by T. A. Uner
His Stoker, Rolfe, was surprisingly quiet about the old Conductor who had mysteriously disappeared. Lok knew that the Black Arm were behind it — they always were: espionage, murders, torture, blackmail. And to make matters worse, more Hollow Men had been posted onboard Blood.
He monitored the console and noticed they were approaching the first railroad switch. After that they would accelerate to full speed until they reached the first portal anomaly, which would take them directly to the depot. There, they would unload their impious cargo and start all over again.
When Blood had switched tracks, the propulsion computer indicated they needed to accelerate. Lok ordered Rolfe to pick up his pace, slowly Blood started accelerating.
Within minutes the red locomotive was moving at flank velocity, the English countryside, bathed in darkness, flew past them as they traveled at speeds not yet possible for human vehicles of this era.
It was now time to activate the portal enhancer, Lok gave the computer a voice command and it responded immediately to his order. Behind the steam dome a small compartment opened and an array rose from inside it. After extending itself, it deployed a powerful yellow beam which streaked ahead like a blazing comet. Within seconds the portal appeared in front of them. It glimmered, matching the color of the beam that had activated it. Via intercom announcement, Lok notified the Hollow Men onboard that they would be passing through the anomaly, back into their own time.
As soon as Blood passed through the anomaly it was enveloped by its energy and transported light years away to a distant planet controlled by The Sect.
Less than a minute later they had arrived. Giant double doors built into a mountain opened beneath a black sky filled with new stars. Blood slowed and pulled into the depot. Lok then activated the decontamination filter. After Blood cleared security measures, the robotic arms approached the boxcars from both sides and opened their doors.
One by one they removed the canisters, while the Hollow Men supervised the transaction. The canisters glowed through their transparent tops. Most of the colors emanating from them were turquoise, some red, but most were either green or yellow. Lok thought of his own family, and wondered how many human families had been affected by The Sect’s quest to regain their homelands. Do we have the right to destroy another race to regain our old territories? Lok thought.
After he and Rolfe had disembarked they were approached by two Hollow Men. Lok had no love for these ungodly beings, few did.
“You are almost an hour late,” said one of the Hollow Men. He studied Lok, as if trying to get a feel for his response.
“We were delayed,” Lok replied. “Vampiress was nearly captured by one of the humans, so we had to wait until we got her approval to depart London.”
“Inefficiency will not win the war,” the Hollow Man said. Lok felt like ripping off its red sunglasses and ramming it down the creature’s throat. He moved his arms behind his back and clenched his fists.“I assure you, my efficiency rating is well within acceptable standards.” He wasn’t going to have this being tell him he was incompetent, no matter what the situation, he had a reputation to maintain. “If you like I can show you my rating report.” Lok pulled out a tiny disc from his overalls’ pocket.
The Hollow Man shot the disc a vacuous look. “No. That will not be necessary, carry on, Conductor Lok.”
After the Hollow Men had left them Rolfe breathed a sigh of relief. “You really should not test those creatures, or you’ll end up like our previous Conductor.”
Lok shot Rolfe an agitated look. “Good, then I’ll be able to live with myself again.”
{2}
The last thing Robert needed was another murder. London was already on edge. He felt the pressure of working alongside Swanson every day and it did not help the situation. Quite the opposite, he found himself trying to prevent additional strain in his working relationship with his superior.
Surprisingly, Swanson had given him a day off to get some rest and relax. After a walk in St. James Park he decided on getting lunch at a local Bavarian restaurant. After traversing Marlborough Road he found himself on St. James Street. The anticipation of a good meal, made him hurry. As Robert approached an old corner warehouse he picked up a smell that reminded him of spoilt food. As he drew closer the smell became worse, and he grew more curious about its origin. The detective inside him decided to investigate. As he approached the structure, he noticed its windows were boarded up. Soon his nose grew accustomed to the smell, but that did not abate his burning desire to learn what was causing it.
A man wearing a strange black suit and tie with a white shirt appeared in a side street adjacent to the warehouse. For some odd reason this person was wearing red- tinted glasses. Robert had never seen anyone dressed in this manner before, except perhaps at a wedding. But even then the red glasses seemed peculiar. “I say ole boy,” Robert called out, “do you know what’s causing that horrid smell?”
The man ignored Robert and continued on his way. Robert was not anticipating being ignored, nor was he used to it, being a police detective. “Did you hear me?” he yelled. But the man continued his trek and disappeared into the warehouse.
Now Robert was suspicious. He approached the spot where he had last seen the strange man enter the building and found an unlocked iron door.
He opened it slowly and looked inside. The smell was strongest inside, as he had correctly guessed. He drew the experimental halogen flashlight Majors had given him and stepped inside.
Having been a police officer for over a decade, Robert knew when he was in a place of ill-repute. What secrets did this place hold? He thought about calling for backup but it would take time for them to arrive, and he didn’t like waiting.
He quietly tip-toed between two rows of stacked crates marked in strange print. For some reason he did not think it was Chinese. His police instincts told him to stop, make notes and leave before…before what? Apart from the strange man the place looked deserted for some time. He ignored the pang of doubt and continued. The smell got stronger, but it no longer reminded him of spoilt food, more like…decomposing bodies.
Not wanting to inhale anymore of this foul air he placed a handkerchief over his mouth and drew his revolver. That was when he spotted the man from outside. He was walking back and forth, carrying what looked like a sack over his shoulder. Robert continued his walk between the rows of crates. As he grew closer he could see that the item the man had slung over his shoulder didn’t look like a sack. More like….
“Say!” Robert said. “What in bloody hell is that you’re carrying?”
This time the man stopped. He dropped the sack which looked more like a cadaver bag he had once seen in a coroner’s office. Robert pointed his weapon at the man. “Alright now, you, hands up! You’re going in for questioning.”
The taciturn creature did not reply, instead he picked up the cadaver bag and continued with his business. Robert cocked his pistol. “Drop the bag,” he ordered.
The man was walking toward what looked like an incinerator. Robert had had enough of being ignored. He fired a warning shot up into the air. The bullet hit the ceiling and ricocheted off the warehouse wall. The man dropped the cadaver bag again and turned to face Robert. “I cannot have you firing your weapon in here,” it said calmly. “Now, give me the weapon.” It spoke in a condescending tone, like an adult would to a misbehaving child.
“You’re not in a position to order me around.”
A smirk appeared on the man’s chalk face. Robert did not know what the creature found humorous, but he was determined to get answers. The man stretched his arm out. “Give me the weapon,” it repeated before closing in on Robert.
“I’m ordering you to stop.” Robert pointed the gun at his opponent’s knee. He didn’t want to kill, only wound. This man obviously was hiding something from him. He fired at the creature’s knee. It stopped and pulled the bullet out of its limb before continuing its advance. Robert shook his head.
“Last chance.” W
hen the creature took another step, Robert fired point blank. It stopped for a moment pulled the bullet out of its chest and flicked it away as one would flick away a bug.
Robert fired into its head. Three shots. The bullets scored direct hits, and for a moment Robert thought he had halted the creature’s advance, but it stopped and pulled the shells out of its face before the wounds on its face sealed themselves. Robert’s mouth was agape.
“You cannot harm it, Detective.”Robert swiveled around. Standing before him was a dark-haired woman, wearing a violet corset above tight leather breeches and thigh boots. She had a quiver strung over her shoulder and had her bow drawn.
“Who are you people?”
She laughed. “Funny you should ask detective; I had the pleasure of grappling with your brother at the Opera House.”
Robert grimaced. So this is the woman whom Robert had fought. “If that’s the case, then you are under arrest for the murder.”
He drew his weapon and she fired the arrow at him. It slammed into his left shoulder and he dropped his weapon, but not before getting a shot off. It missed the woman’s head by an inch.
Robert felt his shoulder erupt into a mountain of pain. Blood was everywhere, soon his entire jacket was drenched in blood. He tried reaching for his ankle holster, where he kept his backup gun but the woman stepped on his hand. He grunted. “I’m afraid there is no escape for you, detective. But we will put you to good use before you expire.” She spoke to the taciturn being in a strange language Robert had never heard before.
“What is going on here?”
“We’re a dying race, detective, and we’ve learned that humanity has so much more to offer us than blood. Your life force is what brings us here. And I must say that it has proven quite useful.”
What did she mean by life force? Is it our souls they’re after? It was getting harder to concentrate; Robert felt his head grow heavy. The creature picked him up and slung him over its shoulder. The woman followed, the sound of her boot heels echoed throughout the warehouse. “We’ve been gathering your people and draining them. In turn it has helped resuscitate our people.”
His eyelids grew heavier; her voice was slowing, fading into a whisper. “Then there are the needs of our secret police, we call them the Black Arm. They use this life force energy to create the Hollow Men, one of which is carrying you to your final destination.”
Robert saw a strange device with flashing lights. People, his people, people from London, were being led to tables that had tubes attached to the strange device. It resembled a sculpture of a bat, wings outstretched, red eyes glowing ominously. The strange creature placed him on a table. The next thing he knew he was being strapped down. Not that he was in any condition to escape. He did not feel the pain from his wound anymore, in fact, he did not feel anything at all. The Hollow Man placed a cone-shaped gadget on his head.
Robert passed out.
{3}
Jack knew something bad had happened to Robert. When Swanson came to visit him at the hospital he worked at he had learned of his brother’s disappearance.
Now he had two objectives, stop the Vampire woman, and find his brother. Swanson had told him that Scotland Yard was determined to find Robert and they had dispatched every available Police Constable. He told Jack not to worry.
But how could Jack not worry about his older brother? Robert had been like a father to him after his parents had died. He thanked Swanson, who offered to give him regular updates on the search for his brother.
Mercedes was also devastated by the news as she was quite fond of her husband’s charming older brother. Jack did not have much information regarding Robert’s disappearance, except that he had had the day off yesterday. He had a feeling that the Vampire was behind it. It was too much of a coincidence to ignore that. Still, he couldn’t sit around waiting for his brother to turn up.
He went to see Seamus.
• • •
The Irishman was sitting at his desk, reading the daily newspaper when Robert found him. Seamus looked up and smiled. “I was just about to call you Jack, see when we could resume our investigation.”
“Robert is missing.”
The expression on Seamus’ face went from enthusiasm to discontent. “What exactly happened?”
“Do you have any liquor?”
“A bit early for drinking Jack, don’t you think?” Seamus poured Jack a glass of Puerto Rican rum. “Now tell me about Robert.”
“He’s gone missing; when he didn’t report to work early this morning his superior became concerned. It’s not like Robert to be late to work.” Jack took another gulp of rum while Seamus looked deep in thought.
“And you think this Vampire woman has something to do with Robert’s sudden disappearance?”
“You read my mind, Seamus.”
Seamus did not appear pleased by the compliment. He looked quite concerned about the news Jack had brought to him. “I think we should proceed carefully, it may seem like she’s involved with Robert’s disappearance. Only time will tell. But let’s not be rash, we need a plan.”
“We must act now; my brother is missing…or worse.” Jack did not want to think about the alternatives.
“Unfortunately I’m in no condition to do anything right now.” Seamus pulled out a vial filled with milky liquid. “Take this,” Seamus said, “may it protect you.” He slowly rose from behind his desk and limped toward Jack before handing over the vial.
“What happened?”
Seamus looked at Jack abashedly. “Twisted my ankle, last night, too much alcohol, missed a step, and tumbled down the stairs.” He exhaled. “Guess I’m lucky I didn’t break my damn neck.
“I guess I am on my own then,” Jack said.
“That bottle is filled with garlic powder, if that bitch gets close to you, let her have it. It should cripple her enough for you to take her out.” Jack looked at the bottle and reflected on their short-lived partnership. He took out his bill fold and placed some banknotes on the desk. Seamus smiled and handed the money back. “No, Jack this one is on me; now go, find Robert.”
Jack shook his friend’s hand and left the office. As he left, Seamus muttered a few prayers for the young physician, before sinking back in his chair.
His ankle burned like hell.
Five
When Jack got home he was surprised to a see a visitor waiting for him in his living room, sitting across from Mercedes drinking coffee. When he stood up to greet Jack he looked like a giant. His guest spoke with a thick Welsh accent.
“My name is Rowan Majors,” he said. “Your wife was kind enough to host me until you arrived. I work with your brother Robert. Did he ever mention me?”
“Robert seldom spoke about his co-workers when he was off duty. What brings you here Mister Majors?”
Mercedes saw this as her queue and excused herself.
“I wanted to check and see how things were here,” Majors said, “and I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help.”
Jack was touched that this bear of a Welshman was volunteering his services. “I don’t see how you can help, Mr. Majors.”
Majors smiled, and when he did his square jaw revealed a set of straight, ivory teeth. “Jack I work in the experimental division of Scotland Yard. I design experimental weapons and advanced countermeasures to help safeguard the well-being of our police force.
“Listen, I know Swanson visited you earlier, I know the man, while he is a competent police detective he is also a slave to the bureaucratic ways of the justice system.” Majors paused a moment to clear his throat.
“So what are you trying to tell me?” Jack said.
“As much as Swanson wants to find Robert, alive, he is also under pressure to solve the case. This ‘Leather Apron’ killer case has taken its toll on Scotland Yard. And now Robert’s disappearance has added to that. What I’m trying to say is that Swanson’s first priority is to find the killer; everything else, is secondary.”
Jack wasn
’t surprised. If he was in Swanson’s position he would probably focus all his resources into solving the case. “Swanson told me he has assigned a unit to find Robert.”
Majors sighed. “Well, I’m sure he’s got someone scouring the city looking for your brother, but it’s probably not a ‘unit.’ Swanson knows his priorities and had to make a token appearance out of respect to Robert. He didn’t want to give you any further cause to worry.”
Jack nodded. “So you said you wanted to help me?”
“Yes. I can design a weapon for you. You wife told me that you hired a private investigator to help you track down the individual you think is a vampire.”
Jack didn’t know why Mercedes spilled the news, especially to a man working for Scotland Yard. Majors must’ve convinced her somehow. Still, Majors did not strike Jack as the type to come here and offer to help if he was going to report Jack to Swanson. “My wife has an active imagination.”
Majors leaned in closer toward Jack, and he saw the serious look in the Welshman’s eyes. Jack decided he would trust this man. “Perhaps she does, but I wouldn’t be surprised if your quarry was whom your wife claims her to be.”
“There is, perhaps something you can do for me Mr. Majors.
Majors pulled out a small pad and pencil from the inside pocket of his jacket and Jack told him exactly what he needed.
• • •
They went upstairs. Jack took Majors into the attic before opening up an old trunk that held items from his service in the Boer war of 1880. His old military uniform was still neatly folded inside. Atop it sat his old sun helmet which he had worn when he served in the 4th Battalion, which was the King’s own Royal Lancaster Regiment. He pulled out his sabers and drew one from its scabbard. “Can you coat these blades with silver?”