Space-Time of Death: an Al Squires of the Protectorate Novel

Ch. 17.3: The Other Ghastly Affair at the World's Fair You Weren't Aware...Of.

 "'There's not a long line of suitors out the door to court her?'" Norah quoted me softly as soon as the bellhop left us, contempt in her voice. "'Not with her face, God love her?' What the hell was that?"

"You know that I didn't mean a single word of it," I defended myself softly. "I was only in character, so he wouldn't get suspicious of us. It's not my fault they were more than a bit misogynistic in this era!"

"Let's just hope he doesn't set any traps off just for that," she said as she looked around. "You saw how he was when he talked about her." She shivered upon the memory. "In fact, you should find and disable them right now while we have a chance?"

"What do you mean, I have to?" I said, taking Umbridge at that. "Is it because I'm a man, and have to do the grunt work?"

She glared at me for a moment. "It's because I don't have the..." she paused, then added in a whisper, "...cybernetically enhanced senses and Magick powers to find them. You do."

"Ah," I said, sheepishly. "That makes more sense, yes. You don't have to whisper, you know," I added while pointing to the walls. "Soundproof walls, remember?" With that, I used the combined forces of my cybernetics and my magickal senses to find and disable any and all booby traps and surveillance systems within the room. I won't bore you with the details, dear Readers. Just know that within 25 (subjective) minutes, the room's hidden eyes and ears were left spying on illusions, and its hidden claws and teeth were removed; rendering it the simple hotel room it masqueraded as. It'd have been sooner if the bellhop didn't come back for the rest of the 'luggage.'

The only thing I left alone was the secret door- hidden behind the back of the wardrobe- which led to Holmes' secret hallways. We had to go search the hotel for Sylvie without arousing suspicion. What better way to do that than using Holmes' own secret passageways?

As soon as I was done, Norah and I contacted Lady Lane and Mik, telling them what room we were in. When they showed up, we quickly exchanged progress reports. Seeing that it was over a (subjective) hour before Sylvie's time of death, we began our search in earnest. Almost!

"Shouldn't we go into the Still before we start looking?" Norah asked cautiously just as I was about to open the wardrobe. "It'd make more sense that they'd both be in the Still already."

"It would, I agree," I replied as I turned to face her. "But I have a hunch that Sister Time needs to be in Real Time when she kills her. How else will her 'god' see her commit a 'sacrifice' for it in a place where it doesn't exist?"

"Not to mention that she'll need to be in Real Time to get an accurate time of death on the watch she plans to put on Sylvie's corpse," Lady Lane said, adding to my point. She then looked at Norah. "I agree with your TO on not using the Still while we search," she added. "If we do enter the Still while Sister Time is in Real Time, there's the possibility that she'll get sucked into the Still, along with Sylvie and anyone else In the Know inside the building; thus, robbing us of the element of surprise.

"Which is also why I haven't called in for an anti-forcefield around the hotel," Lady Lane added. "She already knows of our tactics from our past encounters, so it's possible that she might try to teleport herself in and out of the hotel every so often to check if one surrounding the building. It's risky, I know, but it is necessary in order for us to keep the element of surprise."

"It also prevents any plot holes from showing up further down the line, narrative-wise," I quipped as I looked over my shoulder at them.

Norah nodded. "I suppose that makes some sense," she admitted, before glancing over to me and quickly adding, "What Lady Lane said, I mean." She paused. "But what about Holmes? What if we bump into him while were in those tunnels?" she asked, sounding worried.