Team Seven of Heroes Chapter 11

11.

The steam locomotive with its boiler engine was in full throttle across the valleys surrounded by the round low hills with the setting sun on the rear of the ten carriages drawn by it. The team have the luxury of the second last carriage with two servants in attendance for their food and drinks. The carriage held fifteen luxurious seating with the satin luxuries and the fine drapes over the windows. The carriage was lighted by the then gas lights but these did not flicker.

“I am impressed with the comfort here but don’t you think we ought to ….. like flies.” Lord Greystoke was eager to get on the balloons. “Why are we doing it on the second fastest mode?”

“We could fly in but we are trying to remain inconspicuous. Germany had been monitoring our flying balloons for they feared it may be used for spying. With the high attitude, we can see a lot.” Mycroft explained. “M had allowed us this comfort for we have the borders paid off to allow us free passage.”

“So much for that and we hit the snag at the last border check.” Lord Greystoke raised his concern.

The train had then pulled up at the station at the France and Germany border an hour ago. The border officers boarded the train and in the carriage where the seven were seated, a short figure dressed in the uniform with the knee high dark boots and the cap with the dark visor inlaid with the braided strings to mark his seniority.

“Guten Abend,” The officer greeted in his native tongue. Then he saw the travel documents. “English? Good. How are you? My name is Henrich, Walter. I am here to check your documents.”

“And you …..can go through but one cannot travel though. A Mr. Korvac.” Henrich looked towards Van Helsing. “He is of Albanian origin and we are careful of your …. kind.”

“Korvac is one of us. He goes with us.” Mycroft intervened. “I will call your superior.”

“You get me wrong. I am saying he cannot be travelling here. He has to be move by another mean. I have the carriage ready. He will meet you later in Germany.” With that, Henrich led Korvac off the train and before Mycroft could complaint the train lurched forward.

“Well, at least we are having better meals here.” Mycroft rang the bell to signal the staff to bring dinner.

“Gentlemen, dinner is ready.” Mycroft saw then the two serving staff were not bearing food but menacing double gauge guns at the exit and on the other side were two unknown figures with the same guns.

“We are trapped…” Mycroft did not get the words out when Watson reached fast with the dining knife. The silver plated knife flew from his right fingers like a miniature spear and thrust into the throat of the serving staff on the right. Next he was tossing the small plate like a Frisbee at the second staff. On the other side of the carriage, Lady Greystoke had her legs raised onto the seat and with her knees bent she fired off both pistols at outside her thighs. The .22 calibre was not an effective kill power but the placement of the bullet made the difference. The bullets pierced the skin and the bone at the forehead and impacted the brain flesh. It was also named the ‘dead shot’.

“Moriarty boys? And girl?” One of the serving staff was a lady and Mycroft corrected his question. “I am surprised that we were tracked here.”

“Moriarty has a lot of allies including here in Germany. There is one named Von Herder who had a preference for sniping tools hidden in walking stick. The man had one made for Moriarty killer Colonel Moran.” Sherlock told the team. “I won’t be surprise that we have more to contend with.”

They all felt it then when the speed of the train was faster. It was moving too fast on a straight stretch. Lord Greystoke looked out the window and the wind was blowing his long mane back.

“I say we may crash.” Sherlock looked of the window on his side. “We passed the last town ten minutes ago and if my mind still recalled the land terrain, we shall be headed for a long bridge which may never cross. Based on the movement of the shadows of the trees I will say twenty minutes at most.”

“I do wondered how our Korvac fared right now?” Mycroft asked.

On the carriage, and served with the food in our paper bag, Van Helsing stretched his legs in the cramp condition. It was a fancy carriage but the cushions were a bit too hard for him. He was escorted to the carriage by the train and then shuffled on. He looked to the side openings and found it sewn to the frame.

“Un-hospitable indeed” The man grumbled to himself and then shifted his weight to ease on the hard pressure up his butt. He was to lay back for a rest when the carriage went over a bump and almost tossed him to the ceiling. Van Helsing cursed with his eyes looking at the rooftop. It was then the arm shot passed the leather and wood panels to grab at his face. He reached out with his silver arm and pried the other hand off. He did not just pried it but crushed it with the pressure of his fingers. The flesh squeezed and the then the bones beneath were exposed before it broke under the silver fingers. There was no blood spurting out but a yellow substance was seeping out.

“Darn!’ Van Helsing cried out before he took the turn to pull the attacker down. It was a figure dressed in darker shades but the tailor measurements were flabby by length. Van Helsing moved aside to drop the body.

“Hello, Stalker.” Van Helsing greeted the fallen attacker. He then raised his right feet to step on the attacker in the face. That took care of any bitten fangs on his neck. He knew that he was not in the clear when the horses stopped galloping. He reached for the door latch but it won’t open so he created his own door. He stepped out before he tossed the last remains of the wood from his right hand. He saw the darker reception there.

“The witches of three, or was it two now?” Van Helsing greeted the surviving witches there. “Are you not exiled to the Black Forest?”

The three witches are a trio of assassins with the darker interest in the occult. They were also from a line of vampires but were not seen for some time and thought to retire to the forest. Van Helsing had come across them before and barely survived the encounters. He saw then the one he had crushed at the face crawled to the other two. The witches did not die but they suffered wounds and needed time to recover hence the spate of time that lapsed between their encounters. They helped the wounded one up and then stared at the broken face. The nose was dislocated and the left eye was out of the socket. The right hand was a pulp at the wrist. The wounded witch reattached the eye ball and then tore at the loose flesh on the right wrist.

“Van Helsing, you are worthy of the task. We have fought the three encounters but each time we needed time to recover. This time we will win.” The witches drew from behind their back the short rifle with an extended round magazine for the extra bullets. “These are called repeaters but at a much accelerated speed. And you can shoot with one good hand.”

“And we are good at it.”