by Marty Chan
“Thanks, Ehrich. This isn’t a life I had ever imagined for myself, but I did enjoy tonight. Almost made me forget why we’re doing this.”
He shook his head. “Close, but not quite.”
v
Though the room had a few creature comforts such as pillows and a blanket and a stock of food and drink, Ling Po’s quarters still felt like a cell. Ning Shu paced back and forth, surveying her surroundings. The porthole revealed the clouds that masked the airship. The sound of the propulsors turning droned outside. Beside her, Mr. Serenity—free of the straitjacket—painted another scroll. He sketched the airship’s engine room.
“Ling Po should have been back by now,” she said.
“Patience, Ning Shu. He is doing the best he can.”
“I should be the one to talk to the generals as they come onboard.”
He shook his head. “Not so long as the assassin is still on the loose. Ling Po and Gu Shan are your best emissaries. They will bring the generals to you. Then you can convince them to side with you.”
“I hate waiting.”
Mr. Serenity agreed. “You need something to pass the time. Care to take a brush?”
She shook her head.
“By my count, we’ve rounded up at least five so far. How many sit on this Council of Arch Generals, Ning Shu?”
“Twelve in all, including me. Three more to go.”
“Why are they spread across America? I thought all the exoskeletons were under the Hudson River.”
“If the strategy is anything like our invasion of other sectors, my father’s arch generals are coordinating scouting missions. They’re reconnoitering regarding the strength of the enemy forces. They might have a few dozen soldiers to launch small attacks to test their defenses.”
Mr. Serenity’s shoulders sagged.
“What’s the matter?”
“I had hoped when you stranded your father in the other dimension, the war would be over.”
“Not even close. In our mythology, we have a yao gwai. Do you know it?”
“No. What is this creature?”
“A dragon with thirteen heads. Cut one off, and the creature still lives.”
“Like a hydra from Greek mythology,” Mr. Serenity said. “Except a hydra grows two heads when one is cut off.”
“Sounds similar. The yao gwai is a powerful symbol in my father’s army. That is why the Council of Arch Generals has twelve members. We represent each head of the yao gwai. My father is the thirteenth head.”
“How can we possibly stop the invasion?” he said. He slumped to the bench. “So many heads to chop off.”
Ning Shu walked over and put her hands on the man’s shoulders. “Have faith, Mr. Serenity. Once I depose Xian and her cadre, the others will listen to reason.”
“Do you think you can?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.” She paused and rubbed the jade tael hanging around her neck. “I have to.”
v
Back in New York, the group’s hard work had paid off. The audience member they had hoped would show up finally did. From the wings, Tesla pointed out the man to Ehrich and Amina. The frumpy commissioner took off the top hat with the gramophone horn connected to his hearing aid.
Around him gathered an entourage of nearly a dozen hunters and six coppers, not to mention a retinue of colleagues and city officials. Some of them pointed to The War of Currents message seared into the wall.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ehrich thought he spotted Walter—the disgruntled magician—in the wings, but he couldn’t concern himself with old rivals. He needed to deliver the performance of his life. In full view of the hunters tracking him and a theatre full of spectators, he had to make the commissioner of Demon Watch disappear. He tried to settle his nerves as he headed backstage to prepare for a remarkable change to the act. Tonight, they would not perform the Last Day of the Condemned Man; tonight, they would perform the Last Night of Thomas Edison.
For the first time, he skipped watching Bess perform with her fake sisters. Instead, he huddled with Amina and Tesla, preparing the metamorphosis cabinet. The trio had only one shot to pull off the effect. Tesla would record Edison, and hope to grab a captivating image of the man to replay for the audience so they wouldn’t notice as Ehrich and Amina spirited the original off the stage.
Godfrey waved for silence from the spectators who were now well into their cups and acting rowdy.
“Settle down, all of you. You’re in for a treat tonight. We have distinguished guests in the theatre, and we’re going to give them a classy performance of what everyone has been talking about. Put your mitts together for the one and only—Harry Houdini!”
Whoops and hollers filled the theatre. Only Edison’s group seemed reserved. Ehrich and Amina entered, parading around the apron of the stage while the audience applauded. In the front row, Walter stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Ehrich nodded to the man, but he only glared back.
“Tonight, something new,” Ehrich announced. “You may have witnessed magicians make birds disappear, but that is too easy.”
Walter’s heated glare might have melted Ehrich’s face, but he was too giddy to pay him much mind.
“A few can make your money disappear,” Ehrich quipped. “Although, the same might be said of half the shop owners on Fifth Avenue.”
The rest of the audience laughed.
“Tonight, I’m going to make one of you disappear.”
Waves of titters and murmurs spread through the theatre.
“All I need is a volunteer. Raise your hands if you’re interested.”
Amina paraded back and forth in front of the audience, surveying the crowd. A few hands went up. Edison did not raise his.
Edison’s companion had to shout in his ear. “They need a volunteer for the act.”
“Why?” he said, speaking a little too loudly.
“He’s going to make them disappear,” Edison’s companion shouted.
“But we only just arrived.”
The audience laughed at the exchange. It was all the motivation Amina needed. She pointed at Edison.
“What about him, Mr. Houdini?”
He beamed. “Yes, at least then I can shout directly in his ear, and we can eliminate the echo of my explanation...tion…tion.”
The audience laughed. Edison’s companion fell silent. Amina reached out her hand to invite Edison to stand up.
“Sir, we want you to come on stage!” Amina shouted.
“What?”
She repeated herself, but Edison waved for silence. He donned his gramophone top hat and connected the device to his ear. “Now tell me what you want.”
She asked, “Will you accompany me to the stage?”
“Should have said that the first time,” Edison joked.
The people around him howled. The unkempt man strode down the aisle toward the stage. Edison appeared as if he hadn’t showered or groomed himself in a month. His clothes were rumpled, and he carried himself more as a tramp than a highly placed commissioner. Ehrich encouraged the audience to applaud as the man shuffled up to the stage. From the wings, Tesla waved at Ehrich and Amina to slide to the side so he could record Edison.
“Sir, what is your name?” Ehrich asked.
“Don’t you know it?” Edison asked. “I thought you were a magician.” This man was a prankster with a glint in his eyes.
Ehrich laughed. “Well, then for my first act, I will discover your name.” He placed a finger to his forehead and closed his eyes. “Sir, you have too much of an honest face to be a politician.”
He won the audience back. They roared.
“You have a peculiar mind. One given to humour. Not an entertainer, but you could have been.”
“You could have been one as well,” Edison quipped.
More laughter as the audience enjoyed the banter between the two men on stage.
Ehrich tilted his head. “You possess a serious side as well, sir. One which has earned you much respect. No,
wait. You earned a great deal of money, which has purchased you respect.”
The audience howled with laughter. He opened an eye and gazed at Edison’s entourage.
“And from the companions who accompanied you, I suspect you are a man of some importance. Hmm, Demon Watch hunters. Some coppers. You must be Thomas A. Edison, the new commissioner of the Demon Watch.”
The members of Edison’s entourage gasped and applauded. Edison’s eyes widened, but he accepted the revelation in stride and took a bow. “Guilty as charged.”
“Now, sir, have we met before today?”
“I don’t think so.”
“So we have not had any discussions beforehand about what is to unfold tonight. No secret communications.”
“None.”
Ehrich waved to the members of Edison’s entourage. “And will your companions vouch for that?”
A resounding “yes” came from Edison’s colleagues.
“So then, all is fair with your decision to stand up here.”
Edison shouted, “All is fair in love and war.”
“Ah, yes, it is.”
Edison whispered, “Your message has caught my interest. Now that you have it, what do you want?”
Ehrich ignored the man. “Mr. Edison decided to be here of his own accord.”
Walter shouted, “No! He didn’t make the choice! Your assistant picked him out.”
Now Ehrich understood why Walter had returned to the theatre. The disgruntled magician had intended to ruin his act. The audience murmured to each other, confused and bewildered. Ehrich tried to regain control.
“Ah, you are right, sir. My assistant did pick Mr. Edison out after he raised a racket loud enough for all of us to hear.”
The audience tittered.
“I know how the trick works,” Walter said. “And it’s not a very good one.”
“Sir, I’m trying to entertain the audience.”
“Edison is doing a better job than you are,” Walter shot back.
The audience roared. Ehrich was quickly losing control. He had to win back the crowd and trick Edison to enter the cabinet.
He scolded Walter. “Then you had better let me finish my act and let the audience judge for themselves. The cabinet!” he bellowed, not allowing Walter any opportunity to interject. “Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for a little entertainment I call ‘Lights Out for Thomas Edison.’”
“The cabinet has a false back!” Walter shouted. “You can see light shining through.”
The audience enjoyed this interaction, baiting the two to continue with their jeers and hoots. Ehrich motioned Amina to roll the cabinet out. She wheeled the thing forward, but as she did, the wheel popped off and the cabinet toppled to the floor. She tried to right the cabinet, but the false back dropped open, confirming Walter’s accusation.
The audience now booed. Walter led the charge, cracking a grin at the red-faced Ehrich. Walter tossed the screws to the wheels that had fallen off the underside of the cabinet. “Ta da,” Walter said.
He walked out of the theatre. “If you want to see how real magic is performed, join me at the Bailiwick Theatre down the block. Half price if you say you hated Harry Houdini.”
Many of the audience members in the front section followed him. Edison’s entourage advanced toward the stage, fighting past the crowds now leaving.
Ehrich grabbed Edison’s arm. “Step into the cabinet now.”
“Unhand me, young man.”
“Get in there.”
“I don’t need to go anywhere with you.”
The pair struggled on stage. Edison shook Ehrich’s hand off and tried to push him back. His hand caught Ehrich’s beard and ripped it off. The man’s eyes widened with recognition.
“You!” He waved at his hunters. “It’s Ehrich Weisz!”
Ehrich pressed the beard back to his face, but the damage had been done. The hunters at the back of the audience jumped into action, pushing aside audience members to storm the stage. They all drew their pistols. The audience members screamed, and chaos erupted as people scrambled for cover and tried to flee the theatre. The coppers tried to calm the situation but created a jam of anxious people.
Ehrich tried to drag Edison offstage toward the wings, but the commissioner proved to be strong. He reached up and tapped a switch on his hatband. The gramophone horn emitted a sonic wave. The screech of rending metal scraped at the inside of Ehrich’s eardrums. He let go of Edison and staggered to the back of the stage.
“Ehrich Weisz!” the frumpy man shouted, shutting off the scream of his gramophone horn. “It’s the traitor!”
The hunters jumped on stage. Ehrich slowly stood up grimly as he straightened and then charged the hunters. They fired, but to their astonishment, their electro-darts passed through Ehrich’s body. He leapt off the stage and into the air. His ghostly figure ran through the wall, and he was gone.
“After him!” Edison yelled.
Most of the hunters scrambled off the stage, leaving a trio to guard their leader. They flanked Edison as he descended the stairs. A spectator in a tattered leather duster blocked his way. Kifo pulled the sleeve down to reveal his metal arm.
“Mr. Edis-s-son, I pres-s-sume.”
“Demon!” one of the hunters shouted.
The trio of hunters whipped out their dynatron pistols, but Kifo flicked his metal hand and unleashed a volley of darts. Two hunters fell instantly. The third stepped in front of Edison and fired at the assassin. The dart flew wide.
“You have s-s-something I want,” Kifo said. He flicked his hand again, and the last of Edison’s escorts crumpled to the ground.
The assassin advanced on Edison, who began to back up the stairs.
“Help!” the commissioner cried out to his remaining hunters.
A half-dozen of them raced to his aid, but they were too far away. Kifo raised his metal claw. “You have s-s-something that belongs-s-s to me.”
Edison pressed his hatband and the gramophone horn screeched. The sonic wave drove Kifo back. He clutched his ears. The hunters fired at him. One dart struck his shoulder and energy sizzled across his raggedy duster. He vaulted over Edison and ran across the stage.
Another electro-dart flew past him. He ran toward the wings and fled out the stage door entrance with several hunters in pursuit. Edison’s entourage rushed to his aid and helped him flee the theatre.
In the chaos, no one noticed the trio of Ehrich, Amina, and Tesla huddled in the wings, hidden behind the codex’s projection of an empty stage.
A STAR FALLS
Tesla shut down the codex and disconnected it from the oscillator. Amina picked up the electromagnetic piston while Ehrich gathered his handcuffs and other props into a satchel.
“We were so close,” she said. “Edison was right in our grasp.”
“Forget him. We need Kifo.”
Tesla shook his head. “No, we must clear out before someone spots us. Grab those hunters’ uniforms. We need a disguise.”
Ehrich stripped the long jacket from one of the dead hunters then grabbed the jackets from the other two. The dusters were stained with blood, but no one would spot the stains in the night. Beside the last body, Ehrich spotted Edison’s top hat with the gramophone horn—dropped during the scuffle. He picked up the hat and tucked it under his arm as he intercepted Amina and Tesla. He handed each of them a jacket which they donned as they headed to the stage door exit.
A scrape of something heavy across the hardwood floor beside him stopped Ehrich in his tracks. He spun around and came face to face with a wide-eyed Bess, who had been hiding behind her steamer trunk.
“Who are you?” she squeaked.
He clamped his hand over her mouth. “Shh. You’re not going to scream if I let go, are you?”
She stared at him wide-eyed. This close, Ehrich detected the sweet fragrance of her hair and thought of peaches.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “I just need your promise not to give us away.”
Still no response.
“I’m going to let go,” he offered. “To show you I mean no harm.”
“Stop,” Amina hissed. “She’ll call for help.”
“I know Bess. She won’t, right?”
The girl glared at him.
“I’m trusting you, Bess.” He let go of her mouth.
She pursed her lips but did not scream. “You’re not Harry Houdini so who are you?”
“I’m nobody you want to remember, Bess.”
“Yes, but you’re somebody the hunters want, aren’t you?”
Amina slid closer. “Ehrich, we’re wasting time. We need a place to hide.”
“Do you think we can reach an access point to Purgatory?” he asked.
“Might be able to, but it’s far.”
Tesla edged back. “I think I can program the codex to camouflage us, but the charge won’t last long. Better if we find someplace close.”
“I know a safe place,” Bess said.
“What? Where?”
“Take me with you and I’ll tell you.”
“You don’t want to get involved,” Ehrich warned.
“I’m already involved,” she said.
“Throw her in the green room and lock her up,” Amina said.
Ehrich shook his head. “No.” He took Bess’s hand in his. “Listen, Bess. The kind of mess we are in, you don’t want any part of it. Just tell us where to go and we’ll leave you alone. No one will bother you after we’re gone.”
“I could also scream for help,” she said.
“You didn’t the first time.”
“A girl can change her mind.”
Tesla hissed, “Do something.”
Finally, Ehrich decided. “Okay, show us where to go.”
“I’m glad you came to your senses. Follow me.”
“Hold on,” Tesla said. He pressed the latch on the codex, and the air shimmered with the image of the empty stage. Tesla explained. “I adjusted the codex to record and project at the same time. There may be a slight delay in the image, but not enough to give us away. Everyone stay close to me. Hold hands so you don’t stray out of the perimeter.”
Amina and Bess complied. Ehrich enjoyed the warmth of Bess’s hand, but flinched when Amina squeezed his fingers hard. He nodded at his partner and focussed on the task at hand, which was to evade the hunters.