Chapter 42: Laverick Incognito
Laverick, still disguised as Zoe, at last reached his destination after spending the majority of the day traveling through the In Between. On his waist was a small bag of rations, which had been provided to him by a man in a red hooded cloak before entering the gateway in the building formerly known as Roshan’s Café.
As directed by his mother telepathically, he approached the large colorless mountainside before him.
“Continue walking straight ahead,” Veronica mentally instructed. “Once you’re close enough, you’ll notice a small groove in the rock shaped exactly like the purple crystal in your pocket. Place the crystal inside of it and the passage leading into the Spades’ base should be revealed.”
“Got it, Ma,” Laverick replied.
“Marvelous, darling,” Veronica answered. “After you’ve entered the base, you’ll need to locate and retrieve the disk fragment with subtlety. Remember, we cannot allow the Spades to suspect anything. I will keep our link established in order to track your progress, though I will send you no further communication once you’re inside to prevent distracting you.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Ma,” said Laverick. “I’ll get the fragment and get out in no time!”
“I’m certain you will, darling,” Veronica responded. “In the event you are discovered, however, don’t hesitate to run. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my precious little Lavee-wavee!”
“I’m not gonna get caught, Ma. I promise!” Laverick replied with confidence.
After walking a little farther to reach the cragged rock face, Laverick removed the purple crystal from his cloak’s pocket and vigorously searched for the small groove. Where is it? Everything looks so funky here.
* * * *
Back in the meeting room of Quinn Manor, Veronica turned to Lord Quinn. “Currently, Laverick is standing just outside the base. He’s attempting to locate the area in which to place the crystal.”
Lord Quinn smiled, delighted by the news. “Magnificent.”
Veronica smiled back at him before returning her attention to Laverick.
* * * *
All the while, Zoe was sound asleep in her room, blissfully unaware of the events taking place. Shortly after her intense emotional outburst, Lord Quinn had used a sleeping spell to quell the situation. Once he’d placed her on her bed, he ordered a second guard to assist in ensuring that Zoe remained in her room.
* * * *
“Found it!” Laverick excitedly proclaimed as he placed the purple crystal into the small groove on the mountainside. Much like what Veronica had viewed while exploring Zoe’s memory, the crystal began to glow and the rock shifted to create an opening. Returning the crystal to his pocket, Laverick prepared himself. Okay, I gotta remember that I’m Zoe. Not Laverick. He slowly entered the passage, repeatedly thinking the words, Zoe, not Laverick.
He suddenly let out a fearful shriek, startled by a loud rumbling behind him. Quickly turning around, he watched as the rock returned to its original formation, closing the entrance. Uh-oh! How am I supposed to get outta here?!
“Zoe!” A voice excitedly exclaimed from farther down the passage behind him. Laverick’s eyes widened as he cleared his throat, preparing himself to interact with the stranger. He faced the source of the voice to see a man dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt. “You made it,” the stranger said as he approached. “Did you rescue Roshan? Where’s Alex?”
Who the heck is Alex? Laverick thought. He had been previously informed by Lord Quinn of Zoe’s attempt to break Roshan out of prison, but hadn’t the slightest clue who Alex was. Trying his best to emulate an unhappy tone, he replied to the stranger. “I’m not really sure where Alex is.”
The man looked puzzled. “Did you get split up?”
“Yeah,” Laverick answered, hoping the explanation would suffice. “I couldn’t find him after that.”
“Oh,” said the man. “Alex is a good fighter, I’m sure he’s fine. He’ll probably be coming back soon. What about Roshan? What happened?”
Laverick bowed his head, trying his best to look saddened. “I searched all over... but I couldn’t find Roshan anywhere.”
“Oh no,” the man responded. He paused for a moment, apparently taking in the news. This caused Laverick to feel incredibly awkward.
“Roshan was a good man,” he finally went on. “I know you two were close. I can’t imagine how you must feel.” Laverick said nothing, attempting to look as heartbroken as possible. “He saved all of us, if you think about it. Everything would’ve been over if he hadn’t risked his life to protect the fragment.” He paused again. “What you did took a lot of courage. I can see why Roshan respected you so much.”
Trying to get out of the conversation as soon as possible, Laverick began walking down the passage. “I’m sorry. I don’t really feel like talking about this right now.”
Laverick was a bit nervous, feeling that his short answers may have come across as suspicious. However, considering that it was normal for Zoe to speak very little of personal matters, the man didn’t suspect a thing. Instead, he sympathized, assuming that she was just upset over the failure to save her friend’s life. In spite of his effort to escape the conversation, it wasn’t much longer before Laverick heard another voice call, “Zoe!”
“Dang it!” Laverick grumbled softly.
* * * *
Meanwhile in Quinn Manor, Veronica looked over at Lord Quinn. “He’s in. After entering the main passage, he had a brief exchange with a Spade. From what I saw, the disguise seems to be working quite well so far.”
“Excellent news,” Lord Quinn replied. “I must say, I’m profoundly impressed with you and your son’s work. Inform me once he’s located the fragment. The moment it is in my possession, I will see to it that you are both compensated greatly for your combined effort.” Giving a single nod, Veronica returned her focus to Laverick.
* * * *
“...and I still don’t know where Alex is,” Laverick explained to Spade leader Tarren Haden.
Tarren looked down at his feet, obviously troubled by the news. “That’s a shame,” he said. After a small pause, he looked back at Laverick. “While I admire your bravery, I’m highly disappointed by your actions. Alex never would have gone on that mission if you hadn’t stormed out of here like you did. Now, instead of just one missing Spade, we have two.”
“I’m sorry,” Laverick replied, “I just wasn’t thinking straight.”
“‘I’m sorry’ isn’t going to change anything, Zoe,” Tarren responded sternly. “I’ve warned you about your temper in the past. This time, not only did you unnecessarily put yourself in great danger, but a fellow Spade as well. If you’re not going to follow orders, you have no place in our organization. I will not tolerate insubordination such as this again. Do you understand?” Laverick nodded. “Good.”
Again, there was a silence. Then, Tarren continued. “I understand that Roshan was a very special person to you, and I know that you were only acting out of compassion for him. But he was well aware of the risks involved with our organization from the start. He did what he did because he believed in our cause. Protecting the fragment is our number one priority over anything else. You should honor him by showing the same level of dedication. The more Spades we lose, the closer Javan Quinn gets to completing Damiano’s Disk. You know better than anyone else what that means, Zoe. That’s why you came here in the first place.
“Now, you must understand that I can’t let you off the hook without disciplinary action. Tomorrow morning, you’re going to scrub every inch of this base, and it had better be spotless. Then, you are to sharpen every sword, axe, and knife in our arsenal. Understood?”
Laverick nodded. “Yes sir.” Ha! I’m not gonna be here tomorrow!
“Good.” Tarren turned around and walked away. “Get some rest. We can only hope and pray that Alex returns unharmed.”
Laverick watched as Tarren disappeared down the corridor. I thought he’d never shut up. Alrighty, time to find me a fragment!
For the next hour, Laverick inspected every inch of the base for the disk fragment. This proved to be quite a strenuous task, however, as his endeavor was often interrupted by inquiring Spades, curious about the details of Zoe’s mission and the status of Roshan and Alex. Discovering it was best to simply state that he didn’t feel like discussing the matter and would explain later, he managed to deter the threats to his mission.
Laverick dug through various cabinets and drawers in the base’s kitchen area. This is gonna take a lot more work than I thought it would. Let’s see, this looks like some sorta medical storage cabinet, lotsa potions and herbs – no fragment though. Ah, shoot. Where is it?
“Are you alright, Zoe?” Laverick felt his heart jump as he quickly slammed the cabinet shut. Snapping his head in the direction of the voice, he saw the same man with the black shirt he’d spoken to when he first entered the base.
“I-I’m fine!” Laverick replied nervously. The man’s eyebrow was raised.
“Are you looking for something?” he asked.
Quickly shaking his head, Laverick responded, “No, no. I was just, uh, thinking about making myself a little snack before I get some sleep. I’m pretty hungry and tired from the whole thing. Forgot there was no food in that one! Ha!”
“Alright...” the man said. It was apparent that he was a bit perplexed by Zoe’s strange behavior, but he mostly attributed it to stress and lack of sleep. “Why don’t you go ahead and lie down,” he suggested. “I’ll get us both something to eat and bring it back to the barracks.”
Not wanting to raise any further suspicion, Laverick complied. “Okay, sounds good,” he said as he hastily exited the kitchen. The man watched as he left. “What’s with her? Something doesn’t seem right.”
Laverick walked down the hallway. Glancing around to be sure no one was nearby, he came to a halt and whispered, “Ma, can you hear me?”
“Yes, darling?” Veronica responded immediately.
Laverick looked over his shoulder before continuing. “That was a close one. I don’t know how I’m gonna do this if all these people keep trying to talk to me!”
“There’s no rush, dear,” Veronica answered. “They will have to fall asleep eventually. Simply wait until the activity around the base has slowed a bit. Then you may carry on your investigation without interruption.”
“That’s a great idea!” Laverick excitedly replied, trying to keep his voice down while concurrently inspecting the surrounding area once again. Once he was certain no one was listening, he whispered, “Thanks, Ma.”
“Of course, doll,” said Veronica. “I’ll remain linked to you throughout the mission’s duration. In the event you require my guidance again, merely ask.”
“You betcha,” Laverick assured her, advancing down the hallway.
Noticing an entrance to a room on his right, he peered inside. The area contained a large colorless table with several chairs. It reminded him of a similar room in Quinn Manor. This must be some kinda meeting room. He was tempted to walk inside and search for the fragment, but ultimately decided to continue down the hallway. I’ve gotta find the barracks. That guy’s gonna get real suspicious if he catches me poking around the base again. I just gotta stick with Ma’s plan. As soon as these suckers fall asleep, I’ll be home free. He yawned. I gotta be sure I don’t fall asleep either! This whole thing’s got me pretty darn tired...
* * * *
“In order to prevent raising skepticism,” Veronica informed Lord Quinn, “Laverick has decided to postpone his search until after the Spades have fallen asleep. This could be a lengthy affair, however, and I will need to remain awake in order to keep my link with him established.”
“Are you certain you will be able to maintain a connection long enough?” Lord Quinn inquired. “Won’t you be nearing your conjuring limit soon?”
“Not at all,” Veronica replied. “Establishing a link requires the most energy. Maintaining the connection takes hardly anything.”
“I see.” Lord Quinn walked toward the double doors of the meeting room. “Very well. I will have Passford brew coffee poste-haste. As long as the fragment is ultimately secured, I’m more than willing to wait as long as necessary.”
* * * *
Laverick at last located the barracks. There were only a few people in the room, but the moment he entered, he was bombarded with questions.
“Zoe! You’ve returned!”
“Where’s Alex?”
“Did you find Roshan?”
Overwhelmed, he snapped, “Alex and I got split up, okay?! I couldn’t find Roshan and I just wanna sleep!” He quickly dove into the nearest bed and buried his head under the pillow.
The room was bewildered by the reaction. After a brief pause, one of the Spades asserted, “Uh, that’s my bed, Zoe.”
Laverick jumped up. “Okay then, where’s mine?” He looked at their faces, each one totally perplexed. “I got hit on the head pretty hard,” Laverick quickly explained. “My memory is a little messed up.”
“Uh-huh...” one man said, scratching his head.
“Where?” another queried. “You look alright to me.”
“That’s because I drank a potion and the mark went away,” Laverick spat out, starting to perspire. “Now tell me where my bed is.”
Veronica became nervous as she watched the situation unfold. He’s panicking! “Laverick! Calm yourself! Have patience!”
Hearing his mother’s words, Laverick took several deep breaths as his eyes darted around the room. This only enhanced the onlookers’ skepticism.
Luckily for him, at that very moment, the man in the black shirt entered the room. Observing Laverick’s deep breathing and fear-stricken expression, he nearly dropped the plate he was carrying. “What’s going on?!” he asked worriedly.
“I don’t know; she’s just freaking out,” one of the Spades answered.
Setting the plate on the end of a bed, the black-shirted man darted to Laverick, who quickly backed away from him. “Zoe. Calm down,” the man calmly ordered. He looked back at the other Spades, who were visibly baffled and concerned. “I think she’s having a nervous breakdown,” he told them.
At that very second, a light bulb went off in Laverick’s mind. Yeah! A breakdown! I’ll go with that! Immediately, Laverick stumbled around the room, purposely amplifying his ‘symptoms’ to the best of his ability.
“She’s completely lost it!” he heard someone say.
Laverick ran into a corner and curled into a fetal position. “Roshaaaan!!!” he screamed, rocking back and forth.
“What the hell happened to her?!” one of the onlookers asked as he backed toward the barracks’ entrance.
“Laverick! Stop this nonsense at once!!” Veronica shouted within Laverick’s mind.
Without hesitation, Laverick sprang to his feet. “I gotta sleep now,” he informed the room, diving onto a random bed and snapping his eyes shut, pretending to instantaneously fall asleep. Veronica slapped her palm against her forehead.
“A-alright... then...” said the black-shirted man.
“I always thought she was a bit crazy,” Laverick heard one of the Spades comment, “but this is just plain scary.”
“Yeah,” another one agreed, “I’m not sleeping in here with that psycho.”
“She’s not crazy,” the black-shirted man said. “I just feel like something bad happened out there that she’s not telling us.”
The room fell silent. “Is she really asleep?” someone queried.
“Zoe! You awake?” someone else asked. Laverick didn’t respond.
“Weird...” one of the Spades said, flabbergasted.
* * * *
Lord Quinn reentered the meeting room. “The coffee should arrive shortly,” he told Veronica.
“Oh, wonderful,” she replied nervously.
Lord Quinn was quick to detect the worry in her tone. “What happened?” he asked sternly.
Veronica hesitated for a moment. “A minor snag,” she responded. “He appears to have the situation under control. No need to worry! Ha ha ha!” She could tell by the look on his face that he was displeased with her answer. “I assure you,” she hastily added, “he will get the fragment. He just panicked a bit for a moment. The Spades still seem thoroughly convinced that he’s Zoe.”
Lord Quinn approached his chair at the end of the large table. “I certainly hope so,” he said. “It would be most wise not to disappoint me after guaranteeing success.”
“Of course, sir,” Veronica replied.
* * * *
“You cannot allow a slip up like that to happen again, understood?” Veronica’s voice echoed in Laverick’s head. “Stay in the bed until absolutely everyone has fallen asleep. If you want to make mommy rich and famous, you must not fail!”
“Sorry, Ma,” Laverick whispered.
“Ssssssshhhhhhuuushhh!!” Veronica hissed. “Just stay there until the time has come and do NOT make a single noise!”