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.”
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