11) The Death of Innocence (Tick)

Alexander was sitting behind his desk getting more and more irritated by the reports coming in over the ticker tape on one corner of his desk. His irritation didn’t stem from what his extensive network was doing, but rather what they, collectively, were not doing. This being the finding of Empress Victoria II.

The last set of reports showed the ‘Brothers’ were found dead in an alley and thus failing to bring to an end to Captain Cooper who, he correctly surmised, a fly in their operational ointment.

He started to look through his ledger to decide who would be his replacement Street Bull when he heard his ticker tape click out a new message. He closed his eyes briefly thinking, “What now?”

His attitude lightened swiftly when he read, “Assets imbedded with the hassers in the warehouse district are investigating a promising lead on the Empress’ location. More to follow…”

He carefully ripped the length of tickertape with the message on it and using some desk gum he affixed it into his ledger and made a note underneath it, “Street Bull to remain living for time being.”

Visk made her way to the covey, opening the hatch outside and carefully looked inside to make sure no machines or other magic were in function near where she’ll be. She knew the effective range of her “Quiet Space” was only a couple of arm spans. So, whenever possible, she always tried to stay at least twice that from any gadgets. She previously told the members of the Orphans covey she just didn’t like being near machines and other magic. Since this wasn’t unheard of in this day and age, the rest of the orphans understood and took this for granted.

Once she was sure the coast was clear she stepped into the room and raised her hand to get Sister’s attention. Sister was talking to someone, whose back was to her, wearing pilgrim garb. What she could make out of this individual was she was indeed female, dark skinned with straight black hair. She was definitely of Southern Continent heritage.

Visk had already put one and one together to surmise who this individual was when Victoria II turned her head to show her famous profile. Seen on every silver Talon coin, gold Sovereign coin and 10 Sovereign notes, it seemed more impressive in person.

Her quick mind took in every detail of the room. From the two ever present sentinels by her side, the manacled man sitting on a bale, also in pilgrim garb and the makeshift map drawn on a piece of paper on the table Sister and Victoria II were standing by, all formed a solid picture in her mind. Everything she saw confirmed her initial suspicions. She quietly congratulated herself for trusting her instinct when she agreed to help Scrapper.

Sister saw her and signaled her to approach but Visk, seeing the Sentinels standing there, shook her head, pointed at them and gave a shake of her head and a slightly terrified look. Sister shrugged because she knew about Visk’s fear of machines, or so she was told, and she excused herself from Victoria II and went over to Visk and asked, “Whatcha got?”

Visk went over what she and Scrapper had seen, including the ‘pilgrim’ and then asked, “So we’re helping the Empress?”

“Yes, we’re helping each other. She has promised things will be better for us.”

Visk looked at her in the eyes and asked, “And you believe her?”

Sister looked over her shoulder at Victoria II who was now talking with Ehawee again and said, “Yes I do. I really do.”

“Well, I think things will at least be more stable if Her Eminence stays in power…” Visk cut herself off, she didn’t mean to sound so in touch with things or adult, so she went on, “I mean, ‘the devil you know…” and she shrugged.

“Yeah, there’s that too.”

Visk saw out of the corner of her eye another hulking mass of a sentinel stepping through the other hatch entrance to the room. She saw how it froze halfway into the room, so she acted like she was panicked. “I gotta go!” And ducked out the entrance.

Johann was entering the main room from the antechamber which was the orphan’s gadget room and felt his body briefly lockup. He felt somehow disconnected from his body in a way whichreminded him of the Life Jar... He felt if he could just connect againhe could push through and keep his body moving. However, as soon as it hit him the sensation and lock up went away. He looked around the room, puzzled as to what would cause him to lock up like thisbut the only thing, he noticed was the door closing as if someone just ducked out of it. As soon as she left, he was able to feel his body again. He wondered on this a moment then shrugged thinking, “Just another new sensation to go with my other new sensations.” He filed it away in his mind for later consideration and continued to go to talk with the Empress like he intended to in the first place.

Brother looked up from what he was doing to see Johann’s hesitation. He asked, “What’s up mate?”

“Who was that? The one that just left.”

“Oh, tha’s just Visk. She’s one of our street chums. Why you ask?”

“I don’t know, just something strange.” Johann then shrugged and went on, “I guess everything is strange these days.”

Brother smiled and said, “Oh, she’s a strange one ‘right. She is afraid of gadgets. That’s why she doesn’t hang round much.”

Johann looked around at all the gadgets the orphans were using as a matter of routine and said, “I can understand that. It’s just…never mind.” He turned and continued to go talk to the Empress, but he filed it away in his mind for further consideration. While doing this he realized his thoughts and memories seemed to be different in a way. Not that he was remembering things which he didn’t think were his memories, but rather his mind seemed to file and catalog his memories very efficiently.

Since Ouihan bypassed the controls, restoring his free will, he had felt no compulsion to kill the Empress when he approached her. He also felt much more in control of himself and his…machinery. Since his free will was restored, he had taken time to reconsider helping the Empress. He still blamed her, being she was ultimately responsible for her government’s actions, but he felt less anger toward her personally. Of course, he didn’t feel any zeal or strong compulsion to help her, but he began to feel like, maybe, he should give her the benefit of the doubt.

So, he approached Victoria II and stopped a respectful distance from her and waited for her to acknowledge him.

Victoria was still talking to Ehawee about more details on what she and Cal had talked about. From all appearances, Ehawee and Victoria II appeared to be finding a comfortable sense of ease with one another.

Victoria II noticed Johann and asked, “How may We help you Johann?”

“I have been thinking about it. I still don’t trust you or your government, but I am feeling your government has got to be better than a government ruled by Lord Calador. Your government was what killed me to begin with, but he is the reason I’m trapped in this shell and not just dead.” He then looked her in the eyes directly and asked bluntly, “If I serve you, will you keep your word to me?”

A lifetime of conditioning came to Victoria’s thinking. She was ready to scold Johann for his obtuse request. Or rather from a noble perspective it was obtuse. However, over the last few years she has been influenced by another perspective. This crystalized something else in her mind. She had been changing her government recently to raise the lower classes and provide them more opportunities. Why? Because this immortal man who is from a mysterious land called America has influenced her. He has told her of a land and world where the nobility was the nobility of the individual over the nobility of the government. Government being the aristocracy in her land and world. He had convinced her even in the early days of aristocracy it was up to the individual to prove their nobility, and not have it handed to them. The republic he came from had set up a framework where one could still prove their individual nobility and yet protect those who could not.

The government is enriched by this availability of opportunity not stagnated by the control of it as is the case of an aristocracy. He also explained to her, he understood such a thing only happened through revolution or evolution. Revolution was the fastest way for it to happen but usually was the bloodiest, most violent way. He supposed if Victoria would begin reforms which would recognize the individual’s nobility or potential thereof, then in time the government would evolve into a better nation and world. Of course he also taught her the usual way this happened was from revolution and this was because, usually, governments and the people in power, would try to resist this change as long as possible thus forcing the people who were not in power to force the inevitable changes. The changes became inevitable with the advent of clockworks and the industrialization of society.

So, not for the first time, a lifetime of preparation for the imperial position flew into face of her more recent experience and influence. So, she could not answer this question in the traditional framework of thinking. Rather, through the path she had already committed herself to follow.

“Yes We…I mean I give you my word.”

Johann looked at her for a long minute. Even though his face lacked the normal animation of the human face, Victoria II couldn’t help seeing an expression of judicious thought or consideration in his eyes.

After the long minute he finally said, “Yes, I will help you. I will not serve anyone ever again!” he said with great finality.

Victoria II nodded her head and said, “Very well. We… I will recognize your freedom of choice. I gratefully accept your help. We furthermore decree from this day forward Johann Schmidt is a free individual and not only pardoned from all accused crimes but rather found he was wrongfully sentenced for them.

“We furthermore decree his daughter, Magda Schmitt, is granted clemency for the crime in which Johann had been punished for not because she did not commit the deed but rather, We have determined she was justified in doing so. We make this declaration in the presence of the witnesses which here surround us.” She then nodded to Ehawee and Sister.

She turned back to Johann, “You are aware this proclamation has no value if I am not returned to the palace and the throne?”

“Yes I am.” He said bluntly.

“Very well.” She motioned at the map they were developing as a battle plan and she said, “Here’s how you can help me…”

After Visk dodged out of the covey she headed back down the tunnels which were quite the labyrinth. She was on her way to rejoin Scrapper on the street, but her mind was awash with weighing out the implications and consequences of what she was involved in. In her mind she was weighing out the benefits of helping the empress and the benefits of helping the other side. She had lived a long time and she had become jaded to the absolutes of good and evil. Which path she would take would be the one which gave her the longest-term benefit as well as short term gain.

Yes, she didn’t like the short-term consequences of the coup which was going on in the city above her head. However, would it benefit her in the long run? She wasn’t sure. Possibly, but she would have to take some time to weigh this out.

While she was thinking she heard, from a considerable distance ahead, people approaching. One thing about her being a dead zone was she honed her senses to detect clockwork items by their smell, feel and the sounds they made. All of these were subtle and hard to detect. She found her way into an access covey whichopened to valves on both sides. She then pulled up her hood and scarf to conceal her face and hair. She closed her eyes and focused on her hearing and sense of smell.

She detected the faint smell of ozone and she heard the barely perceptible electrical sounds which most times indicated charged scorchers.

She remained absolutely still and waited. She heard and smelled individuals coming down the tunnel heading directly toward the orphan’s covey. One was familiar. Her finely honed senses told her one was Scrapper.

She waited until they should be in sight before she opened her eyes. She saw three hassers pushing Scrapper along. Scrapper was manacled and looking quite unhappy.

The group stopped almost right across from where Visk was hiding and one of the hassers grabbed Scrapper’s manacles and jerked them and said, “Alright, we have been going back and forth long enough. I think you are trying to get yerself to a place where you’re gonna try to lose us.”

One of the other hassers, Visk recognized as O’Malley, said, “Alright boyo, tell us where yer employer is now, and we’ll head that way toot suite.”

Scrapper shrugged, and said, “You go down that way about another hundred paces and there’s a hatch on your left. That’s where our hang out is. That’s where Empress Victoria is.”

The hasser which grabbed Scrappers chains smiled, an unsettling smile, and said, “Well why didn’t you say so sooner.” He reached into his pocket and took out a key and started to unlock the manacles.

O’Malley looked puzzled, so did Scrapper. Scrapper looked across into the shadows where Visk was hiding and she could tell he knew she was there. He, very subtly, shook his head as if to say no.

As small as the movement was, the Shadowmen saw it and wrongly surmised a trap was laid.

By some unseen signal, the remaining hasser stepped up behind Scrapper and quickly slit his throat from ear to ear.

O’Malley had a look of stunned disbelief on his face but his reflexes honed from years of working the streets, had him reach for his holstered service revolver.

Visk, thought, “Damn, damn, damn! Shadowmen, I should have known.”

O’Malley had his service pistol halfway drawn as if his body knew, but his mind couldn’t get around it he said, “What the blazes did you do!?”

The Shadowmen who unshackled Scrapper smiled, dropped the manacles and began to draw forth a scorcher.

O’Malley looked down at the scorcher and drew his pistol further out but before he could level it on the Shadowman with the scorcher, the knife wielding Shadowman quickly stabbed him in the base of his skull severing his brain’s connection to his body, preventing O’Malley from being able to do anything ever again.

The Shadowman with the scorcher turned quickly and pointed it at the shadows where Visk was hiding and depressed the trigger button. The blue arch of energy flew halfway toward Visk only to peter out.

Both the Shadowmen looked stunned. They had never seen this happen before.

In the stunned silence came a low but rising growl whichsounded like a monolithic violent creature rising from the depths of eternity. Visk stepped out of the shadows like an apparition of all the violence of mankind from the very beginning of time.

The Shadowmen could only make out one feature at first from the black featureless entity which now erupted into motion among them. This being flat blue eyes which flashed as a glacier in the midday sun, and twice as cold.

When Scrapper went down, things shifted into high gear. The Shadowmen, they could be nothing but, whirled on her with the Scorcher and pulled the trigger. She didn’t know exactly how they knew she was there. She was kicking herself for missing everything, getting involved, being too slow in getting away, and not saving thelittle punk Scrapper. Now most importantly, she was mad at having her cover blown by these guys as the Arc fizzled to nothing about an arm’s reach away. “Jävla! Jävla! Jävla! Jävla!” she cursed as she swept the dark blade from its spot in her back under her shirt. The 14” blade seemed to appear out of nowhere to the Shadowmen. The blade was long, dark, and looked like a tooth from some ancient monster. The demon seemed to explode into movement, like watching hornets swarm out of a poked hive. A dawning revelation washed over them something primal has been unleashed anddemanded their souls in retribution. She cut and stabbed and slashed, starting with the backs of legs and arms, unhinging their ability to run, or fight or defend.

She cut off the Shadowmen’s heads, throwing them in the water flowing down the center of the tunnel. After wiping and hiding her blade, she took off to bring the message. She forced herself back into the scared little girl delivering the message and the news of Scrappers death. She knew that soon she would make her way out of this covey to one of the caches she had in the city, change clothes, and shift to one of her other personas to break the trail of observation. One thing is for sure. Things just got tougher.