by Darrell Pitt
Doctor Moran shrugged. “I am a doctor. I am beyond nationalities. Beyond countries. I am interested only in my research and what benefits it may bring mankind.”
“Benefits!” The word exploded from Jack’s mouth before he knew what he was doing. “I don’t see any benefit to the person you have prisoner in your cell.”
“There have always been slaves,” he said. “Just as there have always been masters. Slaves must know their place is to serve just as masters know their role is to lead.”
“What have you done to that person?” Jack demanded, his voice shaking with both fear and anger.
Doctor Moran slowly walked around each of the operating tables. “Slaves must be conditioned. They must behave according to the dictates of those in charge.”
“But you’ve turned him into some sort of…animal,” Jack said, aghast.
“I have combined the elements of his human nature with that of a bear,” the doctor explained. “In this case, a bear.”
“A…a bear?” Scarlet stammered.
“I have created many such hybrids,” Doctor Moran said. “Bears, lions, pigs just to name a few.”
“But that’s inhuman,” Joseph Bell said. “Surely you can see that.”
“Their lives have been sacrificed for the greater cause of science,” Doctor Moran said. “Just as yours will be.”
“You’re a monster,” Jon Harker said. “You’re –.”
Mr Harker stopped in mid sentence. At that moment a figure stepped into the room. Hunched over and looking downwards, the person carried a tray with a flask of alcohol and a glass.
Scarlet gave a moan of horror. Even the men were speechless.
“This is Wilfred,” Doctor Moran said. “He once worked as a servant on the island for the previous owners. Now he is part man and part pig.”
“Is that what you intend for us?” Scarlet asked.
“I have had much success with the pig formulae,” Doctor Moran said.
Jack listened to the doctor in horror. How can he be so calm? Jack wondered. He might as well be discussing the weather.
The doctor poured himself a drink while Wilfred stood nearby, looking downtrodden and fearful. “I have not had the pleasure of using it on a woman before. Now that will change.”
“If you harm my daughter,” Joseph Bell started, “I swear I will –.”
Moran threw the glass at Mr Bell. It smashed, sending pieces everywhere. Blood started to pour down the helpless man’s face. Moran stepped over to the bound man and slapped him.
“No!” Scarlet screamed. “Leave him alone!”
The doctor ignored her and slapped him again. Seething with anger, he said to Bell, “You will not give orders here. I am in charge. You are just a laboratory animal.”
Scarlet started to weep.
The doctor marched to the door. “Come, Wilfred. We will let these rats think about their future contribution to science while I assemble their potions.”
The man–animal followed his master to the door. Moran closed the door and for a long moment the only sound was that of Scarlet weeping. Jack lay back in frustration. He had come such a long way to save his companions and now he could not even save himself.
Scarlet suddenly stopped crying. “All may not be lost.”
“What do you mean, my dear?” her father asked.
“When the doctor threw that glass at you,” Scarlet said, “some of it landed in the crook of my arm.”
“Can you get to it?” Jack asked.
“Let me try,” Scarlet said.
Jack could see her moving her arm against her body. After a moment she let out of cry of relief. “I’ve got it in my hand. I’ll try to cut the strap. Just give me a minute.”
It took longer than a minute. Jack kept looking at the door, expecting the doctor to return at any moment.
“Hurry my dear,” Jon Harker urged her.
“She’s going as fast as she can,” Joseph Bell snapped.
“I’m just saying –.” Mr Harker began.
“It’s alright gentlemen,” Scarlet said. “I’m almost there.”
Another long minute passed. Scarlet let out a sigh of satisfaction as she finally freed one of her hands. She immediately untied the leather strap restraining her other arm and started to untie her feet. Just as she stepped away from the table, the door slowly opened.
Wilfred stood in the doorway.
Jack and the others remained frozen, as if in time, staring at the pigman. In return, the man looked at them quizzically, sniffing the air as if the aroma could make him understand the scene before him. Scarlet smiled pleasantly at him and edged over to Jack’s bench.
Glancing back at the pigman, she said, “Hello Wilfred. You’re a nice man, aren’t you?”
Scarlet began undoing the leather straps restraining Jack’s hands. Wilfred watched the scene with interest. She undid Jack’s feet and he slowly slid off the table.
“What Doctor Moran has done to you is very cruel, Wilfred,” Scarlet said softly, slowly making her way over to her father and Mr Harker. She undid their restraints and the men climbed off the operating tables.
Wilfred sniffed the air. Suddenly Doctor Moran burst in the door.
“What is –?” He stopped in astonishment. Turned to Wilfred and hit him. “Kill them! Kill them all!”
As he ran from the room, Wilfred snarled and turned to them.
“No Wilfred. No!” Scarlet screamed.
The pigman started advancing on them. Mr Bell picked up a chair to defend himself.
“Quickly!” he said. “Jack and Scarlet! Through the windows!”
Jack helped Scarlet climb up onto the bench to unlatch the nearest window. Wilfred threw himself at the chair and tried to rip it from Mr Bell’s grasp. Jon Harker grabbed a metal lamp off the bench and struck at the creature’s head.
It swiped him sideways, sending him sprawling to the floor. Mr Bell tried to push the creature out of the room using the chair, but Wilfred wrestled it from his grasp and tossed it across the chamber. The pigman threw himself at Mr Bell, grabbing him around the throat.
“Wilfred,” Scarlet said in a stern voice. “Don’t do that.”
Her words froze the pigman. He looked up at her, his eyes examining her closely. After a moment, he slowly released Mr Bell.
“You remember you were once a man,” Scarlet said softly.
Wilfred seemed entranced by her voice. He tilted his head as if she were singing the words rather than speaking them. Jack could see some sort of humanity still dwelt within the creature. The two older men climbed up onto the bench. Scarlet motioned them through the window. Mr Bell made as if to argue, but Scarlet firmly grasped his arm and directed him through the gap, all the while keeping her eye on the pigman.
“You probably had a family,” Scarlet said. “You may have had a wife and children. At least you had a mother and father.”
As Jack climbed through the window, he looked back at the pigman’s face. The creature looked stricken with grief. Jack could not even begin to imagine what it would be like inside his mind. The evil Doctor had tried to turn him into an animal, but beneath the animal exterior, the soul of a man still dwelt.
Jack helped Scarlet up onto the window sill. Just before they dropped into the garden outside, Jack saw tears well up in the eyes of the pigman.
“What is that thing?” Mr Harker asked.
“It’s not a thing,” Scarlet said sternly. “It’s a man. A very tragic man, thanks to Doctor Moran.”
A scream emanated from the back of the complex. A very human scream.
“What on Earth–.” Mr Bell started.
They made their way to the corner of the building. The door of the building Jack had approached earlier lay wide open. Doctor Moran lay sprawled in the doorway. Two of his creatures were hunched over him. Another had its mouth attached to his throat.
“Oh no,” Scarlet said, turning her face.
“The creatures have turned on him,” Mr Harker sai
d.
Jack felt sick. He had no cause to like the doctor, but he also had no wish to see anyone killed. At that moment the creatures looked up and saw Jack and the others watching them.
They let out a roar.
“Time we got out of here,” Mr Bell said.
They turned and ran towards the entry to the compound. Jack slid the wooden plank across and opened the gate. They looked back into the compound and saw a dozen of the creatures curiously examining the environment outside their cells. A few of them looked in their direction. They started loping towards them.
“Quickly!” Mr Harker urged.
They hurried through the gate and pulled them closed.
“They won’t lock,” Jack said.
“Hopefully they won’t need to,” Mr Bell said. “With a little luck those creatures will take hours to work out how to get through them and we’ll be long gone by then.”
They ran down the dirt road away from the compound. After they turned a corner and it seemed safe, they slowed to a walk. Mr Harker suggested they make their way to the coast. From there they might be able to hail a passing boat. They started scrambling through the undergrowth.
“Which reminds me,” Mr Bell continued. “Who are you, young man, and how on earth did you find us?”
Jack quickly explained how he came to be on the island. By the time he finished, Scarlet’s eyes were quite wide open with amazement.
“I’ve never heard such an incredible tale,” she said.
“A little too incredible, if you ask me,” Jon Harker said, frowning.
Jack felt his face growing red. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“All I’m saying is that it seems a little far fetched.”
“Then how did I get here?”
“You may be in partnership with the Nazis.”
Jack felt like yelling at the older man. “To begin with, I don’t even know what a Nazi is. And why would I be trying to help you escape?”
“That’s a ridiculous accusation, Mr Harker,” Scarlet said angrily. “Jack and Mr Doyle have been helping me to find my father.” She clenched her fists. “And they are both men of honour.”
“Jon,” Mr Bell began patiently. “I’m sure this young man is a friend. In fact, we might still be stuck in that lab if it weren’t for his help.”
“You know we’ve had a leak within the society,” Jon Harker said.
“I know,” Mr Bell said. “But Jack has nothing to do with that. And besides,” he added, “the Nazis now know the truth about Phoenix.”
Mr Harker’s mouth fell open. “You can’t have told them.”
“They threatened my daughter,” Mr Bell said. “I had no other choice.”
Mr Harker grabbed him by the collar. “How dare you –.”
“Unhand my father,” Scarlet cried.
“It’s alright, Scarlet,” Joseph Bell said, gripping the other man’s arm. “Jon just needs to calm down.”
Jon Harker slowly released Bell. “You know what you’ve done, Joseph? You may have just brought about the end of the world.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Joseph Bell replied, but he still looked worried.
“The Nazis will now have the ultimate weapons at their disposal,” Mr Harker said. “It’s only a matter of time before they use them.”
Jack felt like he was watching a game of ping pong.
“I’ve only got one question for the time being,” Jack said. “What exactly is a Nazi?”
“A political party,” Mr Bell explained. They were drawing nearer the sea now. A stiff onshore breeze was blowing cold air in their direction. “In Germany they are known as the National Socialist German Workers' Party. We have anglicized their name as the Nazi party.”
“And who are they?” Scarlet asked.
“Fanatics,” Mr Bell said shortly. “A political force within Germany bent on achieving ultimate power. Their leader is a man named Anton Drexler.”
“And how do you know all this?” Scarlet continued. “What is your connection with them, father? You must tell me what’s going on.”
Mr Bell looked ashamed. “I’m sorry I have lied to you, Scarlet. It seems I’ve spent my entire lifetime doing just that.”
“Then you must start telling the truth,” Scarlet said.
Mr Harker looked annoyed. “Telling the truth is what has caused all these problems.”
They scrambled up a grassy embankment. As they came over the rise they saw a small cove before them. The sun now lay low in the sky. The wind howled as it blew over them. Making their way down to the beach, they saw the mainland only a few miles away. Jack and the others looked out across the water.
Jack shivered. He knew nothing about politics, but it sounded like these Nazis were dangerous characters.
“We need to find a boat,” he said. “I doubt any of us could swim that distance.”
“It would be too dangerous at this time of day,” Mr Harker said.
“I agree,” a voice said from behind them. “And far too chilly.”
Jack turned in astonishment at the sound of the voice.
“Mr Doyle!”
Chapter Sixteen
His mentor stood a few feet behind them, looking completely relaxed, holding a cane in his hand. Lucy Harker stood at his side. She ran forward and threw her arms around her father.
Mr Doyle stepped forward and clapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “My boy, are you alright?”
“Yes, sir.”
He looked serious. “You are never to do anything like that again.”
“Like what, Mr Doyle?”
“Jumping onto that airship!” He looked annoyed. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”
“I’m...I’m sorry, Mr Doyle,” Jack felt embarrassed. “I thought you’d be pleased to see me.”
“I am,” Ignatius Doyle said. “But you must not risk your life in such a way again.”
His bottom lip quivered.
“Mr Doyle,” Scarlet cut in. “Jack has been invaluable to us. If he had not pursued us when he did, then we probably would have died.”
Mr Doyle swallowed hard and gripped his shoulder. “I’m sure you’ve done a sterling job.”
“The question is,” Joseph Bell interrupted, “how did you get here? And how do we now get off this island?”
“The answer to your first question will require an extended reply,” Mr Doyle explained. “Please allow me to show you the answer to your second question.”
Mr Doyle led them along the beach till they reached the headland. They rounded the rocky outcrop and scrambled across rocks until they reached a small inlet. Jack was starting to find it difficult to navigate in the gathering darkness. The rocks were wet underfoot.
“Do you have a boat, Mr Doyle?” Jon Harker asked.
“Better than that,” Mr Doyle replied.
He led them down over a series of rocks leading almost to the water. Ahead of them, Jack could see a strange egg shaped contraption on a low rocky outcrop. It sat balanced on two skids and had a strange cross shaped structure dangling over the top of it.
The smell of steam wafted across the air to Jack.
“What on earth is that?” Scarlet asked.
“I imagine your father knows the answer to that question,” Mr Doyle replied, turning to the men. “Or Mr Harker. I was able to keep this contraption under control, but only just. A man with more experience would bring about a safer flight.”
“I don’t know how –.” Jon Harker started.
“The time for deceit has ended,” Mr Bell snapped. “It should have ended centuries ago.” He turned to Mr Doyle. “I have experience in flying the helicopter and I will do so if you wish.”
“I do,” Mr Doyle replied.
“Heli…what?” Jack asked.
“Helicopter,” Mr Doyle explained. “The word is adapted by a French word, hélicoptère, which in turn originates from the Greek words ‘helix’ and ‘pteron’ meaning spiral and wing respectively.”
“What does it do?” Jack asked as they neared the enormous contraption.
“It’s a vertical flying machine,” Mr Doyle explained. “Powered by steam, it will carry us across the water to the other side.”
“I have some concerns about that,” Mr Harker said. “I don’t wish to appear troublesome, but it was never intended to carry this much weight.”
“He’s correct,” Mr Bell confirmed. “I doubt it has ever carried so many people.”
Mr Doyle looked past them. “Well, I think we’ll just have to test its capabilities. Friends of yours, are they?”
They turned to see a group of figures in the gathering darkness.
“It’s the creatures from the lab,” Joseph Bell said. “They must have followed us.”
“If you have a weapon, Mr Doyle,” Mr Harker said. “I believe we can take down a few with no problems.”
“No!” Scarlet protested. “They are men. Or they were.”
“We will not shoot them,” Mr Doyle said quietly. “Here. We’re at the machine. Let’s climb aboard and make a getaway while we still can.”
They climbed into the oddly shaped contraption. The interior was much like a large egg flattened at the rear end. Jack could see the engine already alight and hot. The front contained a large window. Before it a control mechanism was set into the floor. There were no seats.
Mr Harker adjusted controls at the boiler as Joseph Bell seized the steering mechanism. A steady vibration ran through the contraption as a loud pounding emanated throughout the structure. The interior was deafening. Jack and Mr Doyle pulled the door shut as the animal men approached the helicopter.
“We’ll need lift off shortly, gentlemen,” Mr Doyle yelled.
“Almost there,” Mr Harker called back. “Just a few more seconds.”
A pounding emanated from the other side of the door. Soft at first, it quickly increased in intensity as more of the creatures started beating at the metal. One of them rounded the machine and peered in the window. He drew back a fist and hit the glass.
A long crack cut the middle of the pane.
“Joseph,” Mr Harker said. “We need power.”
“Alright,” Joseph Bell said. “I’m applying full power. Try now.”
Jon Harker turned the control mechanism. They heard the whoop–whoop of the rotor blades as they whizzed about above the top of the helicopter. The sound of the engine and the moving parts was deafening. The floor beneath them shuddered.