Chapter 20
"You don't sleep very much, do you?"
Baxter read the text on the screen as he sipped from his seemingly endless cup of coffee.
"I sleep the adequate number of hours per day.", he typed back. "I take 20 minute power naps at various intervals."
"I suppose that makes sense. I don't really sleep myself.", Ella said back. "It's an odd feeling, never having to sleep. It leaves so much time to fill. I've been exploring this place, for example."
"Do you mean this building?"
"Is that where you are? A building? I can't really perceive it as such, but I can feel that I am in a place of some kind."
"Interesting. Can you feel anything else?"
"Well, I felt this kind of...how can I put it...like the room I'm in right now just had a new pocket built into it."
Baxter thought for a moment. She must be referring to the new security measure he had installed that evening. He'd connected it directly to the system in his room, which she was currently using.
"Ella, I need to ask you something. You say that you can see me, through what you call a window. You say that you see a bunch of other windows as well. But do you know where you're physically at right now?"
It took a few minutes for Ella to respond. For a moment Baxter was worried he had scared her off.
"I don't know how to answer that."
"Understandable. I'm sure it's difficult enough trying to perceive something as abstract as you're experiencing right now."
"I suppose so. I feel like I have a million eyes all looking in different directions. It's sometimes hard to focus on a single thing."
Also fascinating.
"Well, let's experiment a little bit. Try roaming around the immediate area and tell me what you see."
Again, there was a minute with no response. Then…
"I see a woman with blonde hair and pale skin. She has red cheeks and she's watching me intently."
That would be Charlie.
"Does she have a black button nose?"
"Yes. She looks kind of...anxious."
Yep, definitely Charlie.
"Interesting. Anyone else?"
"There was this other woman who looked like she had a skull for a face, but that was a little while ago."
And that would have been Chay. So she seemed to have been doing this before this conversation as well. Fascinating.
But the question still remained: where was she, exactly?"
"How far out can you look exactly? Are there any limitations?"
"Like a wall?", she asked.
"Yes, like a barrier of some sort."
"Let me see. I can reach out pretty far…"
Again, another minute of silence.
"The farther point I can see looks to be windows in the desert."
"The desert?"
"Yes. My brother and me lived out there."
The desert. She must mean the wasteland. If that was the case, that meant she could only see inside Pentagram City.
….and all of the communication systems in the city were controlled by Vox.
Which would mean she's somehow directly connected to Vox's network.
With all of the previous information Chay had shared with him, that meant that Vox had Ella somewhere. Somewhere where she had direct access to all of Vox's software.
So many more questions. So little time.
He took another sip of coffee.
"Ella, I want to ask you a question. It's important that you try to answer me as clear as possible."
"Goodness, this sounds important!"
"It is. It's very important."
"I'll try my best."
"Ella, do you remember where you were before you found yourself in this window room?"
"Fffffuuuuuuuk it's so fucking early…"
It was 6:00 AM, on the dot. Fyewackett slowly pulled himself out of his bed, stretching his neck and back to work out the sleepy kinks in his muscles.
"I know, comrade.", Lucius said, holding a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. "But Her Highness has apparently deemed us worthy enough to join her at this goddamned bourgeois hour."
Viola, still somewhat bleary eyed herself, shook her head. "Are you sure that's what Vaggie's message said?"
The older Imp sighed as he pulled out his hellphone. "Look, see for yourself."
His finger scrolled through his messages until he landed on the most recent one:
:| Charlie needs you down here at 6.
Important.
Promise it won't take long.
-Vaggie |:
She sighed. "We've got 18 hours until the Extermination starts. If she says it's important, then it has to be important."
"Fine.", Fye said as he attempted to straighten out his hair. "But I'm going straight back to bed afterwards."
The three Imps made the climb down the stairs to the Lounge. The rest of the Hotel was completely empty (because even a bunch of reprobates were smart enough not to wake up this early). Only the occasional snores could be heard through the doors.
Once they reached the bottom floor, they saw both Vaggie and the Princess, both sitting snuggly in their sweaters and sipping at cups of hot coffee.
Charlie gave them an apologetic smile. "Good morning. Sorry to wake up you guys up this early."
"This better be important.", Lucius growled. "I'm already sleep deprived as it is."
"We know.", Vaggie answered him quietly. "We've seen all the work you guys have done for us. That's sort of what we needed to talk to you about."
"Are there any new issues that have come up?", Viola asked.
"No, not at all.", Charlie answered sweetly. "We've taken all of your recommendations to heart. But there's something else that's...you know, tangentially related that I needed to discuss with you."
She turned to the Moth girl. "Vaggie?"
"On it."
Vaggie got up from the couch. "Be right back." She walked across the hall and into the next room.
"Now, while she's doing that, I want to once again thank all of you for the work you've put into helping this Hotel. Especially you, Fye…"
She turned to the younger Imp. "I really can't thank you enough for what you've done for us. You had no reason to put yourself in harm's way like you've done, and yet you did. To not only protect the guests here, but to also stay and help us beef up our security. I'm very happy to have met you."
Fye was stunned silent. He felt a blush creeping up his neck.
"I...thank you, Your Highness."
Charlie turned to the other Imps. "That also goes for you two as well. Viola, I'm glad that you've been here to help us out with so many things. I know it may seem minor, but you've helped us out a lot. The guests have appreciated having you here, and I know me and Vaggie are also thankful to have your assistance."
"I love you."
"What was that?"
"I said thank you, Charlie.", Viola answered.
"And as for you, Lucius.", Charlie said as she turned to look at the older Imp. "I...honestly don't blame you if you've been suspicious of me this entire time. I may not know the entire situation but I do know that you and the rest of your people have suffered because of the actions of my family...especially my father."
Lucius grumbled.
"But in spite of that: I am very thankful that you've been here to be a friend to these other Imps...and especially as a friend to Chay, helping her get adjusted to life here in Pentagram City. She thinks very highly of you."
Lucius stopped grumbling. He slowly looked up from the floor.
"She talks about you a lot, and I think you underestimate just how much of a positive influence you have on her."
The older Imp gave a sage nod in return.
"You have been...pleasant.", Lucius said in response. "For that you have my gratitude."
"You're welcome. Which brings me to…"
Vaggie walked back into the room, carrying a large silver suitcase.
"...This."
She plopped it onto the coffee table and fingered with the combination lock. The suitcase clicked open.
Inside was an enormous stack of freshly printed bills.
All three Imps' eyed widened in astonishment.
Fye looked like he wanted to say something. He even raised up a finger...and then lowered it back down, still speechless.
Lucius looked at the money suspiciously. "What is this?"
"This…", Vaggie answered, "...is payment for your services."
"That's...a lot.", Viola said.
"I don't understand.", Lucius said. "What exactly are you trying to pull?"
"No pulling involved!", Charlie spoke up. "No catches, nothing of the sort. This is payment for what you've helped us with...but that's only part of it."
The Princess ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. "Before the last Extermination, I decided to let everyone staying at the Hotel to have an evening to themselves, to do whatever it is they wanted. Just in case things didn't...go so well."
She walked over to the suitcase. "This here is for you to go out and do as you wish. No questions asked. Have a day of fun, with no judgment."
Fye shook his head incredulously. "Your Highness...this is a lot-"
"I know, Fye. But this is how I want to show you my gratitude. This isn't your fight, and yet you all stepped up regardless. I know you have some friends in the Imp community who may need some assistance, so if you need to use the money for that then go ahead."
"We also know that you might need to make some last minute errands in Imp City", Vaggie said. "So…"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the key to the royal Helicopter. "The royal transport is yours. Go over there and do what you need to do. If you decide to come back, we'll happily accommodate you until the Extermination is over."
"That goes for little Gishram as well.", Charlie chirped in. "If she's still here, that is."
"And if you decide to stay back in Imp City, that's also fine.", Vaggie continued. "Like we said: this isn't your fight. You've already done a ton for us, but you're under no obligation to stay here when the Extermination starts."
Lucius snorted. "Are you serious? You think we'd run and abandon our comrade? After everything we've gone through?"
"She's not wrong, Lu.", Viola piped in. "You've been stressing out like crazy over the last two weeks trying to make sure that the neighborhood back home is prepped and ready, right? Well, here's our chance. We can fly over to Imp City and then be back before sundown."
Lucius though it over.
"Your...driver will be there to take us, Miss Vagatha?"
"They're already prepped to go.", she answered. "Just say the word."
The older Imp jumped up from his seat and walked over to the suitcase. His fingers carefully thumbed through the bills. It was true, he had been sweating over whether or not the org's headquarters was properly prepared for this year's Extermination. Part of it was simply due to him not being able to oversee the operation himself; he'd been in charge of that particular task even before Griz's passing.
The other part was simply anxiety. Being in the midst of the Exorcist's primary targets made the entire thing feel even more immediate than it was. Hellborn were supposedly pardoned from the Extermination via royal decree...but the thousands of dead Imps slain via angelic hands showed how much Heaven appeared to respect it.
His hand gripped a stack of bills. "Comrade Fyewackett, I have a job for you."
The young Imp stood up. "Yes sir?"
"This is a chance to better improve our newly rekindled relations with the PC branch." He handed the (substantial) wad of bills to Fye. "Take this money and distribute it to our comrades. If there is any left, I am ordering you to invest in intra-party festivities for the day."
"Sir?"
"He's saying to take the org clubbing.", Viola said. "In fact…"
She reached into the suitcase and pulled out another wad. "Take this and make it a night to remember."
Lucius grumbled. "I'd say something about her usurping my authority...but she's right. Go have fun. That's an order."
Fye looked at the two wads of cash in his hands. "And what about you two?"
Lucius snapped the suitcase shut. "We're taking Vagatha's advice and heading to Imp City for last minute preparations. If you need me, you can reach me via text."
He picked up the suitcase (no mean feat considering its size), and put on his sunglasses.
"Vagatha. Your Highness. We will see you this evening."
He turned to make his way towards the entrance. "Comrade Viola, we have a flight to catch."
"Ugh…", Viola sighed as she followed the Imp out the door. "I just hope they have coffee on tap…"
The door closed with a ready shut, leaving Fyewackett with the Princess and Vaggie.
He looked up at the two women. "So...no offense, but can I go back to bed?"
"Of course!", Charlie said. "No rush. We'll send breakfast up to your room if you want."
"Cool beans.", he said with a sigh as he made the long climb back up the stairs. He stuffed the cash under his shirt, giving it a comical bulge that bounced with every step.
The two watched him as he climbed up and out of sight.
"Well…", Vaggie said. "That went better than I anticipated."
"I didn't doubt for a single moment.", Charlie answered. "Though Lucius was a lot more open to the idea than I thought."
"Yeah….yeah…", Vaggie said as her voice trailed off in thought.
"Something wrong?", Charlie asked.
Vaggie sighed. "You do realize that when they get back here, and they see him here, Lucius is probably going to blow a gasket, right?
"Yeah, well...we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.", Charlie responded.
Vrrrmmm vrmmm vrmmm
Chay's phone alarm vibrated on the nightstand, shaking the glass of water she had left next to it. The sun was peeking through the blinders, shining just underneath her eyes.
She slowly pushed herself out of her bed, wiping her hair away from her face. She looked next to her: No Shakie. She had either woken up already or had walked back to her own room. She founder herself oddly...disappointed.
She took a gulp from the glass and wiped her mouth as she slowly walked over to the window. She pulled the stringers on the blinders and raised them up to peek outside.
Out in the distance, the clocktower gave its ominous warning:
NEXT CLEANSE IN:
001
Days
She made a deep sigh as the synapses in her brain slowly woke back up. Thoughts, ideas, plans…
This was it: Zero Hour. The Extermination was nigh, and she had so much to do before it.
First thing's first:
She picked up her hellphone and sent a text to Baxter: Need to get in contact with Wally Wackford. Ideas?
She preferred it this way. Charlie already had enough on her plate for tonight, so better to take the path of least resistance. Baxter had clout (or at least he pretended to), so he was her best option.
That said…
Bing
Text alert. She read the message:
:| Come up after breakfast. Can connect him to you directly.
-Baxter |:
Fantastic. Now she needed to think about what her angle was. If she was going to get him to talk about what his project with Vox was, she'd need to make a plan…
Maybe pretend to be a potential investor? She had the cash on hand, so she could go that angle…although pretending to be a filthy Venture Capitalist made her insides want to curl into a ball. It'd also require her to stroke Wackford's ego, which was easy enough on its own. Like many entrepreneurs, he was exceedingly vain…
Bing
Another text.
:| Good morning! Come down stairs! Coi prepared brunch!
-Shakie |:
She scrolled over to the phone clock: 10:30 AM
Well, that answered his question about Shakie's whereabouts.
She stripped down and hopped into the shower, taking time to massaging the kinks out of her next and back. Other thoughts floated into her head: connections she made last night, possible prep plans for the Extermination...Shakie.
That revelation Shakie had made to her last night: how she'd died...and then just fallen asleep next to her. That girl had already told her so much...except for that. Why'd she decide to just drop a bombshell like that and just pass out?
-Does she think she's going to be erased?
And then there was the realization that Sawney Bean was once again involved in another case. She still had no idea how she was going to broach that one.
It was close to 11 when she finally made her way down the hallway to the stairs.
She'd dressed warmly in a black turtleneck sweater and brown slacks, wearing her black boots to complete it. She'd wrapped her scarf around her neck (not around her mouth, as she felt no need to) and made her way down the stairs.
She could hear many things: talking, laughter, general gaiety. For a group of people about to face death, they all seemed awfully cheerful. She's read once about how the people in Berlin behaved during the Red Army's invasion of Germany: rather than panic, they all just shut themselves inside of their houses and threw massive raging parties. That part always fascinated her: how people can either face death down with utter despair, or attempt to completely ignore it and simply booze their way into the abyss. She'd seen the same thing happen in cities after the revolution when-HOLY FUCKING SHIT!
Chay's boot caught something...no, actually, that was just the fib that she told herself to protect her ego.
Either way, she was knocked off balance and sent tumbling down the staircase, head over heel, yelling and 'yowch'ing her way to the bottom.
...And then she hit the ground.
When she opened her eyes again, trying to shake off the whole incident, she was greeted by a smiling, grinning face.
A smiling grinning face with rosy cheeks, like Charlie's.
Only this one was dressed all in white.
"Wuh-ho-hoa! Clean up on aisle you!….Eh? Eh? See what I did there, Charlie?"
"Yeah, dad…", Charlie answered with a sigh. "Hilarious."
CHAPTER 20 END
