by Raven Bond
“Then I do so swear, Captain Hunting Owl.” He turned to Abigail and bowed deeper. “Beautiful lady, I am called Guang. For your trust in this, I vow to aid you with your father in any manner that I may.” Abigail looked at the Chinese man in his Western suit in astonishment.
“Thank you Mr. Guang,” Abigail said. “I am called Lady Abigail Hadley. You may call me Lady Abigail. I welcome your aid, if Captain Hunting Owl thinks it appropriate.” She looked at Will, who nodded his approval of her words.
Guang bowed deeper towards he and sat down again.
“Now that's settled,” Will said, satisfied. He turned to his First Officer. “Lawrence, I take it that you've already heard Lady Hadley's story. Would you mind sending for some food while she starts? I see that she could use some more tea and it's been a long time since morning for us.” Rogers stirred himself from where he was leaning against the cabin door.
“Of course, Captain.” He slipped out the door. Will turned back to Abigail.
“Feel up to telling us what you told Rogers?” Will looked at her, and leaned back in his chair. Abigail finished her cup and set it on the corner of the desk with shaking fingers.
“I hardly know where to begin,” Abigail said. Saira spoke up for the first time having sat in the chair next to hers.
“This is what is called a 'debrief' Abigail,” Saira explained with a gentle smile. “Start at the beginning and tell us all you can. There is no telling what might be important. It is good to see you again,” she finished. Abigail briefly returned her smile.
“Good to see you as well,” she replied. Abigail took a breath. “Right then,” she started, “I arrived at the Hotel Farthingale. . .”
Rogers re-entered the room while Abigail was speaking, and a large platter of food and plates arrived to sit on the Captains desk. Quietly, Saira, Will, and Guang gathered food from the platter while Lady Hadley talked.
“I decided to come back to the ship; I rode back here with Mr. Jarro and Mr. Stokes,” Abigail concluded. Will lifted a teapot, and she gratefully held out her cup while he poured for her.
“You did fine, Abigail, damned fine.” He picked up a mug and filled it for himself.
“I did ask our Mr. McGuire to run some inquiries,” Rogers volunteered from where he stood near the cabin door. “It seems that Lady Hadley's Mr. Preemus is indeed listed as the Governor-General's secretary. What may be of note is that he only assumed the post last week.” Hunting Owl looked up at that
“Last week, eh?” Will commented. “Somehow, I am not surprised; he would be a fool to claim something like that falsely. It's way too easy to check. The timing though says that Abigail is right and he's likely no brown nose.” He shook his head as if to clear it. “We do not know enough to figure his game yet. But we have to watch out for him. That leaves us with her attacker.”
“Petrov,” Saira snarled into the momentary silence. She made it sound like a curse. Will nodded, taking a drink form his tea mug.
“That is what I was thinking,” he said, agreeing with his Arms Master. He sighed wearily. “This day just keeps getting more interesting.”
“You know her?” Abigail asked.
“Oh yes, I believe we do,” Will smiled at her tightly. “Illiya Petrov is an agent for the Okhranka, Imperial Russian Intelligence. We have crossed paths before. Pity that you missed her when you shot.”
“I did not miss,” Abigail exclaimed with some indignation. “I shot her! Twice! The first shot the muzzle was pressed directly against her, the second she was no farther away than Mr. Rogers is now!” She pointed to where the First Officer stood near the cabin door.
“Then you must have been mistaken about the selector switch,” Rogers said gently. “In the heat of combat, you would not have been the first to make that mistake. Petrov is a damned hearty one, she could likely take two shots of 'knock-down'. The Okhranka don't use the faint hearted, as we well know.”
“She is a demon-hearted piece of dung that sleeps with pigs,” Saira snarled.
“Probably so,” Will agreed, looking at Saira. “What we haven't had time to brief you on is that Lawrence and I believe that she not only works for the Bears, but may also be involved in that little business I was talking about with you earlier.” Saira hissed and rocked back in her chair. She stared off into space thinking. After a few moments she nodded.
“Yes. That makes sense of some things,” Saira said softly.” She focused her gaze on Will, “I understand why you did not tell me sooner, but I am glad that you have now. As I said before, we will find and kill them all. I ask only that I may claim the death of the demon bitch for myself.”
“Before we start killing people, what does this 'Petrov' have to do with my father and myself?” Abigail demanded. Will looked up at her from the sandwich he had started to eat.
“That is a mighty good question,” Hunting Owl allowed. “I am thinking that you could maybe answer that better than me, Lady Hadley. We cannot help you very effectively if we do not know what you and your father are really doing here. I am afraid that power surveys do not attract killer agents of the Russians.” He raised his eyebrows at the Scholar. Saira placed her chopsticks in her bowl.
“You must tell all, Abigail,” Saira said meaningfully. Rogers cleared his throat.
“Much as I dislike having to agree with Brighton, I must concur, Milady,” Rogers said. “Whatever you are doing, I promise you that we can aid you much better if we know the reason Petrov might be interested in you.” Abigail sipped her tea for a moment, then set it on the table. Placing her hands in her lap she took a deep breath.
“My Father was an aide of the original Gibraltar Group during the War,” she said. “I assume that we all are aware what that was?”
“Even in China we have heard of the Gibraltar Group, Lady Hadley,” Guang smiled.
Various nods greeted his statement. Everyone in the world had heard of the twelve great savants and their assistants laboring away in their secret lair in the Mediterranean mountain fortress of Gibraltar to save the world from the Invaders. It was only by their fruits that mankind had been saved. Abigail continued speaking at this.
“Yes,” she said with a nod. “Well, Lord Hadley was not a savant, but he made his contribution. He was part of the project that sought to answer the question of how the Invaders powered their walking war machines. They were hunting not only for weaknesses, but for the actual process the Invaders used. It would have made enormous difference in the building of our own airships for example.”
“They used some kind of Tesla engine?” Rogers asked from by the door.
“No Mr. Rogers, decidedly not,” Abigail shook her head vehemently. “While that is the means we decided on for our own uses, the earth potential, or Tellurian energy as we term it, tapped by a Tesla engine, is far too limited in its power. Even were they made much more efficient than they currently are, a single walker could not hold all the engines that would be needed to make the walker work. You see, when the calculations add in not only the energy that must be expended to power the movement of such a huge vehicle, but also the power to generate weapons such as the heat ray,” she paused. “Let me provide an illustration.” She began using her hands in graceful motions to emphasize her words as she spoke.
“Grant that a single Series Four Tesla engine provides as much electricity in one hour as a coal plant does in twelve,” she said. “This is a standard measurement we are all familiar with yes?” Will nodded, and Abigail noticed that beside Rogers, the others all nodded more slowly as they absorbed her words. She wondered how you could live in the modern world and not know such things, but it was always best to be sure. Abigail went on, “The calculations of my father's team prove that a single Spider must use the power of one thousand Series Four Tesla engines an hour.”
“How is that even possible?” Rogers blurted out. Abigail nodded at him.
“That is my question Mr. Rogers. The Prometheus project, which my father directed, spent the entire war att
empting to answer that very question; in vain I am sorry to say.” She threw up her hands, “Father used to tell me that even the great Tesla himself could not unravel the answer. After the war, the team was disbanded as 'non-productive'“ She now clenched her hands into fists, as a hint of bitterness entered her voice. She looked around the room. “Think of it! That much power could make the deserts bloom! It could end hunger and want forever! We could enter a new golden age such as this world has never seen.”
“The power to do anything,” Will muttered around his raised mug. Will's quiet words stopped her, and a hint of color crept into Abigail's cheeks as she looked at him. He had remembered her words to him standing in the crows’ nest of the Wind Dancer.
“Yes, well, but I digress. . .” Abigail said. She squared her shoulders, placing her hands in her lap once more, and spoke more dispassionately. “My father and some members of Prometheus continued research even after the group was officially disbanded. For much of my life, we have sought to re-create the Invaders’ methods of power generation, to no avail. Lord Hadley and I both came to a conviction that we could only resolve the matter by finding an intact Invader power-source. My father began secretly searching the world for rumors and clues. I am here in China because he sent word he had finally found an intact power source.” Rogers stirred at this, crossing his arms.
“I am sorry, Milady,” Rogers said, “but it is more than likely that your father has been taken advantage of by scoundrels. I have been to places where they'll sell you the map to the 'Invader treasure' right along with the one to King Solomon's' Mines two for a penny. The Invaders destroyed everything of theirs along with themselves whenever we beat them. We never even found a dead Invader's body, and we looked very hard. I was there at many battles; I saw it.” Rogers uncrossed an arm and pointed at Will, “The Captain saw it as well. I tell you Milady; it is not very likely.” When he'd finished, Abigail found that her tea had grown cold. She reached over to the teapot to heat her cup.
“I assure you Mr. Rogers,” Abigail replied, “that if Lord Hadley says that he has found one, you may be certain that it is no mistake,” she said calmly. “We have dealt with charlatans before.” Abigail shook her head with quiet conviction. “No, he has really found one, and now he is vanished with no word at all. I am concerned.” She hid her face behind the tea cup as she drank. Will sat his mug down, and pulled at a braid in thought while Abigail was talking.
“It seems to me that whether there is a thingamabob like Lady Hadley describes or not, Petrov thinks that there is one.” He looked at Abigail there was something he had to make sure of. “Abigail, did you not say that Petrov asked you, 'where he was'? Abigail nodded vigorously at the question.
“Yes!” She cried happily, “That must surely mean he is in hiding somewhere?” She looked at Hunting Owl hopefully.
“Or,” Will said slowly, hating to damage that new hope in her eyes, “it means that he's fallen in with some other rascals that we don’t know about.”
“Oh yes, quite,” Abigail said looking down at her teacup. She placed it down on the desk with determination. “Well, this is much more your field of knowledge than mine,” she allowed looking around at them. “What is to be done to find him?” To Will's surprise, it was Guang who spoke first, rising from his chair to bow to Abigail.
“If you will allow,” he said. “I believe that if your honored father still resides within the Shield, I am certain to find him.” Abigail looked in startlement from Guang to Will. Will nodded encouragement to her.
“It's true that Guang would know this city better than any of us,” Hunting Owl said.
“I am deeply grateful for your offer, Mr. Guang,” she tripped over pronouncing the name. “But I am afraid that I am not clear on your position. Are a member of the crew I have not met before?”
“Regrettably no, Noble Lady,” Guang replied, “I am here as a member of the House of An.” Will answered Abigail's look.
“That means that he is an associate of a new business partner of ours here in Hong Kong,” the Captain said. When the Scholar raised a hand in silent request for him to explain more, the Arms Master answered for him.
“It means he is part of what you would call a criminal gang,” Saira interjected. “You would do well, I think, to accept his help in this Abigail. The An Family is very powerful.” Will ignored Saira's comment, and looked pointedly at Guang,
“That still doesn't answer the question of why you're offering though, Guang,” the Captain said to the An Family representative. Guang bowed again, this time from the chair that he had claimed.
“The debt that the House of An owes you Captain Hunting Owl would not even be touched if I aided the Noble Lady, as well as aiding your ship, in our mutual endeavor. Hearing her tale, honor demands no less.” He looked at Will with a steady butter-wouldn't-melt-in his-mouth look that said Will could believe as much or little of that as he liked. Abigail picked up her cup in both hands, while this exchange went on around her.
“I see.” She observed Abigail sat silently sipping her tea, clearly in thought. “There is one thing I would like to know if I may,” she finally asked looking up at Will.
“Shoot,” Will said to her.
“What have you done to have such. . .people be so indebted to you?” She leaned forward. “I assume that it was not something as petty as money. I only ask because if I am to trust this man with Lord Hadley's life I must know what how strong your bond is.” Guang stirred in his chair at this.
“I believe that I must ask that the Noble Lady take a similar vow to my own if you would speak of this, Captain Hunting Owl,” Guang said. Will nodded at him.
“That's fair, Guang.” He turned to Abigail. “You understand what he's asking for? You agree that you won't speak about this to anyone else, ever. If you do, Guang here, and the whole Fong organization will simply kill you, and whoever you speak to.” He looked at Abigail. “You still want to know?” He asked.
“But you cannot ask this of Abigail,” Saira objected. “She is not of our ways, and cannot truly know what she is swearing to.”
“I believe that I understand quite well, Saira,” Abigail replied crisply. “While I admit I find it a most extreme way of doing things, I do have my own curiosity now that you have brought it up. I agree to Mr. Guang's condition.”
“Wait on that! We are outside of British law and custom here,” Will cautioned. “It can't protect you in this. We are speaking of how things are done among the World of Reeds and Air.” Abigail blinked at this.
“The World of Reeds and Air?” Abigail asked inquiringly.
“The society of the air devils,” Saira explained patiently. “Wherever air devils go, there are also smugglers, thieves, and others like Guang about. We have all learned to get along together by making certain agreements and rules you might say. Here in the East they call this the World of Reeds and Air. There are no courts that cover the whole planet, too many countries. Instead, it's understood that your word is bound by your life. Once you give it, you cannot speak of this to anyone. Should Guang or anyone of the An Family hear that you have, then they are within their rights to kill you. You had best understand that. The Oath is taken very seriously.”
“I understand completely. Especially as someone tried to kill me earlier today,” Abigail said impatiently. She looked at the Captain as she spoke, “And I do agree to Mr. Guang's Oath. Now what was this mysterious service?” Will sighed at Abigail's speech before he spoke.
“Well, we didn't happen on Hu Fan's ship by accident,” the Captain explained. “He was carrying something that was stolen from the maker, and belonged to An Fong. We got it back as well as found you.” He paused, “It was a mechanical heart. I suspect that An Fong's heart is giving out on him and he wants to keep living.”
“They can do this now?” Saira breathed in wonder.
Captain Hunting Owl shrugged at her reaction. Will hadn't seen a need to tell anyone except Rogers what the package was. It had been Gustu
pha, the Indian Savant whose call sign with Will was Mouse, who had built the thing. He still didn't see any reason to mention that Mouse and he had planned that Wind Dancer would play the courier for it. It gave them a chance to get close to the reclusive crime lord. The theft had actually set them up better than Will had hoped. His eyes rest on Guang for a moment. No need to mention that either, he thought.
“Well, it's a thingamabob that keeps the heart pumping anyway,” Will said to Saira instead. “You charge it like a sparkie.” He looked back at Guang. “It's not the sort of thing you can really keep secret for long you know. People sort of notice a big cable sticking out of your chest.”
“An Fong knows this,” Guang said placidly. “The secrecy is needed now however. Others may try to assault House Fong if they perceive that the ruler is weak. After the procedure is finished, he will ensure that no one makes such a mistake.” Abigail frowned at this revelation.
“I have read of this in journals,” the Scholar said, “but I thought that it was purely theoretical. How do you know this was an actual device?”
“Well the tinker who made it told me,” Will said evasively. Abigail raised her eyebrows at that.
“Indeed,” she remarked skeptically. “And who might this 'tinker' be?” Will looked at Abigail, and realized that she wasn't going to let this go. He tugged absently on his braid for a moment.
“Remember, Abigail,” he said, “that what we say here must go no farther. If you speak to anyone of this, it could endanger innocent lives. His name is Gustupha. Nice man.”
“You do not mean Gustupha Butthi?” Saira asked. “This is why we were in Calcutta so long? You know him?”
Will winced. He'd hoped to only give away enough to satisfy Abigail's curiosity. He should have known better. The name would be too famous to just pass by. Abigail's face also showed surprise equal to Saira's outburst.
“Are you saying.” Abigail demanded, “that one of the Council of Science, the saviors of mankind, the leader of Northern India, built such a thing for a crime lord?” Will shrugged, holding up his hands towards her.
