Team Seven of Heroes II Chapter 26 & 27

26.

With twenty over people in the Nautilus, it was no better even without the extra loads of food and equipment. Mycroft distanced himself from the Germans and had his view of the wondrous sea creatures while Sherlock was fiddling with the rifle. Van Helsing eyed the Germans with suspicion but not the Captain who was back on his seat which was the only one there. 

“Herr Gunter, tell me why does the Kaiser not give up?” Captain Nemo stared at the window opening while the crew steered the Nautilus out to sea. “He had lost three expeditions here.”

“I wouldn’t know, Captain. I am after all an officer of the Empire. Just like them, we are all here to obey the command.”

“Plain honest answer. I liked that.” Captain Nemo replied. “The others are here on order but not me. I am without any but my own. I want to see if it’s true there is such a treasure. Do you know what constitute a true treasure? I had seen many during my time. The sea held most treasures of various wealth in gold and jewels but to me the real treasure is the discovery of the site. My father and myself have discovered many of these sites and for each one we discovered, it meant one less to be categorised as unknown or missing.” 

“Mein Gott! You are a lying bastard.” Herr Gunter replied. 

“No, Herr Gunter, I am not lying. I may grab the wealth to finance my next expedition or the village here and there. I am a charitable person but the discovery of a wreck meant I can bring closure to their families that I found the final resting spot. I have sent to them memorabilia of the ship to the descendants for them to have a memory of it. I do have a soft spot and your calling me of names will be ignored for this time.” Captain Nemo glared at the German. “And only this time.”

“Bravo, the man is a God sent Angel.” Van Helsing muttered out. He then looked at the Captain. “Tell, my God sent Angel. Why are we here? On another sea excursion? Or…”

“Patience, my dear comrade. We are not diverting from our task. We are just taking the direct route to the treasure. While the beasts charged through the breach, we will travel from their rear to the vault.”

“The vault? What vault? I thought you knew little on the treasure.” Watson cut in. 

“Every treasure is kept in some vault be it a ship wreck or a hole in the ground.” Captain Nemo replied. “I was not being specific here. Why are you so excited on it? Is there a ‘vault’ there?”

Watson will not be dragged into the discussion and focused his mind on the outside. The sea looked so colourful like his short stay with Mary at New Hampstead. The green landscape contrast with the varied of colours there but both emits the same calm feeling. 

“Mary, I miss you.” Watson muttered to himself of his ex-lover. 

Mary wasn’t the only one missed. 

Tarzan was missing among the trees. Lady Greystoke had stood on the huge boulder looking at the jungle ahead. It was a different jungle from their adopted home. The jungle there held trees and growths but not as dense as seen by her there. She recalled once travelling north east with her lover to look at the huge waterfall there. It was a hard journey but the sight of the waterfall was worth the journey. Lady Greystoke sighed for sight of the jungle was equally appealing but then her concern was Tarzan. She had followed him through the tunnel and past the smouldering gully to past the breach in the wall. They came upon what was a dense jungle ahead and without hesitation they plunged on. She may had been lady in the ballrooms of London, but out there, she was another warrior that rivalled the Waziri warriors. She caught with him and called out to him.

“John, you are scaring me.” Tarzan stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at his lover. Sean Mercer had gone on ahead. 

“I need to track that sabor.” 

“Just like you track that panther for it was a threat to you.” Lady Greystoke replied. “Why must you be the King? Was that lion a threat to you too? Is this your kingdom too?”

Tarzan looked to the path he was to follow and then back to the one he cherished as his mate. It was a hard choice but the hardest was what she said later then.

“Jack needs his father and so will our new baby.” It was coincidence then the lion roared in the path ahead. Tarzan looked to the source of the roar and saw the sabor there. It was a huge one at twice the size of the sabor he had wrestled before. Its fiendish look was the lengthy canine teeth at the front which reached downwards like a trailing set of nose. 

“Sabor!” Tarzan discarded the baton and reached for the dagger. He then called out the kill cry of his breed.

“Kreegah!”

So was then when Princess Fa Lo Suee shrieked out in anger while she struck out with the halberd held firm in her hands. It was never a moment to hesitate when one was to sever the head from the body. The shriek in her voice was brought from her lungs to the throat was a cry that she had learned during her martial fighting training. It was told by the Masters that the release of the air from there enhance the flow of blood to the limbs that was to deliver the killing blow. It also frightened the opponent with the fierce sound. It would but the lion roar was louder even more so when it’s near dying. The halberd blade delivered by the mistress was hard enough to cut a deep wound and it was fatal. 

“Mistress!” The princess looked to the right and saw her trusted aide was still alive with both hands bloodied from the killing. The lions came soon after the first one was killed, and it was not one but a pack of six. They attacked the guards who had formed a perimeter to defend the Princess. The guards were no match for the lions and soon they were outnumbered. 

“Stay by me, Princess. We may still fight it out.” The aide stood back with the Princess. They stood there facing the surviving three lions. It was not a bad odd but the lions were thrice their size, and that makes the odd more towards the lion. Just when they thought that death will come painfully, a sharp sound was heard. The lions backed away and then retreated to the jungle. 

“What happened?” The princess asked. The aide was still on guard for the lions to return but she also heard the sound. It had driven the lions away. 

“I don’t…” The aide did not anticipate the blow that knocked her unconscious and then the Princess followed suit. 

Maybe death was that painless.

Sean Mercer having outpaced the savage was ahead. The later was constantly studying the trail for marks and prints but not the Irish hunter. He was a bold hunter and to him the best trail was to go ahead. He had diverted off the trail when he saw the savage ahead to take his own trail.. He had reacted fast back in the cavern for he valued the kill of the saber toothed lion and more to it, it was his chance to escape. He did it with style by grabbing the rifle and ammo belt. He heard the commotion ahead and rushed to it. He reached there in time to see the two ladies confronted by the lions. He levelled his rifle and was to shoot when he heard the sound. The lions scattered from the scene. Sean lowered the rifle and decided to meet the ladies but they were shot by some flashing light beam before they collapsed. He rushed out and saw the shooter but before he could react he was also shot.

27.

“Captain, are you sure of this?” The Bosun looked the leader of the ship and with their age difference, he held in awe the man that was younger by ten years of day’s difference. The Captain seated on the command seat had not replied but his eyes were glued to the periscope. 

“Aye, Captain.. Twelve degree to starboard.” The Nautilus was underway to the open sea and on course for trip to the other side of the island. Everyone was huddled to their spot or cranking up the pipes to stem the drips. It was then Sherlock stepped over to Watson’s side. 

“My dear Watson…” 

“Shut up, Holmes.” It was unheard of the doctor to tell the sleuth off in such harsh manner. “I am not here to listen to your deductions and logic.” 

“Actually I was not into it but since you have decided to ignore me, I shall not disturb you.” Sherlock shifted his body from Watson but the later stopped him. 

“I am sorry, Holmes. It’s just that the last few days have been harrowing for me. I …”

“Elementary, my dear ….Pardon me there. Old habits.” Sherlock nudged the doctor in the shoulder. “I was actually here to tell you that I found the rifles were all re-designed. They looked like Enfield’s but they have been modified to fire a bigger calibre and more to that, the trigger have been lightened the pull weight. And each bullet carried an explosive point which was quite similar to the newly tested calibre.”

“You don’t say but maybe they were and the reason was for the beasts.” 

“I concluded that too but does it need hard-nosed impact? The lions ain’t exactly that thick skinned like some of us.” Sherlock smiled with rare twitch on the corner of his mouth. “Pardon the pun there but they could be looking at shooting something extraordinary hard.” 

‘Like metal surfaces.” Sherlock added on. 

“Flattering thought there. Maybe since have seen the saber tooth lions, there could be mammoths and God knows what, T-Rex? They may be hard leather bound by now.” Watson smiled. “Pardon the pun here.”

“The King would like a copy of them but jokes aside I would suggest we trod carefully.” Sherlock concluded the discussion or was it.

“Do they put silver in the bullets too?” Van Helsing cut in. “Or maybe the gold coins smelted to smaller grains. It would have driven the price of the metal. Could you hush it up? I am trying to sleep. Only demons don’t need to rest.”

That stopped all the mumblings and hushed conversations except for the Nautilus. The submerged vessel went on this journey with all the creaks and groans for all to hear. The Captain seated on the command seat ignored it although his heart was partly for the vessel. The other part of his heart was for the other tribes that had lived there. It was told to him by the Raj. 

“There were the Tall Man tribe that was brought there by King Solomon. They were true warriors and given the challenge to be the one tribe that will guard the treasure. The tribe was smaller in numbers and they co-exist with King Solomon blessing with the native tribe which were then living off the land and the sea. The Raj then the ancestors of the current Raj heard of the island by words of drunken seafarers. He then commissioned a ship to find the island and it took the Raj grandson to find it. The reigning Raj then met the tribes but the not the Tall Man tribe. The natives were taken in by his words and fought among themselves and with the Tall Man tribe. It was a war that almost destroyed the island before the Raj intervened. The Raj sided with the strongest and annihilated the others saved the Tall Man tribe.”

“The Raj then negotiated with the Tall Man tribe drawing the treaty with them. The Tall Men tribe agreed and created the gully that divided the island. It was an uneasy treaty but it preserved peace on the island. There was one unique condition that existed in the treaty. The Raj moved a major of his wealth to be guarded by the Tall Man tribe. He feared that the kingdom may be at threat and it was best he moved his wealth there.”

“It worked for the three Raj’ that took to rule the kingdom which was rich in wealth from its mining and trades but the wealth soon stopped coming in. The successive Raj had then stopped sending over their wealth but they monitored the guardians. Somehow the guardians lived to their oath and were trustworthy until the third Raj before the last here.”.

“The grandfather of the dead Raj had decided to wage a total takeover of the role of guardians. The war resumed and Tall Man tribe won again. The Raj then withdrew and died a broken man. The successor Raj which was the father of the dead Raj then resumed negotiations. He managed to work out a new treaty then; they will be allowed to withdraw their portion of the wealth and the Tall Man tribe remained as guards on what was Solomon’s.”

“That was how the original Captain Nemo came into the scene. He was in need of funds to develop the Nautilus. The Raj then agreed to the funding but the Captain was to assist in transporting the wealth of the island for him. The Nautilus was built and with its submerged capability, the Captain had not issue transporting the wealth back to the Raj. That was all fine until the Raj decided to take hat was not his. The steal was discovered and the Tall Man tribe defended their wealth. A new war raged and then the Raj died leaving the issue to the reign of the next Raj. The Raj then negotiated a new treaty and chose to appease all sides with the wall, and the marriage f the tribe’s chief daughter.”

Captain Nemo slumped into the seat reflecting on the past. The treasure of Solomon was never to be found and yet many have tried. He had met the Tall Man tribe warrior on some occasions when they decided to stake their claim there. The warriors were huge in the frame and wore armour plates. He had not killed any but they have taken toll on his crew. He had acquired the weapons that could cause damage but the war was never won on only one advantage. He looked to the assembled men there. 

If they win the war they will be heroes. 

If they lose the war, they will just be forgotten.

That was how Tarzan then thought of himself. He faced the sabor with the drawn dagger. He took a side glance to his lover. She had retreated to the rear to give him space. He had fought the sabor before. They are dangerous creatures with claws that could rip the flesh off with one swipe. Those canine teeth are not for decoration and may pierce his flesh with ease. The creature charged at him and like the savage he was, he charged back. Tarzan crouched down when he saw the sabor leapt and used that moment to thrust the dagger into the soft belly of the sabor. The dagger thrust into the left lower ribs and tore a gash there. Tarzan rolled to the side and crouched up on his knees. He felt for the dagger and saw the blood that was coated on it. The sabor roared on the wound it was inflicted and then it paced to the right and left of the prey. It was in pain but the fight was just starting. 

The sabor lashed out with its front paws with the claws drawn out but the prey was keeping its distance. It was then Tarzan decided to switch weapon. He tucked the dagger into the waist belt and then drew out the baton with the grapple. It levelled the baton at the sabor and released the grapple at it. The grapple launched out and spread its three mini hooks. It caught on the sabor’s back and then the savage retract the grapple with force. The hooks on the grapple cut into the flesh then opened up a long two gash on the back to the ribs. The savage did not stop there and charged out while the grapple was retracting. It aimed the baton other end into the open gash there and stabbed in deep. The blunt head pierced the flesh and cracked the ribs but the sabor struck back with the right paw clawed at Tarzan’s left thigh. The later fell back from the clawing and retreated further. The sabor with the baton half embedded in its side roar and then turned to the prey that was on the ground. It leapt at the seated prey but the bullet that impacted into its left eye exploded at the brain. The sabor twisted in the leap and then fell to the ground writhing in pain. It was soon dead 

Tarzan then sat on his haunches with the deep breaths while his right hand clutched at the wounds on the left forearm. He then roared out his kill call with his left hand thumping his chest before he was knocked unconscious from the back of the head by the rifle stock. 

“Stupid choice for a King.” Lady Greystoke lowered the rifle to the ground. She looked to the dead lion and sighed. She was to reach down for her lover when she was struck down by the flashing light beam.