Steampunk International

by Ian Whates

  Ana drew the knife and threw it. The blow was feeble and the blade striking his shoulder but barely sticking. She extended her arm and grabbed his wrist. She got up and plunged the wrist blade through his plexus, striking upwards. He punched her in the face but she resisted. Then, she was flung away again. Blood cascaded from his chest. He pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger. She felt nothing. And then he pulled again before dropping down dead.

  When the deafening sound of the shots faded, Ana felt a sharp pain in her arm. She stood up. Her back was hurting even more and she her left eye was half closed. She picked up her papers, stuffed them in her pockets and turned into the nearest alley.

  Only after she had walked several yards did she realise she had forgotten to reclaim the spare knife, while her wrist mechanism had jammed, leaving that blade exposed. She was hurting even more than before the encounter and knew the shots must have been heard. It could only be a matter of minutes before the town was swarming with police and maybe even the army. She was covered in blood, with a huge blade strapped to her arm. Anyone would be able to spot the spy from a mile away.

  She broke into a run. The police sirens could already be heard.

  Ana had also heard the sirens when they came to arrest her parents. They all heard them, but no one took any notice until the door was knocked down. They were having dinner. She remembered it well: veal with potatoes cooked in the coal oven. The smell of roasted meat still brought bitter-sweet memories. The officer in his bright blue uniform strode into the dining room.

  “Mário Sousa and Sílvia Sousa, you are both under arrest for high treason.”

  The soldiers invaded the room and seized her mother’s arms. Her father stood to face them. The official gave the signal and they surrounded him and took their staffs out. Mário tried to strike the nearest one. Before the punch connected, three blows landed on him. He was hit repeatedly until he fell.

  She stopped by a wall. This house must have belonged to very rich people. Ana unbuttoned her jacket and threw it over. Then, she climbed up and slid down on the far side. She was out of breath and sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall. She rolled up her sleeve and unstrapped the blade. Her arm had a nasty cut and was bleeding heavily. Ana got up and hid the coat and the blade behind some bushes. They could be found easily enough, but she hoped they wouldn’t be for several hours at least.

  She heard barking in the distance but growing nearer. She started to run towards the house. She could sense the dogs coming closer. Halfway there, and she was out of breath with her legs refusing to cooperate. She was conscious that she had no weapons. These dogs might kill her. Ana looked over her shoulder. She couldn’t see anything. She kept running.

  The first bite was on her right calf, it tore through the fabric. The pain in the back was sharp. A German Sheppard appeared in front of her. Ana accelerated and jumped over the confused animal. She landed badly. Her legs stopped obeying her. She felt as if someone were cutting her in two. A few more steps and the dogs got her. She screamed. They surrounded her quickly. She kicked out but failed to connect. She realised she was a dozen yards from the house. They barked furiously and came nearer. Ana screamed with all her aching lungs.

  After the soldiers left with her parents she stood in the dining room, shaking,. Her mother hadn’t resist, it wasn’t in her nature anyway. Her father went out unconscious, bleeding from the nose. There was no one else home. For the first time in her life, she was all by herself.

  The first dog attacked. She swung the left arm protected with the metal armour and hit him. The beast howled and missed, but by then she had lost her balance. The second dog came from the opposite side and landed on her. She hit him in the head but it seemed not to hurt him. Ana screamed and hit him again, while protecting her face with the other hand. She felt the bites on her legs. She thought briefly about the cylinder.

  “Prince, Brutus, sit!” a male voice yelled.

  The dog stopped and sat on her.

  “Rebel, Beauty, come here!”

  And then, there was no more biting. She was surprised there were only four dogs, they had seemed like ten. Her legs and arms hurt. There were tears in her eyes.

  “Help me, please,” Ana cried.

  The man came nearer. He pulled the dog by the collar and removed it from her. He was in his early forties and had a pistol pointed at her. Ana felt naked without her blades.

  “My God, you are just a girl” he murmured, and seemed to relax.

  He looked like he had just woken up, even though he has fully dressed in a butler’s suit.

  “Can you walk?”

  Ana nodded and tried to stand. Her legs and arms were bleeding. Every movement hurt. When she stood, the man offered her his arm. He had put his gun away. It crossed her mind that she could try to snatch it. She abandoned the idea. She was badly injured and she wouldn’t make it through the dogs a second time. After the first step, she realised her legs were shaking. While walking in the direction of the house, she felt stupid and worthless: she had been captured by a butler.

  They entered the kitchen and he let her sit on a chair.

  “They got you… miss...”

  “Sílvia,” she completed and immediately regretted it.

  Using her mother’s name was not very clever. On top of that, she had no papers for such an identity.

  “What happened?” asked a middle aged woman, entering through an interior door.

  “I found her on the garden. The dogs got her. She must have climbed the wall.”

  “Look at the poor thing! She is injured, I must take care of her. Fetch Márcia, will you?”

  The butler left. Ana realised she was still crying.

  “What happened to you?” the woman asked, observing her arms.

  “I jumped over the wall and the dogs got me,” Ana answered.

  “Why would you do such thing?”

  Ana felt a shiver running on her spine.

  “There were two men...” she stammered.

  “My God, did they do something to you?”

  “One tried to grab my arm, so I started to run. They didn’t come after me...” she looked down.

  “They would have been foolish if they had. His Lordship’s dogs are famous in town, he breeds the best German Shepherds. Come with me, I need to dress these wounds.”

  They met Márcia in the corridor. She was slightly older and wearing a nightgown. Márcia covered her mouth with her hand.

  “You must undress, we need to treat the wounds,” the woman ordered as soon as they arrived into the adjacent room.

  They left and Ana did as she had been told. She was careful to hide her arm plate and the cylinder in the middle of the torn clothes. Even though she was in her underclothes she felt naked. Without her equipment, she was just a normal girl. She knew she had to take advantage of that.

  The two women came back with a bowl of tepid water and towels. Ana thought Márcia was pretty. She had green eyes and dark, curly hair. She wouldn’t be a servant forever. Ana realised that, unlike her, Márcia would marry well.

  They made her lie down in the bed, washed her cuts and bites, and dressed them. She could feel every cut on her skin.

  “Please, don’t tell anyone...” Ana pleaded.

  “Oh, dear, we must tell your family...” the woman answered.

  “They don’t know I was out, I went to meet a boy… Please, don’t tell anyone!”

  They looked at each other and Márcia nodded.

  “We have to tell his Lordship. But we will make sure that no one else knows about your circumstances.”

  Ana didn’t find that very reassuring. It was a long shot and she had to take her chances.

  “Rest now, I will find you something to dress,” Márcia promised.

  As the maid left, Ana felt the tiredness take hold. She fought the exhaustion, but fell asleep.

  Ana was back home. His father was tending the pigeons in the backyard. As a hobby, he bred them and had even won a few com
petitions. Ana watched him. He was a handsome man, despite having a few grey hairs. Ana was sure those hazel eyes were the reason why her mother had fallen in love with him. Mário filled the bowls with corn. Ana was unable to move. Her father closed the cages and faced her.

  “Do you like them?” he asked.

  Ana nodded.

  “If anything should happen to me, would you take care of them?”

  Ana woke up covered in sweat. Her first glance was towards her clothes. They were still in the same place. Her heart raced. She couldn’t tell if the conversation with her father was a true memory or a dream. So much about her parents was fading away.

  The door opened and Márcia came in.

  “What time is it?” Ana asked.

  Márcia put down some clothes on the edge of the bed.

  “Half past four, you slept for about two hours.”

  “I need to go” Ana tried to get up.

  “You will do no such thing, you are injured,” Marcia answered, holding her shoulder. “A doctor will come in the morning to see you.”

  “I can’t wait. I have to be home before my parents wake up or they will kill me!” She let one tear down her cheek.

  “If that is what you want, then put this on and Mr. Alberto will see you out.”

  “Thank you,” Ana muttered.

  Once Márcia left, Ana strapped the cylinder and the armour to her legs, trying to avoid the cuts. Then she also tied her clothes in a bundle under the clean petticoat. The dress was plain beige with sleeves. She regretted having to leave her boots behind, but they would never fit in that outfit. She hid them under the bed and left.

  Márcia, who gave her proper shoes. Ana smiled and put them on. Even without a corset, the strapped equipment and dress restrained her movements. It would be impossible to run, let alone to fight.

  As the butler took her to the gate, the faint shades of darkness in the sky were receding. The sun would come up within the hour. The butler watched her closely, and Ana could tell he didn’t trust her. She had to move fast, they would report her as soon as they found the blade.

  Ana went limping in the direction of the railway. She had some money with her, so she went to the nearest bakery. She saw the policemen too late. They were standing by the counter when she entered. She realised she couldn’t leave without raising suspicion. She felt her legs shaking as the other costumers looked at her.

  “… if you hear anything about the spy, let us know. He is quite dangerous and has killed two policemen already.”

  The owner nodded.

  “How could such a thing happen here?” one woman in black said.

  The policemen left, and the gossip started. Ana felt the sweat on her forehead, and fought the urge to run away. If they realised who she was, she wouldn’t make it to the exit. Her joints were stiff. Ana noticed that some people were still looking at her. They must have noticed she was not from their neighbourhood. She took a deep breath, and stared straight forward the whole time.

  “What do you want?” asked the man serving, barely looking at her.

  Ana pointed at one of the baskets behind the counter.

  “One of those.”

  “Fifty reis.”

  She gave him the coins, took the bread, and left. Ana walked to the railway, being careful to avoid the street where she had killed the two policemen. She stopped only at the fountain to quench her thirst after eating the bread. When she arrived at the station, the sun was rising. Ana knew it was too late to sneak out of town. Her only hope was to hide in plain sight. She went to the counter and bought a ticket to Estarreja, the last station on this side of the border. Luckily, the clerk didn’t raise his head from the desk.

  Ana waited in the small station. She was surrounded by a crowd carrying baskets, bags and even live animals. The noise was terrible. Now and then, they felt the ground trembling as a mechanised armoured soldier patrolled the platform. She felt an itch on her left arm. There was a red spot on her sleeve. She rolled the fabric to find she was still bleeding. Ana adjusted the binding to delay the blood flow.

  She heard the engine approaching, after which the train took only a few seconds to arrive. It came from Porto in the south. Ana boarded the 3rd class carriage like most of the people on the platform. All seats were taken and she had to stand. The train set off again as soon as the doors closed.

  Outside, the landscape was changing: fewer and fewer buildings, and more open fields. The strapped equipment was hot against her legs, making them itchy. The red spot on her arm was growing. She rubbed her eyes, trying to keep them open. Some men threw dirty looks at her and she avoided eye contact.

  The trip took hours because they stopped at every little village. It was lunchtime when she arrived to Estarreja. Ana wandered through the streets. She quenched her thirst in the fountain but had no money left to buy lunch.

  She went to the outskirts. Away from the town’s noise, she could hear the sound of cannons. The border was only a few miles away. Neither faction was attempting to advance; instead they opted for trench warfare. Ana had to cross the frontline to deliver the contents of the cylinder. But that would have to wait for nightfall.

  Behind a wooden fence, she saw a hut-like structure stuffed with straw. It had potential to hide her until nightfall as it was almost full and the entrance was not pointing to the road. Ana jumped over the fence and crawled inside the tight opening. A few feet inside, she heard something crack. A sewer-like smell filled the cavity, causing her to gag. She had broken a rotten egg, forcing her to throw most of the floor’s straw outside. In the end, she had no choice but to lie down on the bare earth.

  She found out her parents were spies when she was fourteen. Ana couldn’t recall the exact moment that happened. One day she overheard a conversation. Later she found an encrypted message on her father’s desk. Then notes her mother made about newspaper articles. And the pigeons. It puzzled her why some of them didn’t have rings.

  Ana woke at sunset. Her arm was the first thing she felt. The sleeve was soaked red. Using the cover of the straw piles, she took her dress out and used slices of it to make a tourniquet. She dressed in her black uniform, put on the arm plate and strapped the cylinder to her leg. She hid the pretty clothes in the middle of the straw. She was hungry and thirsty, yet she waited for darkness to fall before she headed towards the trenches. Ana knew there were no good places to cross the border, so she just walked South.

  Soon, she abandoned the road. The soil was wet and full of grass. Now and then, there were patches of mud. There were few bushes and fewer trees. Not much in the way of cover. The moon was almost at first quarter, giving little light. She walked as silently as she could. Soon her shoes were full of dirt.

  Despite her caution, Ana almost stumbled on the last row of fortifications. Fortunately, they were nearly empty. She climbed down into the tunnel and went forward, knowing that she would have at least three miles to go. Each row of trenches was a thousand yards distant from the next, but only the first in the line was fully manned, these other two were used only as a fall-back, in case the enemy should breach the frontline. The bottom of the hole was full of mud and wooden logs were required to shore up the sides.

  She heard the first sentry whistling before she saw him. He must be new, she thought. Ana hid in one the vaulted sections and waited. She had done this a few times before, though never without her blades. The sound was getting nearer, so she got ready to leap. Ana felt a stab of pain in the leg bitten by the dogs. She considered taking another approach because she was risking too much. But that was not the Desert Spider’s style.

  When the soldier passed by, she jumped him. They both fell. His gun landed a couple yards away. He was still surprised when she took his knife. He pushed Ana away, causing her to miss his neck by an inch.

  “Be still or you die,” she hissed.

  His eyes widened. His beard was not yet fully developed.

  “You are a girl” he stammered.

  Ana got up, pointing the
knife at him while she grabbed his gun.

  “What do you want?”

  “Your uniform.” She smiled.

  “They would kill you if they found out. They would kill me as well...”

  “I can kill you now!”

  Shaking, he took off his boots, his jacket, and his trousers.

  “I need to tie you down, okay?”

  He nodded and she motioned him to get inside the vaulted area. When he passed by, she slit his throat from behind. He reached for his neck, the blood flowing between his fingers. Ana pushed him inside. The soldier fell down. She waited until he stopped moving to drag him to a corner and cover him with some planks. Then, she undressed her dirty rags and put on the uniform. The boots were too large, but were still better than the wet lady shoes she had on. She hid the papers on the uniform’s shirt. She left the gun with the body and took only the knife.

  Ana crossed the last and the second row of trenches without seeing anyone. The walking was taxing her and the wound on her arm was bleeding more and more. She was sweating. Soon she heard voices. She guessed it must be sentries. Ana went to the right, attempting to avoid them. She climbed down at a corner, after looking both ways. She went forward at a brisk pace with eyes cast down.

  Ana reached the frontline unchallenged. She just had to climb into no-man’s land. Immediately, she crouched and moved very slow, taking as much cover as possible. She tried not to think about stray bullets. Soon, Ana reached the wire. She has no tools to cut it, so she went to the left until she found a join. She undid the tangled wire with her bare hands. The metal cut through the skin, but she didn’t quit until the two pieces were separated.