Tremble in the Dark: A Gwen Farris Novel (20 page)

"That
was your idea, wasn't it, Miss Farris? I really thought that they'd cancel
those once things worked out with... That woman and her evil friends, but they
went right ahead with it anyway. Do you know why that was? I haven't been able
to pin that one down at all."

The
man was looking directly at her, but it was Beth that spoke, doing so with a
smile on her face.

"It
was two people that had that done. Gwen and King Ferdinand. Both for the same
reason too. They'd given their word to the children of the Western Kingdom, and
insisted that they keep it. The effort was vast, I heard. Gwen and I couldn't
go, since we got this assignment without a departure time, but I have reports
saying it was a splendid success. The children got to act as the crew of
airships and actually make shipment runs, to see what it would really be like
to do that. They also got to try out the new dot-aimers for Crins. Even the
girls. There was also camping, and sing-along parties, that sort of event. The
boys won all the war game events, until the last day, when the girls stole all
the airships and used them to attack from the sky. That would have been
glorious to see."

Gwen
had heard about that, and sort of thought that it had the feeling of Heather
Westmorland written all over it. She was Special Service too and hard enough
not to want the girls to let the boys win all the time. Otherwise, why would
they bother to improve?

The
people at the table managed to smile and Sally looked wistful. She hadn't
spoken once the others were all there, focusing on her table manners it seemed.
She was copying everything Gwen was doing very closely, though her friend just
ate, like everyone else did.

"I
wish there had been things like that when I was a girl. It would have been...
Well, you don't end up like Clara and I if things go perfectly in your life, do
you?"

Everyone
looked at her, and things were starting to get a little uneasy when Martin
spoke, his voice gentle.

"There
is no blame to a person doing what they have to, in order to survive, Miss. Not
from me."

Beth
nodded once and swallowed a sip of her coffee. "Not from myself
either."

Everyone
else seemed surprised by that statement, except Gwen, since she actually knew
what being a Westmorland was all about. They didn't have a lot of choices and
simply had to survive what they were put through. Not all of them did, she was
willing to bet. It would be nothing for people that would torture children to
bury a few, every now and then. That or put them in medical facilities,
except... Well, even untrained, the Westmorland children were too dangerous for
that, weren't they? It would be a Crin to the back of the head for them, if
they couldn't be trained. Maybe not all the time, but enough. Even one dead
child was too many.

Gwen
looked around, her eyes mellow and soft. At least that was what she was going
for. She didn't make a big deal out of things though, and started a
conversation, about what Mr. Hadley had for sale.

Standing,
an abrupt thing that was probably rude, the man practically ran from the room,
only to come back ten minutes later, pulling his wheeled trunk along with him.
It was a large, very well worn thing, made of wood and banded with metal. It
had been painted red and brown at one point, but needed another coat now, if it
were going to look nice again.

"My
wares. Let me set up here... We have some old favorites and new wonders as
well!" His voice held showmanship, and his mustache twitched a little in
amusement, as he looked around the table at each of them. He worked while he
did, drawing things out a bit.

When
he finally turned around, he held out a small metal box. It had a blade on the
top and no bottom to it. Gwen actually sort of recognized it. You worked the
little handle, and slid the thing back and forth, which would cut an apple or
potato held to the top into thin slices.

"Allow
me to introduce first, the sevro-matic!" He had to call for several pieces
of fruit and vegetables, but the train kitchen supplied it all, and didn't ask
for money for it either. In fact, several of the workers came out to see what
was going on.

The
thing did indeed slice things, and with different attachments could grate as
well. To everyone else it seemed that the man was showing them something very
unique, but no one there wanted to buy one. They weren't housewives after all.
Not even Martin was.

"No?
Well, I thought not, but it does make for a good place to start the show. How
about something a little more... adult?"

Gwen's
mind tried to turn that into something dirty, but the ceramic containers that
he pulled out simply weren't for sex at all. She got it first however, even if
the configuration was different than anything she'd ever seen online.

"A
home still?"

The
man pointed at her and smiled hugely.

"Right
you are! This particular one is designed for home use. Just place the right
hand pot on the warming surface of your stove, and let magic do the rest. A
simple mash, some brewer's yeast and time are the only other things you need. In
a few short days you can be making your own home brews, the likes of which even
the finest drinking establishments can't have. This will work for anything from
whisky, to brandy, from rum to deep wine. It's a great hobby for both men and
women, and might even make a few mets for you, if you put the time into
learning the skill."

He
didn't ask if anyone wanted to see it working, since it would just take too
long anyway. It wasn't really a horrible idea, taking up a hobby like that.
People could drink what you made after all, so it was useful, after a fashion.

Then,
without so much as a glance at her or Carter, he slapped a shower head on the
table, which got everyone else to look at him funny, except Beth, who glared at
Mr. Palmer and looked ready to hit him.

Hadley
grinned, "this is a
most
amazing device. Clipped securely to a
shower nozzle, it sends a curtain of rain down on you, instead of a full
powered spray. I've tried it myself, and I can assure you, it's worth every
cent and a thousand more. Once you use one, you'll never want to go back to
anything else! These are in high demand, and in limited supply. I expect that
you'll all want one for your own home. Only three mets a piece."

Sally
looked at it and sighed.

"That
would be nice, wouldn't it? I only wish I had a shower to put one on. How does
the clip work? I can take it on and off?"

That
started a conversation, and Carter kept looking away, even as the others
examined it, as if it were a true curiosity.

Gwen
said nothing. She didn't want to lose Hadley a sale after all. Then he broke
out the magical items that he had. There was more variety in that, and a few of
the things looked familiar to her. One of them was a forensic unit.

Sort
of. It clearly wasn't high end, and was designed to do only half of what the
real thing could, but it was also being sold for ten mets, not the price of a
Lorrie. After a bit Beth held out her hand and looked at it, and then sighed.

"This
is
very
good. The readouts could be a little more sensitive, and
complete, but the device is quality work. Gwen, you should buy several of them,
for the local Constabulary back home. Is this your personal work, Mr.
Hadley?"

This
time the man shook his head and looked over at Carter, as if telling a secret.

"I
didn't do the initial design. I did build it myself, and the parts aren't
perfect for the task. It will allow a wife to assure her husband's fidelity, or
a husband to find out who's been pinching his tools from the shed, however.
There's a more advanced device used by some law enforcement. This is only a
poorer version of that. Would you really like to buy some? I wasn't certain
that they'd sell at all."

Beth
nodded, so Gwen did too. After all, it was either a huge problem, and the man
was ripping of Doctor Grainger, or the fellow had figured out how to save a lot
of cash on each unit. Possibly both. She bought four of them, planning to mail
them to the Doctor Professor. Hopefully he could take some ideas away from it.

Then,
without waiting, the man pulled a "dot aimer" which was what people
had started to call her magical version of a laser sight. This time Cart Palmer
started to breathe a little hard. It was very clear that he hadn't been totally
honest about what he was doing as far as business went, wasn't it?

She
smiled and rolled her eyes, not caring too much about the money aspect of
things, but Beth brought her right hand up, holding a silver PC in it. One that
could hold any kind of field at all, including one that just made a person
dead, with no outside sign at all. Gwen didn't think that was what her friend
had, but she didn't want to find out either.

"Mr.
Hadley, you
are
aware that several of those devices are currently
restricted, aren't you? Worse, you don't hold patent to them at all. I can't
speak to the shower diffuser, but the forensic device is the intellectual
property of Doctor Grainger of Western University, and the dot-aimers are that
of Gwen Farris. All of these have been developed in that same University's
offices, which means that you have some kind of a line to that place. Being
that Carter Palmer also works there, I find it highly odd that you two didn't
admit to knowing one another yesterday." The rest of the people seemed
scared, and possibly ready for anything, but Mr. Hadley just started to laugh.

He
didn't stop for nearly thirty seconds either.

"Too
true. I admit it. The dot-aimers are restricted. They take an average man or woman
and instantly turn them into a marksman, so I can see that. Though, they're
only being withheld from sale, not manufacture. Even at that, there is no rule
against selling them, you normally simply can't get them. Mr. Palmer showed me
how to make the radiatives for them myself, so these are perfectly legal."
Then he heaved a put upon sigh. "Except, of course, that I don't hold the
patent on it. The forensic devices are a cheap knock off, but solid work, and done
differently, so that I don't have that problem there. As for the diffusers,
well, I was told that those are free and clear. I'm just selling them after
all."

Gwen
cleared her throat, and looked at her friend, then gestured at her, hoping that
the weapon would be put away. No one else had one, so it was like showing up at
a party in a ball gown, when everyone else was in bathing suits. Awkward and
difficult to explain.

"Fine.
You can keep selling all of them. I'd like for you to get with Doctor Grainger
however. Carter, for the time being, will you consider running your plans past
me and the Doctor before acting? I don't have any problem with you making some
extra funds, but you're being a little shady about it so far. There's a
lot
to be made from these things. Plus your own ideas and all that. Relax a bit,
will you?" She stared at the man, who made a face, and looked at the rest
of them as if planning to either run away or explain.

They
were on a moving train, so he went with the second one.

"It's
my old girlfriend, Regina. When we broke up and she took up with Charlton
Meiranger, they tried to push me out of all the projects. I'm afraid that I
panicked and grabbed a few of the things for myself, and pushed them into
production, so that I'd hold precedence. It's legal, as far as things with
them
,
Reggie and Charls, go. I can't take credit for these things however, since much
of that goes to other people, but please, don't blame Mr. Hadley. It was all my
own doing, and I fear I left out that part of things, in my rush to secure a
place."

That
was a different sounding thing than what he'd said the day before too, wasn't
it?

Gwen
sighed, but then gave him a goofy grin. She didn't hate the guy yet. Yes, he
was pushing himself into her ideas and grabbing hold, but she'd flat out told
his entire class to do that. Was she supposed to blame him now? That just
seemed cruel and like a waste of time.

"I
have a
lot
of other ideas, if you want to try some of them out? There's
no reason that has to be a problem. The big problem now was that you told me
that Regina would make a good ladies assistant, when you already knew about her
trying to take you out of things like this? How would that work?"

The
University man tilted his head at her a bit and then twitched, his left eye
working on its own, due to the stress of the situation, it looked like.

Everyone
else regarded him then, and Beth still held her PC, if not
at
him
directly. It was oriented more toward the table than any single person. Not
that it couldn't be one of them before they so much as stood up to flee.

"You
asked if she'd be good in the position. She would be. Just because she's pushy,
overbearing, and no longer holds
me
in high esteem, that doesn't mean
she'd fail at such an occupation. Not that she'd take it. She's very certain
that she's the next Doctor Professor at the University, and if not Western,
then one of the other front gate schools. But her disregard of me, for being
poor, is of no matter. You asked if she'd do well, and I think it's true."