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The CC Dream Theatre presents: The Island of Dr. Momo, Or There And Back Again In Twelve Easy Chapters!
I
The room was large, though the dim illumination from the electro-bulbs left most to the imagination. Old bookshelves and paintings filled the walls, and slightly worn couches here and there near the fireplace made it seem almost friendly. But beside the massive mahogany table stood definitely unfriendly characters. "Ah, young sir Naughtstein, good of you to finally join us. And I see mister Glint saw it best to escort you here himself. Very well, we are all here, shall we get started?" The man speaking was in his early thirties at most, his hair neatly arranged and his expensive suit well groomed and cared for, the picture of perfection. He took off his white gloves and placed them gently on the table. "As you all know, I am mister Rand Blade, a higher official in the Bauer et Born corporation. My higher-ups had me track you all down, as they say, and extend our invitation to gather here. Now, what we are about to discuss is a matter most delicate and so I must ask for more than a mere gentleman's word that you shall all remain silent of the events that shall transpire. We are in agreement, I trust?" With a thin smile on his lips he glanced over the people in the room, and was apparently satisfied with the silent murmur of approval. "Very well. Perhaps we shall leave introductions for now and get to them once they become pertinent. I shall, instead, get straight to the heart of the matter, as it were. Please, please, sit down, everyone."
The participants all chose seats around the table in silence as rain pounded on the windows. The black autumn night outside had definitely set the mood, and the crackling fireplace did little to calm young Naughtstein down. Quickly he managed to glance at the others around him and noticed that one of them was female, but she did not catch his eye. Her face was pale, not particularly pretty, and she had tied her black hair back. Then Blade went on. "Good, good. Someone will come in with the drinks a little later, for those who want them. Now, onto more important matters." Another small smile. "Our corporation has come to some rather, hm, alarming information. As you all are aware, the Entente is not the most solid of treaties, and any large enough calamity would certainly bring about open hostilities.
Approximately 3 months ago a most peculiar and disease-ridden man began making, hm, noise in the less respectable parts of East End, about some unholy island off the coast near Cape colony. Now this would be most trivial and uninteresting save for the fact that he accused both the French and the Dutch of having some influence there, and how they plan on invading our colony. Again, ramblings from filthy drunkards hardly interest any thinking man, but over the decades we here at Bauer&Born have learned to be most careful about matters even remotely related to our mining operations, so we sent out a ship to investigate. It never returned. Some aerial photographs by a hot air balloon were taken from a distance, and indeed, the small island does seem inhabited, and there were definite signs of advanced technology. Careful inquiries here and there did not reveal any direct connection to any government, so we worry it might instead be one of our competitors. Mister Glint, I take it you have little to report? Ah yes, introductions. Mister Glint here is from the Crown's secret service department, and has agreed to assist us." All eyes on the other newcomer, he stood up and nodded gravely. Tall, yet not very stately, particulary his face which was almost painfully plain, his voice was the only thing that truly confirmed him as a man most British. "Yes, I am from the agency, and no, we have no information about any of the other world powers trying to gain influence on that part of the world." With that, he simply sat down again and looked at Blade expectantly. "Ah, yes, well, so much was expected. Which leads me to the reason why the rest of you fine people were invited here. We are prepared to fund an expedition there, covertly, a small mission to inquire as to just what in the Hells is going on down there." Blade smiled wider this time, and the door opened as a manservant walked in with a tray of glasses.
As the drinks were distributed, one of the gruff, harsh-looking men suddenly spoke up. "Look here, Randy, by what you're telling me and those photos we saw earlier, that place is a fortress. India aside, there's no way less than ten men and a bleedin' dame are going to just waltz in uninvited." His companion, another scarred man, nodded in agreement. "How's it a fort? Just a jungle island with a pier and some ships. A few factory pipes between the trees." The man speaking was young, somewhat handsome in a queer way, with a shaggy beard and uncouth curly hair. "Gentlemen, please. We are not fools here at Bauer&Born. Your transportation is in fact the reason for a 'bleedin' dame' to be here, if you'll pardon my quote, madam." Blade smiled and nodded towards the young woman, who had been observing the others silently. Dressed in black, non-descript clothing, her pale face seemed almost deadly white. "Who's she, then? A witch with a broom?", the other soldier asked, and both laughed. "In a way, yes. But my broom is bigger and is harder to shoot down from sky", she calmly said in a flat, eastern accent and sneered at the men. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Ness, and I work for esteemed institute of technology in Deutsches Kaiserreich for few years finishing dissertation. Two months ago institute received several pieces of Martian technology, including flying machines. Wrecked, yes, the Prussians try to fight just like you Brits, but 'twas the flu that worked, da? Anyway, I stole some key components and took plans, to build my own glider. Got financing from herr Rand's people." A few surprised faces began to ask questions, but Rand gently raised a hand. "Gentlemen, please. The attempted Martian invasion was tragic, yes, but certainly its spoils should not be allowed to go to waste. And any theft from the Kaiser is in the interests of the Crown. However, at this point I would like to remind our American visitor that the contract specifically states no information damaging to Britain or Bauer&Born be published." The young newspaperman, startled, quickly assured that he'd be careful. "Good, good! The transportation matter is being handled, I'm told, and if flying machines scare any of you fine gentlemen, you will be pleased to know that you shall be taken to the Cape Coast by steamboat." Blade got up, still smiling his wry smile. Now, the rest of you know your responsibilities. We will meet here again shall we say 2 days from now? Do you think you can manage your work by then, Miss Ness?" She too got up, and looked around. "Yes, I think so. Will need man or two to help. Maybe mister secret service man and one of soldiers would like a nightly run through London?"
II
Another black, rainy night in London. She was standing near a towering building, trying to avoid the rain. Dressed in a long, black jacket and a simple skirt, hair in a tight bun, she did not differ much from the other women walking the lonely streets at night. A man passed by, and suddenly she grabbed his arm. "A lady might get offended if you do not remember her face, mister secret service." She was wearing black lace gloves, he noticed, as she unwrapped her hand from his arm. "Pardon me, miss, but I am not used to this type of nightly encounter", he said, and looked around. "Da, you clearly are upstanding British man. No one followed you? Good. Come, soldier is waiting in nearby bar." She started down the street. "Hold on, miss!" Steely called out after her. "What, exactly, are we doing out here tonight?" She did not stop. "We meet Dragon."
The bar was small, crowded, loud and smoky. Amidst a group of drunken stagglers a man was loudly telling about the fights in India. "Well, he certainly is consistent. You get him, it best I not make my presence known to room full of drunken men, yes?" she said, glancing around suspiciously. Glint said nothing, and made his way through the crowd. "Colonel Kain? It is time to go." The man before him was visibly drunk, dressed in what could only be described as filthy, tattered remains of an old uniform, and sporting a haggard start of a beard. "Go? Go where? Oh, it's you. Bah. You's early. We was having a right good time with the old boys 'ere, weren't we? Eh, I guess we ought to go. Where'd you leave the dame? These be bad parts, likely to get stabbed or worse." Glint pulled the drunken Colonel out of his seat and started walking back towards the door. "She is waiting at the door, Colonel. Are you sober enough to work?" The colonel pulled his arm out of his grasp and went past him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go."
Back on the streets, they were walking briskly towards the opium dens. "Miss? Who or what is this 'dragon' we are going to meet?" Glint asked. The colonel kept spitting on the street and looked glum. "He big opium dealer. Got his name from another Dragon in Goettingen. They have network, see. He have supplies for glider. Stolen from Kaiser. And one more member for expedition. Here, this is his house." She knocked on the old, battered door in a distinct rhythm, though Glint could not make the tune out. Kain seemed more alert. The door opened slightly, and an Arab man emerged. "Password?" "Four-fold path." The man stepped back. "Lady, since when did the Chinks give up the opium trade?" Kain asked as they made their way through the narrow passages, past rooms filled with people chattering, or lying in their drugged stupor. "Dragons hire goons of all races, herr colonel. This one is called Lebanese Dragon, in fact, for choice of employee. We are here now." The passage ended in a large door, with an engraving of an oriental-styled dragon. She simply opened it, and walked in.
Inside the dimly lit, mainly red room were a few guards standing in the corners, a heavy smoke of queer odours, and a few females lay about in a stupor. In the middle of the room, amidst a pile of pillows, lay a hideous, gargantuan slab of flesh that was tattooed from head to toe. Glint was disgusted at the sight, but Kain simply wandered in and began fondling one of the females. No one seemed to mind. "Herr Dragon, your name was given to me by Dragon Thrice Reborn. Was told you have certain chemicals. Shall we discuss price?" she asked, having advanced a few steps towards the hideous asian man. He was middle-aged, wrinkles lined his fat face, and he had a small black beard. "Ahh, yes, the Russian woman. My men told me to expect you. Yes, I have the chemicals you asked for. The price, well. These are not easy to come by, young lady. Shall we call it an even five thousand?" Glint noticed Kain choking on the swig he had just taken from his bottle. She reached into her coat and pulled out a large envelope. "Here is four thousand. Show merchandise, we talk about fifth." She met his gaze levelly. The fat man smiled slightly. "Very good. You are not afraid. Here, the chemicals are in that case." He pointed to a large container. Ness motioned for Glint to inspect the contents. He walked up to the crate and opened it. "Miss, I cannot tell what liquids these vials contain." She walked over, glanced in. "Yes. You got all. Good. Four thousand." The chinaman laughed, a shrill, irritating noise. "You must be joking! But I am not without humour myself. Six." He reached for an unidentifiable piece of food and stuffed it into his mouth. She looked angry, then nodded at Kain. "I think you will not like my humour, herr Dragon."
The room exploded into action. Kain shot two guards before they could react, and as the other guards scrambled towards the fast-moving warrior, the surprised Glint ducked behind the other crates and reached for his pistol. As he picked off one of the assaulting guards he saw Ness simply walking towards the Dragon with something in her hand. Suddenly the obese monstrosity screamed a terrible, almost inhuman scream, and she dropped the bottle she was holding and pulled out what seemed like a hose from her jacket. Then the hose began shooting flames. The guards who had noticed the anguish of their rotund master were suddenly ablaze, running away in pain and terror. In less than a minute the guards inside the room had been eliminated, and Kain had barricaded the door. "Quickly now, everyone grab 5 vials! Have to leave fast!" she yelped, and reached into the container. Glint went next, then Kain. "Listen, I did not particularly care to be surprised like that, but I assume you two have at least formulated some sort of escape plan?" Glint asked. "And what on Earth did you do to that chinaman?" She smiled a wicked smile. "Acid. Kain there ruined my fun, had to shoot. But he was making noise, so no fuss. Da, we have escape plan. The west wall leads to the street. First we make hole. Herr Kain?" she motioned towards the wall. The banging on the door grew louder.
"Right, then, both of you behind those crates. And mind the door!" the colonel shouted as he placed a small box next to the wall, then jumped behind another crate. The explosion was small, but enough to make a hole in the wall, and feed the small fire Ness had started with her small flame-thrower. The walls shook and they could hear shouting from beyond the door. "Hurry! Won't he long 'fore those guys figure out where we're going!" Kain yelled as he ducked through the hole. Glint began to run but noticed that Ness was doing something with one of the crates. "Miss, we really need to go!" "Hold on second." She pulled out a large, flat metal container from her coat, placed it atop another crate and then put another small box on top, and ran towards the hole. "Now we hurry!"
As they were running down the street, they heard a roaring explosion behind them. "Miss! What in the blazes are those little boxes? And how did you manage to shoot flame like that?" Glint yelled as they turned another corner. "Boxes are little bombs, got formula from the institute. Flamethrower stole, too", she plainly commented and slowed down to a walk. The men followed suit. "Just how much did you take with you when you fled the institute?" "All I could carry. Blade's man had approached me, took all I thought would be handy. Mostly blueprint, only critical parts like Martian constructs and Deutch weapons." Kain was busy emptying his bottle, but commented "Shame about the girls, though." Glint looked at the drunkard blankly. "Foreigners and their filthy heathen habits. Ghastly. But not as ghastly as your behaviour, miss! I mean really, acid?" She just smiled and walked on. Neither man remembered the comment about a new member.
III
Again the fireplace was lit, and again young Dread Naughtstein did not feel quite at ease in the company of these strange individuals. The grim lady was smiling at him now, but this made him even more nervous. Blade walked in with a few servants who were carrying boxes. "Ahh, gentlemen, my lady. I see you all made it here in one piece. Excellent. It is so unfortunate to lose good workers. Madam, I trust your mission was a success?" He smiled at her. "Da, we got liquids. I bring crate, one of your men should take it to carriage before we leave for ship." She sat down, and finished her drink. The two soldiers did the same, and poured themselves more. The rest sat down as well, except for Blade. "Splendid. I suppose we should discuss the details of your expedition. Now, I myself will not be going, but my assistant, Mister Lowe-Key will act as your liaison to the corporation. Colonel Kain and Corporal Enigma will be the 'muscle' of the operation, as the expression goes, making certain that all members of the expedition are not exposed to any danger from the savages or wildlife. Miss Ness there will orchestrate the construction of your flying machine during your boat voyage, and she was also kind enough to help us with the weapon supply. For the same purpose young sir Ziggy, son of sir Hazir, one of the head owners of Bayer&Born, will be joining you on your voyage, as he is in possession of a large quantity of weapons, hmm, acquired from the German." Blade motioned towards the young, curly-haired man. He smiled and waved to the room. "That's me. Hey, what kind of names are Kain and Enigma anyway? Don't sound very Briton to me!" The stern Glint commented, "Pseudonyms. No respectable soldiers of His Majesty's armed forces would serve as mercenaries." The two soldiers frowned, but offered no comment. Blade continued. "Ahem. Yes, well, the private affairs of your colleagues are just that. Let us move on. Young Naughstein was brought in from New York to chronicle your expedition and ensure that we get enough documentation on the island itself. I suppose that is everyone, except for that one peculiar item Miss Ness mentioned to me earlier. Did you secure the component you require?" She looked a bit surprised. "Yes, I got it. Amazed you remember my comment, though. You had the crate delivered to ship?" "Yes, everything is in order. If that is all, I shall take my leave. Mister Lowe-Key will have all the details as well, if any questions should arise. The carriages leave at midnight, feel free to enjoy our manor before you depart." Another one of his little smiles, and Blade left.
The crowd quietly dispersed into small sub-groups chatting away, the lady and the agent discussing armament with Ziggy, the soldiers debating something best left undescribed, and feeling a bit lonely, young Dread decided to go and get to know the company representative, mister Lowe-Key. "Excuse me, mister Lowe-Key, was it? I'm Dread Naughstein. I got to say, all this is a lot to take in at once! Martian machines and secret missions." The sleek, well-dressed man regarded the reporter critically. "Hm, yes, our little archivist. A pleasure. Do call me Loki, most everyone does. It's a nickname I got during my last visit to our African office." He smiled a wicked smile, and Dread allowed himself to be pulled in. "How did you get such a strange name?" Looking satisfied, the representative leaned back and smiled like a cat. "Why, it is a bit queer, isn't it? It's a bit of a sordid tale, but we're both modern men! Ha! Ha!" Dread looked pained, and urged the man to go on. "Well, you see, there was some trouble at one of our mining sites, seems the negroes were a bit unco-operative, you know how it is with those Godless savages, but I know how to deal with them! I had some of our off-the-book mercenaries kill the families of the worst striking aggregators, and it didn't take more than a week for the rest of them to get back to their mining. Ha! Ha!"
Meanwhile, Glint, Ness and Ziggy had moved on to another topic. "Good miss, despite your atrocious behaviour in our little tiff last night you seem cultured enough, so how is it that you came to know the names of these drug Dragons?" Glint was asking. "Drug lords?" Ziggy inquired. "Why mister Ziggy, you seem most interested in the subject. Despite appearances, mister secret agent man, I have sordid past of my own, lady from western Russia has hard time in Deutsches Kaiserreich, if you know what I mean. Worked as resurrectionist to finance studies. Not much digging, but I help sell bodies back and forth. Also sell make-shift weapons, good for nightly encounters in cemetaries, both living and dead." She smiled slightly and took another sip of her drink. "And young mister Ziggy, what is young robber baron doing mingling with proletariat?", she asked with another smile. The young man beamed at her, laughed a little, and explained. "Robber baron? The first part's right, the latter not so much. I'm no blue-blood, we're Dutch originally, father's a shareholder in the company, I worked a few years as a pirate of sorts, securing our sea routes and sometimes going flag-less to get some tax-free equipment, like those kraut guns Randy mentioned. After that most recent incident I've had to lay low, you know, so I've basically sat here in London dealing with those chink drug-lords as Steely there might call it, until the head office contacted me about this expedition. I'm curious to see who our captain is going to be!" Glint nodded. "That is something I too would like to know. I suppose we will find out soon enough. Another rainy night, too. Fitting."
Soon the large bell rang for midnight, and the motley crew quickly made their way to the carriages.
IV
The ship was quite large, a heavy steam-engine beast. The decks and surroundings were alive with motion as the crew hurried to carry all the crates on board and get her ready for sailing. The yells of the men rang over the beat of the rain in the dark night. The carriages came to a halt near one of the walkways, where a tall, grim figure stood waiting. After they had all emerged from their vehicles, he approached them. "Greetings, lady and gentlemen. I am your captain, you may call me Wraith. I already know misters Kain and, hm, Enigma, was it this time? And the rest of you I am certain I will get to know on our trip. Your luggage is already in your respective quarters, and if that is all, you will excuse me while I oversee the final preparations." As quickly as he had come he left, walking briskly towards a group of hollering workers. "Well, he is brief. I like!" Ness commented, giggled, and started towards the walkway. Ziggy shrugged, and walked after her. The soldiers went to help the crew load the remaining weapon crates, Loki and Dread walked in discussing some element of the contract they had all signed, and so Steely, having been left alone walked around the dock for a while, savoring the British rain. It had been quite a while since he had last left Albion.
Ness found her cabin near the aft of the ship, next to one of the large storage rooms that had been converted into a laboratory cum workshop of sorts for her. She left her coat, hat and gloves in the cabin and went to the workroom. There she opened a large crate labeled only "John". A pile of hay flooded out, then a figure of steel and chrome emerged. A vaguely man-shaped construct stood amidst the packing material. An android. There was a knock on the doorframe; the captain stepped in. "I trust I am not interrupting, miss. I understand you wish to mount one of those Martian heat-guns onto my ship?" She turned from the android and smiled at the captain. "Yes, we can install tomorrow once we are off coast. Tricky business, the power source is very delicate, slightest mistake and, hm, boom!" "Yes, quite. And what is that? A Martian?" the captain inquired, peering into the box. "Ah, no. This be German creation. Genius engineers, terrible conversationalists. It is an artificial man, an android. For some reason the Dragon we attacked last night had stolen key component for logic circuit along with Martian chemicals we went to retrieve, I took back but it is slightly damaged. Interesting to see what happens when I turn power on. Another use for Martian power pile!" The captain looked wary. "An artificial man? How ghastly, truly. If I were not paid so handsomly for my troubles I certainly would not have it aboard my ship. Hm, well, good eve to you miss, I must see to my duties." Briskly he turned and left the workshop. Ness commented to herself, "Brief! Efficient like German. Very nice." More giggles.
Loki and Dread had adjacent quarters. "Well, it's been nice getting to know you, mr. Loki. I suppose I shall turn in for the night, I'll have a long day tomorrow going round the ship and writing up first impressions on all the members of our team." Dread offered his hand, Loki shook it gingerly, and smiled. "Yes, very good. I shall see you over breakfast tomorrow, I suppose. I do hope the food on here isn't as dreadful as it usually is on these God-forsaken ferries. But, sacrifices have to be made!" The men parted into their cabins. Dread sat down and let himself shake for awhile. What had he gotten himself into! Martian machines, danger at high seas, mysterious islands, and working with known criminals! He had recognized the captain, he had been stripped from his rank in His Majesty's fleet after some unspeakable atrocities he had committed at sea on German prisoners. And from what he had gathered about the events last night, certain other members of the team were just as vicious.
As the gigantic engines began to roar and the ship parted from the docks, Glint found himself standing on the deck, staring into the pitch black of night sea ahead, not even noticing the rain anymore. What was going to happen? He had read the dossiers his overseer had given him before his mission. Half of the participants were brutal criminals, some just plain crazy, and then there was that young naive boy, Naughtstein. He had not told all he knew of the island to Blade, either. The island, if they ever got to see it, would surely claim some members of the team before everything was said and done. Few ever leave the island of Dr. Momo, and even fewer do so unchanged. Dreadful business, but someone had to do it. The rain had all but ceased.
Near the crew quarters, the two soldiers were getting comfortable in their joint cabin. With them was corporal Enigma's manservant and personal physician, a Bengali man whom he had taken along from some backwater village he had helped by shooting a tiger that had been plaguing the countryside. "Minx, get the colonel and myself a bottle of whiskey from my trunk, would you? And then you can find our own cabin. So, like I was saying, we should keep our eyes open on the island, opportunities might present themselves and only if we are ready can we fully exploit them." Kain sat back and looked troubled. "Yeah I get that, but there's only so much we can do, you reckon you can fly whatever contraption that bat lady is going to make? I sure as hell can't. If we do turn coat, we don't want to get stuck on some God-forsaken island with Lord knows what kind of savages there might be." The Bengali put the bottle on top of the trunk serving as their table, bowed, and left the room.
V
The ship sailed and days passed, uneventful. Ness was building weapons and components for the flying machine with the assistance of some of the crew, the soldiers drank most of the time and shot sharks that trailed the ship. Glint mostly kept to himself, despite attempts by Ziggy to strike up a rapport. Dread wandered all around the ship, bewildered, interviewing the crew and his team-mates, and tried to pry more information from Loki, who simply smiled wryly and chattered on about the political situation. On the larger lower deck, the captain had his men assemble a more Terrestrial airship, a small Zeppelin. This was to be used for scouting purposes, especially before approaching the island. After a week of travel, they had made good time, and Ziggy and the soldiers suggested to the captain that they have a small dinner party in his cabin. Hearing this, Ness only commented "Ha, party? Little song, little dance, plenty of vodka, and I am lady entertainment I suppose?" and went back to working on the artificial man.
Later in the evening, as the now-tropical sun was beginning to set, Glint came to see her in the workshop. She was lurched over the android, who was lying on a worktable, breastplate ajar. "Is our mechanical fellow almost ready for business, then?" he inquired with a smile and sat down on one of the now empty component crates. "Da, in about 3 minute. Hand me that power source, careful!" she snapped, and extended a slim, slender arm. He obliged her, and she plugged the component into the heart of the artificial man. A low buzzing sound began to emanate, and she closed the beast's chest. "There, that should do. Logical circuits now integrating and creating personality matrix. If damage was not too severe." The android slowly sat up, and its eyes began to glow a soft, orange light. Its mouth, of sorts, opened slightly and sound came from within. "I am now active. Logic circuit check complete. Power source is working at capacity. Greetings, my human friends. I am Unit A-B-JHN, but you can call me Alberjohns." Glint looked at it in disbelief. "So it speaks English? I thought this was a German design." Ness nodded, and looking serious started prodding the electrical man in various locations, testing responses. "Yes, but Prussian perfectionism meant programming in several languages, I chose English, it also have German, French, Russian and Latin vocabulary. Seems to be in working order, though higher logical capacity will be tested in deeper conversation. And always remember, agent man, that robots are logical but never reasonable. Now, shall we go meet captain and others?" she smiled. "I think we should take the contraption with us, to, as you say, test some of those logical capabilities", Glint suggested. "Da, da. Though I think you wish to irritate our solemn captain most of all, nyet?" Glint offered no response.
The captain's quarter was quite large and surprisingly luxurious, a sharp contrast to his gruff demeanor. The large table was overflowing with food, wines and harder spirits, and the men had all sat down as Steely and Ness entered. Some of the men stood up along the captain, greetings were exchanged, and everyone sat back down. It was clear that the colonel in particular had been drinking heavily the whole day, and Ziggy seemed to be in a bit of an opium high. Steely was surprised to see the Bengali sitting alongside his master, but then he was as much a member of the group as the mechanical clockwork man sitting next to him. Ziggy and Dread in particular were fascinated with the machine. The captain was discussing technical details with Ness about fitting a Martian heat-ray onto the Zeppelin as well. "Miss, if you have enough parts, what's the problem? It'd be wise to have protection on the Zephyr as well, even if she won't be your main craft for the end trip." The captain seemed more amiable, stroking his long, bushy beard. Steely reckoned even the old sailor had had a few drinks. "Da, we have parts, problem is with power. Cannot put Martian powersource on zeppelin, too volatile, cause currents on hull, maybe sparks inside container, explosion. Not wise. Pass rum, herr Naughtstein." She grabbed the bottle and helped herself to a generous drink. "Ah, my dear miss, you assume we spared expenses! My lovely little Zephyr is helium-filled, not hydrogen. Little risk there." "Da, da, helium wonderfully inert. Alright, I look into it tomorrow, put a small ray in front, range of 500 meter? Theoretically the ship's cannon should have range of 5 clicks, maybe more, but after that dispersing of rays becomes dominant." She gulped down her drink in one go, shuddered visibly and yelped a little, then poured more. Down the table Kain looked on approvingly, and drank more as well.
"So, tell me, mr. Ziggy, why are you really here? It is no secret that you've had dealings with the so-called enlightenment-movement who want to end colonialism, the daft sods." Corporal Enigma smiled, but his eyes were cold as he asked his question. Ziggy smiled in response, equally coolly, and sat back. "My personal opinion aside, the mission is important for the security of the whole civilised world. If the news agencies get a hold of this, the Crown will no doubt accuse some foreign power or other of meddling, and wars will be declared. No one here wants war on mainland Europe, certainly?" Before Enigma could get a response in, Ness interjected merrily, "Nyet, let there be war! It will be interesting, and good for business! That is what we are here for, nyet, business? Herr Loki?" she sneered, and went back to her drink. Loki looked stern, but offered no response. Ziggy went on, "It's no secret the way my father's business conducts itself, either. I have little sense of loyalty, but I do my share and try and help the natives out." Kain snorted, "Natives? Hah! They're savages, the bloody lot of 'em! Like mr. Loki there, you got to be assertive and aggressive, that's the only language they understand! Bleedin' heathens. Am I right, mister Glint?" Eyes turned towards the previously passive Glint. He calmly retorted, "Foreigners have queer habits and certainly aren't civilized men, Colonel, but the same could be said of many a Briton. Is it not the responsibility of the white man to offer guidance and show these poor savages the error of their ways, rather than act cruelly and no better than them? While I understand the troubles people like mr. Loki have to deal with, certainly the willy-nilly slaughter of men and women is going a tad too far?" Ziggy was nodding emphatically, as was Dread. Alberbot chimed in with "Gentlemen, you must remember that oppressive regimes, as far as my records indicate, have not lasted, save for a few exceptions that were very extreme. It is important to instead instill in them the proper fear of authority that will render the need for violence obsolete in most instances."
The argument went downhill from there, as the robot obstinately maintained its position and refused to even consider alternative viewpoints, Kain and Loki both grew most irritated and eventually the less drunken Enigma had to physically restrain Kain from dismantling the mechanical maniac. Ness simply laughed at the chaos that was unfolding, while Ziggy looked on with a saddened expression, hopelessly trying to steer the conversation back into the land of sanity. The captain remained mostly silent during the exchange, save for a few snide remarks aimed at the android. What Minx, an example of the savages under discussion, thought of the conversation he did not share with the group. Midnight had long since passed when Ziggy and Glint helped Ness walk back into her quarters, and the soldiers resigned to their own cabin. An unceremonious end to a dramatic evening.
VI
The following day was mostly uneventful, Ness and the captain had the modified Martian weapon installed into the Zephyr, and Ness finally got started on putting their own flying machine together. Certain parties avoided each other's company, but this had mainly been the status quo even before the heated exchange. Some of the crew were trying to amuse themselves by talking with the android, but even they soon got bored with the exasperating machine. The Bengali, Minx, found common ground with Ziggy as they shared some opium and discussed how to improve the world after the mission. Steely walked up and down the upper deck, restless. He had a bad feeling, ominous. Something would happen, soon. They were getting close, and he was fairly certain Dr. Momo would detect their approach sooner or later.
Down on the larger deck, Ness was swearing profusely in Russian and beating the metal hull of the flying machine with a wrench. "Problems, miss?" inquired Loki, walking by and smiling in his little feline way. "Da, da, you stupid little man, of course I have problem, why else you think I swear like hairy Turkman? Here, go get captain for me." Loki bowed slightly and departed. Soon the captain arrived. "What seems to be the problem, miss? Why did you ask for my presence?" She turned to face him. "Problem? Problem is some untermensch jammed power source in slot wrong way, and bolted hatch shut! I cannot work with such imbeciles!" The captain sternly responded, "There is little I can do about any mistakes my men make. Either oversee them better and give more detailed instructions, or handle the critical parts of the work yourself, miss. Was there something else?" She stared at him, wild-eyed. "Something else? Da, da, there was something else. Get some men down here to open hatch, and have them carry rest of crates up here! I fix damn glider if it take all night! Pidar gnoinyj!" The captain scowled, said nothing, and left.
After feverishly working through the night, Ness saw the next dawn gleaming on the hull of a mostly finished flying craft. The contraption's design, shaped like a disc that bulged in the middle, mostly brought to mind images of ancient Egypt, but with antennae and other extensions protruding at odd angles. The hybridisation of human and Martian technology was not always an easy process, and particularly the Martian weapons resembled tentacles as they slowly flailed back and forth around the vessel. Dread was the first one awake to come and see the machine. "Golly, miss! That thing looks damn weird!" She smiled. "Damn weird is right. Hope it flies. Had trouble with stabilisers, have to test with mass in. Martian gravity polarisers do not like Earth metals much." The reporter walked all around the flying craft, figuring in his head the best angles for photography. He'd have to crack open another box of magnesium, no doubt. "Say miss, what should we call this thing? The BBS Damn Weird?" Dread chuckled. Ness looked at the ship solemnly for a moment. "No, too obvious. BBS Flying Madhouse? Desperate Attempt? I am engineer, not linguist. Now you must excuse me, herr reporter, but I am much over-due for sleep. Good-bye!" she stated, and walked off, muttering to herself. Dread wondered about the sanity of his team-mates. And of the whole journey in general. Then over walked to watch the sun rise over his morning coffee.
Later in the afternoon, everyone finally awake, they gathered on the deck to discuss the flying machine. Already the soldiers and the Dutch arms smuggler were in a heated argument over how much weaponry they should bring along. "Gentlemen! The debate is trivial unless ship actually flies!" Ness interjected after a while. "Now, as pilot I of course will go, but require two volunteers for assistance, and someone carry in say five hundred kilo of material, anything that will fit." Promptly the Bengali and Ziggy had walked up to volunteer, the latter mainly to get away from the mercenaries, and after the crew had finished loading the ship with weapon crates, the trio entered the vessel. "Right, lady, how do we fly this bucket?" Ziggy asked, sitting down on one of the crates. "You don't. Hold on." She flicked a switch, then a second, waited a moment or two, and then turned a small lever. The glider began to shake a little, and they could see from the small round windows around them that the vessel was slowly rising from the deck of the boat. "I hope captain does not make large maneuvers right now, or they sail away from underneath us. Now, I will try steering."
Kain managed to bellow "Hit the deck!" just in time, and the rest of the motley band fell flat on the deck as the glider suddenly jerked into action. First hovering and zig-zagging over the deck, Ness got a feel for the control and lifted the glider some ten or twenty feet above the ship. Inside the glider, Ziggy was visibly feeling a bit queasy, but Minx simply smiled a wide grin and peeped out the windows. "Right, I think I got hang of it now. Count Zeppelin, we shall see whose flying machine dominate the skies in ten years!" Ness cackled, and lunged the ship into a wide arc around the aft of the massive steamboat. Going up again, she guided the glider to a constricting spiral, winding up hovering almost a hundred feet above the ship. The view was magnificient. "Sahiba, it seems friend Ziggy lost his lunch sometime during our ascent", Minx smiled. Ziggy wiped his chin and tried to seem cheerful. "Lady, it might be better if you took things a little slower? Time to smell the flowers, you know?" Ness frowned, and focused on the instrument panel. "Quiet. Martians had device, work on beam like heat cannon, can detect objects and motion at distance, we retrofitted one here, it is bleeping. Something is approaching, fast. From south, probably from island. It is...Flying? Herr Ziggy, think you can manage the weapons? Or does Bengali have to defend us?" Before Ziggy could manage a witty retort, the shocked Minx said "Sahiba, I have sworn my life to healing and non-violence, I could not do as you ask." Ness scowled. "Da, principles, very admirable and very useless to us now. Herr Ziggy, the console to your left guides Martian heat beam, very intuitive, but wait for signal." Ziggy relucantly moved next to the console, and quickly figured out that the large controller guided the tentacles surrounding the vessel. On the steamboat below, the crew were scrambling to get to their posts as what appeared to be a large globe of lightning flew towards the ship, and fast. The expedition crew joined the captain on the upper deck. "Ah, good, gentlemen, you are here. Masters Kain and Enigma, take those portable heat beams and be prepared for anything. Mr. Glint, any idea what that thing is? Another Martian mechanical monstrosity?" Alberbot interjected, "It appears to be a large, spherical concentration of electrical energy. The only known method for creating such a field is with Martian technology, so your judgement is the correct one, Captain." Steely just looked grim and offered no comment. Finally, the sphere was hovering almost over the ship, when it quickly dissipated into two discrete pillars of electric arc, holding up what was obviously a female form.
VII
As the crackling energy bursts settled into two smaller pillars of power, Dread could clearly see the woman flying overhead. She was dressed in some form of flowing green robe or dress, and her long brown hair, which resembled more of a massive mane, was arced behind her, with two dominant white streaks flowing on the sides. The lightning spires were emanating from her hands. Then thunder boomed; she was speaking. "I am Miang! You are approaching the lands of Doctor Momo! Turn back now, or face my wrath!" Corporal Enigma and Colonel Kain were already aiming the heat-cannons, but Wraith motioned them to hold back for now. Exhausted for options, he cupped his hands and shouted, "I am Wraith, commander of this vessel! We are on our way to one of the trading posts in the Cape Colony!" The sorceress turned her statuesque face to consider Wraith, tilted her head, and proclaimed "Your lies are wasted on me, foolish man. Doctor Momo knows all! I say again, turn back or be destroyed!" Wraith motioned in the soldiers' direction, but before either of them managed to act, Miang, with a mere flick of her wrist created a third bolt of lightning that struck the Martian heat cannon corporal Enigma was operating; the arc of electricity flashed from the machine right into him, burning a visible path from his arms all the way to his feet. He howled in agony. "You wish to ignore my warning, petty manlings, so be it! Cry for your little lives, they are over!" Miang's booming voice exclaimed as she suddenly re-created her lightning sphere and began descenting upon the ship.
The crew fired their conventional firearms in her direction, but the field surrounding her caused the bullets to either change direction or explode on contact. Colonel Kain aimed the heavy alien cannon and fired. The effect was not what he intended; Miang's force shield's arcs of electricity becan to oscillate around the point of contact, a flash of lightning flew from the vertex to Kain's weapon, causing the Martian powercore to detonate in a roaring explosion, flinging Kain into the ocean. Dread tore off his overcoat and dived in after him. Miang, visibly shaken from the energy burst, started to ascent back up whilst creating small globes of plasma from her heels that rained on the hapless men firing on her below. She had reached a respectable altitude and turned back to face the steam-engined ocean jet when something hit her force shield with massive force, tore through it and managed to just nick her in the small of her back. She turned, aching and furious. The Martian craft was arcing back towards her for another hit.
Inside the small glider the atmosphere was dense. Minx was demanding quite loudly that they go assist Dread and Kain immediately, Ziggy was shouting mainly profanities in Dutch and holding on to the weapons console, and Ness was giggling to herself as she tried desperately to navigate the vessel in the sorceress' massive, fluctuating magnetic field. "Herr Ziggy, please shut up and try shooting her, I think hull will absorb any arcs you'll generate! Fast!" Ness steered the glider for a pass this time, and the sneering Miang shot them with a veritable volley of plasma orbs and small electric arcs. The ship shuddered and the smell of ozone was heavy in the air. Ziggy muttered to himself as he tried to steady his hands. Finally he got her in his sights, and squeezed the trigger.
For well over three seconds the force shield kept intensifying under the strain, and the arc of lightning between the sorceress and the glider glowed like a second sun. Over the crackling, on the deck of the ocean liner the men could hear Miang screaming, out of frustration or pain, none could say. Then, as soon as it had begun, it was over. Two things happened nearly simultaneously: Miang's shield gave in, and just before the arc of lightning grabbed hold of her she disappeared in a bright blue and purple flash, and the Martian vessel gave a sad whelping sound, ceased zig-zagging its normal drunken walk and began plummeting towards the ocean. It hit water with a mighty splash and remained bobbing on the surface. In the distance Wraith made out a small, similar flash of colours, and a small figure immediately flying away from it and from them, towards the ominous south. On the deck below men were screaming and shouting as they tried to tend for the wounded and stop the fires raging where the orbs of plasma had struck. Alberbot and Steely had determined that Enigma had expired from his wounds at the start of the battle.
After the chaos on the ship had passed at least somewhat, Wraith had the crew fish Dread and Kain out of the water first. Both were alive, though Kain was unconscious and somewhat burned. Next, the Martian glider was lifted back onto the deck. As soon as the hatch was opened, Ziggy slumped out and promptly threw up all over the deck. Minx rushed out to help the injured, and Glint walked up to offer Ness a hand as she emerged from the glider. She was grinning madly and had a wild gleam in her eyes. "Raspizdatyi! Did we get her?" she asked, taking Steely's hand. "No, miss, the good captain saw her flying off back from whence she came. Are you alright?" She stepped on the deck and looked around. "Yes yes, fine. Someone should clean herr Ziggy's lunch out before I go see if witch damaged my power core." Later in the evening Wraith held a small memorial for the fallen crew, perhaps out of duty more than anything, though his speech was certainly fiery enough. They kept sailing, however, and days passed without incident. Soon they had passed the routes to Cape Coast, and finally in the horizon loomed their destination. The island.
VIII
In a bizarre symmetry it was once again raining from the dark night sky, though this time a heavy, hot dampness descending from seemingly all around over the hapless party. They were less than an hour's flight from the island, and they could see for themselves all the dock structures, some hopelessly rusted and decayed, others nearly pristine. The glider was fully repaired, and they had gathered for departure. The captain had come to see them off, and perhaps make one last desperate effort to get them to take Alberbot along. "Fare thee well then, people, and Godspeed. I will take the ship further out to sea, and wait three days for you. After that, we must assume you dead or incapable of departure." There were some sideways glances towards Loki at the Captain's statement, but the familiar feline grin was all they got out of him. Dread stepped up, thanked the captain and walked up into the glider. Kain and Ziggy followed, hauling in the last crate of more delicate weaponry assembled or stolen by Ness. Loki and Minx followed, and finally Steely helped Ness aboard. The small ship was cramped, and Kain kept shoving the Bengali to get some elbowroom. Ness wiggled into the seat next to the steering apparatus. "Alright, merry fellows, pray whatever prayers your gods deem necessary, for tonight we fly!" she cackled, and the vessel slowly floated away from the steamboat. Then, a fast and powerful glide, and they were well on their way towards their ultimate destination. No dinners were lost, though Steely seemed even more stiff-lipped than usual. Wraith looked at their ascent, and sternly turned away.
Slightly over an hour later, they had landed their craft next to one of the seemingly abandoned, rotted docks, and were now rapidly piling up leaves and such over it. The jungle seemed hot and moist, and strange sounds emanated from within. The sun's first rays were gleaming over the rippling sea when they had finished their task and distributed their weapons. No one had approached them so far, which worried Kain and Steely. "Right, let's talk strategy. The jew and manservant should stay close to anyone who can actually handle guns, and for fuck's sake everyone try and stay together. I reckon it'll be a day's hike through that bleedin' mess if we wants to get a look at what structures there are. Remember, this is strictly recon, if we finds anythin' offensive, we go back and get a small army on here. Everybody got all that?" Kain asked, and after a murmur of agreement they were off. Kain and Minx lead the bunch, cutting into the dense jungle as silently as they could, though Kain kept swearing profusely under his breath. Ness had suggested just burning their way through, but was shouted down by the more cautious, or sane, members of the party. All the way, the same queer shrieks and shouts could be ominously heard in the distance.
After trekking for some three hours, they spotted a couple of human figures running rapidly through the jungle only a few feet away, and Ziggy could swear he heard them giggling. Then, another pair chasing the first. "What in the blazes?" Kain managed, before all around them the jungle was filled with people. Most of them naked, some draped in colourful shreads of clothing or expensive, glittering jewelry, both sexes represented in nearly equal number, most seemed young and nubile or handsome, though some Steely could not believe to be a day older than 12, and some wrinkled forms suggested an age fast approaching 70. The bizarre congregation just smiled at the bewildered party, some gazing them as one might view a juicy steak. Then, a man of some 30 years of age slowly walked towards them. He wasn't strikingly handsome as some of the younger boys, but his face was adorned with a large, beautiful tattooed teardrop. Kain and Steely raised their guns, and found they were no longer holding them! Ziggy gasped in horror, but Loki and Ness seemed simply keenly interested. The man ceased his approach some ten paces away from them, and lifted his hands slightly, palms up, in what was probably intended as a gesture of peace. Kain tensed up, but Ness touched her hand on his elbow slightly, and he didn't move. Then Dread spoke up. "Greetings! We are explorers from London. Are you in charge of these people? Might I take a picture or two?" He was already lifting his camera. Kain rolled his eyes. The tattoeed man spoke softly. "On the island, everyone is responsible only for themselves, friend. Would you come with us?" Kain made fists. "Depends on where we goin', chief." The man regarded Kain with sharp eyes. "I am afraid I must insist. Your disposition seems less than friendly, with those instruments of destruction you carried." Kain frowned and took a step towards the man. "Listen, my disposition's 'bout to get a whole less agreeable lest you stop being so insistant!" The man, too, frowned. Then, a bright flash of light, and Ness found herself falling towards the jungle below. She saw another figure falling close by before she smashed into a tree, and the world faded away into blackness.
IX
She felt herself dragged across the dirt, and opened her eyes. The darkness of the jungle was even deeper, it must be night again, she reasoned. She ached all over, but didn't feel that anything was broken. The figure hauling her was female, but she could not make out much detail in the darkness. Their destination seemed to be a clearing not far away, where a couple of small torches shed a little red light into the blackness. Another slumped figure lay there. She moaned as they reached the edge of the clearing, and the woman turned. She was obviously older than Ness, but she had aged gracefully. Dressed scantily as the other ladies they had seen earlier, her bosom was covered entirely by golden necklaces, fitted with various glittering gems of all colours. Ness found herself liking this savage, though she was still cautious, recalling her previous encounter with the also beautiful sorceress. "You're awake then? Good, I was worried. Tear really doesn't think when he loses his nerve, the brash fool. What's your name, dear?" Ness shook her head, and got up to investigate the other she had seen. "I'm Ness. You? You're more friendly than previous island lady I met." She saw that the figure was Steely. He didn't seem severely injured, though unconscious. "He's fine, I think, but bumped his head pretty bad on the way down. You can call me GGT, dear. I heard you met Miang earlier. She's a sweetheart, really, but gets so terribly worked up sometimes. Doesn't want people intruding on our peace here. Are you hungry, dear? I have some fruits and rum." Ness shrugged, and they sat down next to Glint.
They chatted for a few hours, and built a small fire. Long, disjointed talks in a shared stream of consciousness, a truly surreal experience that Ness couldn't help but enjoy immensly. The rum warmed her, and she found she simply had to tear up her black, conventional dress to better cope with the hot damp air. Her black gloves she didn't remove. "So what is this island about, lady? Magicks and naked people running around? Have to confess, I did not really believe in magick and gremlins before, but now, well." GGT smiled, took another swig from the now nearly drained bottle. "Sweetie, this is the island of Doctor Momo. He's a clever man, and in here perception is reality. Simple as that. People are free from their inhibitions, restraints placed by conventional society. Most of us here are from what you would call civilization, but find that this is a better way. Imperialism, capitalism, it can't work dear, you know that." Ness stared into the distance for awhile, blankly. "No. But it doesn't work outside island, does it? Though there was Miang. Paradises never last, lady, and good leaders must die just like rest of us. What will happen after doctor dies? That is why we are here, you know. The island is affront to civilization you mention. Can not have people escaping their toils, work must be done. Many must suffer for few to live in luxury." She reached, and GGT handed her the bottle. She also took a drink, and tossed the empty bottle into the jungle. It vanished before leaving the clearing. "No, dear, it won't work outside the island, except in special cases. Miang had to take one of the doctor's moon crystals, and she very nearly used all of it. Does it matter, dear? We are here, and all is well. The doctor won't allow harm to come to his island." Ness snorted, and gently kicked Glint in the ribs. He moaned, and opened his eyes. After introductions, they decide to continue their trek towards the doctor's palace. They only had two nights left now.
Again the light of morning was upon them, when they met Minx and Ziggy wandering through the jungle. "Herr Ziggy! Have you seen others?" GGT and Minx smiled incessantly at each other. "No, miss, we both found ourselves on the beach, nowhere near your flying contraption. We've been following those giggling naked runners, trying to find some sense in this bloody place." "Sense you will not find here, good sir. These savages are obviously living in utter decadent chaos. Despicable!" Steely replied, as they continued their trip. GGT just smiled and said nothing. After another hour or so they decided to stop and rest. They were eating the rest of GGT's fruit when Kain emerged from the jungle, with a petite, gorgeous redheaded native, who kept playing with Kain's ear. The soldier was grinning widely, and was wearing nothing save his tattered, filthy pants. "Hey there chaps! This place is grand! I say we ought to just stay, eh?" The redhead giggled, and began fiddling with Kain's chest hair. They sat down, and the native introduced herself as Lolli. Minx went off to gather more fruit, and Steely quite firmly kept his eyes away from the topless woman. "Colonel, I take it you have not met others either? Kike and Loki are still missing", Ness asked. Kain struggled to turn his eyes away from the pretty little thing, and said he had left Loki in one of the orgy huts in the village, with 3 tall negro women. Dread he had not seen. He wouldn't go back to the village with them, indicating instead his desire to copulate some more with his most recent conquest. Surprisingly, Lolli was the one who urged him to take them back to the village. "We should all go see the doctor now. And I miss my wives, Kainy, I'm sure you'll just adore them all!" she giggled. And so they departed, the remains of their motley crew, to meet their host.
X
It didn't take them long to emerge at the outskirts of the village. A truly unique sight, the structures alternated between modern houses, African-style huts and mere tents. Hundreds of people were bustling in the surprisingly large metropolis, most of them not taking any notice of our heroes. GGT hugged Ness and even Steely, before he managed to stop her, and excused herself into one of the houses. Lolli indicated the road to the palace, and took Kain by the arm, leading him into one of the larger houses. Some young, giggling women had noticed the darker Minx and the smiling Bengali allowed himself to be lead into one of the huts, shrugging helplessly at the party. Glint seemed shocked at the outrageous behaviour, but Ziggy just grinned at Ness, who too was smiling slightly. "Just us then, gentlemen. Let us go and see Doctor. What else is there, at this point?" she asked, and began walking down the road Lolli had shown them. Ziggy and Steely followed, politely and in Steely's case quite firmly declining the natives' invitations.
The palace resembled Spanish architecture from a few centuries ago, sitting on a small hill and surrounded by a multitude of torches, burning in all the colours of the rainbow. The day was turning into night, and the colours flickering and playing on the white walls made the whole scene look liquid, flowing. Ziggy sighed in amazement, and even Glint raised an eyebrow. Ness smiled, and walked up to the large wooden doors. As they approached, the doors swung open without a sound. The interior was dimly lit, with blue and purple torches sparsely set on the walls. The floors were carpeted, and paintings, murals and brightly coloured blankets dominated the walls. They walked along the hallways, following the sounds of conversation and laughter, and found themselves in a large room, filled with groups of half a dozen people or so, eating, laughing, singing, having sex. There were large bronze vats here and there, with coloured fires burning inside, and people roasting meat and fruit over them. Near the back wall there was a large seat, a veritable throne, upon which was seated a beautiful, serene man, whose toned body was painted in a myriad of colours, red being the dominant one. Wearing only black short pants, he was surrounded by thin young men and women, each prettier than the next. Steely was reeling from the carnal display around them. Ziggy simply joined one of the chattering groups and began eating some fried meat on a stick. Ness spotted a bewildered Dread in the middle of a small group of laughing, nude youngsters. Ness looked around for a while, grabbed a small apple and ate it as she walked up to the painted man. "Doctor Momo, I presume?" He smiled, and nodded. He indicated a couple of chairs nearby with a sweep of his hand, and Ness sat down, folding her hands on her lap. Steely, still looking about in disdain, finally sat down as well, looking stoic.
"So. Now I find myself without most of my group, and do not quite know what to do next. Tell me, good Doctor, what is going on here?" Ness asked. She noticed Miang standing a few meters away from them, completely ignoring their presence. Momo smiled, whispered something to one of the young ladies, and leaned towards Ness and Steely. "Well, I bid you all welcome to my paradise. I see your friend does not appreciate it, however. You are all free to leave, if that is your desire, of course. What is going on here? What people want. They've let go of their foolish inhibitions, and learned to realize who they are and what they desire, and they are not afraid of making it happen. Do you truly wish to see it all end, my friend?" He smiled his calm smile, and looked at them both with his large, bright eyes. Steely spoke up. "Yes! This is an affront, good sir, to King and country! People ought not behave in this heathen fashion!" Ness touched his arm slightly. "Doctor, my friend here is proud Englishman, they have their own ideas. Personally I do not care either way, your island seems nice and people enjoy themselves. I agreed to work for mining corporation because I needed help constructing my vessel, materials and funding. Mercenaries, all of us, now taken in by your people. But they will come, doktor, with armies and bombs. What they cannot understand they destroy. For diamonds must come, money must circulate." Ness looked blankly the doctor.
"What a sad way to look at life! Darling, on my island people's perception and will shape the reality around them. The world is what you make of it! This place is open to all those who wish to come and find themselves. But I will not permit anyone to harm my creatures. You've already seen what Miang could do, and there are others, like Tear, and Angel here", he indicated one of the ladies to on his side, "and young Mnemo whom I just sent to see if the rest of your group are available. We are quite capable of defending ourselves, miss." Ness shook her head. "No, herr doktor. You cannot fight everyone. If you wish to survive, I suggest you use your power to disappear. Make island invisible." The doctor smiled. "But the cat is out of the bag, darling. Your presence here means that our existence is no longer a secret. How would becoming invisible help now?" The young woman returned, with only Minx. "Ah, there now. As you say, two of your companions have chosen instead to remain here. And why shouldn't they? Consider, for example, my dear Angel, an artiste extraordinaire, a woman most charming through the power of will alone!" Steely looked taken aback. "Doctor, was it really necessary?" "Doktor, I am sure your island is very fabulous, and life of hedonistic excess is certainly goal in life for most people, and why not? However, some of us must go. You could use your powers to create illusion of massive explosion, da? For our ship to see? We could lie back in London, say we destroyed you, accidentally perhaps. Maybe return later." Steely was shocked. "Miss, why in God's name would you suggest such a thing?" Ness turned to him. "Do you wish to see all these people dead? Make no mistake, that is what would happen. This would be nice place to retire to, maybe herr doktor could teach me magick. I need your word, as gentleman, you will comply with this, otherwise I will not fly you back to ship, nyet?" Steely fumed, but had to agree. "What about you, little man? Ladies not please you enough?" she asked Minx. "Sahiba, this is a place of wonder, to be sure, but it is also a place where disease does not exist. I am not needed here, my place is out there, where I can help others." She snorted at him. "To each their own. Doktor, do we have deal?" Momo nodded. "Of you, my fellow doctor, I would ask a favour. Spread the word of my island to those whom you can trust with the information. This paradise is open to all who wish it." Minx smiled and agreed.
XI
Around midnight the trio had found their way back to their glider, and were preparing to leave. Tear and Miang were standing on the beach a bit further away, prepared for their part. "Alright boys, get in. Remember, we are only survivors. Throw some of explosives out, so we can say we used it." They hauled a few crates out, and Ness signaled Tear, who promtly made the boxes vanish. Ness shook her head and entered the glider after the men. Minx was sitting silent, deep in thought, staring out at the black darkness of the jungle. Steely was grim and stoic, sitting in a corner and purpotedly not looking at his former companions. Ness dragged a crate next to him, and sat down.
"Listen. What I proposed may be out of self-interest, but you are not savage, da? You do not wish needless death? You know I am right, these people would all be killed if corporations find out. There is no other way. I can not make certain you will honour your word, but if you return here with your employer, either of them herr Glint, for do not take me for fool, no Secret Serviceman of Crown would defect, this I know! If you return with either, I will be on other side with magickians, to preserve place for myself to die in. Indicate to me you agree or I shoot you now and dump corpse on foreign soil. You wish to see beloved Albion once more, nyet?" Steely met her cold gaze with at least equal coolness, and ever so slightly nodded. Ness returned the gesture, got up and without saying another word she activated the glider. In moments they were arcing away from the shore of that mysterious island. No one looked, but Minx smiled his little solemn smile as he looked back once more, possibly pondering in his mind if he'd ever return.
When they reached the old position of Wraith's vessel, the sky behind them was lit up in a blaze reminiscient of the dawn herself. A few seconds later a deafening roar overcame the glider, which shook violently and nearly plummeted to the ocean beneath. "Bloody magickians, illusions should not be this noisy!" Ness swore under her breath as she struggled to keep the glider under her control. Not long after they saw in the opposite direction the searchlights of the steamship. The explosion had not been missed by Wraith's men. In less than half an hour, they had reached the ship and Ness gently eased the glider onto the deck. As they opened the hatch, an uncharacteristically excited Wraith stood to meet them. Shocked to see that the party had been reduced to a mere three, he demanded to know what had happened. Minx and Ness wove a fanciful tale of desperate battles in a misty, dark jungle against an uncountable number of opponents lurking behind each shadow and leaf, and how only the three of them had managed to finally escape after numerous ambushes and over the screams of dying comrades. Their tale told, all three quickly excused themselves to their respective quarters, citing their shock over all that had transpired, and Wraith did not disagree with any conviction.
The following morning Wraith took the ship closer to shore, and inspected with both telescope and Zephyr the remains of the island from a respectful distance. To an outside observer, it seemed as if most of the shoreline structures had been reduced to rubble or burned down, and most of the jungle was still ablaze, and a thick, heavy pillar of smoke rose from the island's middle to the skies as far as the eye could see. Satisfied that there was nothing left but a crater, and the colony destroyed, the captain commanded to take course back to England. Mainly an uneventful voyage, Minx amused himself every so often with the Alberbot, while Steely mainly secluded himself from all others, pacing back and forth the decks through endless black nights, and closing himself to his cabin during the days. Ness focused on building more gear and stacking it into the glider in the dead of night, concealed from most prying eyes. Finally, the night had come that they would sail to the docks of London. Ness came up the the upper deck and found Steely staring at the city lights over the railing. She walked up next to him and commented on the colourful lights. For a moment Glint said nothing, but then turned slightly towards her and spoke up. "You have no reason to believe me, but I have decided to do as you ask. However, this means I would be betraying the trust of my employers, and as you so astutely observed, this is not something I would do willingly. Hence, I have chosen to offer my resignation to the Crown. To be frank, I do not know what I shall do with myself after." Ness turned from the lights of the city and touched Steely's arm with her gloved hand briefly. "Do not rush to action. Things are in motion that herr Blade did not disclose to everyone, there might come a day when I and certain others will need man with access to Crown's records. I will have to deal with some business first, but come to Hyde park on the coming Sunday afternoon, three days from now, and I will try to meet you there. Now I must run, before we are too close to docks. Three days, herr Glint!", and with that, she ran back to the lower deck, skirts flowing, and before any of the crewmen preparing for docking could react, jumped into the glider, snapped the hatch shut and took off, quickly flying back towards the black skies over the sea. Wraith's men tried to man and fire both conventional and Martian hybrid weapons, but to no avail. She had stolen the corporation's only Martian glider, a massive stockpile of weaponry, and the only plans to most of the gadgets. Mister Blade would not be pleased.
XII
"Ah, mister Glint, do come in." Steely stepped into M's office, a small but tastefully decorated room. On one of the walls was that infamous stuffed mammoth head. The secretaries had dubbed it the Big Fuzzy, and from this certain agents had taken to calling M the Little Fuzzy, though never inside the offices. These thoughts raced through Glint's mind, but of course did not stir his serious expression. "Thank you, sir" he offered, and without waiting for an invite sat down on one of the chairs before M's desk. "Yes, good, do take a seat. I had a change to glance at your hastily written report, I do expect you to tidy it up for the archives, though I must say it did convey all the necessary information for our purposes, mister Glint. Do you have anything else to offer that the Crown might find of interest in this case?" Steely sat motionless, as if deep in reflection, and finally shook his head. With a wave of his cigar-wielding, plump hand, M dismissed Glint with many words of thanks, all of them insincere, Steely was certain. As he later in the evening left the building, his paperwork complete, he decided to walk back to his apartment. There was soft rain in the cool autumn air, and he welcomed the cool touch on his face. Indeed he had hoped to see Albion once more, her gentle rolling hills and the sheer feel of civilization around him. Yet, now that he was here, he could not glean from it the comfort he had always loved. The skies seemed darker now. It had not been that long ago that the skies had been painted red and orange with the fires of burning English countryside, set ablaze by sparks struck with inhuman hands. And now they were using the spoils of that foul Martian invasion to hold on to the Empire. Was this what he had signed up for? These and other troubled thoughts hounded him that night, as it had on most nights after their departure. Images of burnt children.
Three mostly sleepless nights later, it was Sunday afternoon, and he was sitting on a bench in Hyde Park as agreed. Though he could hardly believe it himself. He looked at the people as they walked past, how their daily toils and courtesies seemed false to him. This autumn seemed far grayer than any that he could remember. Perhaps nothing would ever be the same. The cold breeze played with the fallen leaves around him and ruffled his hair. He raised his collar and pondered how much longer he should stay. It didn't seem likely Rand's people would give up on their priceless technology that easily, and she was but a woman, after all. Hysterical little things, their emotions flinging them both this way and that at the drop of a hat. Though he could not forget the calm in her voice as she offered to shoot him, nor her expression as she walked away from the fat drug lord. Perhaps...
He was startled as a hand softly touched his shoulder from behind. "Herr Glint. Good. I was afraid you would not be able to make it." She walked around the bench and sat down beside him, caped nearly head to toe in heavy black furs, wearing a broad hat and a widow's veil over her face, and her black gloves as usual. She smiled at him briefly and joylessly, and turned to stare at the play of the leaves. He did the same. After a while he could resist no longer, and asked, "And now?" The crowds had began to disperse, night was slowly falling. She sighed. "Herr Glint, things are worse than I feared. Several organizations and governments are in possession of Martian devices, and Amerika is threatening to break away from their isolationist ways if Europe erupts into battlefield. Your Britain is at disadvantage, however. What I did not tell Blade's people, the Kaiser's institutes, they have more than spoils of war. There are Martian agents on Earth. In Kaisserreich, I am certain, but perhaps in Russia as well. Soon dogs of war will slip loose, as they say, and all the world stands to burn. There are people who would see something done to prevent this, and have employed me. My task now is to find out if you will work with us. Against the Crown, you understand, herr Glint." Steely expressed his disgust at her mercenary ways, but after some thought he agreed. "Miss, are we to work alone?" Ness smiled, and shook her head. "Nyet, herr Glint. After such resounding success, I persuade employers to let us gather new, shall we say, League? I will contact you tomorrow, for we have much to do!" Steely, too, smiled briefly, and offered her his hand. Startled, she smiled again, removed her glove, and placed her pale hand ever so briefly in his. Without another word, they parted ways. Somewhere in the outskirts of London, a busy Bengali doctor paused his work with the ailing momentarily, and found a letter in his pocket. On the envelope was only the insignia he had seen once before, over Dr. Momo's throne. He smiled, and opened it.
In case anyone wanted to see it again, I'm guessing it'll be removed from the old joint eventually, the way things are going. 
