Episode 7: A Slight Detour

THE SCIENTIST: Experiment 31E, supplemental notes.

Date: October 14, 1843.

This day… [sarcastic puff of air] Well, this has certainly been an eventful day.

Much has happened…where to even begin…

For the past two days I have been preparing for this. The meeting of the local Rubedo Elders seemed so vital for me to attend—but how to get in? My Mask seemed the obvious choice, but it had been damaged after…after…that fateful meeting with Herman… [sighs]

Which meant I needed an alternative method of hiding.

I have worked on ways of disguising myself without the Mask before, but none have ever proven as useful. I once created an invisibility cloak made of mirrors—that was Experiment, which number? 8 perhaps? Something very early on. While it did succeed in hiding my form, one could not help but notice the walking cloak of mirrors. Especially when the light hit, reflecting blindingly off its surface. So, unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

But there was one thing…

When I was younger and obsessed with finding a way of hiding myself…something I admit I have not completely lost interest in…I became intrigued by how the human eye works. I analyzed the mechanisms it uses for perceiving light and color and hypothesized that those mechanisms could be…influenced temporarily to make an individual go unnoticed. Certain components of the eye can see color, other parts cannot. It’s why when the sun sets, twilight seeps in as shades of gray, details lost in the dark. I devised a special chemical, one that could be breathed in, that would briefly shut down the ability to see color, like an artificial darkness, one that could not be lifted by striking a match, painting the world black and white.

I have access to this chemical. With sufficient amounts, I knew I could flood the meeting room, wait for it to take effect, and then slip in like a shadow, covered head to toe in black. Sticking to the far corners, I could potentially hide. Solomon and Rahul told me that the meetings among their local sect tended to be in low light anyway. Most likely, no one would notice if I dimmed their world a bit more. And there would be no fear of them lighting any candles to dispel this darkness, for it would be within their very eyes.

The Boy feared it would be risky. What if the congregants noticed a shadow move that shouldn’t? Certainly a possibility, but it was a risk I would have to take. Without my Mask, this was my only option.

I spent an entire day mixing up enough of the Shadow Solution to fill the meeting room. Solomon and Rahul visited the building first, reporting back on its size and any easily accessible areas where I could release the gas before stepping into the meeting. The Boy helped me mix—he coughed more than when he’d been suffering from a lack of sleep while taking care of that two-faced cat by himself. His mixing skills certainly could use some honing as he was left with darkened vision for the rest of the day. In fact, he almost sat on Stove because he couldn’t see its charcoal gray fur separate from the green chair it sat upon. I had to dive in to save the damn thing—it’s here with me again, having wandered from the Boy while he attended to duties… I suppose it does grow on you…

The Boy wanted to come with me to the meeting, but I told him no. It was enough of a risk to have just one person infiltrate. He offered to stay with the coachman, but I saw no point in that. What aid could he give from there? I think, perhaps, he was merely nervous. Concerned. We were dealing with something outside of what we were used to—magic and spells and the shattering of time. I have to admit I was concerned myself. What would the Rubedo do if they found me? They already tried to kill me…

Honestly, I feared I might not make it back to the manor in one piece. I didn’t want to risk John getting caught too. He’s young, he has a life ahead of him. When he signed his contract with me, he did not agree to deal with the absurdities of the supernatural, nor did he agree to sacrifice himself while performing his duties. It was better that he stayed home at the manor. Who else would take care of Stove if neither of us returned?

I also turned down offers of assistance from Solomon and Rahul. They had risked their lives enough in telling me about this meeting. I did not want them to be connected any further with this endeavor—if caught, I could always say I found the meeting on my own. No need to place anyone else in danger.

Once enough Solution had been made, I placed it within a device that would release the gas slowly, to give me more time to hide among the shadows. Preparing to leave, I donned an all-black outfit. Once I was at the meeting, I would slip on a black mask to cover my face—an ordinary mask, not my special invention, of course. Every inch of me would need to be covered for this to work. I took my coach into Manchester, but had the driver wait several blocks away. I didn’t need anyone to see me near the meeting. If a member of the Rubedo Society happened to know what my coach or coachman looked like, they would most likely suspect I was nearby—and then they might suspect that Solomon and Rahul had told me about the meeting. I couldn’t have any of that.

So I had to walk quite a ways to get to the meeting.

This, it turned out, was a mistake.

I strode along the busy sidewalk, among the many people going to-and-fro. I had left with plenty of time for the meeting, but I was lugging a heavy canister of Shadow Solution under a full-length cloak. It was difficult to maneuver the crowded streets and keep it concealed at the same time. I almost dropped it once, but I recovered. Just a couple blocks from the building where the Rubedo would be meeting, I sighed with relief, seeing the end in sight.

Then someone grabbed my arm.

I do not like to be touched. I do not like people to come too close. One of the reasons I hate busy streets is the inevitable brushing up against others, something that causes my hackles to rise. I do not like to be startled either. Surprises are upsets to my routine—and I can’t function without my routine. Even a single unexpected event can upend my day. Feeling the sudden grip on my arm, my heart pounded, my head felt as if full of fractured glass.

I looked up and my blood ran cold.

I had been so focused on hauling that heavy canister, my eyes on the building in the distance where the meeting would take place, that I hadn’t noticed him walking towards me. I believe it happened to be pure coincidence that he was walking the same street as I—and the worst of luck.

This close I could smell him, a rank sting to my nostrils. Whiskey on his breath. Unwashed sweat. The must of dirt on his clothes.

His teeth looked even worse hovering just inches from my face.

“Lovely to see you, Victoria,” Herman purred, his lips curling in a knowing smirk.

My whole body went rigid, my mind a blank.

“Who’s Victoria?” I asked. Feigning ignorance was the only thing I could think of as my senses were overwhelmed and assaulted, my brain turning off just to survive.

Herman’s smirk shifted to a mocking moue. His teeth hidden from view, he could have been mistaken for some angel fallen from heaven. If it weren’t for the smell.

“You really don’t think much of me, do you?” Herman said. “You thought you were too clever—and me too much of a lobcock—for me to ever figure it out. But I’m smarter than I look, you know.”

“You’d have to be if you’re capable of forming complete sentences,” I remarked.

The grip on my arm tightened. My arm tingled, the beginnings of numbness. Thankfully I carried the canister in my other hand.

“We’re going to have a bit of a chat, you and I,” Herman hissed and pulled on my arm. He was trying to lure me down an alley just up ahead.

I tried to resist but his grip was strong…why hadn’t I armed myself for this endeavor? I let him drag me off the footpath, down the alley. Away from people. No one seemed to notice, all too busy with their own concerns.

“So, Victoria,” Herman said, that smirk making a reappearance. He had not let go of my arm.

“Stop calling me that,” I said and tried to yank my arm back. I felt helpless when all it did was widen his smirk.

“That’s your name, isn’t it?” Herman said. There was a malicious glee in his eyes.

“No, you are mistaken,” I insisted. “Now unhand me—”

“Oh no, I’m not mistaken,” he said. “You see, when you first hired me, I’d asked around about a Lord Corvino. No one knew the name, so I had assumed it must have been false, something to hide under. I didn’t realize at the time how right I was. But when I saw the lord was a lady, I thought to myself you know, Herman, maybe there’s something to that name. What if this fair maiden thought all she had to do to hide was give her sex a swap—a Victoria for a Victor. So I asked around again. Had anyone at all heard of someone by name of Corvino? Perhaps a maiden name? Mother’s name? And eventually…well, remember that time I was meant to meet your boy with a new…specimen, as you call it? I found out something a bit…interesting the night before that made me do some investigating before meeting with either you or your lapdog again. You see, I wanted to make sure there would be no more surprises—like that last time when your face fell off. I wanted to make sure we were on the same footing, understand? That night before the meet, an old publican friend of mine told me his daughter Agnes was working for the heir of the Trafford family. Apparently there had been some scandal thirty years ago about the Trafford’s only remaining son running off with some Italian woman to America. Corvino was her name. Jessica Corvino. She and that Trafford bloke had one child—Victoria Corvino Trafford, sole heir to the family fortune and manor.” He leaned in even closer, the fumes of his breath hot against my cheek. “That’s you,” he said.

Why did I not bring that damn dagger? I would have stabbed him through his blackened heart right then and there—watched the crimson stain the street with ecstasy. If it weren’t so vital to my plan, I would have smashed the canister of Shadow Solution over his head, bloodied that wicked fallen angel’s face into a pulp. But I couldn’t risk breaking it, undoing everything.

I had to make that meeting. I could…take care of this situation with Herman later.

All I had to do was get away. Agree with whatever he wanted and slip his grip as soon as it loosened.

All I had to do was survive.

“Congratulations,” I gritted out. “You found me. And what precisely do you intend to do with this information?”

Herman sucked on what remained of his teeth. “What do I intend to do with it?” he said. “You suspect I have some dark intentions, do you? Why can’t I just be happy to finally know my lovely client’s name? Why can’t I just want to get to know you better?”

“I don’t think in your line of business that’s a luxury you can afford,” I said.

That hideous smirk was back again. He was enjoying this game far too much.

“You see, Victoria,” he said, reveling in saying my given name, “I just think it’s fascinating that a thirty-year-old spinster has spent two years on an estate out in the country doing god knows what to the corpses I’ve been supplying her with. Not an ordinary woman, now are you? It’s quite curious. Just what are you doing locked away in that manor?”

“When you signed your contract,” I said, “you agreed never to ask me what I was doing—”

“I think we’re well past that now,” Herman said. “Come now, Victoria, why worry over the particulars of an outdated contract when we’re practically friends now, aren’t we? I know your name. I know where you live. I know how many bodies I’ve dug up for you. We’re mates, right? Because if we weren’t, I’d have to let the Peelers know what you’ve been up to…”

“If you go to the police,” I said, “then they’ll want to know where I’ve been getting the bodies from.”

“That’s true,” he said, “and they’ll be sure to believe whatever you tell them over whatever I say, but once it’s out there…you can’t stop a rumor, my dear. And from what I hear you haven’t exactly been making friends with the peerage. You’re a woman, you’re alone, and you’ve cut yourself off from the world. You have no allies except for that boy of yours. That’s not going to get you very far. Maybe things are different in America, but here we don’t look kindly on women who play with the dead.”

I clenched my jaw and said, “I’m not playing—”

“Whatever you’re doing,” Herman said, interrupting me, “no one is going to like it. Dressing in men’s clothes, consorting with the lower classes, hiring a resurrectionist… You’ve dug your own grave, and as a man well acquainted with digging those, you’ve gone deeper than I would ever bother to.”

“So what is it then?” I snapped. “You want another renegotiation of your contract? More money? A new spade? Out with it!”

“Oh, no, no, no.” Herman chuckled. “I simply just…wanted to let you know…that I know… We’re on the same footing now, you see. No more secrets. No more…demands. It’s a new relationship now, Victoria. Just wanted to…let you know. I’ll be seeing you soon, I’m sure. Send the Boy when you want another of your…specimens… Maybe I’ll even…pay you a visit sometime.”

His grip finally loosened, and I almost swayed to the side, like a ship unmoored. He gave me one last disgusting smirk and left, leaving me alone in the alley.

I had to lean against the brick wall behind me to catch my breath. Suddenly it felt very hard to breathe. My body shook from the violent pumping of my heart.

I…I despise that man…

Why would nature waste such beauty on something so wretched, so vile? Why is such an accursed creature allowed to walk the earth? Why—

[sigh]

Why did I not try harder to hide my identity? If I had only…

No, I can’t blame myself for his wicked actions… But I am at fault, aren’t I? I knew, when I agreed to work with him, what he was. I shook hands with the devil—I should expect to get singed.

For two years I have been able to hide…everything seems to be working against me now, forcing me to race to the finish with this experiment. Can I even keep up? Can I ever reach the end?

What if he goes to the police? Would they believe him? Probably not, but…if he has any evidence to offer… Would he really sacrifice his own freedom just to drag me down with him? Or is this an elaborate bluff? Does he just want to intimidate me, to squeeze a few more pounds out of me? Or does he want to destroy me…just because he can…?

The way he said my name…like holding a sword over my head… Each syllable he savored, knowing what this knowledge meant…knowing what he held in his hand…

He made me feel…small…vulnerable…powerless. I have only felt like that once before, and I had sworn to myself no one would ever make me feel that way again. I would never again be at someone’s mercy, under anyone else’s power but my own. I am so much more than that rotting pile of offal shall ever be. But because he is larger, stronger in brute strength, he thinks he can manhandle and manipulate? He thinks he can threaten?

If he tries to do that again, I will not hesitate. I will not allow myself to be so helpless. I will not go unarmed in the city…

But what if he comes to the manor? What if he…

I spoke with Agnes, to verify his claim that he heard about me from her father. She told me her father does own a pub, and that she had mentioned working for me when she started two years ago. But she doesn’t meet with her father regularly. They had a falling out after her mother died of consumption. She said she hasn’t seen him in months. She never heard of Herman before, but she says her father does know plenty of questionable characters who frequent his pub…

I think I can still trust her…all she let slip was her employer’s name… Who would have thought that would be my undoing?

In that moment, shaking like a pathetic leaf in the alley, I felt like my life was a mirror that someone had taken a hammer to. Each strike broke it a little more until it threatened to shatter completely. Was this the final blow? Or is that yet to come?

But I couldn’t let myself get dragged down into dark thoughts. I couldn’t let myself get distracted. I was there for a purpose. The canister of Shadow Solution still hung heavy in my hand.

I had a meeting to get to.

Once my breathing was under control, my heart slowing to something passing for normal, I made my way out of the alley, my feet unsteady as if the world had been tipped. I glanced over the crowded street, trying to see if he was still there, but he’d gone. I set my eye on the building up ahead.

Herman may have been threatening my reputation, but the Rubedo had threatened my life. I had to maintain my priorities.

Taking a fortifying breath, I—

[door creaks open]

John, I told you not to interrupt my notes.

[murmuring from other side of the room]

Someone’s here? At the manor?