12) The Darkness Before Dusk (Tock)

Visk’s announcement about Scrapper’s death and the nearness of Shadowmen was initially greeted with stunned silence. After she said her peace, she shrugged and left to disappear.

Ouihan was the first to get it into gear. He said, “We need to scatter, Your Eminence!”

​Victoria II shook her head and said, “Yes, Sister we need to find someplace else, someplace safe.”

​Sister stood there stunned. She had always come across as confident and strong. Never in doubt and this was the reason why she was always looked to as the leader. There was never any doubt in her skills and strength. However, now she never looked more like the young twelve-year-old girl she was. Tears came to her eyes and she just stood there in stunned silence. Ever so slightly shaking her head as if denying the truth.

​Ouihan took Sister by the shoulders and made her look at him in the eyes and said, “Sister, we need you.”

​Brother gently came up behind her and rubbed her back. He said, “Ya know we have git. So, listen to your slack jaw brother now and let’s git gone.”

​She turned her head and looked at Brother and nodded and said, “Everybody rat scatter! Meet up at the South Station hidey hole in two hours. Make sure you’re not followed. M’nence, Ouihan follow me and Brother.”

​Victoria II took Ehawee by the shoulders and pushed her forward, but she resisted. She said, “Captain Cal said I was to go to this address and hide there until all this was over.” She held the paper and key out like they were a talisman which could ward off any evil.

​Victoria II looked at the address and asked Sister, “Is this address on the way to where we’re going?”

​Sister looked at the address and said, “Yes, it’s not too far out of the way of where we are going. Why?”

​Victoria II looked at Ehawee in the eyes and said, “I don’t think Captain Cal would forgive me if I didn’t see Ehawee there safely.”

​Captain Calvin Cooper slowly walked down the alley toward a little tinker shop which was just off the beaten path. The shop was run down looking, cluttered with gadgets and other household appliances which needed repair both inside and outside the shop. Cal carefully made his way into the shop around the stacks of gadgets and other bits and pieces of devices.

​Behind the counter was a heavyset hunchbacked man with salt and pepper hair, beard and of undeterminable age. He wore the classic workman’s goggles with different magnifying glasses on swing arms so he could choose different powers of magnifications depending on the size of clockworks he needed to examine. He was working on some sort of machine which could either be a cash register or some sort of slot machine. Since the outer shell was removed it would be impossible for an amateur to figure out what it was.

​Without looking up from his work he said, “And what do I owe this unexpected pleasure Coop?”

​“I think you know why I’m here Igor.”

​“I wish you wouldn’t call me that. I read Frankenstein too you know.” He finished attaching the hook end of the spring to a swing arm then looked up at Cal and said, “Even though it hasn’t been written here in this world.” He got a thoughtful look on his face and said, “Maybe I should write it myself so I can give up all this.” He vaguely waved his free hand about as he placed the needle nose plyers in the tool rack by his side. He then pushed his goggles up on top of his head and look at Cal.

​“That would be nice if you knew how to read and write.” Cal said with a smirk.

​“There is that.” ‘Igor’ then broke a crooked toothed smile and thrust his hand out to shake Captain Cooper’s.

​After a vigorous handshake the two men regarded each other for a moment then ‘Igor’ said, “Your lady is still in the wind. But I think the Shadowmen are closing in.”

​“What’s the latest?”

​“Some Shadows and a hasser got themselves killed going underground following a lead.”

​“Shadows and a hasser?”

​“Yeah, O’Malley from the Warehouse district. It seems some shadows got themselves imbedded with the hassers. Part of the augmentation which Lard Caldoofus has put in place.”

​Looking back out the window at a man who was ambling by Cal said, “I see. Go on?”

​“Well the word is as soon as the Legions march out in the morning tomorrow the Enforcer Legion will put the city under martial law. Since Calador has arranged for every enforcer to have one to two shadows, depending on their level of honesty, Grandeur City will be his on the morrow.”

​Cooper nodded thoughtfully then said, “Can you get a message to General Maximus?”

​“It’ll be tough. He’s got a shadow sitting on his lip too. All the generals do.”

​Cooper smiled and said, “Very well. Get a message to Sargent Major Ukala Ukahn. Tell her ‘White Queen’s Knight takes Black King’s Rook’, she’ll know what I mean.”

​‘Igor’ looked at Cooper with a jaundiced eye and said, “You spooks and your codes. I think you do this so you’d feel like James Bond or something.”

​“Believe me, there’s a reason for these codes. Alexander runs the shadow ship too tight for any of us to screw up. Someday I think I need to put an end to him.”

​“Cal, you can’t save the whole world. You know that?”

​“Well, I can at least try to save what’s important.”

​“Well you can try. But you and I know everyone dies someday. Even you and I will go back and die someday. Or so I am told.

​“By the way, it looks like The Valkyrie is in town.”

​“You say I obsess about my codes. Your obsession is keeping track of us immortals. Who cares if she is in town? As long as she’s not working for Alexander that is?”

​“No, as a matter of fact it looks like her handywork whichended the two shadows which were killed in the tunnels.”

​“Hmm, do you think we can reach out to her and pull her in on our side?”

​“Naw, if she is true to her form, she’s already disappeared herself from whatever persona which she was occupying at the time. Besides, I think it’s a useful obsession to keep track of our kind. I still have a theory, even though as far as I know it hasn’t been tested, an immortal can end another immortal.”

​Cooper looked at ‘Igor’ a bit longer and said, “Dontcha test it out on me now.”

​“Naw, you’re too pretty to kill.” He said with a wink.

​Cooper snapped his fingers and said, “I almost forgot, I sent a package to my Black Street hide out. Can you look in later to make sure she got there safely?”

​“She?! Why Coop you old dog.”

​“No, it’s nothing like that. She’s an orphan who needs to be off the street. She’s a cagy one but she somehow got under my skin.”

​“Wow, this makes two now. Keep this up Coop and one might begin to think you have a heart.”

​“Fat chance that. I left my heart in Afghanistan.

​“Well Master Sargent, you take care of yourself. That hunch is beginning to look like it’s growing a hunch of its own.”

​“With all due respect Captain, get bent.” He got a serious look on his face, “I’ll get the message off to the Sargent Major right off, Coop.”

​“Thanks.” They shook hands again and Cooper turned and walked out.

​

​No sooner had Cooper left the alleyway the man who had ambled by the shop earlier came back, entered and closed the door behind him. He flipped the sign on the door from open to closed. He then turned to the man behind the counter who was already tapping on a private telegraph which was hidden behind the counter unobservable from the street.

​The stranger said to ‘Igor’, “Alright old man, tell me what you and Captain Cooper were talking about.”

​The hunched backed ‘Master Sargent’ shook his head and said, “Son, you walked into the wrong shop.”

​Everette stood in front of Alexander’s desk holding his black billed hat nervously as he was finishing with his update on the latest failure, “…so even though we lost two more men to an unknown assailant, we have determined the target has enlisted street urchins to help her. More specifically a known group composed of orphans and runaways.”

​Alexander sat in his conservative but comfortable looking desk chair looking at Everette and his tall hulking partner over steepled fingers. He pursed his lips and nodded and said, more to himself then to his underlings, “So with a setback we still make progress.”

​Everette cleared his throat and asked, “Beg pardon sir?”

​Alexander shook his head, “Never mind Everette, your performance as Street Bull has been acceptable. Was there anything else?”

​Everette, obviously relieved said, “Yes sir, I have my best men following the captain. It is my thinking he might lead us to the emp… ahem, I mean target.”

​“And how has this worked out so far?”

​“Well sir…” he paused as if he wasn’t sure how to proceed.

​“So, no progress on this front then?”

​“No sir, sorry sir.”

​Alexander closed his eyes, obviously trying to curb his irritation but he said, “No matter Everette, I agree with your assumption.” He opened his eyes and said, “in the meantime have your secondaries start rounding up these urchins and start putting some pressure on them. One of them are bound to give up the target.”

​Alexander then opened his ledger and started writing something. This was an obvious dismissal, so Everette and his partner bowed and left.

​Tumbler was one of the Orphans who was part of the extensive network of eyes and ears on the street. He was known for his extreme physical flexibility and acrobatic skills. Hence the name ‘Tumbler’. Every evening he would do his acrobatic show for pennies and the occasional Talon on the corner just outside of the Grand Central Train Station not far from the Orphan’s Covey.

​His daily shows were timed in order to get money from the workers as they were going home from their jobs at one of the many factories which made Grandeur City the center of The Civilization. While he did his amazing routine of acrobatics his sister, Birdie, and their friend, Batty would walk among the crowd watching andsoliciting ‘donations’ as well as picking the occasional pocket of the onlookers.

​Tumbler wore a red velvet vest and tan cotton harem pants. He also wore a red sash and a fez which matched his vest. This style of dress was representative of the nomadic people from the Western Desert of the Eastern Continent. Of course, Tumbler and his sister were from there originally. Their parents died when trying to sail from the Eastern Continent to the Northern.

​Batty on the other hand was obviously from Northern Continent stock with her red hair and blue eyes which made her stand out dressed in the same style as her friends.

​During Tumbler’s shows, every so often, he would involve Birdie and Batty in the routines. However, today he was solo on the stage while the others circulated among the crowd. Today, they were not only harvesting coins but information from the chattering crowd.

​Mousy had already passed word to them of the bug out from their covey and so they were on the lookout for any information as to whatever the Shadowmen were going to do next.

​Halfway through his normal routine of acrobatic wonders he was able to discern there were four street thugs working their way through the crowd toward him and his compatriots.

​He had enough street savvy to know they were not here for the show but rather for them so he finished his intricate maneuver and said, “Thank ye ladies and gents, but now I must be off to the birdcage.” He reached into his sash and took out a small vial, threw it onto the ground between him and the thugs which were almost to him. There was a flash and red smoke billowed out of the remnants of the vial. Tumbler did a graceful backflip and fell flat on the ground and slithered down a nearby storm drain.

​Batty and Birdie each pulled a sash from their waists and quickly wrapped themselves and tried to disappear into the crowd.

​One of the street thugs grabbed Birdie by the scruff of her neck but was amazed to only find an empty sash in his hand.

​The other thug, on the other hand, didn’t waste time and simply blackjacked Batty, grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.

​When a rather dapper looking fellow in the crowd saw the latter part of this he said, “Hey now, let the little lady go.” And he held up his silver tipped cane to emphasize the point.

​The thug smiled a crooked tooth smile and said, “Tis my daughter and I toll er not to be round these Rabs.”

​The ‘gentleman’ looked uncertainly for a moment then realized the thug’s dark hair and dusky skin belayed any relation between him and the red-haired fair skinned damsel. So, he stepped forward and drew forth a sword from the cane and said, “We’ll let the enforcers sort this all out.” Although he meant well the ‘gentleman’ didn’t consider his surroundings and didn’t have time to react to the knife wielding thug which was one of the ones who originally went after Tumbler.

​The thug, in true shadowman fashion stabbed the gentleman in the base of his scull killing him immediately. Before the gentleman hit the ground the four thugs dispersed with the screaming crowd leaving only the gentleman’s body in the street.

​Mousy and her usual companion Yoyo, were making their way toward the South Station hidey hole when they turned down an alley to see two street thugs waiting on the far end. They turned on a dime to exit the alley only to see two more thugs behind them. They looked at each other and then back to the thugs.

​Yoyo said, “Warn da tuthers.” And she slipped her yoyo out of her pocket and began to casually flip it up and down as she strolled toward the thugs in front of them.

​Mousy nodded and took a piece of foil out of her pocket and turned back toward the two thugs in the alley.

​“Come along little lady an we won’t hurt ye.” Said one of the thugs.

​Mousy closed her eyes and quickly unfolded the foil sending out a shower of flashing bits of metal. This both blinded and burned the two thugs as she dodged between them and down into a storm drain.

​Yoyo, who was a foot taller and a bit larger than Mousy waited until she was within a couple of feet from the thugs when she erupted into a dazzling display of acrobatics, and kicks while swinging her silver yoyo as a weapon. As the yoyo hit one of the thugs it sent out a flash of electricity knocking the thug back off his feet and onto his back unconscious.

​The other thug tried to blackjack her but instead he got the yoyo hard in his right temple. His world erupted into sparks as he went flying sideways into a gutter to die slowly from the resulting brain hemorrhage.

​Yoyo then ran out into the street to try to disappear into the traffic of end of the day workers. She made it about half a block before she ran into a tall man dressed in a long black coat, black top hat and dark square glasses. She tried to bring her yoyo into action again, but the man used his cane to wrap it up while he grabbed her neck with his left hand which had a palm shocker in his glove. Yoyo crumpled to the ground while the shadowman looked admiringly at the clever yoyo wrapped around his cane.

​The shadowman turned and started to stroll off as another thug stepped forward and unceremoniously picked up Yoyo and threw her over his shoulder like a gunny sack then followed him.

​The Black Street area was about as far off the beaten path as you could get in the center of town. This district was downwindfrom the ‘Stacks’ of the many factories and so the air had a thick coal smog in it. This is the main reason why this area was sparsely populated these days. The perfect area for a safe house.

​A group of Eight were walking down one side of Black Street headed toward South Station. In the lead was Brother dressed in his normal nondescript street clothes. Following right behind were sister and Ouihan who were quietly talking about nothing of great importance. Just getting to know each other as it were. Right behind Sister and Ouihan was Victoria II who had changed out of her pilgrim garb into a light blue denim matron’s dress with a beige apron and smog mask. She also wore a beige head scarf whichmatched the apron. This style of dress made her look like any of the many women who worked at the factories or other workplacesdowntown. Walking next to her was Major Gladly who was dressed in non-descript workman’s clothes and a coat folded over his manacled wrists. A step behind and to both sides of the Empress and Major were the two sentinels also wearing workman’s clothes. Trailing behind them was Johann still in his gray pilgrim garb.

​They had just finished dropping off Ehawee to Cooper’s safe house and were headed toward the South Station hidey hole.

​Major Gladly said, “Your Eminence, you should cut your losses and make your way out of the city. This would be the wise thing to do because Lord Calador has too many resources in place for you to beat him.”

​“Wisdom?! Do not talk to Us about wisdom Major! Was it this so-called wisdom which led you to betray Us?! You whose family had been serving the empire for generations. Your uncle died with my parents on the HEAS Vengeance!”

“Your Eminence, I have my reasons for doing what I did. Know this, Lord Calador swore to me you were to just be deposed. Not assassinated.”

“And you believed him?” she then held up her hand and turned her head signifying she was done with this discussion.

Up in the front Brother stopped and held up his hand. Ouihan almost walked into his back he was so involved with what he and Sister were talking about.

From the group’s left and right two large figures stepped out of the shadows dressed in pilgrim gray.

The shadow sentinel to the left was then flanked by two Shadowmen dressed in long coats and armor with their face covered with leather masks and dark glasses. To the right the shadow sentinel was flanked by four Shadowmen.

Brother looked to his left and right and said, “Bugger it all!”

Sister shook her head and looked back at Victoria II and said, “What now mum?”

Empress Victoria II Arkanti pulled down her mask, held up her head channeling her great ancestor’s fighting spirit. She looked left and right and said, “We fight!”