man dressed in black scrub clothes who looked like any other factory worker or other yeoman as soon as he left the Bailey Building which was The Council's office building which was situated across from the Palace. The small man handed Alexander a small slip of paper and then nervously held his flop hat in both of his hands.
Alexander looked at the slip of paper then closed his eyes and got a very pained look on his face. He then started to walk quickly down the street away from the Bailey. He made his way to a rather posh looking “Gentleman's Club” just across the Regal River and halfway down the block and entered the front doors into the lobby. The door man quickly opened the doors for him, smiling at him but no one could miss the sheer terror in the door man's eyes.
Alexander didn't pay him any mind as he stormed past the reception desk and up the stairs which had a sign marked “Private Only”. He climbed the grand stairway up to a corridor then down to the last office on the far end of the corridor. One of the pair of rather large, bulbous and intimidating automatons standing on either side of the door opened it for him as he stormed past. He entered the outer office and the secretary stood to his feet looking very nervous.
Alexander said without pausing on his way into the inner office, “Send them in.”
“Yes sir.”
The inner office was, by contrast, very simple and efficient looking. Good quality furniture but not ostentatious. He went around and sat down at the desk's simple but comfortable looking chair. Located centered on the blotter was a ledger which he opened,with a pencil he made a notation.
Two men entered the office rather hesitantly. One was a tall and large man wearing a bowler hat, black jacket, dark gray slacks and turtleneck sweater. In contrast he wore bright red suspenders. The other man was rather short in stature but still well built. He wore a black with gray pinstripe suit, white shirt, black bow tie and black billed hat.
The shorter man started to speak but stopped when Alexander held up his right hand while he continued to enter a notation in the book with his left. While he wrote both the men seemed to fidget and look around uncomfortably.
After a few minutes Alexander finished his notation then closed the book, looked up and said, “Please explain to me how such a well laid plan could go array?”
The short man said, “Well sir, it would seem Captain Cooper had been in the neighborhood where the ambush took place. He took out half of Team A before he was hit by a scorcher. Somehow he survived the scorcher and went after the rest of the team.”
“So, you're saying we had a run of bad luck?” Alexander asked sternly.
“Well yes sir.”
“I do not believe in luck.” Alexander said shaking his head. He then stood and turned his back to the two men and looked out the window. “Everett, how long have you been my Street Bull?”
“Three years sir.”
“In that time have you seen me accept such an excuse?”
“Never sir.”
Alexander nodded again and asked, “So why should I start now?”
“Well sir the operation hasn't been a total loss. The emp...um target is still in play. We have all approaches to the palace watched by our best people. The Agar brothers are on to Cooper so he should be eliminated presently.”
“You had better hope. Otherwise I would be very disappointedand have to replace you as Street Bull.”
“Understood sir.”
Alexander continued to stand by the window and didn't say anything more. After a few seconds of silence, the two men bowed slightly and turned to leave the office.
Alexander asked over his shoulder, “By the way, why was the initial hit unsuccessful?”
“Well sir, our spotter said a schoolboy stepped in between the scorcher and the Emp...um target.”
“Well I assume the boy won't make that mistake again.”
“Yes sir, I suppose not.”
Alexander then waved his hand in a dismissal and the two men left.
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