by J M Bannon
“Did you see who killed the Italian or Fletcher?” asked Dolly.
“It completely slipped my mind,” said Rose she walked around the equipment to behind the control panel where Giuliani lay. Putting on her goggles over her eyes she let the scene unfold. The images came clearly and quickly. She turned to Burton and Williamson and saw them as amber images, the murder scene unfolding between them and her.
“Come over here,” she beckoned.
The two men walked over.
Rose took off her goggles again, “Take a look at his upper arms.”
Dolly and Burton unbuttoned the man’s shirt cuffs and rolled up his sleeves there on both arms were contusions so severe it was as if the arms were almost crushed.
“You’ll find these on all of the victims the same. Luca Giuliani was killed, and I assume everyone else in this place by this group of automatons.
“Jesus Christ Rose, This Caiaphas has gates that still work and an Army of the Damned?”
“Their first act after release is murder?” said Burton.
“Who is in charge here!?”
The three turned to see a man with white side whiskers and unruly hair in a black coat and grey waistcoat. He was followed by several men in similar business attire.
Dolly gave Rose a look before he turned to the man, “That would be me, Superintendent Williamson of the Metropolitan Police Department.”
“And what business do you have up here so far from London?” said the blustery man.
“That would be Crown business, on the request of the Home Secretary, sir. Who might you be and what business do you have here?” asked Dolly.
“Well, sir, my place of business was overrun by your constables, and I was told my presence was requested here,” said the man.
So, you are Mr. Bessemer?
“I am, and this is my colleague and our local chapter house leader Mechanist Bradford Welton,” said Bessemer.
“Pleased to meet you, Superintendent Williamson,” said Welton cordially. The two men shook hands.
“These are my associates, detectives Burton and Caldwell. While investigating a crime, they came here to conduct an interview and found multiple homicides had taken place at this site. Some of the victims were your workers,” said Dolly.
“Where is the Italian, Giuliani, he was the one in charge of this place,” said Welton.
“Dead sir, his corpse is just over there if you would like to see?”
“Damn it, Superintendent, you need to find who has done this - that man was not done — he, I mean we had an agreement, and he had not fulfilled it,” Bessemer grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself. Rose was unsure if he was on the verge of passing out or a burst of anger.
“Superintendent, how might we help? As you see Mr. Bessemer is quite distraught.” said Welton.
“Shut your trap Welton, I don’t need you interpreting my emotions. I am not distraught I am furious. Someone is out to disrupt my enterprise they know of my agreement with the Countess and Giuliani, and they seek to destroy my enterprise,” said Bessemer.
“Mr. Bessemer, I need you to tell my detectives what you can about this operation. The dead fella here and all about this Countess you just mentioned.” said Dolly.
“Bessemer turned and began to walk out, “Why don’t you just tell Welton here when you find out who is trying to ruin me.”
“The only one that will ruin you sir is you. Take one more step towards that door and you’ll be put in irons.”
Bessemer stopped, “I’ll have you know one wire type and your career will be over.”
“So, you’re going to threaten my job?” said Dolly as he walked over to Bessemer, then continued.
“I’ll let you know that as much as I hate to be called on to figure out who murdered a half dozen people, I rather like what I do. You’ll never send that wire-type because my constables will arrest you before you leave this room. If Mechanist Welton says a word he’ll be in the Black Maria with you. I’ll have you down in the cells for interrogation where you’ll be locked up with real villains, because for all I know your behind all of this.”
“Are you threatening me sir?”
“No, I am helping you see all the ways today may go for you. I’m not the threatening type. If I were to threaten you it would sound more like this… Detective Caldwell what happened when that Necronist Seer didn’t listen to me?” asked Dolly.
“You shot him,” said Rose.
“And then…” Dolly coaxed.
“Well he died,”
“Of course, he died, I shot the bastard. I was trying to get you to say what happened later with the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary,” said Dolly.
“Well nothing sir,” said Rose.
“I would argue that it eventually led to me getting promoted. The moral to the story is that I have shot important people in the past and gotten away with it, but I didn’t threaten them.
Bessemer was red. He inhaled but said nothing.
Mechanist Welton interceded, “Let us know how we can help. I will make sure that myself and Ironmaster Bessemer are at your disposal and you have full access for your investigation.”
“Excellent, now I am sure you’re both busy men and we have work to do here. I suggest that you let Detective Burton here know your particulars, so he can interview you later,” said Dolly as he turned back to Rose.
Rose rolled her eyes at Dolly, “I need to get back to London. If Caiaphas has another gate system and used it to move this Army of the Damned as you call it, the Air Service may have been able to detect the signals and provide us some guidance on where they might be.”
33
Wednesday the 4th od September, 1861
8:20 A.M. Azul’s Gemulet
Azul was losing track of time. Without an outside reference he could not gauge the passing of a day, and with each moment his anxiety rose. His captors had physical control of the object to which he was bound. If it were true that he was in the lair of Caiaphas, an attempt to escape would result in being consumed by Caiaphas.
The solitary confinement was interrupted by another visit of the Countess.
“You and I are very much alike in that we were betrayed by our brothers and imprisoned. Like you, I long to be back with my kind on my home plane of existence,” the Countess said.
These visits were his only respite from solitary confinement. He was no longer sure which he wanted more, silence or interaction with this thing.
“Why can’t you go back?” asked Azul.
“Like you, I didn’t follow the rules. I wished to explore the aether to travel. You see my kind is one of the few beings that can live in the aether unaided. This ability made it possible to explore other planes of existence.”
“But we are in the aether now.” Azul pointed out.
“Not precisely; through theurgy humans can tame a portion, a very tiny slice that they can conform to their will, as within this gemulet. What you call the aether in here is really conjurations and manipulation of the aetheric elements. The best analogy is a table.
A wooden table appeared in the space, and the woman walked around the table, her fingers lightly touching its surface.
Azul was concerned how quickly Caiaphas was able to construct in this gemulet. Was this manipulation of the aether or his mind? He couldn’t tell anymore.
“When you look at this, you see a work surface or a fine furnishing for a room, but it is more than that. It was someone's idea that they crafted from the material of wood. Is it a table or wood? Both? If you look deeper that wood is comprised of the cells of the tree and those are created by pulling nutrients from the ground and sunlight from the sky. Go a layer deeper and what are the nutrients made of? The human mind doesn’t see the world at that level, they only see the chair or the table. But you and I know that there is no table there; just a collection of energy.” said the Countess as the table evaporated.
“In the aether, the space between the planes, the energy is raw and
pure. A primal tempest that rips most apart. My kind are immune, on the other hand here, well not here, but in what you call the material world. Here I am trapped unable to leave this world as part of my punishment, and I’m afflicted with a form that binds me here.” she said.
“But you can take human form, and you’ve been all over the world. How are you limited?”
“Again, you should be able to relate. In your mechanist man you can travel the earth, you are in some ways more powerful than you were in mortal form but in so many other ways you are limited and isolated.”
That made sense. Some things were just out of reach. Smells, taste, touch and always the feeling of being outside. It was like being bed ridden and able to see out the window. You could see the sunlight hitting a surface, but you couldn’t go out and feel the sun’s heat on your face.
“I understand it’s just not the same,” Azul said.
“You are in a fantasy none of this is real. The only thing real is your fear to let go into the beyond, into the unknown. When you engage the metaphysical in here, you can build a table, but you don’t understand the deeper layers of the tree that grew or the nutrients and sunlight that made it. That is what I had and wish to return to” said the Countess.
“All that I have learned of theurgy in the Brotherhood and the other rights of the occult, these are all tied to the falsehood of what you did with the Emerald Tablet?” posed Azul.
“I’m explaining the intricacies of the multiverse, and you want to know if you were bamboozled. You humans are so petty. Maybe that’s why you can’t travel far from this rock,” said the Countess.
“Well then tell me why I’m here,” asked Azul.
“This is an excellent point to discuss. Do you think by understanding you will somehow get some control of this situation or of your circumstances?”
Azul gave this a serious thought, “I’ve always been inquisitive, I want to know the secrets, the inner workings but once I get into the inner circle, I become bored. That was my downfall with the Brotherhood, after learning all of the secrets of theurgy and mysticism I found out we were custodians. Watchmen to make sure that creature didn’t escape.”
“I would have been bored also. That is why we are so alike. You see those you call the Outcasts were my travel companions. Most of my kind were complacent to stay insulated in our own world, I was not able to sit idle.”
“There were four of us who travelled, and through our excursions, we learned more about the true nature of the universe and the moment of singularity that we all rush away from. We brought new ideas and concepts back to our brethren and found ourselves branded revolutionaries looking to corrupt our kind's ways. I guess we were, but we saw it as learning. While most explorers are seen as heroes by their own kind and conquers to others, my race saw us as the interlopers bringing back bad influences unto a perfect society.”
“So Earth is where your people send its criminals?”
“Yes, a Devil’s Island of sorts, and I had no intention of staying,” answered Caiaphas.
“If you were all imprisoned here why did you have the others entombed?”
“I didn’t want to do that, but you should be grateful that I did. You see our powers here allow us to exert considerable influence over your kind. My brothers were quite content building empires where humans waited on them and treated them as living gods. They were turning your whole species into lap dogs.
“I saw that this was the cruelest part of our punishment. A diversion where we would be occupied by our playthings and distracted from our confinement. When none of my brethren chose to support me and would rather play god, I had no choice but to make sure they did not continue to influence and pervert your humankind's natural progress. I was protecting your whole world from these subjugators,” said Caiaphas.
“So, you’re the hero of this story?” Azul said with a laugh as he stood.
“In some respects, even those I imprisoned, you owe a debt to, they directed you to be more than cave-dwelling animals. However, I could see where their influence would lead, so I begged them all to leave with me. When they did not, I determined to leave myself, but could not leave them here to continue the games they played so I trapped them. The cages required guards, and therefore I put groups in place to do so. With that responsibility came a gift — a payment you could say, you learned how to wield arcane power.”
“So, all that we know of magic and the metaphysical is tied to you and these Outcasts?” asked Azul.
“No, we are all part of something much bigger. Something that I am just as eager to understand as you are, but the answers are out beyond and to learn that I must be freed from this world. You see Vizier, our consciousnesses are incompatible. I perceive reality differently. I know outcomes and see possibilities that are invisible to you. I know the part you play in my escape, and there is nothing you can do to stop it,” She stepped over to him and suddenly grabbed his neck. Although both were ethereal her grip clenched tightly. Again, the psychic assault started, and Azul was powerless.
“Let me show you, Vizier,” said the Countess as his mind was flooded with memories and sensations on the being’s plan.
* * *
1:20 P.M. The Air Service High Command, London Aerodrome
The ensign walked Burton and Rose down the halls of Her Majesty’s Air Service. While busy with activity the corridors were quiet. Ensigns and officers walked the dark paneled halls with a deliberate step. Rose would notice a man or two trying to spy a glance at her unobserved. She was out of place in most situations but here in a building full of military men it was worse. It felt a bit like the Yard, but there she had become part of the routine, and most of her fellow police didn’t give her these sideways glances anymore. They didn’t want much to do with her or her branch. The novelty of her attire and how she worked had worn away.
The escort gave a quick knock at a door.
“Come in.”
The ensign opened the door, “Detectives Caldwell and Burton to see you, Lieutenant. I’ll leave you to it,” said the ensign.
The man stepped away from behind his desk to greet them. “Lieutenant Mills, pleased to meet you,” said the balding man with a well-shaped goatee.
Burton and Rose exchanged greetings then Rose pressed in on the topic at hand.
“Lieutenant, we believe that there has been increased portal activity and were hoping might have led to you identifying some locations to search,” said Detective Burton.
The officer put his arms behind his back and walked over to a large map on the wall. Across its surface was push pins with small notes attached, “As you can see I am creating a visual representation of the signals. This will show us the path to the source.”
Rose looked there were notes all about but nothing that indicated a source, “There is an urgency in finding the source. Are you in a position to suggest where they may be based?”
The Lieutenant did not speak, only returning a solemn look.
“Really sir, it would be a great help if you have some insight into a location,” coaxed Burton.
“Oh, I am nowhere's near that point detectives. This map only has the Air service data, and it does not include Naval readings that I have begun to receive, and they have not been following the agreed protocols for presenting the data.” He pointed to a credenza with several stacks of files, “all those need to be entered.”
“Where’s Elliot? What about Captain Moore? We need to speak with them and make this a priority!” said Rose pacing before his map with her hands on her hips, “By all that is holy, don’t you see this is of import to the Crown?”
“Detective, Captain Moore is a liaison officer and is not my direct superior. I’ve been tasked with making this information readable. Those providing the data are not doing so as prescribed creating further work for me. Once the information is formatted, I plot the coordinates and make the prescribed notations. As to the source, that is the next phase after we have all of the points plotted,” said Mil
ls.
Rose’s eyes went wide as her jaw clenched. Her words flowed through her grinding teeth. “Do you read the papers?”
“Yes Detective.”
“Did you read the descriptions of the massacre on the Zeus Colonial?” asked Rose.
“Some time ago.”
“Well, we were there. We saw the state of those bodies. This villain has a device so powerful it can pull the life right out of your body. None lived to tell how terrible it must have been, but the twisted and wrinkled corpses are evidence of the painful last moments. These, these aren’t just dots on a map, sir, it’s is our chance to catch this savage before he does to London what he did on that airship,” explained Rose as she pounded her finger on his map.
“I am doing the best with the resources I’ve been allocated. I do wish to help, but I am one man doing what I think is best to get the job done,” said Mills.
“Lieutenant, could you make any assumptions, or would you say you have any feel for what you’ve reviewed so far?” asked Burton.
“No and I would be hesitant in doing so as I am falling further and further behind. This week there have been files brought in multiple times a day,” answered Mills.
“All this on your map, how old is it?” asked Burton.
“At least a month?”
That was it. This wasn’t going to work. Rose couldn’t wait for Mills to requisition more push pins or Burton to show off his inter-agency manners. “Lieutenant expect a request for all of these files to be sent to number 4 Blandford Square. I appreciate the work you’re doing, but we need to move faster,” Rose made her way to the door and stopped, “Detective Burton, let’s be on our way we need to get Dolly over to Ten Downing Street.