Tally Road Original Story- Chapter 17

"But... walk right in?" said Boodins.

"It's our best chance." said Rairate. "It would be better if we could get some kind of uniforms, but since we don't have any we'll have to just go ahead."

Siertes nodded. "He's right. If we're at all hesitant, someone will ask about me and Rairate- or you, for that matter. If we brazen it out, they might take me for a security guard. Same with Rairate, possibly. It would be nice, anyhow."

"Voustrets was very clear that he wanted to be told what they were building in there." said Rairate. "Unless we're going to look through the window with a telescope, we need to go into the building."

"That wouldn't work anyway." said Dene. "Who puts windows in factories?"

Boodins sighed. "What if they don't let us in?"

"Then we'll try something else. But don't think like that, 'aons!" said Rairate. "If you look uncertain, someone may ask what you're doing. As we don't have a good answer, we would have to depart."

"Or come up with a good lie." added Siertes.

"I'd rather not, 'aons."

"Oh, come on- do you want to get in this place or not?"

"How one does things is important." said Rairate primly. Siertes gave him a look, but didn't press it further.

Dinsam Industrial Fabrication was a blank surface of wall with double glass doors and an austere logo, quite a few levels higher than Dene expected it to be. It was good fortune that Dinsam was in Verss, but then everything was. Rairate marched straight through the doors and led the group past a receptionist, who looked startled and began to get up.

"Outside inspection." said Rai, and kept walking. Siertes blinked, but didn't break stride or show surprise. Technically, she thought, it was quite true, and she filed this interesting interpretation of truthfulness away under Nerre, Behavior Of, On Assignment.

The corridor was empty apart from a Runge off in the distance who ducked behind a door, perhaps disconcerted by the strange visitors. Boodins was disconcerted too- he looked around puzzledly, his ears perked, while Rairate began opening doors and looking into the rooms with a bored air.

The first door opened on an assortment of innocuous-looking Runge making ominous-looking weapons. They looked up shyly, apparently not wanting to get behind in their work, but fascinated by the strangers.

Siertes looked displeased. "Nice company," she said. "Those are flechette guns. They shoot poisoned rounds. They were designed to be effective against us, against Tompar. We're more resistant to shock than some species are."

"Well, they're basically a machine shop." said Rairate. "They've got to make something. I don't think there's much work for them as automated shops produce most things."

"This place smells really bad!" observed Boodins.

Dene winced at the tone- people would begin asking questions if it seemed like a young whelp were at large on the factory floor- and she tried to cover the lapse. "It ought to, Mister Earncy- they're working with very deadly toxins. Those weapons fire coated flechette rounds," she continued, getting the hang of it, "and I may say I'm not thrilled by Dinsam's failure to provide protective clothing and ventilators..."

"Are you here to take down our complaint about the fumes?" asked one of the workers.

Bingo! thought Dene. "Believe me, it's being noted." She tried to figure out a plausible way to ask about the weapons in more detail for Voustrets, but Rai was already heading for the door, projecting an attitude of impatience, as if there were many other rooms he had to inspect before his work-day was over. In a peculiar way, it was even true.

"Come along, Miss Tieschtet!" he said, in a perfect supervisory tone. Dene thought she heard him choke back an 'aons' out of habit. She came along.

The next room resembled a chemical lab, and smelled even worse. The workers were in lab coats and seemed more like scientists, and one noticed the entering strangers, did a double-take, and shouted, "Hey, keep that out of here!"

"What?" said Rairate, taken aback, bristling slightly at the affront.

"The Tompar, get it out, right now!"

"I'm sorry, but my bodyguard must accompany my inspection. Once we've left, I suggest you file a written complaint with..."

"Don't be a fool, man, look at her!"

Rairate turned and looked- just as Siertes crumpled to the floor.

"Oh, damn, damn," continued the lab-coated Runge, "this is gonna go on my record, isn't it? Get her some air, get her outside..."

Rai whirled. "Dene! Boodins! Carry Siertes out into the hallway right now-" and he whirled back on the hapless researcher- "...and you need to tell me what just happened, vraonse. Why are you producing toxic air pollution?"

"It's not toxic to us! Well, not very... Why didn't you listen to me before? Tompar are very sensitive to certain compounds that resemble mirror-image versions of their own toxins, their biochemistry is..."

"Will my bodyguard survive the exposure?" demanded Rairate.

"Oh, I'm almost certain of it..."

"What are you making in here?"

"Nerve agents, of course. Isn't that quite obvious? I just hope your bodyguard snaps out of it. You should see what happens to them at a full exposure..."

Rairate risked the big question. "Who are you making it for?"

The researcher froze, and then stared at him with burgeoning suspicion. "Wait a minute. If this is your way of... our security has always been beyond reproach..."

The little Nerre knew when he'd gone too far, and played his final card. "Very good, you'll do. Be more careful, you're talking much too freely! I'm going to write you up for not posting warning signs but I might be lenient, we'll see."

He departed with fussy haste, before the fellow's suspicions worsened, and joined the other three in the corridor. Siertes was coughing and trying to rise, but her sense of balance appeared to be at right angles to reality, and she leaned heavily on Dene as she tried to get her bearings. "What happened?"

"Nerve gas." said Rairate, with distaste. "A pattern emerges. Maybe you had better stand in the corridor next time!"

Siertes cursed him and staggered. "What the hell is wrong with them that they specialize in killing me? Is!"

"Maybe it pays well because it's so hard to do?" said Boodins. Dene rolled her eyes.

"Not so damn hard." said Siertes. She coughed. "I think he's right. I will stand in the corridor. Let's get away from this horrible room. I swear, I didn't smell a thing."

They did so, moving further down the corridor. Boodins was thinking, and before long he suggested, "I think I can smell whatever that was. It's hard to describe, but that just makes it easier to recognize."

"For you, perhaps." said Rairate. He opened another door, and looked inside. More researchers and chemical lab equipment. He glanced at Boodins, who nodded and said "There too. It's different but just as weird." Rairate closed the door without even speaking to the researchers.

"This is all pointing to the same thing, but why?" he said. "There are very few Tompar on the Runge worlds. It doesn't make sense."

"There must be a buyer somewhere." said Dene. "Who hates Tompar that much?"

"Xarnax." spat Siertes, wobbling slightly.

"Xarnax don't make sorties all the way out here, much less work with other races." said Rairate. "They're known for not even communicating. They are waging war on your people, however, so it's not such a bad guess. You're unsteady on your feet, Siertes. Do we need to withdraw?"

"Ask puppy if he smells bad smells in air, I can't smell the cursed stuff."

Boodins dutifully sniffed the air- and then again, and again, looking more and more perplexed. "But..."

"It's bad? We'd better go." said Rairate.

"But, but... that's ridiculous..."

"On the contrary, it's very sensible, and we should go soon before those workers and researchers ask management about us."

"But it's..." said Boodins, wide-eyed in astonishment.

"Are you all right?" asked Dene solicitously, just as a Runge down the corridor peeked out of a door."

"It's FINN!" yelped Boodins.

The figure down the corridor jerked in alarm, and fled deeper into the building.

Rai, galvanized, tried to dash off after him, but just then, Siertes reeled and lost her balance, staggering against Dene, and then collapsing. Rairate hesitated, torn between the need to give chase and to help his fallen companion, and finally emitted a strangled yowl and turned away from the quarry to help Dene lift Siertes.

"We're getting you outside, you're breathing fumes!" said Rairate.

Boodins was bouncing up and down excitedly. "It's Finn, it's Finn! We found him! But what's he doing here?"

"I couldn't begin to guess," said Rairate.

"I thought you said he was a cook!" said Dene.

Siertes coughed, painfully. "Lovely place to find a chef. Is! I don't understand this, this isn't right..."

"We have to get you outside." replied Rairate, and the four headed back down the corridor, making slow progress but moving steadily.

In the foyer, the receptionist put a hand to her muzzle in startlement, and then remarked, "Is your bodyguard going to be all right?"

"You might have warned us." said Rairate bitterly. "You'll get a write-up for this."

The pretty Runge cocked her head. "Seems funny that you would bring one of those in here. Who're you working for anyhow?"

Dene came to Rairate's rescue. "Well... you know how bureaucracy is..."

With that, the intruders were gone.