Team Seven of Heroes III Chapter 21

Book 3

The search for the Elixir of Life

21.

Sherlock slipped himself deeper into the seat on the rear of the dirigible. He was en-route to Xingjiang. It was not a perfect vehicle; they were transporting contrabands. The smugglers have evolved with the trade but the intentions were the same. He paid well for the trip, but he was not satisfied with the level of comfort. Nor the smell; the dirigible was transporting crates of guns and ammo. He was not comfortable with the gun oils. He dabbled on the perfume that he acquired at the last stop.

“Not comfortable, huh?” Sherlock looked to Captain of the dirigible. The later was a huge Slavic persona with the wide shoulders and chest but the muscles have migrated to the midriff. The lack of prowess was however substituted by the set of pistols tucked there like a new set of anatomy. The pistols were of the Model Mauser C9 with the ten rounds ammo clip. The dressing was Prussian Calvary complete with the shoulder pips and high boots.

“Did not mean to intrude on you. We do have a policy not to harass our passengers but we have an issue.” Captain Wilhelm motioned to the window on the dirigible. “We are pursued by two dirigibles; not of the enforcement agencies but brothers of the trade. They are not Germans but more towards the Mid-Eastern brothers. They are Turks and some Persians.”

“Maybe they are on the same route?” Sherlock feigned silliness towards the Captain.  He knew from his studies of smuggling the Captains have their schedules and they don’t clash for fear of being too crowded on the same lane. “Are they hailing us?”

“Yes, and they are flying the flag which we are to yield.” The Captain sighed.

“Let me guess which is against my principle. It was the flag of the Emperor Fu Manchu.” The Emperor held high esteem on his image of the mandarin cap and moustache. Well it was scarier than the cross bones and skull.

“We pulling over?” Sherlock asked.

“Nay, we are on the rebellion league now. I am fleeing from them.” Captain Wilhelm smiled. “The Chinese leader is not the one we feared more now. He is past his prime.”

Sherlock was to asked when the captain rushed off to the bridge. He followed suit to see the later calling for speed from the Engine Section. He then called to his Bosun.

“Bring out the guns, Those new guns.” Captain Wilhelm was asking for his arsenal from the crates. He was referring to the new British guns; the Lewis. The captain was shipping the early prototypes; the pan clip with ninety-seven rounds with a range of eight hundred yards.

“Aye, Captain.” The Bosun which held a more suitable in fitness frame than the Captain searched for the guns. He had test fired the guns although his aim was wide but he had narrowed it down to a fair mark. They have three of the units and there were two others who were familiar with it. On the dirigible, the vantage points to stationed the gunners; the main carriage held the sponson units which the gunners could take on. The Captain has his taken off some British designed armoured carrier.

On the pursuing dirigible, Hathaway stared at the pulling away dirigible that he was intercept then. He almost died on the stormy voyage but they were saved by the break in the storm. The ship sailed on and then it found shelter at a nearby port. He disembarked there and set his sights on his tasks. He had the Emperor’s network pursue his prey. He found the duo had travelled to Port Onega and from there to Lake Onega. The scrolls were incomplete without the runic stones to complete the next clue. It was something which he was not to find out despite his years of researching to be overtaken by another. The Emperor will be unpleased but he will made amends. He will destroy Sherlock Holmes.

“Leader, we are ready to board it.” Hathaway heard the leader of his boarding party. The Emperor have every contingency and that include his warriors ready for any tasks. These were the best; the Wolves Warriors. He will used them.

“Take cover!” The warning came as soon as the bullets hit the bridge. Hathaway crouched down behind the seat there and saw the Captain took some on the chest. He then hollered out to the one holding the steering to push on.

“I want that capture.” The dirigible which Hathaway took command pushed on. He had the speed picked up and forced it to climb. He wants to build some height. He had the Wolves ready for a fast disembarkation. He knew that dirigible could not catch up in time but the height was to allow a quicker acquisition or boarding may be the preferred option.

“Sir, we …” The steer man called out.

“Captain Hathaway until you get a new one.” The new leader announced his new ranking. He felt the dirigible was climbing and he called the Wolves to get ready. The leader of the Wolves was then named Swift by his Master Wind.

Swift rounded up his team of warriors; the eleven warriors readied themselves. The warriors were armed with their fearsome weapon; the grappling hook on the extended chain with the dagger on the other end. It was a favoured weapon for assassins of the Far East. It was a modified version of the original ‘Kusarigama’; the sickle on the chain. 

Swift took to the wind that he had lived with since his early years. He started off with falling off the tree branches to the cliff leaping and then to the deep dive off the mountains. He learned to test the limits with the timing of the hook to break his dooming fall. He had suffered some bad falls but death evaded him. His earlier acquaintances had all perished but the ones that survived became his warrior mates. The distance between the two dirigibles was three hundred yards with a difference of one hundred yards. He could not make the jump without the improvised suit; he had webbed wings sewn beneath his arms to resemble the wings of the flying birds. He had flight then and flew below the other dirigible. He then swung his grappling hook towards the carriage. His hook caught hold on the struts there. He then swung his way up and then made the climb towards the carriage. He counted the ones that made it and found he lost half his warriors. They will survive with their training.

“We are being boarded.” Captain Wilhelm called out the warning. He then looked towards Sherlock. “Do you want a gun?”

A gun was not something ever favoured by Watson even though he had carried and used one from his days at the Final Frontier. He had reported to Sir Fleming by telegraph and then took on his trip to find Sherlock. He had then the direct route to China which was by the Silk Road; the passageway that was taken by many travellers before. Sherlock left the scrolls and Watson did some of his own readings. He was not good with the task of sleuth but he has his skills in medical diagnostics. He read the so assumed symptoms and then made his own diagnosis. He can’t find the cause but he reckoned the illness was located at one place.

China.

To be more exact, Jiayu Pass.

The destination was unknown to him but he deciphered the scrolls and the etching. It did not reveal it plainly but the connection was there. The scrolls spoke of the wall that define the east and west with the word; the gateway. He then saw the etching of the narrow and elongated wall but the main clue was the triangular point on the wall. It was like how Jiayu Pass looked like from above. He concluded the symptom led to there were he may find the cause of the disease.

“Sir, would you like to have this?” Watson looked to the non-commissioned personnel handling him the Enfield. He was to meet them in Istanbul, the five men operative from the Foreign Affairs Section on counter moves. These men were regular army personnel but they have volunteered for the non-sanctioned tasks required by the Section. In some years to come, they will be recognised as unsung heroes.

“Thanks, Sergeant Matt but I will stick to my Webley.” Watson patted the pistol on his waist belt, and familiar leather harness that held his knives. He had donned that once more. He was no more the once Doctor Watson the Medical Officer who saved lives but the killer version.

“Aye, Sir. We are due to arrive in two hours and try to get some tea. It will soothe your nerves.” Watson smiled at the man and nodded. He knew what he needed then was the feel of his knife sloshing in blood.

As for the ladies, with the silent wall that erected between Mycroft and Mrs Hudson, their ongoing journey was towards China too via the Silk Road. The Princess had tried to moderate between the two but they were still not chatty like before. She was unsure what happened in India during their brief stop. She had thought to find the whereabouts of Sean Mercer but the important task of her father took precedent. She learned from her father network that he was seen on the Silk Road. Her father used to tell her of the great place to be in was the gateway between the East and West.

It then dawned to the Princess, that she had referenced him as father and not the Emperor. It made her sick to the heart but her mind told she was right.

“Princess, we are descending to the city near Jiayu Pass.”