Revenge of the Mad Scientist (Book One: Airship Adventure Chronicles)

by Lara Nance

  “Hey, I just remembered something,” she said as they watched the pair at the café. “Remember Benji said that he read about Wildeye Perry having that clockwork eye installed by a scientist from Urakay? It must have been Krakov. Now Wildeye is helping him by bringing my father here. Very convenient don’t you think?”

  Rett nodded, intent on the café. “Look, they’re leaving. Let’s go.”

  They wandered through the square, keeping Wildeye and Krakov in sight as they headed for a tunnel. There were guards at the mouth and Rett cursed under his breath. There was no way they would be able to follow them into the tunnel.

  “What will we do now?” she asked.

  “I guess we’ll look into the other passages as Gesic suggested. Maybe we’ll find something that will tell us what’s down that tunnel.”

  They made their way around the edge of the shopping area to another tunnel opening past the guarded one. People flowed in and out of this one so they should have no problem entering.

  “Let’s act like we belong here and hopefully no one will notice.” Rett took her hand and they strolled into the tunnel.

  Belle kept her gaze focused ahead and avoided meeting anyone’s gaze. So far so good. As they continued, the tunnel widened out and there were doors set along the sides. Some of the doors had a sign over them; some had baskets or wooden bins beside them. She decided these areas must be either where people lived or some sort of businesses. A group of children marched past them holding hands with an adult herding along behind.

  The tunnel ended abruptly in a stone wall about a mile from the center. Dead end. They made their way back and explored some smaller tunnels that led off for short distances and ended in metal or wooden doors with no indication of what was behind them.

  “This is getting us nowhere,” Belle said, frustrated. Her father could be behind any of those doors but without being sure they didn’t dare risk it. They needed more information. “I think it’s time to try your bribery theory.”

  Rett nodded. “You’re right. Let’s go back into the city. There’s bound to be a greedy soul there somewhere.”

  They left the tunnel and moved slowly among the shops. It was probably midday by now and more people had entered the square. Belle was glad; they stood a better chance of hiding among a crowd. They passed the café where Wildeye Perry and Dr. Krakov had been earlier, now filled with patrons.

  “My Lady.” A whisper came from behind her and she turned around fearing they’d been discovered. But it was Perron behind the wall of the stall next to her. He beckoned her toward him. She touched Rett’s arm and made a motion with her head to the Gandiss spy.

  “What is it? Did you find my father?” she asked Perron.

  “No but I believe we found the weapon. You must come and see it.” His eyes glittered with something; fear maybe, she wasn’t sure. But it had unsettled him.

  He led them across to another tunnel similar to the one they explored earlier and then into a smaller tunnel off to the side. The walls of this passage remained rough, and narrowed as they continued.

  “I believe this area is unfinished,” Perron said. “At the end you must crawl on your hands and knees. It leads to a crack in the wall that forms a ledge. Come, you will see.”

  They entered a small round area where two of the spies sat with weapons drawn. Perron waved to them and continued, now crawling through a rough crevice nature had cut through the rock. It widened to a large ledge whose opening was about three feet tall but forty feet wide. The other spies lay on the stone shelf at the edge looking over into the ravine below.

  Belle and Rett followed Perron until they came to the end of the rock beside his companions. Stretched out below them was a massive underground ravine. In the center rose a brass tube as big around as four men and at least fifty feet tall sitting on a complex pad of gears and wheels. Around the mechanical pad were three evenly spaced towers about six feet tall. Each tower had a large shiny metal coil on top and an arc of blue current crackled from the coil to the base of the tube.

  Men moved about among the equipment but were too far away for Belle to see what they were doing. But clearly they had around fifty steam engines going along the wall. The smell of coal and the moist heat of the steam filled the air. Brass pipes ran along the floor from the steam engines to tubes at the base of the three towers.

  “What the bloody hell is it?” Rett asked.

  Perron pointed up and running around the wall in rectangular metal cases were bronze bullet shaped projectiles, each about thirty feet long. Belle sucked in a breath. There must be a hundred or more.

  “See that crane?” Perron pointed to a metal structure on wheels with a retractable long arm that had a claw on one end. “We think that’s how they remove the projectiles from the wall storage and place them in the shooter.”

  “You mean that tube?” Belle asked and her heart skipped a beat. It was some kind of massive cannon that could shoot the projectiles. Now she understood the pad—it could move to angle the cannon in any direction to adjust trajectory based on the target.

  “Look at the ceiling.” Perron turned on his back and they did the same.

  Above their heads, two massive iron doors on tracks formed the roof of the underground chamber. Belle’s gaze followed the line of heavy chains that ran across the doors and through sets of wheels and pulleys until they reached the ground and ran through a wheel assembly built beside a steam engine. They could crank open the doors from there and then their gun could shoot it’s projectiles into the air.

  “This is horrifying,” Belle said. She turned to Rett and his expression revealed he felt much the same way. “What are we going to do?”

  “I haven’t got a clue how to destroy something that big,” Rett said.

  Belle rubbed her eyes. God, this seemed impossible. She wished Benji were here. Maybe her boy genius could make sense of this and come up with a solution. But he was back with the Mandagol, getting ready to attack the mountain. Little did they know Manu Picca could fire back with something that could destroy them all in one shot. Faced with the magnitude of that monster cannon, hopelessness filled her for the first time in this trip.

  “How can the world prevail against such a weapon as that?” She closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her eyelids. An overwhelming urge to sit down and give up washed over her.

  “We still have to find your father,” Rett said.

  She knew that, but then what? They’d all die once Carabarras used that weapon on the world.

  Perron scrambled back across the ledge to the round chamber and they followed.

  “Do you have a plan to destroy it?” Rett asked him.

  “I’m afraid the only way to do that is to blow up the entire mountain,” Perron said grimly.

  “How the hell are you going to do that?”

  “I’m not sure. But it must be accomplished. We cannot let this weapon exist in the hands of our enemies. It’s a threat to the whole world.”

  Scuffling footsteps approached in the narrow tunnel. The spies came to their feet and raised their swords. But it was one of their fellows and he had someone with him.

  “I brought your man, Gesic. He was looking for you,” he said to Belle.

  Gesic came into the small round area. “Kefmam, I have found your father.”

  “What?” Belle could hardly believe it. Excitement welled up in her chest and hope flooded through her. “Where is he? Take us there at once.”

  “It’s back in the square…”

  “What? The square? But we were just there and we didn’t see any evidence of him.” Belle frowned.

  “Kefmam, they are taking him there to be executed,” Gesic said, sorrow darkened his eyes.

  Belle swayed on her feet and Rett put an arm around her waist. “No, we must save him.”

  “How are we going to do that?” Rett twisted her around to face him. “We don’t have enough people to fight them straight on.”

  “I don’t care, I have to
try,” she said, pulling her arm loose from his grip. She turned back to Gesic. “You have to go to the tribe. Tell Benji not to shoot at the mountain. They have a huge cannon here, it’s the secret weapon. If they shoot back it will destroy all your people. Do you understand?”

  His eyes were wide but he nodded.

  “Hurry. Go.” She pushed him away, then pulled out her multi-shooter and checked that there were bullets in all the chambers. The leather pack on her belt held more. Her heart pounded, but she knew she had to try and save her father.

  “Belle, what are you doing?” Rett grabbed her arm again as she turned to go.

  “I have to try, don’t you understand? He’s my father.”

  “And I have to go with you, don’t you understand that?” His eyes flashed and a muscle twitched in his jaw. “But we can’t just go running in there wildly shooting up the place.”

  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Okay. Okay. Do you have a plan, then?”

  He pulled her cloak around her to cover her holster. “Let’s go see what’s going on first.”

  “I’m sorry, My Lady, but we must stay here and try to destroy the weapon,” Perron said.

  She nodded, disheartened. How could they possibly save her father? But as she told Rett, she had to try, even if she perished in the process. They headed back down the narrow tunnel as Perron crawled back onto the ledge.

  Chapter 20

  The square was a different scene from when they left. A metal scaffold on wheels had been rolled into the center of the shopping area and men worked securing the beams. The people who had crowded the streets in happy shopping expeditions earlier, hung back in the stalls, silent, with eyes darting about fearfully.

  “What’s going on?” Rett asked a man he heard speaking Urbanni.

  “They have some man they say is a traitor and they plan to hang him,” the man answered, then moved away looking over his shoulder.

  “A traitor? Idiots,” Belle hissed and Rett jabbed her arm.

  “Quiet!”

  “At least the people don’t seem too happy about it,” she whispered.

  “I doubt they really know what’s going on here,” Rett said.

  They inched closer to the scaffold. One of the men tossed a rope over the beam and hoisted the ominous noose up. A scream bubbled in Belle’s chest begging for release. They were going to hang her father. The best man in the whole world.

  The sound of feet stomping made everyone turn to the far side of the square. Two lines of soldiers carrying rifles crossed over their chests marched toward them. In their center walked a man in a black suit and white shirt his hands tied together in front of him. Belle’s breath caught in her throat. It was her father! He stood tall and proud. A sob escaped her lips but she put a hand over her mouth to stifle it. She ran her other hand under her cloak to her holster wondering how many she could take out before she ran out of bullets, but a gentle touch on her arm made her pause and look up at Rett.

  “Wait,” he whispered. “We’ll stand a better chance once he’s on the scaffold away from the soldiers.”

  She hesitated. The urge to rush in and help him almost overwhelmed her good sense, but she finally nodded and moved her hand back to her side.

  Behind the soldiers, the evil Dr. Krakov walked beside an elaborately dressed man in purple robes and a heavy metal helmet. He must be the local warlord. Her fingers curled into claws and she imagined squeezing the doctor’s scrawny neck between her hands.

  Two guards marched her father up on the platform of the scaffold and Dr. Krakov followed. He placed the noose around her father’s neck himself with a smirk on his face. Then he turned to the crowd and raised his arms over his head.

  There was no need to motion for quiet, the people stood waiting as still as death. They glanced about, confused, unsure of how to react to this public execution. Unfortunately they were just a convenient audience for Krakov to carry out his revenge against her father.

  “People of Manu Picca,” Krakov shouted. “This man is a convicted traitor against the country of Carabarras. He plotted to overthrow the Imperial Warlord and lead invaders into this land.”

  The people shuffled their feet and mumbled among themselves. But no one would question this decision with soldiers standing by, rifles ready and their own warlord going along with it.

  Belle’s hand moved under her cloak and she saw Rett reaching for his pistol as well. They had to act soon, before they pulled the lever to release the trap door under her father’s feet. She watched his face. He eyes revealed his anger, his mouth formed a grim line, but he stood calmly awaiting his fate like a gentleman. If only he would look in her direction, then he could have some hope, but he stared straight ahead, proud and brave.

  “We execute him today to show that no one threatens the great country of Carabarras, and soon the entire world will know of our greatness,” Krakov shouted. He lowered his arms and stepped from the platform. The hooded executioner adjusted the noose around Sir John’s neck.

  Belle reached down and took the knife from her boot and pulled her multi-shooter from the holster just as an explosion and rumble sounded and the ground shivered under her feet. People stumbled about and their exclamations rose up to cover Krakov shouting at the executioner. Another explosion hit and the floor shook again. This time small pieces of rock broke free from the ceiling and fell down on the crowd.

  Benji! He was firing on the citadel.

  That did it. People ran in all directions trying to escape the shards hitting them on the head. Even a few of the lights from the ceiling grid detached and crashed to the ground. Their worst fear must be having their underground world collapse on them and it was happening. They rushed for the tunnels which probably led to outside exits.

  Krakov screamed, his face red and hands clenched in fists at his sides. He acted oblivious to the possibility the whole cave might fall in. The bastard only focused on his revenge seeing Sir John swinging from the rope around his neck. The executioner turned from side to side, unsure, then slowly made his way toward the lever.

  Belle pulled out her weapon and fired three shots. The big man’s arms went up and his head jerked back as he went to his knees and then fell on his face. People screamed at this new development but continued to scramble for the tunnels. Krakov’s mouth fell open and his eyes popped wide.

  “Help me up,” Belle shouted to Rett. He made a cradle of his hands, she put her foot in it and he hoisted her up on the platform. “Cover me.”

  She ran to her father and pulled the noose from his neck. Krakov started for the steps but Rett’s pistol cracked and the little coward ran yelling for the soldiers. A hand grabbed her ankle and she looked down to find the wounded executioner latched on to her although he grimaced in pain. She raised her knife and buried it in the side of his neck. His hand fell away from her as he found a better use for it…holding in his blood.

  “Belle, good God! What are you doing here?” Her father exclaimed as she pulled him toward Rett.

  “I’m here to rescue you,” she yelled over the noise. A bullet went over her head as another explosion rocked the cavern. At least one of the soldiers followed Krakov’s orders to attack them, another jumped on the platform and lunged toward her. She pressed the button on her shooter’s handle and the blade popped out. She brought it down on the man’s neck as he reached her and drove it in. A spurt of red blood erupted, shooting out in a fountain. The other guard seemed overwhelmed by the stampeding crowd and jumped from the platform to save himself.

  Rett helped Sir John and then Belle from the platform. Her father frowned and looked from Rett to Belle.

  “Everette Brockton?”

  “Yes, sir,” Rett said as he pulled out a knife and cut the rope that bound the man’s hands. “I guess you’re surprised to find me here with Belle.”

  “Surprise is certainly one of the emotions I’m feeling.”

  Belle hugged her father. “It’s a long story and we don’t have time to tell it. R
ett’s helping, that’s all you need to know right now.”

  A bullet whistled over their heads and they ducked while Rett returned fire. “Let’s try to reach the steam engine room. No one is headed that way. They’re going for the exits.”

  Belle took her father’s arm and pulled him toward the tunnel that led to the engine room. People bumped into them running in the opposite direction. Rett had to help with Sir John, he was in much worse shape than Belle had originally thought. He stumbled along, and she could see bruises and cuts on his face where he’d been beaten.

  She looked back, but Krakov had disappeared among the mass of fleeing people. Damn, she desperately wanted to put a bullet between his eyes. Two soldiers fired at them but the others were gone. She aimed her shooter and hit one of them in the shoulder.

  “I see the shooting lessons have paid off,” her father said, panting as they pushed through the crowd.

  She couldn’t help laughing. They weren’t out yet, but she was so happy to see her father and hear him say something like that after so long. “I told you it would come in handy.”

  “Your mother will be delighted to hear it.”

  Rett fired another shot over his shoulder. “Ha, got the other one.” He grinned at Belle.

  “My Lady,” a shout to their left directed their attention to the group of black robed spies running to the mouth of the same tunnel they were headed for.

  They finally reached the spies, freed from the press of the escaping people. Another explosion hit and then a new sound rumbled through the cavern—a clanking, rumbling sound The floor of the immense cave shook under their feet.

  Fear shot through Belle like a burning poker. She immediately knew what that sound meant. They were cranking open the huge metal doors to shoot their massive cannon. No, no. Benji and the others were in desperate danger. She doubted Gesic had made it back to the camp yet, so they had no idea what was coming at them.

  “What’s that noise?” Rett said. He turned to Belle whose eyes must have revealed her terror and his lips pressed together. “Bloody hell, they’re opening the doors for the cannon.”