“So you’re jealous. After accusing me of jealousy.”
“I’m not jealous!” She defended.
“You totally are.” He smirked as he opened the door and walked into the bookstore. Clara followed behind still justifying why she was concerned and how she was absolutely NOT jealous.
“You know, it’s nice to be cared about.”
She rolled her eyes, “I don’t care. Can you stop being an ass so we can focus on figuring out a plan to get into the labs?”
“Can you keep your jealousy from getting in the way so we can plan?”
“I’m gonna murder you.”
He tsked at her, “The assignment comes first. You can’t murder me.”
“Oh, I’ll wait until after it’s over. I’ll slip into your sector and slit your throat.” She hissed at him, and he almost believed her capable of it.
He gasped, grabbing his throat with a smile on his face. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I—”
She was cut off as Marsh entered the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. “Ugh, do you two always argue like this? How do you ever get anything done?”
Carver and Clara exchanged glances. Though Clara was still glaring at him, he felt like a berated child as Marsh brewed a pot of coffee. “Sorry to disturb you.”
“I’m a light sleeper.” Marsh explained. She tied the front of her robe together and leaned against the counter. “My question still stands. Do you two always argue like this?”
He didn’t like the look of concern on Marsh’s face, and wanted to prove all was well. “It’s all in good fun.”
“Don’t lie to me.” She deadpanned, the sweetness from her tone earlier in the day no longer present. “I don’t know what this is between the two of you, but I do know that if you don’t get it together, you will be the end of our kingdom.”
She poured three cups of coffee and joined them at the small table. “I know you were sent here by Command. I know you have a limited number of days to get in and out. So, let’s figure out a plan, and stop picking at each other.”
Thoroughly silenced, Carver took a sip of his coffee. He grimaced at the bitterness, but didn’t comment.
“I’m assuming the weapon is in the same labs they keep the creatures.”
Marsh shook her head, “The creatures are kept in a surface level lab. They’re close enough to the festival to be displayed on a daily basis. The weapons lab is under the edge of the palace.”
Carver looked pointedly at Clara, “See?” He mouthed at her. A justification of sorts for having messed up her plans.
She stuck out her tongue, and Marsh sighed, “Of course. I got stuck with two extremely immature people.”
“Immature is an unfair assessment.” Carver responded, leaning back in his chair with what he hoped was elegance.
“I disagree.” Marsh shook her head, “Moving on. The lab is under the edge of the palace. It’s heavily guarded. The only entrance from the outside is in the forest, and is usually surrounded by 4 guards. However, the guard change occursevery 3 hours during the festival. It is left unguarded for exactly four minutes and twenty-two seconds during that time. Ideally, you would go in during the height of the festival, and be prepared to leave exactly three hours later.”
Clara chewed on the edge of her lip, and Carver thought about bumping her to make her stop, but didn’t want to receive another warning from Marsh. “In the morning, you both should explore the festival. We’re still in the opening ceremonies. Learn whatever you can to take back to Quorath. Everything they can show off is on display. Creatures, weaponry, technology.” She paused to take a sip of coffee, “Noxvalis is far more advanced than Quorath. We need to figure out how to recreate this technology if Quorath is ever going to stand on its own.”
“Understood.” Clara responded, wrapping her hands around her mug. “What equipment do you have for us to complete the assignment?”
“Only what I could get without being noticed. Knives, a taser, guns, though those aren’t ideal for the lab with the oxygen content and machinery, and all the clothing you need to continue masquerading as Calyndor. Weapons aren’t easy to come by here, and I couldn’t get more without awakening suspicion.”
“Any suggestions for how to get out of the city once we get the biological weapon?”
Marsh stood up, and grabbed a book off one of the shelves. She opened it and withdrew a hand drawn map. She pointed to the lab and traced her finger across to the wall. “Your best bet will be going out through the small door here. There’s usually two guards, so you’ll have to handle them. There’s a forest on the other side of the wall, and if you can get past the initial guards on top, you can avoid the arrows because of the trees. I haven’t explored much beyond that though. Once you’re out of the city, you’re on your own.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad.” Carver said casually. He was feeling more and more confident about their plan.
