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The Talking Head, Pt2

Report 6c of NB Urchin Project, “Steam Hare Interrogation” dated 23rd of August 188X., Pt2

(For environment details and witness nomenclature see Pt 1 of this report)

Steam Hare: The Emperor Crumb was sent a message, along with Beryl, Bookworm, and many others.

Urchin 1: errrr…… yes, i gave him a letter, dunno what was in it though…..

U5: were there not some pub destroyed?

U1: the bloke in blue put some in me camp…. one to the Emperor, which i gave him…. one ter Miss Book, which i gave her…. one to us, saying the store were being blown up…. an one to the Thieves kitchen… gave that one ter Miss Book too, cuz the Kitchen had already been blown up!

Eloise Winchester: This message originated from Phillip Johnson?

SH: All the messages originated from Philip Johnson.

U1: they got sent too late……

EW: How can we find Phillip Johnson?

SH: Unknown.

EW: I had a feeling that would be the answer

SH: The attack on the Warrens did not go as planned. Philip Johnson heard about the ceremony.

EW: Was it frustrated by the efforts of the urchins on scene?

U1: the boat were quite small, where were yer the rest of the time?

U6: Do we have a description of Philip Johnson?

SH: I have never seen him, but my creator described him once.

U1: what was the description?

SH: “An extremely wealthy man who employs scientists to discover technologies that will revolutionize the world, and cause revolutions in the process.”

EW: Well, that sounds succinct, so far…

U1: Like the Van Creed lot?… errr, he wants us ter be revolting?

U3: If the Van Creed are at it again, we’re getting into trouble

U6: I’d better get more blasters…

SH: The Van Creed is not the name of Philip Johnson’s company.

U3: Do you know its name?

SH: P. J.I.V.I.

EW: Ah.

U1: still want ter know, where were yer when not on the boat?

(At this point in the proceedings, the Hare’s head began twitching and making an odd sound, almost immediately after pronouncing the name of Philip Johnson’s company)

EW: Uh oh…

(more twitching and some violent whirring sounds)

EW: We might want to back up a bit…

U1: back up fellas!

(At this point the forward lights on the head went out, and it sat silent)

EW: That was truly very enlightening

U6: Ran out of power maybe?

EW: I’m amazed there was anything left after that explosion. Leon is lucky indeed to be among the living. The bunnies did an incredible job getting any further use out of this head.

U1: reckon he said somethin he shouldn’t have…..

U3: He was on the boat that exploded?

EW: The Hare was. Leon was on the dock beside it. Either sounds likely ______, but we got what we needed, hopefully.

U1: boats do sort of…. spread out a bit when they gets accidently blown up……

EW: The boat’s inclusion in the event was evidently the only accidental detail. The target of the explosion was the Brewery, and Ber—um, someone else.

U3: what, they wanted to blow another of Cyan’s shops?

U1: he didn’t tell us where they had been though, did he, an he musta known…..

EW: We may have overwhelmed its damaged input receptors, or possibly not given it time to respond. I also suspect that our targets are in constant motion, in any event. Seems to work for you, _____.

U7: So it was made by a creator, ‘oo was workin f’this Expert bloke, ‘ho was workin for this Philip Johnson, yeah?

U1: yep, sounds about right

EW: Yes, we have a comprehensive list of names. I wish I still had useful contacts outside New Babbage. 

(At the wrap-up of the meeting there was a discussion about my cousin Dee Wells, who was still missing at this point. My sister Audrey was mentioned, and it was revealed that she was trying to employ the urchins to find Chase. Hearing the name Chase I nearly fainted, and struggled to remain composed until I could get out of sight. I tried to explain that he had been a surveillance subject of mine and that Audrey had experimented on him and, well, it was better if no one saw him. Ever. I described him as a very tall, thin albino man with very long white hair and odd eyes, like glass. As it happened, no one present had seen him. Yet.)

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