The Firebird Mystery Page 10

  ‘Benefits?’ The word exploded from Jack’s mouth before he knew what he was doing. ‘You’ve done terrible things to the man in that cell!’

  The doctor grimaced. ‘There have always been slaves just as there have always been masters. Slaves must know their place is to serve, just as masters know their role is to lead.’

  ‘But you’ve turned him into some sort of…animal,’ Jack said, aghast.

  ‘I have merely combined some elements of his human nature with those of a wolf,’ the doctor explained.

  ‘A…a wolf?’ Scarlet said.

  ‘I have created many such hybrids,’ Dr Presbury said. ‘Wolves, bears, pigs, just to name a few.’

  ‘But that’s monstrous,’ Joseph Bell said. ‘Surely you can see that?’

  ‘The Darwinist League would have agreed with you. Fortunately, I am no longer stymied by their pathetic morals. The lives of those people have been sacrificed for the greater cause of science,’ Doctor Presbury said. ‘Just as yours will be.’

  ‘You’re not a doctor,’ Paul Harker said. ‘You’re inhuman.’

  A figure stepped into the room. The creature carried a tray with a flask of alcohol and a glass. It was almost seven feet tall, but hunched over as if it had been beaten into submission. Coarse black hair covered its entire body, while a snout curved downwards from its face, ending in a squat nose with black nostrils. Its ears were also covered in fur, but they were recognisably human. The creature’s arms and clawed hands were functional—it was able to carry the tray—but impossibly stumpy for its body size. The legs were likewise short and malformed.

  But the most tragic element of the creature was its eyes. They were ebony black, but still perfectly human. A man was lost behind those eyes, lost to the wild.

  Scarlet gave a moan of horror.

  ‘This is Wilfred,’ Dr Presbury said. ‘He once worked as a servant on the island for the previous owners. Now he is part man and part bear. He has a delightful nature.’

  ‘Is that what you intend for us?’ Scarlet asked.

  ‘I have had much success with the bear formula,’ Dr Presbury said.

  Jack listened to Presbury in complete terror. How could he be so calm? He may as well have been discussing the weather.

  The doctor poured himself a drink while Wilfred stood nearby. Despite his enormous size, the creature looked downtrodden and fearful.

  ‘I have not had the pleasure of using this particular potion on a woman before. Now that will change.’ The corners of Dr Presbury’s mouth twisted into a leer as he stared at Scarlet’s bound body.

  ‘If you harm my daughter...’ Joseph Bell started.

  Presbury threw the glass into Mr Bell’s face. It smashed, sending pieces everywhere, and a gash opened on his cheek. The doctor stepped over to Bell and slapped him.

  ‘No!’ Scarlet screamed. ‘Leave him alone!’

  The man ignored her and slapped him again. Seething with anger, he said to Bell, ‘You will not give orders here. I am in charge. You are just a laboratory animal.’

  ‘You will never get away with this,’ Scarlet said.

  The doctor marched to the door. ‘Come, Wilfred. We will let these rats think about their future contribution to science while I mix their potions.’

  The bear-man followed his master to the door. As Presbury left, Scarlet gave a loud sob. Jack felt tears welling. He had come such a long way to save his companions and now he was unable to even save himself.

  ‘Is my daughter all right?’ Mr Harker asked Jack.

  ‘Yes, sir. Lucy was with Mr Doyle when I last saw her.’

  ‘At least she’s not in this terrible place.’

  Mr Bell was confused. ‘Who are you, boy?’

  Jack introduced himself and Scarlet explained how his kidnapping had brought them together.

  ‘I’m so sorry this has happened,’ Joseph Bell said. ‘It seems I have brought about our doom.’

  ‘Don’t give up,’ Scarlet said. ‘Not yet.’

  ‘What do you mean, my dear?’

  ‘When the doctor threw that glass at you,’ Scarlet said, ‘a splinter from it landed in the crook of my arm.’

  ‘Can you get to it?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Let me try.’

  Scarlet moved her arm against her body, letting out a cry of relief. ‘I’ve manoeuvred it into my hand. I’ll try to cut the strap. Just give me a minute.’

  It took longer than a minute. Jack kept looking at the door, expecting the doctor to return at any moment.

  ‘Hurry, my dear,’ Paul Harker urged.

  ‘She’s going as fast as she can,’ Joseph Bell snapped.

  ‘I’m just saying...’

  ‘Gentlemen,’ Scarlet said. ‘I’m almost there.’

  Another long minute passed until Scarlet sighed with satisfaction as she freed a hand. She immediately untied the leather strap restraining her other arm and started to untie her feet. Just as she stepped away from the table, the door creaked open.

  Wilfred.

  Jack and the others remained frozen, staring at the bear-man. His form filled the entire doorway, his long snout sniffing the air as if the aroma could help him understand the scene before him.

  Scarlet smiled pleasantly and edged to Jack’s bench. ‘Hello, Wilfred,’ she said, undoing the leather straps around Jack’s hands. ‘You’re a nice man, aren’t you?’

  Wilfred watched the scene with interest as Scarlet undid Jack’s feet and he slid off the table.

  ‘What Dr Presbury has done to you is very cruel, Wilfred,’ Scarlet said softly, making her way over to the other men. She undid their restraints and they climbed off the operating tables. Wilfred sniffed the air.

  Suddenly Dr Presbury burst in the door. ‘What is this?’ He stopped in astonishment, turned to Wilfred and hit him. ‘Kill them! Kill them all!’

  Presbury ran from the room. Wilfred swung towards them, opened his distorted mouth and growled.

  ‘No, Wilfred! No!’ Scarlet screamed.

  The bear-man advanced. Mr Bell picked up a chair to defend himself. ‘Quickly!’ he said. ‘Jack and Scarlet! Through the windows!’

  Jack helped Scarlet climb up onto the bench. She unlatched the nearest window. Wilfred threw himself at the chair and tried to rip it from Mr Bell’s grasp. Paul Harker grabbed a metal lamp from the bench and struck at the creature’s head.

  Wilfred swiped, sending him sprawling to the floor. Mr Bell then tried to push the creature out of the room using the chair, but Wilfred wrestled it from his grasp and tossed it across the chamber. The bear-man threw himself at Mr Bell, grabbing him around the throat.

  ‘Wilfred,’ Scarlet said in a stern voice. ‘I forbid you to do that.’

  Her words froze the bear-man. He peered back at her.

  ‘Let him go,’ ordered Scarlet.

  Wilfred gave a small whimper and released her father.

  ‘Remember you were once a man,’ Scarlet said. ‘Try to be that man again.’

  Wilfred seemed entranced by her voice. He tilted his head as if she were singing to him. Jack sensed some sort of humanity still dwelt within the creature.

  The two older men climbed up onto the bench. Scarlet motioned them through the window. Mr Bell made as if to argue, but Scarlet grasped his arm and directed him out, all the while keeping her eyes on Wilfred.

  ‘You probably had a family,’ she said. ‘You may have had a wife and children. At least you had a mother and father.’

  As Jack climbed through the window, he looked back at the bear-man’s face. The creature appeared stricken with grief. He was making small weeping sounds. Jack could not begin to imagine what it would be like inside his mind. The evil doctor had tried to turn him into an animal, but beneath his monstrous exterior was the soul of a man.

  Jack helped Scarlet onto the windowsill. Just before they dropped into the garden outside, Jack saw tears fill the bear-man’s eyes.

  ‘What is that thing?’ Mr Harker asked.

  ‘It’s not a
thing,’ Scarlet said. ‘It’s a man. A tragic man, thanks to Dr Presbury.’

  A scream came from the back of the compound. A human scream.

  ‘What on earth…?’ Mr Bell started.

  They made their way to the corner of the building. The door Jack had approached earlier was wide open and Dr Presbury lay spread-eagled on the floor. Two of his beasts—hairy pig creatures with short snouts—were hunched over him, ripping at his stomach. Another, a lion-man covered in long tan hair, had its razor-sharp teeth attached to his throat.

  ‘Oh no,’ Scarlet said.

  ‘His creations have turned on him,’ Mr Harker said.

  Jack felt sick. He had no cause to like the doctor, but he also had no wish to see anyone killed. The three animal-men turned and saw Jack and the others watching them. The creatures roared.

  ‘Time we got out of here,’ Mr Bell said.

  They ran to the compound entrance and Jack opened the gates. Glancing back, he saw a dozen of the mutant creatures emerging from their cells. A few of them looked in their direction, and started loping towards them.

  ‘Quickly!’ Mr Harker urged.

  They hurried through the gates and Jack pulled them closed.

  ‘They won’t lock,’ he said.

  ‘Perhaps it doesn’t matter,’ Mr Bell said. ‘With a little luck those poor souls will take hours to work out how to get through them. We’ll be long gone by then.’

  They ran down the dirt road. When it was safe, they slowed to a walk. Mr Harker suggested they make their way to the coast. From there they might be able to hail a passing boat. They started scrambling through the undergrowth.

  ‘Which reminds me.’ Mr Bell turned to Jack. ‘You must tell us more about your journey here.’

  And so Jack explained his strange travels in detail. By the time he finished, Scarlet’s eyes were very wide.

  ‘I’ve never heard such an incredible tale,’ she said.

  ‘A little too incredible, if you ask me,’ Paul Harker said.

  Jack felt his face growing red. ‘Are you calling me a liar?’

  ‘All I’m saying is that it seems a little far-fetched.’

  ‘Then how did I get here?’

  ‘You may be in partnership with the Nazis.’

  Jack felt like yelling at the older man. ‘To begin with, I don’t even know what a Nazi is. And, if I was, why would I be trying to help you escape?’

  ‘That’s a ridiculous accusation, Mr Harker,’ Scarlet said angrily. ‘Jack and Mr Doyle have been helping me to find my father.’ She clenched her fists. ‘And they are both men of honour.’

  ‘Paul,’ Mr Bell reminded his friend. ‘We would still be stuck in that lab if it weren’t for him.’

  ‘You know we’ve had a leak from within the Phoenix Society,’ Paul Harker said.

  The Phoenix Society? Jack remembered the bird in Mr da Vinci’s painting. What was the connection?

  ‘That’s true,’ Mr Bell said. ‘But I’m sure Jack has nothing to do with it. One of our operatives within the Darwinist League probably betrayed us. Besides,’ he added, ‘the Nazis now know the truth about Phoenix.’

  Mr Harker’s mouth fell open. ‘You can’t have told them.’

  ‘They threatened my daughter,’ Mr Bell said. ‘I had no other choice.’

  The other man grabbed him by the collar. ‘How dare you!’

  ‘Unhand my father!’ Scarlet cried.

  ‘Don’t worry, Scarlet,’ Joseph Bell said, gripping the other man’s arm. ‘Paul knows he needs to calm down.’

  Harker slowly released Bell. ‘You know what you’ve done, Joseph? You may have just brought about the end of the world.’

  ‘I’m sure it’s not that bad,’ Joseph Bell said doubtfully.

  ‘The Nazis will now have weapons of advanced destruction at their disposal,’ Mr Harker said. ‘It’s only a matter of time before they use them.’

  Jack felt like he was watching a game of ping-pong.

  ‘I’ve only got one question,’ Jack said. ‘What is a Nazi?’

  ‘A political party,’ Mr Bell explained.

  They were scaling a hill. A stiff onshore breeze blew cold air in their direction. They smelt salt in the wind.

  ‘In Germany,’ Mr Bell continued, ‘they are known as the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.’

  ‘And who are they?’ Scarlet asked.

  ‘Fanatics. A political force bent on achieving ultimate power. Their leader is a man named Anton Drexler.’

  ‘And how do you know all this?’ Scarlet continued. ‘What is your connection with them, Father? You must tell me what’s going on.’

  Mr Bell reddened. ‘I’m sorry I have lied to you, Scarlet. It seems I’ve spent my entire life doing just that.’

  ‘Then you must start telling the truth,’ Scarlet said.

  Mr Harker looked annoyed. ‘Telling the truth is what has caused all these problems.’

  They scrambled up a grassy embankment and over a rise. A small cove lay before them. The sun now hung low in the sky and a cold wind howled over them. As he made his way down to the beach, Jack saw the mainland only a few miles away. The group gazed across the water.

  Jack shivered. He knew nothing about politics, but it sounded like these Nazis were dangerous characters.

  ‘We need to find a boat,’ he said. ‘None of us could swim that distance.’

  ‘Especially at this time of day,’ Mr Harker said.

  ‘I agree,’ a familiar voice said from behind them. ‘And far too chilly.’

  Jack turned in astonishment. ‘Mr Doyle!’ he yelled.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Jack’s mentor stood a few feet away, dressed in his black coat, brown chequered cape and bowler hat. He looked completely relaxed, holding a cane in his hand. Lucy Harker stood at his side. She ran forward, threw her arms around her father and introduced everyone.

  Mr Doyle clapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder. ‘My boy, are you well?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  He looked serious. ‘You are never to do anything like that again.’

  ‘Like what, Mr Doyle?’

  ‘Jumping onto that airship! You could have been killed.’

  ‘I’m...I’m sorry, Mr Doyle.’ Jack felt embarrassed. ‘I thought you’d be pleased to see me.’

  ‘I am. But you must not risk your life in such a way again.’

  ‘Mr Doyle,’ Scarlet cut in, ‘Jack has been invaluable to us. If he had not pursued us when he did, we would probably have been murdered.’

  Mr Doyle swallowed hard and gripped his shoulder. ‘I’m sure you’ve done a sterling job.’ He turned to the others. ‘Is anyone injured? Are you hungry? I have cheese in my pockets, but I fear it may be dusty.’

  ‘Forget your blasted cheese!’ Mr Harker said.

  ‘How did you get here?’ Mr Bell asked. ‘We need to get off this island.’

  ‘Then we’ll forgo the cheese,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘I’ll show you our mode of transport.’

  He led them along the beach until they reached the headland. They rounded the stony outcrop, scrambling across rocks before arriving at a small inlet. Jack was starting to find it difficult to navigate in the gathering darkness. The rocks were slippery.

  ‘Do you have a boat, Ignatius?’ Mr Harker asked.

  ‘Better than that.’

  Mr Doyle led them down over a series of rocks leading almost to the water. Up ahead, Jack could see a strange egg-shaped contraption, balanced on two skids with a kind of cross dangling over the top of it. The smell of smoke and heated iron wafted across the air.

  ‘What on earth is that?’ Scarlet asked.

  ‘I imagine your father knows the answer to that question,’ Mr Doyle replied, turning to the men. ‘Oh Mr Harker, I was able to keep this contraption under control, but only just. A man with more experience would guide us safely.’

  ‘I wouldn’t know how,’ Paul Harker said.

  ‘The time for deceit has ended,’ Mr Bell snapped. ‘
It should have ended centuries ago.’ He turned to Mr Doyle. ‘I have experience in flying the helicopter and I will do so if you wish.’

  ‘I do,’ Mr Doyle replied.

  ‘Heli…what?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Helicopter,’ Mr Doyle explained. ‘The word is adapted from French, hélicoptère, which in turn originates from the Greek words helix and pteron meaning “spiral” and “wing” respectively.’

  ‘What does it do?’ Jack asked as they neared the enormous contraption.

  ‘It’s a vertical flying machine,’ Mr Doyle explained. ‘Powered by steam, it will carry us across the water to the other side.’

  ‘I have concerns about that,’ Mr Harker said. ‘It was never intended to carry this many people.’

  ‘He’s correct,’ Mr Bell confirmed. ‘I doubt it has ever carried so much weight.’

  Mr Doyle looked past them. ‘Well, I think we just have to test its capabilities. Friends of yours, are they?’

  They turned to see a group of strangely shaped figures in the gathering darkness.

  ‘It’s the creatures from the lab,’ Joseph Bell said. ‘They must have followed us.’

  ‘If you have a weapon, Mr Doyle,’ Mr Harker said, ‘I believe we can reduce their numbers.’

  ‘No!’ Scarlet protested. ‘They are men. Or they were.’

  ‘We will not kill them,’ Mr Doyle said quietly. ‘Here. We’re at the machine. Let’s climb aboard and make a getaway while we can.’

  They climbed into the bizarre contraption. The interior was much like a large egg flattened at the rear end. Jack could see the firebox was already alight. The air smelt of smoke and steam. The front was curved glass. Before it a control mechanism was set into the floor. There were no seats.

  Mr Harker adjusted the boiler as Joseph Bell seized the steering mechanism. A steady vibration ran through the machine just as a pounding started up. The racket was deafening.

  Jack and Mr Doyle pulled the door shut as the animal-men approached.

  ‘We’ll need elevation shortly, gentlemen,’ Mr Doyle yelled.

  ‘Almost there,’ Mr Harker called back. ‘Just a few more seconds.’

  A pounding emanated from the other side of the door. Soft at first, it quickly increased in intensity as more creatures beat at the metal. One of them rounded the machine and peered in the window. He drew back a fist and hit the glass. A long crack cut the middle of the pane.