She understood his point. “All right, but I’m taking action if you can’t make this plan work.”
“Of course. Everything is going to be fine. You just need to trust me,” Gable replied as he stroked the side of Priscilla’s face.
Giles strapped on his jetpack. “Are you ready?”
Gable nodded his head and said, “Yes.”
*****
Outside the airship, Reb rapidly fired bullets at one of the pirate biplanes. The biplane tried to evade her fire, but the bullets struck the vehicle and destroyed its engine. The sky pirate leaped out of the biplane and deployed his parachute, while the vessel plummeted to the ground below.
Reb laughed wickedly. “This is better than video games! It’s a good thing I’m a quick study, and with really good aim!”
Dante noticed the conflict. “Somebody hijacked one of my biplanes! That Steampunk isn’t going to last very long!”
Reb heard someone activating the radio on her biplane. “Who’s calling?”
“You made a fatal choice! I’m not letting a Steampunk ruin my plans! The zeppelin belongs to us now!” Dante threatened.
“Who are you? I don’t understand why you need another flying vessel?” Reb questioned in a confused tone.
Dante responded, “That’s not your concern! Prepare for a much bigger fight!”
“In that case, I should provide an introduction. The name is Reb Nelson. I’m a famous conqueror of terrorists,” Reb stated arrogantly.
“You’re that crippled lawyer! I would love to blast you out of the sky! There’s a large bounty on your head!” Dante declared.
Reb nervously gulped. “I’m so popular. Anyway, let’s end this battle!”
“Gladly!” Dante said, then he fired at her biplane.
Reb swerved to the left and avoided his gunfire. “Claiming my head won’t be easy!”
“Is that right? Let’s see how you fair against a missile!” Dante bellowed.
He fired a missile at Reb’s biplane, but she performed a barrel roll to evade the explosion. As a result, the missile killed one of the sky pirates who was on a hang glider. The explosion was very large and sent pieces of the terrorist flying at Reb’s biplane.
She used the windshield wipers to discard the burnt pieces. “Thanks for the windshield wipers! It really helps!”
Dante roared from his misfire. “I lost one of my men! You’re a dead woman!”
Reb yanked the steering wheel upward. “If you’re angry now, this part is really going to piss you off!”
Her biplane headed upward and continued moving until it was completely upside down. Reb gritted her teeth while the biplane performed a full back flip and wound up behind Dante.
“What are you doing?” Dante asked in bewilderment.
“Putting the situation in my favor!” Reb yelled, then she fired the biplane’s guns.
The bullets pelted Dante’s biplane, but the damage was only superficial.
He swerved out of the way and said, “You shouldn’t be focusing on me! I was prepared for your type of trouble! Your little niece and nephew are being held as hostages on my battleship!”
Reb was startled by the revelation. “What? I don’t believe you!”
Dante laughed. “Sky pirates are capable of speaking the truth! We needed them for collateral damage! I didn’t want someone like you ruining our plans! Abandon the battle or I’ll kill the children!”
He headed his airship to the right and flew away.
Reb whacked the steering wheel with her fist. “Dang it! How am I going to fix this problem? I don’t want Oliver and Maggie to suffer from my bravado! Gable and Priscilla will be devastated if anything happens to the kids!”
Chapter 17
Percy, Savannah, and Malcolm carefully walked through one of the corridors. Inevitably, they encountered another sky pirate who aimed his electrical gun at them.
“Freeze! This electricity can take out all three of you!” the sky pirate threatened.
Malcolm drew his handgun. “Let’s see who has the quicker shot!”
The sports commentator quickly fired his handgun and the bullet struck the sky pirate’s weapon.
The electrical gun shorted out while its wielder complained, “You’ve got to me kidding me! Well, it should still work!”
“Don’t pull the trigger!” Malcolm warned.
The thug ignored him and tried to use the weapon. It electrocuted the sky pirate and he fell on the floor, smoke sizzling from his body.
Percy shook his head. “Idiot.”
“That’s what I used to say when terrorists died from their own stupidity,” Savannah commented.
Percy looked around the corner and motioned to the others. “We need to keep moving. I don’t want to run into more of those sky pirates.”
“Lead the way. I don’t have the best sense of direction,” Malcolm admitted.
The trio continued to search for the rest of their group. Eventually, they came across the unoccupied dining room.
“This room is completely empty. I wonder what happened to the other Steampunks? Wouldn’t survivors be inclined to hide in these rooms?” Savannah pondered out loud.
Malcolm felt uneasy. “Something doesn’t seem right. It’s almost like people are trying to avoid this room.”
His suspicions were right when three sky pirates cornered them. The terrorists aimed their electrical guns at the small group and fired. Percy, Savannah, and Malcolm dodged out of the way and flipped over a table to shield themselves from the electricity.
“We can all barely fit behind this table! I don’t think we’ll last for very long!” Savannah hollered.
Percy agreed. “You’re right.”
The sky pirates fired their guns again and Percy waited for the electricity to dissipate. Then he swiftly picked up another table and chucked it at the three sky pirates. Two of them ran out of the way, but the table struck the third enemy. He slammed against the wall and landed on the floor, unconscious. Savannah took the opportunity to fling her whip around one of the electrical guns. She yanked it out of the sky pirate’s hands, prompting him to flee from the dining room.
“No way! I’m not sticking around to be killed by these retro freaks!” the assailant complained as he ran away.
The remaining sky pirate felt frustrated by his companion’s cowardice. “Where are you going? You’re just a big chicken! Dante will make you walk the plank! That means you’re going to splat on the ground!”
An alarm blared through the room, catching everyone’s attention.
“Stay where you are! We don’t want to be caught in one of those traps!” Percy warned.
The sky pirate aimed his electrical gun at the computer programmer. “Shut up! I’m not falling for your Steampunk tricks!”
Suddenly, a platform hoisted the sky pirate up in the air and smashed him against the ceiling. Blood and bits of bones dripped from the platform as it remained overhead.
Savannah was nauseated. “I’m not looking at it when the platform returns to the floor.”
“Yeah, that one caught my attention too,” Malcolm replied.
Percy grabbed their hands and led them away from the dining room. “In that case, we need to leave quickly!”
The trio exited the dining room and headed to the right.
*****
Meanwhile, Gable and Giles left the zeppelin and kept their eyes on the battleship.
Gable used special headphones to communicate with his partner. “I’m seeing a lot of enemies out here. We need to reach the pirate ship. Everything else is just an obstacle.”
“Roger that. Lucky for you I have this nifty bazooka,” Giles mentioned.
“It’s not a toy, Giles. I’m counting on you to keep me alive in this sky of madness,” Gable said in a threatening tone.
The attorney replied, “You’ve got it. I have no intention of disappointing you or anyone else.”
They spotted two hang gliders nearby.
“Those hang
gliders are coming straight toward me. I have them on my radar. My guns should take care of them,” Gable stated.
Both of the sky pirates fired their handheld electrical guns and tried to eliminate Gable. He quickly veered out of the way. Unfortunately, the two hang gliders zipped around the biplane and wound up behind Gable. They circled around him like predatory animals.
“Do you need me to get rid of those guys?” Giles asked.
Gable felt confident. “Not yet. I won’t get to use my guns after all, but this trick will work.”
The casino owner dove straight down causing the two hang gliders to collide into each other. Both of the hang gliders exploded upon impact.
“Good job! You took care of two sky pirates at the same time!” Giles boasted.
Gable flew steadily while he responded, “Thanks, but I might need you to get rid of that biplane.”
An enemy biplane approached them, but Giles fired his bazooka before the sky pirate could react. The rocket exploded against the biplane and caused heavy damage.
“Rockets? That’s not fair!” the sky pirate griped as he ejected from the biplane. He flew through the air for a bit then deployed his parachute.
Giles kept his eye on the battleship. “This bazooka makes our job a lot easier! Let’s keep flying to the target!”
Dante spotted the two Steampunks and shook his head. He used an intercom to speak to them.
“Head back to the zeppelin! You’re outnumbered and my crew is well trained in aerial combat!” Dante warned.
Giles couldn’t find the source. “Who are you? I can’t let you get away with this act of terrorism! It only takes a few people to topple a whole empire!”
“Steampunks are so pesky and stubborn! I recognize your attitude and method of combat. You’re Giles Hyde, the much better half of Reb Nelson. There’s a huge reward for killing you and Reb!” Dante ridiculed the man.
“Screw you! What have you done with my wife?” Giles demanded.
“You’ll never find out! My gunfire can easily eliminate your little jetpack!” Dante threatened.
Giles quickly fired a rocket at the captain, but he swerved to the left and avoided the impact. He pursued Giles and fired a barrage of bullets. Giles immediately flew ahead and spiraled through the sky to avoid gunfire.
“Everything is worse when you’re public enemy number one!” Giles growled, as he blasted through the sky.
Gable saw the two men flying through the sky, but the frantic chase prevented him from getting a clear shot at Dante’s biplane. “Hold on, Giles! I’ll figure out something!”
*****
Oliver and Maggie were still stranded in the captain’s office. Aiden watch them cautiously.
“I have an idea. Be prepared for something to happen,” Oliver whispered to his sister.
Maggie got nervous. “Don’t get us killed.”
He quietly lowered a pocket watch from off of his belt and carefully unfolded a blade. The boy quickly slashed Aiden’s cheek, causing the first mate to clutch his face.
“Stupid kids! Now I’m definitely going to kill you!” Aiden ranted.
Oliver grabbed Maggie’s hand and yelled, “Run!”
The two siblings fled from the captain’s office but the other sky pirates caught sight of them.
“It’s the kids! Get them!” one of the villains shouted.
Oliver and Maggie ran across the deck and dodged their enemies.
“How are we going to outrun them?” Maggie asked as they hurried though the airship.
“I’m not sure about that part yet! Just keep running!” Oliver replied.
Eventually, the sky pirates cornered the two kids. Oliver and Maggie became alarmed when the terrorists aimed their electrical guns at them.
“Your plans need work,” Maggie grumbled.
Chapter 18
A biplane swooped down toward the battleship and fired a hail of bullets at the sky pirates. The villains scattered out of the way as bullets riddled the deck.
“Pick on someone who can fight back!” Reb yelled, as she landed on the pirate ship.
Aiden glared at her. “You’re that pesky attorney! There’s a big reward for killing you! Perhaps I should capitalize on this opportunity!”
He marched toward Reb’s biplane while the kids huddled together.
“Aunt Reb came to save us!” Maggie announced.
Oliver held his sister back. “We need to stay out of the way! The sky pirates have really dangerous weapons! I’m sure everything will be fine, but we need to wait until it’s safe to move!”
Reb hopped on the deck and unsheathed her sword. “I’ve been doing pretty well in combat today! Who’s next?”
Aiden motioned to several crew members. “Kill the Steampunk!”
One of the sky pirates fired green electricity at Reb. She flipped through the air to escape the electricity. As a result, the electrical bolt hit a crate of ammunition and caused a major explosion that incinerated a few sky pirates. The other terrorists ran out of the way while their first mate fumed.
Reb taunted Aiden. “You guys have terrible aim! Ditch the green electricity and fight like a real man!”
Aiden pulled out a sword. “I don’t have a problem with that! En garde!”
The first mate lunged at Reb and swiped his blade at her. They clashed their weapons together and shuffled across the deck. Aiden swiped at her head, but she ducked and fought back. The metal of their swords clanged together as Reb overpowered Aiden. He dove out of the way and grabbed a wooden barrel. He rolled it across the deck to distract Reb, but she busted it with her sword. Reb hobbled after Aiden and swiped at him again. They continued to fight until Aiden knocked Reb’s sword out of her hand. She grabbed her baton and assaulted him. Aiden hurried out of the way while Reb slammed her baton down onto the deck. She broke part of the floor and followed her opponent. Their weapons struck against each other several times until Aiden swiped downward. Reb used her baton as a shield while Aiden’s sword clashed on top of it.
“Not bad for a sky pirate!” Reb growled.
Aiden struggled to press his sword against the sturdy baton. “I doubt you’ve seen sky pirates before! One way or another, you’re going to die today!”
*****
Back on the zeppelin, Percy, Savannah, and Malcolm found another turret station that was intended for fighting sky pirates. The trio felt glad to see the variety of weapons available to them.
Percy looked through the window and noticed Dante following Giles in hot pursuit. “It’s far away, but I think the man with the jetpack is Giles. A sky pirate is firing bullets at him.”
“That biplane could easily destroy his jetpack,” Savannah fretted.
“We can solve that problem. This station has a massive harpoon gun that can eliminate the biplane. Stay back,” Malcolm ordered.
He sat on the control seat and maneuvered the enormous harpoon gun in the appropriate direction. Malcolm used the harpoon’s scope to accurately focus on Dante. It was a difficult task, considering the biplane maneuvered very quickly through the sky.
“Hurry up and fire!” Savannah insisted.
Malcolm said, “Hold on! I need to get the right shot! We only have one harpoon!”
He fired the giant harpoon at Dante’s biplane and it successfully speared the evildoer’s vessel from behind. The harpoon missed Dante, but it completely destroyed his controls.
“That harpoon barely missed me! Now I can’t steer the biplane! Well, I’ll just have to improvise!” Dante hollered.
He unbuckled the seatbelt and then he jumped on a crew member’s hang glider. Dante grabbed the top of the hang glider and wrestled for control.
“What are you doing? I can’t use this hang glider with someone on top of it!” the sky pirate protested.
“Sorry, but I get priority! It’s more important for me to survive!” Dante responded.
The captain punched his crew member, causing the hang glider pilot to fall through the clouds. Dante sw
ung over the hang glider and grabbed the handlebar, ignoring the other sky pirate’s fate. He steered the hang glider toward the battleship to regain control of the conflict.
Gable also headed to the battleship, but he was interrupted when a sky pirate wearing mechanical wings ambushed him. The thug landed on top of Gable’s biplane and pulled out a handheld electrical gun.
“Go away! I have to save my son and daughter!” Gable yelled, as he pushed back the sky pirate.
The villain struggled to stay on the biplane. “You’re so stubborn! Why couldn’t you stay on the zeppelin?”
Gable angrily replied, “Obviously, you don’t know the meaning of parenthood!”
He performed a few barrel rolls until the sky pirate was flung from the biplane. The terrorist used his mechanical wings to regain stability.
“My captain is going to make you pay!” the sky pirate shouted, shaking his fist at Gable.
He turned around and saw a fellow biplane come frighteningly close.
The biplane’s pilot warned him, “Get out of the way!”
Unfortunately, the winged sky pirate froze which allowed the biplane to slam into him. The propeller chopped up the sky pirate and splattered him through the air. A large piece of the villain’s wings became jammed in the propeller and stopped it from spinning. As a result, the biplane took a nosedive toward the ground. The pilot frantically tried to unbuckle his seatbelt, but it was completely stuck. He panicked as the biplane plunged down toward the earth. He screamed in terror and the biplane crashed, exploding when it hit the ground.
Up in the sky, Giles felt relieved to no longer have Dante on his tail. “Somebody on the airship has my back! Now I can finally head back to the battleship and finish this fight!”
However, his plans were interrupted when another winged sky pirate found him. The terrorist fired green electricity at Giles, but he somersaulted out of the way.
“No fair! The Steampunks get to have jetpacks!” the sky pirate complained.
Giles aimed his weapon at the winged villain and shouted, “And bazookas!”
He fired a rocket at the sky pirate, but the criminal flew to the left and evaded the impact. The villain tossed his electrical rifle to the side and flew directly toward Giles. He grabbed the bazooka and the two men fought for it.
The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Vendetta Page 21