Quicksilver Soul

by Christine d'Abo

  Send him to me.

  “Mary—”

  NOW!

  Keegan’s legs buckled and he would have fallen had it not been for Samuel. “She wants him sent to her.”

  Samuel looked at his men and nodded. They pushed Thomas forward and withdrew their pistols, discouraging him from turning back. Thomas’ snarl was familiar, as was the proud tilt of his head as he walked straight past Samuel and the boy, out into the open center.

  “I’m here.”

  If Mary’s heart were capable, it would be racing in her chest. This was it. Her moment of revenge. Something that no one would take from her.

  It was then that everything went to hell.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Nicola raced to the outside of the Clock Tower, relieved to see Emmet and David still holding the ship strong in the wind. She would have shouted to them, but David waved his hands and pointed down. From this distance with only lamps as light, she couldn’t make out faces below. Not that she needed to. Mary was clearly visible, as was a lone man walking toward her, the crowd parting to give him room.

  Thomas.

  “Shit.” The stairs would take her far too long to descend and her grappling gun didn’t have a cord long enough to get her safely to the ground. That left only one option. “I need to jump back!”

  “Are you out of your mind?” Emmet’s voice was carried away on the wind. “You’ll die.”

  She didn’t wait for him to approve and stepped onto the thin railing. “Move closer!”

  The two men spoke to each other and in a flash David took control of the dirigible while Emmet leaned over the side, arms outstretched. “Get ready.”

  Another gust pushed the ship away, forcing David to fight the wheel and pull it back on course. Nicola counted to five and stepped up another rung. She’d have to launch herself without hesitation and pray that it would be enough to see her to safety. The ship drew closer, Emmet stretched out, and Nicola took the final step, only to have the dirigible come too close.

  Now unbalanced, Nicola pinwheeled her arms, trying to prevent the inevitable fall. Backward and she’d crack her skull. Forward and she’d die. Eyes wide, she looked up in time to see Emmet’s hands reach for her, and she grabbed on.

  The ship’s stern slammed into the face of Big Ben and the silk from the balloon caught on the minute hand. There was the sickening sound of fabric rending as the ship lost buoyancy and began to fall from the sky. Emmet’s grasp on her wrists was solid, and the position gave her room to mirror the hold. She would be crushed if she couldn’t get back onboard, smashed between the hull and the stones of the tower.

  For an instant, she pictured this as the end of her life. There would be many who’d mourn her passing. Colleagues and employers, customers who would always be left to wonder what new trinket or machine she’d come up with next. Simon might even shed a tear, though that particular image didn’t seem right at all.

  Other than her parents and her brothers, she wouldn’t leave many loved ones behind. She’d never wanted a family of her own, not even a partner with whom to share a bed on the cold winter’s evenings. With her gaze locked onto Emmet’s, the fear and love she saw staring back at her told her how wrong it would be for her life to be over without know what it was like to be forever in the company of someone who owned her heart.

  “I love you.” The words were blown away by the wind, but she knew he’d heard them all the same from the softening of his eyes. “I love you.”

  With a growl, he pulled her hard, dragging her halfway into the ship. “Use your feet to find purchase!”

  Now ignited into action, she kicked at the hull until she found footing on a groove. On the next pull, she was able to kick off, forcing her body the rest of the way onto the deck. There was no time to celebrate their triumph as David wrestled with the ship’s wheel. “Hang on!”

  The hull landed hard on the ground, sending wood flying as it crushed against the frozen ground. Nicola screamed as they were cast about until, as suddenly as the world erupted, it went silent once more.

  Voices below them, calling to them, a stark reminder than their task was far from completed. Shaken, but not broken, Nicola got to her feet and held out her hand for Emmet to take. “Work to do.”

  He took hold of her wrist and pulled himself up. “And don’t think we won’t discuss your revelation later.”

  Blushing, she ignored him and jumped over the side of the ship to the ground.

  Their unexpected landing had been a surprise to all, including Mary, from the look of events. Thomas was lying on the ground, crawling back toward the barricade that appeared to have absorbed a great deal of punishment from the automaton. Mary’s attention had been drawn by their crash, as she now approached them with long, steady strides.

  “What do we need to do?” Emmet’s breath came out in hard pants and he squeezed her hand. “I’m no scientist, but I can follow directions.”

  She looked up in time to see the first bolt of electricity shoot out into the night’s sky from the spire of the Clock Tower. They would lose the opportunity to use the aether discharge if she couldn’t get the copper in place.

  “I need her chest plate opened up and this put on.” She pulled the copper brick from her deep jacket pocket. “It will draw the electricity from the tower and overload her heart.”

  Emmet scanned the crowd as a grin slipped onto his face. “I’ll get it opened. You do what you need to so we can end this.” And he was gone in a flash.

  She wouldn’t be able to place the brick from close range, which meant she’d need to throw it. Her aim had always been good, but there was too much of a margin of error to go simply on trust. She needed a guarantee.

  * * *

  Emmet gave Mary a wide berth, circling around until he reached Samuel. “We need to get her chest plate open.”

  “Why?”

  “Nikki has a plan, but we need that thing’s heart exposed.” Turning to his friend, Emmet dropped all pretenses he normally wore around Samuel. “I know you can make metal do things. Can you do it?”

  Samuel looked between him and Mary before closing his eyes. Emmet couldn’t pretend to understand his friend’s gift, but if this worked he would be forever grateful to him for it. He needed this nightmare to be over before anyone else got hurt.

  A flash of Nicola hanging from the side of the dirigible slammed into him, forcing a shudder. So many times he could have lost her over the past few weeks, gone before he’d gotten up the courage to make things right. He loved her, and now he knew that she loved him back. She’d given him a gift he had no intention of squandering.

  Samuel huffed before he swayed to the point of falling. Emmet caught him, but not before he dropped to his knees.

  “Every time I try, she feels it. She gets in my head and screams, pushes back. I can’t get close enough to make it work.”

  “I can try.”

  The two men looked up to where Keegan stood, pale and shaking. He barely looked to have the strength to stand, let alone be able to take on the metal monster. Emmet reached out and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It could be that the lock is damaged and cannot be opened.”

  “It’s not. There’s a trick to it.” He pulled a large key from his trouser’s pocket. “I can distract her so you can use the key.”

  “Keegan—”

  “This is all my fault. I built her. I chose each part of her with care. Loved her. Then she turned wrong.” Tears welled up in his eyes, but they stubbornly remained where they were. “I need te help fix this.”

  Oh, Emmet understood that feeling. He’d been left on the outside his entire life, wanting to do something, be a key part to anything that would make a difference. It’s why he’d tried to impress his father by partaking in so many wild adventures as a child. Why he’d chosen to walk away from his privilege and wealth to join the Archives. But through every adventure, every case, he’d been left a little bit hollow. He’d been wrong in chasing status. He should
have followed his heart.

  It was the last time he’d make that mistake.

  Getting to his feet, he took Keegan by the shoulders and moved closer to Mary. “What do you need to do?”

  “I can get her to stop, force her to listen to me. I won’t be able to give you much time, but it should be enough for you to use the key and get her chest plate open.”

  Mary was outright attacking the remnants of David’s dirigible, sending splinters flying through the air. “Let’s do this now.”

  * * *

  Nicola stood in the base of the Clock Tower looking once more for an energy source. She’d managed to find a steel pipe from the barricade and a strip of cloth. While it wasn’t possible to magnetize copper, the steel would work perfectly. Bound together, it would keep the copper in place to draw the power directly into Mary’s heart.

  If she could manage to get it magnetized.

  The power running up to her coil was creating a magnetic field that filled the air. Her hair rose and her skin tingled from the power. Streaks of lightning shot from the top of the tower, arcing through the sky. It would start to jump to other buildings, rods, and roofs, anywhere but where she needed it to be. She needed to hurry.

  There!

  Dropping to the ground, she pulled out the cable that ran into the small secondary machine that appeared to shunt any excessive energy away from the Clock Tower. The bars clanged onto the floor where she dropped them. Splitting the wires, she pressed one to each side, ignoring the sparks and the pain as the energy flowed through the steel. The magnetic field wouldn’t last long, but it should be enough.

  It was time to end this.

  * * *

  Keegan stood directly behind Mary, his eyes closed and hands at his side as Emmet looked on. The key was warm in Emmet’s hand, making his palm sweat. Another explosion of electricity shot from the top of Big Ben, this time connecting with the flagpole onto the castle. The flag burst into flames before disintegrating into ash.

  They were out of time.

  “Come on, boy.”

  Mary lifted her arm, but froze before her metal hand connected with the group of Sentry men who’d come around the corner, rifles out. He managed to wave them off in time, preventing a deadly distraction. The automaton turned to face the boy, stepping closer to him. Keegan’s body began to shake, sweat clearly visible on his skin despite the cool winter air. Mary stilled and the light in her eyes dimmed.

  Now.

  Key in hand, Emmet raced toward the metal monster and climbed up the side of her body that lacked an arm. The metal was hot beneath his hands, burning his skin and forcing him to shove the key into his mouth. Falling and breaking his neck was a death he didn’t particularly want, far from the heroic passing he’d often envisioned as a child.

  The chest plate was damaged, dented inward to the point where the seams were strained. The keyhole was undamaged, giving him the first rays of hope that the outcome might play to their advantage. He shoved the key into the lock, prayed silently to the God he wanted so much to believe in, and turned it hard.

  Nothing happened.

  “Shit.” He slipped his fingers into the seam and tugged, but the metal refused to budge. Risking a look at Keegan, he could see the boy’s body vibrating now. It was only a matter of time before he’d lose his control over Mary and Emmet’s life would be over.

  Another bolt from the Clock Tower struck out, this time connecting with the barricade, sending the metal and wood exploding out. Men screamed as they ran, several falling from the impact of the shrapnel. If he didn’t hurry, they were all going to die.

  * * *

  Keegan’s stomach soured, his chest ached, and his brain throbbed. He could feel Mary pressing against his mind, trying to break through the cage he’d wrapped around her.

  Why are you doing this? Let me have my vengeance!

  “I can’t.”

  You of all people must understand. They took your mother, your father. You were cast to the streets, left to fend for yourself with boys who cared nothing for you.

  “I know.”

  Then let me free! I shall destroy Thomas. I’ll make the others pay. You and I will be free to go where we want.

  “I can’t.”

  Traitor! You’ll die with the others. I have no feelings. I’m incapable of caring for you. Your life will be snuffed out as easily as the others.

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  He closed his eyes as her screams filled his head.

  * * *

  “Emmet!” Nicola’s voice was directly below him. “Can you manage?”

  He ignored her in favor of pulling harder on the chest plate. The metal gave a little, reigniting the flame of hope. He needed to put a bit more muscle behind it and…

  The chest plate popped open, sending him off balance and nearly crashing to the ground. Breaking his neck in full sight of the woman he loved was low on his list of how he wanted his life to end.

  A glowing light shining down from the head casing illuminated the chest cavity. The heart was still contained within its metal cage, ticking softly in the night. Emmet held on with one hand and reached down with the other.

  “Throw it up.”

  Nicola grinned and climbed Mary’s leg high enough to be able to slap the metal rods into his waiting grasp. “It’s magnetized. Place it anywhere near the heart and get the hell out of there.”

  The sky cracked once more as an explosion of lightning bolts shot from the face of Big Ben. Emmet did not want to be on the receiving end and burned to a crisp, so he turned and slapped the steel bar to the heart’s casing, leaving the copper side out. Another explosion—one, two, five bolts all touched down on the ground, each strike drawing closer to Mary’s unmoving body.

  The air around them suddenly grew heavy, as though the energy was being drawn from all around them. Nicola had already turned and ran toward the safety of the Clock Tower. The rest of the Sentry had done so as well, Samuel dragging Edison along with him. Only Emmet and Keegan remained in harm’s path.

  * * *

  Keegan knew his control over Mary was nearly over. His body and mind were too weak, too damaged from the drugs, to be able to stand against her any longer. He prayed it had given the man and Miss Tesla enough time to do what they needed.

  “I’m going to miss you,” he whispered into the night.

  I will not.

  Then his world went black.

  * * *

  Emmet jumped free from Mary’s body as a sky-rending crack boomed through the air. The force of the lightning bolt striking the automaton pushed him higher and farther than he would have managed on his own. As the ground rushed at him, Emmet had barely enough time to tuck his body into a ball and roll, delaying his death and serious injury to another day.

  When he looked up, Mary stood rigid. The beams of electricity continued to pound into her metal frame in wave after wave, like water upon a beach during a storm. The stench of melting metal permeated the air. The frozen ground around her feet melted, leaving a puddle of muck and burned grass. Another crack filled the air, this time accompanied by an explosion of glass. He had just enough time to see the clock faces of Big Ben rupture out into the dark night, illuminated by lightning.

  “Fuck!”

  He scrambled to his feet and grabbed Keegan. They would be cut to shreds if they didn’t reach shelter. The Sentry had all crowded into the base of the Clock Tower. Samuel and Nicola stood in the doorway, yelling and waving for him to move.

  They’d never make it in time.

  Emmet pulled the boy as far as the barrier before the first shards began to rain down onto their heads. Dropping beside one of the cannons, he pulled a piece of metal from the barricade, held it above their heads, and prayed.

  The glass beat over them for several long seconds, reminding him of being trapped outside in a hailstorm. He counted the time down in his head, needing a distraction. By the time he got to twenty, the noises had ended and everything was disturbingly s
till.

  “Sir?” Keegan’s weak voice sounded loud in the small space. “Is it over?”

  Pressing the boy tighter against his chest, safe beneath the metal, Emmet looked around the edge. Mary was laying flat on the ground, her metal blackened and smoldering. The sky was presently clear of any lightning bolts, though he couldn’t be certain more weren’t possible.

  “Emmet!”

  Nicola bolted from the Clock Tower directly for them. He tossed the metal aside and picked Keegan up in his arms. When she reached them, she wrapped her arms around them both, kissing their cheeks and checking their bodies for injury. “Are you hurt? Let me see.”

  “We’re fine. What about your machine? Are we still in danger?”

  “I think the capacitor has blown. I’ll need to disconnect the power source to be sure it’s off but—”

  “I’ll do it.” Emmet looked over to where David stood beside his brother. Both men looked relived, if not exhausted. “I think you’ve worked your fair share today, Miss Telsa.”

  “Thank you.” She clung a bit tighter.

  Samuel shouted directions at his men, though they all kept a wide berth around Mary’s remains. “Edison is back in his cell. I suggest once we ensure your machine is turned off and the wounded have been cared for, we all retire for the evening.”

  Rest. Yes, sleep and recovery. Then he’d determine what his next course of action would be. Give up the life he’d sacrificed everything to have, or give up the woman who’d taken his heart.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Nicola stretched out across the length of her bed, reveling in the feel of the fresh cotton against her bare skin. Her body still ached. The muscles in her arms and back caused her to twinge whenever she’d turn in just the wrong way, reminding her of her adventures along the wrong side of the dirigible’s hull. Her feet throbbed only when she walked, an improvement over her hobbled state when she’d first entered her bedchamber after the incident with Mary.