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July Break Bingo: Computer Lab
Back to the bingo cards!
Prompt: Location: Computer Lab
1400 words, Algy + Von Stalhein (+ Biggles), gen
As Algy slipped quietly into the room full of equipment, he thought he heard a sound, a soft click or the faintest clatter. When he looked carefully around, however, he seemed to be alone. It was possible that he had disturbed something on entering, the draft from the door flipping over some papers that had knocked a pen to the floor or some such thing.
There was a distant explosion, which meant Biggles and the others were keeping the guards busy. Algy shut the door behind him and moved swiftly through the room, barely glancing at the banks of equipment with their switches flipped off and their lights dark. He doubted if the information would be there anyway. Aware of his ticking clock, he yanked open drawers, flipped hastily through papers on desks.
The sound of loud, booted steps in the hall, and voices speaking a language he didn't understand, made him jump. He looked hastily around. There was just the one door, so he had no rear exit. The only hiding place was a supply closet he hadn't yet searched because it appeared to be locked.
The clomping steps approached the door and paused. The doorknob rattled. There was no other option. Algy went swiftly to the closet and then discovered that the tall, narrow door had the handle wedged in such a way that it appeared to be locked, but yielded readily enough under his hand. He was in too much of a hurry to question his good fortune. As the outer door began to open, he stepped rapidly into the closet, expecting to stumble into boxes of paper and office supplies in the dark.
Instead he slammed into a yielding, moving, very human bulk. Algy started to say "What?" out of pure reflex. A strong hand wrapped around his mouth, while a long arm snaked past him and pulled the door closed.
Algy's first, instinctive reaction was to struggle, but he heard the outer door open and froze. The hand was still over his mouth, and his body was pressed against someone who was a little taller than he was, narrow and spare. In the brief flash of light before the closet door closed, he had seen the glint of a monocle.
It just figured.
The closet door was still open a crack. Algy tried to move his head to see, and promptly had it yanked back by the hand over his mouth. Algy wrestled an arm up—they were squeezed in so tightly that there was barely room to move—and wrapped his fingers over his assailant's. There was a brief struggle before he got the other man's hand off his mouth and hissed through his teeth as quietly as possible, "What are you doing here?"
"The same thing you are, I expect." If there was any doubt that it was von Stalhein in the closet with him, the faint breath of a sardonic whisper put paid to that notion.
The two guards, if guards they were, had paused to argue in the doorway—Algy could hear them—but now they clomped into the room, and both he and von Stalhein went silent. Pressed together as they were, he could feel von Stalhein's heart beating rapidly. One of the spy's arms was still half wrapped around Algy in a parody of an embrace, because there was really nowhere else in the closet to put it.
Outside the closet, there were rustling sounds, minor crashes, and muttered voices. Algy choked down a slightly hysterical laugh at the idea that there were now three groups of people in the same place looking for the same papers. All we need is for a fourth group to show up, and then they'll be crowded in here with us ...
He wanted to be able to see, but von Stalhein had moved to block the opening, half crushing Algy against the wall, in order to peek out. This was intolerable, and Algy irritably tried to shove him back to get a little visibility and possibly a little air. This provoked a minor, slow-motion, very quiet scuffle, until one of the guards said something in an alarmed tone. Algy couldn't understand the words, but the tone came through loud and clear—"Did you hear something?" or the like.
Algy and von Stalhein froze, Algy with one hand jammed up between them, trying to shove von Stalhein off him, and von Stalhein with one hand flattened against Algy's temple, pushing his head into the wall. They stayed like that, like a sort of weird baroque sculpture, for a couple of moments. Algy was just considering bringing up his knee into von Stalhein's groin and seeing how much space that got him when there was a final flurry of paper-rustling and stomping, and the two men left the room, closing the door behind them.
Von Stalhein and Algy scrabbled for the closet door at the same time, almost got jammed up in it, and tumbled out into the room. They hastily scrambled to put some space between them. Algy put his hand on his gun; so did von Stalhein. They glared at each other.
"Did you find anything in the closet?" Algy asked sweetly.
"No more than you did," von Stalhein returned. He took his hand off his gun, straightened, and settled his collar.
The room was in a vastly greater state of disarray than when Algy had first entered it. Drawers had been pulled out and dumped on the floor. Also, the room was beginning to smell faintly of smoke, which Algy assumed meant that Biggles had been even more busy down at the main gate.
"I think we can assume," von Stalhein added coolly, sweeping his gaze across the disorder, "that our mutual goal is no longer here, if it ever was."
"You assume we're looking for the same thing."
"I somehow doubt you've come here in search of a favourite childhood teddy bear," von Stalhein said with a faint sneer.
Algy sneered back and was just gearing up for a retort when the door slammed open. They both whirled and drew their guns. Algy lowered his immediately when he saw that it was Biggles, looking extremely excited with his hair mussed, a smudge of soot on his face, and his jacket torn all down one side. He didn't seem to be bleeding or limping, to Algy's relief.
"Algy! There you are! Oh, hello, von Stalhein!" Biggles said all in the same breath, as if it was perfectly normal to find them together—though Algy saw the quick flash and the way that his eyes went even brighter. "The place is about to go up, we should leave—did you find anything?"
"Not a bloody scrap, unless he has the papers on him," Algy said darkly, putting away his gun. It was an unpleasant possibility that had just now occurred to him.
Von Stalhein had lowered his gun but did not holster it; he had the tense, wary look of a hunted animal. It was clear that he had realized he was outnumbered. Algy suspected with gloomy certainty that Biggles wasn't thinking along similar lines, and he had his confirmation when Biggles exclaimed, "Well, then, come on, let's go, quickly down the back stairs"—and the invitation clearly extended to both of them.
Von Stalhein was swept along with them into the hall, moving with a brisk stride and a certain amount of apart-ness that suggested he just happened to be going the same way. The smoke was thicker out here.
"Which rooms did you both search?" Biggles asked. "We can compare notes."
"You remember we're not on the same side, right?" Algy said, while von Stalhein looked as if he had expected a boot and was thrown an apple instead, and he didn't know what to do with it.
"I hardly think that matters with the building on fire, Algy; we can deal with the situation outside," Biggles said with a brisk air of finality.
Algy suspected that dealing with the situation would involve not arresting von Stalhein yet again. Should've handcuffed him while I had the chance, he thought grimly as they all hurried down the stairs.
Prompt: Location: Computer Lab
1400 words, Algy + Von Stalhein (+ Biggles), gen
As Algy slipped quietly into the room full of equipment, he thought he heard a sound, a soft click or the faintest clatter. When he looked carefully around, however, he seemed to be alone. It was possible that he had disturbed something on entering, the draft from the door flipping over some papers that had knocked a pen to the floor or some such thing.
There was a distant explosion, which meant Biggles and the others were keeping the guards busy. Algy shut the door behind him and moved swiftly through the room, barely glancing at the banks of equipment with their switches flipped off and their lights dark. He doubted if the information would be there anyway. Aware of his ticking clock, he yanked open drawers, flipped hastily through papers on desks.
The sound of loud, booted steps in the hall, and voices speaking a language he didn't understand, made him jump. He looked hastily around. There was just the one door, so he had no rear exit. The only hiding place was a supply closet he hadn't yet searched because it appeared to be locked.
The clomping steps approached the door and paused. The doorknob rattled. There was no other option. Algy went swiftly to the closet and then discovered that the tall, narrow door had the handle wedged in such a way that it appeared to be locked, but yielded readily enough under his hand. He was in too much of a hurry to question his good fortune. As the outer door began to open, he stepped rapidly into the closet, expecting to stumble into boxes of paper and office supplies in the dark.
Instead he slammed into a yielding, moving, very human bulk. Algy started to say "What?" out of pure reflex. A strong hand wrapped around his mouth, while a long arm snaked past him and pulled the door closed.
Algy's first, instinctive reaction was to struggle, but he heard the outer door open and froze. The hand was still over his mouth, and his body was pressed against someone who was a little taller than he was, narrow and spare. In the brief flash of light before the closet door closed, he had seen the glint of a monocle.
It just figured.
The closet door was still open a crack. Algy tried to move his head to see, and promptly had it yanked back by the hand over his mouth. Algy wrestled an arm up—they were squeezed in so tightly that there was barely room to move—and wrapped his fingers over his assailant's. There was a brief struggle before he got the other man's hand off his mouth and hissed through his teeth as quietly as possible, "What are you doing here?"
"The same thing you are, I expect." If there was any doubt that it was von Stalhein in the closet with him, the faint breath of a sardonic whisper put paid to that notion.
The two guards, if guards they were, had paused to argue in the doorway—Algy could hear them—but now they clomped into the room, and both he and von Stalhein went silent. Pressed together as they were, he could feel von Stalhein's heart beating rapidly. One of the spy's arms was still half wrapped around Algy in a parody of an embrace, because there was really nowhere else in the closet to put it.
Outside the closet, there were rustling sounds, minor crashes, and muttered voices. Algy choked down a slightly hysterical laugh at the idea that there were now three groups of people in the same place looking for the same papers. All we need is for a fourth group to show up, and then they'll be crowded in here with us ...
He wanted to be able to see, but von Stalhein had moved to block the opening, half crushing Algy against the wall, in order to peek out. This was intolerable, and Algy irritably tried to shove him back to get a little visibility and possibly a little air. This provoked a minor, slow-motion, very quiet scuffle, until one of the guards said something in an alarmed tone. Algy couldn't understand the words, but the tone came through loud and clear—"Did you hear something?" or the like.
Algy and von Stalhein froze, Algy with one hand jammed up between them, trying to shove von Stalhein off him, and von Stalhein with one hand flattened against Algy's temple, pushing his head into the wall. They stayed like that, like a sort of weird baroque sculpture, for a couple of moments. Algy was just considering bringing up his knee into von Stalhein's groin and seeing how much space that got him when there was a final flurry of paper-rustling and stomping, and the two men left the room, closing the door behind them.
Von Stalhein and Algy scrabbled for the closet door at the same time, almost got jammed up in it, and tumbled out into the room. They hastily scrambled to put some space between them. Algy put his hand on his gun; so did von Stalhein. They glared at each other.
"Did you find anything in the closet?" Algy asked sweetly.
"No more than you did," von Stalhein returned. He took his hand off his gun, straightened, and settled his collar.
The room was in a vastly greater state of disarray than when Algy had first entered it. Drawers had been pulled out and dumped on the floor. Also, the room was beginning to smell faintly of smoke, which Algy assumed meant that Biggles had been even more busy down at the main gate.
"I think we can assume," von Stalhein added coolly, sweeping his gaze across the disorder, "that our mutual goal is no longer here, if it ever was."
"You assume we're looking for the same thing."
"I somehow doubt you've come here in search of a favourite childhood teddy bear," von Stalhein said with a faint sneer.
Algy sneered back and was just gearing up for a retort when the door slammed open. They both whirled and drew their guns. Algy lowered his immediately when he saw that it was Biggles, looking extremely excited with his hair mussed, a smudge of soot on his face, and his jacket torn all down one side. He didn't seem to be bleeding or limping, to Algy's relief.
"Algy! There you are! Oh, hello, von Stalhein!" Biggles said all in the same breath, as if it was perfectly normal to find them together—though Algy saw the quick flash and the way that his eyes went even brighter. "The place is about to go up, we should leave—did you find anything?"
"Not a bloody scrap, unless he has the papers on him," Algy said darkly, putting away his gun. It was an unpleasant possibility that had just now occurred to him.
Von Stalhein had lowered his gun but did not holster it; he had the tense, wary look of a hunted animal. It was clear that he had realized he was outnumbered. Algy suspected with gloomy certainty that Biggles wasn't thinking along similar lines, and he had his confirmation when Biggles exclaimed, "Well, then, come on, let's go, quickly down the back stairs"—and the invitation clearly extended to both of them.
Von Stalhein was swept along with them into the hall, moving with a brisk stride and a certain amount of apart-ness that suggested he just happened to be going the same way. The smoke was thicker out here.
"Which rooms did you both search?" Biggles asked. "We can compare notes."
"You remember we're not on the same side, right?" Algy said, while von Stalhein looked as if he had expected a boot and was thrown an apple instead, and he didn't know what to do with it.
"I hardly think that matters with the building on fire, Algy; we can deal with the situation outside," Biggles said with a brisk air of finality.
Algy suspected that dealing with the situation would involve not arresting von Stalhein yet again. Should've handcuffed him while I had the chance, he thought grimly as they all hurried down the stairs.
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ETA:
This was so much fun! Algy and Erich are the most unlikely people to peacefully coexist in a closet together 😂 I love that they almost get caught because they each want to get the upper hand and shove at each other.
I also love the moment when EvS has his hand over Algy's mouth for a moment them being united against a common threat. And the fact that by now Algy can recognize Erich just from a glimpse of him!
And of course when Biggles shows up to the rescue, things are on fire and they must cooperate. Which seems to suit von Stalhein just fine!
This was great ♥♥♥♥
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A very small cramped closet and despite the fact that guards are practically outside the door they cannot stop elbowing and shoving each other! EvS was probably really hoping it would be Biggles when someone squeezed in there with him...
And then there's Biggles and everything is on fire and it's back to business as usual for them all. This is excellent fun!
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(Anonymous) 2024-07-27 07:56 am (UTC)(link)Also, this line?
That is *splendid*. That is just - the most von Stalhein thing.
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Thank you so much!
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Biggles is probably delighted to find them both together. How convenient!
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That is *splendid*. That is just - the most von Stalhein thing.
Thank you! <3 Yeah, I think a lot of EvS's interactions with Biggles are like that. He expects to be kicked in the teeth and instead he gets kindness; what is he even supposed to do with that??
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I love them both squished in a tiny space and mentally weighing up whether the satisfaction of a temporary victory over the other would be worth enemy discovery… and I like to think that it’s really the spectre of Biggles’ disappointment in them in that scenario that keeps them (mostly) well behaved! <3
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Only Algy would manage to turn EvS into a bratty child, and both of them willing to risk discovery just to get the upper hand? Absolutely canonical characterisation.
Which rooms did you both search?" Biggles asked. "We can compare notes."
"You remember we're not on the same side, right?" Algy said, while von Stalhein looked as if he had expected a boot and was thrown an apple instead, and he didn't know what to do with it.
hahaha
That's the best bit. And EvS should be used to being pelted with apples by Biggles. :D