Alien Devices: Tesla joins crew to prevent alien zombie apocalypse (The Secret War Book 2) (13 page)

Abigail opened her mouth to make a polite disclaimer, and then
closed it again. What Tesla had said was simply the truth. Baring the presence
of her father as main discoverer, by every convention of the Scholar community
she was the leader of the scientific aspects of the expedition. An expedition
that would change the world. With Nikola Tesla watching her.  She reached for a
bracing sip of tea to hide her discomfort at the realization.

“That brings us to you,” Hunting Owl said, frowning at Madame
Chang. 

“Do you wish me to bare my arm to your knife, Captain Hunting
Owl?” Chang gave a small upturn of her lips.

“Not right now,” Will shook his head. “I figure that if you
start flying around or bending steel bars with your hands, I might change my
mind.  No, you said that you could interpret the picture that Abigail's father
left for her.”

“I can if it is what I believe it to be,” Chang said. “I would
need to see it, of course.”

“Of course, and that's one of my problems with you,” Will said
evenly. “I've never met a crime ganger what didn't have their eye on some
payoff. What's yours?” He held up a hand. “And don't tell me that it's because
you have some great admiration for a white-eyed Scholar, no matter what he may
have confided to you.”

“I see that my reputation has preceded me,” Chang said
ruefully. “Very well, Captain Hunting-Owl. Although I hold great. . .affection
for Robert, the evil beings you have fought and the Great One has described,” Here
she nodded her head at Tesla, “are my enemies as well as yours, and must be
stopped.” When she didn't continue, Will spoke into her silence.

“So you know about them too,” Will said, narrowing his eyes at
her. Seeing her expression remain unchanged, Hunting Owl continued. “And you're
not going to share what you know?”

“I may not, Captain,” Chang said. Will almost could almost
believe the motherly regret in her face at that answer. Almost.

“So 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' is the way of it,”
Will said to her.

“Exactly,” Chang inclined her head. “And Captain, what other
choice do you have?”

“She is unfortunately correct, Will” Abigail said, with a note
of pleading in her voice.

Will reached down and opened a drawer in his desk. He pulled
out the map case that Abigail had entrusted to him earlier. Wordlessly, he moved
aside the tray with the teapot and plates, and spread the picture out. Chang
leaned closer to look at it.

“Yes,” Chang hissed. “This is a type of drawing we call a
'mandala'. While they generally depict spiritual stories, they can also tell
the story of travelers. It is often done to commemorate a great journey.”

“We have them in India as well,” Saira interjected. “But I am
not familiar with the symbols on this one.” Chang waved away her comment,
studying the picture with concentration.

“You would not be,” Chang said. “See,” she pointed to a
depiction of what could be a tower inside a circle surrounded by spirit beings.
“This is Hong Kong.” Her finger moved across the scroll. “This is what is
called the Yellow River.”

Will reached to the shelf at his side and pulled out a map of
China. He unrolled it next to the mandala. 

“Keep talking, Chang,” Will said. Rogers leaned over Wills
shoulder with a pencil in hand.

After an hour of Chang talking, with questions from Rogers, and
with occasional help from Guang, Will pointed with his pencil at a spot on the
map of China.

“So, we're talking somewhere here, at the foot of the Yangtze
Hills,” Will said. 

“That still leaves us quite an area to search,” Rogers
commented dryly. “Pity that the picture there doesn't give us a solid latitude
and longitude.”

“Given how far it is, I am guessing about two days or
thereabouts,” Will said. “That is, if we do not run into any trouble.”

“I concur,” Rogers said. “With your permission Captain, I will
start running a plot.”

“Do so in a moment Lawrence,” Will folded his map up for Rogers
to take away. Will looked at the rest of the room. In the hard glare from the
overhead light tube, Tesla, and Abigail were looking done in.

“I think that we are done for the evening,” Will announced to
them all. He looked at Chang, “We'll see if what you've given us turns out to
be useful.”

“You are welcome Captain,” Chang replied.

“As you say, 'the enemy of my enemy’.” Will stared at her for a
moment.

“Aiya, maybe,” Will allowed.  He then turned to Saira who was
still standing near the other woman. “Saira here will see you to somewhere you
can doss down,” the Captain said. “You will be locked in. Someone will always
be with you as escort when you are called for. You try to get out on our own.”
He moved his shoulders slightly, “you will likely get killed.”

“Why, Captain,” Chang remarked mildly, “You make it sound as if
I am a prisoner.”

“Let us say that I want no misunderstandings,” Hunting Owl
finally answered. “I am not partial to people who were looking at killing me a
few hours ago running around loose on my ship.” Chang spread her hands.

“I have already apologized for that Captain,” Chang said. “As I
explained, I thought that you were holding Lady Hadley under duress.”

“Like I said,” Will repeated, the steel evident in his voice, “no
misunderstandings.”

“As you wish,” Chang stood. Saira rose to her feet at the same
time. “I am fatigued,” the old woman said.

“This way then,” Saira said, pointing at the door. 

“Lawrence, will you see that Guang here also gets a place,”
Will directed. “Maybe have Tiku show him where?” Guang reacted to this by
rising to his feet.

“I will remain where you say, Captain,” the former bodyguard
said.  Guang rendered a bow towards him. “So that there are no
misunderstandings, of course.” Will nodded.

“Appreciate it,” the Captain said dryly. “If I am doing you
wrong, consider that I am apologizing in advance.”

“My thanks again, Captain, for allowing me to stay,” Guang
nodded. “No apologies are needed.”  He left with Rogers.

  “Abigail, stay a minute,” Will said, as Tesla and Abigail
started to leave. “Tesla, you mind waiting on the Bridge for a moment?” Hunting
Owl asked. 

“Of course, Captain,” Tesla said readily. “And may I also offer
my thanks for your decisions tonight.”

“How long do you think it will take you to do whatever it is
that you need to do for the plague thing?” Will asked the Savant.  Tesla's
mustache twitched.

“The detector is relatively simple,” Tesla said. “With Lady
Hadley's aid, it should be ready later tomorrow, perhaps. I do believe that it
is considerably after midnight by now.”

“Yeah,” Will allowed, “Sorry to keep you up. I will have
Abigail show you to a bed shortly.”

With a bow, the Savant left the cabin, leaving the two of them
sitting across from each other. Will looked seriously at Abigail, noting the
strain in the woman's face.

“As I said, it's been a hell of a day,” Will said. “How are you
holding up?” He poured a drink in a clean glass and held it out to her.

“No, thank you.” Abigail waved her hand in refusal of the
proffered drink, straightening up in her chair. “I am disappointed that we have
not found Lord Hadley of course,” she said. “I believe that Tesla is correct
that my father has returned to the site of the discovery. I am chagrined that I
did not think of it myself.”

“We will find him,” Will said gently. “You have said how other
things are. How are you doing? Shakes? Heart pounding suddenly? Dry mouth?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Abigail said. She stood up shakily, and licked
her lips. “I should get to Tesla. He will not know what to make of things
aboard ship, I am sure. Speaking of which, where should I guide him to?”

“Abigail,” Will began to offer to her that everyone had
reactions to their first combat and then stopped. Thinking better of what he
was going to say, he shrugged and downed the glass of rum he still held in his
hand. If that is how she wanted to be, he thought, he was not going to
interfere with her British 'stiff-whatever' act. Everybody dealt with death and
combat in different ways. She had done well enough tonight that he figured she
had earned the right to try dealing with it in her own way. He sat the glass
down hard and looked up at her.

“Put him in the cabin across from yours,” Will ordered. “That’s
Jarro's doss. I will let him know.”

“Thank you, Captain Hunting Owl,” Abigail smiled feebly. “Thank
you for everything that you have done,” she said. “I do not know how else I
should have survived today. I am in your debt.” Will gave her a tired grin at
this.

“We aim to please, Lady Abigail,” Will said. “You're more than
welcome.” Abigail nodded again and walked towards the door. Before she could
reach for the handle, Will called out to her.

“Abigail,” he said softly. Abigail stopped before opening the
door, not turning at his voice. Will noticed her shoulders twitch upwards. “You
did as well as any air devil I've ever seen today. Get some sleep if you can.”
Still facing the door, her shoulders relaxed as she replied. 

“Thank you,” Abigail said. “I believe that I shall. It has been
a most tiring day. Goodnight, Captain.” She opened the door and the sounds of
the Bridge filtered in to Will. The rumble quietened again as she closed the
door without looking back.

“Goodnight, Abigail,” Hunting Owl replied to the closed door.
Everyone dealt with fire in their own way, Will reflected moodily. He only
hoped the experience wouldn't cripple her. He recalled his own scars, and then
poured another drink into the glass and drained it. Setting the glass down, he reached
for the drawer where he kept his pipe and tobacco. 

Tomorrow, he had to deal again with the highest toff Savant in
the world. Will could probably just wave good-bye to his own life if Tesla came
to any harm on his watch. It would save the governments of the world the
trouble of a firing squad, he reflected.

He also had to deal with a motherly seeming crime boss who Will
would bet was not what she said she was. They also needed to find an Invader
thingamajig that could either be the best-thing-that-had-ever-happened to the
world, or the worst kind of menace. If it turned out to be the latter, they’d
need to destroy it. Will sighed. But that was tomorrow. Tonight he would offer
smoke to the spirits in thanks, and ready himself for the coming fight. Surely
they were a long way from done with this mess.

Chapter 15

A
bigail looked out at the false dawn and
huddled in her coat.
The wind seemed frigid after the heat of her tiny
cabin. At least the air here was fresh, unlike the fetid soup of Hong Kong. She
found the cold air was gradually clearing the cobwebs from her head. 

Abigail had settled Tesla into the cabin across from her. She
had been surprised to find that the giant with the fearsome tattoos kept a very
neat cabin, hung about with decorative netting draped from the walls, and
beautiful pictures showing the sea. Tesla had taken advantage of their
aloneness to ask about her knowledge and experiences of the
Wind Dancer
and her crew.   He was a quite good listener and had not interrupted her during
her story. When she had finished telling him how she had come to be involved
with them, he frowned.

“So,” Tesla said, “Your own experience with them is only a
couple of weeks old? I believe that you understand the implications of what we
are about.  Do you trust them, Lady Hadley?” His gaze had turned intense as he
asked the question

“Yes,” Abigail had responded without thinking or hesitation. “Yes,
I do,” she repeated. They are,” she searched for the right words in her
exhaustion. She came back to the conclusion she had in the hotel dining room
with Preemus/Bardon. Had it really only been earlier in the day? It felt as if
years had passed.  “They are true,” Abigail finished. She brushed the tendrils
of hair from her face.

“They are,” Abigail said, “as you have seen. Ruthless killers
when attacked.  They are not, however, in my experience dishonest or
duplicitous. If Captain Hunting Owl has given his word that the
Wind Dancer
will aid us, we need fear no betrayal.” Her hand clenched as she forced down
the memories that others could now say that she was also a ruthless killer.

“Then the Captain's mercenary dealing is only a front,” Tesla's
mustache quivered in thought. 

“Oh no,” Abigail laughed. “I do not doubt that Cap'n Will means
to extract everything that you have agreed to. But he will never give less than
full measure on whatever he has agreed to in return.” She paused again. “I have
found that he, like the others of the crew, are unexpectedly generous to those
of good intentions. As I have said, they are ruthless to those of ill intent.”

“You almost make them sound like knights-errant rather than
mercenaries,” Tesla harrumphed.

“Perhaps,” she allowed upon consideration. “Perhaps that is as
good a description as any. Although,” she paused to stifle a yawn with her
hand, “forgive me. I doubt that any of them would be found in holy orders.” 
She remembered what Saira had said about being a priestess, but a priestess of
what? Abigail was far from superstitious, but what she had seen Saira turn into
at the tower terrified some primal part of her soul that she could not quiet.
Tesla looked at her with a somewhat softer expression.

“You are fatigued, Lady Hadley,” the Savant said, “and I have
kept you talking. Thank you. You have set my mind at ease. I will send you to
your rest now, and I shall do the same.”      

She had crossed the hall to what she now thought of as 'her' cabin.
She undressed, climbing into the narrow bed. She had forgotten how the faint
vibrations of the engines felt so reassuring.