by Marty Chan
Ehrich laughed.
Tesla added, “Family meals are the best. My mother insisted that every Sunday, no matter what we were doing or where we were, we had to all sit down together and share a meal. The food she cooked was incredible, but the conversations we had…I learned things about my father that I never knew.” He raised his wine glass. “To families.”
They clinked glasses.
Ehrich said. “To families and friends.”
“Old and new,” Amina added.
The server arrived with the roasted figs in sabayon, and Amina’s eyes widened like a kid in a confectioner’s shop. The delight on her face was infectious. Tesla beamed. Ehrich couldn’t help but grin like a fool. The waiter must have sensed this because he set the largest serving in front of Amina.
“Enjoy,” the waiter whispered, winking at her.
She picked up a spoon and bit into one of the figs. Her eyes rolled back in her head with delight, and her bodice threatened to pop at the seams.
“I could live on this,” she said, her mouth still full of fig and sabayon.
“Savour the dessert,” Tesla said. “We have all the time in the world.” He laughed. “In fact, if we wait here long enough, Thomas Edison may eventually come to us.”
Ehrich stopped mid-bite. “Would he show up here?”
“The man eats like a bird, barely enough to sustain a child. The only time he would ever come here is to be seen or to entertain clients. No, if he isn’t working at Devil’s Island, he would be hard at work at one of his laboratories. Most likely finding some way to make money from the devices he has taken.”
“You mentioned the laboratories before,” Amina said. “West Orange?”
“Yes, that’s his new facility in New Jersey, but I heard rumours that he had resurrected Menlo Park after he took over Devil’s Island. The only reason he would do that would be to use the laboratories to store and test the devices he has taken. There’s no guarantee we’ll find him here. We would be making a stab in the dark.”
Ehrich shook his head and grinned. “Not if we gave him a reason to come out.”
A TEST OF LOYALTY
General Ling Po rubbed his tusks as he sat behind his mahogany desk. Scattered scrolls and calligraphy brushes littered the top. He squinted the tiredness out of his eyes. He had argued long and hard with General Xian to convince her Ning Shu and Mr. Serenity did not belong in the brig. The only concession he won was the right to keep them locked in his quarters. Now he was a virtual prisoner like them, held captive in his own quarters while two soldiers stood outside. Xian had even replaced his personal retinue with her own men, adding insult to injury.
“Times have changed,” he sighed.
Ning Shu paced around the room while Mr. Serenity marvelled at the calligraphy art on Ling Po’s desk. “I don’t know what my father admires in that woman. She’s nothing like my mother.”
Mr. Serenity suggested, “Maybe that’s what he sees in her. In grief, there are those who want the comfort of the familiar, and there are those who want to run away from the reminders of the ones they lost.”
Ling Po sorted the scrolls on his desk. He used an octagonal inkpot as a paperweight. The unfurled calligraphy scrolls gave him respite from the stress of the day. He yearned for a brush in his hand right now.
“You must still carry some sway on the Council,” Ning Shu said. “There must be someone who might stand with you against Xian.”
“Not many,” he said. “I’m an old man running with a herd of young bucks who would rather charge in than survey the field. Xian is part of the new generation. It’s evident why your father managed everyone. Without his steady hand, everyone has drawn their knives to carve out their own piece of the kingdom.”
Mr. Serenity leaned back from the desk. “I’m curious, General. What exactly was Xian’s plan before we arrived?”
Ling Po sighed. “She wants the exoskeletons. We can’t launch an attack without them. She has been sending scouts to agitate the workers, stir them up into a protest. She believed if the strikers created a large enough fuss, we might be able to ignite a riot. Perhaps sneak a few of our soldiers into the tunnel to extricate the machines.”
Ning Shu set the scroll on the desk and folded her arms over her chest. “My father would have done the same. At least she is consistent with Ba Tian’s wishes. How many soldiers are on board?”
“Not nearly enough.”
She weighed his words carefully, eyeing him for a second. Then she tested the waters. “All this fighting, it tires me.”
“I prefer a razor disc in my hand to all the political knives Xian and her ilk wield. This type of fighting I can do without.”
She backed off. “What have you been doing in my father’s absence, old friend?”
“Well, the answer is simple. Now that I’m no longer the steward of the House of Qi, I have had much time to express my creativity.” He swept his crimson hand over the calligraphy scrolls. A rough sketch of a chimera sat on top of other paintings of landscapes.
“Beautiful, Ling Po. A hidden talent.”
“I never stopped to consider all the sectors we invaded. The beauty of some of the places…I recall a waterfall flowing from the top of a snow-capped mountain into an aquamarine pool.”
“Remember the realm with the river that flowed with yellow water from all the deposits?”
Ling Po nodded. “All of them eradicated with no one to record their legacy. I suppose this is the best I can do.”
“You do the sectors justice, Ling Po. I could never draw this well.”
“No? Have you tried?”
“I couldn’t.”
Mr. Serenity leaned forward. “May I try?”
“Of course.”
The bald man happily picked up a brush and began to sketch on a blank scroll. His precise movements sketched the length of the airship. “I can’t remember. How many propellers are on this airship?”
“Twelve on each side and a double one at the rear of the gondola.”
Mr. Serenity began to sketch in the details.
“What is this?” She picked up a scroll with the drawing of a graveyard. A small boy knelt in front of what appeared to be a floating cat’s eye in the middle of the air. “A bit dour, don’t you think?”
“The graveyard? Yes, I’m thinking of my ill-fated career.”
“You’re not done yet. One more battle to fight.”
“I’m a warrior, Ning Shu. I’ll gladly face my enemy on the field, but this whisper campaign, it isn’t me.”
“General Ling Po,” Mr. Serenity interrupted. “How tall is the gondola?”
“Three storeys.”
The rotund man added the details to the calligraphy drawing.
Ning Shu pressed the issue once more. “Ling Po, what if my father doesn’t return? Do we continue to wage war in his name?”
“What else do we do?”
She tapped the scroll of the chimera. “There is always something else we can do.”
“I can’t imagine your father’s soldiers laying down their arms to pick up paintbrushes.”
“Yes, this is true,” she said, backing away. She knew she had an ally, but military training shaped his view of the world, and she would need more than one argument to sway him. He was the most moderate of all the generals. If she couldn’t win him over, she might as well give up now.
“Something bothers me, Ning Shu,” Ling Po said. “Your talk of laying down arms. Would this have anything to do with your allies? No offense, Mr. Serenity.”
The bald man glanced up. “None taken, sir.”
Ning Shu explained, “I suppose it must sound odd to you, Ling Po. My absence and this new philosophical view. I guess if I’m to be completely honest with you, I wonder about our impact on the sectors. Your calligraphy captures the beauty that was lost. We share the same thoughts. The loss.”
Ling Po straightened up. “I suppose, but I wouldn’t go against your father’s wishes.”
�
�Never?”
“No. I’m loyal to the House of Qi.”
“I’m relieved. I think I can trust you now to reveal the mission my father sent me on. Mr. Serenity, can you give us some space?”
“Sure,” he said. He picked up the scroll and brush and lumbered to the other side of the quarters, planting himself at a round marble-topped table.
Ning Shu lowered her voice. “The worlds we conquered did not perish. Survivors have emerged from the rubble, and they banded together to form an army. We must pay attention to what is behind us now, as well as what is ahead.”
“We stand strong, Ning Shu. No one has been able to stand against us.”
“Not before, but now, I’m not as sure.”
“Why?”
She glanced over her shoulder, then leaned in. “What do you know of the exoskeletons?”
“They are our greatest weapons.”
“Yes, but what about their designer?”
Ling Po shrugged. “Not much.”
“His name was Hakeem. A scientist. Brilliant—but he defected. I had to bring him back.”
“That was your mission?” Ling Po asked.
“I searched for him across the sectors until I learned he had joined the survivors.”
“Where is Hakeem now?”
“I killed him,” she answered.
“And the survivors?”
“They are hiding someplace. I gained the trust of Mr. Serenity and the others with him. They want to help us.”
“We don’t need allies.”
“Here we do, Ling Po. We are without our exoskeleton machines. Here is the bigger problem: the scientist could not have defected without help. I learned from my friends that the traitor had assistance from one within our ranks. This person would have to be high up.”
“A general?”
“Perhaps. That is why I couldn’t reveal the nature of my mission to Xian or to you until I was absolutely sure I could trust you.”
“The way she has been acting after your father left… do you suspect her?”
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I am curious why she won’t relinquish her power to me.”
“This would explain her behaviour,” Ling Po said. “We must confront her.”
Ning Shu placed her hand on her friend’s arm. “No, Ling Po. If she managed to turn the scientist, who knows who else she has influenced? I’m afraid this battle must be waged with whispers and not weapons.”
“I’m ill equipped to help you.”
“I need to go through the Council of Arch Generals and determine whom we can trust.”
“My blood is yours, Ning Shu.”
“Thank you for that, Ling Po. Who else can I approach?”
“Gu Shan. We began serving your father around the same time. There is no way he would stand against the House of Qi. He is onboard the airship.”
“Can you arrange a meeting with him?”
“I will try,” Ling Po said. “But the other generals are not onboard. They are on missions across the country.”
“We will require a reason to call them together.”
“Only a meeting of the Council of Arch Generals will bring them here,” Ling Po pointed out.
“We must craft a purpose for this meeting,” Ning Shu said.
“Then we had better start.”
FIERY GAMBIT
Menlo Park was less a laboratory and more a small village with Edison’s facility at the hub. Tesla led Ehrich and Amina through the sleepy area, past many of the cottages, toward the gated entrance.
“Menlo Park exists because of Edison’s laboratory. The people who work here also live out here.”
“Why the protection?” Amina asked.
“If this is where Edison sent the Dimensionals’ personal effects, he may believe the items have value as either weapons or new technology. I suspect a few unscrupulous dealers might want them. The devices were much safer in my facilities. I can imagine Edison’s assistants combing through the knick-knacks to find inspiration for new patents.”
“What is your plan, Ehrich?” Amina asked.
“Edison might come out if his laboratory caught fire.”
“Along with his hunters,” Amina pointed out.
“Out in the open, one hunter might look like the next.”
“You think our dusters are enough to trick him?” Amina asked.
“In the heat of battle, you always rely on the familiar. The question is which facilities should we target?”
Tesla rolled up his sleeves. “West Orange is his newest one, but Menlo Park is more remote.”
“We should go to West Orange,” Ehrich said. “That’s the new one. The more damage we can do, the better chance he will come to investigate.”
Amina shook her head. “How big a fire do you want to set?”
“Something big enough to catch his attention.”
Tesla disagreed. “This facility is the better choice. Fewer people and less chance of someone getting hurt.”
“We need to make sure Edison leaves Devil’s Island. A fire at his new laboratory is bound to draw him out.”
“I know some of his assistants,” Tesla said. “They are friends and colleagues with families. We set fire to the new laboratory, and we risk their lives as well as their life’s work.”
Amina suggested. “Let’s set the fire where we know there won’t be many people.”
“Only if we give the workers a chance to put out the blaze before any serious damage is done,” Tesla insisted.
“We need to do enough damage to draw Edison out,” Ehrich said.
“A risk to any laboratory’s work is enough to draw him out. Trust me,” Tesla said.
“Fine, fine,” Ehrich grumbled.
The trio set to work. Amina scouted the perimeter of Menlo Park, checking for a weak point in the stonewall fence while Ehrich and Tesla prepared a device to trigger a fire. Tesla pulled apart the dynatron pistol and pieced together the circuits and coil into a new incendiary configuration.
The inventor’s hands moved quickly. They reminded Ehrich of a magician’s. Fluid movements all aiming for some mysterious purpose. Tesla glanced up.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this plan, Ehrich? All this risk, and we don’t even know if we will succeed.”
“Why are you against the plan, Mr. Tesla?”
“The people who work here depend on this place for their livelihood.”
“Edison will shift them over to his other lab if the facilities are destroyed. They won’t be out of work.”
“You’re using innocent people as part of your plan. They’ve done nothing to deserve this.”
“We need Edison so we can deal with Kifo for Dash.”
Tesla stopped working and stood up. “Ehrich, be careful with the path you are travelling. Obsession can lead to the darkest of places.”
“I’m trying to save my brother and my friends, Mr. Tesla.”
“When I was working on AC generators, I wanted to find a more efficient motor than the ones already in existence. I decided I could combine mechanics with electromagnetism. I created a piston that would drive up and down with the help of electromagnets. A small device would generate enough power to light up a hundred bulbs. I tried to make a bigger one. I mounted the device on a pillar in one of my laboratories. For a few hours, the results were amazing. The lights stayed on without a flicker. I wanted to push the limits of my oscillator, and I increased the power. My assistants warned me the vibrations from the new motor were causing the room to shake, but I didn’t heed them. I wanted to test the limits. The resulting vibrations became so strong they triggered a small earthquake. If I had not grabbed a hammer and smashed the piston, my invention would have razed my laboratory.”
“Why tell me this?”
“Ehrich, no matter how noble your purpose, there are consequences to your actions. Don’t be blinded to them.”
“We’ll set the device off at night when no one is in the labora
tories.”
Tesla shook his head. “You don’t know inventors. Someone will be there at all hours.”
“We’ll make sure to give everyone fair warning about the fire.”
Tesla nodded and went back to work.
They waited until well after midnight to strike. Amina had found a section of the stonewall fence that they could vault over. Tesla carefully handed the incendiary device to Ehrich who sat straddling the fence. He passed the bomb to Amina on the other side. She slipped through the yard toward an unlit window at the far end of the compound as Ehrich hopped off and followed, leaving Tesla to keep watch at the perimeter of the yard. The rooms here were far enough away from the occupied areas that whoever was still at work would be able to flee well before the fire reached them.
Amina crouched low so that Ehrich could step on her back and reach a window. He jimmied open the window and pulled himself into the building. Then he reached down to pull Amina up. The moon above provided enough illumination to reveal they were in a storage area. A collection of devices sat upon shelves and crates—valises, shawls, notebooks, and other travelling paraphernalia.
“Try this door,” Amina whispered.
Ehrich opened the door to a small room. He stepped toward a table in the centre and switched on the overhead lamp. The electric light sizzled to life, shining on a collection of metal objects. The travellers’ devices filled the counters around the room. Amina began to sort through the collection.
“No time,” Ehrich said. “We need to set the firebomb and go.”
She shook her head. “Not until I find my cameo.”
He sighed and set the makeshift incendiary device on a counter to help her search. No luck.
Ehrich picked up the firebomb and set it against a wooden wall. “Time to go, Amina.”
She took one last survey of the confiscated trinkets and devices on the counter, then waved to Ehrich. He connected a red wire with a black one, just as Tesla had instructed him. The device began to glow blue. He stood up and backed out of the room. They reached the window and climbed out as a loud whoomph shook the air. An orange glow emitted from the doorway. The fire had started.
