Gunningshire: Rival

"Excuse me... pardon me, ma'am... whoops-"

Dr. Bulgrave weaved his way carefully through the crowd. Curse his lack of foresight - he was so close to accessing the dimension he believed Gust had vanished to, but unfortunately supplies had to be gathered. Vital, important, desperately needed items required to finish the project.

Like, um, confectionary nourishment, oh yes.

As the doctor emerged from a tunnel underneath a cobblestone bridge, checking and double-checking his shopping list, he was stopped in his tracks by an irritatingly familiar voice.

"Wellll! My first day back and already I've run into old Copper-mask! Fancy seeing you again so soon, old boy!"

Dr. Bulgrave's teeth ground together as he turned and raised his head to see the man standing on the bridge.

"Barnaby."

"Sir Barnaby McManus von Buxton the Third, I believe you mean. So, as I was saying, fancy seeing you!"

"Yes. Fancy that."

"I say, I only just got back from an expedition to Africa. Found the most amazing thing!" Barnaby said jovially as he descended the cobblestone steps to talk without yelling, leaving his two associates on the bridge.

"And what would that be?"

"You'll never believe it - a living dinosaur! Had my boys capture the thing with tranquilizers and nets. It's been shipped overseas and they're hard at work studying it."

"...A living dinosaur, you say."

"Indubitably! The scientific discovery of the century! Turns out those African savages were right - the 'Kasai Rex' spoken of in their native legends was in fact a real animal!"

"...Fancy that."

He had gotten there first. HE had, not this smug bastard. But he'd squandered his discovery by weaponizing it. And then Jaxx Tantra had punched it so hard it erupted into a pile of ribcages.

And then he had been too obsessed with Project 28 to go and fetch another.

And then he was in prison.

And then it was too late.

"Hmm, well then! I'd love to hear what you've been up to lately, old Copper-mask! How's the animal-fiddling business?"

"...I've given up on that. I work solely in the fields of medicine and machinery now."

"Ah yes, your little wind-up toys. A most amusing pastime, to be sure!"

Dr. Bulgrave's gloved hands briefly clenched into fists. He was extremely glad his mask covered his current grimace.

"I believe, Sir Barnaby, that my studies in clockwork will lead to great strides in the future."

"Do you? That's not what I've been hearing. I've heard steamworking is on the way out, old chap. Have you seen the wind turbines they're pioneering in Valleyridge? Power from wind! It's astounding!"

A travesty of engineering, that's what it was, thought the doctor.

"Well, I imagine you're very busy gathering watch parts and the like so I'll be on my way - I'd hate to keep you held up from your advancing towards the future of clockwork!" A quick bark of a laugh, like if a walrus was amused. "Do take care - wouldn't want you getting anything stuck in your intake valve from working too hard!"

Barnaby strode off, leaving Dr. Bulgrave to silently turn and stalk away to the shopping center of Gunningshire. The steam venting from his pack came thick and dark.