Castle Kidnapped c-3

by John Dechancie

  “My sensors show the smaller door unlocked,” Dis said.

  Vaya knew what to do. Crouching in the shadows, she aimed the weapon at the door. Gene grasped the handle, nodded to Vaya, and threw the door open, ducking out of the way.

  Nothing on the other side but darkness. Gene got out his Dis-manufactured torch — more or less a flashlight — and shined it into the room beyond. It was a large chamber filled with curious and unidentifiable machinery.

  “This must be it,” Gene said.

  “Yes,” Dis said. “This is a service entrance to the Hall of Advanced Technology. There are many exhibits here, but the machine you seek should be on display — if at all — in the experimental section. This area lies to your right as you go in.”

  They entered and closed the door. Light came from a far corner of the chamber, and as they neared it, Gene doused the torch.

  They saw a bell shaped contrivance standing in a pool of blue light cast by an overhead spot. A circular access port stood open in the side of the machine.

  “Dis, is that it?” Gene asked.

  “Difficult to be sure. We made what we hoped was an intelligent guess. As you are carrying a transponder on your person which amplifies our signal, you must get closer to the device in order to ascertain whether it is indeed the interdimensional traveler.”

  “It fits your description of it,” Gene said.

  “There were approximately four hundred other Umoi vehicles that answered to that description, fifty of which were exotic or experimental in nature.”

  “One in fifty? Those are the best odds I’ve had so far. Let’s go, Vaya.”

  The torch fell out of Gene’s belt and clattered to the floor. He stopped to pick it up.

  An energy bolt sizzled over his head. Vaya returned fire as they ran for cover. They took refuge behind a huge contraption, a cross between a cement mixer and a jukebox.

  “What now?” Gene said.

  “I’m sorry,” Dis said, “but our invasion of the ambient circuitry has alerted the irrational units of your presence. We had hoped, by using low-level current, to preclude this eventuality. Obviously we have failed.”

  “Forget it,” Gene said. “Topside knew exactly what we were looking for, and all they had to do was wait. I figured as much, but didn’t really have a choice. The traveler’s my only hope of getting home.”

  “You will have to tell us about your home sometime,” Dis said. “This interests us greatly.”

  “I’ll be sure to write. If you’ll excuse us now, we have to battle our way to freedom.”

  “Certainly,” Dis replied. “We wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors. It has been a pleasure serving you.”

  “For Pete’s sake, Dis, don’t leave now!”

  Another energy bolt scorched the wall behind them.

  “Who, may we ask, is this individual named Pete for whose sake we must act?”

  “Me, that’s my nickname. Forget it. How many units are you picking up?”

  “At least six in the immediate vicinity, Pete.” Dis answered. “You have them at a disadvantage inside the museum. They are programmed to protect the exhibits.”

  Vaya sent a beam into the shadows. An explosion shook the chamber.

  “You got one!” Gene said. “Good shooting!”

  A third bolt came from another direction. Vaya returned fire, this time failing to hit anything but a hulking contraption in a far corner of the hall.

  “Dis, are you still there?” Gene said.

  “Yes. Do you require further assistance?”

  “What do you advise?”

  “Immediate surrender. You are surrounded and cannot win.”

  “Great. Anything else?”

  “You might try using the traveler as a redoubt, if you can successfully fight your way there. As far as can be ascertained, they will not destroy the device to get to you. However, you will be trapped inside.”

  “Our one hope, then, is that the machine works and can take us out of here. Right?”

  “That is your only hope,” Dis agreed.

  Gene thought, if only he didn’t sound so damned cheerful all the time. The kind who’d announce the end of the world and add,Have a nice day.

  “Give me the gun, Vaya,” Gene said. “I’m going to try to make it to that thing over there, the one that looks like a washing machine mating with a giant hair dryer. Never mind. That one.”

  Vaya handed him the weapon and nodded. “Be quick and careful, my husband.”

  “You bet your crown jewels, Queenie. Then I’ll cover you from there.”

  Gene sprang out from cover and made his dash, bolts crackling around him. He ducked and slid on his stomach the last third of the way. But he made it. He drew a bead on the source of the firing.

  “Pick your own time, Vaya!”

  Vaya ran and did a textbook-perfect slide into second base. Then she took the weapon and covered Gene’s next mad dash.

  Using this method, they made their slow way closer to the Umoi device. After ten minutes, however, a vast stretch of open floor still separated them from their goal.

  “We’re just going to have to make a run for it,” Gene said.

  “I am with you, my husband. Always.”

  He kissed her, then scanned the darkness. The shuffling tread of the sentry robots came to his ears. Probably positioning for a cross fire, Gene thought grimly. He considered surrender as a possible way out. Maybe Topside would let them go.

  No, there was no turning back.

  “Ready, my Queen?”

  Vaya nodded, then hugged him again.

  “Right. On three. One … two …three!”

  Gene led, firing blindly left and right, a brilliant explosion quickly marking one lucky shot. Return fire was swift and accurate, bolts sizzling inches behind their heels.

  Vaya was hit just a few feet from the vehicle’s hatch, a wide-focus beam sweeping over her. She went down and lay still, her long hair trailing smoke. Gene dragged her, lifted her up, and threw her into the machine. He dove in after, the beam weapon clattering to the floor, out of reach.

  The hatch closed immediately, and darkness fell.

  “Vaya!” Gene reached for her. She was moaning softly, semi-conscious. Her skin felt hot and oily, like under-cooked meat. The stench of burning hair filled the compartment.

  He let her down. She seemed pretty bad. If only he could see.

  The lights came on.

  “Dis! Is that you?”

  “Yes. We are activating the machine.”

  Gene looked down at Vaya. The left side of her entire body was beet-red. Second-degree burns at least. Part of her hair was singed away.

  “We have a report on the condition of the machine,” Dis said.

  Gene got up and went into what appeared to be the control compartment. There were two squat Umoi seats and a control panel in front of an oval view port. He sat.

  “Report,” Gene said. “Is this machine real or a mock-up?”

  “It is the original device, in complete working order.”

  “Wonderful. Can it get me home?”

  “No. This machine — named the Sidewise Voyager — was tested once. It failed to work, and was abandoned. The data are stored in the machine.”

  The finality of it came down on Gene like a landslide. This was it. He had come as far as he could, to find nothing but a dead end.His dead end. And Vaya’s. A bitter lump of remorse rose at the back of his throat.

  “Is there any other service we may render at this time?”

  Gene took a deep breath. “No. Thank you for your hospitality.”

  “Please come back and visit us soon,” Dis said. There was a pause. Then: “We are very sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Gene said.

  Thirty-four

  Lab

  A strange machine had appeared on the platform. It was a sledlike affair of brass and steel, having at the back a circular decorated screen that looked like an open parlor fan and appeare
d capable of revolving. There was a seat for the operator or pilot, upholstered in red plush velvet. Numerous other Victorian touches graced the thing, here lace, there ornate chasing. A quartz rod protruded from a simple control panel in front of the operator’s seat.

  Linda said, “Is that it?”

  Incarnadine approached the platform. “I don’t know. Strangest damned thing.”

  Jeremy said, “Jesus. I’ve seen that piece of junk somewhere.”

  “You have?”

  “Yeah. I think it was in a movie.”

  Linda put a hand to her throat. “Oh, my. You know, I think he’s right.”

  “It looked like something out of an H. G. Wells story. In fact —”

  “The Time Machine,” Jeremy squealed.

  “I’ll be buggered,” Incarnadine said. “It’s a cheat.”

  “What?” Linda said.

  “The spell cheated on us.”

  “You’ll have to explain.”

  “Spells are tricky animals. Sticklers for the letter of the wording. The spell asked for ‘a dimensional traveling machine.’ Well, time is a dimension, all right. The spell searched around, couldn’t find the thing that would satisfy the intent of the wording, so it fished this thing out of oblivion in desperation.”

  “You make it sound as though the spell itself were a living thing.”

  “It is, in a way.”

  Jeremy came over. “I wonder what studio still had this thing.”

  “Studio?” Incarnadine said. “The wording didn’t ask for a movie prop. Delivering one would be a breach of performance.”

  “Huh? You mean —?”

  “Well, I don’t know if this improbable contraption actually works, but it just might.”

  “But what world — I mean, where would you get the real thing? It was just in a story, for crissakes.”

  “When you’re dealing with an infinite plethora of possibilities, anything can be real. Somewhere, obviously, there exists a world where H. G. Wells is fiction, and his creations fact.”

  Linda said, “But I thought that there were only 144,000 universes.”

  Incarnadine shot her a curious look. “Whoever told you that? There are only 144,000 portals in the castle. But possible universes? There are an infinite number of those.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

  “It’s not common knowledge. There is some debate about the literal, ontological existence of some of these ghost worlds, but — never mind. We don’t have time.”

  “What do we do now?” Jeremy asked.

  “Recast the spell at a greater power output, after further debugging. We have to nail down the wording exactly. Trouble is, we’re going to have power supply problems farther down the road. Well, it can’t be helped.”

  Incarnadine mounted the platform, ruefully eyeing the Wellsian contrivance. “Damn it, this isn’t going the way I had planned at all.”

  Linda took his arm. “You’ll win, Your Majesty. You always do.”

  “Even Superman has kryptonite.”

  Jeremy ran back to his computer, yelling, “I’ll have it debugged in two minutes!”

  Incarnadine hugged Linda. “Thanks. You did a wonderful job on the computer’s biotic components.”

  “I’ll never forgive you for the newts.”

  The laboratory flickered and yowled. Sparks arced between silver spheres, and the air crackled with energy. “ … three … two … one! Trip it, Jeremy!”

  Another strange device made its appearance on the platform. Bell-shaped and silvery, it had a circular hatch on the side. An oval window lay farther along the curve of the bell. A face appeared in it.

  “Gene!”

  Linda ran up onto the platform and banged on the hatch, shouting for him.

  Incarnadine and Jeremy arrived just as the hatch popped open. Gene Ferraro stuck his head out.

  “Got someone hurt in here,” he said.

  Linda stood by as they carried out a long-legged, practically naked woman. Despite her severe burns, she was beautiful.

  Incarnadine examined her. “She’s bad,” he said finally.

  “Help her, Incarnadine,” Gene said. “It’s my fault. You have to help her.”

  “We’ll do all we can. Fortunately there’s power to spare, for the moment.”

  They carried her to a far corner and put together a makeshift bed out of seat cushions and tapestries from the wall. Incarnadine returned with Gene to the platform, Linda staying behind to tend to the woman.

  “You can’t use this thing,” Gene was saying. “It doesn’t work. It’s a dud.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Incarnadine told him. “There’ll be a spell powering it.”

  “But … I don’t understand. If the thing plain doesn’twork …”

  “Remember, science isn’t efficacious in this universe. Very likely that’s why the gizmo failed in the first place. Once a science-based machine crosses over into a magic universe ka-flooey, it breaks down. Therefore, it would never make the crossing at all.”

  “Yeah, I get it. But then, what was the point of conjuring this machine?”

  “The point was to give the spell something to work with, to take its function from. You can make a carpet fly easy enough. But how do you make an interdimensional carpet? The spell would just fizzle that way.”

  Gene threw out his hands. “No wonder I’m such a lousy magician. You know, I once fancied myself a writer, and I tried writing fantasy. I couldn’t handle it. Magic doesn’t make any goddamn sense!”

  “You’re not flaky enough to be a fantasy writer.”

  Linda returned. “She’s resting as comfortably as she can, under the circumstances.”

  “Did you magic up a pain pill for her?” Gene asked.

  “Yes, a real knockout one, too. She’ll be okay for now.”

  Gene, Linda, and Jeremy stood at the base of the platform stairs. Incarnadine addressed them from the top.

  “Unfortunately Vaya will have to remain here in the lab to get the full benefit of the tripspell I placed on her. It could be dangerous, because there’s going to be an unbelievable energy surge. The equipment here is ancient, and some of it could blow.”

  “I’m staying with her, of course,” Gene said. “All I want to know is, will your healing spell work?”

  “There will be enough energy at that moment to create a race of Vayas, let alone merely heal one. Yes, it will work.”

  “I’m sorry,” Gene said. “Obviously there are more momentous things going on.”

  “That’s true. Jeremy, set your computer’s clock to trip the main spell one minute after you people clear the room. Check?”

  “Check.”

  Linda said, “I’m not leaving you, Gene.”

  “Do as he says, Linda.”

  “No, I’m staying in the lab. I want to see what happens.”

  “If the whole scheme works, I won’t be gone long,” Incarnadine said, “reckoning by castle time. If I don’t return shortly, it won’t matter much where you are.”

  “I’m staying,” Linda said firmly.

  “Fine,” Incarnadine said. “Good luck to all of you. Jeremy, is everything ready?”

  “Ready as it’ll ever be. Jeremy shook his head glumly. “But I don’t know. These two computers were having sex a minute ago. It was …weird.”

  “Love among the ruins. Okay, everybody at his station. Jeremy, give me five minutes to check out this machine. I’ll give you the high sign from the window there. Then you boot up the program and run for cover. Got me?”

  “Gotcha.”

  The lab howled. Violent discharges leaped from sphere to sphere like great flaming beasts. Orreries whirled, and multicolored auras glowed above the ranks of towering machinery.

  They huddled in the corner, Vaya tucked behind them against the wall. Linda hugged Gene, and Jeremy hugged Linda. Together they watched. The noise was unbelievable. There came periodic flashes and an occasional geyser of sparks. Smoke arose from some of the main compon
ents.

  Gene looked toward the platform. The Sidewise Voyager was still there. There could be only seconds left before the spell was tripped.

  “Get ready!” he said, but no one could hear him.

  The whine from the machinery rose in pitch until it became unbeatable. Sparks cascaded and splashed across the floor. The air turned blue, then violet, and everything in the lab — animate and inanimate — began to acquire a spectral glow.

  A great howling arose as the machines reached their peak of efficiency, became ready to deliver a microsecond of unimaginable thrust.

  The moment came, and the Voyager disappeared with a flash. Then Incarnadine’s laboratory flew apart in a terrific explosion.

  Thirty-five

  Undersea World

  “See anything through that periscope, Jacques?”

  “Oui. Beaucoup de l’eau.”

  “Beaucoup what?”

  “Water.”

  Trent took his head from the eyepiece. “The eruption is over, as far as I can tell. The volcano must have pulled a Krakatoa and blown apart. There’s nothing left of the island it was on. It sank.”

  “And our island?” Sheila asked.

  “Still there, but completely denuded. Our goose would have been done to a turn.”

  Sheila sighed. “We made the right decision for once.”

  “Oh, we’re not doing too badly at all,” Trent said. He turned to the First Officer, a tall, distinguished man who stood by at attention. “Take her up, Mr. Ponsonby.”

  “Very good, sir.” Ponsonby spun around and barked a series of orders to the boatswain, who then relayed them to the rest of the crew in the conning tower.

  Ponsonby turned back. “Any further orders, sir?”

  “Conduct a search for possible survivors, doubtful enterprise though it be.”

  “Capital idea, sir. No harm in being thorough.”

  “None. After that, our heading will be due east at half speed. Send lookouts aloft.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  “Miss Jankowski and I will be in our quarters. I’m to be alerted at first sight of land. Carry on.”