by Marty Chan
Ehrich cracked a grin. “How do you know I didn’t drop by when you were in a coma? Maybe I was here every day.”
Charlie laughed. “What were you doing? Showing me card tricks? Pick a card. Any card.”
“Yeah, and I found your card every time.”
“Oh, man, thank goodness for the coma. I didn’t have to hear your patter. Why are you here now, Ehrich?”
“I felt bad about what I did. I wanted to see if you were feeling better.”
“I’m fit as a fiddle with broken strings.” He tapped his legs. “So all this cloak and dagger stuff, have you caught the one you were looking for?”
“I think we did, but he has allies. I’m looking for one of them.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“You remember that Dimensional I tracked when I was on Demon Watch? The one who took people’s eyes?”
Charlie narrowed his gaze. “Dangerous one. Yeah. You don’t forget someone like that very quickly. Not when you’ve seen his victims. What about him?”
“I think he might still be at large. I need to know if he tried to get into any of Thomas Edison’s laboratories.”
Charlie shook his head. “Ehrich, you are a terrible liar. You expect me to believe that you came all the way down here to talk to a guy in a coma about a Dimensional? Do you take me for a fool?”
“Sorry? I don’t know what you’re going on about, Charlie.”
“Ehrich, it’s been my experience that someone who goes to these lengths to see a girl has something else on his mind. You’re here to see Bess.”
Ehrich felt his face flush. “Am not.”
“I can tell when you’re lying.”
“I think I liked you better when you were in a coma.” He tapped his fingers against the side of his leg.
“You’re sweet on her, Ehrich. The fingers never lie.”
Ehrich stopped tapping. “You have the wrong idea, Charlie.”
“Blackstone!” Bess called from below. “Your button is mended.”
“Here’s your chance, Ehrich. Go tell her how you feel.”
“I’m not. You’re wrong. I can’t. She’s just … Never mind.”
“Good luck, pal. Just watch out for her right hook. She packs a mean punch when she’s mad.”
Ehrich lingered for a moment then headed out of the room. “Good to see you, Charlie.”
“Next time, bring a steak with all the trimmings.”
Ehrich smiled and closed the door. He headed downstairs. In the parlour, Bess held up the jacket for him to examine. He pretended to survey her work but peeked through the arm of the jacket at the lovely girl in the parlour. He wondered if Charlie was right. Bess was the one person who made this world feel less alien. She made him feel like he was at home. Part of him wanted to tell Bess everything. Another part wanted to keep silent.
“I’m impressed, Bess. Nice work.”
“I’ve had enough wardrobe emergencies in my dance troupe to get familiar with a needle and thread.” She smiled at him. He missed that smile so much.
“Actually, I have something to talk to you about, Bess.”
She put away her needle and thread in a wooden box. “Oh?”
“The truth is, Bess, my name’s not Blackstone.”
“You’re free to use whatever name you want. I’m not judging.”
“I thought you should know the truth.” He tugged the goatee off his chin. He then removed his spectacles.
Bess’s eyes widened. “You!”
“Let me explain.”
The wooden box flew at him. He ducked instinctively as it smashed against the wall behind him. Bess grabbed a poker from the fireplace and brandished it like a club.
“I’m not letting you tie me up again!”
“Lower the poker. I’m not here to hurt you.”
She waved the poker in his face, angling herself toward the hallway.
“I never meant to tie you up. That was part of the group’s plan. We were desperate to escape and we—they—didn’t know if we could trust you.”
“Do you know how many hours I spent being interrogated by Thomas Edison and his hunters? The months of checking over my shoulder for hunters following me because they thought I was off to meet with you?”
“I’m sorry, Bess.” He took a step forward.
She waved the poker, forcing him back. “Once Godfrey learned I might have been an accomplice, he fired me. He didn’t even pay me for the two weeks I had already worked. He left me high and dry. The other members of my dance troupe wouldn’t even talk to me. They treated me like I was a leper. And it’s all thanks to you.”
A knock on the door. Ehrich froze. Bess could call for help and it would all be over.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Elizabeth and Jennifer.”
“They’re hunters,” Bess whispered. “Hide in the kitchen.”
Ehrich raised an eyebrow. Why was Bess helping him? No time to argue. He ran to the kitchen and skidded to a halt. There was no back door and the window was too small to squeeze through. She had trapped him. He pressed his back against the wall and eavesdropped.
The front door opened. “Afternoon,” a girl’s voice said.
All Bess needed to do was blow his cover. One scream would do it. He held his breath.
Bess said a little too brightly, “Elizabeth. Jennifer. What brings you by so soon?”
“We decided to visit Charlie early. We might not have the chance later.”
“Why?”
“Shifts are changing.”
“You mean doubling,” the other girl complained.
“Well, Charlie will be happy for the company. I’ll take you up.”
Footsteps echoed. Ehrich waited a few minutes then peeked into the hallway. Bess had left the front door open. He could flee into the street without anyone being the wiser, but he stopped at the bottom of the steps. Why were the shifts doubling?
Curious, he crept up the stairs. Charlie’s door was closed. Ehrich tiptoed to one side and listened.
“You can’t be serious, Elizabeth,” Charlie’s voice boomed. “Edison wants a public execution?”
“That’s the word.”
“Why on Earth would he think that’s a good idea? Who’s going to patrol the streets? Everyone will be pulled for security detail.”
“You’re preaching to the converted,” Elizabeth said. “None of the squad leaders are happy about this, especially with the extra shifts.”
“Where is the execution going to be?” Bess asked.
“That’s classified,” Elizabeth said.
Charlie joked. “Who the heck are we going to tell? The other patients? I’m pretty sure they’re not going to gossip.”
Bess chimed in. “My lips are sealed.”
A pause, then Elizabeth answered: “Coney Island.”
“Why a public setting?” Charlie asked. “Hard enough to keep that many prisoners in check, let alone the crowds.”
Jennifer piped in. “I think it has to do with the method of the execution. We’re not sure, but we’ve heard rumours that Edison has a new method. Electrocution.”
“What does electrocution mean?” Bess asked.
Elizabeth explained, “The word around Devil’s Island is that Edison’s scientists have figured out a way to harness Tesla’s generators to shoot electricity into the body.”
“You mean like the Teslatron rifles?” Charlie asked.
“But on a larger scale,” Jennifer said. “They’re going to fry the prisoners. We heard that if it works, Edison’s talking about using it on the other demons.”
Ehrich was stunned. He had to get back to Purgatory. He began to make his way out but the floorboard creaked underfoot.
“You hear that?” Elizabeth said.
�
��Maybe Mrs. Sherman came early today,” Bess suggested.
“Jennifer, check on it.”
“It’s fine,” Bess said. “I’ll do it.”
Footsteps approached the door. Ehrich slipped out of the hallway and down the stairs, two at a time. He reached the bottom and turned around. Bess stood at the top of the stairs. Their eyes locked.
She opened her mouth and whispered, “Go.”
He sprinted out of the house. He had to tell the others about the execution.
A Matter of Trust
Purgatory offered its citizens a respite from the horrors of war. The builders had erected a pond at the heart of the underground city. Refugees walked around the shore, amid the flowering shrubs and glowing rocks. Along the perimeter, light towers disguised as trees illuminated the serene park.
At the edge of the water, Tesla barked instructions to Dash: “Wade out. More. More. Good. Now lower the submarine into the water. Slowly.”
Dash held a long cylindrical device with no sails. Instead, an antenna jutted up from the midsection of the metal tube. He lowered the craft into the water and it bobbed up and down.
The lanky scientist held a control box about the size of a small book. A tall antenna rose up from the top. Tesla thumbed the two small crank wheels on the face of the device.
“The submarine is moving!” Dash shouted.
“That means it’s communicating with my controller. Come back and I’ll let you pilot the craft.”
Dash waded back to the shore. Tesla handed him the control box.
“The right wheel controls the direction and the left wheel controls the speed. Get the submarine out to open water first.”
Dash smiled as he steered the craft in widening circles.
“Don’t send it too far. The range is limited. Think of it as your field of vision. As long as you can see the ship, the signal will reach it.”
“Got it.” Dash piloted the craft closer to the shore, jumping up and down and laughing as it glided through the water.
A few feet behind them, Ehrich watched in amazement. He hadn’t seen his brother like this in a long time. Probably since before they crossed over to this dimension. Seeing Dash act like himself filled Ehrich with happiness. He didn’t want to interrupt the moment for fear of chasing away the mood.
Amina grabbed his arm and ordered, “Let’s go, Ehrich. We have to tell Tesla.”
She had been itching to reveal Ehrich’s discovery ever since he reported to her at the Hudson River.
“Sir, sir. We have to talk,” she called as she ran to the shore.
“Ah, Ehrich. Amina. Good to see you both back.”
“Mr. Tesla, we have to talk,” Amina said.
“In a moment. Dash, see if you can pilot the submarine through those reeds.”
Dash laughed as he steered the vessel through the plants jutting out of the water.
“How are you controlling that thing?” Ehrich asked.
Dash beamed as he held up the control box.
“Amazing. How does it work without wires?”
Tesla tapped the antenna. “My controller sends a radio signal through this to the antenna attached to the submarine.”
“It’s a remote control,” Dash said.
“I like that name, Dash. I think we’ll use it.”
Ehrich pulled Tesla aside and whispered, “How did you get him to smile?”
“What child doesn’t enjoy playing with boats?”
“Incredible,” Ehrich said, watching his brother run along the shore to keep up with the floating submarine. He began to follow but Amina grabbed his shirt.
“That can wait. Tell Mr. Tesla what you told me.”
He reluctantly looked away from his happy brother. “Right. Sir, Thomas Edison is planning to harness your electricity towers to electrocute the prisoners.”
“What do you mean ‘electrocute’?”
“I overheard hunters talking about it. Electrocution is the word they’re using to describe frying the soldiers to death with electricity.”
“No, no. That’s not why I created the towers. They were supposed to provide efficient energy to households. Not kill men.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but that’s what I heard.”
“My generators were far more efficient than Edison’s direct current transformers. I could bring electricity to everyone in the United States. Not just the wealthy. Power for the people who are huddled in tenements in the Bowery. Farmers in the rural areas. Everyone. Rather than listen to me, he decides to discredit my life’s work. No one will ever trust AC transformers after this.”
“Maybe he’s using the execution to lure the rest of Ba Tian’s army out of hiding,” Amina suggested.
“Possibly,” Ehrich said.
“Edison’s always envied me. It’s not the first time he’s savaged his competition. He’s ruthless. I will not stand for the perversion of my invention.”
“Are you going to jump up on a stage and claim your towers are safe? The hunters will clap you in irons the minute they spot you.”
“Where is the execution site?”
Amina answered, “Coney Island.”
“We have to go there.”
Tesla marched away from the pond. Amina followed him. Ehrich glanced at Dash playing before he chased after the pair.
“If we go in without any plan, we’ll end up in prison.”
“Ehrich, I can’t allow Edison to proceed with this abomination of my work.”
“And this might be the perfect chance to finish off any of Ba Tian’s forces,” Amina added. “If there are any of his generals or soldiers left, they’ll be sure to try to stop the execution.”
“Wait. Hold on. What if the execution fails?”
Tesla stopped. “Fails? What do you mean, Ehrich?”
“Fizzles out.”
“Sabotage?”
“Yes, sir. In front of the public, Edison won’t have any choice but to admit he was wrong about your technology.”
“He would be beside himself with rage.”
“You’ll preserve your reputation without Edison suspecting your hand in it.”
The lanky scientist smiled. “The perfect revenge.”
.
Later that evening, everyone but Dash gathered in Mr. Serenity’s chambers. The younger Weisz was bone tired and headed straight to bed. Ehrich lingered near the open door of the chambers
to ensure that Dash wasn’t going to eavesdrop on them.
He had good reason to keep an eye out for Dash. Tesla explained the earlier break-in.
“If Mr. Serenity and I hadn’t shown up when we did, who knows what Dash would have done with the medallion?”
“I don’t understand. What could Dash have done with it?”
“We’re not sure if he’d meant to steal it or destroy it,” Mr. Serenity pointed out.
Dread washed over Ehrich in waves. “Why would he want the Infinity Coil?” The answer hit him as soon as he asked the question. “Kifo?”
Amina stiffened. “You think he has control of your brother again?”
“We can’t be certain either way,” Mr. Serenity said. “All we know is that Dash wanted the Infinity Coil.”
Tesla added. “You saw your brother at the pond. Do you think Kifo would behave like that?”
“To throw off any suspicion, he would,” Amina said.
“I don’t know,” Ehrich said. “He seemed like his old self at the pond, but I also thought he was spying on us the other night. His behaviour is erratic at best.”
“Until we are certain one way or the other, it may be best to keep an eye on Dash,” Amina concluded.
Ehrich reeled from the possibility that his brother was still trapped. He had spent years searching for him, only to learn Kifo had possessed the boy’s body. His
chest tightened. Through gritted teeth, he declared, “How can we find out?”
Mr. Serenity nodded to Tesla. “Earlier, Nikola and I discovered a way to examine the Infinity Coil.”
“The radiographometer,” Tesla said. “Yes, we could search for Dash’s face among the images.”
“It will take time.”
“Time is what we don’t have,” Amina said.
“We will keep the Infinity Coil away from Dash until we know for sure who came back,” Mr. Serenity said.
“Wait,” Amina said. “Kifo could have taken the Infinity Coil at any time. What’s his end game? Do you think he’s scouting Purgatory to learn of our defenses?”
“Possibly,” Mr. Serenity said. “If so, we might want to remove him.”
“No one’s touching Dash,” Ehrich said.
Tesla patted him on the shoulder. “I think I have a solution. We must scout the execution site for Ba Tian’s soldiers. Let’s bring Dash with us. Tell the boy we need him as cover.”
Amina’s eyebrows raised. “Yes, if he’s Kifo, he’ll lead us to where Ba Tian’s forces are hiding.”
“If there are any left,” Ehrich pointed out.
“Risky move,” Mr. Serenity said. “No telling what Dash might do up there.”
“Is he more of a threat in Purgatory or in New York? I would rather keep him with me, than have him running loose down here.”
Amina agreed. “Mr. Tesla is right. We can keep an eye on him at Coney Island.”
“Fine, fine. Are we in agreement?” Mr. Serenity asked.
Ehrich nodded reluctantly.
CONEY ISLAND
Two days later, Ehrich, Tesla, Amina, and Dash boarded a train bound for Coney Island. They had agreed Mr. Serenity would remain in Purgatory to examine the Infinity Coil while the others scouted the execution site. Ehrich concocted the plan to pose as performers, which would give them an excuse to move around the island without raising suspicion.
Dash pressed his face against the window and stared out at the passing buildings. Ehrich secretly watched his brother, wondering who the boy really was. On the seat opposite the Weisz’s, Tesla nervously adjusted his tie several times as he stared around the train car, his legs bouncing up and down impatiently. Amina placed her hand on the man’s knee and squeezed until the leg went still.