Leaning forward I pressed the button I had seen Romney press before and the hole in the floor of the flying machine closed shut.
“I think it is time I tended a new path.” I said, and I sat down, looking through the window at the ground below. I thought I may be dizzy up there, what with being in a cloud and everything, but I just didn’t seem to have the time to be occupied so. I was far too busy looking at the ground below and wondering just how high into the sky the airship could fly.
“Excellent!” said Victoria and Romney smiled widely. I was not sure of it at first, and my stomach jumped over yet another fence when I realised it, but already the airship was beginning to move. How it did so I did not know, for neither Lady Vic… I mean, Victoria or Mister Romney had touched the controls, and yet below the ground was beginning to get further and further away and the fields were starting to change underneath us as we began to leave the cinder path behind us. I felt bad at leaving it to fend for itself, but I also felt sad for what these two strange people had taught me. They had shown me that I was at least the equal of the people who I looked up to, if not better than them. It was quite a thought, and one I do believe I shall be spending a lot of time with over my final few years.
“Slow her down a bit Romney.” said Victoria as the ship continued on its journey, the afternoon growing old around it, “There is no rush. Let Mister Jacob Marley here take in the sights. It is his journey after all.”
The Clockwork Thief of Crickenden Broadwick
The small object landed on the sloped, wet slate roof with a soft thump as if it was steadying itself somehow, finding its balance. It was small, its predominant colour being that of brass, though on its upper side small cogs and gears could be seen whirling around the tiny intricate mechanism inside the device. It paused for a second as if it were making some indiscernible calculation and then four small legs sprouted from the inside of the object and it scurried further up towards the apex of the roof before finally coming to a halt just below a large skylight through which shone pale light from below.
The roof was bathed in bright blue light from the full moon above, shining on the wet tiles and the smears of raindrops on the glass of the skylight. The device settled itself and there was a small clicking sound as a thin rope began to unwind from the rear of the object, a small lead weight at its tip. Rapidly the rope slid down across the roof and then over its edge, disappearing below. There was another brief pause and then the rope tightened, the small brass device now securely locked to the roof and was also bearing the weight of what was on the other end of the tether, which, moments later, was revealed to be a tall looking man who clambered over the edge of the building, one hand on the guttering and the other on the rope that was still attached to the device. He silently edged onto the roof and half ran, half crept up to the device and lying flat upon the roof tiles he looked through the skylight into the room below.
He was dressed as if he was an aeronautic captain or a zeppelin aviator. His jacket was leather from thigh to collar, a wide dark brown bandolier across his chest and a wide belt about his waist that was fastened with a wide brass buckle. The belt bore many pockets, all of which were currently closed. On one hip he wore a large holster, from which the top of a strange looking gun could be seen. He wore large gloves that looked more like gauntlets than normal gloves. They were flared at the wrist, several strange looking mechanical joints affixing the wrist to the fingers. He wore no hat of any description, and as the moon caught his silhouette it could be observed that he had short brown hair cut almost in a military fashion, but his face was handsome and unscarred. Rather oddly, he wore a small round set of spectacles, the glass of which was tinted as if protecting against the sun, which was very strange as it would not be visible for another five hours or so yet.
The man reached out and tapped the device once and it withdrew its four legs and extended three of a longer type instead. As they grew from the side of the device it rose from the roof until it was a good twelve inches away from the roof slate. It then edged itself forward toward the roof glass and as it did so a small opening revealed itself in the base of the device. There was a slight click and a bright red beam shot from under the device and began to cut the glass of the skylight in a circular fashion.
The man leaned forward and from one of the pockets on his shoulder strap produced what looked like a small rubber sucker which he attached to the glass of the skylight just in time as the red beam completed its circuit and the glass fell away, secured now only by the sucker that the man was holding it by. Reaching forward he carefully raised the glass and placed it to one side on the roof. He checked it to make sure it did not slip and then turned his attention back to the now compromised skylight and looked down into the lit room below.
The room was completely empty apart from a small marble pedestal in the centre of the floor. Upon this was mounted a small circular glass case and inside that, even from the distance of the roof, could be seen an especially large diamond. The man cast his gaze over the security protocols of the room, even though he was already well aware of them. The floor was pressure sensitive, the doors booby trapped by an exceptionally high charge of electricity. Equidistantly placed about the room floated three automatons, completely immobile but all facing the pedestal upon which sat the diamond. They were in the shape of small round spheres, thin visors in the orbs pulsing red as they scanned the room for any signs of movement. They looked vicious and dangerous. Smiling, the man looked away from them to ready his equipment.
He watched as the device began to extend its three legs even higher from the roof until it suddenly stopped. It was now at least three feet above the slates, its brass coloured legs suspended over the skylight.
The man detached the rope he had ascended from below from the wrist of his glove and reattached it to a concealed recess in the brass device. Having done this he then reached behind himself and attached the other end of the rope to a small clasp on the back of his jacket. He pulled it once to check it was secure, and apparently being satisfied that it was, he edged towards the large hole in the skylight and threw himself through it. He fell sharply inside the roof, descending inside, but for no more than ten feet. He was suddenly brought to a halt, hovering spread-eagled over the room and the pedestal below, the tripod holding his weight from above and the rope from his jacket to the device suspending him in the air.
There was another click and slowly the rope began to unwind from the man’s jacket, lowering him as it did so. With a flash of irritation the man reached for his small round spectacles and removed them, placing them in a pocket in his jacket. The rope continued to lower the man who carefully held both arms and legs splayed outwards, maintaining his balance. Finally he was within reach of the pedestal and he reached down, plucking the large diamond from the cold marble and stashing it in a large pocket of the bandolier.
As he did so the three immobile orbs came to life and turning, floated towards him, the automatons surrounding him as he stretched out, dangling from the rope above like a spider, the diamond held in his hand.
“Identify.” said the first automaton, its hand reaching out to grasp the man, it’s red eye slit threatening to flash red beams of destruction towards him.
“63656173652066756e6374696f6ea” said the man quickly and the automaton spun in the air, its laser flashing from its visor towards the other two automatons as it did so. The first one exploded as the beam hit it and it fell into pieces of unanimated metal parts onto the floor. The second automaton was quicker, but not quick enough, the rogue automaton slicing it neatly in half with its laser.
The rogue automaton looked at the two destroyed spheres and then stopped moving altogether, its beam concentrating on the nearby wall.
“Excellent.” said the man as there was another click and the device on the roof began to pull the rope back in, ratcheting the man back towards the roof slowly. As he neared the skylight and the moonlight from above grew stronger he flinched and hastily reached into his
pocket, and pulled out the round tinted spectacles and placed them back on his head. As he reached the skylight he spun around swiftly and grabbing hold of the skylight and avoiding the cut glass, he pulled himself through it.
Once back on the roof the rope vanished into the device and it began to lower itself until the legs were gone completely, the device shrinking in on itself, getting smaller as it shrank. The man reached down and picked the object up, placing it into a large leather pocket in his jacket. He looked down through the hole in the roof and smiled, patting the diamond in his pocket as if checking that it was still there. It was. Then he whistled once loudly, a small tin like whistle he held in his hand disappearing back into a belt pocket just as quickly as it had appeared.
A slight whirring sound came from above and a small skimmer faded into view as it dropped its mist camouflage and became visible. The small twin seat zeppelin was designed for speed and stealth. Once misted it would be almost entirely invisible to any onlooker. As he watched the man straightened his tinted glasses and leapt upwards, catching the small landing rails of the skimmer and pulling himself up into the air. Already the skimmer began to move south, but the man deftly reached inside his jacket and pulled what looked like a small business card from a pocket and flicked it down. The card fell down, plummeting down and down through the room before hitting the pedestal and then so very very slowly bouncing off and onto the floor. As soon as it hit the ground alarms began to ring loudly and the room was bathed in crimson lights that span from numerous wall mounted devices about the room.
The card lay on the floor just below the pedestal, facing upwards. It would be several minutes before the first guard would enter the room in a heavy duty biohazard suit due to the atmosphere of the room being overrun with especially toxic nerve gas that had been silently and odorless released into the atmosphere of the room as soon as the card had hit the floor’s hyper-sensitive pressure pads, yet the typeface on the card was crisp and highly legible. It was not necessary to pick it up to read it at all, in fact.
In large black letters it read, “You have rather sadly been relieved of your most precious item(s). Yours, The Clockwork Thief.” The letter “s” had clearly been scribbled out in black ink.
***
“How very quaint.” said Victoria, sitting herself down at the table around which was sat three men, all straight backed and looking at her as if she was some strange and exotic flower that could at any minute explode. “So Mister Topping is the main inventor and founder of the company, but he lets you, Tobias, deal with all of the day to day chores with regards to the factory.”
“Yes indeed, my dear.” said Tobias, pushing his chair back and settling his rather large stomach under the desk, “Hard graft never scared me and Mister Topping does seem to like the current arrangement.”
“Well I suppose you do too.” she said, including the other tall thin man into the conversation, “A hands off boss seems a very good way to run a business.” she smiled brightly. “Leave it to them that know the best.” she smiled and the two men reciprocated. “So Tobias you effectively run the factory, yes?”
“Yes Miss Neaves.” said Tobias, his crumpled white shirt creased and seeming to cut into the fat of his neck, “All of the day to day stuff. Hiring and firing, paying the bills. That’s me.”
Victoria looked about the small office that she had been escorted to since her unexpected arrival at the factory nearly thirty minutes before. It was a large room but with few chairs and one large wooden desk, behind which Tobias sat on a slightly elevated chair to the one that Victoria was sat in. Behind the desk on the far wall was a large metallic door that looked sturdier than anything else in the room. There was no glass in the metal door at all, but on the wall beside the door was a small security panel, a keypad sitting below it. Below that was a small brass coloured pipe that ran down to the floor and there it disappeared from view.
“So what do you do, Jacob?” asked Victoria, turning slightly towards the tall thin man who was sitting on an equally raised chair (though not quite as elevated as Tobias’s she could not help but notice) to the side of the large wooden desk.. The man looked almost startled to be asked, and began to blush furiously.
“I keep Mister Topping up to speed with the current condition of the business as well as answering any questions that he has about the current state of the company.”
“He likes to be kept informed then?” she asked as a small round man bearing a pot of tea and several cups on a plate entered the room and placed the tray on the table in front of them.
“Oh no. Not at all.” spluttered Jacob, “I suspect he finds it all rather tedious. It is just that he has to be kept informed. He is the company owner after all.”
“So how are the company accounts then?” asked Victoria as the man who had just entered poured the tea for the three of them and then left. VIctoria picked up her cup and sipped at the hot steaming drink. “Delightful.” she said, and smiled.
“Very well indeed.” said Tobias, “Our company projections for the first half year show excellent promise. Mister Topping is very pleased.”
“Is he?” smiled Victoria.
“Well anything that allows him to continue to lock himself into his workshop for weeks at a time is a bonus to him I suspect.” said Jacob and Tobias nodded cautiously, as if Jacob was giving away more than perhaps he should.
“So what is it your company do precisely?” asked Victoria. Tobias looked at her intensely as if he was regretting letting her come inside the factory in the first place. “I am aware of the basics of course through the society of trade and industry. Yet they have asked me to be more precise with regards a small piece of work they wish to send your way.”
“That’s it, boss.” said Romney, her demon assistant in her mind, “Appeal to their greed. Works every time!”
“I suspect the fat one there is the real boss around here.” she said telepathically as she sipped at her tea, “The thin man is there because Tobias can’t be bothered communicating with him.”
“Perhaps Mister Topping is hard to get along with?” said Romney, “Seems to me he spends all day locked up in his workshop it is either because he can’t be bothered with anyone else in here or because his attention is elsewhere.” Tobias looked at Victoria smugly, peering down at her from his raised chair.
“We specialise in producing miniaturised parts for the second generation Oberium Babbage controlled computational engines.”
“Parts for it?” enquired Victoria.
“Something like that.” said Tobias, smiling patronisingly at her. “The gravity fed dampeners for the logic circuits. I wouldn’t worry your pretty little head about it my dear. It is all rather complicated I think you will find.”
“I see.” said Victoria, smiling happily and Tobias grinned even more widely at her as Victoria leaned in and as Tobias leaned forward too to catch her words she winked at them.
“Would they be the Dyscloesian event parameter circuits or the mass reduced side fluctuation holders then?” Tobias’s eyes opened wider than was completely normal.
“Erm… I would need to check.” he said nervously, producing a small handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his brow with it. Jacob gulped loudly and began to blush again.
“Oh no need for that.” said Victoria, “The Dyscloesian circuits would never hold their integrity as a part of a Babbage engine.” She leaned forward and smiled at the two men who sat in silence, rapidly reddening. “They are for a tractor after all.” She smiled again and the two men blushed furiously as she reached down into her handbag and rummaging around inside it just long enough to make the two men extremely nervous pulled out a small circular object and placed it on the table. “One of yours?” she asked and Tobias peered at the device on the table before turning it upside down and examining it. His eyes opened a little wider as he noticed the company lettering on the underneath of it and then placed it back on the table.
“It is a spider.” said Tobias, scratching
his head, “A small clockwork driven spider. What on Earth do you think we would make one of those for?”
“I have no idea.” she said, “Perhaps it was made to order. I think the manufacturer can be of no doubt. It is certainly one of yours. It does have your company’s stamp underneath it after all.”
“It does.” said Jacob, turning the ornate device over and looking at it as if it was going to come to life and bite him, “I think perhaps it can only be a custom design made for a specific order. I could check the invoice books for you if you so wish.”
“Please.” said Victoria, “That would be very helpful.”
“Wait a moment please.” said Tobias, “Forgive me for being slow, but I am struggling with your presence somewhat Miss Neaves. First of all you arrive here with government papers for an inspection of the factory with a view in mind of placing a “special” and “lucrative” order with us.”
“That is correct.” said Victoria, “You have seen the paperwork.”
“I have. Yet now you are producing this other item from nowhere and wish to know all about it. Can you explain please, Miss Neaves?”
“Of course.” smiled Victoria.
“Can’t wait to hear this,” said Romney in her head. Victoria ignored the demon and ploughed on.
“Her majesty’s government are greatly interested in this device as it featured prominently in the death of a prominent person who was of some regard to them from hereabouts. The device contained a volatile acid in its carapace which when released dissolved the poor chap instantly. That kind of technology can be of great use to some of her majesty’s more… shall we say… clandestine departments of government. It also displayed a highly advanced expertise in miniaturisation, not to mention the manufacture of the acid itself.”
The Complete Adventures of Victoria Neaves & Romney Page 20