by Raven Bond
“Captain,” Chang said to him, “we should return to your ship as soon as we can.” Will looked at the crime boss carefully. The moving, colored lights from the floating ball made her face appear like a mask.
“I do not disagree with you, Chang,” Will said slowly, “But I would like to know why you say so.” Will had already decided that he wanted to spend as little time here as possible. There was something about the place that screamed at him to be gone. He shook his head to try to clear the stench of decaying flesh that clung everywhere.
“Cap'n? What is it?” Saira looked at him in inquiry.
“Sorry,” Will said. “Afraid that the stench is making it hard for me to think.” He had experienced worse on battle fields, but this seemed to get under his skin somehow. The Arms Master frowned at this in puzzlement.
“The smell of sulfur is very strong,” Saira remarked, “I do not like it either.” She shot a look at Chang. “Nor do I like to agree with her but in this, I must agree. There is something very. . .evil here.” The Arms master gripped her rifle tighter, her eyes darting around the room.
“It is very dangerous to us,” Saira said. “We only have Abigail's father's word that we are alone in this place and I feel that he is not right.” Chang nodded her head in agreement.
“It is this place,” the crime boss said. “I fear that it is too dangerous to us to stay here too long.”
“I was planning on leaving soon as we can,” Will replied. His mouth tightened as he looked at Chang. “If I find that you have held something back from me on me though, and it bites us,” he said to her, his hand drifting down to the butt of his revolver. “We will have that discussion, I promise you.” Will's patience with the woman's hints and evasions was worn out.
“Then we should go soon,” Chang answered him calmly. Tiku, Saira's second-in-command of the Tigers walked up to them, her face a study of concern.
“Arms Master, Captain” Tiku said in greeting, while sparing a glance at Chang, “Can I have a word alone?” Chang took the hint and moved off to stand by herself.
“What is it, Tiku?” Will asked.
“Some of the others are complaining of headaches,” Tiku said, frowning as if in pain. “Tell the truth I am having it too. Some of the worst ones are having trouble walking in a straight line more than a few steps.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I feel as if someone is trying to pound my head with an ax. It's gotten worse since we entered this room. I fear it is going to reduce our readiness. My brother used to work in a mine. Is this some kind of bad air?” She lowered her hand looking from one of them to the other anxiously.
Will had to stop himself from gagging on the stench when he opened his mouth to reply. It was worse in this room. It also struck him that no one else seemed to be having the same problem, but then he was not having headaches either.
He remembered his Spirit teachings from Wovoka, maybe it was a stench of the evil miasma filling this place. Will could believe it. Bad air indeed, he thought. Rather than say that aloud, he answered Tiku, considering his words with care.
“I do not know, Tiku,” Will said honestly, “But I do not aim to stay around to find out.” He turned towards Saira. “Now that we have found Lord Hadley, as well as the power thingamabob, I want us to get ready to move out. Any reason you can think of to stay?” Saira shook her head vehemently.
“I am also in agreement with leaving soon,” Saira agreed. “As I said, there is evil here. Can you not feel it? I can, I tell you!” Saira turned to Tiku.
“Tell the others to be ready to move out immediately. They can rest, and eat, but no sleeping. Packs and lights to hand.” the Arms master ordered. Tiku nodded gratefully and moved off towards the other Tigers. Saira looked over at the three Scholars. They were in an animated discussion near the giant ball.
“Getting them to leave that may be difficult,” Saira observed to the Capitan.
“Let us go see if we can light a fire under them then,” Will said. He motioned for Saira to walk with him, leaving Chang standing alone.
“What is your read on Lord Hadley?” Will whispered to Saira as they walked.
“I know he is Abigail's father,” Saira replied slowly, “but I do not like him. Nor do I believe we should trust him. Nor can I 'read' him. His Spirit is blank to me, so I cannot tell if he is speaking the truth or not.” Saira shrugged.
“It may be this place,” the Arms Master said. “It feels as if I am in a deep fog with all my senses dulled, so I do not make much of that. You do know that the talk of paying us when Abigail had introduced us as friends was an English insult?”
“Yeah, well it would not be the first time an Englishman insulted the ‘colored' help,” Will observed wryly. “Could just be that the man is caught up with his passion for all this,” he gestured around them.
“But you do not believe so,” Saira returned.
“Honestly, I’m not sure that it matters,” Will said. “We have found Hadley; Tesla says that the power thing it is right here. I say that it is time for us to git. But I do want an eye kept on both Chang and Lord Hadley as we leave.” Saira smiled in a way that Will suspected was the last thing a few souls had ever seen alive.
“I would do no less,” the Arms Master promised him savagely.
As they came within earshot of the three Scholars, Will could hear Tesla talking. The Savant seemed unusually agitated.
“Surely you cannot be serious, Robert!” Will heard Tesla protest. “How can you even suggest that they are our superiors in any meaningful way? These beings attacked the human race without any provocation and slaughtered millions of your fellow men. They nearly made the Earth uninhabitable! From where I stand, that makes them barbarians at best, no matter their scientific accomplishments. A truly enlightened race would come to share and teach, not commit genocide!”
“The way the Spanish did with the American Indians? The way the British did in India, Malaysia, and Africa?” Hadley asked rhetorically. His Lordship shook his head in negation.
“No Nikola. History shows us that superior cultures will always subjugate the inferior; it is natural progression. As for provocation, is the ant that you step on in your house provocative? I tell you that I have spent some time now with their works, and we are no higher than ants to them. Imagine what we may gain from their study!” Hadley held out his hands towards the giant ball.
“Study perhaps, Robert,” Tesla conceded, “but I find this. . .this admiration of yours not only distasteful, but extremely unscientific.”
“So, I'm thinking that it's more than time we were getting back up to Dancer,” Will interrupted them without preamble. “Tesla, you were saying that these cylinder things were what you were wanting, that right? How long would it take you to get them ready to go?” Tesla's mouth pursed as he got that faraway look Will was getting used to seeing on the Savant's face.
“Not long, Captain,” Tesla replied. “I agree that there are certain advantages to being able to study one in better conditions.” Lord Hadley looked from Will to Tesla and frowned.
“But surely you cannot be serious!” Hadley protested. He waved at the ball. “What you're discussing is akin to ripping out part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or pulling down one of the pillars of the Acropolis! This is an assemblage of scientific beauty that the world of man has never before seen. Abigail, tell you friends that this must not be!” Before a distressed-looking Abigail could respond, Will answered Lord Hadley with one of his easy grins, in an attempt to calm the man.
“Sorry, Lord Hadley,” he said, “but I have a nervous First Officer up there. If we don't come back right quick, he might take it upon himself to try to shoot apart the hill to find us. That would not do at all, would it? Besides, if Tesla here says that we could study your thingamajig better aboard Dancer, would that not be a good thing? Also, I imagine that you would like a good meal and a change of clothes after a couple of weeks down here.”
Will watched with interest as Hadley seemed to
go into one of his fugues again, staring glassy-eyed off into space. The Captain wondered for a moment if it was just a behavior of Scholars in general. But then he saw Abigail looking at her father with concern, while the minutes ticked by. Even Tesla began stirring uneasily at the strange behavior. Will was contemplating if he would have to order a couple of the crew to carry Lord Hadley away when the bearded Scholar blinked and refocused on him.
“Of course, Captain,” Hadley said, with what Will felt was an insincere smile. “I can understand that a passion of science may seem odd to a man such as yourself. Very well Nikola. I can help you remove one of the Aether pumps if you wish. Mind you, I still think this is folly, but at least I can keep you from damaging it too much.”
Will noticed Tesla straighten slightly at Hadley's statement. He guessed from his expression that Tesla was not used to being called a butter-fingers. Abigail looked as woe-begone as Will had ever seen her.
“Lady Hadley,” Will made a motion with his head, “Step over here for a word if you would please.” Will walked away from the two savants, signaling Saira to stay with them. With a backwards glance, Abigail followed. He turned around once he thought they were out of earshot.
“So Abigail, you'll forgive me for being blunt here, but I need to ask if your father is always like this?” Will hooked his thumbs in his gun belt, while he waited patiently for her answer. Abigail brushed loose strands of hair from her face, and bit her lips.
“I am not sure what you mean,” she said, not quite meeting his eyes. The Captain sighed at her evasion.
“The kind of odd fits he seems to get where he just stares off into space, or his getting irritated with Tesla just now,” Will said remorselessly. “I thought that the whole purpose of this was to get one of these power thingamabobs to study it. Now he sounds like he does not want that at all.” Abigail bit her lip again before answering, still not meeting Will’s eyes.
“Well, this is so much more than we ever dreamed of finding,” she said faintly. “The thought of studying an actual working Invader craft is a tremendous opportunity.” She paused and frowned, rubbing her forehead. “I wish this beastly headache would stop. It seems to be getting worse.” Will crossed his arms and regarded her silently.
“He has always been somewhat absent-minded,” she said defensively. “I do apologize for his rudeness. It is most unlike him.” She looked up at the swirling lights. “It must be this place. God knows what privations he has had to endure here.”
“What I need to know, Abigail, is if he can be trusted not to do something Scholar stupid,” Will said softly. “Also, if I am going to need to haul him out of here when we're ready. It sounds to me like he doesn’t want to go. Now myself, I do not think it a good idea to leave him down here. What do you say?”
“That is ridiculous,” Abigail snapped. “Father has always been an extremely cautious man is all. Of course he will come with us! I am certain that once we return to the ship all will be fine.”
“I'm sure it will Abigail,” Will said gently, “Excuse me a minute.” He had noticed Guang hovering near them. Will waved the man over.
“What is it Guang?” Will asked as the man bowed to them both.
“Forgive the intrusion,” Guang said. “Tiku requested that I see how soon we are leaving. Some of the headaches the crew is experiencing are getting more severe. She is concerned; as am I.” Guang paused. “This is an evil place, Captain. It is not meet that we should be here. It was not meant for our kind to be in such a place.”
“Yeah,” Will sighed. “You doing alright? Headache getting you also?”
“I am fine,” Guang replied hesitantly. “I am merely uncomfortable here. The chi of land and sky does not flow through this place in a healthy way.”
“You're not the first person to say that,” Will said. Hunting Owl looked back at Abigail, “We're leaving as soon as the boffins get their power thingamabob, alright?”
“Yes,” Abigail replied, “I should go see if I can help them expedite the removal.”
“May I accompany you?” Guang asked. “I have not yet met the honored Lord Hadley.”
“I don't see why not, do you?” Will asked Abigail with a shrug.
“No, no by all means,” Abigail said. “I am sorry that I did not introduce you earlier. You did not seem to be about.”
“I was with the guards, outside this room,” Guang explained. He pointed to the rotating ball before them. “I do not like that. It is not right.”
“It may be emitting some sort of energy that we cannot measure as yet,” Abigail bit her lip while regarding Guang. “It is possible that some individuals are more sensitive to it than others.”
“With respect, I have spent much of my life studying how to be in harmony with the chi of myself and the currents of earth and sky.” Guang said.
“Careful Abigail. You will start believing in the Spirit Way yet.” Will grinned at her.
“Do not be ridiculous!” Abigail scoffed. “Acknowledging that there are phenomena that cannot be easily explained by current scientific understanding is doing nothing of the sort.” She brushed back a stray stand of hair, “It is merely keeping an open mind.”
“To know that that you do not know is the beginning of wisdom, it is said,” Guang nodded solemnly.
“Wovoka said something like that too,” Will remarked with a laugh They began walking back towards the Savants, Abigail bustling ahead of them.
“We have not had much time to talk, Captain Hunting Owl,” Guang said. “The way you talk says to me that you knew the great spirit leader Wovoka personally. Am I understanding this correctly?”
“You are, and I did,” Will said with a faint smile of remembrance. “He taught me many things. He was a great leader, as well as a good man. I think it was a disappointment to him that my path didn't make me a Spirit-Talker like him. I always knew that I was born to fly.” Will looked at Guang while they walked. “I do not really know more than rumors about the Shining Fist. You are a monk yourself then, is that right?”
“I have not taken vows to seek enlightenment,” Guang replied and shook his head. “There are others far more holy than I among us,” he said. “No, my path, as you say, is to care for and raise up my people, the people of China.”
“Maybe we are not so different after all,” Will said. Will had hoped that was his path too, but that was before the 'Indian War of Independence', he thought grimly. Too much blood and broken honor in that War. He flexed his hands. Too many betrayals and scars, Will thought.
As they approached the savants, who were loudly discussing, or arguing (it was hard for Will to tell which), Will thought of Wovoka. Everything the old man had ever shown him of the Spirit World said to Will that they were in the midst of an old and dark evil. Would Wovoka turn around and run away from it? No, he thought. When the Invaders first came, it had been Wovoka who had given his people the Ghost Dance and also the science of Queen Victoria to fight them with. Wovoka would burn this whole thing to the ground and then bury it.
But then Will also had the lives of his crew and others to think of. Did that ever stop the Old Man? Will asked himself. Not ever, he thought, answering his own question. Will could hear Wovoka as clearly as if he was talking now. “Great evil must be challenged because it is evil, not because you expect to win,” Wovoka would say.
Aiya, Will answered to the Old Man's spirit, I hear you. Maybe there needs to be a challenge here, Will thought, no matter what the scientists think. Will had no sooner had that insight than Hadley turned around to face him.
“Ah, there you are, Captain,” Hadley said. “I was just discussing with Tesla here that I would like to show him and my daughter the power control room. I believe that doing so will facilitate their understanding of the principles.” The man scowled into his beard. “Tesla informs me that I must consult with you on this.”
“I would really prefer that we get what we came for and leave, rather than wander around.” Will said levelly. He looked at T
esla. “Is seeing this room really important?” he asked Tesla.
“It might be of some small use,” Tesla muttered. “But I believe that I have already devised an adequate method of modulation.” Tesla stood, enraptured, staring at the cylinder.
“Take your daughter, Robert,” Tesla said. “I believe that I can deal with this. You can show me later if it proves useful, which I doubt. If that would be acceptable to you that is, Captain,” Tesla asked Will with a strong emphasis on the word 'acceptable'.
“I would like to see it. It may be that I can discern something of use to us,” Abigail voiced. “But if the Captain thinks it wiser that we return later, that may be best.” She didn't look happy at the darkening scowl that was growing on Hadley's face.
“Nonsense,” Hadley retorted. “It will take less time than it will to remove one of the Aether pumps. It is not far from here.” He turned towards Will. “I assure you Captain; I have been here for weeks now and there is no danger whatsoever.”
What Hadley was pushing was probably just some science thing, but it did not sit well with Will's instincts. There was a danger here, Hunting Owl felt it. Still, if Hadley felt this strongly about going, Will suddenly wanted to see this room too.
It was just possible that the man was simply crazy, or it might be the evil speaking through him. Either way, Will thought, there needed to be a challenge made.
“Alright,” Will allowed, looking that challenge directly at Lord Hadley. “I think that I will just come along, if you do not mind. It would not do for anyone to get lost, now would it?” Will asked, with a grin to soften his words. Again Lord Hadley paused for a moment, his eyes taking on that thousand-yard-stare, Will noted.
“Tesla,” Will continued, “you can get any help you need from the crew here. We will be back shortly. You should be ready to go with the thingamajig.” Tesla waved his hand at Will's statement, already bending down to peer at another cylinder.
