Mystery Pack
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“Oh, I’m sure you can,” the woman said. “You just have to ask.” She turned back to her computer screen and tapped a few keys on it. A moment later she spoke again. “We don’t carry those items at this time or in your size. They’re very popular with our customers. Why don’t you check out some of these other things?”
The woman pointed to a large rack near them full of brightly colored dresses. The one that caught his eye was so bright it practically screamed. It had red, blue, and yellow flowers embroidered all over it. He’d never seen anything like it before.
The woman smiled at him as he stared at the dress. “I think we may have what you need here,” she said. She went to a smaller rack and pulled out an item no bigger than his head. It looked more like a hat than anything else. But it had a high crown with wings made of thin strips of cloth attached to either side of its brim.
There were also several strings attached to the bottom. When they reached the counter together, the woman held up a sign for her to see. It read: “Bunny Ears Hat.”
Richard’s brow furrowed. Bunny ears? Was there something wrong with wearing bunny ears? In fact, why did the woman call it a “hat”? He thought about pointing this out but decided against it. At least for now.
The woman handed Richard the hat and invited him to look at a few other items nearby while she rang up their purchase. Richard took the hat and started browsing among the racks. His thoughts drifted back to the underground facility where the men from the warehouse had found him.
This whole thing was strange enough; he didn’t want to add any more strangeness to it by asking questions. He hoped he could figure things out himself instead.
A short distance away, a young man dressed in the same clothing as Richard stood looking into the display case of weapons. Unlike Richard, however, he seemed intent on buying one. He picked up a long staff and studied it closely. Then he touched the tip to his lips and blew gently upon the weapon.
As his breath passed over the metal, a clear liquid materialized around the end of the staff. When the man removed his hand, the liquid had become a spear-point. He gripped the spear firmly between both hands and tested its weight. Satisfied, the man put the spear down. Then, moving closer to another table, the man lifted up a pair of goggles and examined them carefully.
After making sure they wouldn’t slip off his face, he slid them onto his head. Finally, he reached into his pocket and produced a small black box. As soon as he placed it inside, the goggles began speaking loudly in a language Richard couldn’t understand. The young man listened intently for a moment before tapping the device with his finger. The voice stopped instantly.
The young man turned to the young woman standing next to him and spoke briefly. They exchanged a few words, which Richard only half heard. Then the two left the shop together, leaving Richard alone.
He looked around at the displays of hats, swords, bows, and arrows. Some of the weapons were quite expensive. Richard had never owned anything like them. And they were so beautiful! He felt drawn to each one. After all, he had never really been able to afford such fine objects before.
But now he was rich as Croesus. How could he not buy something nice and show it off to everyone? He’d probably be called a coward if he didn’t.
Richard continued examining the weapons until his attention wandered back to the woman in the bunny ears hat. Did he dare talk to her? He knew better than to do so. But if he didn’t speak, he might miss out on meeting someone who would help him find out what happened to his friends.
His decision was made, and Richard walked toward the woman. As he approached, he saw that the young man had returned. It was now Richard’s turn to stand staring dumbly as the young man picked up a sword and tested its balance. He swung it around, testing its sharpness, then tried to draw it. He moved too quickly and lost his grip. The blade clattered to the floor.
With an annoyed expression, Richard started over to help the young man pick it up. To his surprise, the young man waved him away. He bent down and picked the blade up himself. Holding it firmly between his thumb and forefinger, the young man ran through a series of complex movements. It was obvious he had trained many hours with the weapon.
When he finished, he set the sword back in its place and stepped away from it. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at Richard. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just starting out.” Then he resumed his examination of the weapons.
“That wasn’t scary at all.”
The young man smiled as he turned to face Richard. “Thank you. That’s good to know. But if you hadn’t spoken, I doubt anyone would have noticed.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m Edmond. Perhaps we’ve seen each other around town. I don’t remember much.” His eyes shifted nervously from side to side. Richard nodded.
Edmond continued, “When I was younger, my father taught me how to fight. I practiced almost every day until he died. Then I fell out of practice and let myself go. Now that I’m older, I can’t seem to get back into it. If you need someone to spar with, maybe you could help me with that?”
As usual, Richard felt nervous about speaking to people. But it was hard to refuse when the man offered to help. Especially since he was handsome enough to make the girl in the bunny ears hat look plain. And he was offering to share his secret passion with Richard. “I’d love to. What are your favorite weapons?”
Edmond lifted up a hand and tapped his chin. “Oh, this is difficult to answer. I’m a fan of the short sword. But what I hate most is the longsword. I think it has too much mass. Too heavy. There’s no point in having a weapon that weighs more than you do. You might as well carry your opponent.”
Richard nodded. He understood exactly what the young man meant. For the same reason, he preferred blades with a light handle. He thought of a rapier. It was sleek, beautifully balanced and fast as a snake. But there were so many others. Which should Richard choose?
“Well, let’s see what we’ve got,” Edmond said as he headed back to the racks of weapons. “Let me take your arm. I’ll guide you to the ones I like best.” Edmond reached out and took hold of Richard’s forearm. Richard winced as he realized that he had forgotten to take off his bracelet. Edmond turned to face him, surprised. “What’s this?”
“It’s a piece of jewelry,” Richard said. “A ring. I forgot to take it off. I’m sorry.”
Edmond grunted. “Don’t worry about it. This is an old piece. I made it out of silver and gold. I’m sure it’s worth a fortune.”
Richard couldn’t believe how easily Edmond made the comment. He seemed completely unfazed by the fact that he had taken some valuable object without permission. Richard decided that Edmond must be crazy. Or perhaps he was just used to taking things from people. Richard hoped it wouldn’t come to that. But if it did, he’d have to stop him somehow. Maybe the guards would arrest him. He hoped so. It was the only way.
They spent another hour browsing the display cases. Richard watched Edmond test several swords. Eventually, he chose one that looked ideal: a curved two-edged blade, thin and light as a whip. Edmond held it up with pride. “This is perfect. Just what I needed. See how quickly it moves? It’s easy to control. Perfect for dueling.
Can you imagine what sort of damage we could inflict with something like this?” Edmond swung the blade, causing Richard to flinch. A red line appeared on his stomach. He yelped and quickly pulled away from the weapon. Edmond laughed, amused. “You’re not used to fighting with a sword yet, are you?”
Richard shook his head. “No. But I am going to be. Soon. I’m still learning.” As soon as they left the shop, Richard slipped the ring off his wrist and placed it in the pocket of his cloak. Then he walked slowly toward the docks, trying to avoid being seen by the guards. Once they were past the city walls, he slowed down.
There was no sign of anyone following them. Richard wondered if Edmond had been lying about the bracelet or if he was simply a very skilled liar. Either way, there was nothing he could do now. The guards were gone. All he could do was wait.
When he reached the warehouse, everyone was waiting for him. They crowded around and stared curiously as he entered the room. Richard closed the door behind him and sat down heavily on a barrel. They waited patiently while he caught his breath.
“My father wouldn’t want us to leave,” O’Leary said quietly. “He made it clear that we were supposed to stay until we finished our mission.”
Richard sighed. “We all know how he feels. We also understand why he didn’t tell you. This isn’t a game. Anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling himself. I don’t care whether he told you or not. You need to decide what you want to do.”
O’Leary stood up suddenly. “The captain needs to hear this! He can explain everything better than I can.” He headed for the door, then paused. “Where is Edmond?”
“I sent him home,” Richard said. “There’s no point in keeping him here any longer. If the captain wants to talk to him, he can call him when he gets back.”
O’Leary stopped at the doorway. “Edmond is a friend of mine.”
Richard shrugged. “He’s probably a liar. Don’t trust him.”
O’Leary hesitated. He glanced back toward Richard. “That’s what I plan to do.”
Richard nodded. “Good luck.”
After the door closed, Richard waited for a moment, listening to the sound of O’Leary’s footsteps fading down the hall. He felt exhausted. His mind swam with thoughts and worries. He wished it would stop. He wanted to sleep. In his dreams, he saw O’Leary again, standing before him with his hand extended.
He could feel the warmth of the fire and smell the stew cooking over the open flames. He remembered the taste of the food and the softness of O’Leary’s bedroll under him. It was warm. And safe.
He fought it. He knew that it wasn’t real. He forced himself to focus instead on the sounds of the warehouse. The clank of chains and the creak of wood. The rustle of the canvas. All the noises were muffled, though, and strangely distorted. He tried to remember where the airship was. He couldn’t. He looked at the others.
They stared back at him with blank faces. He’d never seen such expressions on their faces. Even when they slept, he could see something of themselves in the lines of their mouths and eyes. But these faces…
The others looked dead. Like dolls. They weren’t people. They were just empty shells. Unconsciously, he reached out to touch the nearest man, but his hand passed through the body. He looked down at his own fingers. Everything was solid and normal. He smiled. That was good.
Then he realized that his smile hadn’t gone unnoticed. He turned to see Edmond standing beside him. Edmond was wearing his usual outfit, consisting of a loose shirt and baggy trousers. “So this is your plan, is it?” Edmond asked. “Are you going to try and convince them that you’re me?
Are you going to stand there and say, ‘My name is Edmond and I’ve come to save you’? Will they believe you?”
“What are you talking about?” Richard said. “Of course, they’ll believe me. I’m Richard. I always have been. No one else has ever worn my face.”
Edmond looked confused. “You mean to tell me that you really don’t remember anything from last night?”
Richard felt the panic rise inside him. Suddenly, he was afraid that he might lose control of the situation. He took deep breaths to steady himself. “I remember everything. I was just so tired and hungry that I must have fallen asleep. That’s all that happened.”
“All right, then,” Edmond said. He pointed at the men on the floor. “This is what we do. We take off the masks. Then I pretend to be Richard. When everyone sees that I look like Richard, they won’t ask questions. They’ll accept me as the new Richard. Once they realize that I’m just a robot, things will go much more smoothly.”
Richard shook his head. “No, Edmond. I was serious. I want to stay here. I think it would be best if you left.”
Edmond frowned. “I don’t want to leave. Why should I? I’m here because I want to help. Don’t you see that?”
Richard glared at him. “Don’t push me, Edmond. I may be stupid sometimes, but I’m not an idiot. You’ve already lied once. Don’t make it two times.”
Edmond scowled. “It wasn’t a lie. I told them that I was your brother, Richard. That’s true enough.”
Richard shook his head. “Whatever makes you happy. Just get out of here. Leave me alone.”
Edmond sighed. “Fine. I’ll go.” He moved to the door.
But Richard grabbed his arm. “Wait!”
“What now?” Edmond said. “Do you need another reason not to go? Is there something else wrong with me?”
“No,” Richard said. “Just… please wait a minute.” He motioned for Edmond to step aside, then sat down on the floor by himself. He rested his chin in his hands and stared into space, trying to focus his thoughts. What did he know? What had happened?
After a few moments, he felt as if he might finally understand what was happening. He thought of Edmond’s words. “I am no longer Richard,” he whispered. “That has to be it.”
He looked up and saw Edmond staring at him. “What is it, Richard?” Edmond asked. “Is something wrong?”
“There isn’t,” Richard said. “Everything’s all right. I just needed some time to sort things out.”
Edmond nodded. “Right. Of course.” He walked over to the door and put his ear against it. A moment later, he stepped away again. “They’re coming,” he said. “We should start acting.”
Richard stood up. “How many guards are there?” he asked Edmond.
“Two men,” Edmond replied. “One to watch us, the other to guard the crates.”
“Good,” Richard said. “Let’s go.”
Edmond went first. Richard followed close behind him. As they neared the entrance, they could hear footsteps approaching. The wooden crate was still closed. Richard opened it and pulled out three swords. Edmond held one of the rifles. Both weapons were badly battered, but that didn’t matter.
It was their only chance. Richard led the way into the main room, where the two men waited. One was clearly older than the other. Richard stopped at the edge of the crowd. Edmond and the old man locked gazes.
The old man smiled. “Ah, there you both are. Good day.” He bowed slightly and gestured toward Edmond. “And who might you be?”
Edmond shrugged. “Just an unfortunate accident.”
The old man laughed. “An unfortunate accident, you say? Do tell.”
Edmond raised his hand and made a gesture with the fingers of his left hand. “A terrible thing, I assure you,” he said.
With that, Edmond lunged forward and stabbed one of the men in the chest. The man screamed and fell back. His partner looked around wildly. Richard grabbed the rifle and fired.
Neither shot hit its mark. Both men turned and ran, past Richard and Edmond.
“Damn!” Richard swore. “Where are they going?”
Edmond had already begun moving, following the fleeing men. Richard hurried after him; quickly they disappeared through the doorway.
Outside, Edmond sprinted around the corner of the warehouse. Richard chased after him, but he knew that they wouldn’t escape. Soon enough, the guards would come searching for them. Richard felt sick and dizzy. Edmond was so fast, like a blur in the air. Richard was too heavy, too clumsy.
But he couldn’t stop chasing the men. If he lost sight of Edmond, he would have to turn around and run back inside.
When he reached the end of the alley, he paused to catch his breath. He glanced over at Edmond. The younger man stood with both arms outstretched, a look of concentration on his face. He seemed to be holding himself in place. Richard shuddered. He didn’t want to look any closer. Then Edmond threw his arm out and pointed straight ahead.
Richard took a deep breath and walked out onto the street. Edmond was standing there, facing him. There was a slight smile on his lips. Richard felt relieved. They were safe.
Then Edmond spoke. “You shouldn’t be worried about the guards, Richard.”
Richard shook his head. “Why not?”
“Because I’ve been watching them from here.” Edmond pointed in the direction they had just come from. “All along they were looking the wrong way. They never noticed when we came outside. Only, apparently, because of your reluctance. Now I think they’re even more confused. Maybe the shot disturbed them. We can slip away.”
“Not yet,” Richard said. “We haven’t found the third man. Let’s see where the guards go.”
Edmond nodded and began walking. Richard followed. At the end of the alleyway, Richard turned right and started down the street, Edmond beside him. Soon they reached the next building. This one was much larger and, unlike the others, had windows. The men were still inside. Richard continued past it, following the path the guards had taken.
They crossed several streets before Edmond stopped. “Are you sure they’re going this way?” he asked.
Richard nodded. “I’m certain.”
For a moment, Edmond hesitated. Then he started off again. After a few moments, Richard caught up with him. The guards were indeed heading in the same direction as Richard. For now, he was glad to know that.
As they marched along, Richard kept glancing at Edmond. Something was very wrong, although he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Edmond was trying to act normally, but Richard sensed something strange in him. He tried to make conversation, but it wasn’t easy. Finally, he gave up and simply let Edmond lead the way.
He hadn’t gone far when they passed a small group of people. Three women huddled together and three men sat nearby. One of the women saw Richard and waved. She called out to Edmond, who turned to face her. Her eyes widened and she lowered her voice. “Don’t worry, Richard! They won’t hurt you or me. Just keep moving.”
One of the men in the group stood up and approached. “What do you mean by that?” he demanded.
Edmond responded with a quick burst of words. Richard could only catch bits and pieces. “Something terrible is happening, I assure you,” Edmond said. “It will all be settled soon.”
“Is that so?” The man leaned closer. “Can you prove it?”
Edmond nodded. “Yes, yes, I promise.”
The man shook his head. “You’ll have to wait until nightfall, then. You’ll understand.” With that, he returned to the other men.
Edmond shook his head and motioned for Richard to follow him. Richard did, and Edmond led him back into the shadows of the buildings.
After a while, Edmond spoke. “That was some fast talking, Richard. How did you manage that?”
Richard sighed. “I don’t know. It just sort of happened. I think maybe we should get out of here. If the guards find us again, they might try to arrest us.”
Edmond looked thoughtful. “Perhaps you’re right. What do you suggest we do? We can’t stay out of sight forever.”
“Let’s go home and talk it over,” Richard suggested.
They walked in silence for a time. They passed another building and Richard stopped. The guards had passed by without noticing them. As they walked on, Edmond said, “Do you think we really need to worry about the guards?”
“Not as long as they think the men are dead. But we shouldn’t linger too long. When they realize what has happened, they may come looking again.”
Edmond nodded. “You’re probably right. Shall we go back to your house?”
Richard nodded. “And take care of the bodies. We can’t leave them lying around.”
The two men headed toward the airship. Richard tried to ignore the unsettling feeling he had that Edmond was somehow different what he had been. He was certain Richard would never forget the look on Edmond’s face as he had spoken to the woman.
“Will you ever forgive me?” Edmond asked quietly.
Richard was silent.
“Please don’t hate me,” Edmond pleaded. “I’m trying to help us, and I’m doing my best to serve you.”
“Of course,” Richard answered. “But please don’t ask for forgiveness. I won’t give it.”
Edmond smiled sadly. “Good. You understand. I’m sorry if I frightened you.”
“Only a little.”
Edmond chuckled. “I suppose that’s true, then. Anyway, we’re almost there. Can you tell which one it is?”
Richard peered through the darkness, but he didn’t see anything. He couldn’t even hear any sounds. There was no sign of life anywhere, either. He shrugged reluctantly and turned to Edmond. “No. Which one do you want to go to first?”
Edmond pointed to the left side of the ship. “That looks like a good spot,” he said. “That’s where the engine room is usually located.”
Richard nodded. He climbed up on the railing and jumped onto the airship. Edmond followed suit. They both looked around carefully, but there was no sign of the guards. They went inside.
The airship was dark and quiet. They moved through the main cabin and up a flight of stairs. The door was locked, but Edmond easily picked the lock. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Richard joined him.
They continued down a short corridor and came to a large metal door. Edmond placed his hand against the cold surface. “This is the control center,” he whispered. “It’s unlocked.”
Richard watched Edmond’s fingers as they worked at the controls. He pressed buttons, twisted knobs, and dials. A moment later, the lights flickered on overhead. Edmond slipped the safety off and pulled the lever. The engines thundered to life.
Edmond reached out to Richard and gave him a gentle push. “Come along, Richard. Let’s hurry. We don’t know how long this will last.”
Richard took a deep breath and nodded. He climbed up onto the airship and jumped onto the wing. Edmond followed and locked the door behind them. They hurried across the deck and into the passenger chamber.
Edmond pressed a button and the heavy door opened. He waved Richard forward. The two ran down the hallway and into the cargo hold. Once there, Edmond pointed to a stack of crates. Richard grabbed the handle of the top crate and lifted it off its shelf. Edmond grabbed the second one, and together they carried it into the main cabin.
Once inside, Edmond flipped the switch and the lights came on.
“Is it safe now?” Richard asked. “We can leave.”
Edmond shook his head. “Don’t be foolish. This is our only chance. Come on. We’ll have more time to explore the rest of the ship when we return.”
Richard followed Edmond, locking the doors behind them. Then they started back down the stairs to the main cabin. Edmond pointed to a desk on their left and told Richard to set the crate there. Richard did as he was instructed. Edmond drew the chair close beside it and sat down.
He picked up the pen and paper from the desk and began to write. Richard waited patiently, wondering what Edmond could possibly be writing. At least these were the sorts of things a person needed to know if he was going to manage the airship.
As Edmond wrote, Richard studied every detail of the interior. The walls were made of wood panels. Most of them were painted white, but several stood out in darker shades. The ceiling was vaulted, with wooden beams supporting it. Above each beam was a square of light-colored stone.
He noticed a few of the stones had been cracked or chipped, and some appeared to be stained red. No other decorations seemed to be present; nothing was carved, painted, or mounted upon the walls.
He glanced at the desk next to Edmond. It looked like a simple wooden desk, with the usual tools of an office: papers, pens, inkwell, blotter, et cetera. There was a small bookcase beside it, filled with books and bound volumes of journals.
Edmond finished what he was writing and slid the sheet of paper over to Richard. “Here,” he said. “Read this and memorize it.”
Richard took the piece of paper and read aloud. “This is the emergency checklist for operating the airship. Memorize all the steps as quickly as possible.”
“What does it say?”
Edmond sighed. “It says that the airship has four engines and three propellers, that there are twenty-five crew members, and that one hundred and forty passengers board each trip. That’s the most important part.”
Richard nodded. “I’ll remember that much.” He grinned. “There’s more?”
“Yes. Look here.” Edmond pointed to a series of lines drawn vertically down the page. “It tells us what to do if one of the engines fails to start or stops working properly.”
“How would I know how to fix that?” Richard asked. “Couldn’t we just land somewhere? Or fly to another city?”
Edmond shook his head. “The airship cannot stop without the engines. If one engine stalls, it won’t matter if you know how to fix the problem. You’d die before the airship could even come to a halt. And no, we’re not going to land. The engines are our only hope.”
Richard folded the list and put it into his pocket, then went to look around the room again. He saw an old map on the wall. Some of the markings were faded, but the most recent ones showed a crude depiction of the airship. He recognized the area marked “Berlin” as being where the airship was supposed to have landed. “Where’s this?” he asked.
“That’s the area of Berlin we were in before. They call it the Schönefeld area. It’s where many of the airships dock.”
They left the storage compartment, and headed back toward the cockpit. As they passed through a large doorway, Richard stopped dead in his tracks.
Edmond turned to see what was wrong. Richard pointed to a row of benches lined against the far wall. In front of each bench was a mannequin dressed in the uniform of a crew member.
“What are those?” Richard asked.
“Crewman dummies,” Edmond replied. “We use them when practicing maneuvers. We’ll need to practice moving about the ship quite often. Otherwise, we could run into trouble.”
Richard stared at the rows of mannequins. He felt a chill as he realized how easily such a situation could happen. So they’re using dummies to train people to work the airship. But they don’t know if they can trust me, and they certainly couldn’t trust anyone else.
Richard turned away from the sight and continued down the corridor. He took note of the signs on the walls. These indicated the location of various parts of the ship, as well as their names. As they walked past a door to one side, Richard stopped and peered inside.
A man sat at a desk in the center of a large chamber. He was reading a thick volume and making notes in a leather-bound journal. His eyes flicked up. Richard stepped back, startled by the sudden movement.
The man rose to his feet. “Ah, Richard. Glad to see you’ve finally come downstairs. I was beginning to worry. The captain wants to speak with you.”
Richard turned to Edmond. “Why didn’t he tell me himself?”
Edmond shrugged. “Maybe the captain doesn’t want to talk to someone who isn’t trusted yet.”
Richard followed Edmond down the hall and into the main room of the ship. At least fifty men stood or sat in the dim light, talking quietly among themselves. Several others were already seated in the chairs lining the walls. Men were everywhere—in groups of two or three or larger.
With so many people, it was hard to see who was responsible for which job. Richard scanned the crowd, searching for the captain. Finally, he found him sitting in a chair near the center of the room.
The End