by Keith Dumble
'VERY WELL.' APPLETON'S voice scratched out of the mouthpiece. 'Though I must remind you, Jessica. Time is of the essence.'
'We are aware of that, sir. We aim to have the mission complete by midnight.'
'Bloody vampyres! Why did they have to appear at the precise time the Whitechapel War Memorial is due to be unveiled by Her Majesty?'
'Perhaps it is no coincidence, sir?'
'You think they aim to strike at the heart of the Empire itself? Their kind are usually satisfied feasting on a rather less stately menu.'
'We should not rule out the possibility, sir. I saw their leader. He had a certain air about him. It would not surprise me if he has set his sights a little higher than is normal.'
'You have one chance, Jessica. To clear up this little annoyance with the minimum of fuss. If you fail, I will have no option but to send in the Elite Corps.'
Tommy crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. Jessica tried not to laugh. 'We shall not fail, sir. You may tell Roman and his colleagues that their services will not be required.'
'I hope that proves to be the case, Jessica. I look forward to your next message, informing me of your mission's success. God speed. And God save the Empire!'
Jessica flicked the switch on the base of the transmitter. She, Atsu and Flint had returned to the Zephyr last night and had slept in their cabins whilst the ship was still berthed at Clapham. Tommy's hammering in the engine room had gone on late into the night, but Jessica had eventually managed to drift off to sleep, wakening only once from a nightmare where a noble knight had been locked up in a wicked witch's tower.
'What are we going to do now? Until this evening's performance?' Flint was pacing the galley.
'There are always jobs to be done, William. You could scrub the decks if you wish?'
'That'll be the day! You think me a cabin boy, Jessica?'
'I've told you before, William. There is no rank and file on board this ship. We are all equal.'
'Aye, all equally doomed.' Flint made his way towards the hatch leading up to the deck. 'But if it makes her ladyship happy,' he said, tipping the brim of his hat, 'I'll see what needs done up above.'
Cottingley peered up from tinkering at some complex piece of apparatus, his left eye gigantic through the magnifying lens strapped to his forehead. He resembled some strange species of bewhiskered insect as he blinked at Jessica. 'I believe I have managed, with the faintest residue of the last our Scientifica, to assemble another oral transmitter. Who would you like me to fit it to?'
Jessica probed her false tooth with her tongue. 'Won't the recipient require to have one of their own teeth removed first?'
'Ah, true, true...' Cottingley tapped his bottom lip with his forefinger, then held it aloft. 'But I have a hammer and a pair of pliers which would be perfect for the job!'
'I doubt I will find many willing volunteers, Professor.'
'Doesn't Mr Flint already have a false tooth? That gaudy lump of gold?'
'I wouldn't let him hear you refer to it as that, Professor. It has personal significance to him. He will not allow it to be tinkered with, trust me.'
'A great pity.' Cottingley picked up the tiny machine he had been working on with a pair of tweezers. 'Perhaps we must wait until another one of you returns from the fray minus a molar.'
Atsu had been sitting silently, her gaze flitting between them. 'I will volunteer, ma'am. I am not afraid of Professor Cottingley's hammer and pliers.'
Jessica shook her head. 'I'm not having one of my crew suffer needless pain, especially before a mission. Your offer is appreciated and noted, Atsu, but overruled.'
'Oh, there would be no pain,' said Cottingley. 'The opiate anaesthetic I have developed freezes the nerve immediately, without any impairment of motion or of speech.'
'Why didn't you apply me with that yesterday?'
'It was not... fully tested, my dear.'
'And now you are sure it is safe?'
'From observations I made upon my test subject, yes, I am. The nerve is isolated and frozen for forty-eight hours. By that time, any oral wounding will have healed of its own accord. Well, my dear,' he said, looking at Atsu, 'what say you?'
Atsu nodded eagerly. 'I wish to be useful, ma'am. I have one that already is half broken.' She opened her mouth wide, pointing to her back teeth.
'You more than proved your worth last night, Atsu. You do not need to do any more to impress me. Though, it has to be said, the device would have its uses.' Jessica stood, looking down at the girl. 'It is your decision, Atsu. And Professor, if this procedure of yours is not as smooth as you claim it to be, I shall be confiscating your keys to the laboratory again.'
Cottingley's moustache curled upwards. 'I have no fear of that, my dear. The creature I conducted my experiments on had no complaints!'
He stood, beckoning Atsu to follow him. 'But then, of course, it was unable to speak...'
__________
Jessica sighed and took out another skirt from her wardrobe. She had to be able to pass for a normal citizen, dressed as if she was about to enjoy a night at the theatre. But she would also need to choose something which didn't impede her movements when it came to the time to fight.
She took out a black corset, made from supple leather. After fastening the buttons of a high-necked white blouse, she fixed the corset in place on top. It felt a little strange, but the look was undeniably voguish.
Next she selected a red chiffon skirt, loose enough to allow her legs to move freely. She rolled up a pair of black stockings, then fastened the clasps of her boots. Turning from one side to another as she looked at herself in the mirror, she thought she could almost pass for a fashionable Londoner. When she completed the outfit with a top hat and a pocket watch on a silver chain around her neck, she hardly recognised herself.
'My my,' said Flint as she walked back into the galley. 'Excuse me, miss. Have you seen our commander?'
'Very amusing, William.' Jessica was surprised to feel herself blushing. 'I see you have also decided to make a modicum of effort for our evening on the town.'
Flint stood with his hands on his hips, his fingers hitched into the loops of his belt. He wore the same pair of red flannel britches, but had changed into a gold waistcoat, embroidered with various nautical designs and motifs. He had swapped his greatcoat for a three-quarter length navy jacket and also wore a black topper, his blond hair flowing down from underneath.
'Very dapper, William. You could almost pass for a gentleman.'
Flint winked, then whistled. Jessica turned to see Atsu in the doorway. She had twisted her hair into an elaborate spiral arrangement, fixed with gold pins and enamel brooches in the shape of butterflies. Her dress was pale green silk, long and sleek and split on one side to her thigh. She bowed at them, then hid her giggle behind a delicate white lace fan, her metal cuff sliding up her wrist.
'Your tooth? It was as Cottingley said?'
'Yes ma'am. I feel no pain. And now we are able to talk to each other when separated.'
'We should test it before we enter the theatre. Remind me, won't you, Atsu?'
'You look like a right trio of toffs and no mistake.' Tommy walked in from the navigation chamber, a spanner in his hand and oil streaked across his face. 'Makes me wish I was coming with you.'
'It'd take more than a change of clothes to turn you into a gentleman, Pike.' Flint flashed his gold-flecked grin. 'Best you leave this sort of thing to your elders and betters, no?'
'Away with you, Mr Flint. You know I'm not much younger than you!'
'Aye, but a lot less wise in the ways of the world, Pike.'
'Thomas is the only one amongst you with any manners at all.' The Zephyr's voice echoed through the galley. 'And certainly the only one who knows how to treat a lady.'
Flint spluttered. 'What have you been up to with that spanner, Pike?'
'Enough!' Jessica fastened her velvet jacket, still self-conscious at having her corset on display. 'When you are quite ready, it i
s almost time for tonight's show to begin.'