Invasion

Songmark, Miss Devinski, Alpha & Nancy Rote copyright Mr. Simon Barber.

Used with Permission

“You are completely crazy”

Alpha Rote looked up at her dorm mate. “Of course. Am certifiedMad” she admitted. “But can do.”

“Can do my fluffy white furred ass” Katrina Schmidt shot back as she carefully exercised her wounded paw. “There is no possible way for you to learn our scores. Even if somehow you did so we would all be demerited to absolute death. I would be an old grey furred woman long before I ever saw the outside of those gates again. Legally.”

Alpha leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling as though seeing someone. “We aware roomshaveears” she announced in a louder than normal voice. “So if instructors notwantus to do something, theyfindwayto stop us.” She leaned forward again, pointing at a page in her latest copy of Absolutely Insane Alternate Science. “Says here canbedone” she continued in a more normal voice.

Katrina walked over to the desk, looking down at a mishmash of mathematical symbols combined with some sort of crystal array. To her eyes it showed only that someone had found a way to waste perfectly good ink and paper yet again. “I don’t understand any of it” she admitted, though moving close enough to the shrew for one of her breasts to brush the smaller woman’s head. “What I do not understand, that is what worries me.”

“Does not frighten?”

Katrina laughed. Her laugh was a full throated laugh of a woman who loved life. “My dear Alpha. Since stepping foot through those gates, I have not gone a day without being absolutely terrified at least once. Mostly that I will fail. Occasionally, as in the skiff, that I would die a maiden. That of course can still occur, unless you alone insure that I am no longer a maiden. You say this can be done, so that worries me. That you may be able to succeed does not terrify me. I have already observed too many of your impossibilities become fact to consider this even remotely difficult for you. Yet, what of our instructors?”

“That easy.” Looking up again the shrew concentrated, speaking slowly and clearly. “I, Alpha Rote. Now inform Instructor Songmark. That State of War exists between us. Prize is current truthful grades for this dorm.” She paused, feeling the marsh rabbits paw tighten upon her shoulder and the headache beginning that always followed her attempts to speak absolutely clearly. “That I, Alpha Rote. Will in one week. Invade Instructors files. Learn said scores. Notify dorm mates. Then report day after to Instructors. I win, you give my dorm full weekend off. I lose. I buy Instructors full meal their choice at Twin Coconuts.”

She leaned forward yet again, now rubbing her aching head. “There. Is done.”

“Alpha” Katrina gasped. “Can you even afford to lose?”

“Barely” the shrew admitted. “Have maybe star, two left over. Maybe scrub pots. Need parts box please?”

Two hours later a yellow furred hound stared at the report that had reached her when her night shift began. “War” she gasped, fighting not to laugh. She looked over to her three comrades in fur who had gathered for a very special meeting. “Just how does she expect to discover these exact grades. Being as we do not settle between us such things until each semesters ending.”

“We each have grades” Miss Wildford admitted. “We must have as all the students know. Certainly we post them often enough. She would only need to discover the grades for four students from each of our notebooks. Then a simple bit of math will give her the answers. Add all four instructors grades then divide by four.”

“Yes” Miss Devinski admitted. “But those two dorms are denied their grades until years end, or if the Rotes are expelled. Very well then we shall simply have to insure that our notebooks do not leave our possession at any time this week. Now to the real meaning of this meeting. Who has the first deal?”

Four long days later Katrina managed to drag herself from an ice cold shower back into her shared room. Two of her dormmates were already fast asleep, three circuits of Eastern Island with packs filled with wet sand while at quickmarch, was enough to drain even the nutria Elizabeth’s strength. Alpha though while still only in her damp fur was fiddling with the last of her strange devices. “I would kill you now” Katrina admitted. “But that breathing alone is such a major effort. Perhaps I shall simply lay upon you and smother you to death.”

“Am tired yes” Alpha admitted. “Instructors try best make me lose. I show though. Last one is finished. Come see.”

Making her way to the desk they shared the rabbit looked at its surface. Upon it were thirteen strange crystal creations. Not one was as large as a sewing thimble, yet each was highly complex. To her eye they looked like nothing more than macarb insects with crystal heads, a bit of the blue glowing element Alpha used in her devices and a Rube Goldberg series of gears and levers “What are they” she asked, fighting back a yawn.

“Are spies” the shrew answered. “Used last specialelement on these. Not able makemoreradio until new shipment arrivenextmonth. Are ready? Can release?”

Katrina fell almost bonelessly on the first empty bed she found, now staring at the Cranium Island shrew. “Where do you get so much energy” she asked, now fighting just to keep her eyes open.

“Eat lot squirrel” Alpha answered. “High protean.” But she was speaking to herself, for Katrina had fallen asleep on Alpha’s bed still without her bed clothing. Her joke had been wasted and in truth she was barely able to remain awake herself. Forcing herself to stand Alpha picked up her creations, making her way to the open window. Miss Devinski had kept both of Alpha’s little transceivers and they would now act as homing devices. Carefully pressing a tiny stud on each of her creations with a claw tip she threw the lot out of her window. Satisfied she turned to face her bed to find the naked Katrina sound asleep upon it, it was too far to climb to the rabbits upper bed so Alpha simply joined her friend upon her own bed, curling up tightly against the softer rabbit.

Two long hard days later a freshly scrubbed shrew opened Katrina’s bible, taking from it two thin plates of crystal and a tiny square of glowing blue material. Her eyes bleary, for scrubbing that empty diesel tank had left her mind and body confused, she took quite a bit of time putting the three items together. Carefully placing it on her desk she closed the bible, her face striking its cover as she fell fast asleep.

Outside though four surviving mechanical insects turned towards the new signal. Moving quickly for their size they made for Alpha’s dorm and the open window there. Three survived the long trip, one finding itself captured by a hunting bat. It was to the bats misfortune that these bugs had an auto destruct system built within their controlling spells. Eventually losing contact with all other signals it exploded in an impressive blast for its size. Its face now singed black, one wing holed and trailing smoke behind it the bat screamed down in a nose dive hunting water, its headfur nothing more than crisped black smoking frizz.

Alpha woke just before sunrise song to find three little creatures waiting for her. Gently she made adjustments to each so that when she was done she now had only one unit. This unit was now quietly projecting a tiny beam of light. Using a sheet of letter paper as a screen Alpha forced her tired eyes to focus, carefully writing down what each image showed her.

Late that night Miss Devinski was writing her daily report when a knock came at her door. Looking up she seemed to concentrate a moment. “Enter Alpha” she ordered, closing her notebook.

Alpha Rote entered, walking as quickly as her sleep starved body would still allow she made her way to the standard spot. “Have come end war” she announced. “Come claim victory. Four hours before deadline.”

“I see” the hound replied. “And you have the answer already? Best be right, for we are all looking forward to King Crab dinners.”

“Is correct.” Alpha opened her blouse, removed an envelope from it and sat the envelope carefully upon the desk before her. Numbly she began closing and buttoning her blouse, finding herself having a great deal of difficulty doing so.

Intrigued Miss Devinski picked up the envelope, opening it carefully as with Alpha one never really knew what one might get. Two sheets of paper were inside, unfolding them the hound read while her student waited in silence, still trying to button her blouse having twice now missed a button. Nodding to herself the hound started for her offices door. “You will remain here, in that place, in that position until I return” she ordered her young student.

Alpha swallowed, stand in one place for how long? At least she’d finally managed to button her blouse but stand in one place for how long this exhausted? Madness, she just, well she’d just had to do it. Alpha found that her hell of immobility lasted not quite two hours. She was just about to scream in anguish when the door opened again. Silently she watched as the hound returned to her desk, sat, then opened a drawer. From it she withdrew a mason jar containing most of Alpha’s missing devices.

“Your spells gave them away until there were too few to detect” Miss Devinski explained. “We had thought we found them all. How many.”

“Thirteen” the shrew answered.

“How many returned to you.”

“Three.”

“Ah, the bare minimum” Miss Devinski laughed. “Had it been say, two, you would have gained?”

“Nothing” Alpha admitted.

“Why is that?”

Alpha smiled a wistful little smile yet still a smile. Her complete exhaustion made it easy to keep her words clear. “Three, seven and nine. These are the numbers I was trained were important. That nothing less than three would work, nothing more than nine.”

“Yet you sent thirteen?”

“Logical progression. Fifteen, nineteen, twenty one and such. I had only the material for thirteen. Beacon to bring them back.”

“And they were controlled how?”

“I link to part of my brain by magic. Have done many, many times. No danger, very useful when observing dangerous experiment.

“Which explains your dizzy spells the first day after you released your toys. You were seeing more than one reality. Child, your mixing of Science and Magic worries me.” The hound held up both of her paws. “Yes, both share many laws in common, it is those laws that they do not share in common that will burn your paws one day. It is our hope that no one but you are harmed when this happens. We would find you an instructor, except that no priestess on these islands will now so much as share a room with you. Very well, your deceleration of war was accepted, you did succeed. Your dorm will have this weekend free to them from last class release to sunrise song Monday.”

“Thank you Miss Devinski.”

“There will be no further use of magic by you on Songmark property. This includes Song Sodas and those craft owned, leased or rented by us is this understood?”

“I was careful” Alpha protested.

“Clear?”

Alpha accepted the unavoidable. “May still study such?”

“You may still study your magic Alpha, you may not use it on Songmark property.

“I understand. May go now?”

Miss Devinski tossed the jar towards Alpha. “Yes, and take your little toys with you.”

Barely catching the jar Alpha executed a raper professional right turn, then when the world stopped spinning around her hurried out of the building. Two full days to explore Casino Island, probably without Nancy as her wife’s dorm was often on restriction, though not as often lately. But there was that bar they attended together and a very attractive little chipmunk. If Nancy was free, well the chipmunk would wait. Or maybe not, Alpha was very hungry after all.