Hank Mossberg, Private Ogre: Murder in the Boughs Read online

  I pushed myself up slightly and gave it a tug, trying to pull the robot off balance. It didn’t work. Instead, the creature copied my tactic and yanked me forward. I stumbled towards him and ended up close enough to look into its multi-faceted insect-like eyes. Before I could react, one of those sledgehammer attachments slammed into my face and I went hurtling towards the back of the tram. I hit the rear wall hard and slumped down, stars flashing through my vision.

  Consciousness drifted out of reach and I fought to keep my eyes open. Some part of me thought that might be the end of it, but the robot wasn’t done with me yet. The pole slid from my grip as the creature caught me up and dragged me forward. I groggily tried to fight back, but it had the better of me now. I had lost my weapon. I was dazed, weakened by the attack. The robot lifted me up, fixing me with a malevolent stare, and then struck me in the center of the chest with a powerful blow. Darkness overwhelmed me as I tumbled backwards. For a second or two, I blacked out. Then my eyes fluttered open and I came to, only vaguely aware of who and where I was. I blinked as my vision went in and out of focus. The creature stood there watching, almost mocking me with that hateful glare.

  I made a slight movement, hoping to get back to my feet. A tentacle sliced through the air and wrapped tightly around my throat. I pulled at it, straining, but the robot’s response was to squeeze even tighter.

  I remembered seeing the pole lying off to my side. I couldn’t see it, but I reached out with my right hand, feeling back and forth, praying the thing was within reach. My eyes watered and my heart pounded in my skull as my hand danced back and forth across the floor. I could feel my fingers going numb and darkness closed in around me. Then, suddenly, I felt it. My hand closed around the sold steel pipe. With my last ounce of strength, I hauled it back and threw it like a javelin.

  There was a breathless instant when I thought I was going to die. My vision faded out and the last thing I saw was the pole hurtling across the tram towards the robot. Then, the tentacle loosened its grip. I clawed at it, gasping for breath as I pulled it away from my throat. My eyes came into focus and I saw the robot at the far end of the tram, rocking unsteadily. Its tentacles reaching out to the sides as the creature slowly stabilized itself. I had stunned it.

  I crawled to my feet and took a deep breath. Seeing no other option, I rushed it, thinking maybe I could knock it out of the tram. The robot reacted by lifting the pole with one of its tentacles and swinging it at me like a baseball bat. Somehow, I caught the thing in midair with both hands. I tugged at it, but the robot tugged back. It dragged me forward, to the front of the tram. Tentacles reached out around me, blocking my escape. I found myself within arm’s reach of the creature, but unwilling to let go of the pole. It was the only weapon I had, and I certainly didn’t want to hand it over to the robot. Apparently, the robot felt the same way.

  We stood that way for a few moments, engaged in a furious battle of wills. I pulled at the bar, the robot pulled back. I twisted it, and the robot firmly brought it back into place. It’s a stalemate, I thought. I was too close to the creature for it to attack me with its tentacles, but I didn’t dare let go of the pole. So I stood there, panting and bleeding, the robot staring at me with that blood chilling stare. I could feel my strength ebbing away and I knew I had to act quickly. I had to do something while I still could. Otherwise, the robot would just wait me out and finish me off when I ran out of energy.

  I lifted myself slightly on my toes and then shoved the pole down as hard as I could. I grunted as I threw all of my weight into it. The robot, caught by surprise, leaned forward towards me, contributing considerable extra pressure. Just enough that the pole actually punctured the floor of the tram, and impaled the ground beneath us.

  I released the pole as I felt the impact. I was hoping the force of the ground moving beneath us would twist the pole forward and throw the creature of balance. It did that, and much more. The ground caught the pole and slammed it forward, crushing down on the robot. It ripped through a few of his tentacles as it crushed the creature to the floor. I grinned, thinking I finally had the better of him. Then I realized the pole wasn’t stopping. It ripped through the edge of the robot’s body and sliced through the front wall of the tram like a machete. Then, the heavy end of the pole plunged into the ground in front of us.

  The pole wedged into the tracks and the tram’s inertia threw the vehicle into the air, flipping end over end like a pole-vaulter. I grabbed at the seats dizzily, looking for a handhold as we somersaulted through the air. The tram rose up ten, twenty, thirty feet, and then slammed into the roof of the tunnel. The impact stopped the spinning motion and threw us to the ground with enough force to flatten the entire vehicle.

  When we landed, I was wedged between two nicely cushioned seats. That’s probably the only reason I survived the crash. For a moment, everything stopped. I heard the crackle of electricity and the hiss of steam. Somewhere, the tram bell rang. I pushed at the seats, bending the frame far enough that I could pull myself free. I crawled forward across the weirdly tilted floor. I reached the edge and then lost my grip, tumbling several feet to the ground. I landed hard and it knocked the breath out of my lungs. I gasped painfully for a few moments, and then finally managed to drag myself upright.

  The remnants of the tram lay spread out across the tunnel. The bulk of the vehicle’s carcass rested on its side, pressed precariously up against the tunnel wall. Just beyond, a small school of sharks circled in the icy waters outside the tunnel, watching us curiously. I stepped cautiously around the tram and found the remains of the robot on the other side, crushed beneath the vehicle’s frame. Its eyes flickered with an evil stare, but it could do nothing more. It was trapped, and had suffered irreparable damage. I wanted to kick the thing, but I didn’t have the strength.

  I glanced up the tunnel and realized I was three hundred yards from the end of the line. I was going to have to walk. If I didn’t warn the engineers, the next tram would come along soon and end up in a spectacular crash. Someone could be killed if that happened. And that someone might be me.

  I took five steps before I heard an ominous cracking sound behind me. I turned just in time to see a leak spring from the roof of the tunnel, where the tram had hammered into it. A stream of water began gushing down. There was a sound like breaking glass and a deep, earthy moan that echoed up and down the tunnel. The crack spread, arcing across the roof like bolts of white lightning. I turned and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I’d only made it a few yards when the ceiling gave way, and the ocean came pouring in.

  Chapter 9

  I sprinted down the tunnel. I threw a glance over my shoulder and saw a wall of water bearing down on me like a tidal wave. The roaring noise filled my ears and shook the ground beneath my feet. I managed to gulp down one giant breath before the water crashed over me.

  The wave hammered me into the ground, driving the air out of my lungs, and then threw me in the air like a ragdoll. I felt my body slammed into the walls, the floor, even into the remains of the tram that bounced along with me. Spots swam before my eyes. I knew I only had a few seconds to get my head above water, but I couldn’t even tell which way was up. I rode along helplessly, borne through the darkness by that cold surge, vaguely aware of shadowy shapes in the water around me. And then something happened.

  There was a clanging sound in the distance, and then another and another. I slammed into some sort of wall. I hit it so hard that I bounced back. The water seemed to have stopped moving and incredibly, I felt myself rising towards the surface. I broke through in a shallow air-filled space, with about three feet between the surface of the water and the roof of the tunnel. I sucked in deep, gasping breaths. I fought against the weight of my clothes, doing my best to tread water. I managed to keep my head clear, but I knew I couldn’t do it for long. I was exhausted.

  Rays of light streamed down through the murky waters over the tunnel. Somewhere up there was a big blue sky and lots of fresh cool air, but the knowledge on
ly taunted me. I was trapped. Fish darted in and out of my field of vision. The water rolled around me, pushing me back and forth. I had lost all forward momentum and for the moment, I seemed to be safe. All I could do was wait and hope help was coming

  Then, somewhere in the depths below me, I heard a whirring sound. An alarm went off in the back of my head, warning me that the robot might have broken free of the tram. I knew the thing had been badly damaged in the accident, but I didn’t know if it could still be dangerous. I took a deep breath and dove under the surface, my gaze roving back and forth anxiously. I saw nothing but darkness. My mind filled with images of lashing tentacles and sharp blades… and sharks. Sweat broke out on my brow as I remembered the sharks I’d seen swimming outside the tunnel. What if they were in there with me? What if they were down there in the darkness somewhere, circling under my feet, waiting for...

  Then, suddenly, the water began to recede. Slowly, over a period of several minutes, invisible pumps pulled the water out of the tunnel. The level gradually went down and I found myself standing on solid ground, sopping wet, blinking in the dim light. Water pooled out across the concrete floor. Here and there, I saw fish flipping back and forth, trapped suddenly in this strange air-filled environment. The crumpled mass of the tram lay a few yards away, next to some sort of wall that had come up out of the earth. There was another wall behind me.

  A yellow light popped up out of the floor and began spinning and flashing like a police light. Then I heard a loud boom and turned to see the wall at the end of the tunnel descending back into the earth. A team of gnomish tunnel workers came rushing at me armed with first-aid kits and toolboxes.

  The gnomes were horrified by the incident, at first. They looked me over, checking my vital signs and looking for injuries, gently trying to pry the story out of me of what had happened. And then they realized that I’d caused the entire accident. “Hang on then,” the supervisor said. He was a thin, gangly fellow, unusual for a gnome. They tend towards the chubby side. He was wearing a yellow hard hat. He wore thick bottle-cap glasses and had half an inch of beard jutting out from his chin. “You’re telling me that you stuck the pole through the floor, and that’s why our tram flipped off the tracks?”

  “Something like that,” I said. “It’s hard to explain. I couldn’t think of another way to stop that thing…”

  “I see,” he said, stroking his thin silver beard. “And how are you going to pay for all of this?”

  My jaw dropped. Only a moment before he’d been panic-stricken, concerned only about my well-being. How quickly the worm turns. “Send the bill to Brutus Kaiser,” I grunted. I stalked away, my shoes sloshing as I walked, a trail of water in my wake.

  “This won’t be the last of this, Steward!” the engineer called out behind me. I ignored him.

  I was still sopping wet when I got to the depot in Belvedere fifteen minutes later. It’s a small platform with a ticket booth and an escalator. That’s it. The end of the line. The gnome in the booth, a youthful male with a shock of bright red hair, shook his head as I walked by. “Tram’s closed,” he said.

  I shot him a freezing glare. “You think I don’t know that?”

  He looked me up and down as if seeing me for the first time. “Oh. Right. You need a cab?”

  I grunted and stalked away.

  I took the escalator up to the exit. It’s basically a wooden shack in the middle of a park overlooking the bay. It’s obscured by a stand of trees and bushes so that humans won’t notice the fae coming and going, not that they’d notice anyway. Humans don’t notice much beyond their own little world.

  I shoved my way through the bushes and stepped out into the sunlight. I pulled off my coat and tilted my face towards the sky, letting the warmth wash over me. I stood there a few minutes, breathing in the air and soaking up the sunlight. It was nice. I could have stayed there all day, if I didn’t have so many things to do. And if I didn’t have that big red bull’s-eye painted on my back.

  There was no doubt that everything I’d just experienced was Brutus’ doing. I didn’t know what I should do about it, though. I had probable cause. That was enough to drag him down to the jail and lock him up, but after that I was stuck. I didn’t have any evidence. I couldn’t specifically prove Brutus had sent the robot, and the thug who’d left the package on the tram had said the package was from Anthony. That was on purpose, of course. It was a message. It not only told me the reason I was being killed, it also helped protect Brutus because he wasn’t in any way implicated in the crime. The only way I could prove it would be to find the errand boy who’d dropped the package and force him into a confession.

  Yeah right.

  A warbling chime in my jacket interrupted my thoughts, and I pulled my dripping cell phone out of the pocket. I looked it over, surprised that the thing was actually still working. I put it to my ear. “Hello?”

  “Hank? It’s Anadg. Do shosh a fran slidlgochywa?”

  “Um… hang on…” I held the phone away from my headed and tilted it on its side. I watched a small stream of water pour out of the corner. I gave it a hard shake put it back to my ear. “Can you hear me?”

  “Hank, it’s Annie.”

  “Annie! How are you, sweetheart?”

  “I’ll be better at eight.”

  I scratched my chin. “Eight?”

  “Yeah, that’s when you’re picking me up. You haven’t forgotten about our date?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Great! The new Wizards of the West film is premiering tonight.”

  “It’s a date. I’ll see you at eight.”

  I hung up and checked my watch. A thick misty film coated the glass so I couldn’t read it at all. Frustrated, I stalked to the nearest park bench and took a seat. I sat my phone down on the bench next to me, hoping some of the humidity would evaporate out of it while I waited. My investigation could wait for a few minutes while I dried out. It would have been wrong of me to show up at Tas’ place sopping wet anyway.

  I had a nice view of the bay and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day, better than I could have asked for, all things considered. I sat there watching the mermaids play in the surf and the fairies taunting the seagulls over the crashing waves. I let my mind drift, but I avoided thoughts about the Kaisers or Roxy and Jenny Paton. Instead, I thought about my upcoming date with the beautiful Annie. I hadn’t had a date in a long time, and I was looking forward to it.

  I decided it would be nice to make it something special. Not just a movie, but a real date with dinner and maybe a nice walk on the beach. Of course, that would be the end of it. Strictly platonic. My tendency to knock fae girls unconscious when I kiss them meant that Annie and I had no future beyond a pleasant, friendly dinner. Even so, I was looking forward to the company, and the time away from the daily madness.

  After about fifteen minutes, my clothes had dried enough. I marched to the north end of the park and across the street to Tas’ sprawling mansion. You’d think a rich and powerful gnome like Tas would live in the undercity, among his own kind. Not Tas. He loves human culture. He likes big houses, fast cars, and fast women. He’s a real playboy.

  The security guards out front recognized me when I walked up. They let me right in and directed me to the pool. By the time I got there, Tas already knew I was coming. He was lounging on a beach chair with a pretty young blonde to his right and a brunette to his left. The Wayfarer shades he was wearing made him look like a big pink-skinned fly.

  “Steward, good to see you!” he said. “Care for a drink?”

  “Just a root beer,” I said. “I’m working.”

  “You’re always working, Steward. You gotta learn to relax.”

  I glanced at the girls. “Tas, we need to talk.”

  He pulled the shades off and squinted at me. “All right. Let’s go to my office.” He turned his attention to the women, taking each of their hands in turn and kissing them. “Ladies, I’ll be back shortly,” he promised.

  T
as led me up to the second floor and down the hall. We entered a large room filled with computers and flat screen TVs. The room was dark and cool, probably for the sake of the computer wiring. A pale fluorescent light flickered on over his desk as we entered the room. Brightly colored LED lights flashed here and there in the shadows, and the computers made a constant whirring sound that Tas didn’t seem to mind but made me want to smash something. Computer wiring snaked around the place like vines on the Mother tree. They crawled across the floor and dangled from the ceiling in a web of connections that tied dozens of different computers and pieces of hardware together. I had no idea what most of it was, but I knew what it could do. When it comes to computers and networks, Tas is a wizard.

  He settled into his chair and motioned for me to pull up one of the others that lay scattered about the room. “So what’s the problem?” he said.

  “I need some background information. The kind of stuff I can’t get on public records.”

  “You came to the right place. What kind of dirt you looking for?”

  I clasped my hands together and leaned forward. “It’s not so much dirt… I’m investigating a woman who claims her daughter was kidnapped. The thing is, it’s been three days and we haven’t heard from any kidnappers.”

  His wrinkled up his brow. “So you think this woman is pulling some kind of scam? Like she kidnapped her own daughter?”