Matt watched from his chair as Charlie lept up and began rooting through the hordes of miscellaneous items on the floor.
"Who?" Matt asked, not moving and not getting his hopes up – he had been expectant so far and this is where it had gotten him.
"She's a friend of mine," Charlie said, his voice muffled through the desk he was digging under. "She a freaking genius, though, and if anybeast would be more willing or stupid enough to get mixed into something like this – ah HA!" He emerged with his telephone held high over his head and a lunatic look of triumph on his face. He quickly placed the former on the desktop, punching in a number and the speaker-phone button.
Curious now, Matt waited patiently as it rang once…twice…three times…Charlie began chewing his lip nervously. But finally, after the eigth ring, a sweet voice answered "Hello." A statement, not a question.
"Hey Hali!" Charlie said jovially, happy releif spreading across his face. "How's my girl been?"
"Charlie! I've been ok. What have you been up to?" Matt could detect a slight West African accent through the slightly garbled connection.
"I've been alright," Charlie said carlessly. "Gotten into a spot of trouble or two…"
"Let me sit down from the shock!" Matt grinned. He liked Hali already.
"Ha ha," Charlie muttered dully while throwing a dark look at Matt. "Y'know, it's a wonder I havn't talked to you in a week…"
"No it isn't. Your phone was probably lost in that abyss you call an office."
"Ouch. You know, that hurts, really it does."
"I will concider my day a success."
"Such anger from one so young, so beautiful, so talented –""Cut to the chase, Charlie, you're inturrupting my yoga session."
"I need your help with something," Charlie continued with an air of sincerity, undeterred at his plan having been undermined.
"Hmm…"
"I have a proposition to make."
"So do I: I hang up this phone right now and neither of us get into trouble."
"Aww, Hal, but that's no fun!"
"Neither is being wanted in three different countries, Charlie!"
"Hey, it's only two, and they're small! We can skirt…who ever heard of Andorra anyways…"
"Obviously the officials that made crashing through the Grand Counsle's roof and letting off 14 rounds illegal have!"
"I told them! I was gunning for that traitor hedgehog, What's-his-face Campbell! That ridiculous bunch of ninnies they call 'counsle creatures' wouldn't –"
"Ah, Charlie, I know… Look, whatever it is, have fun, but I've got other things than getting dragged into your crazy adventures to do."
"But you don't know how –"
"- important and threatening to society this is? Sure I do. That ten thousand euro price over my head in Les Escaldes really convinced me everything you do affects society."
"Alright, alright. You just don't know what you are going to be missing…"
"You know, as gut-wrenching and chill-worthy another adventure sounds right now, I have priorities."
"I do know… ahh, we'll try not to enjoy ourselves too much without you."
"…'we'?"
Charlie silently leapt twisting into the air and pumped his arms in gleeful exultation, startling an already shocked Matt. Charlie regained composure and said, "Why, yes, my good comrade and I."
There was silence on the other end for a moment before Hali said firmly, "Take me off speaker-phone and give him the phone."
Charlie's grin faded and he stupidly said, "Huh?"
"Your 'comrade', you dolt. Put him on the phone."
"Oh…" Charlie trailed off and glanced over at Matt, almost looking worried. After a moment and an impatient "A-hem!" from Hali, Charlie picked up the receiver and handed it to Matt. Matt took it catiously and said into the mouth piece in what he hoped wasn't a timid voice, "Hello?"
"Get out now."
Matt was taken aback. "Er, pardon?"
"Leave Charlie's presence, don't look back, and run as fast as you can while you still have a chance."
"Er…" Matt didn't know how to respond to this, but Charlie did. He was angrily shouting in the direction of the mouthpeice, "Oi, you rotten piece of vermin! I didn't call you to be insulted, you hear!"
"What's your name?" Hali asked him.
"Er, Matt…Matthew Woods."
There was silence on the other end for almost a full minute before Hali asked, almost earnestly, "Are you relly?"
Matt looked up at Charlie, confused, but the fat mouse had escalated into his perplexing jig in the little free floorspace again. Hali spoke into her end again. "Tell Charlie tomorrow." The line went dead and Matt replaced it on its cradle wordlessly. It took a few moments for his jumbled thoughts to sink in before the questions came pouring out. "Who was that?""Hali. Didn't I tell you? She's been through a couple incidents with me."
"You're wanted in three different countries?"
"Only two, and one was an accident! Stupid hedgehog…"
"What were you doing on the Alastair Campbell case when you're head of Mossflower Intelligence?"
"Ah that. Weeell…er, I like to remember it as Hali's fault. Never would have if she hadn't dragged me in."
"How could she 'drag you in'?"Charlie shook his head and threw up his hands in defence. "Jeeze! So many questions! Ahh, I suppose I should tell you the history I have with Hal." Matt chose to take this as a rhetorical comment and stared intently at Charlie, a signal for him to continue, which he did uncomfortably, tugging at his shirt collar.
"Where should I begin…" he said, undoing his top two buttons and closing the window. Matt piped up out of curiosity, "Where from Africa is she from?" Charlie shook his head.
"Do y'know, I've never really asked her," he said, sitting down and opening one of the many drawers at his desk. "She just turned up at a bar in Vegas one day. Started a good brawl, she did; had two rats and an otter knocked out flat before somebeast knifed her from behind."
"A Rough-house!" Matt cried, surprised for what seemed the upteenth time. Rough-houses were appropriatly named for their attraction of stoats, weasles, and other assorted vermin as well as many sea otters. Hardley any were left in Europe. It seemed the most unlikeley setting for the melodious voice he had heard over the intercom. Charlie chuckled and placed a small, black rectangular case on his desk.
"Yeah, everything else was afternoon tea with granny to her. After she was chucked out, I follwed her – wasn't hard since her side was bleeding enough to paint the sidewalks. Long story short and a broken pride on my part, she consented to let me fix her up at my apartment. I was in college then; rooms full of books and head full of adventure itching to be freed. She couldn't have been hardley a few seasons younger'n me, so she was just the same. We got to talkin' which led to sharin' harebrained idea which led to thoughtful planning which led to – well, a whole lot of problems, as you probably caught the gist of. Of course, we enjoyed every minute of it – oh, don't let her protesting fool you. Most of that's just prideful bluff and her way of making sure I was serious."
Matt still wasn't buying most of it. He asked, "How?"
Charlie looked up from the case he was unzipping. "Pardon?"
"How could you just go off headlong into trouble?" Matt continued doggedly. "You didn't have the authority or funds."
Charlie's attention deserted the case. He stared at Matt hard, all traces of his jovial self gone and replaced by earnest sincerity. He got up and walked behind Matt, closing the door after looking left and right. he retook his position at his chair and after a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, he said, "If I tell you anything else, you are to see this thing" – a jabbed a finger at the prophecy – "all the way through."
Confused but none the less interested, Matt nodded. He was beginning to realize the importance and unusuality of the situation he had landed himself in. He supposed, one way or another, he would have to take things as they came and sort them out later. He voiced his thoughts into an affirmative agreement.
Charlie's face relaxed into a smile and he leaned back in his reclining chair. "I figured you would. Anyways…funds and fun. My sophimore year of college, when I met Hali, I took night courses for amateur archeology, modern and ancient history, and beginner's dance."
Matt raised an eyebrow and said scathingly, "'Beginner's dance?'" Charlie waved his paw as though to shoo it away like one would a stray fly.
"Yes, yes, there is a point to it. Anyways, my day job was a paper-pusher for the front office for a police station. Believe it or not, I'm a very nosey creature –"
"I believe it."
" – but it was by complete chance that I glanced at a report requesting agents to assist in the arrival of one African heiress, the princess of Cam-something. (My boss came around the corner before I could read anything else.) The princess had been living in Spain for two years previous, but when her situation had become too dangerous she was transferred to the United States. She had been schedualed to arrive in Washington D.C., but Secret Services susspected assasins awaiting them after a tip-off at their headquarters. They redirected the flight to Nevada and planned to land in Las Vegas with a ready unmarked car to take her to yet another set home.
"Man, I can't even begin to describe how embarrassed the chief was when he came back and reported their officers had let the poor, defenceless princess slip through their paws and was now running amuck somewhere in the state. It was priceless…"
Matt's mouth was open slightly and he felt as though his eyebrows had long since passed his headfur line. "Don't tell me…." Charlie only smiled.
"Of course, I wouldn't call shoving the driver out of the car and nearly taking off his footpaw as she sped off 'defenceless' but there are so many twisted concepts in this world today. Back on topic; she ditched the car before they could track it and supposed she hitched a ride somewhere unknown. After having a good laugh over this, I hit the books and then went out with a couple friends to go bar-hopping. I've always seemed to hang around light-weights, so they left me early on in the evening to continue on on my own. I hit it hard, but I swear it was by some messed-up chance of fate that I chose the same Rough-house she did.
"She was already plastered when I got there and was spouting on about 'bloody cowards' and the 'worthless bits of scum' her brother's murderers were. I figured out soon enough who she was and what it would lead to if she said any more, so I went up and tapped her on the shoulder to, y'know, just say 'Hey' or something. She took this as a life threatening assult. I thank those dancing reflexes that I dropped down so fast. The poor rat behind me is probably still drinking out of a straw."
Charlie stopped his monolouge and stared off at a spot behind Matt, eyes glazed and a smile ever growing on his face. He sighed and shook his head admiringly. "It was brilliant, I tell you. I'd never seen somebeast fight like that. I don't know what they had been teaching her at that stuffy palace, but this was one creature to reckon with. She was still going strong when she was going down the street with half of her ribs showing."
Matt exhaled sharply and shook his head, not knowing wheter or not to believe most of what had been presented to him. Of course, with all the radical things he had been exposed to as of late, he wondered why this was any different. Why, it was just about as ridiculous as him finding some artifact with a long-made, life threatening prophecy in it, and yet look where he was. Never the less, he was surprised when Charlie opened the case in front of him, loaded one of the two hand guns inside in skillfully, and held it out to Matt with a shoulder holster.
"Keep this with you at all times," he said. Matt's gray eyes widened. Charlie kept his staid gaze on Matt and said, "You are to see this through, no matter how unbelievable or confusing it will be at points. There are forces higher than what we understand to be reckoned with. The least we can do is be prepared for them when they come at us." He gave Matt a reassuring smile as he took the pistol hesitantly. He then sighed and stood upon looking at the clock on his computer screen and realizing it was nearly time for the building to be closed.
"How'd you know I don't have my own?" Matt asked Charlie before gingerly copying his movements as he strapped the holster on and put the gun in its position. Charlie snorted and said, "You're a teacher who doesn't know how to dance. You have 'easy target' written all over you. In red. In bold print." Charlie threw on a tweed sports coat to cover his gun and waited for Matt to do the same with his own coat and straighten his tie.
"By the way," Charlie said as Matt finished tying his shoe. "What did Hali say?"
Matt stood. "'Tomorrow'."He walked out the door that was opened for him. "I take it you know what she ment…"
Charlie pushed the button to the elevator Lucy had come out of – good heavens, had it only been that morning? The office was nearly cleared out, but Charlie waited until they were both safe in the confines of the small rectangular box before saying, "Yes: meet at her house after she's done teaching."
"Teaching, is it?" Matt said. "And do I want to know the topic?" Charlie smiled, sensing Matt's scepticism at such an unbefitting career.
"She a music teacher," he said, stepping out of the elevator and walking towards the glass double-doors. "She works at an elementary school just outside of London. It's hardley known. But she has to keep a discrete profile, obviously, since it's too dangerous for her to even live in her own country. Her brother was shot when they were being moved to Spain."
Matt sighed and shook his head. "I don't understand the creatures in this world today…"
"Nobeast does," Charlie said mournfully. "We just have to be prepared for anything and hope for the best…wonder what she's up to –" Charlie had spun around when he had heard his name being shouted half-way across the sidwalk. Matt also turned and saw Lucy running towards them, waving a paper in her paw at them and calling out "Charlie!" again.
Matt had been through a lot that day. Going from one official to the other, realizing exactly what he had found in that Redwall schoolbook, and swearing himself into something far more exhilarating and yet frightening than his average life as a humble professor could offer was much to deal with. He had concidered himself doing an adequate job so far. Yes, he did have plenty more questions to be answered and much was disturbingly unknown, but toleration had usually been one of his stronger points. However, nothing could have brought him into sharper realization to the danger he was in and would be getting himself deeper into thatn what happened next.
For a few seconds, everything seemed to be going in slow motion, but then his world exploded – at least his surroundings did.
While Matt was still standing in shock and vaugly aware of a sharp pain on his left side, Charlie sprang into action. He darted between several cars towards Lucy, grabbing her by the paw and pulling her after him. Matt had enough sense left through his stupor to follow Charlie as several more shots rang out in the cool evening air. Later he would thank the higher level instinct that had been played.
Charlie sprinted in a bent-down weave through the parking lot until he came to a dark blue Pontiac. He opend the passenger door and ushered Lucy inside before turning to Matt and motioning for him to do the same, a look of utmost terror on his face. Matt had hardley been seated when a shot whined past Charlie's ear and shattered the window of the car behind him. Charlie thought better attempting to reach the other door and instead vaulted across Matt's lap and into the drivers seat. It seemed to take him an eternity to jam the key into the ignition, start the vehicle, and tear out of the lot, tires screeching in protest and engine roaring loud enough to drown out the ringing in Matt's ears. Lucy recovered before he did.
"What the hell was that?" she shouted at Charlie, sitting on the edge of the back seat and hitting him furiously on the shoulder. Charlie winced but continued to look back at the rapidly receading M16 building, hardley glancing at the road ahead of him as he maneuvered the vibrating car through traffic traveling at fractions of the speed Matt found himself moving when he finally came to and released a large breath he had not known he had been holding. He looked over at Charlie, mouth hanging open, also seeking answers. Lucy must have read this as some secret message between the two male mice for she went into another fit of hysterics.
"What in the world is going on!" she shreiked. "Charles Percivile Baker, you talk to me right now!"
Desipte the grave sincerity of the situation, Matt's shock was penitrated by Lucy's comment in a very odd way: "You're middle name's Percivile?"
Charlie did not seem to think this such an odd comment and said, still looking over his shoulder, "My mother was an avid reader and my father was…well, a bit of a card. When he suggested it as a joke, my mother took it seriously and with great enthusiasm. It's still a good topic at family reunions."
"I can imagine," Matt nodded. Lucy was looking between the pair, deciding who it would be more satisfying to beat with her shoe first. She was about to settle for Matt when Charlie came to his rescue by reaching out for her paw and taking it in his own.
"Look," he said, staring her straight in the eyes. (Sight seemed to be an unneeded sense when driving, convincing Matt he had been in too many situations like this before.) "I'm sorry you got into this. We'll take you home if you're all right – "
"I am not all right!" Lucy cried, pulling her paw free and throwing it over her eyes as she slumped back in her seat. "I was just shot at! Shot at!"
She pulled her paws away and glared from Charlie to Matt to Charlie again. "I want to know what idiotic thing you have pulled this poor younge mouse into!" she shouted, pointing at Matt. Charlie blew a strand of headfur from his eyes and observed her from the rear-veiw mirrior, muttering something about somebeast planting a bug in his phone. Matt was about to ask what kind of bug when he finally executed the fact that he was in an American model. Bug forgotten, he strove to search his memory banks as to why the car was important. He didn't come up with anything and he was beginning to feel dizzy, so he stopped and leaned back into the soft leather seats with a sigh. Charlie's gaze flicked over to him.
"You alright there, mate?" he asked concernedly.
"He's bleeding!" Lucy exclaimed softly and pointed to his left side, just an inch above his armpit where his arm connected to his body. Matt looked down and saw a small patch of rusty coloured blood staining his dark jacket. He touched it and his paw came away, sticky and warm. Why was he bleeding?
Charlie jerked the weel of the car and pulled off to the side of the road. Matt was half way to unconciousness when Charlie was pulling his jacket to the side, exposing his wound to cold air. Matt shivered violently and gasped, Lucy's brilliant blue eyes, filled with concern and unshed tears, was the last thing he saw before his world went black.
Matt woke with a groan and a pair of twinkling brown eyes hovering merrily over him. He groaned again when he realized they belonged to Charlie.
"What happened?" Matt moaned, sitting up and clasping his head as it gave a great, swooning throb.
"You passed out," a kind voice said from behind Charlie. Matt pried his eyes open again with much difficulty in time to see Lucy coming at him with a damp cloth, glass of water, and several asprins. He took the latter two gratfully and downed them. Charlie grinned animatedly over Lucy's shoulder.
"You've got some sort of freakishly amazing luck," he said as Lucy tried to dab at Matt's forehead with the cloth. "I'd say it was more from shock than pain that you went out like a light."
Matt nodded. "I couldn't even feel anything."
Charlie's grin widened. "You didn't even get hit that deep." He held up a thick bunch of papers, a narrow hole through all of them surrounded by blood. Matt regognized them after a few seconds.
"My students' essay papers!" he exclaimed, resisting Lucy's attempts to get him to lie back again. "Those were the last small bunch and I was taking them home to grade them…"
"Well, you should thank your students," Charlie said, also holding up Matt's gun holster. "Between the bulk of those in your coat pocket and your holster strap, the bullet hardley went in you. Lucy's fixed you up and you should be good as new in a week or so."
Matt stood, all traces of pain gone. He deduced by the lack of clutter in the surrounding area that they were not on any property of Charlie's. Pictures on the walls, bookself, and entertainment center of Lucy standing with a graying mouse that looked much like her, another with a female that had her same brilliant eyes, and several more with her surrounded by what looked to be family and friends certified Matt's assumption.
"Where are we?" he asked. Understanding the specificy, Lucy answered, "Belgrave and Warwick. It's a rented flat, so you thank your lucky stars you didn't get blood on my carpet."
Matt smiled at Charlie, glad Lucy's mood had improved enough for her to scorn and scold again. He voiced, "I suppose you explained to her then?" Charlie nodded grimly.
"I tried to just divulge in the basics, but you know these nosey types: need to know everything…" he tried his hardest to scowl at Lucy but ended up looking ridiculously like drug-addict with a facial twitch. Lucy threw the cloth Matt had declined at Charlie's face with a courtly "Oh, hush up, you!" Matt overlooked their antics and asked, "Do we know who was shooting at us?"
Charlie chucked the small towel back at its origional offender and followed Matt's pacing with his eyes as he said, "No. It was an eaves-dropper, though. They didn't start shooting until Lucy called out my name and they found out who we were. They must have gotten ahold of the files with all the information about the prophecy from Scarlett's files or something. I don't know how they could have though…"
"I could guess," Matt said, stopping his pacing to give his arm a rub when it twinged painfully. "But it would be even crazier than this whole nonsensical affair. We're just going to have to leave it as a hole for now, as much as I hate doing that."
"A life endangering hole," Lucy snapped. "We need to figure out who would want this prophecy to remain hidden."
Matt and Charlie both responded simultaneously: "The Dark One."
"Whoever that is," Charlie added, sitting on the couch Matt had been occupying minutes previously.
"Or one of the creatures working for him," Matt supplemented, taking up his gradual wearing down of the floor again. "So that narrows our options down to 25 to 50 percent of the creatures in Great Britain…bloody fabulous…"
"I faxed the copy of the peom to Hali," Charlie put in. "She said she would get right on it."
Matt nodded, listening but not obtaining anything from the conversation Lucy picked up with Charlie after that. He hoped with all his might that Hali was every bit the genious Charlie claimed her to be. Or perhaps an angle. A miricle would be nice right about now…
A/N: For the record, I don't know how the public veiws the real Alistair Campbell so forgive me if I've offended anyone. Second, he didn't really do what I have mentioned and will mention later on. It's some figment of my ludicrous imagination and part of my plot. The same goes for John Scarlett. For all I know, they could be the most honored men in all of Europe. I think I just read a few questionable reports and informational sites about them and got a very strong impression.
Thanks to my reveiwers! I love you muchas!
impressed: Thanks so much! your support is much needed at this shakey stage.
The-Very-Little-Turtle: I'm glad you're so overly impressed. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!
clara200: Yes, it is, and if you don't like it you can just stick it up your close-minded nose.
