by Marty Chan
He pushed Dash behind a pillar and warned, “Stay put. Don’t do anything until I tell you.”
Again, Dash had his own ideas. He raised his hands and turned to the approaching hunters, who had their dynatron pistols trained on the boy. “Don’t shoot. It’s me.”
“Dash! What are you doing?” Ehrich cried. “Get back behind the post.”
He ignored Ehrich’s orders. Instead, Dash advanced toward Ole Lukoje and his allies. Both warriors kept their weapons trained on the boy, ready to fire. “Tell them to lower their weapons. I’m no threat. I’m one of you. Don’t you recognize me? I am Kifo.”
Ehrich’s heart sank. His suspicions were right. His brother was lost to him.
The raggedy man tilted his head to one side then rubbed his steel finger along his hooked nose. “Yes-s-s, but you chos-s-s-e a different body. Why did you return to the original one?”
“A situation arose that forced my hand. I don’t think Ba Tian would take kindly to you hurting his biggest asset.”
Ole Lukoje motioned the hunters to stand down. “Lower your weapons-s-s.”
They obeyed and stopped. Ole Lukoje cut between the two of them and cocked his head to the side as he examined Dash.
“What happened to you? I thought you were apprehended along with the res-s-st of the generals-s-s on the airsh-sh-ship.”
“I managed to hitch a ride in a body until we reached the rebels’ hideout. Then I decided to choose a body that better suited my purposes. You still have to deal with Ehrich.”
The hunters turned and aimed their pistols at Ehrich’s position. He squeezed himself tight behind the pillar.
“I had hoped that you didn’t perish-sh-sh on the airsh-sh-ship.”
Dash spread his hands out. “I’m disappointed that you didn’t come looking for me earlier. I had to spend time in their Purgatory until I found a way to the surface. Now we have the means to take down the entire rebel force in one swoop. First, we have to take care of this pest.”
“I will dis-s-spatch him with pleas-s-s-ure.”
The boy waved him off. “No. I should have the pleasure. Give me a weapon,” he barked at the female hunter near him.
She hesitated, looking to Ole Lukoje for direction. The raggedy man smiled. “If he wants-s-s the opportunity, let him take it.”
Ehrich searched for some kind of weapon. He was defenseless against the four intruders. He looked beyond the beach for any sign of Amina or Tesla. No. He was alone against the four.
The female hunter handed her dynatron pistol to Dash. He took the weapon and hefted it in his hand for a second. He cracked a smile at the male hunter, pointed at his chest and fired. The stunned man stiffened into convulsions, an electro-dart jutting out of his chest, and fell to the sand, twitching. Dash turned to the female hunter and fired into her stomach. She fell, trying to pull the dart from her abdomen.
Ole Lukoje sprang into action and tackled Dash to the ground before the boy could fire a third shot. Ole Lukoje hissed, “Clever boy.”
Ehrich spun around the pillar and charged at the pair struggling on the sand.
“You will pay the ultimate pric-c-c-e.” Ole Lukoje raised his metal claw high up to bring down on the boy’s face.
Ehrich leapt across the sand and slammed his body into the raggedy man, knocking him to the ground. He grabbed the man’s wrists and tried to pin him. Ole Lukoje was faster, twisting his body to one angle and squirming out from under Ehrich. He slashed backward, catching part of Ehrich’s arm, ripping the fabric of his shirt to shreds and cutting into the flesh underneath. Ehrich grabbed his arm and backed away.
“You made a fatal error, coming here,” Ole Lukoje said. “It will be your final mis-s-stake.”
He advanced. Ehrich steeled himself for the attack, raising his arms in a defensive posture. Dash scrambled to grab the dynatron pistol in the sand.
The raggedy man smiled as he curled his metal fingers. “I will s-s-savour this-s-s moment.”
He slashed. Ehrich blocked the blow with his arm, but he left his other side open for a second slash. Ehrich screamed in pain and grabbed his cheek. A fresh flow of blood oozed between his fingers. The raggedy man knocked the boy to the ground and perched on his chest ready to strike again.
“Stop,” Dash said, holding the pistol in his shaking hands. “Get off my brother!”
Ole Lukoje looked up.
“Now!”
The raggedy man smiled. “I think we have you outnumbered, little one.”
Dash turned around. A dozen armed hunters trained their weapons on Dash and Ehrich. In front of the hunters, Amina and Tesla knelt in the sand, their heads bowed. Behind them stood Ba Tian, the crimson warlord.
The Warlord returns
“A lovely reunion, don’t you agree, Ehrich?” Ba Tian asked.
“Let go of Amina and Mr. Tesla.”
“Tell your brother to drop his weapon.”
Ehrich said nothing.
Ba Tian sighed. “I’m not in the habit of asking twice. Kill the girl and the old man if the boy still has the weapon in three seconds.”
Dash slowly lowered the pistol to the ground and kicked it across the sand.
Ole Lukoje smiled as he scooped up the weapon. He wrapped his metal hand around the boy’s soft neck. The tips of the talons pierced the skin slightly, drawing a trickle of blood.
“Let go of him,” Ehrich ordered.
“This-s-s little mutt has more s-s-spirit than all of you combined. He is-s-s dangerous-s-s.”
Dash struggled, kicking at the man as he gasped for air.
“I said let him go,” Ehrich pleaded.
“I enjoy watching you s-s-suffer. For what you did to me, this-s-s is-s-s the perfect revenge.”
“You kill us, you’ll draw attention to your operation,” Ehrich warned.
Ba Tian chuckled. “No, the hunters are still trying to capture that crazy elephant my associates freed. A perfect distraction, don’t you agree? There is no way anyone would care about a few bodies that happen to wash up on the shore.”
“Let Dash go. Take it out on me, Ole Lukoje.”
“But I am taking it out on you. I will take away all that you hold dear. Firs-s-s-st, your brother. Then your companions-s-s. I will sh-sh-show you their beating hearts-s-s before I pulp them in my hand.”
“No!” Ehrich screamed. He lunged, but the raggedy man was ready. He lifted Dash into the air.
“Come any clos-s-ser and the s-s-spray of your kin’s-s-s blood will wash-sh-sh over your flims-s-sy dis-s-sguis-s-se.”
Ehrich halted. “You know you want me and not anyone else. Let’s finish it.”
Behind the raggedy man, Ba Tian strode forward. “Enough! Put the boy down.”
Ole Lukoje obeyed.
“What do you want from us?” Amina asked.
Ba Tian lumbered in front of her. “Before one starts a war, one must be careful to examine the wheels within the wheels. I believe you have a force amassed against me. I’d like to know where they are.”
“They are somewhere you’ll never find them.”
Farrier limped over to the group and smiled. “Four people here. I’m sure one of them will give up the rebels. All you need is the right pressure. I can provide that, Ba Tian.”
The crimson warlord cracked a wicked smile.
Ehrich straightened up. “You want to know? I’ll tell you. They are on your doorstep, ready to bring you down.”
“I suspect if I remind them of what happened to their former worlds, they may have a change of heart,” Ba Tian said. “And believe me, what I have planned will bring them back to the days of their worlds’ destruction. Perhaps I shall visit your world as well.”
Ehrich gritted his teeth and said nothing. He jammed his hands into his pockets. His right hand found the marbles that he had bought for Dash. H
e thought of their parents in Appleton, Wisconsin, and imagined his home destroyed by Ba Tian’s exoskeletons. His hand clenched around the clay marbles as he gritted his teeth. He had to stop the warlord.
“Shall I begin with the boy?” Farrier asked.
Ehrich stood tall. “Ba Tian, if I tell you where to find the others, will you let my friends go?”
“He’ll kill us all once he gets the information he needs,” Amina pleaded.
“My word is my bond. I will not harm your friends.”
“Show me a sign of good faith. Let Dash go.”
“Ole Lukoje, do as he asks.”
The raggedy man tilted his head to the side for a moment, then relented. Dash grabbed his neck to stop the trickle of blood and stumbled to Ehrich.
“Now I believe you had something to tell me.”
Ehrich squeezed the marbles tighter in his hand until he felt them crumble in his pocket. He continued to squeeze.
“I’m waiting.”
Ehrich withdrew his hand from his pocket. The marbles had been ground into dust. He approached the giant crimson warlord.
“Well? What do you have to say?”
Ehrich mumbled a few words.
Ba Tian cocked his head to one side to hear. “Say that again.”
Again, Ehrich mumbled.
“I can’t hear you.” Ba Tian stooped closer.
Ehrich exploded into action, hurling the clay dust into Ba Tian’s eyes, blinding the warlord. “Dash! Run!”
His brother took off down the sand with Ehrich close behind. Electro-darts whizzed past them, striking the wooden posts of the pier. Ole Lukoje howled as he and three hunters were in hot pursuit. The brothers zigged and zagged until they reached the water and dove into the sea. The darts sizzled in the water as they swam away from the shore.
Back on the beach, Amina slammed her flat hand into Farrier’s throat. He fell, gasping for air as she deftly disarmed him and fired into the back of the hunter in front of her. Tesla turned and tried to disarm the woman next to him, but she was stronger and pushed him down. He fell on the sand with her on top, which offered Amina the perfect target. She fired into the woman’s back. The hunter went into a seizure as Tesla bucked her off him and climbed to his feet.
Ba Tian clutched his face, trying to scrub the dust out. Ole Lukoje and the other hunters stood at the shoreline. Amina grabbed Tesla by the hand and sprinted back to the circus tent.
She glanced back at the water. The hunters stood at the waterline, reluctant to jump in after her friends. Ehrich and Dash would be safe, she hoped. Once she hit the boardwalk, Amina slowed down and blended in with curious onlookers watching hunters surround the elephant. They herded the creature away from the stage, zapping it with their weapons. The beast reared up and brought down its front legs on a man who had moved too close. The crowd let out a collective gasp of revulsion as the man perished before their eyes.
“Just kill it!” an onlooker yelled.
Shouts of agreement filled the air.
The hunters zapped the animal again with no effect. The elephant reared again. A shot rang out and the elephant staggered back. Three more shots rang out and the elephant collapsed on the ground.
Amina searched for the origin of the shot, finally seeing a tall man on stage beside Edison. He lowered his rifle. Edison grabbed the man’s sleeve and yelled at him. The tall man shoved Edison back.
Amina caught a part of their heated exchange. “I was a fool to let you do this demonstration, Edison! I should have put down my elephant the minute she turned on my trainer. Anything is better than this.”
“My hunters had everything under control.”
“One of your men is dead because of all this nonsense. Who cares about the electrocution?”
On the stage, Edison noticed that the people around him were now watching. He let go of the circus owner and dusted off his jacket. He then approached the microphone and waved for attention. “We have everything under control. We may not see a demonstration with the elephant, but you will see the full power of the Tesla generators when we proceed with the execution of the Dimensionals.”
“He will not get away with this,” Tesla hissed.
“If Ba Tian is here, we have to prepare for an attack.”
“Amina, give me a few moments near the generators. That’s all I need.”
“No time for that, sir.”
Too late. Tesla had slipped away from the crowd and was making his way to the generators. Amina inched toward him, prepared to fight anyone who might see him, but all eyes were focused on Edison on the stage.
“I have full confidence that the generators will work as intended. They are a deadly and unsafe thing, best used for killing rather than to power your homes and businesses.” Edison droned on, while the tall man with the rifle glared at him.
“You’re seriously going through with this? After all this ruckus?”
Edison puffed up his chest. “Yes, the people need to see the Dimensionals punished.”
“This rifle ought to do the trick if you give me enough bullets.”
Amina glanced at the elephant, where the hunters were crowded round, trying to figure out how to move the dead beast. Tesla stood alone by the generators. He straightened up and jogged back, unnoticed by the crowd.
“Let’s see Edison explain this away.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing dangerous. Unless they know what to do, this execution will go off with a fizzle.”
“If you’ve had enough fun, sir, we have to assemble the travellers for battle. We have to go back to Purgatory and rally the rebels for the fight.”
Tesla’s smile vanished. “Yes. Of course. What about Ehrich and Dash?”
“Your device,” Amina said. “Will it have the range to reach them?”
“Only one way to find out.”
He pulled out the communication device and turned it on. “Ehrich. Do you hear me?” No response. He tried multiple times but only static answered him.
“Maybe they’re still in the water,” Amina suggested.
“I hope they haven’t been captured.”
.
On the other end of Coney Island, Ehrich and Dash emerged from the water, soaking wet. The summer sun beat down on them and gave them some relief from the chilly Atlantic waters. Ehrich began to loosen his clothes to wring them out, keeping an eye out for Ole Lukoje and Ba Tian. They were not to be seen.
Dash trotted down the beach to a blanket and some shirts laid out by tourists who had gone for a swim. He returned with clothes for the two of them. The shirts were big on Dash, but Ehrich fit into the pants snuggly. He bundled the wet clothes so they could change back once they were dry.
As Ehrich bundled his jacket, he noticed a bulge in the pocket. He reached in and pulled out the communicator. It was damp and he wondered if it would still work. He turned it on. “Amina. Mr. Tesla. Do you hear me?”
He waited a moment. Then Tesla’s voice answered. “Yes. Yes. We’re all right. Where are you?”
Ehrich replied. “We’re near the train station. We have no place to hide and we have no idea where Ba Tian and his forces are.”
“You need to get out of there, Ehrich. We are thinking we need to leave Coney Island.”
“I’ll wait for you at the train station.”
“No. It’s too risky. If Ba Tian’s hunters are near, they’ll spot you.”
Dash tugged on Ehrich’s shirt. “What about the elephant? We have to save the elephant.”
Ehrich nodded. “Did you hear that Mr. Tesla?”
“Yes. Tell Dash I’m sorry, but it’s too late. They killed Topsy.”
Dash’s eyes widened. “No! Monsters!”
“She was on a rampage. They had no choice, Dash. Ehrich, get out while you can. We’ll catch up.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, we’ll find you in the city. Amina says we need to rally the others. Meet us back in Purgatory.”
“Are you sure you’ll be able to get out, sir?”
“Don’t worry. Amina is with me. She won’t let anything happen to me.”
Ehrich switched off the communication device and turned to his brother. “Okay, let’s go.”
They rushed up the stairs. Ehrich paid for their tickets with the money he had found in the new pants pocket. As the brothers boarded the train, he looked back at Coney Island.
The train rolled out of the station and he took a moment to sit back and relax. Beside him, Dash rubbed his hands, trying to warm them up.
“What you did back there, Dash, it was risky.”
“I know, but if you thought I might have been this Kifo, I figured they might, too.”
“Well. Next time warn me about what you’re going to do.”
Dash smiled. “I’m hoping there is no next time.”
Ehrich punched his brother in the arm. “I’m going to make sure there isn’t.”
It felt good to joke around with his brother again. Though the threat of Ba Tian loomed over them, he savoured the moment when he could connect with his brother as they had done before any of this mess had started. He felt like he was home again, and he only hoped they’d be back to their real home soon.
A gasp from the passengers distracted him. Everyone on the train was looking out the window at the approaching city skyline. Plumes of smoke rose from various parts of the city. New York was on fire.
The tunnel
Ehrich itched to get off the train as he looked out the window at the black plumes of smoke snaking up to the sky from various parts of Manhattan. He had no idea what had caused such widespread fires, but he feared this might have something to do with Ba Tian. He wondered if the warlord had been able to secure the exoskeletons and was now launching an attack on the city.
When the train finally arrived at the station, the two Weisz brothers joined the crowd streaming to the exit. They weren’t the only ones interested in seeing where the fire was. Ehrich pushed through the crowd. Beside him, Dash clung to the back of Ehrich’s jacket as they made their way off the platform and down the stairs to the street level. Ehrich eyed the nearest column of smoke and started toward it. It seemed to be coming from the Bowery area. He navigated the streets, which were now filled with spectators emerging from shops and offices to survey the smoke. No one paid attention to the two boys zigzagging through the crowds. Ehrich quickened his pace as he neared the black plume. As he reached the Bowery a few blocks later, a quiet sense of dread began to take hold of him. He recognized the streets and calculated the sources of the smoke.