Time Guards - The Italian Quest

Chapter XI

Breaking the fundamental laws of time travel seemed to make every one like Viola more. Julius's strange little group saw it is a sign that she was willing to break rules, and perhaps more importantly that Viola was perhaps something more than a normal time traveller. She shouldn't have been able to directly interfere in her own timeline let alone met herself, twice. However, that was the least of her concerns. She had been reminded yet again to save a stranger's life and had been given a new order, to remember the word 'cobalt'. Viola now decided that she would carry the drawing of the man wherever she went, knowing that things were hardly going to be easy.

However, most pressingly was how five people were going to break into a museum and steal an artefact. Kristen had suggested using a robot, which were apparently commonplace in this time. Constance had squashed this idea immediately, any pre-arranged technology would cease to work under the museum's high security. Julius had looked into this matter and he suggested that they go in and out as regular visitors,

"The security is just too tight. Electricity does make these things very difficult."

"I always prefer the older jobs," Bernadette agreed, "However, I have picked up a little over-loader which can stop the electricity from working for a few minutes."

"Let us hope that it does not come down to that."

Viola had been expecting their theft to be like one of the spy movies she would watch which Kristen, with dramatic elements like breaking through windows and dangling from harnesses. However the plan was quite a simple one. They would all go into the museum as regular tourists. Kristen and Julius would then sneak off, get dressed in the official museum uniform, and cause a distraction on the other side of the museum. They were the only ones confident in Italian so it made sense. The nature of this distraction was Bernadette's idea. They would set off small canister which Bernadette assured them would set great clouds of many colours into the air,

"It's like a Diwali festival or a rainbow in a can," she said, "Very rare product now but it will be very common in about a hundred years or so. It will be enough to shock people and cloud their vision."

"Meaning that security will rush there, whist we make our way into the main exhibit where our key is a minor artefact," said Constance, "Viola and I will keep a watch on the security in the exhibit, distract them if necessary, whilst Bernadette uses a diamond knife to cut through the glass case. One she has it I will then disable all the electricity in the building, meaning the camera's won't see us all disappear when we use our watches to get out."

They all set their watches to their next destination, a place which Kristen called the Reyian Embassy in Ancient Rome but he didn't have time to elaborate. They all wore normal clothes for their time and place but Julius, Bernadette and Kristen all managed to hide daggers in their baggy clothes. Hidden in the bag Julius carried was the 'Rainbow Canister', which Viola insisted on calling it, but Bernadette's diamond 'dagger' was hidden in plain sight. It was a small but very sharp metal triangle with a diamond tip which she wore as an ear ring.

They took the Air-Tram to Milian, it reminded Viola of a train but instead of riding on tracks the tram hurtled along a fixed metal frame which hung in the sky.

"Like an up-side down roll-coaster," she said but no one else knew what she was talking about. Viola kept a watch out of the window for most of the trip, they quickly left the more depraved areas of Parma, or New Oxford, and went into more cleaner, spacious and obviously more richer parts. Green trees shot of from plazas and parks and most of the houses were detached and seemed to be made out of some kind of plastic. The new sights kept Viola's more troubling thoughts away, she had by no means forgotten about the ominous message she had given her self and the dream but there were more pressing concerns. One thing she did make a point of remembering was the word 'Cobalt'. She had told everyone about it but the importance of the word was still unknown.

The Air-Tram was fast and they arrived at the Milan Museum within an hour. The museum itself was a towering glass and plastic structure which nonetheless looked welcoming. There was a fair size crowd, which the five of them joined, who were milling around in the plaza as they waited to fill into the museum. Despite the poverty she had seen Viola felt far happier about this time than she had in Victorian France, no one gave her skin colour or Constance's arm a second glance.

"What's that?" asked Viola quietly to Kristen. She nodded at a group of men and women, with the letter 'S' tattooed on their left shoulders. They were standing clear of everyone else and all had a serious gaze.

"They're slaves," whispered Kristen, as they walked on to the museum entrance, "They aren't allowed to mix with freemen."

"Slavery!" exclaimed Viola, forgetting to keep her voice low. Constance gave her a kick for that but remained silent.

The museum itself oddly reminded Viola of the one she had met herself in. It was only three days ago but it seemed like weeks ago now. In the interior was impressive, column arches and holographic exhibits but Viola didn't want to enjoy a place which was built on slave labour.

"Slavery is a fact of history," said Bernadette, quietly as Julius took over the transaction of buying the tickets. This was hardly a satisfying answer but Viola kept quiet, glancing at the security guards who held long staffs which buzzed with electricity.

"But this is the future," she whispered back.

UA識.*