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Lightning Wolves

Page 25

by David Lee Summers


  “We need to find Ramon and Fatemeh,” said the professor. “When Legion last spoke to me, they were in Sausalito.”

  Larissa inclined her head toward the sounds of battle. “Getting across the bay may be difficult right now.”

  “That’s our problem to solve,” said Maravilla. He reached out, took Larissa’s hands and gave them a squeeze. “Go help out where you can.” She squeezed his hands in return, then watched as Hoshi and Maravilla disappeared around the corner of the train depot.

  She entered the livery car and retrieved her lightning wolf. Although the lightning gun made it heavier than she’d like, it was well balanced. She was proud of the simple machine she had cobbled together.

  A moment later, Harris rolled up with his lightning wolf. “I suggest a simple code. Something for all our names, something to say we need help, something to say stay away. Anything else?”

  “What about Hail Mary?” asked Lorenzo. “That may be the most important of all!”

  Larissa smiled at that. They departed once they worked out a simple set of codes. The fog thinned as Larissa, Harris, and Lorenzo reached the waterfront. Out in the bay, tall American ships exchanged shots with a mix of smaller sloops, caravels, and cutters. It was like the collection one might find at a small port like Sausalito. Larissa couldn’t figure out how the Russians hoped to succeed with such a fleet of small boats. An American ship fired on a Russian sloop, sending up a shower of water, wood, and shrapnel. When the smoke cleared, the whole boat had vanished aside from debris littering the water.

  “This is hopeless,” declared Jesús Lorenzo. “There’s no way the Russians can hope to defeat the Americans, much less get to shore.”

  “Not quite.” Michael Harris pointed. A caravel had cut around one of the war ships and made for the pier.

  Larissa watched it for a moment, then pointed along the waterfront. “Let’s go.”

  They sped along the cobblestones, passing disreputable taverns and somewhat more reputable fishmongers. Many of the businesses still had people sitting out front gawking at the action despite the evacuation order. Larissa wondered whether it was even possible to evacuate a city the size of San Francisco. As they bounced over the cobblestones, Larissa decided she would definitely take the professor up on his offer to install thicker tires on the lightning wolves. Riding over the rocks and packed sand of the Dragoons was easy going compared to this. Looking over at the grimaces on Lorenzo’s and Harris’s features, she realized the men had an even more difficult time than she did.

  They reached the pier the caravel approached. Larissa lifted her goggles and took in the scene. “Let’s aim at his masts—avoid taking lives if we can.”

  “Ma’am, this is war,” said Harris. “It won’t bother them one bit to take your life if they got you.”

  For just a moment, Larissa had a flash of James Ellway, her first bounty. “I’m not afraid of taking lives.” Her jaw was tight. “I just want to see how much control we can exert on the lightning guns.”

  The three reached back and activated the weapons. They rumbled briefly, followed by a rising whine. When the indicators showed ready, Larissa lowered her goggles and aimed the wand mounted between the handlebars. A brief look with her peripheral vision told her the men were also ready. “Fire.”

  Three arcs of lightning shot forth. The caravel’s masts disappeared in a shower of sparks and wood splinters. A rousing cheer sounded from one of the taverns behind them. Larissa’s stomach churned at the thought of men who were already drunk and would no doubt run if the Russians made it to shore.

  Despite their successful attack, the caravel still had momentum and sped toward the shore. A half dozen Russians stood up in the boat and lifted rifles. Before they could fire, Harris and Lorenzo leveled their guns and fired again. Larissa caught her breath as the entire boat erupted in a flash of lightning, spray, and splinters.

  As Larissa blinked at the spots before her eyes, she thought the buzzing of the lightning wolves’ engines had changed tenor. She reached down and disabled her own engine. When the sound hadn’t changed much, she kicked a stand down on the side of the modified bicycle and walked back toward the street. She tried to ignore the men offering to buy her drinks. A moment later she pinpointed the source. A great silver cloud-like form hung in the sky over Oakland.

  Returning to the lightning wolf, she opened a saddlebag and retrieved a small, collapsible telescope. Opening it up, she focused on the distant form. It looked like a fat, silver cigar. Steam engines hung from the sides. Along the keel near the bow was emblazoned a large, golden owl, wings spread, talons extended, as though ready to strike. The tail fins were adorned with white, blue, and red stripes. It was a Russian airship.

  “Where the devil have they been keeping that?” Larissa handed the telescope to Lorenzo.

  He took a look and whistled. “I guess they’ve been building a third one all this time.”

  “This would explain how the Russians have been getting fresh troops and supplies,” said Harris as he took the telescope. The airship glided over the naval battle without stopping. “It’s heading for the Presidio.”

  “The naval battle was just a distraction.” Larissa reached down and activated her engine again. She kicked up the stand and looked back at the men. “We’ve got to warn them before it’s too late.”

  “I don’t think there’s any way we can get over the Presidio before the airship does.” Harris shook his head.

  “We’ve got to try.” With that Larissa sped off.

  <<>>

  Hoshi and Maravilla made their way along the waterfront, looking out at the one-sided naval battle, trying to figure out how to get across the bay when they heard the chugging steam engines that propelled the Russian airship.

  Hoshi’s breath caught as strange, flapping machines rose up from the Presidio to meet it.

  “They did it. They built copies of my ornithopters,” exclaimed Maravilla.

  “They look almost like owls,” said Hoshi.

  “That’s why I built the original. I wanted to understand the behavior of owls.” Maravilla let out a shuddering breath. “I’ve come so far from my original purpose. I should be over the Grand Canyon flying in an even better ornithopter, not working my way along a decrepit waterfront trying to find my way through a battle!”

  “You’re here to help friends,” said Hoshi. “That’s an honorable task. Do not feel shame.”

  Just then, the three lightning wolves sped by, on their way to the Presidio. “I fear my whole fool’s quest started with me abandoning a friend,” said Maravilla. “All Larissa wanted to do was build a mechanical owl and fly over the Grand Canyon as well. Now I’ve brought her right into the heart of the danger.”

  Hoshi watched as the lightning wolves evaded a crowd of gawkers who emerged from a bait shop. “I think that woman can take care of herself. She has the making of a samurai, that one, perhaps more than the boy I hired.”

  Hoshi followed the gaze of the people who’d emerged from the bait shop. The mechanical owls had almost reached the airship. Hoshi was amazed at how well they kept in formation—much like a flock of birds. Maravilla made a fist and gritted his teeth. “Randomize your attack, you fools!”

  Gun ports opened in the airship’s superstructure and there were poofs of smoke. Two of the ornithopters shattered into bits, debris raining on the ships below. The formation finally scattered. The four remaining owls broke off and whirled around, coming in from different angles. One of them jerked and spiraled toward the ocean, out of control. “What happened?” asked Hoshi.

  Maravilla shook his head. “The fool probably fired a large-caliber gun.” His brow creased. “Fascinating. His shot must not have ignited a spark aboard the ship.”

  “That ornithopter isn’t regaining control,” said Hoshi. They watched as it continued to spiral downward. Finally it dropped into the water with a splash. Once the spray cleared, it lay there like a dead bird. The samurai turned to the professor. “Why would a s
park aboard the airship matter?”

  “They’re filled with hydrogen gas. It’s very explosive.”

  “What if they found a different gas?” asked Hoshi.

  The professor shook his head, about to protest that nothing else was light enough to lift a rigid airship, but then he stopped himself. Nothing known had that power. Perhaps Legion had shown the Russians how to distill an as-yet-unknown gas.

  The airship floated over the Presidio. A hatch opened on the bottom and something fell out. A loud whump sounded as dirt and debris flew into the air from the Presidio. As more bombs fell, Maravilla pounded the side of his head. “Legion! Why are you letting this happen? Stop this at once!”

  The crowd in front of the bait shop gasped as more smoke plumes appeared from the Presidio. A Gatling gun rattled to life from a nearby ship. Seagulls cried out angrily. Another whump sounded from the Presidio. Professor Maravilla dropped to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes. “Legion, why have you abandoned me?”

  Hoshi knelt down next to the professor and looked in his eyes. “What’s the matter with you? We need to find your friends.”

  Maravilla sniffed and rubbed his eyes. “I ought to be able to stop this. Legion ought to listen to me, but he’s gone and I don’t know why. I haven’t felt this lonely since my wife and daughter were taken from me.”

  Hoshi scowled. His first impulse was to strike the man and tell him to pull himself together, but he guessed that would not work. After a moment, the warrior reached out and took Maravilla’s arm. “I’m here. You’re not alone. We need to keep moving if we’re going to find and help your friends.”

  The professor looked up. His eyes were moist, but he nodded and brought himself to his feet. As they passed the bait shop, Hoshi noticed a sign advertising a boat for rent. He looked at the people gathered in front. “Did one of you gentlemen post this sign?”

  A big man with a bald head and a beard that looked like it had been used to scrub toilets scowled. “That would be my boat, but you’d be crazy to go out until this battle’s over.”

  “Which boat is it?”

  “It’s that little fishing dinghy tied to the dock.” He pointed to a serviceable boat about twelve feet long.

  “How much to buy the boat?”

  The man laughed. “$50.00 all in silver.”

  Hoshi reached into his robes and pulled out a pouch. He counted out ten silver coins. “I only have this much. I’ll give it to you now, then give you forty-five when I return, presuming, of course, the boat is still intact.”

  “Sounds like a gamble to me,” said the bald man.

  “You look like a gambling man.”

  The man smiled and took the coins. “You’ve got yourself a bet. I better see you again by the end of the day.”

  “If San Francisco still stands, I will be here,” said Hoshi.

  He led Maravilla out to the pier. “Did you just give that man all of our expense money?”

  “Most of it.”

  “Can we really pay the balance?”

  Hoshi helped Maravilla into the boat and untied the line. “Do you really think we will survive this day?”

  <<>>

  Larissa, Harris, and Lorenzo paused near Fisherman’s Wharf. Larissa lifted her goggles and watched in horror as the Russian airship dropped bomb after bomb into the Presidio. By her count, ten bombs were dropped in all. “I don’t think they need to be warned anymore,” said Lorenzo, dour.

  “We’ve still got to stop them.” Larissa reached up to lower her goggles, but Harris put his hand on her elbow.

  “They’re already moving on.”

  Larissa sat back again and watched the airship’s path. Turning, she looked uphill at all the houses and businesses packed in close together. It was hard to say where the Russians would drop troops. Anywhere would be devastating. If they dropped bombs in districts with a lot of wood, they could start a fire that would rampage through the city. After a moment, her eyes fell on a domed building that resembled the capitol in Washington, D.C. Its dome stood a little above the other buildings in the area.

  She pointed. “They’re headed for city hall.”

  “How can you be sure?” asked Harris.

  “Think about the other invasions,” said Larissa. “Somehow the Russians are always able to get the city or territorial government to surrender without much work.”

  “I’ve never figured out how they manage that,” mused Lorenzo.

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Larissa. “Somehow they get the city leaders on their side without causing much harm. I’m guessing that’s their destination and we have the best anti-airship guns in the city.” She reached down and pointed the lightning gun skyward.

  “Won’t that rain a lot of debris down on the city?” Lorenzo’s eyebrows came together.

  “The airships are filled with hydrogen. If we can get the airship while it’s still high enough, it should engulf the ship and burn most of the flammables even before it hits the ground.” She looked at Harris. “You take up a position to the east of the capitol.” She turned to Lorenzo. “Go to the west. I’ll get south. When you think you’re in a good position, signal with the clackers.” She clicked the disk she held in her finger against the lightning wolf’s handlebar.

  Lorenzo and Harris looked at each other, then looked toward the airship. It still seemed to be heading downtown. The men each nodded to Larissa then set out. She reached up, lowered her goggles and shot uphill into the city. She wound her way as best she could through unfamiliar streets, avoiding people who had stepped out of houses and buildings to watch the strange craft drift over the city.

  At one point, the street jagged in a direction Larissa didn’t expect. As she continued forward, she looked around for another street that would take her back to the capitol. A moment later, she followed an alley that direction. She bent low to avoid fouling herself on clotheslines. She took another turn and found herself in a neighborhood where none of the writing on the buildings was familiar.

  She drove on for another half mile before she realized she was lost. She no longer knew which direction city hall was. She looked up in the sky, found the airship and noticed she’d overshot her mark by about a quarter mile. She ducked down a side street, until she came to a place where she could see the capitol building. It was an elaborate structure, but scaffolding still clung to its side. Lorenzo clacked the signal for his name. She paused, but wasn’t happy with her vantage. She turned and pushed uphill a little more. Finally, she came to a point that overlooked the city better. From there, she had a clear view of the airship overhead. She clacked the signal for her name.

  A few minutes later Harris clacked his signal.

  She held her breath and fired the lightning gun at the airship. A moment later, two more lightning bolts flew skyward. Only one of the bolts connected with the airship, causing it to list and setting the outer skin ablaze. It was less dramatic than she expected, but they had never tested the lightning guns at this range. Despite the fire, the ship soon righted itself and a hatch opened in the bottom. She cringed, expecting the hydrogen inside to explode at any minute. The soldiers clacked their identification signals again as a prelude to another shot. She swallowed and clacked hers in response.

  She aimed for the open hatch, but before she could fire, Harris clacked his identification signal again followed by the signal to “stay away.”

  Her brow furrowed in confusion, when suddenly there was an explosion east of the capitol building. Her hand went to her mouth. Harris’s lightning gun must have exploded the same way Curly Bill Bresnahan’s had in Arizona.

  She looked up at the airship again, realizing she didn’t have time to lose. She fired at the hold but missed. The other lightning gun fired, grazing the airship. This time, a great fireball erupted a third of the way up from the tail. Larissa punched the air. Lorenzo must have hit the engine, causing a boiler to explode. She took a cue from him and aimed at the airship’s flank. She also managed to connect with one of the
engines. The entire airship was now ablaze. She crouched down, ready for a devastating explosion.

  Instead, the airship slowly sank. It drifted sideways, pushed along by the wind as it dropped toward the bay. She opened one eye and watched it for a while. Then she stood up straight and blew out a sigh of relief. She faced the direction where Sergeant Harris’ lightning wolf exploded. It was time to find out if he was okay.

  <<>>

  Hoshi let the small dinghy hug the coast as much as possible. The tide carried them away from the naval battle. “It is good to sail a boat again,” he said. He knelt down and examined the mast. He would stand it up soon to catch the wind and tack across the Golden Gate to Sausalito.

  “I somehow never imagined samurai warriors as able seamen,” commented Maravilla.

  “Why not? Japan is a nation of islands and many of our adversaries have lived across the sea.” He let his voice drift off, as he considered that his last battles in Japan were with his own countrymen. Looking up toward the city, he was surprised to see a lightning bolt fly upwards from the ground to the sky.

  “Goodness me, it looks like Larissa and her boys are making short work of that airship,” said the professor.

  Hoshi couldn’t decide whether he approved of these lightning wolves or not. Frail as these machines looked, they contained an awesome power beyond anything he had seen before, especially when used en masse. In that sense, they reminded him of a pack of skeletal, hungry wolves. Three shots lit the airship on fire and sent it floating toward the bay, like an enormous feather falling from the sky. Hoshi realized he no longer heard gunfire. He lifted the mast on the dinghy and deployed the sail. As he tacked the boat northward toward Sausalito, the airship crashed into the ocean. Several American naval ships adjusted their sails to get a closer look at the downed craft.

  “No doubt they’ll try to salvage what they can so they can make one of their own,” said Maravilla. “Just as they did with my ornithopters.”

  Hoshi thought of the ships he sailed and how much their designs were based on those of Portuguese traders who had come to Japan centuries before. “That is the way of war,” he said.

 

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