Perspectives

Chapter 46

Too preoccupied with the mental image of giants terrorizing her hometown, Piper didn't even notice another person entering the room until he had stepped up right beside Rothgard. 

"Sir, Marchioness Bradford is calling asking to speak with you." The man informed Rothgard.

Rothgard released an impatient sigh. "I am rather busy, I'm certain the Marchioness can wait." He stated without removing his menacing gaze from Piper. 

"She was quite insistent, my Lord." The man responded calmly. 

"Fine." Rothgard said with a huff, roughly shoving Piper back into the cage and closing the opening. "Keep this and do not use it or give it to anyone." He said, handing over the cage remote to the man. 

The man gave an obedient nod. "Of course, sir." Piper watched through the glass as the two men left the room, leaving her alone with nothing but the worst case scenarios playing through her head on repeat. 

~

After a near hour long conversation with one Lex Renard, Kalen was finally able to convince the man to meet with him back at the Hasken Pub. The two sat at a table in the back corner, each looking uncertain and skeptical in their own right. 

Lex Renard was a thin and stocky young man that didn't look like he could be all that much older than Kalen. He had messy blond hair and a pair of square spectacles on his face. Kalen didn't know what he had been expecting from someone in with the Pervicacious, but it was definitely someone a bit more grizzled and less jumpy looking. 

"Alright Dane, in the call you said you have some kind of information."Lex started, referring to Kalen's promise of important information he had to offer the Pervicacious. 

Kalen nodded, "That's correct, but I'm only giving it directly to your Commander." If Kalen wanted any help from the Pervicacious, there was only one person he needed to convince, and that was elusive Commander of the Pervicacious. 

Lex let out a humorless laugh. "As if some random stranger is going to be able to meet with the Commander." He retorted, seeming to regain some of his composure. "Any information you have can be delivered through me."

Keeping his expression even and unaffected, Kalen shook his head. "Directly to your Commander or no deal." 

"How do I know you even have something of interest to say?" Lex questioned in a lowered tone. 

"You don't know for sure, but I will be completely surrounded by your people, what risk is there?" Kalen shot back. 

Lex stared at Kalen in contemplation for several moments before giving a relenting sigh. "Fine, I'll ask my superiors." He told Kalen. "Stay here, I'll be back." Lex slid out of his chair and made his way to the bar. Kalen watched as he whispered something to Kyra who slipped him a key that he used to get into a back room. 

It was about twenty minutes until Lex returned, an unreadable expression on his face. "Well?" Kalen asked, struggling to keep the desperation out of his voice. 

"The Commander has agreed to meet with you on the condition that you be brought bound and blindfolded." Lex told him. 

Despite Kalen's first instinct being to refuse, he knew he had no choice if he wanted to have any chance of saving Piper. "Damn it, how did I get like this?" He muttered to himself. 

"What was that?" Lex asked, an eyebrow raised questioningly. 

Kalen shook his head, "Nothing, I'll do it." 

After having a cloth wrapped around his head and a rope tied around his hands, Kalen was led through a transporter unit. Lex must have silenced the automated voice that usually played, as it did not announced the transportation way-point as it normally would. 

They walked outdoors for a good fifteen minutes before finally stopping somewhere that smelled of dirt and dying flowers. Kalen thought he heard Lex pull some sort of lever, causing a heavy sounding door to swing open. 

"We're going down some stairs." Lex warned as he led Kalen through a doorway and down what he guessed to be stone steps. 

Once they had descended the long staircase, Kalen could only assume they were now underground. Lex pulled another lever and Kalen heard the door at the top of the stairs swing shut. They walked a short ways before stopping again.

"Ah, Lex." Kalen jumped slightly at the sudden voice of a new person. "I see you brought our special visitor." The unknown man laughed. 

"Nice to meet you." Kalen called out, eliciting another small chuckle from the man. 

"Well the Commander is ready for you." The man told them. 

Without anymore small talk, Lex lightly shoved Kalen forward to get him walking again. Kalen could hear people talking and murmuring as they made their way through the base, no doubt Pervicacious members commenting on the tied up stranger being marched by. 

After a few minutes more of walking they came to a stop once again. "The Commander wants to me to search our visitor." Kalen heard a young woman say. 

"Of course." Lex replied, releasing Kalen's upper arm that he had been holding on to in order to direct him. 

Kalen braced himself as he felt the woman pat him down, taking his telecommunicator out of his jacket pocket. There was a moment of silence before, "This is a top quality piece of technology you've got here." Kalen held his breath. He should have known better than to take the telecommunicator. He was dressed like a Proletariat, but no Proletariat could afford such an expensive telecommunicator. If Lex or this woman made the connection-- "Nicked it did ya'?" The woman asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. 

"You should not be encouraging stealing Mira." Kalen heard Lex scold from behind him. 

"I'm not encouraging it, but you gotta make ends meet somehow!" The woman called Mira retorted. "I did the same thing before joining up with the Pervicacious, a lot of us did." She added.

Lex sighed, "Regardless, you better hold onto that for the time being." 

"Don't worry, I'll keep it safe for ya'." Mira faux-whispered, followed by a chuckle. Kalen imagined Lex must have shot Mira a reproachful look as she cut her laughing short. "A-hem, well go on in then." She said. 

Kalen could hear the sound of large doors being opened. Lex prodded Kalen forward into the eerily silent room. It was only once the doors had shut behind them that the blindfold was finally removed from his face. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness before he was able to take in his surroundings.

The room was round, with surprisingly high ceilings given the fact that it was underground. There were people standing against the walls all the way around the room but for where the doors were, and directly across, where a woman stood alone. 

She was a fair skinned woman with black hair cut short at her prominent cheekbones. She wore a loose fitting white blouse tucked into fitted trousers, and on top of it all was a dark leather overcoat that reached past her knees. There was a commanding presence about her that was immediately clear to Kalen, and he had no doubt that he was now faced with the leader of the Pervicacious.