Fianna Kelly Versus the Jeebees: A Collection of Steampunk Stories (15 page)

I
answered, "No, I haven't."

"Take
your time speaking, just a few sentences at a time, and they'll do all the hard
work."

The
translators went on stage first and introduced me. I went up next to a mixture
of noises from the audience. I gestured for Bradan to come on stage which got a
better reaction. He handed me my rifle and I told the audience what I recalled
about it.

The
Magnificent James Anderson was known for quick draws and a good aim. I needed
something to interest an audience. I had planned to ask Jim tonight for ideas.
I got ready for my first shot, took aim at the bulls-eye, and then the idea
came to me.

I
slowly put three bullets just left of the centre, spaced a few inches below
each other. The idea was to make people think I couldn't hit the bulls-eye. I
repeated the three shots in the centre and again on the right. It looked like
the pips on a domino, as neatly arranged as I could get them. I set my rifle
down and had someone bring me the target so the audience could see it.

When
the applause died down, I told them a story from my first shooting lessons. I
had loved Jim's stories and I hoped they would like mine. For the next target,
I fired eight shots at it. I tried to walk around one of the rings finishing
with one in the bulls-eye. Someone brought me the target again and I told the
audience another story.

For
the last target, I shot a large X shape and put another X inside it. The audience
was giving me a standing ovation as I cleaned my rifle and put it back in its
case. There weren't that many people watching and I hoped they weren't
disappointed seeing me instead of Jim.

Eric
had gotten my targets and caught up to Bradan and I as we were leaving the
range. He said, "That was truly an exhibition of superior
marksmanship."

"That
was good weather, an exceptional rifle, and close targets," I said
modestly.

"I
thought you were having difficulties hitting the bulls-eye at first, but these prove
that I was mistaken."

"If
I had shot for the centre every time, people might have thought I had missed
the target entirely. Unlike Robin Hood who had an arrow sticking out of the
target, my bullets go through them."

"You
are an artist and I'd love to display these in my room. If you would be so kind
as to sign them first, I will send them off to be framed today."

I
was flattered and could tell I was blushing. It was a simple request and
impossible to refuse. He ran off with his souvenirs while we went back to the
exhibition. I discovered that we had become celebrities in that short time and
attracted a small group of people wherever we went.

I
had dinner at a German restaurant inside the exhibition and we got a ride to
where Mary and Felix were staying. It was a new hotel, built just for the
exhibition. It had a huge lobby with plants and flowers suspended from the
ceiling. The two of them joined the two of us and we shared stories of our day
and the pavilions we liked the best. As always, people came by our table and
asked about Bradan. It was hard to be inconspicuous with a ten-foot tall
automaton standing near you.

It
had been dark for about an hour when a soldier rushed through the lobby and
stopped in front of us. "Mr. Kelly, I regret to inform you that your
device has been stolen from where it was locked up. The guards say they were
rushed by several creatures that had pistols which fired sparks."

Felix
looked stunned so I asked, "How are the guards doing?"

"They
have several burns and nasty headaches, but are otherwise unharmed."

I
told the soldier, "I'd appreciate it if you don't talk about this. You
wouldn't want to scare away the tourists, would you? I'm sure we can handle
this quietly."

He
left us looking relieved and trying to act casual. I could see Felix was having
difficulty dealing with the news. Mary was holding his hand and being
supportive.

I
pondered aloud. "I wonder what the jeebees will do with your device."

Felix
responded, "There are many nefarious uses possible if its secret is discovered."

I
said, "Don't worry. I am going to make it a habit of taking things away
from them."

Jim
had recovered by the time we returned to the guest house. As I had guessed, it
was something he had eaten. I told him what I had done in his place and asked what
I could do to improve on it for my performance tomorrow. His first suggestion
is that we work together. He said his shows always did better if he had a
female partner.

He
told me about a trick where his partner would be holding his targets and he'd
shoot them. I suggested we find something else to do. In the end, we decided
that he'd do most of the show with me assisting at the beginning and returning
for the finale. He asked me what I'd be wearing which confused me until he
explained it was good for us to wear matching colours on stage.

The
show began like yesterday with the translators introducing me. The range was
almost full of spectators today. I guessed the word had gotten out that Jim and
I were both performing. I received a lot of applause when I went on stage
anyway.

I
introduced Jim and he came on stage taking large strides. He bowed to me and
the audience, and put five shots into a target like the points of a star about
a foot apart. He hadn't even waited for the applause to die down. He turned to
me and smiled.

I
announced, "I am not so good with my pistol; so could you guys please move
the target closer?" Two men near the stage pulled on a rope and the target
moved until it was almost close enough to reach. We all laughed. "That's
funny, guys." I waited for the audience to quiet down. "How about 20
yards out. Isn't that customary distance in the wild west of America?"

Jim
said, "I've seen two gunfighters take 20 steps apart. More often than not,
they miss each other on the first shot. They get in a hurry and forget they
have to aim their guns."

The
men pulled another rope and the target moved back to half of what Jim had it
at. I faced it and carefully lined up my shots to put one next to each of his.
I turned to the audience. "That wasn't so difficult," I said.

He
quickly drew his other gun and put five shots next to each of mine as fast as
he could while looking at me.

I
looked at the target, then at Jim, then at the audience. I said, "I seem
to be shy one bullet to do that trick so I guess I'll have to cheat."

While
I was saying that, the guys pulled the rope to move the target closer. I
flipped the lever and fired the shotgun shell into the centre of all our shots.
I curtsied to Jim and then the audience. I left the stage while he continued
with his performance.

He
was wonderful. He told stories and shot an assortment of targets. I was
engrossed and spellbound with his performance. I almost missed my cue to return
on stage. He reloaded both his revolvers and I stood by a table with a dozen
tiny glasses. I tossed them in the air, one at a time, as fast and as high as I
could. He shot them all, alternating hands. He bowed to the audience and we
walked off stage.

The
audience applauded while he reloaded again. He had one last thing in his act
that he saved for an encore. It was a large wheel that spun on a frame with
sparklers along the rim. He had told me that he ignited them while it spun. It
was covered with a sheet and I rolled it onto the stage. I pulled the sheet off
and stared at a doll dressed just like me, complete with gun belt. I turned to
the audience and said, "I told him that I wasn't getting on this wheel no
matter how good a marksman he is. It looks like I've been replaced."

Jim
came on stage as the people laughed. I spun the wheel and scampered over next
to him. I expected him to shoot the sparklers as they reached the top, but he
shot them wherever they happened to be when he was ready for the next one. He
holstered his guns with a flourish and bowed to the audience again. When the
sparklers fizzled out, I took the doll off the wheel, held her out for all to
see, and said, "Not a scratch on her." There was a cute Dutch girl in
the front row. I coaxed her to the stage and gave the doll to her. She looked
happy to have it and hugged it tight to her chest. I was happy to never see it
again.

The
three of us went back to the exhibition and attracted more people than the day
before. We could hardly walk once they surrounded us. We were trying to get
into a restaurant when a woman pointed over my shoulder to something she had
seen. I turned around and saw a silver dot in the sky far off. As it neared I
could see it was an airship. When it was close enough, I could see it was my
airship. I addressed Bradan, "Please find Gerald and bring him to me. I
believe he went to the Belgian pavilion with that woman he met."

People
were now running towards an open field. I could see a man signalling for my
airship to land. I strolled in that direction as if I had all the time in the
world to get there; which I did. I didn't want to be part of the crowd. One of
the aviators jumped out and organised the people into two groups; one at each
end. They pulled the mooring lines tight while he secured them. My airship was
properly tied down before I reached it.

The
pilots must have seen me as they got the crowd to open up so I could get
through. "I didn't expect to see you guys for a week," I said.

"Who
would have thought that in the land of windmills, there would be steam engines
everywhere. We were able to find a nice unit that wasn't put in service yet.
It's not as powerful as the original one, but it's lighter, and that balanced
out nicely."

"Well,
I am happy to see you here. Come to the exhibition with us and enjoy
yourselves."

"I'm
not sure we can do that. We saw a nasty storm over the sea headed this way. We
should take the Clover back up or find a hangar for her until it blows over. We
only stopped to review the options with the authorities."

Eric
and the Major arrived in time to hear the last part. The Major spoke first,
"There's not an available hangar in the country due to the exhibition.
Your best bet would be to take her up as high as she'll go and let the storm
pass beneath you."

Suddenly,
I heard a series of loud cracks. I couldn't place where they were coming from
as I heard echoes from everywhere. It continued for a minute as people were
panicking and running for cover. I had my rifle in hand, but nothing to shoot
at. Then I heard a hissing sound. I had a bad feeling. I was certain now that I
had heard these sounds before. I looked at my airship and saw a geyser of steam
spurting out and rising from the midsection.

I
looked at the Major. "We don't seem to have that option anymore."

Eric
asked, "What just happened?"

I
started toward the nose of my airship, motioning them to follow. "Come
with me gentlemen. It is safe now."

When
I was sure no-one could hear us, I explained, "What you have just seen is
the effect of a weapon that the jeebees tricked the British Army into building
for them. The battle in London last year was for possession of it and I thought
we had won."

The
Major interrupted, "What kind of weapon does this?"

"It
is a type of railway gun that fires small mortars for miles as quickly as a
Gatling gun fires bullets."

Eric
asked, "Are you sure we are safe here? They could destroy your airship at
any time."

The
Major addressed Eric, "I believe that is why she is sure. If they can do
it at any time, they are waiting for the right one."

I
didn't know if my airship was the first one to venture in range or the jeebees
had been waiting for mine out of spite. I was getting mad. This was like when I
was on the train. Everything was going along fine until they arrived to spoil
it. I made sure they didn't get the railway gun then and I will take it away
from them again. Should any survive, they will know to hide when they see me.

I
said, "I do so hate asking this as I didn't like the answers the last
time, but what are the options for my airship now?"

The
Major thought for a moment before answering. "One. We can wait for either
the jeebees or the approaching storm to ignite the gas cells. Two. We can
ignite them ourselves and have a controlled burn. Three. We let all the gas out
of the bags and hope the storm doesn't ignite it"

I
sighed. "Do what needs to be done. If anyone asks, I will tell them the
engine on my airship failed again. I suggest you do the same for the obvious
reasons. No-one could have seen those shells before they impacted and prove
otherwise. Just let me take down my flag before you start."

Eric
spoke quietly, "Major, you and I know there is another option. We only
have a short time if we are to take advantage of it."

The
Major called to me, "Leave your flag there. Run as fast as you can to the
exhibition and bring back as many horses with their harnesses as possible. We
are going to tow your airship to safe harbour again."

It
was an impressive sight. We had over two dozen horses lashed together pulling
my airship. I could see the pilots inside working the controls to keep it just
off the ground and pointed towards the horses. I could now see the dark clouds
approaching and hoped we either made it where we were headed or were a safe
distance away should the worst happen.

They
stopped on the other side of a small hill. I stood on top of it and looked
around. I didn't see any difference between here and where we had started. The
hill was not big enough to hide my airship behind nor did it provide shelter
from the elements. The Major had his men secure the mooring lines onto two
large metal hoops embedded in the ground and motioned for everyone to move away
from my ship. I heard the sound of a steam engine and watched the ground move
under my ship. It split in half revealing a well-lit cavern. They wasted little
time in pulling my airship down under the ground and closing the seam again.

I
hadn't noticed when, but I was sitting on the ground staring in amazement at
what just happened. I could see my pilots at the bottom of the hill talking
with a few soldiers. The Major walked up the hill and spoke to me. "I am
not sure if we did the right thing in the long picture, but I believe it was
the right thing to do today."

"I
don't understand."

"As
far as we know, these jeebees of yours didn't know we had this base. The one
you shot may have been trying to find it. I am sure they know where it is now.
The exhibition will continue without a major disruption though because if they
want a fight, they'll come here for it."

I
thought for a moment and asked, "How well protected is your base from
flooding?"

He
started to say something and changed his mind. He began again, "If your
cousin's device works as advertised, and they figured out how to subvert it,
and that is a major storm headed this way; the answer to your question is 'not
enough'."

I
heard Bradan coming. He had brought Gerald with him as I had asked. I stood up
as straight as I could and confronted him. "When were you planning to tell
me the jeebees had stolen the railway gun from the army?"

He
replied, "Never... I was told not to tell you about that."

I
was getting very mad. "Is there anything else that you were told not to
discuss with me? Anything that might get me more upset than I am now when I
find out?"

He
looked down at his feet. "No... May I ask what happened to the
Clover?"

I
looked at the Major, "That is not my secret to share. Bradan and I are
going hunting for jeebees. Had I known they had the railway gun, we would have
skipped the performances and spent the time riding about the countryside
looking for them."

The
Major asked, "Would you like some military support or is this a private
war?"

"I
will welcome any help I can get, but Gerald is paying me to be discreet."

"I
know just what you need. How about four strong men who marched in the parade
earlier wearing traditional uniforms?"

"Fianna..."
started Gerald, but I didn't let him continue.

"You
will stay out of my way. The time for persuasive techniques is over."

As
I started down the hill, I called to the Major, "Send your men to where
the Clover was attacked. That's where we'll be starting. Make sure they have
plenty of ammunition. "

I
was seething most of the walk back. If anyone had gotten in my way, they might
have run away screaming. Bradan always had a calming effect on me and I was
more in control when we arrived at the landing field. I stood in it looking
lost. I had always relied on Bradan to sense where the jeebees were hiding. Now
that they had the railway gun, they could stay beyond his range.

I
probably looked like Bradan does when he paces. I hadn't a clue where to go
from here. It didn't take that long for the Major to gather his men. It was an
impressive sight to see them marching quickly down the road. Anyone else
watching would have thought they were still performing at the exhibition. I
took a closer look and noticed their weapons were neither ceremonial nor
traditional. They formed a line and stood at attention facing me. I thought the
Major should be giving the orders, but he was in line too, waiting for me to
say something.

"We
have an enemy with a weapon that fires a small mortar shell with a near flat
trajectory. I have seen this weapon hit a target two miles away. It was used to
disable an airship where we are standing in just a few seconds. I welcome all
suggestions on locating it."

One
man asked, "How big is it? Is it very heavy?"

"I
would guess the gun by itself is four feet on a side. The control panel is six
feet high and perhaps a foot thick. The British Army required a locomotive to
power it and a flatcar to carry it."

"That
narrows our search. The enemy has likely deployed it on solid ground."