by Pelaam
The mechanical hissed as if reacting to Nicolas words, or his increasing mix of exhilaration and apprehension. So much rested on the automatons.
“Your brethren in the engine room will continue to ensure the ship has power, Nathan will pilot the ship, and I will do whatever is needed of me. I expect to end up in the engine room, replacing the head engineer. This is why we purposely planned our mutiny to take place today. Just a few short hours before reaching the New Eden station.”
There was another hiss and a wheeze, not just from Rusty, but Nicolas was certain they’d come from Patch and Scorch, too.
“Well then, men. Since you’re so keen, it is time for me to make sure my most special army is up to the mark.”
****
Nicolas had chosen the lunch break, such as it was, to be the time to act. During that period there were just a couple of men in the engine room, and the bulk of the crew were in the dining hall. Once that door was secured, no one could leave. Then Nicolas and his mechanicals only needed to deal with a small handful of men and in very specific areas of Strawberry.
If everything went to plan.
His first destination was the engine room. Nicolas needed to ensure he controlled the ship’s power. With Scorch and another mechanical behind him, Nicolas brazenly strode along the passageway. After all, being furtive would draw attention and no one would challenge him apparently delivering automatons to the engine room.
As Nicolas approached the door, he glanced around. There was no one in sight. Squaring his shoulders, Nicolas marched smartly into the engine room, his automatons close behind. To Nicolas’s delight, there were only two men left.
“Brought more good ones ‘ave yer? Get ‘em in place and take them two back with yer.” The corpulent man’s layers of fat wobbled as he jabbed a thumb in the direction of two mechanical that worked at a slower pace. Nicolas hadn’t worked on these, but it didn’t matter. He still needed the automatons to continue to power the ship.
Only it would be under his control.
The corpulent engineer turned his back on Nicolas, the other scowling at him. Nicolas gestured to Scorch, then the first man, and marched toward the second, whose frown deepened.
“’Ere, wot you up to?”
“Just this.” As Nicolas reached the man, he swung his right fist in a perfect uppercut. The crewman crumpled to the floor just as Scorch felled his compatriot. “Perfect. Well done, Scorch.” Nicolas unwrapped a couple of lengths of rope and tied the men securely. “Right, now, we need to keep the ship powered, Scorch. The other automatons need to keep Strawberry’s engines fueled. Now, when I leave the room, you are to twist the metal wheel that’s used to open and close the door. Make it impossible for anyone outside to get in. When all this is over, I shall come back, and you may let me in. Do you understand?”
For a moment, Nicolas thought Scorch nodded, but he shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh. That level of response was far beyond anything he could achieve. He turned to the other mechanical he’d brought with Scorch.
“You come with me. We need to secure the dining room, and deal with any crewman we meet on the way.” The mechanical didn’t acknowledge the order, but fell into step behind Nicolas as he strode from the room. Nicolas paused while the door slammed shut behind him, and he watched the metal wheel spin as Scorch secured it.
The tortured sound of metal that followed assured Nicolas that Scorch had indeed ensured no human hand would reopen the door. Now for the dining hall. Nicolas glanced at his watch and smiled. He’d warned Nathan to ensure he was out of there by this time. As such, he didn’t need to go inside to check.
On reaching the hall, the door was already open wide as normal. Nicolas glanced through the door, giving a quick head-count. There was a good number of men in there, and this door was the only way out. Reaching out, Nicolas pulled the door shut, turning the wheel with perverse pleasure before stepping back. He pointed to the wheel.
“Quickly. Ensure it can’t be opened.”
The mechanical grasped the wheel, twisting and buckling it as the first yells and bangs sounded from the other side.
“It seems jammed.” Nicolas shouted back. “I’ll inform the captain. Don’t worry. Help will come soon.” Lowering his voice, Nicolas addressed the automaton. “Stand in front of the door. Act as if you can’t move if anyone but me approaches you.”
The automaton moved into place, blocking access to the wheel and stood tall like a sentinel. Nicolas nodded his approval. The mechanicals were incredibly heavy. A single man couldn’t move one on his own, even two would struggle. Then they faced a buckled wheel. Having wasted time moving an unresponsive automaton, anyone trying to open the door would face a wheel they couldn’t move.
“Not that I expect anyone to come to their aid. Those guarding the children will be unaware of our mutiny. Now is the time to attack Melbeck himself and take control of the bridge.” Nicolas patted the mechanical’s chest. “I shall come back for you.”
At a run, Nicolas headed toward his workshop to collect Rusty, Patch, and two other automatons, and from there they would go to Strawberry’s bridge, where they would rendezvous with Nathan.
Not sure whether he felt relief or regret, Nicolas reached the end of the passageway that led to the bridge without passing another crewman. There would be the guard outside, and one, possibly two, plus Melbeck himself on the bridge.
A moment later Nathan arrived. His face was pale, but the fire of determination burned in his eyes.
“I’m ready. What do we need to do, Nicolas?” Nathan leaned in close to whisper in Nicolas’s ear.
“We need to remove the guard. I have rope. I don’t think I could get him to come down this far.”
“How about if he was at least looking the other way?” Nathan asked. “I could distract him while you crept up behind him.”
“Perfect. But take care, my love.” Nicolas pecked a kiss to Nathan’s cheek, then watched Nathan approach the crewman.
Nicolas flexed his hands into fists, ready to act the moment the opportunity presented itself. He didn’t have long to wait. Nathan adeptly got the man to turn as they talked, so that the crewman’s back was to Nicolas.
Not wasting a single second, Nicolas dashed forward, and as the man started to turn, Nicolas’s fist flashed out. The man dropped to the floor and Nicolas quickly dropped to one knee. Securing the man’s hands and feet, Nicolas added a gag.
The he indicated for Patch to come forward. “Put him in the room back there. Then secure the door.”
The mechanical bent to his task, and Nathan gripped Nicolas’s arm.
“Are we now going to attack Melbeck himself?”
“Yes.” Nicolas nodded. “We’ll wait for Patch to return, then they will go with us. I shall go in first. Melbeck won’t expect a direct attack. The automaton will follow me in to deal with the other crewmen. You wait here until I say it’s safe. That way, if I fail, no one knows you were involved.”
“But the guard—”
Nicolas silenced Nathan with a gentle kiss. “I snuck up behind him. If I don’t call for you, go running toward the dining hall, then back here. You can tell Melbeck you went for reinforcements. I doubt he’d even consider you’d fight him.”
“Very well. But I’d rather be at your side.” Nathan’s bottom lip jutted out as he scowled, and Nicolas’s heart ached with love.
“You’ll have plenty to do soon enough. We may need you to bring the ship to dock safely at New Eden. It’s time.” With a final kiss to Nathan’s lips, Nicolas marched to the door, and waited for the mechanicals to come close behind him.
Nicolas’s target was Melbeck. The mechanicals would deal with any other men in the room. Nicolas hope the element of surprise would be enough. The automatons were strong, but they were also slow moving, and, most likely, even slower to react to danger.
Only Rusty and Patch had a spark of his tinker’s magyck. The other two mechanicals needed specific instructions. Nicolas spoke to eac
h of them directly. “You must remain by the door, preventing anyone getting away. And you must go to the wheel. Take hold of it. At a word from me, buckle it.”
In truth, Nicolas knew he’d never give the order. He’d not risk Nathan’s life, but Melbeck wasn’t to know that. It was something to call upon at the last if Nicolas failed to take control of the bridge as he’d envisioned.
Outside the door, Nicolas readied to dash inside. The second the door was open, Nicolas ran straight for Melbeck. Although there was no way for the man to have known there was a problem, Melbeck reacted instantly, pulling out a pistol, as did his men. But Nicolas wasn’t interested in them.
Rusty and Patch would deal with the crewmen while Nicolas focused on his tussle with Melbeck. They were evenly matched for strength, and it was only by good luck that the pistol was knocked from Melbeck’s hand.
A hard blow knocked the wind from Nicolas, but he got to his feet quickly. They traded blows for a minute, and Nicolas wasn’t sure he was going to best Melbeck, when Nathan’s voice rang out.
“You might as well surrender, Melbeck. Your men can’t help you, and we have control of the engine room and the wheel.”
Nicolas backed away from Melbeck and glanced over his shoulder at Nathan. Nathan held onto the pistol, pointing it firmly at Melbeck. Nicolas was glad of the mechanicals that stood tall either side of Nathan. Nicolas couldn’t shake the strange notion that Rusty and Patch were protecting him.
“So, you too, you little mutineer. I should have seen you’d turned into a molly for this one.” Melbeck spat the words at Nathan.
Although his lover’s face paled, Nathan didn’t waiver, and Nicolas’s chest swelled with pride.
“You and he had best watch your backs, Nathan. You’ll not take the Strawberry so easily.”
“The mechanicals make a most serviceable army, Melbeck.” Nicolas snapped out, not wanting Melbeck to cause Nathan to falter. “There are very few of your men left to try and regain the ship. The engine room will function while I give the order, and Nathan will pilot the ship to New Eden, where we will take great delight in freeing your captives and handing you over to whatever constabulary New Eden possesses.”
“Fools, the pair of you. But no matter.” Melbeck wiped at his lip where blood dripped freely. His calm acceptance of the situation worried Nicolas, but there was no going back now. “You’ll find Strawberry will stay true to her master.”
“Not when you’re securely tied up, she won’t Melbeck.” Nicolas tried to ignore Melbeck’s confident bearing as he tied him, and the two crewmen, securely. “Nathan, I’ll leave you two of the automatons. If I need more, I’ll return for them. Make sure one keeps tight hold of the door. Patch, that can be your job. You’ll open the door only for me. Rusty, and you,” Nicolas tapped a second mechanical’s chest. “Follow me.”
“May the devil take you, Broadberry.” Melbeck hissed. “If he doesn’t, I promise you’ll wish he had.”
Nicolas ignored Melbeck. “Don’t listen to him, Nathan. You have a difficult job to do. If necessary, gag him.” Nicolas grasped Nathan’s arm and gave it a tight squeeze. Things were far from over, and although they’d gone to plan so far, Melbeck’s demeanor had succeeded in making Nicolas feel decidedly nervous.
“Take care, Nicolas.” Nathan didn’t say more, but the expression in his eyes more than made up for the lack of words.
With a nod, Nicolas turned away from his lover. “Patch, secure the door. Only permit me to enter. Let’s go.” Nicolas touched the chest of one mechanical and Rusty fell into step behind it.
It was in Nicolas’s mind to go into the bowels of the ship and see how many crewmen guarded the area where the children were kept. That was still an area from where Melbeck’s men could freely access the rest of the ship.
Nicolas was certain it couldn’t be that many. Melbeck had shown he wasn’t a man to spend money freely. And just how many men will it need to keep an eye on imprisoned children?
Reaching the top of the stairs that led to the lowest deck of the ship, Nicolas instructed the automatons to wait. They couldn’t move silently, if there was anyone at the bottom, he didn’t want them alerted.
His back pressed against the ship’s hull, Nicolas crept down the stairs. He peeked around the corner and was relieved to see the passageway was empty. About to return for the mechanicals, Nicolas heard a sound and looked down the passageway again.
Like all the others on board Strawberry, it was dimly lit, and shadows danced on the walls and the floor. Nicolas edged forward, peering intently ahead. Something hard slammed into the back of his knees and Nicolas crashed to the floor.
Before he could gather breath, something grabbed his hair and dragged him through a doorway. Nicolas grappled with his attacker’s hands, unable to break their hold as he was hauled into a storeroom.
His head was slammed against the floor several times, leaving Nicolas dizzy and disorientated. The hold on his hair broke, but only because something small and misshapen dashed past him to shut the door and stand between Nicolas and freedom.
Taking the opportunity, Nicolas rolled onto his hands and knees, and then stared at his attacker. The man’s face vaguely familiar, but he swam in and out of focus.
Then Nicolas’s gaze was drawn from the man to a couple of mechanical devices leaning against the hull. For a moment, Nicolas was unable to fathom what it was he was seeing. Then it struck him with hideous clarity. They were mechanical legs. The small, malformed creature he saw now, and that had been stalking Nathan, and the huge man he’d seen with Melbeck were one and the same.
The stranger’s body, although twisted at the hip, and with a slight hunch at the left shoulder, was that of any normal man. However, his legs were thick, bowed, and no more than the length of a child’s. He owed his height to mechanical legs.
On seeing Nicolas, the man’s face flushed crimson with undisguised rage and he drew his lips back to reveal malformed, blackened teeth. With a speed his twisted build belied, the man scuttled forward, fixing the legs in place with a wheeze and a hiss, his own now hidden inside the metal contraptions.
“Well, I won’t have to wait until we dock at the space port. I’ll deal with you myself, here and now.”
“I … I don’t understand.” Nicolas tried to stall the man while he came up with a strategy. He rose unsteadily to his feet. His adversary was now both big and powerful, and Nicolas knew he’d not win in a straight fight.
“My name is Jarvis Marcellus Hardy. Recognize it?” Hardy’s snarl turned into a smile, which was even more bone-chilling.
The name was indeed familiar to Nicolas. “Hardy is renowned as a crippled and reclusive benefactor to the poor.”
“The poor.” Hardy hawked and spat at Nicolas’s feet. “The devil take the poor. At least those I don’t take first. Look at me.” Hardy made a sweeping gesture down his body.
Although Hardy now had the height to match the build of his upper body, even the best of clothing couldn’t disguise his legs were mechanical. Although it wouldn’t matter to Nicolas himself, it seemed to matter a great deal to Hardy
“A perfect mind, doctors said, and an almost perfectly well-developing torso, but the legs…” Hardy shook his head. “Alas, nothing can be done for them. So rather than confess he had a disformed dwarf for a son, my father pretended that I was crippled, and hid me from the public eye.”
Hardy spat the words like venom, and Nicolas was certain he could feel the hatred Hardy felt for his father.
“People forgot about me, but I didn’t forget. Not a single thing. My father tried again for another child. He got a daughter, as pretty on the outside as she was vacant in mind. She wasn’t going to stop me inheriting as father had hoped. Noting he could do would stand in my way. I had it all worked out. I dealt with them all, perfectly, and it worked out very well. Up to now, no one has frustrated me.”
“I don’t understand.” None of this made sense to Nicolas. Why should a man such as Hardy, so well resp
ected and admired, be aboard this ship? And why attack him?
“You can’t begin to imagine what I endured. I can’t go out in public as the man I really am. So, when I’m seen in public as Hardy, I’m in a chair, bundled under blankets. But by forcing me to hide who I was, I found a different kind of freedom. In this way I’m free to walk the streets and known as Ironlegs.”
While the name meant nothing to Nicolas, he remembered the way Melbeck had kowtowed to Hardy. If a man like him feared Hardy, then Hardy was indeed a dangerous man.
“But Melbeck told me the ship was a way to take the poor to a new and better life once they reached New Eden. Why do you travel with him? Surely you aren’t a passenger aboard Strawberry?”
“Of course not, you ignorant fool. I own Melbeck, just like I own Strawberry Fields.”
“You own it? While people see you as a benefactor, you prey on the weak and defenseless. You’re a bigger monster than Melbeck.” Nicolas was outraged that a man would abuse such a position of standing.
“And you are a soft-hearted fool.” Hardy sneered. “But not for much longer.” At the sound of a yell, Hardy froze.
Glancing around Nicolas looked for a weapon or a way out, but although there was an iron bar and a length of chain in the room, there was no way for Nicolas to get to either. To escape the room, meant getting past Hardy whose bulk barred the way.
“Master Ironlegs! Master Ironlegs! The automatons are running amok. We need ‘elp, sir.” A disembodied voice cried from outside the door.
“Get back into the ship’s bowels and await me there.” Hardy roared out, then fixed Nicolas with a narrow-eyed stare. “You! Melbeck said you were a tinker of some expertise.” Hardy snatched up an iron bar, wielding it as easily as Nicolas would a twig. “This is your doing, you miserable little whelp.”
Spittle flew from Hardy’s mouth, and his eyes glinted with madness. “I’ll wipe you from the face of God’s creation as I did my pathetic, so-called family. Let’s see what happens to your mechanicals when I smear your brains over the walls of the ship.”