23.
“I want the guns shooting.” Mistress Fa Lo Suee held herself steady by the console.. The two dirigibles had lined up into formation and then the bombs were dropped from the under carriage while the dirigibles flew over the village. The bombs were crude in design but each of the rounded a foot in radius metal balls filled with gunpowder and metals bits were rolled off like balls to the target below. The wicks to ignite the bombs were adjusted for the fall duration to reach the ground. The bombs exploded then with the metal pieces dispersing like the bullets into the surrounding. Due to the explosive materials inside, the explosion could tear down walls and trees in the range. One bomb landed inside a hut and within seconds, the hit was reduced to charred remains.
The machine guns posts were then manned by the local warriors who started their defensive actions. The first gun started firing with the elevation adjusted on the swivel stand. Then the other three guns roared into action. It was not able to do much damage then but it bought time for the Model M1914 which was unveiled then and the crews were loading the gun.
It was then the loudest explosions were heard. A bomb had landed on the howitzers ammo storage which damaged the nearby huts and created a huge crater in the ground. The three howitzers were all destroyed.
The M1914 then went into action firing into the sky. The projectile could reach for the cloud but it hit one of the two dirigibles. The projectile hit the undercarriage and impacted on the bombs stored there. The bombs exploded and with its shards of metal ripped the upper carriage to reach the engines there. The engines were damaged there but parts of caught fire and the flames spread to the helium gas canisters which were feeding the balloon above. Those flames ignited the gas and the balloon went up in flames. That caused the dirigible to go off course and it crashed toward the adjacent dirigible.
That second dirigible was the one where Mistress Fa Lo Suee was riding on.
“Get us out!” The mistress called out while she dragged herself along the console structure to the other side. She went for there for she knew the escape hatch was there with the experimental parachutes. The fleet had acquired it as part of the Emperor’s instruction.
“Hail the Emperor!” The men in the fleet had hailed the Emperor as the Celestial One. That did not prevent the surviving dirigible to suffer the next impact by the M1918 on the undercarriage.
“Take the mini carriage. Follow me.” The Black Cat called out before she dragged the younger mistress. She was followed by ten warriors in the amour plated clothing holding the Chinese halberd with the wide blade.
“Tell the others to do the same.” The Black Cat called out just before she lowered herself into the escape carriage. The carriage was able to hold a dozen warriors and it was shaped like the main carriage except it housed a set of retractable wings and a rudder. Two of the mini carriages were released then from the dirigible headed for the island surface. It was then the dirigible went up in flames and then dragged itself down to the ground.
On the ground, the German’s were given a respite when the bombing occurred.
“Held them in that hut.” Captain Nemo organized the defence of the island. His other guests were led to an adjacent hut by John, Jr. They went into the place and was surprised to see that there was dug out there with a ladder down the tunnel into the ground.
“Go below.” The doctor’s son told them and he lead them first. Sherlock and Mycroft followed by the Greystoke but Van Helsing were reluctant to go down.
“I never liked to climb down holes. It’s like being buried.” Van Helsing stood there but Watson prodded him in the rear.
“We will all be buried whether it’s our remains or our soul. So get in or I will push you in myself.”
The climb down was about twenty feet before they reached the cavern below. It was a natural cavern which covered over a wide area and from the side of the walls, there were more tunnels. The place was lighted by the burning torches o the wall. They then saw the Germans were on the other side with three armed local warriors guarding them.
“Welcome to our city, the City beneath the Island. We named it Eden.” John Jr explained the city. “It was a lava tube that made this and three others. We are interconnected…”
“Lava tubes? You mean we are standing inside a volcano.” Mycroft reacted in anguish. “I mean a real volcano.”
“You are correct there. I can see the soil here….” Sherlock had crouched to examine the soil sample. “It’s…”
“I am not keen on your deductions. I have one question.” Mycroft raised the pertinent question but he was replied before he asked.
“The volcano is dormant. Have been for some years.” John Jr replied. “According to the elders, it last erupted several centuries ago.”
The group including the Germans were then led to the nearby tunnel and after a long walk and past more tunnels they arrived at a bigger cavern. There they saw the change in the scene. Instead of a lava coated cavern, there were rows of structures in circular layout to the centre where a high tower was seen. The tower reached the cavern ceiling and on the top it reached out like the roots into the ceiling. The cavern was filled with supplies and including weapons. The Enfield rifles were stacked there on the shelves with the bundles of ammo belts. They were then greeted by the group of five armed local warriors holding rifles.
“John, Jr. What was the noise above? The exits were all sealed.” The leader of the warrior group approached John, Jr.
“We were attacked. From above. I have no other details except to bring them here The Captain is above.”
“Bombs? We have not been bombed before. Who are they?” The leader asked.
“Those are our ……guests.” John Jr motioned to his father and friends. “The others I am not sure. We found them on the beach.”
The leader of the group approached the Germans. Sean stood in and spoke to the leader.
“I am Sean Mercer, I …” Sean was given the stock of the rifle into his midriff. He keeled over and then he was kicked in the face. He went down holding his face. John Jr intervened on the kick.
“Krish, he is our guests too until the Captain decides on their fate.”
Then they heard the huge explosions. Everyone looked at the ceiling and saw the dust dislodged before the cracks appeared. They then saw the Captain running towards them with the others.
“The ship above hit the village. It had wiped out most of the people there. We got to move.” Captain Nemo called out. “The wall had been breached.”
“The wall? What wall?” Mycroft asked. It was then Captain Nemo told the tale of Deep Under.
The real side of the island.
“There are thing that you do not wish to know of the Raj but I will tell you now”. “
24.
The Raj stood on the gully that separated the village from the rest of the island. The gully was however contained by the two high hills that formed a barricade to the sea. The natural break in the terrain was a natural barrier to the villagers from the rest of the island. The gully was deep to a depth of twenty feet to thirty at its deepest for the entire length of a quarter mile.
“How goes the construction?”
“We are placing the last boulders.” The Raj looked toward the wall that he had commissioned. The wall was before the gully to protect the village. It was at the height of twenty feet with a reinforced width of one foot of rocks and clay with metal beams inserted inside to strengthen it. The gully was added with metal sharpened rods.
“My Raj, we have done the last stretch.” The local mason reported to the Raj. “I have also implanted the explosives as you told me.”
“Recall the workers then, and then the guards. Let no one step there ever again without my approval.” The Raj gave his orders.
“My Raj, what manner of …beasts are they….” The masonry master was stopped in his question.
“You and your men are paid well to do the task. Be thankful for the year rest that you have earned.”
With that the builders were taken off the island and never seen again for no one recalled them returning home. The Raj meanwhile commissioned another wall on the village side to face the gully with watch towers but it was made of timber form the fallen trees. He manned the towers with armed guards. He then told the villagers on their new home.
“Never again will you be plagued by the beasts. Live well and prosper within the bay here. Never leave for the other side of the island but prepare to defend your village should the wall collapsed.”
With that the Raj later showed the deadly power of the weapons that he had brought to the village. An elderly man approached him then.
“You gave us hope and yet you gave us the means to kill our hope. Why must we use these when we have survived for so long with what we hold now in our hand.” The elderly man was a wise man of the village and his question raised the curiosity of the villagers.
“You were once the major tribe here and now reduced to a smaller number. Once you were talking to thousands and now hundreds. Once…”
“You hold thousands at your kingdom but I held more per the tree shadow than the shadow of your palace. So tell me what can this do that our faithful vaal (sword) and kunthum (spear) could not.” The wise man asked.
The Raj picked up the Enfield rifle and aimed at the tree on the far side. His aim took the coconut off the tree. The wise man smiled and then nodded. The rifles were then distributed and peace reign
.
Till the dirigible that crashed there.
The dirigible was the first one. It crashed into the gully proper creating a huge blaze there. The fire was seen as a cauldron of flame baking the clay and heating up the stones on the wall. The hydrogen gas exploded and the flames soared high. That was not all when the second dirigible slammed onto the wall and exploded. It blew not a hole there but also created a collapse of the gully wall. The crack in the wall was further into the interior of the island. The rift in the ground was wide and it levelled out.
It was to form a path for that anyone could walk into the gully.
But the heat and the explosion took its toll on the side of the gully protecting the village. The wall there began cracking and then pieces of it fell off. The second wall began to burn and then the towers fell.
It was then the alarm went off.
“So what was on the other side of the island?”
“The kinds of creatures that only Hell could have for its pets.” Captain Nemo took to explain it in the simplest terms. “God protect the innocent.”
The innocence was the ones who did not know what were the evil abound. Mistress Fa Lo Suee stepped away from the mini carriage unit and felt secured with the presence of the ten guards there.
“Mistress, the other unit landed there.” The one named the Back Cat motioned to the right of her. “They are dismantling the guns and will join us soon.”
“Find us a place to establish a base. I want it running soon. I don’t like this place.” The work was to begin when a guard called out the warning. The guard levelled his halberd at the threat.
It was a huge creature with the looks that resembled the striped predators from the hills but that one held a set of fangs that reached downwards from it jaws. It was creamy brown in the furs and was twice the size of Man.
“Lao Fu!” The guard called out. It was unbelievable to see one there.
“So what is there?” Van Helsing getting impatient with the Captain who seems to go into a relapse of the past. “Tell us what’s there? Demons? Ghosts or maybe Vampires?”
Captain Nemo smiled and then motioned to his adopted son to fetch the specimen. The young man brought over a small box.
“This is a tooth from the creature.” Captain Nemo displayed the foot long fang. “I did some studies and they are called sabre tooth tigers or in more technical name, the Felidae Smilodon. These are not fangs as claimed by many but elongated canine teeth. The other technical link was the breed may be associated with the vampires. They do have nasty resemblance.”
“Do not mock my enemy.” Van Helsinhg took offense to the association to the nemesis of his.
“I don’t have to. Your enemy is with us now.” Captain Nemo voiced out. It was then they heard the roar in the cavern. “They are here.”
“They are in my jungle.” Sean openly declared. “Give me a rifle.”
Greystoke reached for the two batons. He had fashioned a shoulder harness for the batons. He took out the one with the electric whip.
“I am coming with you.” Lady Greystoke reached for the Mauser Sporter Magnum Action with the .404 cartridges and the ammo belt. “We promised to be together at all times. More to it our son need us together.”
The mentioned of the son stopped the once savage Lord of the Jungle. He turned to the Captain.
“I want the blade that you showed me.” The Captain handed over the bone dagger.
“It’s called Brutus after the senator that killed Caesar.”
“Do you want my knuckle duster? You could take out those nasty teeth.” Mycroft offered his gift but was declined. The couple had then off on their search for the sabor followed by the Irish.
“Herr Mercer, where are you going?” Doctor Gunter called out.
“The hunt for the tiger is more interesting.” Sean proceeded and then turned back. He grabbed the Enfield rifle and ammo belt.
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