by Marty Chan
“Those old men aren’t going to be any match for Ba Tian’s soldiers,” Kifo said. “Now lower your crossbow, or I will shoot your friend.”
Amina hesitated, but she finally obeyed and placed the crossbow on the ground.
“Now kick it away.”
She obeyed. The crossbow slid across the floor.
“That’s better.” Kifo rose from behind the mahogany desk. “Now lie down on the floor.”
She began to kneel.
“Both of you.”
The soldiers would be upon them soon. Ehrich had one chance. He snapped the crossbow bolt in his shoulder off—igniting a new wave of pain—then hurled the shaft at Kifo, who ducked under it. Ehrich kicked his crossbow on the floor to Amina as he stumbled toward the desk. Kifo fired, but Ehrich dove to the floor and the bolt missed him.
Amina stood up with Ehrich’s crossbow aimed at Kifo’s chest. “You’re not fast enough to reload and shoot. Drop the weapon.”
“Go ahead. Snuff out the lives of your friends,” the assassin taunted.
Amina didn’t pull the trigger. “You okay, Ehrich?”
He grunted. “I’ll live.”
He ripped a part of his shirt to tie off his wound. He’d have to dig out the remnants of the bolt, but not now. There was no time.
“Kifo, drop the weapon,” Amina ordered.
The assassin finally complied.
“Let’s go up,” Ehrich said. “This is no place to defend ourselves.” With his good hand, he picked up Amina’s crossbow.
“Move, Kifo,” Amina said, herding her quarry to the doorway.
They ushered Kifo up the stairs to join Tesla and Mr. Serenity. The two men exchanged fire with soldiers at the other end of the corridor, keeping Ba Tian’s men from getting any closer. Ehrich motioned the pair to head up the stairs to join their friends.
“You might as well give up,” Kifo said. “There’s no escape.”
Mr. Serenity took another shot and reloaded his crossbow. “The engine room. We can fortify ourselves in there. And then we can bring the bird out of the sky.”
Amina’s eyes widened. “Are you insane? We’ll perish.”
The big man beamed. “I’m insane, but not suicidal. Not crash the ship. Bring it down.”
“How?” Ehrich asked.
“I’ll show you, but first we have to get them to stop shooting at us.” He fired down the corridor twice.
Amina pushed Kifo in front of her, using the assassin as a shield. The soldiers stopped throwing taels. Mr. Serenity led Tesla and Ehrich up the stairs to the engine room. Amina followed, moving backwards with Kifo as her shield against the soldiers. “Stay back or your general dies!” she cried.
They squeezed through the doorway and slammed the door shut. Amina spotted a large tool kit near the door. She grabbed a tapered punch—used to start holes for drills—and a hammer. She pounded the punch into the floor at the base of the door then pounded several more of the metal rods into the floor as makeshift doorstops.
“Whatever you have planned, Mr. Serenity, you’d better be fast,” she said. “I think I’ve attracted some attention.”
Two engineers who stood near the segmented hydrogen tanks looked up at the noise.
Kifo shouted, “Help! The intruders have taken me hostage.”
The scarlet engineers were technicians, not warriors, but they weren’t helpless. The two men grabbed heavy tools and chains and advanced on the group, joined by another two who approached from further down the engine room.
Ehrich fired at the nearest engineer and brought him down. The remaining three scattered behind the tanks.
“Watch Kifo,” Ehrich yelled back as he headed toward the giant copper tanks.
As he slipped around one of them, a chain slammed down on his weapon and knocked it out of his hand. He came face to face with a burly engineer in overalls. The man twirled the length of chain as he advanced.
Amina pushed Kifo down on the floor and signalled Mr. Serenity and Tesla to watch the assassin. She rushed to Ehrich’s aid, but another engineer appeared from behind a tank. He brandished a giant wrench. She spun and fired. He fell with a bolt in his chest. His partner emerged. She took aim and fired, but her weapon was empty. He flashed a gap-toothed grin and charged. In the tight space between the hydrogen tanks and steam engines, Amina couldn’t manoeuvre and had to confront the engineer head on. He rained punches on her head and forced her back.
Mr. Serenity took aim at the gap-toothed engineer, but Kifo struck him with a well-placed kick to the groin. “Storm the engine room,” she shouted as she ran through a lane between steam engines.
Tesla tried to catch the assassin, but a heavy slam against the door caused him to stop. The metal punches began to bend under the pressure. He rushed to the door and braced himself against the wood to keep the soldiers from entering.
Amina elbowed her gap-toothed opponent. He staggered back. She advanced for another blow, but Kifo kicked the back of her knee, knocking her down. The engineer clipped her chin with an uppercut, dazing her. Kifo turned her attention to Ehrich.
Across the engine room, Ehrich ducked under the whirling chain and rushed at his assailant, slamming his good shoulder into the man’s midsection. The impact sent shockwaves of pain into his throbbing wound. He clenched his jaw and drove the engineer against the hydrogen tank, knocking the wind out of the man. Then Ehrich lifted his head and connected with the man’s jaw, knocking him out cold.
The door cracked loudly as the soldiers smashed into it. “I can’t hold the door much longer,” Tesla screamed.
Ehrich started toward the door.
Mr. Serenity groaned, “No. Ehrich…up the ladder. The rip line.”
“What?” Ehrich asked.
The injured man pointed up. “There’s an emergency device for rapid descent. It’s a rip line in the balloon. The winch at the top of ladder. Crank it until the rip opens…. I’ll help Mr. Tesla.”
Ehrich ran to the ladder and began to climb. About halfway up, he spotted a thick cable running from the winch at the top of the platform to what appeared to be a seam in the balloon near the bow. He scaled the bamboo rungs.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his ankle. Below, Kifo had a hold of Ehrich’s leg. He kicked free of the assassin and swung around to the other side of the ladder to climb. His adversary followed and snaked her hand out again, but Ehrich kicked it away. He lost his grip and slid down the ladder, slamming into Kifo, stunning her. The pain in his shoulder and forearm throbbed and he bit his lip to keep from screaming. Ehrich then redoubled his efforts and climbed up until he reached the platform. He searched the engine room for Amina and spotted her fighting the gap-toothed engineer at the base of the ladder. He turned his attention back to the device on the platform.
The cylindrical winch had to be operated by hand. A heavy rope was already wrapped around one end of the spool, and the rest of the line ran up to the seam in the balloon skin. Ehrich lifted the safety stop and cranked the wooden handle around once to gather the line. His muscles strained from the effort, and his wounds throbbed. He turned the crank a second time. Before he could crank a third time, Kifo grabbed the back of his jacket and hauled him back.
Ehrich’s hand snaked out and grabbed the bamboo railing in time to keep from flying off the platform. Kifo punched the wound in his other arm, causing a fresh spurt of blood. He screamed and staggered back. Kifo pressed the advantage and shoved Ehrich back against the railing. The bamboo bent but did not break. He tipped over the edge. One more good shove and he was done for.
Before Kifo could finish the job, Amina grabbed the assassin’s leg from the ladder. Her face was bruised and bloodied, but she had an intense determination in her grey eyes. Kifo drove her boot into Amina’s face. She slipped down the ladder but clung to one of the bamboo rungs. Kifo raised her boot for another blow.
Ehrich covered his wound with one hand and threw his body into Kifo, driving her off the platform. The assassin grabbed a rung just in time a
nd slammed against the ladder beside Amina, who slipped down a rung below the assassin.
Below, a loud crash resounded as the door splintered to pieces. Tesla and Mr. Serenity scrambled for cover as a dozen soldiers rushed through the doorway. They spread out across the engine room.
Ehrich reached out to grab Amina, but she was out of reach.
“Forget me,” Amina cried. “Take the ship down.”
The soldiers would swarm the engine room in seconds. This was their only opportunity. Ehrich pulled back from the platform’s edge and cranked the winch. The rip line coiled around the spool. The tear in the balloon opened up wider, and air rushed in. The ship began to take a nosedive.
Mr. Serenity grabbed Tesla, and the two braced themselves between the steam engines. The sudden pitch of the airship sent the soldiers skidding across the floor. One smacked his head on an overhanging copper pipe and fell down unconscious. Others reached out to grab anything to stop their sliding. A few scrambled to climb up the incline to the safety boats at the far end of the engine room.
“Get out before the ship goes down!” one of the soldiers shouted.
Panic overcame discipline as the men pushed each other out of the way to get to the safety boats.
The airship yawed to an even sharper angle. Ehrich grabbed the railing and peered over. Kifo and Amina struggled to hang on. A fall from this height would be fatal. Kifo’s grip started to slip. Ehrich reached over the platform and grabbed the assassin’s wrist. His crossbow wound pulsed with pain, but he gritted his teeth and hung on to Kifo with his good hand.
Amina began to lose her grip. “Ehrich! I can’t hang on any longer.”
“You have to hang on,” he shouted.
“I can’t!”
“Don’t let go of me,” Kifo yelled.
“Help!” Amina said.
Ehrich tried to shift himself over so he could help Amina, but his grip on Kifo slipped and he knew he had to stay put.
“If you let go of me, you lose Ning Shu,” Kifo yelled.
“Shut up,” Ehrich yelled.
Amina tried to shift her grip, but she slipped. Now she hung on to the bamboo ladder by one hand. Ehrich had to make a choice.
“Let her die,” Kifo said. “Save me, and you will have what you want. I’m the only chance your brother has.”
Ehrich stared into the assassin’s eyes, and knew there was no other choice. He let go of Kifo. Her arms flailed as she plummeted to the angled floor below. Her body landed on one of the pipes leading from the ballonet to the copper pipes. There was a loud crack as Kifo’s back broke on the impact. Her limp corpse fell to the network of pipes just over the hydrogen tanks.
Ehrich grabbed Amina, the pain in his shoulder erupting again. He hauled her up.
“Why?” she gasped. “Kifo was the key to everything.”
“I couldn’t let you die, Amina.”
The airship began to level off. The pair could climb down the ladder. Only Tesla and Mr. Serenity remained below with the bodies of the dead soldiers on the floor. The other soldiers had cleared the engine room to climb into the safety boats. Ning Shu’s twisted body lay on the overhead pipes. Her eyes were open, but blank and lifeless.
The ship splashed down in the Hudson River. The gondola listed heavily to one side. Water poured in through the giant tear in the envelope. They had to flee.
“Can everyone swim?” Ehrich asked.
“I can’t,” Mr. Serenity said, eyes wide with panic.
Tesla patted his colleague on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll help you.”
Amina said, “Mr. Serenity, I’ll carry you out if I have to.”
They waited until the water filled up the engine room. They waded through the briny water until they had to swim. Tesla and Amina bracketed Mr. Serenity and towed him with them as they swam out the opening.
Ehrich lingered behind, watching the water wash over Ning Shu’s body. He gritted his teeth and floated toward the body. He wrapped his good arm around one of the copper pipes and reached out to pull the Infinity Coil from around his friend’s neck. Then he gently caressed her pale face in a silent farewell, before he kicked off and swam to join the others. His injured shoulder forced him to turn to his side so he could paddle with his good arm and kick with both his legs.
Once outside the airship, Ehrich surveyed the damage. Parts of the gondola had snapped off from the impact in the water. The airship started to sink. All around, soldiers were floating on escape rafts.
He noticed some floating bamboo rods a few feet away and grabbed one of them, propping up his injured arm. The water rushing into the balloon threatened to carry him back into the sinking ship but he flutter-kicked with vigour until he surged forward. He retrieved another bamboo rod and swam to his companions struggling with the panicking Mr. Serenity.
Ehrich slid the bamboo between Tesla and Mr. Serenity and ordered, “Grab hold.”
The big man lashed out and hooked the rod with his elbows.
“Now kick,” he said.
Mr. Serenity obeyed. He stayed afloat, barely keeping his mouth above the lapping river. Tesla and Amina took either ends of the rod and stabilized the big man in the water. They pushed away from the sinking craft and aimed for the Manhattan shoreline.
In the distance, merchant ships sailed toward the downed craft. The people of New York were coming to save the very people who were bent on destroying them. Ehrich couldn’t help but note the irony of this. The soldiers were in no condition to fight, and they would welcome the help.
Tesla grinned. “I told you my people would show their best side when it mattered.”
By the time Ehrich’s group reached shore, merchant sailors were hauling up the crimson soldiers. In short time, the generals would be rounded up, leaving no heads to rule the House of Qi. Ehrich wanted to celebrate, but he couldn’t. All he could think about was the image of the limp body of Ning Shu. Ehrich clutched the Infinity Coil to his chest. Once, this device was a prison for his brother. Now the medallion was a symbol of Ehrich’s failure to save his friend, Ning Shu.
DASH
Ehrich’s group arrived on shore without anyone noticing them. Too many people were rushing to the aid of the airship evacuees. The rescuers would be surprised to discover the people in the water were not luxury airship passengers, but Ba Tian’s soldiers.
The quartet navigated the New York streets to the nearest access point to Purgatory without incident. Hunters had been diverted to the airship disaster. Almost everyone in the city was curious about the dirigible in the Hudson River.
Mr. Serenity tossed Ehrich a peach-coloured towel. “I’m sure Edison will be busy for weeks. His interrogation room will be filled to the brim.”
“We need to shut down the room,” Tesla pointed out. “I can’t abide my AC generators being used for his dark purposes.”
Amina agreed. “One step at a time. The good news is there is no army to invade this sector.”
“The day is ours,” Mr. Serenity said.
“Not quite,” Ehrich mumbled.
The bald man glanced at the medallion in the teen’s hands. “Ah yes, one last thing to do. May I, Ehrich?”
He reluctantly handed the Infinity Coil to Mr. Serenity.
“I will find a way to free Dash.”
“What about Ning Shu? Can you set her free?”
Mr. Serenity shook his head. “Her body was broken.”
Ehrich chewed his bottom lip. “I was hoping you might save her as well.”
“I will lend my expertise,” Tesla said. “I’m sure we’ll deduce how the mechanism works.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The two men brought the Infinity Coil to the workshop table to begin their examination. Amina walked over with a towel to dry off Ehrich. She scrubbed his scalp with vigour, but her gaze lingered on his face.
“What you did back on the ship, I won’t forget.”
“I don’t think I will either. I let Ning Shu drop.”
“She
isn’t lost to us.”
“Without her body, she’s trapped.”
“The person you let fall wasn’t Ning Shu. It was Kifo. A body is a vessel. The mind or the soul is the person.”
“I can’t help thinking I let Ning Shu die. I want to believe Kifo fell, but I only see Ning Shu’s face.”
“Ehrich, you had no choice. You gave us all a chance to survive. As for Ning Shu and Dash…we can’t lose hope. Life finds a way. Every survivor in Purgatory is proof of this.”
Amina’s words rang hollow in Ehrich’s ears. He excused himself and walked into the cryogenic chamber where Dash slept. The boy seemed serene in the suspended state, but Ehrich noted how his face had changed over the two years they had been apart. His body had grown. Ehrich wondered if his mind had grown as well.
v
The next morning, Mr. Serenity gathered everyone around the worktable. Amina wiped the sleep from her eyes. Ehrich had not slept at all.
“The technology is ancient, but I think I understand. At first, I believed the gears were nothing important, but then I noticed how many of them were within the loop. When I examined them closer, I realized they were portals, like Demon Gate, except they open to pocket dimensions. Each one contains a consciousness or soul—whatever you want to call them. Open the right one, and the soul within is released.”
“How did Kifo know the right one to open?” Ehrich asked.
“I believe he possessed a psychic link to the Infinity Coil so he could recognize the souls. Without him, the next best connection is the soul’s original body. Maybe the body can draw out your brother.”
“I think I understand.”
“I must warn you. The process may simply release all the souls at once and banish them into the ether. We don’t know for sure if this will work or not, but if it fails, we may lose your brother forever. I leave you to decide what to do.”
“Let me think about it,” Ehrich said. He wondered about Ning Shu and all the other hundreds of innocents Kifo had trapped within. Could he callously risk throwing away their lives for the sake of his brother?
He agonized over the decision through the day and into the night. Finally, he approached Amina. “What would you do?”