Cliff of Doom

Alpha & Nancy Rote, All Songmark Instructors Copyright Mr. Simon Barber

Used with Permission

Soft green light lit the long face of Alpha Rote as she lay under her blanket. Though unafraid of her dorm mates discovering her tiny transceiver, the day before she had accidently come to realize that her rooms mirror was set at an odd angle for a reason. This evening she had studied it carefully, becoming excited when she discovered the why to its strange angle when a glint of late afternoon sunlight reflected off a telescope lens. She had beaten her Nancy, she had discovered a true Songmark secret before her Detective wife. Of course that meant her transceivers glow, an unavoidable fact due to its low technology build, would show up like a searchlight.

It had been two long weeks since her challenge. Tomorrow she would have to surrender her transceiver, her report and its design. Losing Nancy’s voice each night was going to be hard, it was going to hurt. She would have to live with it for now but she had an idea. A package had come in from her mother today and in it was just enough liquid metal alloy for her plans. That was, if Nancy agreed. There was pain involved and Alpha had learned on their wedding night that Nancy hated unneeded pain, though she had an extremely high threshold to it. So her idea would take a bit of convincing.

“Alpha?” Nancy’s gentle voice came from the little transceiver.

“Here lover” Alpha responded, fighting an urge not only to talk fast, or to scream in joy. For Nancy’s voice washed over her like a warm blanket, making the days aches and pains vanish. Her voice made everything better for the lonely shrew.

“We have a survival climbing test tomorrow” the squirrel warned. “All the first years, are you very good at climbing?”

“Only when my life isin danger” Alpha admitted. “You have taken my warnings?”

“Red Dorm wants us out, yes my love I understand that now. I agree that I made a serious mistake. Going out alone, not checking my information. I was a fool, wasn’t I. It is simply that never before have my actions impacted the future of others. Yes my love I threatened our future foolishly, I angered my Dorm mates and it has had a rather chilling effect upon our friendship. Please. May I explain to them why all those demerits abruptly evaporated?”

“Miss Devinski warned that if anyone findsout we shall both be off Spontoon island bymidnightsameday” Alpha reminded her wife. “I will return to Cranium Island, you to Creekside as is in our contracts. Please my love, be carefulfromnow on. Do not trust anyone.”

“I miss you” that soft sweet voice admitted.

“I miss you too” Alpha admitted. “I want you. Oh I how want you. I bought newsilk scarves today, for when we can betogether again.” She could almost smell the squirrels sudden excitement at that image. “I have a surprise foryou but we must talk to eachother about it first.”

“A surprise? Oh Alpha, having you is surprise enough. You were so helpful with those photographs, again by keeping me in school. You simply must teach me how you created that air handler. You mentioned it is more effective in the water. Could a boat be moved with it?”

“Oh yes” Alpha answered, then giggled as was becoming her habit since meeting Nancy. “Not very fast, its awfully quiet though.” She yawned, the act causing her to remember her new need for serious sleep. “I’m sorry Nan’s, but I needsleep now. Songmark is such a physicalschool. I have to turn thesetransceiversover to Miss Devinski in the morning, it is part ofchallenge. But don’t worry, I have lots of ideas how we can keep incontact.”

A long silence followed, until Alpha began to worry that Nancy’s device had failed. “Nans. You’ve given me a pet name” abruptly came over the radio link. “My father called me fluffs, no one has ever called me Nans. I think I like it. Okay Alpha I will speak to you Sunday on the way to church. Until then, my love to you.”

A dimming of her devices glow informed the shrew that Nancy Rote had closed her own device. With a serious feeling of loss she followed suit, pulling her blanket down to find the marsh rabbit Katrina Schmidt silently watching her. “You really should think about being a touch more quiet” she warned. “So you bought Nancy’s dorm from the darkness of negative points. Alpha, have you any idea how dangerous it is for someone to start relying upon you like that?”

Alpha though was still trying to catch her breath. Why hadn’t she sensed Katrina. Oh, she realized, Katrina was already within her sensing range. Of course she would never have noticed the rabbit getting closer. Steading herself she managed a smile for a moment. “You won’t tell anyone. Will you” she almost begged.

Katrina reached over, gently taking the transceiver from Alpha’s fingers. “And lose my only chance to work with a real live mad scientist? Do you think me daft? Besides, since Elizabeth left the radio out and Miss Wildford found it we really need you. Who else could build a replacement? And you promised me that the two of you would teach me things. I’m not foolish enough to let a chance of learning basic Mad Science and Sleuthing get away from me, am I?”

Miss Devinski shut off the speaker in her office. Through the two weeks it had proven impossible to find those radios that the Rotes used. It hadn’t even been until two days ago, when Miss Wildford had brought in that amazing crystal radio that they even had an idea what they were looking for. Yes, this little Mad Scientist was going to drive them nuts. But what they would learn, oh how many advances that little Shrew had shown in just the few weeks she’d been here.

That Katrina Schmidt had learned the secret of Alpha’s challenge was no mark against the shrew. In truth it was marks for Miss Schmidt, she’d kept her ears open and her mouth shut. Alpha had somehow managed to rise to every challenge given her. There had been changes in Nancy’s habits as well, she no longer advanced blindly in whatever direction Red Dorm tried to entice her with. Even Beryl had lost a mark, though why Tatiana had given up that mouse the hound wondered. That something serious had occurred outside Songmarks borders between the Russian and Cranium Island girl had been very obvious.

Tatiana. Miss Devinski returned to her chair, opening an unlocked drawer. Within it she withdrew a folder, one that was simply marked as School Supplies. It was a report about one Miss Millicent Holmes and her involvement with a certain Songmark girl. Whatever the Russian was up too, somehow she had subverted the most stuck up women in the English Consulate. Something the reports writer had thought completely impossible. “Give a Wei an inch, she’ll take the islands” Miss Devinski laughed as she opened her newest report. “Japanese or Russian.”

Morning found Alpha Rote standing outside Miss Devinski’s office. When the hound stepped out Alpha opened her mouth, only to have her instructor quiet her with one upraised paw. “Breakfast. Morning exercise. You have climbing tests today, so I will expect you to find time afterwards to speak with me before lights out. Questions?”

“None Miss Devinski.” Snapping one of the sharpest salutes the hound had seen in months, Alpha Rote spun on her heel and hurried away. At least, it was obvious that had been her intention, instead she spun completely around and slammed into the waiting hound as she took off.

“Boot down as you turn” Miss Devinski instructed, holding the mortified girl up with her own strength. “Ten extra pushups for striking an instructor.”

“Understood.” Turning again, abet slower this time Alpha Rote hustled off to breakfast.

“Only ten” Mrs Oelabe asked from behind the hound. “Why, I recall a certain vixen being ordered fifty.”

“That vixen had been showing off” the hound reminded her companion. “Alpha has been practicing that move for days. Also she didn’t knock my tail onto the dirt in front of her entire dorm either.”

“True. Catherine, I worry about the Rotes. Their rings. One slip and I will be preforming an emergency amputation in the field again.”

“Watch those rings today” the hound instructed. “I think that you will notice something unusual about them.”

“You have seen the like before?”

Brushing her blouse back to its ever present neatness Miss Devinski looked Southwards. “Oh yes. In a place called Nunui Hale. They have some very interesting properties, especially when the wearers are in love. Now let us have breakfast. It is going to be a strenuous day.”

“Cats Creep” Alpha grumbled as she reached above her for a grip. “Aneasyclimbwithfewchallenges.” She found the grip she needed, cursed Tesla for not making her an inch taller then stretched until she could feel her muscles hum like overloaded power lines. Her dorm mates were already resting at the top while she was only three quarters of the way up. Finally making her grip she pulled. Muscles in her back she never knew existed (other than as a scientific oddity) screamed as one arm took her entire weight. She pulled again, pushing with her other arm but the strength simply wasn’t in her. “Will not surrender” the shrew swore. “Nancy needs me.” But her body was exhausted, as hard as she tried she could feel her fingers slipping, her claws grating against the stone. She was going to fall.

Abruptly a paw wrapped about her wrist. Looking up she found herself staring into Megan Brightwhite’s eyes. Behind her Katrina held Megan’s other paw, while Elizabeth held Katrina. “We are a team” the Canadian Martin explained. “From today on no one fails or we all fail.” With a surprising show of strength Elizabeth pulled all three up the cliffside onto nearly flat earth.

“Very good” their instructors voice called from below. “Excellent show of teamwork, ten minute rest then come down. Mrs. Rote, you will be expected to make that climb unaided in one week. Water taxies leave in twenty minutes. It is a nine minute jog to the beach. If you are not on time you will have to find your own way back. Is this understood?”

“Yes Mrs Oelabe” all four answered.

“If we miss the taxi I have five shells” Megan announced. Her three companions looked at her as though she’d claimed to be Queen of England.

“How” Alpha asked.

“I won them off Beryl. On a bet.”

“Their real?” Katrina asked.

“She paid me in front of Miss Oelabe. Dealing in counterfeit money means instant expulsion.”

“What was the bet” Alpha asked, her sweat and mud soaked blouse rising and falling in a pattern Katrina found difficult to ignore.

Megan stood, stretching as she prepared for the climb down. “Ten minutes rest, nine minutes to the shore. Has anyone factored in the time required to climb down?” A general clambering to get to their feet was her answer. No, no one had factored in the time needed to get down.

Mrs Oelabe watched as three exhausted young girls stumbled out onto the beach. ‘So’ she thought. ‘Mrs Rote didn’t make it.’ It was only when Elizabeth Juniper came closer that the nurse realized that she was carrying her much smaller classmate on her back. “Very good” she praised as the last girl fell off the dock onto her classmates. “Still Miss Juniper, had you been being chased by angry natives Mrs. Rotes weight might have cost you your life.”

“Nah” the Nutria argued. “I was using her as a shield from their poison arrows. Never got a scratch.”

Even Mrs. Oelabe laughed at that answer. Alpha though was sound asleep, her head now cradled in Elizabeth’s lap.

Later that night Miss Devinski studied the tiny object in her paws, looking up at the freshly scrubbed but obviously physically exhausted shrew. “This is a transcever” she stated. Not asked, for she accepted her students word in the manner.

“Two centimeter band” Alpha answered. “Nancy has other. Is waiting your call.”

Miss Devinski was amazed, two centimeter band? “Call her” she ordered, holding the film can out to Alpha.

Accepting her device Alpha unscrewed the aluminum can, waiting a few seconds. “Nans” she asked softly.

“Alpha” came the squirrels voice. “I heard you fell. Are you all right?”

“Bruised” the shew admitted. “Miss Devinski wish to say hello.” Returning the device Alpha waited as her wife and the Songmark instructor exchanged notes about what they could see. Finally Miss Devinski ordered Nancy to surrender her device to a second year waiting outside her dorm. Closing the device she looked at her student. “Range?”

“Maybe two hundred meters” Alpha answered. “Was thrown together while waiting for glue to dry on blower.”

“I see. Our nurse would like to have a way to cool her clinic, is that possible?”

Alpha swallowed. “A challenge?”

“Perhaps. Is it possible?”

“Yes Mam. But is notmy field. I must write Doctor Heimdale. It her field.”

“I see. So you are not all knowing then?”

Alpha swallowed again, then held herself as straight as she could under the circumstances. “No Mam. If I was all knowing, I win great challenge by now. Destroying the planet.”

“I see. I understand that you had difficulties today.”

“Yes Miss Devinski. I have never climbed before.”

“Mrs. Oelabe warned you that you must make that climb unaided in one week, correct?”

“Yes Mam.”

“Very well.” Standing the hound walked to her door, opening it just as the second year Tatiana started to knock. Accepting the device her Russian student held she dismissed the sable, shut her door then returned to her desk. “You knew she was there, yet you said nothing.”

“How...” Alpha started, then accepted that she wasn’t the only one with secrets. “Yes Mam.”

“This Sunday you and your wife will be given a five hour pass after Church. You must be within Songmarks gates by five in the afternoon or don’t return ever. What you do in those five hours is your business, but you may not leave Casino Island except to return directly to Songmark. Am I understood?”

“Yes Mam. But... Why?”

“That should be obvious Mrs. Rote. Mrs. Oelabe is absolutely certain that your body simply cannot manage the physical demands of this school. If you do not make that solo climb you are both out. We have no place for the physically weak here. Alpha, this rule is for your safety, you are not the first girl to come here who’s body failed her desires so I strongly suggest that you enjoy this last day with your wife. I do not think you will ever have another. Dismissed.”

A bit after Alpha had left Mrs. Oelabe entered the room. “Pep talk go well” she asked, opening a cabinet door to withdraw a bottle of whiskey.

“Perfectly. Alpha Rote is frightened to death she will not be able to make that climb. If this does not motivate her nothing will. Tell me, could she have made it?”

Pouring a small glass of amber liquid for each of them Mrs. Oelabe returned the bottle before answering. “Not a chance. She almost killed herself trying. If it hadn’t been for her dorm mates she would have fallen.”

“Why” the hound asked.

“I don’t know” the nurse admitted, answering the real question behind that one word. “Maybe it was the fact she married to a woman, or she’s from Cranium Island. I just let it go too far.”

“Never again.”

“No Catherine. I will never make that mistake again. To her successful completion of this newest challenge.”