by S. D. Stuart
Now that Caleb was blinded by rage, Nero could make his move.
He snatched the revolver from Caleb’s belt and shoved him away. Before Caleb even hit the floor, Nero fired two rounds at Dorothy.
As fast as he was, Benjamin was faster.
He shielded Dorothy with his own body and took both rounds to his back, collapsing into her arms.
Nero ducked behind the weapon and checked the revolver. After the two shots at Dorothy, he still had four rounds left.
He peeked around the edge of the weapon and saw Dorothy kneeling on the floor over her father. She was ignoring everything else in the room except him.
Nero smiled to himself. This was all too easy.
He stood up quickly and sighted the revolver on the kneeling Dorothy. A gunshot resounded in the room followed by hot searing pain in his right shoulder that drove him back behind the weapon.
Caleb called out from behind a newly overturned table. “There’s nowhere for you to go, Nero. Give up.”
He looked at his bleeding shoulder as his arm went numb.
He lost the ability to use his right hand, his dominant hand. He gripped the revolver awkwardly with his left hand, unsure if he would be able to hit anything at a distance. His target would have to be big, close and not moving.
Nero glanced out the window. It appeared, he thought with a twisted sense of humor, he had selected the wrong name for himself.
Just like his namesake, he watched helplessly as his city burned.
But unlike his namesake, he was not mentally disturbed. He could still do something about this situation. Nero had but one chance to topple Dorothy’s little rebellion before it took hold and spread across the populace of OZ.
Even if he had to sacrifice himself, it would be worth it.
Nero stood and moved closer to the window, the explosions increased with frequency while the return gunfire was more sporadic and less determined. “There is one place left for me. And I’m taking you all there with me.”
He lifted the revolver and fired all four rounds into the delicate workings of the weapon.
He laughed aloud as he watched everyone scramble and rush for the door as the high-pitched whine increased in intensity from the self-destructing weapon. All the stored energy in the two emerald hearts was about to be released in a single explosion.
Nero shielded his eyes as the explosion evaporated his clothing and ignited every inch of his skin. Then the concussive wave hit and he watched the entire room crumble to pieces around his enemies as he flew out the window.
His last remaining thought as he formed his own streaking fireball to earth was that he had eradicated the blight he had foolishly brought to the land of OZ.
Dorothy held her dying father in her arms. Someone yanked hard on her arm and pulled her quickly to her feet. She was about to fight back when she realized it was Caleb pulling her at a full run away from an enlarging fireball.
They ran hand-in-hand just ahead of the shock wave that shook apart the casino. She glanced back once more and saw the stone floor crumble away as it swallowed her father. If they slowed down for even a moment, they would be swallowed by the collapsing floor as well.
Caleb had grown up in the casino and knew the layout of the entire complex like the back of his hand.
Which was good for her. While Caleb dragged her through the casino, a tear ran down her cheek as she relived her final conversation with her father.
He had looked up at her. “Are you unharmed?”
She knelt over him. “I’m okay.”
He felt like a real person even though wires and metal shards protruded from his wounds.
The automaton at her feet bled and gasped like a dying human. “I am sorry I failed you, Dorothy.”
She smiled down at him and stroked his face. “That’s not true. You saved me.”
He looked up at her, a deep sorrow mirrored in his eyes. “With this metal body I know I am not your real father. But I remember being your father. I love you and miss you so much Dorothy.”
The tears welled up in the corner of Dorothy’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “I love you too Daddy. I will not stop looking for you.”
Her father smiled up at her. “I am glad to hear that.”
An explosion showered her in debris and forced her back to reality as they dashed out through a side exit just before the entire multistory building collapsed inward on itself.
They dove for cover as bits of marble blew outward. Dorothy felt searing pain streak across her cheek.
She rubbed her hand across her face and it came away smeared with blood.
Caleb picked her up and peered out through the choking dust that surrounded them in all directions.
They were literally out of the frying pan and into the fire.
All around them, the city was in flames. Massive decorative columns toppled over, crashing into the street and spraying huge boulders of marble in every direction from the impact.
They were not safe yet.
They had to get out of the city or the cut on her face would be the least of her problems.
She clung desperately to Caleb’s hand as he led them through a crisscross pattern through the city.
Each time they turned down a path, they were stopped short by fires or collapsing buildings.
A few times, they were almost crushed by walls that waited to crumble until they were just underneath. Caleb’s keen animal senses quickened his reaction time and he pulled her to safety away from death’s outstretched hand each time.
Soon, they were climbing the hill that overlooked Little Roma.
They paused at the top and watched the fires spread to consume every part of the city.
Chapter 38
Dorothy inspected herself in the mirror and lightly touched the nearly healed scar that ran across her cheek. It was the only visible reminder of her narrow escape from the collapsing casino several weeks prior.
A voice interrupted her introspection. “Makes you look tough.”
She jumped and spun around to see Caleb leaning against the door frame, smiling at her. He was dressed in a black silk suit and held a matching black top hat in his hand. He tugged with a finger at the heavily starched white shirt that pressed into the fur of his neck.
“I will never understand the human fascination with clothing that keeps you from being able to breathe.”
Dorothy stood and let her own ornate silk ball gown flow around her to the floor. “Yeah well, try wearing a corset sometime.”
Caleb pushed off the door frame with his shoulder and took a step toward her. “You do realize I am completely covered in fur and don’t need to wear anything.”
She frowned at him and placed her hands on her hips, or at least as close as her bustle would allow, and did her best to sound condescending. “You do realize, you are not a wild animal. There is still some civility in you and with that comes a certain responsibility toward prudence when in the company of a lady.”
His face went serious and he stood up straight as he glanced quickly around the room. “My apologies, I thought you were alone.”
She snatched the powder puff off the dressing table and threw it at him. He caught the powder puff in the air with one hand, but still ended up with a face full of powder as it erupted in a cloud of white talcum upon impact.
He coughed and sputtered as Jasper stepped around him into the room. “And that’s why I let you go in ahead of me.”
Caleb ruffled talcum powder out of his fur with a hand. “You knew she was going to do that?”
Jasper smiled. “No, but it gets us one step closer to even.”
Caleb let out a sigh. “I couldn’t let you warn her or it would have jeopardized the entire plan.”
Jasper jutted out his bottom lip and put on his best pouting face. “You could’ve just told me rather than have the Wizard throw me down in the deepest dungeon.”
Caleb laughed. “There wasn’t time. Besides I got you back out as soon as it was
over.”
Dorothy stepped between them. “Boys, boys, boys. All the fighting is over. OZ is at peace now. We are fifteen minutes away from crowning the new king.”
Jasper threw his hands in the air. “Yeah, about that, whose bright idea was it to make a robot the ruler of OZ?”
Dorothy stared him down. “My father. He built the first all electric automaton in secret and programmed him to run OZ like a country rather than a prison. Nero took my father before he could put it in place. William knew about the plan and, when he found out my father was here, he brought the automaton with him on the airship. After we crashed, Munch found him and, thinking he had no programming at all, called him a scarecrow.”
Jasper interrupted her. “And the rest is, as they say, history. I still think it’s a bad idea.”
A new voice entered the conversation from the doorway. “It’s actually the best idea ever.”
They all turned toward the door as Jetharo walked into the room. “A robot is not bound by the same wants and desires as a human.” He nodded his head at Caleb. “Or animal. That makes him incorruptible. And that is exactly what OZ needs right now as it works toward becoming a nation of people and not a prison of inmates.”
Jasper shook his head. “The world is not going to stop treating us like criminals just because we formed a government with an incorruptible robot as our leader.”
Jetharo smiled at the boy. “I didn’t say it was going to be easy.”
He looked at the rest of the group. “I need everyone to take your places, the coronation is about to begin.”
As they all headed toward the door, Jetharo touched Dorothy on the elbow. “I would like to speak with you alone for a moment.”
He waited until everyone left and looked deeply into her eyes. “I can’t convince you to stay a little longer?”
She placed her hand on his. “My father is out there. I can’t waste another day without looking for him.”
Jetharo’s face grew somber. “We have been unable to establish contact with the Southern Marshal. I cannot guarantee what kind of reception you will get after you go over the wall. I wish you would reconsider letting us send you with an armed escort.”
“Caleb thinks, and I agree with him, that we will not be seen as a threat if it is just the two of us.”
He paused as if wrestling with two conflicting ideas in his head that battled fiercely until one of them defeated the other. He let out a sigh. “Since I cannot change your mind; I have a request, can you do something for me?”
“Of course. Anything.”
He reached into his pocket and produced the clockwork key. “I need you to take this with you and bury it somewhere in the Southern Territories. Never tell anyone, not even me, where you hid it.”
She took the key from him and stared at it. “What does this key unlock?”
“Even though Pandora’s Box is just a Greek myth, this might as well be the key to that box.” He gripped both her arms with a strength that belied his age. “Promise me that you will bury this key where no one can find it.”
She looked into his eyes and saw only sadness. “I promise.”
Chapter 39
Scarecrow stood in front of the throne with the Woodsman at his side.
Attendees, lucky enough to secure a ticket to be inside the coronation hall, were packed so tightly everyone had to alternate breathing since there was not enough room for them to all take a deep breath at the same time.
The massive crowd spilled out of the Wizard’s Castle and into the streets of the surrounding town. Despite this being the largest gathering of people in one place at the same time in OZ, it was completely silent. Even small children understood the importance of why they were here and did not run around through the crowd as they usually did.
The eerie silence in the coronation hall was broken by a single clear voice as the Wizard Jetharo raised the crown into the air.
“When you accept this crown, you pledge your loyalty to every individual in OZ.”
Scarecrow bowed his head forward and allowed Jetharo to place it on his head.
Scarecrow’s amplified voice echoed through the hall. “I pledge to put the needs of the people of OZ before my own and wear this crown for them.”
The crowd erupted with excitement that quickly spilled out into the street.
The coronation ceremony lasted less than five minutes, but the ensuing coronation festival stretched on for three months as the royal entourage traveled from city to city to give every individual in OZ a chance to personally meet their new king.
Dorothy and Caleb joined the entourage for the first week until it passed within twenty kilometers of the wall that separated the Southern Territories from the rest of OZ.
They traveled on foot the rest of the way until they stood at the base of a wall hundreds of feet high made from the strongest ceramic modern science could produce.
There was no way they could break through it. In addition, the base was buried another several hundred feet below the ground, so tunneling was also not an option.
They would have to go over it.
Caleb dropped his backpack to the ground and pulled four suction cups with leather straps on them from his backpack. He tied two of them to Dorothy’s knees. “These can support most of your weight but they don’t have the grip of the handholds.”
He reached into his backpack and extracted two more suction cups, each with a handhold attached to it. He slammed the suction cup against the side of the highly polished ceramic wall and it stuck. He hung from it to verify that it would support his entire weight and then pushed the release button, popping the suction cup back off the wall.
“These are going to keep us from falling off the wall, but remember to use the knee supports to bear some of the weight or your arms will tire too quickly.”
She nodded as she craned her neck back and tried to see the top of the wall.
He pulled another complete set out of his backpack and strapped on the knee supports before he donned his backpack and slapped both suction cups against the wall.
He looked over at Dorothy. “Are you ready?”
She gave him a wry smile and slapped her own two suction cups against the wall. “Last one to the other side catches and cooks dinner.”
Chapter 40
Scarecrow sat on the throne lost in deep thought. Without the need to breathe, he looked more like the statue of a king on a throne than the actual king of OZ.
A knock echoed across the throne room.
Scarecrow stirred to life. “Come.”
The doors opened and the Chief Investigator of his Royal Guard strode in. He cast a wary glance at the Woodsman, who stood near the throne ready to protect the king from any danger.
The man bowed and knelt as he approached the throne.
Scarecrow stood up. “What are your findings?”
The man looked up from his knelt position. “The entire grave site was desecrated. The seal on the sarcophagus was broken and the body was apparently searched.”
Scarecrow stared past the Chief Investigator as if he was not even there. He hadn’t even been king for six months when the Wizard Jetharo was tortured and killed. They hadn’t been able to find a clue who had murderer him, and now his grave had been defiled.
The Chief Investigator cleared his throat. “It’s as if they were looking for something they thought might have been buried with him.”
Scarecrow paused for moment, more for effect than the need to think more on what he had already decided. “Repair the grave site and post a twenty-four hour guard on it. Find whoever is responsible and bring them to me. I will not let the death and desecration of the Wizard Jetharo be a blemish on this fledgling government. The people have to be shown that this type of behavior is no longer tolerated in OZ.”
The Chief Investigator bowed his head once more. “Yes, your highness.”
He stood up and walked backward out of the throne room in a half bow, the doors closing behind him.
Scarecrow turned around quickly and saw a man dressed in a full-length cloak, a hood hiding his head and face. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”
The cloaked figure pulled back his hood to reveal his hairless head and deeply scarred skin.
Despite the burns over his entire face and head, Scarecrow recognized him immediately. “Nero.”
He turned to the Woodsman and pointed at Nero. “Kill him where he stands!”
The Woodsman spun up his chainsaws and charged across the throne room toward Nero.
Nero stood his ground, as if he knew there was no point in running.
As the Woodsman got closer, he raised both chainsaws high into the air ready to slice Nero in half. As soon as he reached him, the Woodsman froze, his chainsaws ground to a halt and he stood as still as a statue.
Nero removed a hand from his cloak and held up a small box with a single button on it. “You forgot I had this, didn’t you?”
Scarecrow went to take a step and rid OZ of Nero himself when he realized his body refused to obey his mental commands. He tried to move his body, but he could only turn his head and look around.
Nero’s face twitched as he limped slowly toward Scarecrow. The agony of the burnt and scarred skin that covered his entire body was evident on his face.
“You have the markings of being the greatest leader OZ will ever know. However, you lack one very important piece. You still need someone who is able to work behind the scenes to accomplish things that cannot be done in the public’s eye. In essence, you need a man behind the curtain. Someone who will guide you. Someone who will give you counsel. Someone who will help you be better than great. I would like to be that man. Any objection?”
Nero paused as if waiting for one of the two automatons, under his complete control, to reject his idea.
Of course, they could not.
Nero bowed stiffly in front of Scarecrow. “I accept the appointment.”