Warehouse, an hour earlier
W hen the Inklings were fighting the Reds in the warehouse, Tom Truckle had to bet on his best shelter. Not being a man of war, he needed protection. Constance had been his better choice, but the little girl hated his guts. Jack didn’t care much for Tom so he didn’t know whether he’d protect him or not. Tom had let Lewis down in the past, so he didn’t think crouching and ducking behind him was a safe bet. The best bet had been, like always, Alice.
He hid behind her as Fabiola was giving her the sword. Tolerating all the madness about her cutting herself to gain powers had been much easier than taking Constance’s curveballs in his face all the time.
Then when Fabiola fainted, and Alice gained her power and left to fight, he was alone again. He sneaked around like a cat, trying his best to dodge a bullet or a sword’s cut here and there.
And then, in the middle of all of this, he found what he had been looking for. A cellphone.
It didn’t matter whether a Red had dropped the phone or if it had belonged to someone in the warehouse earlier that day. After all, everyone had been in a panic since last night. Leaving a cellphone behind wasn’t a surprise.
The real question was: did it work?
Tom picked it up and wiped the blood off of its screen and pushed the button. Hurray and hallelujah! It worked.
Now the question was: did it have credit?
Two hurrays, three hallelujah, and fries on the side! It did.
Tom ambled out of the warehouse, leaving the fight behind. He had been dying for this phone call all day. But the line wouldn’t connect.
A few minutes later he returned. The Inklings were gathered around the March. He told them about the mushrooms and the garden and Six Keys. Tom now had to make that call now.
He stepped back a little, out of the warehouse. In the shade next to the main door, he found a signal.
Typing the number, he breathed heavily. The man on the line scared him, but the phone call had to be done.
“Hello?” the gruff voice said.
“It’s Tom.”
“Tom who?”
“Tom Truckle.”
Silence. A drag from a cigarette. Then, “Ah, the Mock Turtle. You have something for me?”
“Of course,” Tom whispered. “I heard the March tell them where the Six Keys are,” Tom told the man what happened.
“Great job.”
“Will you send someone to pick me up now? I spend so much time with those monkeys, and I need my pills — and my financial reward.”
“You get your pills and your money when you finish your mission,” the voice said.
“As you wish, Master,” Tom said disappointedly. “As you wish, Mr. Jay.”