The Mirror

Chapter 13: Intervention

Peter gave Neal a ride to the convention center on Sunday morning. They'd use the Taurus to transport his works back to his studio at the end of the day. Neal told him he'd gotten together with Richard and Aidan last night to discuss their events over pizza. From the sound of it, they'd only succeeded in ramping up their tension.

When they arrived at the cantina, Travis and Jones were already there and in costume. At such an early hour, only a few others were having breakfast. Diana had texted that she and Christie were running late since Christie had worked the previous evening, and they should start breakfast without them.

Peter was determined to keep the mood upbeat and light, at least until Diana and Christie showed up. He recognized that by blowing up, he'd only made Neal dig in his heels. So far Neal appeared to be responding well to the new strategy.

The breakfast menu at the cantina had a Star Wars theme. Neal ordered a cheese omelet called Tatooine Sunrise. Jones opted for the Darth Vader Waffle, while Peter and Travis selected the Jabba the Hutt pancakes. While waiting for their orders to be prepared, they commandeered a large round table in the corner of the cantina. The Star Wars music being played over the sound system was sufficiently loud that they didn't have to worry about being overheard. Travis and Jones offered to sit facing the door and keep an eye out for Keller in the unlikely event he showed up.

"I got to Prentis at six," Jones said. "Travis, you looked like you'd already been there a while. When did Richard start?"

"We arrived at five. He was still doing makeups when I left and will catch a ride from one of the students later this morning. Fortunately, Angela was also there to help."

"She told me she was coming today," Neal said. "What makeup did Richard use on her?"

"Sorry," Travis deadpanned, "that information is classified."

"Your orders, gentlemen." Peter looked around to see one of Jabba's bounty hunters standing behind him. It didn't seem fitting that he carried a tray of coffee mugs instead of a blaster rifle.

After the waiter left, Jones reported on his research into Chapman. "So far, his story checks out. He's listed as a creative director for Scima Workshop. The term seems a misnomer for an enterprise as large as Scima, but it started from humble roots back in the 1960s. The small group of sci-fi enthusiasts made a name for themselves by working on some of the early Doctor Who episodes. Scima now has branch companies involved in video game development, visual and special effects for the film industry, and digital effects. Chapman works at their corporate headquarters in Iver Heath west of London. I'll dig deeper into his background on Monday."

Peter reached for the syrup. "Hobhouse may know by then which film studio is involved in the Lovecraft project."

"Scima is offering internships in Richard's competition," Neal said. "The internship is with Scima Gameworks. Their office is near NYU in SoHo."

"Scima has produced some of the best video games that have come to market in the past few years," Jones said. "Having an internship with them is quite a coup. I need to check out their booth."

Neal grinned. "You just want a chance to play their games."

Jones gave a surprisingly convincing Klingon scowl. "I'm not concerned with pleasure, Ensign. I'm a warrior. We don't play. We fight. I will hone my skills."

"While checking out Klingon strategy games," Travis supplied. "He asked me yesterday if I'd heard of any."

Peter pointed at Travis with his fork. "This is your fault. You were the one who suggested Jones be a Klingon. Look at what you've done to my second-in-command. White Collar will never be the same."