“Why did he do it?” Yoda asked when Levi lifted his head.
“Yes, a right proper villain, that one,” Gearhead said. “I would have thought there was no decent bone in his whole twisted body.”
“Every dog becomes who he is by choices made, the paths he decides to follow,” Levi said, fighting the blackness that threatened to surge over him. “There is one good path, but a thousand paths to darkness and ruin. It is easy to get lost, hard to find the way back. In the end, Snitch found…he found…”
Levi toppled into unconsciousness.
* * *
In the weeks that followed, broken bones mended, wounds healed, and poisons were expelled. And everything got sorted out.
The three dogs captured in the Battle of Big Ben, as it was now being called by some, were transported to Liverpool, where they themselves would choose a no-hope facility or transportation to a distant colony of the Empire, where they would most certainly come to a bad end, after a harsh and bitter life. The other surviving members of the late Lord Cerberus’ pack were taken into custody, and would receive such fates as deserved by their deeds, as dictated by canine justice, which is as ancient as it is final.
Three weeks after the end of Lord Cerberus, Levi went to the veterinary surgery maintained by S.T.E.A.M. to see Smokey, who was being released. His own bandages had been removed and the only lingering trace of his near brush with death was a slight limp.
“Lilith’s claws had not been dipped in poison, as I thought,” the cat said, easing out of bed. “The claws themselves were poisonous. It was some kind of heavy metal. The vets here are puzzled.”
“Maybe radioactive.” Levi suggested.
“An energy form this world’s Companions have not discovered yet,” Smokey said. “Perhaps they won’t.”
Levi smiled.
“No, you are right,” Smokey acknowledged. “Companions will always find the worst way to get themselves into mischief.”
Groucho, Yoda and Gearhead, once again wearing his precious red fez, bounded into the surgery.
“Glad to see you up,” Groucho beamed. “How are you?”
“I have been better, but I have been much worse,” Smokey said. “It takes more than a kikmora to do me in.”
“It’s time,” Gearhead said. “Quigley sent me to make sure the cat…” He paused and smiled. “That Smokey was well enough to make the crossing between worlds.”
“I will cross, no matter how I feel,” Smokey snapped. “I have had enough of this place. I yearn for home.”
“There’s no place like…” Yoda started to quote.
“Not now, Yoda,” Levi cautioned. “I think all of us are ready to get back home. What about the machine?”
“We finally have it calibrated properly,” Gearhead reported. “It was an easy matter to target your world, time period and geographic location. The only variable we’ve not been able to master is the exact moment of your return, but it will be close to the moment of your departure. It’s the best we can do.”
“I’m sure it will all work out,” Levi said.
“Let’s go then,” the Corgi-mix said. “Quigley wants to talk to you all before you leave.”
Leaving the veterinary surgery, they made their way through the halls of S.T.E.A.M. All along the way, they met members of the various packs, all of whom made the ancient bow of respect.
“This is weird,” Yoda whispered to Gearhead. “A little creepy.”
“Not at all, my dear fellow,” Gearhead assured the Pomeranian. “They all know this is your day of departure, and they all know you are heroes…even the cats, much to the discomfiture of some.”
They entered S.T.E.A.M. headquarters. Sunny moved to join Levi, Yoda and the two cats; Gearhead joined Quigley. Artemus Gordon stood with the S.T.E.A.M. dogs.
“I thought you might choose to stay behind, Artemus Gordon,” Levi said.
“Unlike you, I’ve no home to return to, and they said I could join them.” The Gordon Setter smiled. “And call me Artie.”
“Good for you…Artie,” Yoda said, smiling.
In addition to Quigley’s pack, Sergeant Beefsteak also stood by, released temporarily by Scotland Yard for the occasion. Though S.T.E.A.M. had offered him a commission, he had declined, stating that a copper was what he was and a copper he would always be, never at home anywhere but walking the streets of London. Also present were pack alphas, dogs from other branches of government, and the enigmatic Emissaries, the dogs who dwelled in the shadowy realm between canines and Companions. They maintained a profound silence, but watched with great interest.
“As Gearhead told you, everything is in readiness for your departure,” Quigley said. “Before you go, I have been delegated to officially thank you…all of you…” He looked at the two cats. “…for your help in bringing to an end the menace represented by Lord Cerberus. The Empire thanks you, S.T.E.A.M. thanks you, and I thank you. And, Levi, I personally want to thank you, both for saving my life and for opening my eyes.”
Levi canted his head in confusion.
“I never saw Snitch as anything but a villain, and a villain was all he was,” Quigley explained. “You saw something more in him. In the end, your insight, and compassion, resulted in your rescue and Snitch’s redemption. I think perhaps all of us…” He glanced at the supreme alphas of S.T.E.A.M. “…can profit by your example.”
Levi stood impassively. He wanted to tell them he was only a dog, like any other, but he knew how self-serving that would sound. In the end, he acknowledged their thanks and Quigley’s admonition with a simple nod.
“We’re glad we could help,” he said.
The ultimate alphas of S.T.E.A.M. filed out, all the other dogs following. Sergeant Beefsteak also departed, returning to guard the city he loved so much, but not before giving a respectful bow.
“Follow me please,” Quigley said. “The machine is in readiness and we dare not delay longer.”
“What will happen to the machine?” Levi asked.
“If I had my way it would be broken into a thousand pieces and buried,” Quigley said. “But you know how Companions are.”
“Ever well-intentioned,” Levi said. “Ever dim.”
They entered the room containing the machine.
“Plus our own alphas have a mind to keep it intact,” Quigley continued. “Now that we have some idea of Lord Cerberus’ nature and the world from which he hailed, there has been talk of trying to discover that world…”
“Not advisable,” Levi said.
Quigley nodded. “Or keep the machine available as some kind of defense against an invasion.”
“Speaking of invasion,” Yoda blurted. “Like I said, you ought to keep an eye on Mars in case…”
“The less known about our future, the better,” Quigley said.
“Besides,” Levi added, “we all write our own futures.”
“You are a wonder, Levi,” Quigley said.
“I am only…” He glanced to the machine. “We should go.”
The machine was activated. Again they heard the trilling sound and saw the streaming globular lights.
“We have to leave you now,” Quigley said.
“The machine will deactivate once you depart,” Gearhead told them. “As I said, it will be your world, your area and your time, but I cannot guarantee absolute precision.”
“Good luck,” Quigley said. “And, again, thank you.”
Artie lingered a moment, smiling at his saviors, then joined his new friends outside. Abruptly the trilling stopped and pulsating lights under the door faded to darkness. The dogs of S.T.E.A.M. returned to find the room dark and vacant.
“Come on, Artie,” Gearhead said. “We have just received a report of a pterodactyl menacing dogs in Hyde Park.”
The dog once known as Artemus Gordon lingered a moment in the empty room, sniffing the last scents of a world no longer his, then bounded happily after his new friends.
“Right behind you, Gearhead!”
Epilogue: The Road Home
Present Day
Chula Vista, California
Earth 1
“Where are we?” Groucho asked nervously. “I don’t know where we are.”
“A yard,” Smokey murmured. “Apparently.”
They were surrounded on three sides by high wooden fences and a darkened house on the fourth. He saw Yoda moving hesitantly towards them, but there was no sign of Levi or Sunny.
“You two okay?” Yoda asked.
“We don’t know where we are,” Groucho complained.
“In Chula Vista, I think,” Yoda said. “Unless I’m wrong, that house is the vacant one on Del Mar Avenue, just east of Downtown Third. We’re less than a half-mile from home. Got to give credit to Gearhead for…” He paused. “Hey, where are Levi and Sunny?”
“We hoped you would know,” Groucho said.
“Levi!” Yoda called. “Sunny!”
“Let’s get out of this yard,” Smokey suggested.
At the gate, Groucho leaped and clawed his way up, freeing the latch. Normally, Smokey would have bounded up the fence, walked the edge, and leaped to the other side. Now, however, still feeling not quite up to par, he decided to walk out with Yoda. Once on the walkway, under a streetlamp, Yoda peered up at the sign.
“Del Mar and Davidson,” he said. “Just as I thought.”
“But where are…” Groucho started to say.
“Here we are,” Levi said as he and Sunny emerged into the cone of light shed by the streetlamp.
Levi’s fur had a few small leaves sticking to it, which he shook off, and Sunny was dripping wet. She shook, but since most of the water had already been sent flying, no one got too wet, except the two cats, who found almost any amount of water too much.
“What happened to you two?” Yoda asked.
“I found myself in a tree a block away,” Levi explained.
“And I got dropped in a swimming pool,” Sunny said. “Thank Anubis for a double coat. I won’t get cold, and I’ll be dry before we get home.”
They started down Davidson.
“I’ll bet everybody is wondering where we’ve been the last few weeks,” Groucho said.
Yoda laughed. “I hope Kim hasn’t put our pictures on any milk cartons.”
It was a strange feeling, walking the familiar streets of Chula Vista after nearly a month in a version of Victorian London. They kept expecting to see steam-hansom cabs and horse-drawn vehicles, and whenever they heard a sound overhead they were surprised to see the electric navigation lights of an airplane and not the gaslights and arc-lamps of an airship. After less than a half-hour, taking it easy to accommodate Levi and Smokey, they were on their own street, at their own driveway, in front of their own house.
When they entered, Little Kitty looked up and yawned. “Oh, it’s you. Back already?”
Yoda started to protest, but Levi quieted him.
“Did you decide not to go after all?” Kim asked, coming out of the hallway. “Smokey, are you okay. You look…”
“How long have we been gone?” Levi asked.
“A couple hours, maybe less,” the Torby cat answered. “Did something happen?”
“I think we had better all sit down,” Levi suggested. “We have quite a story to share.”
Levi and the others took turns recounting adventures that, for them, had happened nearly a month ago. Kim listened in wide-eyed wonder while Little Kitty yawned often and occasionally dozed.
“But, wait a minute,” Kim protested afterwards. “If those other dogs, the steamy ones…”
“Dogs of S.T.E.A.M.,” Yoda said.
“Yes,” Kim acknowledged. “If that machine of theirs returned you to a time not long after you left us…then that means…no, it can’t be.” She frowned. “Can it?”
“The dogs who left you are still on their way to South San Diego,” Levi said. “Smokey and Groucho are either still on their way to Otay, or have just arrived. In a sense, the events we told you about have not happened yet, but soon will.”
“I have a headache,” Little Kitty moaned.
“I find it all very confusing,” Kim admitted. “But if you say it happened…or will happen…well, I’m just glad to have you all back and in one piece.”
“Gelert!” Yoda blurted.
“What is a Gelert?” Kim asked.
“There’s a dog named Gelert who lived a long time ago in the other world,” Yoda explained. “Gearhead was going to tell me why he was so important, but…well, there was so much to see before we left it just kept slipping my mind. Now, I guess it’s too late.”
“Gelert lived in this world too,” Levi said. “But events were slightly different. The difference is relatively small, but it was large enough to create a new universe.”
“You know who Gelert is?” Yoda asked.
“It’s one of the things Quigley and I discussed,” Levi said.
“And I heard about it from Penelope,” Sunny added.
“Smokey and I heard two of the vet-technicians talking about it.” Groucho said.
“Am I the only one who…”
“Looks that way.” Levi smiled. “Do you want to hear a story?”
“Yes,” Yoda said, both anxious and a little peeved. “Please.”
“Long ago, there was a Companion named Llewellyn the Great, Prince of the North Wales land of Gwynedd,” Levi began. “He was an avid hunter, usually accompanied by his dog, Gelert, who had been a gift from the King of England. One day, Prince Llewellyn left very early and hunted alone. When he returned from the hunt, he found his son missing, the cradle overturned, and Gelert there with a blood-stained mouth.”
“Oh no!” Yoda gasped.
“The Prince drew his sword and in the madness of his grief killed Gelert,” Levi continued. “Afterwards, however, he hears his baby crying. He discovers the pup is unharmed and that in the overturned cradle is the body of a wolf. Gelert killed the wolf and saved the child. The Prince was so broken-hearted by his mistake that he never smiled again and erected a stone monument on brave Gelert’s grave to commemorate the dog’s courage. To this day, the town is known as Beddgelert, which is Welsh for Gelert’s Grave.”
“But then I don’t see…”
“At least that’s how it happened in our world,” Levi added. “In their world, things went a little differently. Our Prince stabbed Gelert through the heart, but their Prince missed. Gelert was gravely wounded, but did not die.”
“That started a whole new chain of events, as Penelope told me,” Sunny said. “Because of the Prince’s horror at what he had almost done, the bond between Companions and canines became even closer, and they started working together in new and unexpected ways.”
“Just as First Dog and Anubis started out as dogs and became much more, so did Gelert,” Levi resumed. “He taught dogs that they should always forgive Companions, especially when they did not deserve forgiveness. His teachings spread, and Companions all over the world found dogs helping them, even emulating them, as they never had before. To dogs, Gelert became Gelert the Peacemaker, he who could bring harmony, sometimes even Saint Gelert.”
“How much do their Companions know about it?” Yoda asked.
“They know that most dogs make a pilgrimage to Gelert’s grave sometime during their lives on the anniversary of his almost-death,” Levi replied. “Other than that, probably not much. You know how Companions are.”
Yoda sighed. “Ever well-intentioned…”
“…Ever dim,” Sunny finished.
“But always needing the assistance of dogs,” Levi said.
Later that evening, Yoda stood and cocked his head, aligning his ears to the southeast.
“What is it Yoda?” Sunny asked.
Yoda went out to the walkway, the others joining him. Once outside, they all heard plainly what Yoda’s sensitive ears could only hear dimly inside—a strange trilling noise.
“What do we do, Levi?” Yoda asked.
“Nothing,” he r
eplied, smiling. “Let’s go inside and get a good night’s sleep. I’m sure the matter is in good paws.”
A Message From the 3DDA
Thank you for reading our story, and we very much hope that you enjoyed it. If you have a pet and know of an animal who should appear in a future story of the Three Dog Detective Agency, please email us at [email protected]. List your subject as “3DDA Story.” Always include a photo; be sure to tell us about the animal’s personality and mannerisms. Until next time, stay cool and be good.
LEVI
SUNNY
YODA
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Jason Thompson for nominating Wire-haired Dachshund June as an Animal of Character® and to Michael and Janette Myers for Shih Tzus Sammy and Kelsey, and providing photos; also to Lester Doyle for Artemus Gordon, appropriately enough, a Gordon Setter, who was first nominated for The Death & Life of an American Dog. Thanks also to all who submitted names and photos of Animals of Character® but who, for one reason or another, did not fit into the flow of the plot. All dogs and cats nominated are kept on file for inclusions in future volumes
Dedication
This book is dedicated to those who introduced me to the wonderful world of Steampunk: musician, writer and friend Paul Roland; Jess Nevins, author of Fantastic Victoriana; chap-hop performer and nice guy Professor Elemental; Jeff Vandermeer and C.J. Chambers, co-writers of the Steampunk Bible; and Anastasia Hunter and all the brilliant folk at the Gaslight Gathering Steampunk Convention held annually in San Diego, who were not only kind to an awkward, self-conscious Steampunk “newbie,” but demonstrated the difference between theory and practical application
Note to Readers
Dogs of S.T.E.A.M., the fifth book published in the Paws & Claws series, is fiction. Characters are from the author’s imagination. Where current or historical personages are depicted, Companion or canine, it is done in a fictitious manner. Most locations, though real, have also been fictionalized. If you have downloaded this as a free PDF, please be aware you are reading an illegal, pirated file.
Dogs of S.T.E.A.M. (Paws & Claws Book 5) Page 21