Alien Devices: Tesla joins crew to prevent alien zombie apocalypse (The Secret War Book 2) (18 page)

“Not long, Captain,” Tesla replied. “I agree that there are
certain advantages to being able to study one in better conditions.” Lord
Hadley looked from Will to Tesla and frowned.

“But surely you cannot be serious!” Hadley protested.  He waved
at the ball. “What you're discussing is akin to ripping out part of the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel, or pulling down one of the pillars of the Acropolis!
This is an assemblage of scientific beauty that the world of man has never
before seen. Abigail, tell you friends that this must not be!”  Before a
distressed-looking Abigail could respond, Will answered Lord Hadley with one of
his easy grins, in an attempt to calm the man.

“Sorry, Lord Hadley,” he said, “but I have a nervous First
Officer up there. If we don't come back right quick, he might take it upon
himself to try to shoot apart the hill to find us. That would not do at all, would
it? Besides, if Tesla here says that we could study your thingamajig better
aboard Dancer, would that not be a good thing? Also, I imagine that you would
like a good meal and a change of clothes after a couple of weeks down here.”

Will watched with interest as Hadley seemed to go into one of
his fugues again, staring glassy-eyed off into space. The Captain wondered for
a moment if it was just a behavior of Scholars in general. But then he saw
Abigail looking at her father with concern, while the minutes ticked by. Even
Tesla began stirring uneasily at the strange behavior. Will was contemplating
if he would have to order a couple of the crew to carry Lord Hadley away when
the bearded Scholar blinked and refocused on him.  

“Of course, Captain,” Hadley said, with what Will felt was an
insincere smile. “I can understand that a passion of science may seem odd to a
man such as yourself. Very well Nikola. I can help you remove one of the Aether
pumps if you wish. Mind you, I still think this is folly, but at least I can
keep you from damaging it too much.”

Will noticed Tesla straighten slightly at Hadley's statement.
He guessed from his expression that Tesla was not used to being called a
butter-fingers. Abigail looked as woe-begone as Will had ever seen her.

“Lady Hadley,” Will made a motion with his head, “Step over
here for a word if you would please.” Will walked away from the two savants,
signaling Saira to stay with them. With a backwards glance, Abigail followed.
He turned around once he thought they were out of earshot.

“So Abigail, you'll forgive me for being blunt here, but I need
to ask if your father is always like this?” Will hooked his thumbs in his gun
belt, while he waited patiently for her answer.  Abigail brushed loose strands
of hair from her face, and bit her lips.

“I am not sure what you mean,” she said, not quite meeting his
eyes. The Captain sighed at her evasion.

“The kind of odd fits he seems to get where he just stares off
into space, or his getting irritated with Tesla just now,” Will said
remorselessly. “I thought that the whole purpose of this was to get one of
these power thingamabobs to study it. Now he sounds like he does not want that
at all.” Abigail bit her lip again before answering, still not meeting Will’s
eyes.

“Well, this is so much more than we ever dreamed of finding,”
she said faintly. “The thought of studying an actual working Invader craft is a
tremendous opportunity.” She paused and frowned, rubbing her forehead. “I wish
this beastly headache would stop. It seems to be getting worse.” Will crossed
his arms and regarded her silently.

“He has always been somewhat absent-minded,” she said
defensively. “I do apologize for his rudeness. It is most unlike him.” She
looked up at the swirling lights. “It must be this place. God knows what
privations he has had to endure here.”

“What I need to know, Abigail, is if he can be trusted not to
do something Scholar stupid,” Will said softly. “Also, if I am going to need to
haul him out of here when we're ready. It sounds to me like he doesn’t want to
go. Now myself, I do not think it a good idea to leave him down here.  What do
you say?”

“That is ridiculous,” Abigail snapped. “Father has always been
an extremely cautious man is all. Of course he will come with us! I am certain
that once we return to the ship all will be fine.”

“I'm sure it will Abigail,” Will said gently, “Excuse me a
minute.” He had noticed Guang hovering near them. Will waved the man over.

“What is it Guang?” Will asked as the man bowed to them both.

“Forgive the intrusion,” Guang said. “Tiku requested that I see
how soon we are leaving. Some of the headaches the crew is experiencing are
getting more severe. She is concerned; as am I.” Guang paused. “This is an evil
place, Captain. It is not meet that we should be here. It was not meant for our
kind to be in such a place.”

“Yeah,” Will sighed.  “You doing alright? Headache getting you
also?”

“I am fine,” Guang replied hesitantly. “I am merely
uncomfortable here. The chi of land and sky does not flow through this place in
a healthy way.”

“You're not the first person to say that,” Will said. Hunting
Owl looked back at Abigail, “We're leaving as soon as the boffins get their
power thingamabob, alright?”

“Yes,” Abigail replied, “I should go see if I can help them
expedite the removal.”

“May I accompany you?” Guang asked. “I have not yet met the
honored Lord Hadley.”

 “I don't see why not, do you?” Will asked Abigail with a
shrug.

“No, no by all means,” Abigail said. “I am sorry that I did not
introduce you earlier. You did not seem to be about.”

“I was with the guards, outside this room,” Guang explained. He
pointed to the rotating ball before them. “I do not like that. It is not right.”

“It may be emitting some sort of energy that we cannot measure
as yet,” Abigail bit her lip while regarding Guang. “It is possible that some
individuals are more sensitive to it than others.”

“With respect, I have spent much of my life studying how to be
in harmony with the chi of myself and the currents of earth and sky.” Guang
said.

“Careful Abigail. You will start believing in the Spirit Way
yet.” Will grinned at her.

“Do not be ridiculous!” Abigail scoffed. “Acknowledging that
there are phenomena that cannot be easily explained by current scientific
understanding is doing nothing of the sort.” She brushed back a stray stand of
hair, “It is merely keeping an open mind.”

“To know that that you do not know is the beginning of wisdom,
it is said,” Guang nodded solemnly.

“Wovoka said something like that too,” Will remarked with a
laugh They began walking back towards the Savants, Abigail bustling ahead of
them.

“We have not had much time to talk, Captain Hunting Owl,” Guang
said. “The way you talk says to me that you knew the great spirit leader Wovoka
personally. Am I understanding this correctly?”

“You are, and I did,” Will said with a faint smile of
remembrance. “He taught me many things. He was a great leader, as well as a
good man. I think it was a disappointment to him that my path didn't make me a Spirit-Talker
like him. I always knew that I was born to fly.” Will looked at Guang while
they walked. “I do not really know more than rumors about the Shining Fist. You
are a monk yourself then, is that right?”

“I have not taken vows to seek enlightenment,” Guang replied
and shook his head. “There are others far more holy than I among us,” he said. “No,
my path, as you say, is to care for and raise up my people, the people of
China.”

“Maybe we are not so different after all,” Will said. Will had
hoped that was his path too, but that was before the 'Indian War of
Independence', he thought grimly. Too much blood and broken honor in that War.
He flexed his hands. Too many betrayals and scars, Will thought.  

As they approached the savants, who were loudly discussing, or
arguing (it was hard for Will to tell which), Will thought of Wovoka.
Everything the old man had ever shown him of the Spirit World said to Will that
they were in the midst of an old and dark evil. Would Wovoka turn around and
run away from it? No, he thought. When the Invaders first came, it had been
Wovoka who had given his people the Ghost Dance and also the science of Queen
Victoria to fight them with. Wovoka would burn this whole thing to the ground
and then bury it. 

But then Will also had the lives of his crew and others to
think of. Did that ever stop the Old Man? Will asked himself. Not ever, he
thought, answering his own question. Will could hear Wovoka as clearly as if he
was talking now. “Great evil must be challenged because it is evil, not because
you expect to win,” Wovoka would say.

Aiya, Will answered to the Old Man's spirit, I hear you. Maybe
there needs to be a challenge here, Will thought, no matter what the scientists
think. Will had no sooner had that insight than Hadley turned around to face
him.

“Ah, there you are, Captain,” Hadley said. “I was just
discussing with Tesla here that I would like to show him and my daughter the
power control room. I believe that doing so will facilitate their understanding
of the principles.” The man scowled into his beard. “Tesla informs me that I
must consult with you on this.” 

“I would really prefer that we get what we came for and leave,
rather than wander around.” Will said levelly. He looked at Tesla. “Is seeing
this room really important?” he asked Tesla. 

“It might be of some small use,” Tesla muttered.  “But I
believe that I have already devised an adequate method of modulation.” Tesla
stood, enraptured, staring at the cylinder. 

“Take your daughter, Robert,” Tesla said. “I believe that I can
deal with this. You can show me later if it proves useful, which I doubt. If
that would be acceptable to you that is, Captain,” Tesla asked Will with a
strong emphasis on the word 'acceptable'.

“I would like to see it. It may be that I can discern something
of use to us,” Abigail voiced. “But if the Captain thinks it wiser that we
return later, that may be best.” She didn't look happy at the darkening scowl
that was growing on Hadley's face.

“Nonsense,” Hadley retorted. “It will take less time than it
will to remove one of the Aether pumps. It is not far from here.” He turned
towards Will. “I assure you Captain; I have been here for weeks now and there
is no danger whatsoever.”

What Hadley was pushing was probably just some science thing,
but it did not sit well with Will's instincts. There was a danger here, Hunting
Owl felt it. Still, if Hadley felt this strongly about going, Will suddenly
wanted to see this room too.

It was just possible that the man was simply crazy, or it might
be the evil speaking through him. Either way, Will thought, there needed to be
a challenge made.

“Alright,” Will allowed, looking that challenge directly at
Lord Hadley. “I think that I will just come along, if you do not mind. It would
not do for anyone to get lost, now would it?” Will asked, with a grin to soften
his words. Again Lord Hadley paused for a moment, his eyes taking on that thousand-yard-stare,
Will noted.

“Tesla,” Will continued, “you can get any help you need from
the crew here. We will be back shortly. You should be ready to go with the
thingamajig.” Tesla waved his hand at Will's statement, already bending down to
peer at another cylinder.

“Perhaps to carry one of the cylinders,” Tesla said
distractedly.  “It may be heavier than it appears.” Will turned his gaze back
to Lord Hadley. 

“Of course, Captain,” Lord Hadley said finally to Will. “It
might be best after all if we all went.” Hadley took Abigail's hand and began
walking towards the doorway without waiting for them. Muttering a curse, Will
sprang to catch up, Saira and Guang beside him.

“Tiku,” Will called out. The dark woman came running over to
his side.

“Help out Tesla here,” Will ordered. “If we are not back by the
time he is finished, do a leap frog with him back to the ship.” A leap frog was
Dancer-code for a rear guard retreat from an enemy position.

“A leap-frog. Aye.” Tiku repeated the order back puzzled. “There
is an enemy we have not seen?” She asked the Captain, looking about. “Who? What
about you?”

“I'm not sure who the enemy is,” Will said in a soft voice.  “But
if you run across anyone else down here, do not trust them. Leave two people
with the rope here and what you think best at the entrance outside,” Will
ordered. “But getting Tesla and his gizmo back to the ship is your first
priority. Clear? We will be along.”

Tiku nodded her understanding and hurried over to Tesla. Will
then turned Saira.

“Let’s go sight-seeing shall we?” Will asked her with a grin. 

“Why are we doing this foolishness?” Saira demanded.

“'Knowing all you may know about your enemy is half the battle
already won,'“ Will said, paraphrasing one of the books on strategy that he had
read as a child.

“We have similar sayings among the Naga,” Saira said with
disgust. “I hate it when you quote tribal warrior wisdom; it always means there
is trouble. I want to bring Sebastian along now as an extra gun.”

“Good choice.” Will didn't bother to correct her as to where the
quote came from.  Instead he merely nodded.  “Let us hope there is nothing for
him to do.”

The darkness seemed to press in on them stronger than before,
as did the strange smell. 

Their party had grown with the addition of Sebastian, who had tied
their lifeline rope around his waist, linking back to the engine room. Chang
had also invited herself along. Will agreed to her presence, figuring that he
would rest easier if he could keep an eye on her. Also, she could carry another
lantern.

Lord Hadley refused to carry a lantern. The strange darkness
did not seem to affect him much. Will reflected that if he had spent weeks in
here like Hadley, the strangeness of the place might not bother him much
anymore either. But then, Will thought, he would be bothered that he was not
bothered by it.