Chapter #33Le Tour de (Non?) Farce by: Nostrum   You wait a block away from Luke’s shop, nested between single-story buildings on a light commercial zone leading away from the center of Tyneside. It’s been thirty minutes since you led him and Merry here, after a last-minute plan involving cloning skins, but you finally notice him, as himself, carrying suit bags while Merry – still in the other student – slips into your back seat. “I’m surprised.”
“Why?”
“Your boytoy has some clever ideas.” As he steps inside, taking off a balaclava he rolled into what seemed like a ski cap, she leans forward to address him. “Hey, did you do some time inside?”
“Inside where?” he asks.
“Never mind. That answers it.” She leans back, chuckling. “You’re a natural.”
“Figured we needed to spook them. My shop’s basement is perfect for that.”
“Where’s Andrews?” you ask, as Luke’s wearing his own clothes.
“On one of the bags. Which reminds me – we must buy some bottles of gin or some other cheap, hard liquor.”
“To gaslight them into thinking the cloning process wasn’t real?”
“Pretty much. As long as they think it’s a booze-induced nightmare, the better.”
“We can talk about this on the way,” Merry warns. “We still have to leave them on their dorms. Don’t want Les on our asses because we’re late.”
You immediately drive away, your excitement at being the getaway driver muted by the cargo you have on your back trunk. Leslie will make questions, and you’ll be forced to answer.
--
Leslie studies the skins inside the bags, snarling. “This the best you got?”
“We got a professor to collab with us because of them,” you tell him as you observe the skins yourself. “I’ll have to buy us some clothes at the thrift store tomorrow, but other than that, they’re perfect to slip in.”
“As long as it gets us closer to those pens...” He closes the suit bags, sighing. “Still don’t like that change of plans.”
“Like I told you – all we need is an excuse to get inside the collections section.”
“I mean making clones of them instead of staying in until the job’s done! But speaking of that – why can’t you let us in on your own?”
“I need a good excuse, Leslie. Something that won’t get me in trouble with my boss. This’ll work. Trust me.”
“Anyways...” Merry grasps your shoulder, smiling. “Thanks for the ride. Mom must be worried that I spent almost all day there.”
You look at the window – fighting against a torrent of memories that urge you to call it “home” - to notice someone observing you firmly. Those same memories warn you about her.
Gotta be more careful, or else Claire-bear will get herself in trouble.
“It’s nothing,” you reply, though it’s obvious you’re distracted. “I’ll always help you if you need it, Miss Anderson. Good night.”
As you see them leave, you slip inside your car. Luke waits for you, rapidly inquiring. “Something on your mind?”
“Yeah.” You notice Claire slipping off the window. “We need to be more careful, or else we’ll get in trouble.”
“Why? Any problems with Leslie?”
“No,” you tell him. “With the... youngest of that family.”
“Then it’s your past,” he deduces, forcing you to admit it. “Don’t let your past cloud your future, Claudia.”
“You don’t get it. If we’re not careful, she’ll figure out Leslie and Merry are replacing her family. And if she digs a little deeper... She’ll find me.”
“And you’re afraid she’ll force you to return?”
You sigh. “I’m afraid she’ll tug my heartstrings when she pleads me to return. If that’s her intention.”
--
You wake up, but not as yourself. Luke and you chose to give those two students’ skins a test run, and the idea of roleplaying as them fired your sexual appetite. Sophie – the girl’s name – might be overweight, but a good deal of her fat went to the right spots, which Luke rubbed and sucked and kissed and licked vigorously.
You slip outside his grasp, looking at the mirror. Her breasts are round, sagging naturally with gravity, but her hips ignite your envy. If her abdomen wasn’t as bloated, she’d have an enviable hourglass figure – the one you’ve always desired. Perhaps her hips would be too big for you, but you know Luke wouldn’t mind. In fact, he enjoyed having his head squished by them.
Since it’s your off-day – technically speaking, as you’ll be at the Municipal Library nonetheless – you choose to cook a hearty breakfast for your partner while inside Sophie’s skin. Having a guest leaves you free to indulge in a larger meal – eggs and honey-cured ham and a fresh fruit salad, and porridge and hotcakes from your cast-iron pan. You’re sure Luke will enjoy that.
What he won’t enjoy, however, is to see Henry, one of your suitors. You’ll take him – posing as Colin – into the firm, escorting professor Schoenstatt while testing his replacement on the pawn shop. And coincidentally, he must be calling him, as you see him on the phone. “...meet up? Hold on, let me ask.” He mutes it, whispering. “Where do you want him to meet up?”
“At the Ackerman & Stills law firm. It’s a small office at the townhouses in 7th Avenue – tell him it’s in the Mariah district.”
“Alright.” He slips away, resuming his conversation. “At the Ackerman &...”
--
“Ms. Nicholls!” Marshall says as he greets you. “I thought you didn’t work today.”
“I’m here for something else.” You point at your companions with the grace only a Victorian enthusiast would. “Mr. Dexter Schoenstatt wishes to have a tour of the installations; I was going to ask Mrs. Drexler about it.”
“Ah, I see.” Ever the polite guardsman, he greets the professor, as well as Luke – inside Colin – and Merry – inside Sophie.” Enjoy your day, everyone.”
You slip away, speaking as low as possible. “I must speak to my boss to see if she lets me give you a tour of the installations. The computers should be on a room conjoined to the Archives and Collections section, but there should be some--.”
“Claudia,” says Jen Masters, the librarian in charge of the counter. “What a surprise.”
“I’m here escorting Mr. Schoenstatt and these students as I give them a tour of the facilities.”
“A tour?”
“Ms. Nicholls wants me to consult--”
“--a project I want to discuss with Mrs. Drexler,” you interrupt. “Might allocate some funds here, if I’m lucky. I have a lot of work to do – have a nice day.”
“Yeah,” she responds dryly. “Nice day to you too, Claudia.”
As you take them away, up the stairs, you explain the reason for your rudeness. “She and I aren’t on friendly terms, you see. My proposal is still a bit of a secret; I hope you don’t feel offended by my actions.”
“Don’t worry,” the professor claims. “I understand.”
You lead them towards the first stop of your “tour” - Mrs. Drexler’s office – to ask her for permission. You hope she lets you enter Archives and Collections, or else half of your plan will be for naught.
--
“And this,” you claim with pride, “is our Archives and Collections room”.
Though you announce it with fanfare, the place isn’t spectacular. Located at the basement, it holds several metal drawers holding valuable documents, as well as a few shelves with books. The whole place is cold and dry – necessary to protect the contents within – and connects with a storage where the old computers are located.
Though your interest is that Mr. Schoenstatt sees the equipment in storage, you’re relieved knowing that Merry and Luke were allowed in. Your description should give them a clue about where they should look. “The drawers hold valuable documents from before the foundation of Tyneside – those that weren’t transferred to the City Library, of course.”
“I see.”
“The shelves hold all books donated by generous contributors – usually private collections gifted after their demise. Most of them are either duplicates or too damaged to enter our collection, but we retain them for safekeeping purposes. If there are operation manuals, they’ll surely be there.”
“Oh, good.”
“I’ll check the shelves,” Luke tells you. “You can show Mr. Schoenstatt the hardware.”
“Yes!” You escort him, confident that the badges given by Drexler should ward your companions from scrutiny. You lead Schoenstatt into the storage room, as cold and dry as the others, where rows of old monitors and towers lay neatly in peaceful slumber.
The professor can’t hide his enthusiasm. “Wow. Tandy computers, some of the earliest IBMs...” He slips into an unassuming console, cackling. “Well, I’ll be! Who slipped a Commodore 64 into this place?”
“Isn’t that a computer?” (You obviously know it could be used as one, but it was better suited for games.)
“Yes, and it was marketed for educational purposes, but let’s be honest – the games were what that console was truly meant for.”
“Mind if I check on Mr. Andrews and his companion while you examine this?”
“Sure, sure!”
You step outside, meeting with your companions. “Anything that could help?”
“Merry said the collection had a fake book. There’s like three of them here.”
“That’s gonna be a problem,” you ponder.
“That’s not the case.” He hands you a copy of a small but hefty book, titled “The Effects of Animal Magnetism on Corporeal Development”, by Franz Mesmer. The tome has a simple lock, which he jimmies with ease, revealing a hole right in the middle. “This is the only one that’s open.”
“Let me check.” You know about Franz Mesmer's theories – which led into the concept of hypnotism – and while the title sounds plausible, a cursory check online reveals nothing. You suspect this must be an elaborate fake, prompting you to check the database – and an unexpected surprise.
The collection – owned by one “Arnaud Mendez” - was processed by none other than Archibald Smithers. Could he have taken the contents within?   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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