I follow the girl, who Hetty had somehow finagled some kind of contract with her, three blocks from the dock to a carriage. I get in the carriage, and the driver takes off. The passenger waiting for me was a woman in her mid-thirties, about five feet four inches tall, long flowing brown hair, baby blue eyes, tone pale skin, and lips that were a faded shade of pink.
"You Deeks?" the woman asked, I can hear a foreign accent.
"Yes." I say suspiciously.
"Is there a problem?" the woman asked.
"I get grilled by the girl near the docks, and now I'm getting grilled again." I asked.
"It's a precaution." the woman said in a French accent. I remember someone back at the fortress who had a French accent. I think.
"People pretending to be who they aren't?" I asked.
"It has happened a few times in the past." she said.
"As I said earlier. I'm Deeks." I said.
"Laurette Renard." Laurette said.
"What brought you to London?" I asked.
"Hetty." she said.
"What about you little one? How did you get hooked up with Hetty?" I asked.
"I was working the docks one day when I realized that I had network of spies in place. Hetty come to free me, but in turn I had to use the network to help her and any of her friends. And my name is Johanna Jones, but everybody calls me Jo." Johanna said.
Jo was about four feet five inches tall, fare skin, and reddish-brown hair. "Jo it is. So what can you tell me about my target?" I asked.
"The man you're after has been in London for about two weeks. Before that he was in Paris, France meeting with an associate." Laurette said.
"Any indication that my target is about to leave the city?" I asked.
"Our informants are saying that he isn't going to be leaving anytime soon." Jo said.
"But?" I asked.
"There are some big players coming to town. We don't know how big, but there are trails leading away to Asia." Laurette said.
"Got any nicknames?" I asked Laurette.
"Lara, if you must." Lara said.
"Good. It's easy to shout Lara, as opposed to shouting Laurette." I said.
The carriage was slowing down to stop in front of a big complex with guards posted at regular intervals. "What is this place?" I asked stepping out of the carriage.
"This is the complex for government in all of London." Lara said.
"So pretty my city hall?" I asked.
"Yep." Jo said.
"Your target is going to be leaving the side exit over there in two minutes." Lara said.
I start heading over to the fence with the exit. On my way I pass a booth, and realize that I stick out like a sore thumb. I look at Lara and mouth money, and she throws me a pouch with money in it. I count out the necessary money. I pay for an overcoat and a hat, and then make my way over to the fence. By the time I get there my man had already exited the building, and was nearing the fence.
I walk with the group as it exits the grounds. I give the group some space, and pull the hat lower on my face to obscure my features. I pick up a few pertinent details as I follow the group. There's a ball later in the week. A meeting involving all the leaders that govern the city. It sounds like there are quite a few leaders. I think. I don't bother listening to the rest of the conversation because someone looked over their shoulder, so I stopped off at the nearest store, and watched as the group kept going. I was about to lose the group when something Jo said sparked my memory. I saw a group of children playing across the street.
I stepped out of the store to talk to the children. I look up the street to see the group had stopped, but continued discussing whatever was necessary.
"Any of you work with Jo?" I asked the group.
"We all work for her." A little girl said.
"I need you to keep eyes on that group down there." I said.
"You don't need us to keep an eye on the whole group." another girl said.
"Oh, yeah. Who then should it be?" I asked.
"Evan Roth, he's the guy you want us to keep an eye." a boy said.
I pulled out a five coins, one for each child in the group. "Have at it." I said.
The children each took a coin, and then dispersed. "Oh, mister. Jo's house is on Baker Street." the first girl said.
"Thanks." I said, and walked away.
I hailed a carriage, and rode it all the way to Baker Street. The sun was beginning to set when I got to Baker Street. I paid the fare, and then head up the street. It didn't take long for Jo to pick me up, and take me back to her place. "I see you're already using my kids to your advantage." she said.
"Your kids are everywhere, and nowhere. Seen, but not seen." I said.
"Very true. That man is dangerous. He's already killed two men, and he's threaten two more. He has the wives of several men in this city in compromising positions. So be careful with using me kids." Jo said.
"Got it." I said as we entered the house.
"So what did you learn?" Lara asked.
"There are a lot of big events coming up, but I have to get him alone." I said.
"You're asking for a miracle." Lara said.
"Oh." I said.
"His house is heavily guarded, and his office is patrolled regularly." Jo said.
"Everyone makes a mistake somewhere." I said.
"Jo!" came a voice from outside.
The three of us turn to see a group of Jo's spies come running in the house. "What do you have?" Jo asked.
"Evan is throwing a big party on his ship in three days." said a girl.
"But it's going to be so big that he needs three days to prepare for it." A boy said.
"Three days to prepare for a party." Lara said.
"And it's going to be on his ship." Jo said.
"I need to get out to that ship before the party." I said.
"Hold you horses. You can't just go out there. You'll be kill before you even get on the boat." Lara said.
"Lara if I don't go now, in three days' time Evan is going to blow up his ship, and everyone on it." I said.
Then all a sudden another child came running in. "Eric what did you learn?" Jo asked.
Eric had shaggy blond hair, blue eyes, and had a lean frame. "I just came from the dock. I saw some men loading cases onto a boat. It was supposedly going to Evan Roth's ship out in the harbor." Eric said.
Jo, Lara and I all shared a look. "Where was Evan when you last saw him?" I asked the first group of children.
"I saw him boarding one of the boats that was going to be heading out to his ship. There are going to be three shipments heading out to the harbor tonight. And another going out tomorrow." Eric answered.
I motion for Lara to toss me my sword and I'm out the door, after I catch it, with Eric on my trail. "Take me to the docks where you saw them loading the boats." I said.
It takes us a couple of hours to get to the dock. We could have taken a carriage, but the lamps would have been spotted by the dock workers from a mile away. When we get close to the dock, I motion for Eric to take a hike. I wait until Eric is out of sight, and then I begin to make my way on to the next boat.
I make my way towards the fence, and look for a break. I didn't see one, so I look for a dock worker, or a guard, and then I scale the fence. I land softly, and quietly but I scan for anything, or anyone that could have possibly seen or heard my get over the fence. When I was satisfied that no one heard me, I crouch walk over to the boat. I watch for an opening, which never happened. So I had to rely on training, and not the stuff that Hetty taught me. I make my way away from the boat, and then dove into the water. I swam towards the boat underwater. I stop swimming and looked up to see a guard go to investigate the disturbance, but I continued swimming towards the boat.
I break the surface to take breath as I tread water waiting for the boat to head out to the ship in the harbor. It was ten minutes before the boat head out to the ship. I had pulled out a climbing spike to find purchase on the side of the boat, and was dragged along out to the ship. When the boat was within ten meters of the ship, I dislodges by spikes and swam around to the far side of the boat. As I was approaching the ship on the port side, I could hear my target discuss preparations for the supplies being loaded. As I scaled the side of the ship, I heard a scuffle and then a scream of death. After the scream I heard people being brought to the bow of the ship, and forced to their knees.
"Is this how you repay me?" Evan said.
As I approaching the top of the ship, I peer over the edge and saw that I was directly behind Evan, but his henchmen didn't have a view of me. I feel the boat rocking gently, and I climb over the edge on a downward motion as not to give away my presence. I draw my sword and walk towards Evan. I was spotted by one of his guards as Evan was executing one of the traitors.
"Behind you!" a guard shouted.
"How are you still alive?" Evan said, the shock written across his features when he recognized me.
I didn't answer, I swung my sword and took his head. I had just enough time to clean my sword, and sheath it before the Quickening began. The power transfer was so powerful that I was thrown from the ship like a rag doll. My body didn't come to shore for two days. It took me a few seconds to regain consciousness, and when I do I see boots in front of me. The boots are too small, and pointed in the toes to be a man's boat. I looked up to see Jo standing over me.
"Are you alright?" she asked
"That depends on your definition of alright." I said.
"Two days ago the government publically announced the death of Even Roth. They didn't have any leads, or sketches of the murderer, so you should be good for the time being." she said.
"Good." I said.
I stood up, and followed Jo to her carriage. I sat on a towel so I don't dirty the upholstery. We went to her house on Baker Street. I paid the fare when we stopped in front of Jo's house.
"The prodigal son returns." Lara said when Jo and I entered the house.
I've spent enough time in church, or listening to people quoting the bible, to understand that reference. "I see the festivities are ready to begin." I said.
I stayed in London for a day, and then Lara and I caught a boat, and crossed over to France. It was a seven day journey, and a lot of time to kill. I approached Lara about day five and asked for an update. "So how is this one going to play out?" I asked.
"This one shouldn't be as complicated, although you will have to fight the man." she said.
"That's fine by me. I don't like sneaking around." I said.
"You will have to sneak around if you head out to Asia." she said.
"Why?" I asked.
"A lot of those targets out there are surrounded by a wall of guards, on top of living in house that is the equivalent of a small fortress." she said.
"I'll cross that bridge when I get there." I said.
I head below deck, and try to get some rest. I realized that this is the farthest from home I have ever been, and it's been almost two weeks since I left for London. It was another two days until we reach France. From there it was a three day journey to Paris. When I set eyes on Paris I'm taken back by the beauty of the city, letting out whistle at the sight of it.
"You think this something now, wait until humanity has built greater tools for construction. They'll do much more marvelous things." Lara said.
"True story." I said.
We boarded our horses at the nearest stable. From there we walked two blocks to a gorgeous house that belonged to someone in Lara family.
"This is your house?" I asked as we entered.
"Hetty's." she said.
"That somehow, doesn't surprise me." I said, taking in the opulence of the place. "Definitely Hetty's place."
We get settled in and wait for a few days before we hear anything. It was the third day after our arrival in Paris before we heard anything. In walks a white male, about five feet six inches tall, lean build, a buzz haircut, and a groomed beard cut close to the skin.
"Grisha, what's the word?" Lara asked.
"The man in question is hiding out in an abandon building on the south end of town, but he stays there on Wednesday's and Thursday's." Grisha said in a Russian accent.
"Wednesday's and Thursday's. Where does he stay the other five days of the week?" Lara asks.
"The rest of the week his is out of the city. We were never able to determine his destination after he leaves the city." Grisha said.
"What time does he arrive at the abandon building?" I asked.
"Midnight." Grisha said.
"I have two days until he returns?" I asked.
"Yes." Grisha said.
"I'm going to go check out that warehouse." I said, and then exited the house.
Grisha takes me to the warehouse in question, and then heads off to attend to other business while I'm getting a lay of the land. It's straight forward. The walls are about thirty feet high, with a single window on the south side of the building. I enter the building and take a look around. I didn't make it twenty feet from the door when I heard. "What are you doing here?"
I stopped dead in my tracks. I slowly turned around, and saw my target. He was a black male, about six feet two inches tall, two hundred and twenty-five pounds, no facial hair, and a bald head. There was a moment of silence before either one of us spoke. "Hetty sent you?" the man asked.
I nodded my head, and watch as the man takes a deep breath as he stares towards the lone window on the south wall. After a time, the man drops his over coat and draws his sword. I shrug my coat off, and draw my sword, too.
"If you take my head, go over to my house Boulevard des Italiens. Go to my study on the ground floor, and pull the right candle mount on wall down. In there is information Hetty will want." the man said.
I shake my head. The man did what Hetty wanted, but lost his way in the process "Thanks for the info." I said.