The Steampunk Detective (14 page)

Jack sat on the bench next to Mr Doyle. His eyes roamed about the interior of the cell.

Scarlet looks tired
, he thought. But she looks defiant. She’s an amazing girl. Her father looks worried. Mr Harker looks irritated.

Now Jack’s eyes turned to the man who had led him into the chamber. He was tall, with black hair and a thin black moustache. He wore a grey suit and spindly wire glasses.

Mr Doyle leant back on the bench and folded his legs. “Will you be so kind as to tell Mr Griffin that Ignatius Doyle is requesting the pleasure of his company?”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “We will be asking the questions. You will do the answering.”

“And I will happily supply the answers,” Mr Doyle replied calmly. “But only to Mr Griffin.”

The man frowned and left the room. The metal door was closed and bolted behind him.

“Where are we?” Scarlet asked. “Who are these men?”

“We are one hundred feet below the Tower of London,” Ignatius Doyle explained.

“How do you know?” Jon Harker asked, astonished.

“It is simplicity itself. I have based my assumption on the hours travelled, the differences in road quality, the sounds from outside the truck and smells ranging from the fish market to a tannery three blocks from here.” He looked at each of their faces in turn. “I know of only one place which fulfils all those conditions. We are in the underground headquarters of British Military Intelligence, known commonly as MI5.”

“MI5?” Joseph Bell repeated. “What could they possibly want with us?”

Mr Doyle laughed. “Surely that is obvious. They want to know everything we know about the growing Nazi threat. In addition, they want to know about Phoenix.”

“Phoenix?” Jack asked. “Is that a type of bird?”

“It is indeed, my boy,” Mr Doyle nodded. “In fact, its claim to fame is its ability to rise from the ashes. However, it is also the name of a secret society. One that has existed for centuries.”

Upon saying this, he looked directly at the other two men.

Joseph Bell twisted uncomfortably on the bench. “Those answers will be forthcoming, I promise.”

Mr Harker frowned at him. “Silence is our –.”

“The time has come,” Mr Bell said, “for the truth to be told.”

“I must agree with Mr Bell, father,” Lucy Harker said. “You have lived a secret life all these years. Now I must know the truth. You are not associated with these Nazis, surely?”

“Of course not,” Jon Harker blustered. “They are another matter entirely.”

Joseph Bell interrupted. “But before we get to that, I must ask how Mr Doyle was able to find and coordinate our rescue.”

Mr Doyle nodded. “I am happy to relate the details.” He formed a steeple with his fingers and looked over at the men. “After the airship took off from the London metrotower with Scarlet, Jack and yourself aboard, Lucy and I retrieved my airship – the Lion’s Mane – and followed you.

“I had caused a hole in the side of the Nazi ship and I knew it would have to land to either make repairs or be abandoned. We searched the countryside and finally located the vessel.

“Unfortunately I found the airship had not only been abandoned, but it had been torched and destroyed. I admit I was rather baffled as to how to proceed until events took a turn for the better – we were set upon and kidnapped.”

“By whom?” Scarlet asked.

“By members of the Phoenix Society.”

Both Mr Bell and Mr Harker looked at each other.

“Your organisation had obviously become desperate for knowledge,” Ignatius Doyle told the two men. “I was happy for us to be captured as I was just as eager for information as they were.

“We were taken aboard a steam ship which quickly set sail from the west coast. We were questioned at intervals regarding our knowledge of Phoenix and the Nazis. Fortunately, we were able to convince them of our ignorance. As night fell, I was able to facilitate our escape from our holding cell. We set a fire to create a diversion. While the crew were busy putting out the fire, Lucy and I went to the bridge.

“Lucy found a map indicating the location of the Nazi hideout. We climbed onto the deck where the steam helicopter was in the process of lifting off. We overpowered the pilots and took over the flying machine.

“As you can imagine, it was a rather bumpy ride.” Mr Doyle smiled at the thought. “However, we were able to navigate our way to the island without too many problems. We had landed on the beach and begun a search of the island when we discovered you.”

“An amazing tale,” Mr Bell said, shaking his head.

“Now the time has come for you to speak to us of Phoenix,” Mr Doyle said. “Or perhaps you may wait a moment. It sounds like our kind host has arrived.”

The door was unlocked and a young man, completely bald with an angular face and grey eyes entered. He shook his head in amazement at seeing Mr Doyle.

“Well, bless me,” he said with a wry smile. “I never thought I would see you behind bars.”

“A momentary slip-up on MI5’s part,” Ignatius Doyle remarked. He turned to the others. “Allow me introduce you to Thomas Griffin.”

The others nodded in his direction.

“Mr Griffin is the invisible man of MI5,” Mr Doyle continued. “He heads up most of the field work for the organisation.”

“How do you gentlemen know each other?” Scarlet asked.

“A small matter involving a diamond, a purple parrot and a man with a false leg,” Mr Doyle explained.

“Not so small,” Mr Griffin said. “If it weren’t for Mr Doyle, a murderer would have escaped and the crown jewels would now be residing in Russia.” He sat down on the edge of the table. “But to other matters. It is vitally important that you give me whatever information you have concerning the Phoenix Society. Our nation’s security – and indeed that of the world – is relying on you.”

“Phoenix has always been an organisation dedicated to peace,” Mr Bell said.

Jon Harker looked ready to explode. “You must remain silent,” he told Mr Bell. “Outsiders cannot be brought into our private affairs.”

“Outsiders already have been,” Mr Bell said angrily. “The Nazis have already infiltrated Phoenix and the society is too disjointed to do anything. We must marshal our resources in order to stop them.”

“I cannot help you,” Mr Harker said quietly.

“Then don’t!” Mr Bell snapped. “I, for one, am prepared to do my duty.”

Joseph Bell looked at each inhabitant of the room, one by one. Finally his eyes settled on his daughter’s face. “First, I must apologise to my daughter. Scarlet, I am sorry for having deceived you all these years. I promise you good intentions lay at the heart of my deceit.”

“Let the truth be told now, father,” Scarlet said.

Joseph Bell nodded. “It began with Leonardo da Vinci.”

“The painter?” Jack asked.

“Yes, the painter,” Mr Bell confirmed. “But he was much more. An artist. An inventor. A scientist. He studied anatomy and botany, the flight of birds, the action of the waves. He was interested in geology, mathematics, cartography. His mind never stopped working. He truly was the renaissance man.”

“But what is your connection with Leonardo?” Lucy Harker leant forward.

“When he died a number of associates – the chief one being his favourite pupil, Francesco Metzi, mourned his loss and vowed his work would continue.”

“But how could it?” Jack asked. “He was dead.”

“Leonardo was dead, but not the passion for knowledge he had instilled in others,” Joseph Bell said. “Metzi could see the genius of Leonardo where other men could not. He was the first to realise that Leonardo truly was one of the greatest geniuses who had ever lived. It could be centuries before others realised the true worth of Leonardo – if ever.

“And so the Phoenix Society was born.

“The first member, of course, was Francesco Metzi. He sought out other men of his age who were prepared to assist.”

“Assist him? How?” Scarlet asked.

“Leonardo left copious notes. Thousands of pages of diagrams and inventions, theories and ideas. Metzi needed men to continue Leonardo’s work, to help him build the devices that Leonardo had designed. To help nourish the many seeds that Leonardo had planted.”

Mr Griffin frowned. “But no–one has ever built any of da Vinci’s creations.”

Joseph Bell gave a wry smile. “Not publicly. No. Metzi and the other members of the Phoenix Society knew how dangerous those creations could be in the wrong hands.”

“What creations?” Thomas Griffin asked, frowning.

“Leonardo designed dozens of inventions made for war. The machine gun. Cluster bombs. Scythed chariots. Giant crossbows. Tanks. And he came up with the idea of flight centuries before anyone else.”

“And I thought he was just a painter,” Jack said.

“Leonardo was a genius, a man of many ideas,” Mr Bell said. “But he had little in the way of funds to make his dreams a reality. This was Francesco Metzi’s goal. To build those inventions, but to keep them secret at all costs.”

“But why?” Scarlet asked. “Why build them if they were not to be used.”

“Because the human race was not ready,” Mr Bell explained. “Can you imagine if the machine gun were in use centuries ago? Or powered flight? Or tanks? We probably would have bombed ourselves back to the stone age by now.”

“But most of those inventions now exist,” Mr Doyle pointed out. “Surely they can no longer threaten the human race?”

“The Phoenix Society succeeded in developing Leonardo’s creations – but then we went further. The society continued to work in secret, building and designing and all the time learning.”

“You can’t mean they have inventions more powerful than we have today?” Mr Griffin asked.

“More powerful? No,” Mr Bell’s face clouded over. “
Infinitely
more powerful. Today’s technology is like the medieval ages as compared to the weaponry of the society.”

“I find this hard to believe,” Mr Griffin said. “Do you have any proof?”

“The proof is all around you,” Mr Bell said. “You saw the helicopter?”

“My men told me about it.”

“And you are familiar with Milverton’s bacteria?”

“Of course. You’re not saying Milverton –.”

“Of course he was part of the society,” Mr Bell said impatiently. “But he broke away and published his findings. His discovery, Milverton’s bacteria, was centuries ahead of our modern day technology. And Partington’s submarine.”

“But both those men –.”

“Are dead.” Joseph Bell did not speak for a moment.

“But surely the society did not have them killed,” Mr Griffin said.

“No.” Mr Bell shook his head. “Murder was not the way of the society. Only the eternal quest for scientific knowledge. And for centuries the promise of secrecy has been kept. But men like Milverton and Partington and others craved for more than knowledge. They wanted the money and recognition that releasing the inventions would bring. And so they sought a special dispensation for the release of selected inventions on the proviso that the money would be shared among all the members of the society.”

“Milverton’s Bacteria is used by every country across the globe,” Mr Doyle said. “The income for him and his estate has been considerable.”

“Many thousands of dollars, I would imagine,” Scarlet said.

“Many
millions
of dollars,” Jon Harker corrected her. “The bacteria has changed our world forever. It made me and Joseph and many others immensely rich.”

“Except there was a problem,” Mr Doyle said.

Mr Bell nodded. “Indeed. Allowing Milverton and Partington to release the inventions was like the crack in a dam. Knowledge of the society began to leak to outsiders.”

“I imagine you’re speaking about the Nazi’s,” Thomas Griffin said.

“Tragically, yes,” Mr Bell confirmed. “Somehow they found about the Society. They murdered both Milverton and Partington for information. They then kidnapped both myself and Jon.”

“And you told them,” Jon Harker said, shaking his head. “You told them.”

“I had to,” Mr Bell snapped. “They threatened Scarlet. They would have killed her if I had not spoken.”

“How bad is all this?” Jack asked. “I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“The worst?” Jon Harker looked ill. “The worst case scenario is the end of all life on this planet.”

Shocked silence greeted the statement.

“Bazookas,” Jack said.

“Surely you can’t mean that, father,” Lucy said.

“I’m afraid so,” Jon Harker said. “Once the Nazis have control of the Phoenix lab they will have untold power at their fingertips.”

“Then we have to stop that from happening,” Thomas Griffin said, drawing himself up. “Where exactly is this lab?”

“In the Swiss Alps,” Bell said. “Not far from Reichenbach Falls.”

“Then we must travel there.” Mr Griffin focused on the two men. “I trust you gentlemen will assist?”

“We will,” Bell confirmed. He turned to his companion.

Jon Harker slowly nodded. He looked dazed, as if events had moved too quickly for him. “I suppose we must move forward now. The Society is no longer a secret and we cannot allow the Nazis to have access to the weaponry.” He studied the circle of faces around him. “You can rely upon me. I will assist you however I can. I just pray we are not too late.”

Chapter Eighteen

Despite the heating within the airship, Jack still felt cold. He had suffered yet another restless night’s sleep and risen early. This airship – the Britannia – was much larger than the Lion’s Mane. A three tiered gondola hung beneath its enormous balloon. Scarlet, her father, the Harker family and Mr Doyle had all taken passage as had a number of MI5 agents and a contingent of soldiers. They had left an airfield in Manchester with a squadron of other airships. In addition, more airships had joined the convoy from France. A few Swiss ships were also due to meet them at their destination.

Jack yawned. The sun was still low in the sky. A man in the galley had made him a cup of hot chocolate and he held it tightly in his hands to keep them warm. When he lent his face close to the glass, he breathed on it and the surface fogged immediately.

“You’re up early,” a voice said from behind him.