It was now only a few moments before the two-story high curtains would be raised, and the ballet would begin in ernest. Cricket had spent most of the last hour pacing the backstage like a father expecting his first born child. She found herself adjusting her costume every few minutes. It wouldn't be so bad, she thought, if she was performing in front of strangers, people she didn't know, but Harry thought the tickets they had shouldn't go to waste, so he gave them to Betty, and her daughter, April. And they would be sitting front row center. Harry, Lt. Sandavol, and the rest of his unit were staked out all over the theatre, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Other thoughts were racing through the yound android's mind. Would the people out there see her as a ballarina? Or just some life-sized "toy" trying to act like one? Could she really pull this off? And if indeed, a killer was lurking on stage with her, how could she stop him, or her, without sending everyone there into a panic? Her thoughts were interupted by a fair haired young man much taller than Cricket. This was the dancer playing the part of the prince.
"What is wrong my little dushechka?" he asked Cricket. The robot girl gave him a soft smile. She had found out the word 'dushechka' was Russian for darling, or dear. She didn't seem to mind, since this 'prince' had been just that. In the three days they rehearsed together, he was nothing but the perfect gentleman to her. She couldn't say that about the one dancing as The Mouse King. That one couldn't keep his furry little hands off her.
"Backstage butterflies, isn't that what they call them Ivan?" she asked, with a nervous laugh. The tall blond man put his arms on her sholders and just smiled.
"Tonight is night all will remember, dushechka. And you shall dance into immortality." Cricket thought that last statement was a bit much.
"Ah, just help me get through tonight, ok?"
"
The Nut-Cricket Adventure Part 5
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ButchyBoy
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ButchyBoy
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Cricket took a deep breath as the curtain went up, and the music began. There was Fredrick Graves, playing his part of Herr Drosselmeyer. It was the first time the robot girl had ever seen this sullen old man crack a genuine smile. He must have been an actor in his past, Cricket thought.
The first act of the ballet went like clockwork. Cricket found herself dancing flawlessly, putting as much 'passion' as she was able to, into her performance. When it came time to fight the Mouse King, and his army, Cricket had an interesting time searching them all and dance at the same time. She got to them all, one by one, looking for a weapon, a signaling device, anything that would indicate they any of them were up to no good. She came up empty. When the act ended, and the curtain came down, she should have been elated at the applause she was getting. Insteadm she was frustrated. Perhaps this had been all a mistake, and there was no 'plot' after all. But then she remember Amanda, still in the hospital. She and Harry had to have overlooked something, but what???
Just then, Petrov ran up to her.
"Ohhhh Mrs. Lang." he cried. "That is what I am talking about. Passion, passion. You are dancing like doll come to life." He grabbed her left cheek, and pinched it. "Now, if you will excuse please, I make sure Governers are taking care of for good." Cricket was a bit startled by that last statement.
"What?" she asked. Petrov just chuckled.
"Oh please excuse, bed english.. I must see Governers are having good time. Now you, go break leg." And with that he was off. Now to Cricket, Anton Petrov seemed to most unlikley of suspects. After all, it was he who had brought Amanda back to the stage, encourged her at every turn, or so Cricket's friend told her. Stiil, maybe she should follow him, she thought.
As she began to do so, she noticed one of her ballet slippers came unlaced. When she bent down to re-lace it, she overheard two men speaking in Russian from behind a flat. She knew she really shouldn't easedrop, but if they had some sort of clue as to what was really going on here, well, it was a chance the robot girl detective had to take. She accessed her language banks to translate. One of them sounded like her 'prince', Ivan.
"Everything is in place" one of them said. "In the final scene of act two, when the cymbols crash for the third time, I will kill Governer Saunders from the balcony. You will take care of girl playing Clara at the same time."
"Right on the stage?" Ivan asked.
"Yes." the other one said. "The Chairman feels if the girl is killed right on the stage, panic will come and the people of Old Chicago will be broken once more. He says she is very much loved here." Cricket gasped quietly when she heard all this. She ran to warn Harry, but tripped into something that clattered. The two men jumped from behind the flat. Ivan grabbed Cricket by the arm as she started to run.
"Dolt!" the other one cried. "She hear everything!"
"It does not matter. You get up there and take place. The Chairman kill us both if we fail now, go!" And the man ran off. And so did Cricket. But Ivan's grip got tighter.
"No, no, dushechka. Show must go on. Only now, is change at end. Little Clara will have..." As he spoke, a sharp blade suddenly sprang from under his right sleeve.
".....death scene!"
It it was at all possible for an android to show, or feel fear, Cricket was feeling it right now. She tried to speak, but all she could muster in a very squeeky and meek voice was, "Wowie Zowie!"
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Next: Cricket's Trick Knee
The first act of the ballet went like clockwork. Cricket found herself dancing flawlessly, putting as much 'passion' as she was able to, into her performance. When it came time to fight the Mouse King, and his army, Cricket had an interesting time searching them all and dance at the same time. She got to them all, one by one, looking for a weapon, a signaling device, anything that would indicate they any of them were up to no good. She came up empty. When the act ended, and the curtain came down, she should have been elated at the applause she was getting. Insteadm she was frustrated. Perhaps this had been all a mistake, and there was no 'plot' after all. But then she remember Amanda, still in the hospital. She and Harry had to have overlooked something, but what???
Just then, Petrov ran up to her.
"Ohhhh Mrs. Lang." he cried. "That is what I am talking about. Passion, passion. You are dancing like doll come to life." He grabbed her left cheek, and pinched it. "Now, if you will excuse please, I make sure Governers are taking care of for good." Cricket was a bit startled by that last statement.
"What?" she asked. Petrov just chuckled.
"Oh please excuse, bed english.. I must see Governers are having good time. Now you, go break leg." And with that he was off. Now to Cricket, Anton Petrov seemed to most unlikley of suspects. After all, it was he who had brought Amanda back to the stage, encourged her at every turn, or so Cricket's friend told her. Stiil, maybe she should follow him, she thought.
As she began to do so, she noticed one of her ballet slippers came unlaced. When she bent down to re-lace it, she overheard two men speaking in Russian from behind a flat. She knew she really shouldn't easedrop, but if they had some sort of clue as to what was really going on here, well, it was a chance the robot girl detective had to take. She accessed her language banks to translate. One of them sounded like her 'prince', Ivan.
"Everything is in place" one of them said. "In the final scene of act two, when the cymbols crash for the third time, I will kill Governer Saunders from the balcony. You will take care of girl playing Clara at the same time."
"Right on the stage?" Ivan asked.
"Yes." the other one said. "The Chairman feels if the girl is killed right on the stage, panic will come and the people of Old Chicago will be broken once more. He says she is very much loved here." Cricket gasped quietly when she heard all this. She ran to warn Harry, but tripped into something that clattered. The two men jumped from behind the flat. Ivan grabbed Cricket by the arm as she started to run.
"Dolt!" the other one cried. "She hear everything!"
"It does not matter. You get up there and take place. The Chairman kill us both if we fail now, go!" And the man ran off. And so did Cricket. But Ivan's grip got tighter.
"No, no, dushechka. Show must go on. Only now, is change at end. Little Clara will have..." As he spoke, a sharp blade suddenly sprang from under his right sleeve.
".....death scene!"
It it was at all possible for an android to show, or feel fear, Cricket was feeling it right now. She tried to speak, but all she could muster in a very squeeky and meek voice was, "Wowie Zowie!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next: Cricket's Trick Knee
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