Laurence P. Williams, Provost
Department 426
With that we received our last communication before secret cinema. So far we had been shown some random pictures, sent on a hunt for ice flowers in London, and told to dress in appropriate officers attire as to not stand out like a sore thumb. But how may I ask was this supposed to help us decipher what we were about to see. I will tell you that I didn’t figure out what we were seeing until the movie started and the title came across the screen. Apparently I don’t know movies.
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| Some of the Area |
So, still racking my brain, Rebecca, Carla and I met up with flowers in hand at our designated meeting space. Now, I don’t really know what happened next but I will go on record now and say I messed up (See, I’m learning this married thing well :-P) and instead of going with a group of officers to a funeral, we strolled along the streets with the high society folk going to an authors talk about the contemporary novel.
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| These were just people attending, People get all decked out |
Oh well, here we were strolling through Vienna (London dressed up with actors and the such) chatting with this lovely lady as she explained all about how she was an actress and that Vienna was just the most wonderful place and even thought there was still work to me done repairing after the war, it really was no problems in Vienna.
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| Harry's Bed with all the Flowers |
After a short stroll, or jog if you consider the pace that our leader was walking at, we arrived at the hotel and the international zone of Vienna. There after getting a quick drink in the bar we met up with the housekeeper. He told us that Harry had been staying at the hotel and that he saw the whole accident where Harry got it by a car. Right in front of the hotel, but if we wanted we could go to his room and leave our flower. By this point the flower was starting to be annoying so we did that then went and explored. The level of detail around the place was ridiculous, it was about the size of a small London block, but just wow. So in the middle they had some street vendors selling Vienna type food amongst the rubble that was still around and all along the outside there was a hotel in one section, the Casanova bar in another area, A children’s hospital, a police station and a mock up train station and café.
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| Look EVIDENCE! |
Being as we were dressed up as guardians, we decided that it would be best if we went to the police station and see what was about. There we are shown more clues and we meet the chief of police for the British sector. He tells us that there is a ring stealing all the penicillin, diluting it, and selling it to the sick at a profit. He thinks it has to do with the sewers but hasn’t found the evidence yet. As guardians we were to go investigate further.
As good officers what did we do? Got food and sat in the café. What can I say, I’m not cut out for police work. Then we went to the top floor and were approached by another guy. This time he asked if we had been to the sewers and if we wanted to make some cash. Again, being great officers what did we do? Sure, we’ll help you smuggle penicillin. So there we were, dressed in officers outfits carrying burlap sacks of penicillin through the international zone, best yet, we were told watch out for the police and if you see them, run… great. As we were doing this, everybody was watching us very suspiciously.
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| Smuggling, Pre Faceplant |
I wonder why and then we got to the sewers and started taking twists and turns in efforts to lose people. It ended up working so well that I missed the fact that we had to cross a plank and fell straight on my face. What can I say, must be karma for being a terrible officer. Oh well, we did the task and were then rewarded with a nice new fake Austrian passport. Hmm, wonder what that has to do with anything. Oh well.
At this point we decide that we should probably take a second and get something to drink and wash myself off with. So we sit down again with our newly acquired goods and more antics ensue. First one guy was chasing another calling him Harry. Wait, wasn’t the dead guy Harry? I’m sure he was… oh well, need to clean up.
A few minutes later the one being chased is caught and we get a mini show from the top of the area.
“Have you ever seen any of your victims?”
“You know, I never feel comfortable on these sort of things. Victims? Don’t be melodramatic. Look down there. Tell me. Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you twenty thousand pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money, or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spare? Free of income tax, old man. Free of income tax – the only way you can save money nowadays.” Then Harry guy jumped down and said:
“Don’t be so gloomy. After all it’s not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock. So long Holly.” And ran off, chased shortly thereafter by a group in white biohazard suits.
Then we were told that the lecture on the contemporary novel was about to start and we should make our way to that. There the film started. And if given what we had seen you could guess what it was, you know movies better than I do because across the screen the title of “The Third Man” came up and an audible “oh!!” came from the crowd.
Even if I didn’t ever figure it out, I will say that it was amazing fun. I went to it with really high expectations and I was not disappointed and will be going again. Hopefully next time I do a bit better figuring it out.
