AllFreeNovel
Share Us
14
There's Nothing Else For it
Jack
Andersonmetmeonthe stairwell leading out of the Surgeons' dormitory wing. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were thinned. He didn't think I could pull this off. But this next part was the easy part of my plan. Clive did, in fact, have the original Orion ferreted away on RATS' property. Revealing it wasn't the issue.
Explaining how only I could fly it, and then manipulating circumstances to my advantage, were what could prove to be the dangerous part of the plan. Not to mention actually flying the bloody thing.
It was ancient. At least a century old and I wasn't sure how well Clive had looked after it. One would assume the Chief Surgeon had made sure it was well maintained even if he'd had to do that maintenance himself. He was, after all, using the decrepit thing to fly back and forth to his time and family.
I'd known Clive for over a decade, and I'd always thought of him as a rather thorough man. Every move he made in life was well-thought-out. Every counter move was already imagined and plans were created to thwart his enemies on the off chance he needed them as well. The fact that he'd been removed from RATS without so much as a ripple felt throughout the Academy was cause for concern.
And did not make me feel any better about flying on Orion 0.
But if I were to be released from house arrest and put back on the flying roster, I needed this ace up my sleeve. And if RATS was to be saved from Sergei Ivanov's machinations, then I needed to be flying. It was a delicate balance of getting what I wanted and not angering Anderson while I did it.
Looking at him now, he was one wrong move away from raining down hell on the establishment.
Several Surgeons accompanied us from Dispatch. I noted Holt and De Francillon and toward the back of the group, Rafe. Anderson had also picked up a few of his black-clad security personnel along the way. More and more of RATS' staff came out of the woodwork; word of my release reaching every corner of the facility in record time, of course. Nothing beats the speed of gossip at the Academy.
There were a couple of our own Security people, minus their weapons, of course. Hospitality made an appearance at the back of the group, and off-duty Technicians added their number to the swell of personnel. I even spotted Bryan and Mouse. My eyes met Mimi's for a moment and I saw on her face the same look of hope and belief in me that everyone else appeared to be wearing.
They all thought I could save RATS, save them, and ultimately save Time itself. I wasn't so sure of that outcome, but looking at those hopeful and relieved faces, I knew I had to try.
Before we made it to the southern exit of Shadowship, Anderson had had enough of our unofficial entourage. Pausing at the bifold doors at the far end of the dining room, he turned back to the now quite enthusiastic group of people and cleared his throat, garnering their attention after the third try.
"That's enough of that, now, people," he said in his nasally, superior tone of voice. "I'm sure you all have work to do and if you don't, it will be noted for future reference and dealt with when staff numbers are addressed by Parliament."
As far as threats go, it was a surprisingly good one, despite the small-statured personage it had come from. Most of the group dispersed, including Bryan and Mimi. I couldn't blame them, according to my watch, they were still on suspension. Drawing any further attention to themselves right now, when they were so close to flying again, wasn't exactly a wise move on their part.
Holt and De Francillon also left, but Rafe remained, offering up a mischievous grin to me when our eyes briefly met.
"Dr Hoffman?" Anderson pressed.
"Oh, I've got nowhere to be, Mr Anderson," Rafe said cheerfully. He nodded toward me. "That there is my Flight Surgeon." His grin widened. "We're a team."
"I thought Dr Evans flew with Dr Harding."
"Only while I was recovering from recent ailments," Rafe said. "I'm one hundred percent fighting fit and raring to go on your say so, Chief Overseer. I do so ever want to play my part in making RATS great again."
It was a good thing Anderson didn't know Rafe as well as I did. That was all, every single word of it, tongue in cheek. Even the part about us being a team. If we were a team, Rafe wouldn't cause me so much trouble.
"I see," Anderson said. "Well, I suppose you can accompany us, but I must insist, you remain silent until your opinion is wanted."
Rafe mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key. Anderson simply grunted and then turned back to look at me.
"Well, lead on, Dr Evans. Time and tide wait for no man, or so I believe."
I nodded my head and opened the doors to the back garden. In the distance was a row of utility buildings, most of which were looked after by the gardening division of Hospitality. I stepped out into a cold winter's day and started across the expanse of lawn toward a shed at the end of the row.
I didn't have a key to the padlock that kept the shed closed and I thought, perhaps, no one in Hospitality would either. This was Clive's domain, hidden in plain sight, blending in with the other buildings. Possibly, a gardener might have wondered what was inside, but undoubtedly they believed it was someone else's responsibility. And no gardener would willingly take on more work than necessary.
I tugged on the padlock and found it surprisingly solid. Clive hadn't skimped on the security. The door itself was quite robust looking as well, and the shed, although worn with age to blend in with the others, was not sagging in any way and appeared to be completely intact; no mouse or rat holes to speak of.
A huff of disgruntled breath left me. Placing my hands on my hips, I turned to catch Rafe's eye. "Dr Hoffman, if you would do the honours."
"Of course, Dr Evans," Rafe said, stepping forward and being stopped immediately by a thick outstretched arm belonging to one of Anderson's goons.
