Team Seven of Heroes Chapter 22

22.

The airfield if one may term it as one except the only flying were the six dirigibles that patrolled the perimeters of the place. They were house sized units carriage with the double huge balloon. The carriage was equipped with multi gun ports and each port held a machine gun. On the field were lined up six tri-wing craft with the reddish shade. The wing spans were over twenty four feet with a carriage length of over eighteen feet.

“That’s a prototype flying craft which the Chancellor told me will one day rule the skies. The dirigibles will be dropping like stones when those take off.” Sherlock stood up from his crouched position and joined the others at the tree lines.

“We can’t all fly those boxes. Maybe the dirigibles but we need to get them down.” Mycroft added his comments. “Why are we here anyway?”

Six hours ago Hauptmeister Goering had packed all six of them into a truck and asked the driver to send them away. The Hauptmeister Bormann and Sebastian Moran were escorted away by another truck. Sherlock did enquire on them but he was given the silent reply. The driver drove them to the nearest town and left them there.

“Hauptmeister Goering instruction was to leave you here. He also said to walk two clicks west and get a ride from there.”

“Why can’t we go to the city or made it to the borders?” Lady Jane asked.

“The cities are under siege and the borders are closed. Hauptmeister directed here for a reason.” Sherlock added in. “There is a reason for us to be here. Chancellor was on this development and he directed us here.”

The six stood there looking for an hour before they saw the needed scene. A huge dirigible appeared on the horizon and it was escorted by two smaller dirigibles which resembled the six there. The huge dirigible was armed with its own gun ports and it carried the insignia of the Empire.

“I think we got our ride home.” Sherlock then began his walk towards the air field.

“Herr Holmes, I am glad you made it.” The man who greeted the six was a short and rounded figure with a semi bald head with a stub for the moustache. He was dressed in the Bavarian suit of short sleeve shirt and knee length pants, complete with boots and white socks and the suspender strap.

“Joseph, with you we can be first name. How’s the Chancellor?” The man known as Joseph smiled and gestured to the six to board the dirigible.

“We are flying north.” Joseph told him. “I hear the Alpines are great at this time of the year.”

“So I was told but I do dislike the cold.” Lady Jane cut in but her companion had snuggle into the corner and looked out of the opening there. Sherlock meanwhile was led by Joseph to a separate chamber where a doctor’s case was seen on the table.

“The Chancellor sent his compliments.” Sherlock smiled. He was relief that his urges will soon be settled. Watson had seen him go in and joined them. He frowned on the doctor’s case but he knew Sherlock needed his fix.

“Why the Alpines?” Watson asked Joseph.

“The Chancellor is there. He is not in the city at all.”

The Alpine temperature does not really dropped by ten degrees for every one thousand metres in altitude, its temperature is colder than one would expect at sea level at the same altitude. With the rainfall, the rising air cools, its’ loses its ability to retain moisture and clouds form. As one moves up a mountain, the first indication is the appearance of coniferous trees. In the higher altitude, the conditions may be too harsh for trees to grow and tundra life plant will appear from the wild flowers to the mosses. There are the signs of lichens which are normally found in the harsh cold areas.

“Reichenbach Falls.” Joseph voiced out.

The Reichenbach Falls are a series of waterfalls on the Reichenbach stream in the Bernese Oberland; in the region of Switerland.. The falls measured a total drop of eight hundred and twenty feet with the highest at the Upper Reichenbach Falls at three hundred feet.

“It’s a wonder of the world.” Lady Janes remarked but Sherlock held the look of concern in his expression. Watson saw the concern and pulled the sleuth to the far side.

“Holmes, are you well? Maybe …” Watson reached for the doctor’s bag but Sherlock shook his head.

“I am clearer than the Dover Cliffs sight on a foggy night. It’s the place here which confounded me. I have dreams of it and I will be honest with you, Moriarty may be near.” Sherlock held out his hand to hold Watson by the left elbow. “Promise me that this adventure will not feature in our tales. It cannot be told, and I won’t explain my action.”

The dirigible then veered off on a tangent course and took its flight along the border of Switzerland and Germany before it descent to the valley before the mountain range. They landed on a cleared plan surrounded by the thick pine trees with the huge L shaped mansion in the clearing. The two escort dirigibles remained above ground while the huge one landed on the ground.

“Welcome to my personal retreat.” Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck greeted the six members at the doorsteps to his mansion. The man was a conservative statesman who was influential in the affairs of the continent and was the strategist of the series of wars that unified the greater German states under one. The figure had the signs of his age displayed with the thick eye brows and moustache that were silvery. He wore a buttoned up dark suit and white bowtie with the wide brimmed hat and walking stick.

“I won’t hesitate to tell you that we are in a greater crisis since the Franco-Prussian War.” The Franco-Prussian War was the catalyst for the unification of the German states. “We are not facing an external enemy but one of …wider influence and hidden within our ranks.”

The meeting was held in the library with the shelves of books unable to lend its pages for the words spoken there. Sherlock had taken the seat facing the tall window that overlooked the Alpine range. His fascination did not elude the observation of the doctor who was equally concerned.

“Monsignor Dupont is not of our origin but a child that was raised by the priests who gave him shelter on our land. He grew up with a keen desire to study religion and political science; a deadly combination which spell chaos and disasters. He was taken into my trust when he displayed his knowledge of theology but it was his camouflage to tread into diplomacy on my name. I regretted the man had become what he is today with much of my fame borrowed to move his. The recent events have seen him dictate the military to mount a coup on my administration but with timely advice, I was able to evade my detention in the city.”

“Chancellor…” Sherlock was stopped by the Chancellor.

“I was in debt to Herr Holmes who highlighted the link between Monsignor and one named Professor Moriarty, or his twin who had never left the place of birth. I had my staff to verify those reports and the truth came too late for me to act on it.” The elderly Chancellor continued on. “However I am to take the needed action. I will need your assistance to return to my city and my office where I can announce to the people of Germany of the threat that we faced.”

“We shall retake back our country.”