Friday Flash- Repository- Chaucer's Game

For Nik and Sharyn. *Grins and runs like hell*

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I stared at the phone receiver in my hand. Obviously someone is going to London and I think it's not either of my sisters. Fuck me raw with my hands tied behind my back. After hanging up the receiver, I sat back on my office chair and wondered what I was getting into. I don't know why I said yes to the way-too-nerdy-even-for-me British professor. I'm no expert in medieval manuscripts, but something in my mind perked when Dr. Phineas Tolliver mentioned the name of Geoffrey Chaucer. And when my subconscious mind and its link to my ancestors perk, I'm very inclined to listen.

Rubbing the back of my neck with one hand, I looked over the notes I took. Somehow, the fantastic folks at the British Library had failed to realize that in a collection of notes from the exchequer and other government officials-- there were a few unofficial letters among them. Since the Library won't let them be faxed or scanned in any way, the only way to verify the authenticity would be to go there. Lucky for me, it means my other sisters were disqualified from the search.

The ringing of the phone took me out of my revelry. Caller id said it was from the museum I was head curator. "Hello, this is Cylene," I said, trying not to demand what they wanted on my day off.

"Hey boss, it's Callum." The voice was a light baritone, which befitted my male secretary. Good man, Callum Montgomery, even if he deserved to be shot on occasion when his excitement got in the way of paying attention. "There's a slight problem here."

"Not about the new excavation finds," I whinged. "Please say that's going well."

The hesitation let me know that it wasn't going well, but that wasn't the main problem. Sighing, I put my notes aside and grabbed a pad of paper. "What's wrong, Cal?"

"Honestly? Your sister, Serina, arrived this morning looking like hell and is now setting up the excavation stuff. Seems that someone or some people tried to steal it away like you all thought." Before I could ask, Callum continued in that officious voice of his. "She is fine. Serina has contacted certain people whom I'm not privy to and has put an investigation into full swing. We should be able to do the grand opening tomorrow night as long as there are no more interruptions."

"Good. Then that's just scraping by our teeth. I'll check with Serina later. What else, Cal?" I tapped my pen against my desk, trying to keep my patience. I swear Callum wrings things out because he knows it annoys me to no end.

"The insurance adjusters are here, a month early." Those words made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. There was no way they could be there. I know the adjusters. Something was wrong, my intuition and my psychic abilities started blaring hard in my mind.

"Get security and have them follow the adjusters. In fact, contact Garrett and tell him we have an Atlas issue. Understand me? Atlas issue. Then make sure you lock up everything in our offices and change the codes to something you know alone. After that, get the hell out of there and go to my private sanctuary, Callum. Do not go near those people. Let Garrett and Nyla handle them."

"As you say boss. Code locking the computers as we speak and putting all papers into the safe. I'm glad I called you. Something about them--"

I growled into the phone. "No talking, get doing! Hang up with me and get Garrett. I'll call Nyla. She's probably out in her backyard doing some kind of mechanical thing. Go and do exactly as I directed, Cal. You're in danger and I want you out of there!"

Slamming down the phone, I cursed in five of the multiple languages I'd learned as a child. Picking up my cellular phone, I dialed my sister, Nyla's number. On ring number two she picked up. "Hey, what's going on? My spider sense..."

"Is right. Go to the museum. The insurance adjusters are a month early." I scribbled down a number that popped into my head. "I've got Callum following Atlas procedures."

"Going now. I'll call Serina. I know she's in the museum and can cover 'til Garrett and I get there." Nyla disconnected without a goodbye. Times like these, you don't need goodbyes, you need get dones.

And I'm supposed to be leaving to England on the night flight out from Tampa. Fuck me sideways.