Chapter 2: Hitching A Ride
"Henry, I think that it would be best if I went in alone."
Artemis had an urge to pout like she used to do when she was younger, but the look on Henry's face meant that none of her childish tricks were going to work. She wasn't sure why Henry was punishing her, but it probably had something to do with the cold reception she'd given Jacob when they'd first met, and the way she'd been avoiding him since they'd returned to the curio shop and begun planning their assault on the Templar strongholds in Whitechapel.
"I know you're used to doing things on your own, Mis, but if you have help, you'll be able to accomplish more. And more efficiently, too."
"Why isn't Evie able to accompany me?"
Henry sighed, something that was becoming more common as of late, and shook his head at her suggestion.
"Miss Frye is looking into my research on the precursor objects right now. She said that when she was finished, she would be able to assist you with some of your objectives. But until then...Mr. Frye needs something to occupy himself with."
Artemis crossed her arms, huffing slightly. Jacob had been driving everyone crazy with his insistence that they immediately storm the stronghold that occasionally held Kaylock, despite Artemis' repeated reminders that Kaylock was rarely found outside of his train, and only after they'd shut down his operations within Whitechapel would he be forced to show himself and confront them.
"Artie!"
Jacob's voice called down the stairway, and Artemis twitched in annoyance.
"Are you ready to go free some urchins?"
Henry gave Artemis a smile and and encouraging 'chin up' gesture before disappearing toward the back of his shop where Evie was pouring through his collection of research. Artemis sent him a rude gesture after his back was turned. Unfortunately Jacob happened to catch her in the act.
"Artie! Such unladylike behavior! I'm shocked, I truly am."
Artemis stormed out of the curio shop before he could say another word, tempted to repeat the gesture at him.
"Artie, don't be mad. I'm just trying to protect your delicate ladylike reputation."
As he spoke the words, he began to laugh at his own joke. Artemis shook her head before turning on her heel to face him.
"Oh, you should know by now that I'm no lady, Mr. Frye. And you'd be wise to remember it before you end up on the wrong end of my kukri."
Though she had put as much venom in her words as she could, and as much of a scowl on her face as she was capable, Jacob began laughing at her.
"Sorry, Artie. But it's hard to take you seriously when you threaten me. You're quite fetching when you're upset with me."
Though she hid it well, Artemis was taken aback by his response. Most men who'd taken a fancy to her backed off when she threatened to stab them. Perhaps it was because Jacob was not threatened by her. Well, she'd have to show him exactly what she was capable of on their current mission.
As the factory was a fair distance from the curio shop, Artemis took a carriage that was waiting nearby. She was certain that the owners wouldn't miss it too much while she borrowed it.
Jacob hopped into the seat next to her, and she found herself wishing that the bench was wider. Whenever the carriage took a turn too sharply, he bumped into her. Part of her wondered if it was purposefully done, but Jacob didn't appear to be sliding closer except whenever there was a turn.
"Remind me to teach you how to drive properly, Mr. Frye. From what I saw when I was following you, you almost hit a few pedestrians."
"Challenge accepted, Artie. You'll teach me how to drive and I'll teach you how to fight."
"Hmph! I don't really need your help in that regard, Mr. Frye."
"From the looks of you, I think that even Evie could outmatch you."
It was true that Evie had two inches on her, but what Artemis lacked in height she more than made up for in toughness. And she'd show Jacob a thing or two if he tried to mess with her.
"Well, I guess we shall have to wait and see, then, won't we?"
"Indeed we shall."
Jacob sent her a lopsided grin, which she returned with a bemused smirk. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she showed him what she was truly capable of.
They quickly reached the factory, and Artemis tied the horse to a post a short distance away from it. She pulled her hood up over her head, and motioned for Jacob to do the same. He looked better without the newsboy cap he usually wore. Now he looked less like a homeless person.
As they crept closer to the factory, Artemis engaged her Eagle vision to identify how many Blighters were around. There were quite a few of them, unfortunately. Perhaps Henry had been right about her needing the help.
Jacob stood up and began to rush toward the entrance when Artemis pulled him back against the wall, slamming his body into hers. His eyes widened in surprise, and Artemis put a finger to her mouth.
"Shh. We need to sneak our way in. They have an alarm bell. If they notice us, they'll call for reinforcements, or worse, they'll hurt the children. We can't just barge right in there."
"Well, then, what do you propose we do? Pick them off one at a time?"
He tapped his foot impatiently and Artemis shook her head at him.
"You take the lower level Blighters. Be quiet about it, too. Once you get close enough, sabotage that alarm. I'll climb to the upper level and take out the rest."
Jacob nodded and crouched low again.
"If you need me Artie, just call my name."
Hmph! As if she'd need his help. She'd gotten along just fine without him on numerous occasions. But she'd have to remember to make sure he didn't get himself ambushed. If he charged in without paying attention, they could easily catch him off guard. She shook her head to clear her head of worrying about Jacob. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
As she easily climbed the tall brick building, she listened for sounds of movement in the building. She reached the top of the building and looked over the edge, noticing a Blighter lookout standing on an exposed ledge. Artemis jumped from where she was on the rooftop and easily dispatched the lookout. She crept toward an open archway and peered inside, noticing a Blighter pacing nearby. She let out a sharp whistle to draw the man closer to her.
"What the bloody hell was that? You better not be playing a trick!"
The man had pulled out a club, but Artemis stabbed him in the neck with her hidden blade and threw his body over her shoulder. One down, fourteen to go. But, as she crept around the corner and checked for other Blighters, Artemis heard a few grunts and some shuffling and knew that Jacob was taking some of them out for her.
She continued toward the group of children she'd spied when she looked with her Eagle Vision.
"Work harder, you slags! Don't make me use this whip on you! Remember what happened to little Johnny Piper?"
Artemis heard a few whimpers and felt her blood boil. The children were huddled near dangerous looms, forced to work at a pace which only increased the danger. She crept up behind a stack of cotton bales and carefully glanced around the corner at the Blighter who was pacing near the children, taunting at them with a whip. She carefully edged around the stack, waiting until the woman's back was turned to pull her close around the corner and twist her neck. She pulled the body away from where the children could see and quietly crept closer to them, whispering as she looked around for other Blighters.
"I'll be back when the others are dead. We're here to free you."
"Are you with Clara, Miss?"
"Yes, stay hidden until you get my signal."
The children grinned at her and stepped back from the looms. They looked proper relieved to be rid of both the loom and their overlord.
Satisfied with the small group that she'd freed, Artemis checked on Jacob's status. He was carefully approaching the Blighter who was guarding the bell.
As he made his move to assassinate the guard, Artemis noticed two more Blighters walking up behind him.
She silently cursed and threw herself over the railing that surrounded the open space of the factory floors. She quickly dropped from each floor until she landed behind Jacob. As he grabbed the guard, she took aim at the Blighter in front of her.
The man was not lucky enough to miss her fist entirely, but he managed to lessen the impact by dodging the full brunt of it upon his nasal cavity. He quickly rebounded and attempted to strike her, but she moved like water and easily outmaneuvered him. She hit him once more in this sternum, and he began to reach for his gun. Before his hand had rested on the handle, however, Artemis had withdrawn her kukri and stabbed straight through his chest cavity.
The Blighter who had followed him was momentarily stunned at what had happened, and Artemis took the opportunity to quickly silence him, as well. When she turned around, wiping her kukri off with a scrap piece of fabric, Jacob was looking at her intently, scarred eyebrow arched. Amazingly enough, he looked impressed.
Artemis scowled at him, annoyed that she'd had to save him.
"This is the second time since we've met that I've saved your life, Mr. Frye. Don't make it a habit."
"It's sweet that you're concerned about me, Artie. But I was fine on my own. Besides, I got you a present."
He dangled the metal clapper of the alarm bell in her face, which only made her scowl deepen.
She snatched the clapper out of his hand, ignoring his amused smirk, and tossed it to the side.
"Follow me. And try not to get yourself killed."
"Lead on, then."
The pair crept up the stairwell, listening for sounds of footsteps. Jacob kept close to her, almost too close.
As she looked around a corner, she could feel his warm breath on her neck. She narrowed her eyes in irritation, but chose to ignore him. Working with a partner would definitely take some getting used to.
Artemis and Jacob crept along the edge of the railing, looking around a corner for the Blighters who were supervising another group of children. One of them was holding a whip, which he used to "encourage" the children to work faster.
Jacob moved to attack the Blighter directly, but Artemis held her finger up to her mouth, gesturing toward the two stacks that separated them from the Blighters. They could easily sneak around and ambush both if they worked as a team.
Jacob seemed to understand what she meant, and he seemed more than pleased to give these Blighters exactly what they deserved.
The two assassins seemed to appear from thin air, and just as quickly, they had disposed of the Blighters, working back to back.
Artemis was impressed with his quick reflexes and his efficiency in taking care of the Blighter. He seemed to approve of her as well, giving her a nod in appreciation. They smiled at each other before the sound of small feet shuffling took their attention.
"Just keep quiet for now, children. When we've taken care of the foreman and the others, you'll be free of this place."
The tallest girl pushed forward and nodded at the pair of them.
"I'll watch over them, miss. We'll be waiting for your return."
Artemis gave a quick nod and tipped her head toward Jacob, who was waiting patiently for her direction. Would wonders never cease?
She turned away and glanced at the upper floors. There was a group of five Blighters gathered in the main office area, which also held the foreman. The other four Blighters were supervising the last group of children.
Jacob seemed to have noticed the large group as well. A surprise attack seemed to be the best option, but should they attack in unison, or launch two sporadic attacks? Artemis pursed her lips as she considered the options.
"If you ask my opinion, I'm in favor of a dual attack. It seemed to work well for us the last time."
Jacob was the first to speak up, but Artemis was glad of it. If they both thought that a unified effort would work best, they needed to be on the same page.
"For once, we agree. Any other attack would leave us vulnerable. Attacking together will grant a measure of protection."
Jacob had the ghost of a grin on his face, but he maintained the pensive expression. Clearly, he had been pleased that she'd agreed with him. Not that Artemis blamed him. She wasn't exactly easy to please, and she hardly agreed with anyone's opinion, save her own.
She didn't say anything else, but rather began slinking up the stairs, making only the slightest whisper of noise as she ascended.
She and Jacob crept closer to the office door, hands resting on their respective weapons. She gave Jacob the signal before pulling the pin on a smoke bomb.
Jacob turned the handle of the door and kicked it open as Artemis threw the bomb directly into the center of the room.
Chaos erupted in the room, and the pair took every advantage. In no time at all, they'd cleared the room of every Blighter, save the foreman. The fear in his eyes was palpable as the room cleared and his companions bodies were scattered around.
Artemis winked at Jacob and threw her kukri across the room, pinning the man to the door. He struggled against the hold of the blade, clutching at his injured shoulder.
"Mr. Frye, will you do the honors?"
"My pleasure."
With spectacular aim, Jacob finished off the foreman with his cane-sword. The handle vibrated as the force dispersed between the blade and the wood of the door.
Artemis yanked both her blade and Jacob's from the body, finally allowing it to fall to the floor in a heap.
"Let's finish this."
She had barely spoken those words before the sheer thrill of the mission overtook her, and she practically darted out of the room, stealth be damned. They'd taken out a room full of Blighters with ease, why should four of them be any trouble?
The Blighters overseeing the children heard her footsteps almost immediately, and two of them were sent to investigate the noise.
She dealt with the first easily, barely coming to a stop before plunging her blade into the second Blighter. Jacob wasn't far behind her, and he waited for her to pull her knife from the second Blighter before he nodded toward the doorway which held the last two.
Artemis slid along the floor, throwing her arm out to sweep the legs out from the Blighter closest to the doorway. As the man began to fall, Jacob thrust his blade into his throat.
The final Blighter held her hands up in surrender, pleading with the pair.
"I knows who you is, Miss. I had no choice, I did. Have mercy."
Jacob readied his weapon, unwilling to spare the woman, but Artemis' signal caused him to pause.
She walked closer to the Blighter, weapon drawn.
"I have some questions I need answered. If I'm satisfied with your responses I will not only let you live, but I will let you join the Clinkers. If I don't like the answers I receive, or am shown the slightest hint that you'll betray us, you'll be wishing that I killed you quickly."
Jacob watched her carefully, unsure of what she was doing. Artemis turned to the children, who were frozen at their stations.
"The others are waiting to hear from me. I need one of you to find them and have everyone meet by the alarm bell. We'll be there shortly."
The children nodded, appointing the oldest boy to gather the others, before carefully walking around the body of the male Blighter and out of sight.
The woman who'd been in charge of them was trembling, which was only amplified when Artemis turned back to face her.
"You may sit, if you wish."
The woman didn't need to be told twice. She melted to the floor, unable to stand up any longer.
Artemis leaned against the loom, which the children had turned off before leaving.
"Tell me about Kaylock."
"I don't know very much about Mr. Kaylock, Miss. 'E keeps to 'imself. I heard 'e visited awhile back. Was angry with me old boss. We never saw 'im again after that."
Just as Artemis had expected. He was well protected on his train, and was loathe to leave it.
"What about the Blighter operations here in Whitechapel? I have some locations mapped out, but it would help if I knew more of them."
The woman looked uncomfortable, unsure of whether or not she should tell Artemis anything.
"I don't want to hurt you. I think you're just about done with this sort of work. Why not join a gang who will make London a better place for everyone?"
"I'm just afraid of what 'e'll do to me family if I defect."
"We can protect them, much better than you can alone, anyway."
"Fine, I'll join your Clinkers. I need a map to tell ya the spots we stay at."
Artemis nodded, offering the woman a hand. Jacob still seemed unsure of her, blade pointed in her direction. Artemis was hopeful, but she too was cautious of betrayal.
The woman walked with them to where the children had gathered. They seemed surprised to find their former captor in one piece, and a few children whimpered when they saw her.
Artemis opened the factory door and let the sunshine and the air inside. She gathered a stack of straw and placed it in the open air outside in the factory grounds.
She lit a flame and placed a specially designed paper onto the stack of straw before lighting everything on fire. Bright green smoke billowed from the pile, and Clinkers began to appear like bugs crawling out from the woodwork.
They gathered in front of Artemis, who motioned for the children, Jacob, and the woman to leave the factory.
"Welcome to our new factory, Clinkers. Some of these children need medical care. Those who are well enough are free to leave and find their families."
The children listened, cheering as she proclaimed that they were free. The Clinkers smiled at them as they skipped and laughed, running toward freedom. Artemis motioned at the woman, who was staring wide-eyed at the spectacle in front of her.
"This woman will be joining our cause. She needs some new attire and a place to stay in our quarters."
As a small welcoming party moved forward to take the woman back to their base, the woman burst forward and threw her arms around one of the Clinkers in the yard.
She kissed him fiercely, and her kiss was returned with great enthusiasm. Whistles were made and hats were thrown as the two lovers embraced.
"I thought you had died! I thought the Clinkers had killed you!"
"They recruited me, luv. I never got the chance to tell yeh. Is that why yeh joined the Blighters?"
"It doesn't matter. I 'ave you now."
The two lovers held each other, and Artemis gave a long, sharp whistle that drew everyone's attention.
"I'll have another introduction to make before too long, but in the meantime, this is Jacob Frye.
He and his sister Evie are joining our organization. He is to be treated as my equal, is that clear?"
Jacob had moved forward as Artemis introduced him, and he stood next to her, tall and proud. If he was surprised that she'd called him her equal he didn't show it. Instead, he surprised Artemis by speaking loudly for everyone to hear.
"Artemis and I are going to be making some changes. We are going to conquer this borough. We will take it from the Blighters. And we will call ourselves Rooks!"
Artemis spun in surprise and annoyance at his brashness. She hadn't expected him to follow through on the name change. He had a madman grin on his face, and she narrowed her eyes in anger. The cheek of the man! He'd done it on purpose so that she'd be forced to keep the name change to save face.
There were a few faces in the crowd who didn't seem too keen on the name change, but a roar of approval swelled forward despite them. Artemis needed to remind Jacob who was in charge, and fast, before he took her organization out from under her.
No amount of teamwork was going to make her forgive him for that.
"Rooks, to your orders! Wait for our next signal-these Blighters cannot keep this borough forever!"
The gang members scattered at her words, hastening to their specific roles in the organization. Jacob sent her a sideways glance, his smile still bright.
"I think these Rooks will do just fine, Artie. We'll make a proper gang of them before too long."
Rather than respond to him, Artemis began to walk toward the carriage they'd arrived in. Jacob followed closely behind, unusually quiet. As Artemis clipped the reins, he opened his mouth hesitantly.
"Don't be mad, Artie. It's just a name. What did that old geezer bard used to say? 'That which we call a rose by any other word would be as sweet?"
"Did you really just call Shakespeare an old geezer?"
"Yes, I did. But it proved my point didn't it?"
"I'm surprised you even know who he is, let alone that you quoted him."
"I'm full of surprises, Artie."
He winked suggestively at her, and she pulled the horse sharply to one side so that he would lose his balance. He flailed slightly as he attempted to regain his balance, and Artemis bit back a smirk.
"Perhaps it would be better if I took over the driving, Artie. I'd rather not be introduced to the cobblestone streets today."
"Not a chance, Mr. Frye. Besides, you don't even know where we're going."
"Well, I'd feel better if I knew you weren't going to try and fling me out of the carriage whenever the mood strikes you. Where are we going, now that you mention it?"
"We're going to check on our ride."
Jacob cocked his head in confusion, and Artemis found it amusing that she knew where they were headed and he had no idea. She turned a few more corners before she pulled up to the train station. She tied the horse to a nearby post and slowly walked toward the station. It was a little strange to be returning to the station with Jacob, who had been her target merely a few days ago.
They neared the entrance of the station, and Artemis pulled her hood up. She crept along the outside edge of the wall, finding her hand-hold easily. She climbed effortlessly, and soon was walking along the support beams that crisscrossed the ceiling of the station. She crouched low, waiting for the train's whistle. It was a little later than normal, but Artemis didn't mind.
Jacob soon joined her on the beam, whistling softly to himself.
"This is quite a view, Artie. Come here often?"
"I have lately."
Jacob's eyes flashed in recognition, and he nudged her slightly with his elbow.
"So that's when you started following us. You were on our tail the second we stepped off of the train."
"Truly, I was on your tail even before you arrived in London. I heard from a reliable source that an unusual pair of passengers was set to arrive."
"Clever. I still can't believe that neither of us noticed you."
"I'm good at not being noticed, Mr. Frye. Especially when I don't want someone to notice."
Jacob opened his mouth to make a sarcastic remark, but was interrupted by a loud whistle. Artemis watched the train pull in and Blighters spill out of it like water. She kept her eye on the first car on the train. Kaylock's car.
As a flurry of boxes were unloaded, while others were put into position to be loaded, Artemis focused her attention on the main car. She knew Kaylock was there. All she needed to do was wait for him to leave the train unprotected by his entourage. He was a slippery one, that's for sure.
As the hustle and bustle of activity continued, she could feel Jacob growing restless beside her. She could feel the same restlessness building inside of herself. When would Kaylock make his appearance so that they could end this in the simplest way possible?
As the minutes dragged on, Artemis found her gaze wandered to the boxes being loaded and unloaded. New supplies, such as food, ammunition, and coal were added in abundance. Those boxes were precious cargo, as they made Kaylock's entire operation possible. He was safe on the rails, with his moving base of operations. It made him nearly impossible to track down. Nearly.
This particular little ritual was one that Artemis had caught onto after a few weeks of tailing Kaylock's train. This time, however was different. It was as if someone had tipped Kaylock off. He hadn't left his train to inspect the supplies. It usually wasn't a long inspection, but it was his
routine.
And today he hadn't done it.
The train conductor was starting his usual procedures to start the engines, and Artemis began to feel uneasy. Where was Kaylock?
Sure enough, the train began to puff black smoke from its stack and the wheels groaned to life.
Artemis and Jacob watched the train pull out from the station, disappointment oozing into their bones.
But before the pair lost sight of the lead car, a hand was thrust from an open window. It began to wave, and Artemis felt her blood boil. He'd made a fool of them.
"So, what's so special about that train, Artie?"
Artemis turned to Jacob, eyes burning with rage.
"I'll tell you what's special about that train, Jacob. Soon, it's going to be ours."
Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed or read my little story! I've been working hard on both this one and my iZombie fic. Life seems to go by super fast and I never get a chance to slow it down and write faster! Happy reading! I'll get back to work!
Special thanks to:
Modern Age: Thanks for your input. I mostly work on this during my very short lunch break. I have to use my phone, and sometimes when I switch back to my laptop the format is a little wonky. I'll try to be on the lookout for that. Thank you for your review!
Hoqwaarts: Thank you for your review! I hope you like the next chapter!
January Lily: As always, thank you for being a wonderful friend! Even if you know nothing about AC, I appreciate you taking the time to read my little story. Keep up the good work on your own fics! 3
Wayward Jules: Thank you for your review!
Nixdragon: You are my hero too, friend! Thanks for being there and supporting me! 3
