London Darkness- Infernal Inventions

by Christopher Stocking

  Caroline grabbed Ryker’s left wrist and flipped his hand over, palm up.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he questioned. He struggled to free himself from Caroline’s grip, but his arm was bound too tightly to the chair.

  Clive approached Ryker. His shadow enveloped Ryker entirely. Clive opened the scissors and grasped each side of Ryker’s palm-watch.

  “What are you doing?” Ryker asked frantically. “No, no, no!”

  Clive pulled and the watch ripped from Ryker’s flesh, producing a chilling squishing and tearing sound.

  Ryker screamed as blood flooded from the hole in his hand and onto the floor. His body tensed and he breathed heavily through clenched teeth. He closed his hand to try and stop the loss of blood, but it was no use. The blood continued to flow as his hand writhed with pain.

  Clive and Caroline laughed as they watched Ryker scream and shake in his chair. “I knew that would be fun,” Clive said. He set the watch face on the metal desk, and set the scissors next to them.

  Ryker’s hand twitched and his vision grew fuzzy and dark. His eyes flicked between Clive and the steel desk. He watched as Caroline wrapped her arms around Clive, and then turned to look at Ryker. “Oh look, I think he’s going to pass out,” she chuckled.

  “He lost an awful lot of blood,” Clive answered. “Maybe he’ll bleed to death!”

  Ryker fought to keep his eyes open, but the loss of blood was beginning to make everything fade.

  Clive’s expression flashed from excitement to curiosity. “What was that?” he asked.

  Ryker’s chin dropped to his chest, but he fought to raise it again. His vision grew darker, and his chin dropped again. He rolled his head back and his vision went black, but he could still hear.

  “Who are you?” Clive’s voice asked angrily. Ryker heard Clive draw his pistol. Two gunshots rang out, followed by the zap of an electric shock. Clive cried out and the thump of a body echoed throughout the room.

  “What did you do?” Caroline’s voice cried sorrowfully.

  The zap of an electric shock sounded again, and Caroline’s piercing scream rang in Ryker’s ears.

  “It’s alright,” a familiar voice said. Ryker felt a small hand grab his wrist and open his hand. “I’ll get you some help.” Ryker felt the hands struggling with the ropes, and then he passed out.

  Chapter 14

  Ryker inhaled deeply. The familiar sulfur smell of his lab burned his nostrils and calmed him. He kept his eyes closed, though. He took in as much of the calming aroma has he could, hoping that it wasn’t a dream, or his imagination running wild. He pictured himself sitting up and having Celia and Wendell standing in front of him, waiting for him to awaken.

  His eyes shot open. Who saved me? he thought. He sat up and looked around. He lay in his bed, and his room was dark. He turned on the gas lamp by his bed and looked at his hand. A clean bandage was wrapped around the wound on his arm and stomach, and where his watch used to be embedded.

  He suddenly became very nervous. He looked around the room and his body grew tense. He looked at his palm again, hoping that his watch would be there to tell him the time. The convenience of the watch allowed him to not have to have any other clocks around his lab.

  He scrambled out of bed and burst through the door into his lab. It was empty, and the floor was cold on his bare feet. He walked to his desk and looked at his revolver carefully set in its holster. Next to that were the top hat and the communicator from Creator Desmond, and next to that was Charles’s cane.

  Ryker picked up the cane and flipped open the cap at the back end. One of the few things he remembered was hearing the buzzing sound, followed by the cries. He set the tip of the cane on the floor and pressed the button. Nothing.

  The tap of boots on the wooden stairs echoed in the lab. Ryker silently set the cane down and grabbed his revolver. He held it straight out and aimed at the top of the stairs. His arms shook with weakness and fatigue.

  A short figure appeared in the doorway and Ryker squeezed the trigger. The gun banged and a plume of smoke lifted into the air.

  When the smoke cleared, Ryker lowered his gun and smiled. His smile was brief, however, and his face quickly twisted to rage.

  “What the bloody-hell do you think you’re doing?” a voice shouted.

  “Wendell, what the bloody-hell are you doing?” Ryker asked angrily. “Where have you been? What happened to you? Who was that other gnome?”

  “Ryker, relax,” Wendell answered. He walked into the center of the room. “I’ll explain everything.”

  “Wait,” Ryker said. “Where’s Celia? And where’s Shamus.”

  “They’re fine, Ryker. They’re back at the League headquarters.”

  “What about Clive and Caroline? Are they dead? Where’s my watch?”

  “Ryker, shut up,” Wendell said plainly. “I told you I’ll explain everything. You should sit down, though. You don’t look so good. I haven’t seen you so pale since your birthday last year. Too much scotch.”

  Ryker set his revolver on his desk and sat down in his squeaky chair. He closed his eyes and hoped the room would stop spinning.

  Wendell sat on the desk and looked at Ryker. “Are you going to make it?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Ryker answered. His voice was low and tired. “Just start explaining. Did the Bobbies really come for you?”

  “Yes,” Wendell answered. “It looks like Clive and Caroline somehow framed me for the murders. So when the Bobbies took me, and when I say took, I mean they cuffed me and put a burlap sack over my head, I talked them into stopping so I could use the loo. The stupid bastards took off the cuffs and everything. So, while I was in there, there was another gnome nearby, working on his garden. I knew it was my only chance at escaping, so I threw the sack over his head, knocked him out, and sat him upright in the Bobbie’s steam-automobile.”

  “So, what happened to my revolver ammo?” Ryker asked. He leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the desk.

  “Well, I knew that after you knew I would be hanged, you would come and try to rescue me. But, I figured if you didn’t have any ammo, you would see it as a sign from me, and wouldn’t risk it. Apparently that didn’t work.”

  “Apparently not,” Ryker said sarcastically. “The head of the Town Watch almost got me during the rescue attempt. So, how did you end up down in the sewers?”

  “By luck, actually,” Wendell replied. “I was hiding out in the sewers and happened upon Clive carrying your body. I followed him but he locked the door behind him. All those doors down there are ancient, and most of the keys to them are lost. Also, I have no skill picking locks. However, I did manage to find an alternate tunnel. One that came out in the ceiling of the room you were captured in. By the time I actually got to you, they had already taken your watch, and you were in really bad shape.”

  Ryker bolted upright. “Where is my watch? Did you get it back?”

  Wendell reached into his pocket and pulled out Ryker’s palm-watch. He had polished it to a perfect shine.

  Ryker grabbed it and looked at it closely. “I’ve got to get this back in.”

  “Come on,” Wendell said as he jumped down from the desk. “We’ve got to meet up with Celia and Shamus. We can put it back in when we get back to the headquarters.”

  Ryker stood up and strapped on his belt and slid on his boots. He rested a hand on the handle of his revolver for a moment, taking in the comfort he received from it. “I never thought I’d be working with the League of Inventors,” he said quietly.

  “These are dark times indeed,” Wendell replied.

  ***

  “Ryker!” Celia cried happily. She ran to him as he closed and locked the headquarters door behind him. She embraced him tightly and then stepped back to look at him. “How are you?” she asked. She took his wrist and looked at his bandaged hand and arm.

  “I’m fine,” he answered firmly.

  “It’s good to see you’re alive,” Shamus said.
Ryker glanced at him. His tone suggested distance; almost like he had to say it.

  Ryker looked directly into Celia’s eyes. His eyes were hard. “You need to tell me everything about your sister, Victoria.”

  “Sister?” Wendell questioned.

  Ryker raised a strong hand. “Celia. Tell me. That bastard who shot me, Clive, he said the exact words that your sister said to me. They are everyone but cease to exist? What’s going on? Who is she?”

  Celia’s eyes dropped and she took another step back. Her face was filled with pain. “I really don’t know if I can handle talking about it.”

  Ryker approached her and grabbed her shoulders firmly. “These people are murderers, and they tried to kill us. You have to tell us what is happening.”

  Celia glared at him. “Don’t you dare talk about my sister like that. She is not a murderer.” She pulled Ryker’s hands from her body and walked away to look out of a spotlessly clean window.

  Ryker stepped up behind her. “Celia, lives are in danger here. If there’s something that should be said, you need to tell us.”

  Celia released a heavy sigh and turned around. Tears welled in her eyes, but her face was strong. She closed her eyes and drove away the tears that threatened to flood down her cheeks. “Victoria is my younger sister. She was always the strange one. As children, our family always talked about how beautiful I was, and how my looks would take me so far. But, when it came to my sister, they whispered harsh words behind her back. They never shared much in the way of compliments to her face. Most of the time they avoided her, or told her to run along and play with her dolls.” She paused.

  “One day she wandered off. We searched for days, and found her a few houses down from where she currently lives. She refused to talk to any of us, but only said that her gift didn’t come for free. She wouldn’t say what happened, or where she had gone, but her voice was destroyed, and she spoke in such a strange way. I began to take her home, but… but my family didn’t want her to come home. They, they were ashamed of what she had become, and didn’t want to complicate things. So, I ran away with her. I ran away and made money the only way I knew how. I was able to buy her that house. I’ve refused to go see her since then. I can’t bear to see what she has become. I love my sister, but I just can’t stand to see her that way. I’ve heard the whispers of the city. I know what everyone says about her. But, I’ve also heard that her readings have worked wonders for people—even led them to great fortune.”

  Shamus’s eyes lit up. “Great fortune?” he asked.

  Celia nodded. “She helped Ryker to find the third murder victim.”

  “Interesting,” Livvy said. Everyone looked at her. “But, she may have had a logical way of knowing where the body was. Ryker says that this Clive fellow spoke similar words as your sister. If they’re working together, it makes sense that she would know where the body was.”

  “I’m telling you, my sister had nothing to do with this,” Celia snapped. “They’re just using it as a cover. They’re just trying to make my sister look like she’s planned this whole thing.” A tear streaked down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away.

  “It’s going to be alright, Celia,” Ryker said. He put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.

  “I don’t know if it is,” she said grimly. She swung open the trap door to Shamus’s hidden lab and disappeared below.

  “She’ll be alright,” Ryker said. “But I think I’ll pay another visit to Ishbelza.”

  “Ishbelza?” Wendell questioned.

  “Victoria. Celia’s sister.”

  Wendell shrugged. “Maybe the girl is just loopy.”

  Ryker shook his head and approached Shamus. “You should stay here. I’m not going to risk you getting attacked again.”

  “Alright,” Shamus answered. “But, where does this Victoria live? In case I need to come find you.”

  “Give me your communicator,” Ryker said. Shamus took out his communicator and handed it to Ryker. Ryker flipped out the panel, pressed a few buttons, and gave it back. “I put my communicator’s serial number into your list. If you need to reach me, you can reach me on here.”

  Shamus shoved his communicator back into his pocket and watched as Ryker walked toward the door.

  “You’re going without your watch?” Wendell asked.

  Ryker looked at his bandaged hand. He sighed, and it pained him to say it, but he knew he had to. “It will have to wait until I return. We can put it back in then. We have to get to Victoria as soon as we can.

  “I’m coming with you,” Wendell said. “I just need to stop by your lab and get my repeater rifle.”

  Ryker paused. “I suppose. If Victoria really is working with Clive and Caroline, I may need some backup in case they’re there.”

  “All the more reason for me to join you,” Shamus interjected.

  “No,” Ryker stated firmly. “The streets aren’t safe for you.”

  Shamus leaned against Livvy’s desk and watched them leave. “I’m sure it’ll be easy enough to find her. Crazy broad must be pretty well known around here.” he grumbled.

  “What’s that?” Livvy asked. She put her hands on his shoulders and hugged him. “Nothing,” he said. “Something exciting finally happens in this city and I’m stuck in the lab.”

  Livvy smiled. “Well, maybe now we can spend some more time together.”

  Shamus stared at the trap door that led to his lab, not hearing his wife. “I’ve got to get to work on the Spear Bots,” he said. He swung open the trap door and descended into his lab.

  Livvy dropped into her chair and rested her chin on her hands. She stared at the open door for a moment, and then took out a piece of paper and began writing on it.

  ***

  “Could she possibly live in a worse part of the city?” Wendell asked rhetorically. He and Ryker walked passed an alley and a large knife-wielding man jumped out at them. “Come on, give up your coins. I haven’t got all day!” his voice was slightly muffled by a black handkerchief.

  Ryker and Wendell glanced at each other, and in one swift motion Ryker drew his pistol and Wendell slung his rifle off his shoulder and had them aimed at the mugger’s face.

  The mugger swung a powerful blow at Ryker’s face. Ryker swung his revolver and knocked the knife out of the mugger’s hand, followed by Wendell bashing the butt of his rifle into the mugger’s stomach.

  The thief grunted and stepped backward. Ryker threw a powerful kick and struck the thief in the chin. The assailant stumbled back and fell over.

  Ryker and Wendell stood over him and pointed their weapons in his face. “You’ve got three seconds to get lost,” Ryker said firmly.

  The mugger scrambled to his feet and sprinted down the alley.

  “Bloody bastards,” Wendell grumbled as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.

  “Come on, we’re almost there,” Ryker said. They continued down the dismal street until they reached the last house on the right.

  “Lovely place,” Wendell commented sarcastically. They swung the gate open and walked down the path. Ryker reached out to grab the door knocker and the door suddenly swung open. The rush of air from the swinging door whirled Ishbelza’s black dress around, giving her a ghost-like appearance.

  “Why have you returned?” Ishbelza’s voice snapped.

  “Victoria,” Ryker said.

  “Victoria is dead,” she responded quietly.

  “Can we come in?” Ryker asked. “We need to talk.”

  “Who is this with you?” Ishbelza asked. She narrowed her eyes. “I’ve no desire to let a gnome into my home.”

  Wendell’s face burned red with rage. “You inconsiderate little—”

  Ryker clapped a hand over Wendell’s mouth. “I assure you Ishbelza, Wendell is completely harmless.”

  Ishbelza poked her head outside, looked down the street and walked into her home. “Enter,” she commanded.

  Ryker and Wendell stepped inside her door. Wendell covered his no
se and grumbled about a terrible odor. “Wendell, just relax,” Ryker whispered.

  “I’m trying,” Wendell retorted. “I just don’t want a curse or a hex put on me. We have enough trouble already.”

  “Sit,” Ishbelza’s voice called from the common room. Two large black pillows sat on the floor in front of the table, and Ishbelza sat on her puffy red pillow. Ryker and Wendell sat on the pillows as she lit the black candle and took out three cards.

  “No,” Ryker said. He put his hand out. “No readings. We just need to ask you some questions.”

  Ishbelza pulled the cards back and put them away. She stared at them for a long while. Her eyes were icy cold and pierced right through them. Their skin rose as she sat in silence.

  “Ask your questions,” she said softly. Her eyes were unyielding still.

  Ryker cleared his throat. “What can you tell us about two peopled named—”

  “I’ve never heard of Clive or Caroline,” she answered calmly.

  Ryker and Wendell glanced at each other.

  “How did you know that?” Wendell asked.

  She stared directly into his eyes. “One does not receive my gifts for free,” she answered. Her voice was haunting and ghostly.

  “Have you ever had any contact with them?” Ryker asked.

  Ishbelza cocked her head to the side. “I’ve never heard of them. How would I have contact with them? If you’re going to ask such ridiculous questions then you must leave.”

  “We’re not going anywhere until we get some answers,” Wendell said. His voice was growing louder.

  “Wendell, take is easy,” Ryker whispered.

  “Yes, Wendell, you’re too excitable. You get too easily agitated. But someday that will save you.”

  Wendell looked up at Ryker. “What is she talking about?”

  Ryker shrugged. “Have you seen any people around the city wearing masks?”

  Ishbelza thought for a moment. “No,” she answered plainly. “Now, you’re upsetting the aura of my home. Please leave.”

  Ryker stood up but Wendell grabbed onto his black sleeve. “That’s it? We’re leaving?”