The Lost Sword

by Pitt, Darrell

  Jack and Edgar hurried back to the hotel where they found Mr Doyle and Scarlet speaking to Einstein.

  ‘We’re evacuating the entire population to Dome Five,’ Einstein explained. ‘It’s furthest from the point of attack.’

  It only took minutes for most of the population to assemble in Dome Five. Many of the diplomats and journalists looked terrified, but Jack was relieved to see the scientists appeared calm.

  Livanov went to the stage. ‘We have seen an unprecedented attack on Mizu City,’ she said. ‘Dome One is rapidly filling with water. That means there is no way for us to access the diving bell. Without the diving bell, we can’t return to the surface.’

  An awful silence followed. Then several journalists began yelling questions at once.

  ‘Can the diving bell be repaired from above?’

  ‘Wasn’t it designed for this kind of attack?’

  ‘What about repairing the dome?’

  Livanov called for silence. ‘Whoever attacked knew exactly where to hit us,’ she said. ‘A section of Dome One was slightly damaged during construction. It was repaired, but has remained the weakest link in the entire city.

  ‘That is where they attacked, which is why that section is now flooding. The dome could be repaired, but that would take weeks.’ She paused. ‘I should point out that a second attack at that section of the dome would destroy Dome One completely. We can survive in the remaining four domes, but the domes were not built to withstand sustained submarine attack.

  ‘I’m sure rescue efforts are being made from the surface, but our submarine dock isn’t operational. And the problem with the diving bell was from our end. If there is to be an escape from here, we must devise it ourselves.’

  A great buzz began among the crowd as she left the stage. The scientists spoke together for several minutes before Hardy came over to Jack, Scarlet and Mr Doyle.

  ‘I have a plan,’ he said. ‘There may be a way to return everyone to the surface, but we’ll need your help.’

  ‘To do what?’ Jack said.

  ‘As you know, the domes are connected via lockable hatches,’ Hardy said. ‘Once locked, each dome becomes a self-contained sphere. Livanov’s assistant, Harold Stackhurst, believes a dome could be towed to the surface by a whale.’

  ‘What does Dr Livanov think?’

  ‘That we should wait here until help arrives.’

  Mr Doyle frowned. ‘But surely one of these domes weighs thousands of tons,’ he said. ‘How can a single whale drag one to the surface?’

  ‘The domes have natural buoyancy, but are secured to the seabed via an anchoring mechanism. Once disengaged, a whale would only need to give it the slightest tug to direct it to the surface. However,’ Hardy added, ‘there’s one problem. The whale in the research lab has not been completed. The closing hatch is not installed, so the interior is not watertight. Two people in diving suits would need to steer it out of the city.’

  ‘I thought normal diving suits wouldn’t work at this depth.’

  ‘They won’t. Only people in jellysuits would be able to do it.’

  ‘I see,’ the detective said. ‘And the only jellysuits...’

  ‘...are the ones Jack and Scarlet have worn.’

  ‘And no-one else can wear them.’

  ‘We can do it, Mr Doyle,’ Jack said. Turning to Scarlet, he added, ‘Can’t we?’

  Jack was worried she might still be afraid of the jellysuit, but Scarlet nodded.

  ‘We’ll do it,’ she said. ‘Everyone’s depending on us.’

  Hardy returned to the scientists and spoke to them excitedly. The group soon walked over.

  ‘You’re very brave,’ one scientist said.

  ‘You deserve a medal,’ another commented.

  Livanov approached. ‘I must tell you I’m completely opposed to this plan,’ she said.

  ‘Why?’ Mr Doyle asked.

  ‘I don’t think it can work. We should wait here for help to arrive.’

  ‘It may never arrive,’ Mr Doyle said.

  ‘We can do it,’ Jack said. ‘I know we can.’

  After they had hurried to the whale research building, Stackhurst familiarised Jack and Scarlet with the controls. Then Hardy appeared with a length of thick chain.

  ‘We’ll disconnect the anchors from the bottom and Dome Five from the rest of the city. You’ll find docking hooks around the hatch. The chain can be looped around those and tied to the whale’s tail.’

  ‘Are you sure you want to risk this?’ Mr Doyle asked Jack and Scarlet again.

  ‘We’ve been out there once,’ Scarlet said. ‘We can do it again. But I do have one request.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Jack asked.

  ‘I think I should do the driving,’ she said. ‘As you know, I have some experience.’

  The one and only time Scarlet had driven a vehicle was when she drove a garbage truck down the main street of Margate, destroying dozens of vehicles.

  ‘I’m not sure I’d call that a success,’ Jack said.

  ‘People were trying to kill us at the time,’ she pointed out. ‘And some experience is better than no experience.’

  Sighing, Jack nodded.

  The jellysuits were retrieved. Jack didn’t feel as nervous this time as he and Scarlet took the suits into the whale. A cover was locked in place and the tank started to flood.

  Jack watched Scarlet place the breathing tube into her throat again. A look of fear crossed her face, but quickly passed.

  Good girl.

  Jack slid the tube into his throat and a moment later he started breathing normally.

  Water filled the cabin. It soon reached up to their shoulders and when the tank was filled, they felt the whale shudder momentarily and saw a door below it drop away.

  Scarlet adjusted the control stick and they descended until the ocean floor appeared.

  After rounding the dome with little difficulty, they soon found the hatch. People inside the dome gave them the thumbs up to indicate it was safe to proceed.

  Jack left Scarlet at the controls while he grabbed a length of the chain and swam to the hatch. He knotted it tightly at one end before securing the other end to its tail.

  Returning to the cabin, he nodded to Scarlet and she brought the control stick back. The whale slowly complied, pulling the chain tight. For one horrible moment, the whale shuddered and Jack thought the plan wouldn’t work, but then the creature continued forward.

  They ascended. Peering back at the city, Jack wondered how long it would take them to repair the damage done by the submarine. His eyes swept the ocean floor. He was missing it already.

  I’ll never forget standing on the bottom and staring up. It was like being on another planet.

  Just as he was about to turn away, Jack saw a light. He pointed it out to Scarlet, but she was concentrating hard on the controls. Then the dome swung around and he lost sight of it. The whale continued.

  An hour passed. Then two. Jack hoped everyone was all right. Hardy had instructed th
em to make the journey gradual. Everyone would get the bends if they ascended too quickly.

  But Jack’s impatience was getting the better of him.

  Come on, he thought. We must be there soon!

  The surface never seemed to get any closer, but then Jack realised he could see more detail in the waves crashing above. Scarlet accelerated slightly. Just a few more minutes. We’re almost there. Then the surface grew very bright and the whale broke through.

  The dome slowly appeared, the top half bursting through the surface. Jack had forgotten how large it was.

  Mizu Dock was about a mile away, a small fleet of Japanese navy vessels moored nearby. Scarlet angled the whale to one of the docking hatches where they removed the jellysuits.

  ‘Do you think they’re all right?’ Jack asked.

  ‘I’m sure they are,’ Scarlet said. ‘Look!’

  Shapes were moving about near the hatch. It sprang open. A dozen faces appeared, including Mr Doyle, who leant out, waving.

  ‘Well done!’ he said. ‘You’ve saved the day!’

  ‘Has everyone survived?’ Jack asked.

  ‘I think so.’

  Within minutes, people were evacuating to the navy ships. Dozens stopped to thank Jack and Scarlet for their efforts—even Dr Livanov.

  ‘It seems I was mistaken,’ she said, begrudgingly. ‘We have you to thank for our lives.’

  Mr Doyle took Jack and Scarlet to the bow of the ship as it cut through the water towards Japan.

  ‘We’ll be back in Tokyo within hours,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘Then we can concentrate on returning to England.’

  Jack nodded, but his mind was miles away, on a glowing object on the ocean floor.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Hours later, everyone involved with the Darwinist Symposium had been relocated back to the old jail in Tokyo.

  Jack found it strange returning to the cell he had slept in only a few days before. He couldn’t forget the experience of standing on the ocean floor, feeling like he was part of the sea.

  As night fell over Tokyo, he stood at his cell window, staring at the deepening sky through the bars. Mr Doyle had announced they would leave late the next day, after cajoling Einstein into letting him make his closing address early. He had already sent a message to the prime minister, telling him it appeared the sword had been lost in a shipwreck centuries before and it was doubtful it would ever be recovered.

  Jack felt sad. He didn’t know when he’d visit Japan again—if ever.

  ‘Jack?’ Edgar appeared in the doorway. ‘I hope I’m not interrupting you.’

  ‘I was just thinking.’

  ‘About what? The sword?’

  It had been one of many things going through his mind. He told Edgar about seeing the sword.

  ‘I know I didn’t imagine it,’ he said. ‘It was there.’

  ‘I’m sure you’re right,’ Edgar said. ‘We must see for ourselves.’

  ‘But we’re leaving tomorrow.’

  Edgar produced some cologne from his pocket and applied it liberally. ‘Toulouse,’ he said. ‘A lovely fragrance. Now, getting back to my brother. I know you have the utmost respect for him, as do I—but he doesn’t believe in the sword.’

  ‘Mr Doyle is right about most things.’

  ‘But not always.’

  ‘He said there were no ninjas in Japan,’ Jack admitted. ‘But the red ninja is real.’

  ‘As is the sword,’ Edgar said. ‘As the Bard said, Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once. Courage will enable us to find the sword and restore it to the people of Japan. The resulting alliance will keep England strong for decades, possibly centuries.’

  ‘But how will we get to it?’ Jack asked.

  ‘You can use one of the jellysuits. I arranged to have both suits stored at the Mizu Dock,’ Edgar said. ‘Just in case.’

  ‘Mr Doyle won’t approve.’

  Edgar held up a hand. ‘My brother lacks imagination,’ he said. ‘That’s not a criticism. It’s a fact. He’s so mired in logic and reason that he can’t appreciate there may be more to the world than science.’

  ‘I don’t think—’

  ‘We can leave early in the morning, and have the sword in our hands before he even knows we’re gone,’ Edgar said. ‘We’ll be back before breakfast.’

  Jack thought about it. There was no way they’d be back before breakfast, but if they returned late with the Kusanagi sword, Mr Doyle would have to be impressed.

  Prime Minister Kitchener had said there might be another war. Having Japan as an ally might save thousands—no—millions of lives.

  ‘All right,’ he said. ‘I’ll do it.’ He didn’t feel right about running around behind Mr Doyle’s back, but it could mean the difference between war and peace.

  ‘Good boy,’ Edgar said, twirling his moustache. ‘I’ll wake you in the early morning. We’ll be back before Ignatius has brewed his morning tea.’

  Wishing Edgar goodnight, Jack climbed into bed, still thoughtful. He had never lied to Mr Doyle, but this wasn’t really lying. It was simply omitting some information. That wasn’t lying, was it?

  Sleep did not come easily. Jack kept waking, imagining Mr Doyle’s disappointment at him disobeying his commands. He was still half-awake when he realised Edgar was standing in his doorway.

  ‘We’re ready, my boy,’ he said. ‘Time to make history.’

  Jack threw some clothes on and, within minutes, was following Edgar to an exit.

  Then Scarlet appeared in a doorway. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she hissed at Jack.

  ‘Go back to bed.’

  ‘I’m not. Where are you two going?’

  ‘We’re retrieving the sword,’ Jack said. ‘I saw it on the ocean floor.’

  ‘You saw something on the ocean floor.’

  ‘We’re trying our luck,’ Edgar said. ‘You’re most welcome to join us.’

  ‘I’d rather have all my teeth extracted.’ She turned to Jack. ‘Why are you doing this?’

  ‘This is our last chance to find the sword. If it’s never found, there might be another war. Do you want that?’

  ‘Of course not.’

  ‘Well?’

  Edgar interjected. ‘This will be much easier if you join us, my dear. A problem shared is a problem halved.’

  Grumbling, Scarlet quickly dressed and followed them to a dragonfly that had been waiting on the roof.

  ‘Good morning,’ Hiro greeted them.

  ‘You’ve been roped into this too?’ Scarlet said.

  ‘It sounds like we have a good chance of finding the sword.’

  ‘Absolutely. We’ll track down the Easter Bunny and Father Christmas while we’re at it.’

  They took to the air. It was still dark over Tokyo, although a million small fires had lighted the city. Jack shivered, pulling his green coat tight around him. He saw a glow on the horizon, signalling the dawn, as they le
ft the coast behind.

  Mr Doyle should be here, Jack thought. He felt bad that the detective was asleep in bed while he was on some secret mission to retrieve the sword.

  This is all wrong. I never should have agreed to this.

  But it was too late. Half an hour later, they were climbing out onto Mizu Dock.

  By now, the sky was brighter, and the air warmer. A bank of black clouds ridged the horizon. It looked like another storm was on the way.

  ‘We’re in luck,’ Edgar said. ‘Not only has the city been abandoned, but also the dock. This whole area is now out of bounds.’

  ‘So why are we here?’ Scarlet said, sarcastically.

  ‘As the Bard said, Action is eloquence. I once escaped a burning building by jumping from a window and grabbing hold of a giant pelican as it flew past. It carried me to safety.’

  ‘I find that hard to believe.’

  ‘Possibly it was two giant pelicans.’

  Edgar led them to the dive building. It was deserted, but the two jellysuits lay in a tank.

  He’s got all this planned out, Jack thought. What if I’d refused to go?

  The chain leading to the diving bell arrowed straight into the water.

  ‘The sword is at the other end of that line,’ Edgar said. ‘Follow it to the city and you can orientate yourself to the sword from there.’

  ‘If the sword is there,’ Scarlet said.

  Edgar nodded.

  Still fully dressed, Jack and Scarlet slid into the water. Edgar handed them the jellysuits and they slipped them on.

  ‘Don’t take any unnecessary risks,’ Edgar said, his voice sounding strange through the gelatinous skin of the jellysuit. ‘And we’ll see you in a few hours.’

  Jack nodded. It was light outside the building. Mr Doyle would wake soon and wonder where they were.

  I should have left a note, Jack thought. He’ll be worried sick.