1889: Journey To The Moon (The Far Journey Chronicles)

by George Wier

  Jack Ross said, “What are you talking about? You make no sense, man.”

  Merkam’s eyes rolled upward for a moment, then he touched a hand to his head as he staggered backward into the wall. He shook his head as if to clear it and said, “Forgive me, my friends. The blow to my head, and these events, have temporarily vexed me to a point of hallucinative prognostification. But I am calmed again, as you see.”

  Tesla wasn’t so sure. “Would you like to take a respite?”

  “No, it is not necessary. Let us prepare the Arcadia, for if our crew returns, they may well be escaping from some terrible danger. And if that is the case, we must be prepared to launch in an instant. So, gentlemen, if you will make the rounds, I will prepare the command deck for such a possibility.”

  Merkam waited until the two men were out of sight, before he walked to the window, where he could see the giant robot outside. He flipped the red lens down on his torch light and worked the finger buttons to send an invisible code message to the mechanical figure, which instantly moved to a position in front of the cargo hatch and the entry hatch. There would be no way in except by going through the massive automaton. Merkam flipped back the red lens, hung the torch on his belt and readied the command post.

  Tesla took his time examining each portion of the Arcadia’s interior as he descended. When he reached the engine room, he saw Ross sitting on the floor, taking a large swig from a whiskey bottle. Ross saw him and said, “We are dead, Tesla.”

  Nikola entered the room, his concern for Jack growing fast. Jack pointed at the fern covered walls.

  Tesla felt a cold ball of ice form in his stomach as he said, “My Lord, Jack.”

  Almost half of the plants were brown and withered. Another third were a sickly yellow-green. Someone had poisoned the Arcadia’s only source of oxygen. Tesla said, “Does Jude know?”

  “No. I thought it best if we both told him.”

  Nikola nodded, his face grim, “We do it now. There is no time to waste.” The men hurried to the command deck where they told Merkam.

  Merkam said, “Are you sure the plants are dead?”

  Ross held up his metal arm, “As sure as this hand is steel.”

  Merkam said, “It had to be Quinlan. The lad must be completely insane. He has killed himself as well as all of us.”

  Tesla was deep in thought. He said, “If we can stop the poison’s progress and revitalize the living plants, we may have enough breathable atmosphere to return home. But we cannot tarry here. Our lives depend on a speedy departure and a race through the ether.”

  Ross said, “In your calculations, were you counting our fellows who are exploring outside the Arcadia?”

  Tesla said, “For all we know, they have expired. The oxygen in their suits is long used up.”

  Ross said, “I cannot in good faith think of them as dead. Not yet. Ekka Gagarin and John Koothrappally are resourceful beyond anyone I know, and Billy Gostman is of the same cloth. I believe them to be yet alive.”

  Merkam said, “This is not a time for discussion, it is a time for action. Both of you, see what you can do with the ferns to improve our chances. I will work on alternative actions while I watch for our crew’s return. I feel our chances are slim, but we will fight and push on until the very end. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” said Tesla and Ross.

  When the two men left the command deck, Merkam turned to look out the windows. Even if they return, I will not allow them entrance to steal my very breath. He touched the brass torch light on his belt and gazed down at the giant robot.

  [ 81 ]

  The Ripper was ecstatic. Here he was, walking among the aliens and they did not give him a second glance. His idea to don the moon suit they used was genius. And it had been easy to learn, for all he did was imagine what he wanted the legs to do, and they performed without error. The small silver coils inside the helmet that touched his temples were the key, he was sure. The oxygen was in a large cylinder within the bug body, and made of the same light, hard material as the carapace-like exterior. He could enter or leave this place and survive. And take as many of them as I please, he thought.

  When the Ripper left the cave, he wandered, taking his time, and ambushed three more aliens. He carried each one back to the cave without incident. It was wonderful. The Ripper continued walking, looking for a new one to capture, and noticed a buzz of activity not far away. The aliens were agitated, he could tell.

  The Ripper moved among them to see the cause, and was astonished when Koothrappally rose from among the ice spires. He couldn’t understand what was being said, but the aliens listened to the man from India. He moved closer and saw the other members of the Arcadia’s crew. Jack the Ripper smiled inside the helmet. He would have them all.

  [ 82 ]

  Tesla and Ross entered the command deck and approached Merkam, who stood at the window. “Jude,” Tesla said, “We have stopped the blight.”

  Ross said, “We also split the root systems on the healthy plants, and increased their number by fifteen percent, although the split plants are smaller.”

  Tesla said, “I believe it will increase our oxygen output by several percent.”

  Merkam said, “Enough to see us home?”

  “I…it will be close.”

  Merkam rubbed his forehead, “I must see the plants myself. You two stay here and watch for our crew.” Jude descended into the ship. He barely glanced at the greenery, but instead went to the row of silent robots along the wall.

  He pulled his torch light, flipped the red lens down and sent his message to them. They nodded once in unison, then returned to their previous silent, immobile positions. Merkam left the room, saying, “My pets and I are ready now.” He returned to the command deck and said, “That is good work, fellows, but we are still balanced on the edge of a knife. We burn oxygen we cannot afford while we await the crew’s return.”

  Ross said, “Should we go out to search for them?”

  “No. Mark your pocket watches, each of you.” Merkam pulled his from the vest pocket. “Set the hands on twelve noon.” They followed his orders. He looked sternly at both men, “They have one hour to return. We depart Luna in sixty minutes.”

  [ 83 ]

  Koothrappally gathered the helmets from the other crew and started to hand them to the aliens.

  Billy grasped his sleeve, “What in blazes are you doing? We need those!” The other humans crowded near, and the staff-wielding aliens pointed their weapons at the humans.

  Koothrappally said, “I have convinced them not to kill us, at least for the moment. I have them willing to allow us some bit of freedom if they have our helmets. They know we cannot escape to the Arcadia if we cannot breathe.”

  Ekka said “Every minute we tarry is a minute closer to us never leaving. Merkam has heard no word from us. He will depart Luna very soon. We have little time, John, and now it seems you have taken our one chance.”

  Koothrappally said, “I have a plan.” They looked at him. “Billy, do not look directly at him, but do you see the alien behind Ekka, the one in the moon suit?”

  “Yes.”

  “Look at the hands.”

  Billy’s eyes widened and he looked directly at Koothrappally. “Four fingers, one thumb. Not two thumbs.”

  “It is Quinlan.”

  Teach said, “We catch him and turn him over, they’ll let us go. A brilliant plan, John.”

  “That is not the plan. They will not allow us to leave.”

  “What, then?” Denys asked.

  “I will lead them away in discussion of things pertaining to earth. When the crowd begins to disperse, you must follow Quinlan unobserved. When the opportunity presents itself, subdue him without raising any alarm. Learn how he uses the suit. Once you know the intricacies of it, go to the cave where we saw so many of them. But do not draw attention to yourselves.”

  Teach said, “You do not say “we”, John.”

  “That is the weakness in my plan, and the strength
. I must keep their attention away from you. I cannot do it if I go with you. My fate is to remain here, among them.”

  Denys said, “There must be some other way.”

  “There is none.”

  They were silent for a while. Ekka said, “I will honor you for all my remaining days, John Koothrappally.” The other nodded.

  “Go now,” John said. “I will not see you again.” He walked away, talking to the aliens. Many of them followed him while the others slowly drifted in different directions as the crowd broke apart.

  Billy said, “Let’s separate but keep Quinlan in sight. We’ll get our chance soon.”

  The chance came sooner than they expected when Quinlan skittered away in a beeline for the big cave. After all, he still had one alien alive. The thoughts of what he would do consumed his mind and he failed to notice the New Mexico gunman and the Sioux warrior shadowing him.

  [ 84 ]

  “One hour, no more.” Merkam said again.

  “I will not leave our friends,” Ross said. “And damn you for saying such a thing.”

  “I side with Jack,” Tesla said.

  Merkam looked from one to the other. “I will compromise with you. We will reassess our situation in one hour. Is that satisfactory?”

  “One hour will not make me change my mind,” Jack said.

  “Who knows what can happen in one hour? I may change my mind. Our friends may show up. A meteor may strike us. All I ask is to wait sixty minutes before we discuss our situation again. And in the ensuing sweep of the watch hands, we can prepare the Arcadia so we are ready if they show.”

  “Very well.”

  Merkam said, “Good. Make the engine compartment ready. Tesla and I will ready the remainder of the ship.” Ross nodded and descended to the engine room.

  Tesla said, “What would you have me check, Jude?”

  Merkam grasped his brass torch light and whipped it hard into the side of Nikola’s head, dropping him unconscious to the floor. “Your attitude.”

  [ 85 ]

  The Ripper entered the cave and made a direct line for the place where his quarry lay, mute and bound. Two Hats and Billy tackled him at the same time, knocking him to the ice. The insect-like legs flailed the air and drummed the ice as Two Hats jerked and pulled on the helmet. Ekka and the others ran up to join them as Billy reached up to help Two Hats and flipped the two locking levers on each side. The insect-like helmet came off with a slight hiss of air. They stared, dumbfounded.

  “Conklin!” Billy said, and went for his throat but Teach and Two Hats pulled him back.

  “Ye slaughtered young Will Quinlan and left him in yer place, didn’t ye.” Teach said it as a statement.

  Ekka knelt near Conklin, “Tell us how the suit works, and be careful to voice the truth. I will know if you lie.”

  “I will tell you nothing.”

  Billy said, “Start talking or I turn the Sioux and the pirate loose on you.”

  Conklin looked at both men and knew Billy told the truth. He said, “It all starts with the two silver coils inside the helmet,” he said. When he finished, Denys and Billy donned alien moon suits and quickly mastered them.

  Billy removed his helmet and said, “He’s telling the truth. Now, what do we do with him?”

  Ekka said, “We cannot put him in a suit because then he will be able to fight us. We need him unable to do so.”

  “I kill him, he not do anything then.” Two Hats said.

  “No, we must let Ross decide his fate.”

  Denys said, “I witnessed something once, in Africa. I believe it will do the trick.” They pulled Conklin from the suit and used the leather medicine cord Two Hats always wore to bind the doctor so he was unable to move. Then they removed the oxygen canister from one of the moon suit bodies and stuffed him inside. Billy twisted the small control on the front and led the leggy thing around as Conklin made faint yelling noises inside.

  “We should skedaddle,” Billy said. The others suited up and walked from the cave. Billy led the headless moon suit with Conklin inside as they all tried their best to move like aliens. In this ice world, Billy sweated as they made their long walk to the door far ahead, the door that led to the surface.

  They were almost there when one alien noticed them. It leaned on a staff, straightening a red stone on its shoulder when movement caught its eye. It watched them closely, peering, studying them, and when Ekka touched the door, it emitted a long, high sound that echoed through the ice cavern.

  Aliens boiled out of a hundred places and raced toward the humans. Ekka jerked open the door and ushered the others inside, then closed it. They went through the second door and stepped on the moon’s surface. Ekka motioned to the Ares and everyone piled in. Billy closed the door as Ekka twisted two dials and cranked back a long gear near the back wall. Air hissed, filling the interior with air. Ekka pulled off her helmet and shimmied out of the alien suit while the others did the same.

  She dropped into the driver’s chair and started the Ares, driving away in a spew of moon dust. Billy located his pistols and holstered them.

  Across the surface, aliens in their moon suits swarmed out of countless holes along the ridgeline. Ekka never stopped accelerating as the vehicle banged off boulders and bounced high in the air. The men were tossed and bounced around inside the Ares, and Conklin’s muffled yells turned to screams.

  Two aliens, larger by a third than the others, seemed to appear out of nowhere and slashed at the Ares with wicked looking swords before Ekka ran them down. She almost lost control on the sandy slope, but righted the vehicle before it tipped over on its side and rolled to the boulders below where the Ares righted itself.

  Ekka finally descended the last of the ridge and entered the wide, flat plain. In the distance loomed the Arcadia, glowing blue from the engine initiation, with the giant robot standing outside. She looked behind through the porthole and saw aliens covering the entire ridge and all of them coming fast. They were so thickly crowded together it looked as though Luna’s surface was a writhing, undulating mass. The closest ones were within thirty feet of the vehicle. They were gaining.

  [ 86 ]

  Merkam dragged Tesla to the wall and tied his hands and ankles. Then he eased toward the engine room and Jack Ross. When he was near the entrance, Merkam removed his light torch and flipped down the red lens. Jack’s back was to him. He aimed the torch at the robots, worked the keys, then hurried up the center of the ship to the command post.

  Far below in the ship, he heard a faint yell, then the sounds of many mechanical beings echoed through the ship. Jude looked out the glass and watched as the robots descended the ladder to the moon’s surface and fanned out beside the giant robot. All except the one, still below with Ross.

  Merkam looked into the distance and stiffened. The moonscape was alive with bug-like aliens. Tens of thousands of them, swarming toward the Arcadia like some single-minded mass, and a hair’s breadth in front of them was something that resembled a speeding black arrow filigreed in bright brass. It was the Ares, racing hell-bent for the ship.

  Merkam glanced down at the giant robot. As if on command, it lifted the machine gun arm. Merkam was distracted for a moment by another sound from the engine room, but he knew that would soon end. My pets will defend me. I am safe.

  [ 87 ]

  Jack Ross had initiated the transmogrifier’s spin when he heard a metallic squeak. He turned as one of the robots swung a steel fist at his head. Jack barely had time to raise his metal arm to deflect the blow, but the power of it still knocked him across the room and into the tool locker, where wrenches, screwdrivers, iron pry bars, and dozens of gauges and gears poured out in a banging, clanking, mass on the floor.

  The robot advanced. Jack saw the other robots bypassing them and ascending. He didn’t have time to wonder where they were going because the first robot was on him. Jack rolled away from a blow that would have scrambled his brains, and jumped to his feet as the robot advanced. Jack’s back was against
the wall. There was no place to go.

  [ 88 ]

  Ekka pushed the Ares to greater speed, but the terrain prevented an all out run, for the moon plain was not a smooth surface, but made of undulations and rocks of all sizes. To hit one wrong could overturn the Arcadia and leave the crew to the fates. Despite the hazards, Ekka pushed the vehicle as hard as she dared, and all the while, the aliens continued to gain ground.

  Billy pointed at the ship, “Look, all the robots are there to help us. Good old Judah.”

  Ekka watched the giant robot raise one arm. Ropes of red and green fire flew from it towards the Ares and suddenly they were in a storm of bullets ricocheting and spanging off the exterior and laying waste to the aliens around them. “They be firing on their mates!” Teach said. “What sort of treachery is this?”

  A bright green line of light suddenly blinked through the interior of the Ares and immediately everyone heard the hiss. “Find the holes and block them!” Ekka said. “Hurry!”

  [ 89 ]

  Merkam watched the giant robot weave lines of red and green death back and forth across the charging aliens and the Ares. Thousands of aliens were dead and dying, and still they came, more, it seemed, every second. There will not be enough bullets, Merkam thought. But my pets will fight until they are rendered scrap, and that will give me time. He watched the lines of colored light play over the Ares again in a shower of ricochets and puffing dust. The black vehicle suddenly veered left and was out of the line of fire. Not for long, Merkam thought.

  [ 90 ]

  Six more holes came fast through the Ares, and one pierced Teach’s forearm. Conklin’s muffled scream was audible. Two Hats reached down, opened the suit and pulled Conklin from it. He had no injuries. Two Hats left him tied, lying on the floor.