17.
“Is that a shark?” Sherlock commented on the sea predator that was seen through the window viewer. He had hardly patronized the sea except for the rare event in the Lion’s Mane case. It was a jelly fish that was the culprit then. Sadly none of the people presented then replied him. He was forced to view the sea creatures with his own deduction. He had tried to coax Watson to speak to him but the doctor had remained tight lipped. His brother was not of any assistance with him taking glances at the gauges and pipes. It was not further assisted by the occasional clanging of the bell which caused the crews to react with calm manners. It had happened several times, and much to the annoyance of Mycroft he had enquired.
“Nothing to worry, mate. It’s Nautilus spilling its seams and we are just tightening it.” The assured reply was meant to be heart-warming but the fear of drowning took the palpitation levels higher in Mycroft.
The only amusing relief was when the only lady on the ship asked for the bidet.
“It’s through there. Place the mushroom head over the pipe, and you can use it. We hardly used it so it may hold some grime on it.” Lady Greystoke was unsure of the trip after the explanation by the Captain but she went regardless. She soon stepped out and found the men there were all looking sheepishly at whatever they could take into attention.
“Don’t worry, boys. I did not flood the compartment. However I may have wet the flooring.”
The reply was well received.
“My guests, we will be arriving soon. Please strapped in the belts and prepare for the ….” The words were not all out when the ship ballast released the water content and caused a buoyancy to lift it up. It would have been uneventful but a star fish glued to the window.
“I say Mycroft, that creature is obscenely spread there.” Sherlock commented to his brother. The brother stifled his reply with his hands hard gripped to the seat as if he was going to be ejected out.
After a gruelling roller coaster like ride, the Nautilus finally broke surface and then landed with a hard drop onto it before it remained floated. Once the ship regained its buoyancy then the shouts of prayers and reliefs sounded throughout the hull.
“We are kind of melodramatic with each time we surfaced.” Captain Nemo smiled at the guests. “Welcome to….”
The Nautilus then rocked as if it was going to topple over. The Captain managed to grab the over laid pipes to avoid falling over.
“Captain, deck awash!” The Bosun sounded back. “We are in the middle of a storm.”
“Ain’t our first, you scoundrel. Get us to the waves and sailed on it.”
“Aye, Captain. Correcting the bow.” It was all words for Mycroft with his eyes looking out the windows with the high waves pounding the ship with the sheets laying its droplets against it too. He squint his eyes when he thought was a huge dark shadow that soared between the waves and then disappear.
“Eh, Captain. Could I be seeing a …whale out there?”
“Aye, that could be the Orca you saw there. Rare but we did encounter them before here. They are deadly creatures and could take out your head with a bite.” Captain Nemo demonstrated with his outreached hand. “They are also known as killer whales.”
“You don’t say.” Mycroft sat back on his seat and gripped hard on the edge once more. He then looked at Sherlock. “Give me the land, the skies but never the sea.”
“Your paranoia was when you almost drowned in the lake then when we were five.” Sherlock assured his brother. “And there are no crocodiles to where we are going.”
The Nautilus creaked and clanged on every minute it was in the storm but they rode it out until the sight of the land was seen from behind the sheets of rain.
“Welcome to Deep End.” Captain Nemo called out. “We will still some time to get us there. So rest and have some eels for the last meal of the day.”
It was not the same for the hunter Sean Mercer who was twenty miles northwest of the Nautilus on the German Imperial Navy ship. They were diverting their course to avoid the storm. The hunter seated there on the bedding heard the door opened and the sailor brought in the food for him on the plate. It was slices of liverwurst with sauerkraut and a goblet of beer.
“Condemned man meal?” Sean asked out loud. He was having mostly fishes and whatever they could grabbed out of the sea. At one time, he had octopus flesh for the two days in a row.
“No, we are nearing the island and the Captain wants you to enjoy our hospitality.” The sailor replied. “Enjoy it for the island likes them fat and juicy.”
“So were the lions before I served them to the hyenas. I did shoot them dying before I left them there.” Sean replied. He was ever curious to know about the island but his port view showed him only the open sea. He could not make out any island but he saw the dark skies ahead and was envious then of the nature forces which unleashed was formidable. He saw then the group of fins that were splicing through the surface.
On the bridge of the German Imperial Navy ship, Captain Heinrich seated on the Captain’s seat looked at the storm that brewing around the island.
“Neptune be cursed so the reports were right. Every time they reached here, the logs spoke of the storms and high waves. The island is cursed or it held slight regards for their life.” Captain Heinrich looked to his crew. “Signal the Doctor that he was to get ready.”
At that moment Doctor Ritter Gunter was penning down his words to his wife back in the colony. He missed her and his only son but the duty call was needed for he was also a soldier by profession. He wrote to her in his thirteenth letter then telling her of the voyage. He was to sign off when the crew member came to report on the Captain’s order. The doctor then stood up and faced his selected team of five mercenaries.
“Get your weapons ready. We are going to land very soon.” The men groaned and some cursed for they had spent a month over in the cramped condition, eating the same food and inhaling the stale air. Their only relief was the morning run at dawn on the deck and then the evening routine workout of muscles stretching.
“Doctor, do we carry that with us?” It was ex-Krieg marine Rudolf from Munich who asked. The smaller frame figure slouch his shoulders in protest. “It’s heavy….”
“Carry it or I will have you removed from my team!” Doctor Gunter will not tolerate any indiscipline. He looked to the two sets of flame thrower unit codenamed Flammenwerfer, using pressurised gas and air to belch a stream of flame to a distance of fifty feet. Besides that his men also carried the Gewehr bolt action rifle with the five rounds clip. They also carried eight ammo clips and the bayonet knife on the waist belt. There were also the two sets of standard issue Maschinengewehr08 or MG08. The gun mounted on a three legged tripod with an estimated weight of over a hundred and fifty pounds with the gallon of water around the barrel. The gun fires from a two hundred fifty round fabric belt at an effective range of over two thousand yards. They were issued five belts to be carried by the other bearers.
“Get ready when we are called.”
Back in the Natilus, Captain Nemo called on the ship to dive once he got his navigation reading.
“Take us down to twenty feet and hold her steady.”
18.
“Keep her bow up and steady as she goes.” The captain of the Nautilus was standing with his focus on the periscope. He had ordered the windows covered with the metal cover, and have his guest all remained on the seat with their mouth shut.
“I am the Captain and for now I am taking command now. So shut up.” His crew complied and kept to their stations but the stillness was haunting then. Sherlock was humming inside his mind as if he was plucking the strings on is violin. Mycroft was counting the number of villain he shot jumping over the fence. Lady and Lord Greystoke were just looking into other eyes. Of the last, Van Helsing which was not mentioned in the last few chapters but he was actually in prayers most time. Like Mycroft, he was uncomfortable inside a metal contraption. He felt as if he was buried in the casket.
Well, at times miracle was needed.
What the Captain did not disclosed then was the waters off the island there was dangerous with the reefs and the lurking predators. He saw the sharks swam by his periscope and those were humongous. They were twice the size of the ones seen in the sea aquarium at Dover. Or was it London.
“Steer starboard three degrees and dive by two degree and then level.” The Nautilus sailed on the course and then they came upon the raised underwater plate. The captain called for a turn and then the ship ran parallel to the plate. He saw then the sunken vessels of the past’; the ancient galleons were still there although what was seen were the main ribs which were well preserved for the fishes to create their version of home there. He had known from his past voyages, there were four of them there probably from the same fleet and then he will come to the schooner. Once he reached there, he was to find the marker to turn the Nautilus twenty degrees to the starboard. He was to sail for five minutes and then he will reach the next marker. There he will find the most recent victim of the reef; the frigate that went down two years ago with all hands. He could make out the markings on the bow. It was a German Empire boat.
“You were not invited. Such is your fate.” Captain Nemo then recited the same words he reserved for those who have died. “Rest in peace, you arseholes!”
From the last marker, the captain was looking for the final marker he created there before. He finally saw it and then signalled a full stop. It was a crack in the plate which he had used the Nautilus with a series of push and scratching to make and almost lost a fin for it. He waited for the right current flow and then it occurred, he got the Nautilus in with the incoming current.
The sigh of relief was on the crew then who knew what he had done.
“Steady and then when ready blow the ballast. Keep her at the depth of twenty feet.” Captain Nemo then stepped away and another crew took over the periscope. “Good day, gentlemen. We are in our final course towards the island.”
“Give me the readout when the clock chimed.” Captain Nemo called out to his crew.
On the sea surface, the gunship took on headlong into the subsiding storm although the waves were lashing hard onto the deck. The crews rushed to secure all the rope lashings and checked the sails for any loose fixtures. They had then rolled back the sails and were relying on the steam engines to sail on.
“Keep her steady and eyes open.” It was not the crews had not been through such harrowing sea conditions but it was inside the waves that was putting them on alert. The gunship throttled on and its bow cut into the waves which the water splashed to the deck on impact.
“I see something. Three o’clock on starboard.” The dark shadow was seen beneath the waves as it swam past the gunship.
“Hold course..” The Captain called out while his crew remained ever vigilant. The surge of waves impacted on the bow and there were some sea creatures half the length of Man was tossed onto the deck. The creatures were some huge variants of fishes which were fluttering their fins to get back into the sea. The next wave hit the ship and then swept off the creatures back to the sea.
“Portside twelve o’clock!” The creature could not be made out of its variety or species but it was huge at twice the length of Man. It was beneath the waves and seen to be swimming parallel. At that moment another dark creature jumped out of the waves to hit against hull on the bow.
“Mein got!” The crews on the watch called out in fear and then they crouched ever closer to the deck.
“Get us out of the storm quick!’ Captain Heinrich called out while his fingers clenched on the seat that gave him command.
“This is madness…:” The Captain muttered to himself. “We are all mad to be here.”
High above the skies hidden by the dark clouds was the two dirigibles with the markings of the dragon in flight. It was the personal fleet of the Emperor Fu Manchu then under the command of Mistress Fa Lo Suee. She was dressed in the high collared white jacket that reached her hips with the matching white pants that have a dark stripe down the side and her ankle high leather boots completed with the Captain’s hat. She looked like the Admiral of the fleet and was flanked by her personal guard, the Black Cat then in the dark hip length jacket over the overall tucked into the boots. The Black Cat had on a waist belt with the double guns in the holster and the sheathed long sword held in her left hand. They were in the two hundred feet length carriage floated by the huge balloon that was twice the length with a radius of half. Both the dirigibles carriage and balloons were shaded black hence it was not seen by those on the sea surface.
“The rain is stopping, Mistress.” The Captain of the dirigible reported to her. “We will spread out to avoid detection.”
Mistress Fa turned to look at the Raj who had remained seated on the side with his expression of fear ever since he climbed onto the carriage. He had protested on the trip and explained his reasoning.
“The island had not been visited for over two decades soon after Nina was born. The Raj then had forbidden anyone to go there soon after his wife’s death. It was a promise to her. He had kept the island secret from us all except the selected few which he had given them specific orders. One was to a Prince Dakkar to proceed with the works there of which I know not what. The previous Raj was a man of scientific knowledge and he had used the island to conduct it. He left his works to the Prince who was one of his under study as he was to the first Captain Nemo.”
“Captain Nemo? The one…” I thought he had died some years back.” Mistress Fa queried back.
“He is, Mistress. The current one is a nephew of the older one. He is also called Dakkar by his mother. He is a replicate of his uncle but this one held his secrets to himself. He is the darker personality of his uncle.”
“Then I would like to see him. I am told by many that I am the wicked copy of my father.” Mistress Fa stepped to the window. She took on the looking glass and spied on the solitary ship there fighting with the strong waves. “Like her we are both survival.”
“Mistress, there is a message from the Emperor. He asked for your ….progress.” The servant stepped into the bridge area. “He await…”
“Impatiently as it’s his nature and mine is regretfully agitated when rush.” Mistress Fa replied. “And who are you addressing now? Throw him overboard.”
That command was carried out and the Mistress did not bother to reply the Emperor.
It was an unforeseen event for the crews. More unforeseen were the anxiety of the crew on the Nautilus who was not on the periscope. They knew the precarious part of the journey was one of them then while the Captain navigated them past the reefs. The Nautilus was on a straight course between sections of the reefs at a depth of twenty feet. The section took over ten minute to cover and then ship was into the deep water of the by. It was then the clock chimed and the cheers went over the crews.
They were past the reefs then.
“Raise the iron cover.” The Captain gave the order and the windows were once opened to the scene outside. It was Mycroft then who rushed over to the window. He was however treated to a humongous shelled creature which swam past the screen.
“Oh my goodness, was that creature showing me it …” Mycroft sat back in which Sherlock replied.
“I believed that’ a turtleback.” Sherlock trying to impress his brother but the former was preoccupied by the sea bed there. It was a panoramic of shades and flurry of small creatures there. Then they saw the cavern opening looming in the front. There was some metal grating over the entrance. Sherlock looked at the Captain who was then pulling a lever. Soon after he saw the metal grating was raised and they were going in.
The Nautilus sailed on with the gas lights on the hull lighted. The yellowish light gave the walls there a ghastly yellow shade with the darker shadows representing cracks or minor outcrops. Soon the bow was turning upwards and then the majestic view of the inside of the cavern was seen.
The area was huge and the ceiling high with the man-build structure that surrounds the place. The structure was a three level of platforms that were ringed the cavern walls with about ten feet width and a ceiling of twelve feet. Over the high ceiling of the cavern were the crossed steel beams that held pulleys with the lengthy chains and hooks at the ends. The place was lighted with the gas lights. There were a number of men on the platforms waiting for the Nautilus.
“Welcome back, my love.” The young lady stood on the lowest platform greeted the captain when the Nautilus docked near it. A number of wooden planks were extended out to the Nautilus. Captain Nemo was then climbing out of the conning tower.
“I am glad to be back, my love.” Captain Nemo replied. “I brought friends and one dear to us. Doctor Watson.”
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