Chapter 3
The cigar smoke billowed around his head, seeping into his tailored suit, and the fabric of his hat that was shielding his eyes from the noonday sun. His hands were tucked around his hips, fingering the chain on his pocket watch.
He exudes the power he has in everything, in stance, in nature, in dress; that wherever he went people moved out of his way and averted their gaze, despite his younger age. He was not old, nor was he a kid, but he seemed too young to command such fear in people twice his age.
He looked official, scientific, political, military, government, influential, mafia, medical, learned yet physical. The cigar added wisdom, the suit added wealth, the goons added leadership, yet the subtlety of it all made him seem no important than a lawyer or a doctor.
He leaned against his black automobile, flipping open his pocket watch to check the time again, before situating it back in his vest pocket and taking out the stub of tobacco from his mouth a dropping it on the ground, crushing it under the heel of his expensive black shoes.
"Doctor!" cried one man dressed in a black suit, followed by two others dressed similarly.
"Ah," his voice was a smooth baritone. "What is the news, Warnsworth?" he looked up at his henchmen with a dark steel gaze.
"No sign of the schoolteacher yet, we lost him at the museum and the woman he had conversed with was just a decoy," said the man referred to as Warnsworth.
"The professor is quite clever isn't her?" he chuckled, pushing himself off the side of the car. "Just goes to prove that our little genius is more than he claims to be."
Warnsworth nodded.
"Did you have the woman checked?" he asked sharply.
"She told us about her husband, a business man from England, and some other stuff. I didn't think it relevant…"
"We are after one of the possibly greatest and most dangerous minds since Tesla, and you didn't think it was relevant?" he smacked the smaller man upside the head. "When it comes to the balance of the world everything is relevant! I want that schoolteacher and his ideas. Don't ever underestimate him, and don't treat anything he does lightly. If you see that woman again bring her to me, and make sure, for certain, that she is who she claims to be before you let her go!"
Warnsworth nodded emphatically to the Doctor's words.
"We won't let him out of Vienna, I'll see to that."
Warnsworth moved to leave.
"Oh, and Warnsworth," said the Doctor, before pulling out a gun and shooting the henchman beside him, just inches away in fact. "Disappoint me again and my aim will be far more accurate, understand?"
Warnsworth nodded once again, nervously, before turning on his heel and attempting to make a somewhat calm getaway before he saw the bitter end of a bullet himself.
The Doctor tucked the weapon back in his shoulder holster and lit a fresh cigar.
"Clean him up before someone sees," he ordered. His men went to it without question or delay.
~~~~Meanwhile~~~~
Helen held Nikola's paper in her hands, reading it quietly as he fiddled about with a cloth as she suspected he would, to clean up all the dust in the house.
She finished reading the last sentence and put it down, taking a long exasperated sigh.
"Nikola, what would possess you to write such a thing," she asked.
"I don't know, I was bored?" he shrugged.
"Really? That's hardly an excuse," she crossed her arms.
"I may have been trying to…impress someone," he averted his gaze and continued cleaning absently.
"Who?" Helen watched him carefully.
"Ms. Angela Pettiford, the English teacher," he looked up and smiled sheepishly.
"A woman?" Helen glared at him.
"A very tasteful woman who happens to think I'm charming," he said indignantly.
"You are unbelievable!" Helen cried.
"Is it so horrible to want to have some intelligent and pleasant company when stuck in Nowheresville, Indiana? Plus…she was hot, you can't blame me," he crossed his arms stubbornly.
"I can so! You blew your cover, put yourself and me in danger, all to garner the affections of an English teacher? Couldn't you have bought her flowers? Or written her a nice little poem, I bet she would've loved grading you on that!"
"I wanted to impress her, not join her class," Nikola grumbled.
"Well was I worth it big man on campus?" she stood up and glared at him.
"I'll have you know that she was very close to going out with me," he said defiantly.
Helen scoffed.
"Yes, if those goons hadn't arrived when they did I'd have probably been spending the evening with her, instead of catching a train, then a flight to several locations before finally ending up here with you scolding me! Believe me, I would've preferred that!"
"You are so single-minded sometimes, Nikola!" she growled.
"So what? I'm a base man with base desires, is that so wrong?"
"It is when you go and do idiotic things like this and put yourself, and others, in danger, all for the affections of a woman that you could've gained without going to such idiotic extremes!" she crossed over to him, her hands on her hips.
"Is it idiotic to want to impress someone with your natural talents," he shrugged.
"What? Like getting shot?"
"What?"
Helen pulled out her pistol and pointed it at his knee.
"Helen!"
BANG!
In the distance some birds flew out of the trees.
"Agh!" Nikola grasped his leg. "Why would you do that?" he cried.
"Oh, you'll heal!" she tucked her weapon back into her bodice.
"Doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt," he whimpered, limping over to a chair and proceeding to dig around the wound to pull out the bullet. "You are such a dirty fighter."
He tossed the bullet on the floor and groaned as his leg healed instantly.
"I hate it when you do that," he mumbled.
"But when has it never been uncalled for?" she teased.
"I'm sure once…maybe," he shrugged.
Helen laughed dryly.
"I'm sure," she sighed.
"Look Helen, I-" he was interrupted by a knock at the front door.
They shared a look before quietly moving towards it. Helen pulled out her gun again, carefully cocking it. Nikola moved towards the window and peered through the drapes, then relaxed.
"It's just the boy from the hotel with your luggage," she handed him the gun.
"Just to be safe," she said before unlocking the door.
He nodded and stayed back with the weapon ready.
"Good day, ma'am," said the heavily accented concierge, handing her a clipboard, confirming her name and items. She took out her room key and handed it to him.
"Thank you," she tipped him and he left.
"Have a nice day, ma'am," he handed her the two totes and suitcase that she had brought with her and then left just as quickly and efficiently as he came.
Helen's face was fixed in a frown though, and she began to search through the luggage.
"Something wrong?" Nikola asked as he shut and locked the door.
Helen groaned.
"Leave it to you to mess something up," she placed a hand on her forehead.
"What?" he said indignantly.
"I put some items in the hotel safe, I'll have to go back and reclaim them," she sighed, standing up.
"That's hardly my fault," he shrugged.
"I'll be back, you can move my stuff into my room if you'd be so kind," she sighed, grabbing her purse from off the table.
"You can't go out there, what if they're still searching for me," he grabbed ahold of her arm to keep her from escaping.
"Then better for me to go than you," she pulled out of his grip. "Nikola, this is important, I promise I wont be gone long…they don't know that I know you, so what reason do they have to be suspicious of me?"
He sighed.
"Fine, but don't expect me to come to your rescue when you are captured!"
"Thank you for the vote of confidence!" she waved condescendingly before heading out the back entrance to the alley.
Nikola placed his hands on his hips and scowled.
Screw it! If she wanted to get caught that was her prerogative, she was always stubborn. He wasn't her keeper.
He turned away from the door and then growled, turning back to it.
It better be the damn most important thing in the world!
He grabbed his hat and glasses from the table and marched out after her.
~~~~Author's Notes~~~~
Yay! Fun!
Yes Nikola had to be shot, Helen so would you all know that.
The next few chappies are gonna be fun :P
I don't want to give anything away so...enjoy!
