“You seem to have quite a colorful life Captain Roycroft,” quipped Ian Grey, “It sounds as if one should write a book about you.”
“Well, Colonel, as a matter of fact, I did have some guy try to write a book about me, but it ended up looking like one of your penny dreadful books, so I took it upon myself to write my own, to make sure there weren’t an unnecessary embellishments.”
As the soup was served, Ian Grey continued his conversation with Captain Roycroft, “As opposed to necessary embellishments?” he said with a wicked grin.
“Oh well, you know how it is. I have to keep some names and details out, for the public’s sake. A person in your profession should be well acquainted with such requirements, being a Watchtower man that is. I can tell by the bear and ragged staff emblems on your uniform collar that you are a member of the Warwick Regiment and I have heard you folks have had your own run in with the dark side of things, as it were.”
This revelation piqued Sir Jasper’s curiosity, “Oh do tell, Colonel. You have seen demons yourself?”
“Nothing that I would call demonic, Sir,” responded Ian Grey.
“What about those demons marauding about the Zulu region last year,” interjected Captain Roycroft, “When I was in the area a while back I heard talk of that from some Boers in the area. Something about demons destroying villages and the like?”
Ian Grey gave a small non-committal smile, but it was Lady Victoria who answered the captain’s question, “They were most definitely not some kind of demon, they were poor unfortunate men who had been experimented upon and had mechanical devices surgically added onto them. They were turned into mindless killers! I assure you there was nothing demonic about them.”
The table fell quiet after Lady Victoria’s sudden outburst. The awkward moment was rescued by the soft voice of Amelia Brinks, “You saw these creat- er I mean men, up close, Lady Dallas?”
Lady Victoria quickly recovered herself, “Yes my dear, I examined the remains of several of those unfortunate men to determine what they were.”
“Examined, my dear?” asked Sir Jasper.
Bracing herself for the inevitable comments regarding her chosen profession, Lady Victoria turned to Sir Japer and looked him fully in the eyes, “Correct. I am a trained medical doctor and was in the region as a consultant.”
Instead of the looking down upon her, Sir Jasper’s eyes seemed to twinkle even more, “Fascinating. I applaud your strength of will to train yourself in such a way. Women, in my opinion, should explore their mental and physical strengths as much as men are allowed to do.”
Captain Barclay was not one to share such thoughts, “Really Sir Jasper, surely not all mental or physical skills are within a woman’s capability?”
Sir Jasper regarded the Captain as a cat does its prey, before it pounces, “Truly Captain, I believe a woman is just as capable as a man in many respects. Why, if a woman could, oh I do not know, say, rule an empire, what can a woman not do?”
Discomfited by the implication regarding Queen Victoria, Captain Barclay accepted defeat with a wave of his white napkin, the gesture leading to a round of laughter about the table.
The laughter was cut short by the sound of a crash and swearing coming from another table, where a couple had been sitting for dinner. A flustered young waiter was backing away from the gentleman, stammering apologies, which could barely be heard over the vehement swearing. Red faced with anger, the man grabbed the waiter’s arm, “If you took the time to listen to me, boy! You would have heard me tell you I was not finished with my soup!”
In a flash the men at the captain’s table stood up almost as one, but Captain Barclay was the fastest and with a few long strides stood next to the passenger and the frightened waiter. “Mr. Sloakum!” Captain Barclay barked, “Kindly take your hand off of my crewman.”
The command broke Mr. Sloakum’s concentration on the hapless waiter and his grip slackened enough for the young man to slip free. “Your crewmen need a lesson in how to perform their duties, sir.”
Captain Barclay was not one to suffer fools, especially on his ship, “The duties and the skill in which they perform them, is my responsibility, sir, not yours,” he barked in the other man’s face. Without taking his eyes off the passenger, Captain Barclay, in a softer tone, ordered the young waiter to go to the galley and get the head steward. “Now then Mr. Sloakum, if you would like to resume your seat we will make sure you are fed properly.”
“I am no longer hungry, Captain.” Mr. Sloakum replied in a voice still trembling with anger before he stomped out of the dining hall.
The dining hall remained wrapped in silence when the head steward arrived. Captain Barclay informed him that Mr. Sloakum would be taking his meals in his stateroom from now on before he turned his attention to the woman who was still sitting at the table. “I apologize, Mrs. Sloakum, for this disturbance, would you care to sit at our table and continue your meal?”
As Mrs. Sloakum looked uncertainly from the captain to the people at his table, Lady Victoria was the first to add, “And I would love it if you could join us for dinner.” Mrs. Sloakum looked a bit embarrassed, but graciously accepted the invitation, and room was made for the new addition.
The first course was served and idle dinner conversation began to resume. Leftenant Stokes quietly excused himself from the table, stating that the altitude was affecting his eating. The rest of the party accepted his excuse and the young man left the table. Ian Grey noticed from the way he walked that they young officer was wounded in such a way that his left leg had obviously required a mechanical replacement.
The remaining meal was uneventful and at the end the captain excused himself to return to his duties. Sir Jasper looked at his pocket watch and noted the time was now close to 10 o’clock, and suggested that they adjourn to the main lounge for some after dinner drinks. Amelia said that she would join them later after she checked on the cargo.
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Second to the ship’s bridge, the main lounge of the Cygnus held the largest windows and afforded a grand view of the sky during the day. At night and with the curtains drawn the room could easily have been located at a country estate in England. Dark wood paneling and hunter green wallpaper covered the walls. The floors were also paneled in wood and were covered in a large oriental area rug of black and gold. A relief of a white swan hung over the mantel of a faux fireplace, which radiated heat and an electric chandelier, hung from the center of the ceiling.
Sir Jasper, Lady Victoria, and Yussef sat at one of the card tables reviewing some of the notes and artifacts that were discovered at Nes-min’s tomb. Lady Victoria was fascinated by it all, and as a medical doctor, listened raptly to the details of the mummification process described by the Egyptologists.
Harish Singh sat quietly in a corner reading a book, while Captain Roycroft and Ian Grey sat at another table playing cards and learning more about each other. Roycroft had started as a cavalry officer in the United State Army. He left the army and became a Texas Ranger before leaving to become a Pinkerton agent briefly. He had gone on a hunting expedition in Africa and from there went on what appeared to be one adventure after another. He met Harish Singh while in India and saved the Sikh’s life when a priest tried to curse him. Already well acquainted with so called “supernatural activities” in the Mexican territories, Roycroft was further educated by Harish who had been trained to fight such creatures from an early age. It was due to their combined expertise that Sir Jasper hired them as security for the expedition.
Ian Grey, while skeptical, had had enough dealings of his own with things he could not fully explain and thus could not entirely dismiss Roycroft’s stories. His time stationed in China gave Grey a more eastern philosophical outlook on life. As the night grew on, and the stories flowed, so did the burgeoning respect each man had for the other grow.
The grandfather clock had just finished chiming 11 o’clock when Mr. Cooper, the ship’s first offi
cer entered the lounge and walked directly to Ian Grey, “Colonel, the captain would request that you come down to the cargo hold immediately,” he turned to Sir Jasper and added, “The captain also believes that you might wish to come down as well, Sir.”
“The cargo hold you say?” inquired Sir Jasper as he rose from his chair, “Did something happen to my items?”
Mr. Cooper was visibly upset and appeared to either not want to or was just unable to say what happened. “I think it is best that you come down and have a look yourself.”
Ian Grey looked at his companion, “I think it would be best if we all went down and had a look.”
This statement seemed to agitate Mr. Cooper even further, “With all due respect sirs, I do not think it wise that her ladyship should see this.”
Lady Victoria was more determined than ever to go, “I assure you, Mr. Cooper,” she replied with a touch of ice in her voice, “There is nothing down there that I have not seen before and that I am not trained to handle.”
Mr. Cooper realized that he would not be able to argue with her any further, and as the captain had requested an immediate response, he led the group down to the cargo hold on the lowest deck.
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When the party arrived in the cargo hold, the scene that greeted them was one that Lady Victoria had not seen before. The containers in the cargo hold were neatly arranged into three rows with a space of roughly twenty feet between each row. At the end of the cargo hold stood Captain Barclay and several other crewmen. Several of the containers were smashed open and detritus was strewn all over the place. But all eyes were drawn to the young body of Amelia Brinks lying face up on the floor. As the group approached the body, it became clear that she was in fact lying on her stomach, but her head had been twisted completely around. A small cut glistened with bright blood above her left eye, her mouth was tightly shut, the lips pressed together. The eyes were open and blank and yet still showed the abject terror the poor young girl experienced before her death.
Captain Barclay strode over to the group, his complexion pale. “I thought, Mr. Cooper that I only requested Sir Jasper and Colonel Grey.”
The first officer looked directly into his captain’s face to avoid looking at the body of Miss Brinks, “They insisted,” he croaked. His voice broke at the sight of the violence.
Ian Grey stepped forward and addressed the captain. “Besides the obvious, what exactly happened here captain?”
Captain Barclay regained his composure and related as quickly and thoroughly the events as had been made known to him. Ten minutes ago, two of the crewmen were on their way to the engine room to start their shift. They entered the cargo hold because it led to the engine room, found the body, and immediately notified the captain via the inner ship communications tube. The captain came down to the hold and after seeing the poor girl, ordered everyone to leave it as it was, called the ship’s doctor and requested that Mr. Cooper bring them here.
“You have to understand Colonel, while I have been in the navy most of my life; I have never seen anything like this. And I and I am not, shall we say, equipped to determine the proper course of action.”
“The proper course of action?!” bellowed Sir Jasper, “What in blazes does that mean?”
Ian continued to stare at the dead girl while he answered Sir Jasper’s question. “It means, Sir that he is requesting that I, as an officer of Her Majesties Imperial Defense Service, lead the investigation and apprehend the villain responsible. As an officer at large I have investigative authority and arresting powers. Am I correct captain, are you formally requesting that I investigate this death?”
Visibly relieved by Ian Grey’s words, Captain Barclay straightened a little bit and in a clear tone replied, “I, Captain Reginald Barclay of Her Majesties Airship Cygnus, formally request an investigation into this matter by the Imperial Defense Service.”
“Granted,” Said Ian Grey flatly, who wasted no time in taking charge of the situation, “First, bring those crewmen out of there. I do not want too many feet traipsing around.” Captain Barclay immediately relayed the order to his crewmen, who seemed all too eager to move as far away from the body as possible. As they came forward, the ship’s doctor finally made an appearance.
Doctor Felton was a short man compared to most, but what he lacked in height he made up for in animation. He pushed his way through the small crowd in the cargo hold, “Out of the way men, I understand that someone has been injured!” As he passed by Ian Grey and the captain, his whole demeanor changed at the sight of murdered girl, “Oh, I see I am a bit late for this one.”
Captain Barclay placed a hand on Dr. Felton’s shoulder, “Doctor, I asked Colonel Grey here to spearhead the investigation, so please be kind enough to follow his instructions to the letter.”
Bewildered by the rapid change in events, Dr. Felton turned to look at Ian Grey for the first time, “Yes I see. Well I am afraid that my skills are more for mending of the sick, not treating the dead, but I shall do what you ask of me.” Not sure what else to do, Dr. Felton gave Ian Grey a little salute and a sheepish smile.
Ian eyed the small ship’s doctor and turned to Captain Roycroft. “Captain Roycroft, you were a Texas Ranger and a Pinkerton agent correct?”
“In my time, yes.” Replied the American, slowly.
“Well you may be an American but I am conscripting your service in helping with this investigation.” Without waiting for a reply, Ian turned to the rest of the group. “Sir Jasper if you and Mr. El Sadek could wait a moment we need to examine the body first. Lady Dallas, Captain Roycroft and Dr…”
“Felton, sir,” replied the Dr. Felton, “but I am not sure that the lady should see such a scene up close.”
Ian Grey gestured to Lady Victoria, “Doctor Dallas will lead the autopsy of the body. You, Dr. Felton, will assist her.”
Dr. Felton, remained bewildered but took the order in stride, “Oh my apologies my lady, ahem, I mean Doctor. I am yours to command.”
If it was not for the murder of the young girl, whom Lady Victoria had just dined with a few hours earlier, her situation with Doctor Felton would be amusing.
Ian Grey continued giving orders as if he was now in command of the ship. “Captain I think it best that we head for the British Naval Headquarters at Malta, it is closer and we can contain the ship once we land there.”
Captain Barclay agreed and turned to a set of brass cylinders mounted on wall. Picking one of the cylinders up, Captain Barclay turned a dial on the wall until it pointed to the word “bridge.” Immediately an ear piercing shriek screamed from the cylinder. Barclay quickly slammed the cylinder back into its cradle on the wall. Cautiously he tried again, which produced the same banshee like wail. Infuriated by the sudden breakdown of the equipment, he tersely ordered his first officer to go to the bridge and lay in a new course for the island of Malta.
Lady Victoria and Dr. Felton followed Ian Grey over to the body of Amelia Brinks. “Any idea how long she has been dead, Victoria?” Ian tentatively asked. Victoria knelt down beside the body and began her examination. “It had to be within the last hour. We all saw her right after dinner.” Lady Victoria looked up at Sir Jasper, who stood at a respectful distance, “Sir Jasper, what was she doing down here?”
Sir Jasper stepped forward and purposefully looked at the young girl’s face. “She was barely nineteen years old. She was full of wonder. Smart as she was pretty.”
“Sir Jasper,” repeated Lady Victoria.
“Sorry my dear, Amelia was my secretary, and she came down here to give the containers one last check for the night.” A half smile played across Sir Jasper’s lips, “That was something that I was going to do. But she must have known that I was too busy explaining all about the dig to you and that I would forget. That was what I cherished most about the girl, she knew me so well and would take the initative on my behalf.”
Ian turned slowly in circles as he took in the scene about
him. “Well it looks like she interrupted someone who was ransacking your find, Sir Jasper.”
Tearing his eyes away from the dead girl, Sir Jasper saw for the first time the extent of the damage done to one of the containers. The lid had been pried open and the sarcophagus had been broken into. Sir Jasper motioned Yussef over to have a closer look. Harish Singh and Captain Roycroft also moved over to inspect the damage.
The sarcophagus cover was shoved over enough to reveal the mummified body of Nes-min. The golden mask that covered his face was also removed and the black wrappings that covered his head had been cut away.
“The ankhs have been removed,” noted Yussef, “and the head has been laid bare.”
“I believe,” interjected Lady Victoria, “That it would be wise to move the body out of the way first. Captain Barclay, can we have a little help here please?”
The captain nodded and ordered his men to help remove the body. One of the crewmen grabbed a canvas tarp from a corner of the cargo hold. Under Lady Victoria’s instructions, the crewmen spread out the tarp and then carefully moved Amelia Brinks’ body while avoiding looking at her head. Once the young girl was placed on the tarp, the crewmen quickly wrapped it around her, which unfortunately gave her the semblance of a mummy.
Another crewman entered the hold and Captain Barclay pointed to the dead girl and requested that he take her to the ship’s sickbay. The crewman was an immense figure, towering over his captain and twice as broad. Captain Roycroft drew a nickel plated pistol from his jacket and pointed it at the incoming crewmen. “That is far enough, right there friend.”
The crewman stood frozen in place at the sight of the weapon and instinctively brought his hands up in surrender. Captain Barclay puzzled at the sudden turn of events, snapped, “Have you gone mad, sir. This is one of my crew!”
Captain Roycroft’s response was to pull the hammer back on his pistol. “In case you had not noticed, Captain, sir, but the young lady’s head was twisted clean round. I don’t know many people who could pull off that trick, but judging by the size of this here ox, I say that he fits the bill nicely.”
Monsters, Magic, and Machines (The SteamGoth Anthology Book 1) Page 4