“And I never believed that you had.” Barron turned away as if he had already grown weary of the banter, and began conversing with Sorensen.
Dodge saw the two autogyros, parked nearby in an open area, and scanned the sky until he found the fat cigar shape of Majestic high above. He edged closer to Hurricane.
“I should’ve tossed him in that river,” the big man growled under his breath.
“I figured he’d turn on us,” Dodge said. “I just didn’t think he’d make his move this soon.”
Vaughn nodded to the men, then spoke loud enough for their captors to hear. “You’ve made a grave mistake, Barron. You were on thin ice with the War Department as it was; now you’re finished.”
Von Heissel glanced back and laughed. “Indeed I am, General. Finished playing games with you, that is. I’ve got what I needed. My arrangement with the War Department no longer serves any useful purpose.”
Dodge saw an opening. “You only think you’ve got it. There’s barely enough adamantine ore in that sack of yours to make a pie tin, and you don’t even know how to use it.”
“Give me some credit, Dalton. I’m not the buffoon you portrayed me as in your stories. That’s what I have Dr. Newcombe for.”
The scientist’s eyes widened. “You don’t actually think I’m still going to help you.”
Von Heissel chuckled. “But you are, my dear doctor. You will do exactly what I want in order to spare Miss Dunn any unnecessary discomfort. Oh yes, I’ve seen the look in your eyes when she walks into the room. You will do as I ask. Who knows? Perhaps when all this is finished, I will permit the two of you to have a life together in the new world I will create.”
Newcombe swallowed nervously, but whether it was because of Von Heissel’s threat, or embarrassment at having his feelings for Fiona discussed so publicly, Dodge could not say.
The baron turned to Sorensen. “Take Miss Dunn and Dr. Newcombe back to Majestic. See that he begins work on the sample straightaway, then return for the rest of us.”
“What about the writer?”
“He still amuses me. And it may be useful to have another hostage if Dr. Newcombe needs an object lesson.”
The pilot took a step forward and motioned with the barrel of his sub-machine gun. “You heard him.”
Fiona dropped her hands to her hips defiantly. “Walter, you traitorous bastard. If you think you can use me to—”
Sorensen silenced her with a slap that sent her reeling backward. Newcombe tried to catch her, but the force of the blow caused both of them to stumble against the hillside. “This will be easier if you’re conscious,” the dark pilot snarled, “but it’s not absolutely necessary. Your choice.”
“Go along with him, Doc,” Dodge said. He wanted to say more, to tell the scientist that the best way to stop Von Heissel was to stay alive, but he didn’t dare say it aloud. “And take care of Fiona. She’s no part of this.”
The baron laughed again, but said nothing more as the two captives were pulled from the group and ushered toward one of the waiting aircraft. As the Sorensen started the engine, Hurricane whispered: “I think the writing’s on the wall for us.”
“If we’re going to get out of this,” Vaughn added, “we need to make our move soon.”
Dodge didn’t doubt that the two former soldiers would act decisively and without hesitation. He could almost picture them charging the three gunmen, braving a storm of .45 caliber rounds and either seizing the day or dying in the attempt. But going out in a blaze of glory wouldn’t stop the baron from achieving whatever it was he intended. And there was someone else to consider. Moving slowly, so as not to arouse the suspicions of their captors, he got closer to Nora. “Be ready.”
She nodded.
As the autogyro hopped into the sky, Dodge grabbed her by the arm and propelled her toward the mouth of the cave.
The gunmen reacted slowly, but as Dodge reached the opening, the bullets started to fly. Hurricane dropped to a crouch and swept up a double-fistful of loose rocks, which he hurled at the three crewmen. He then shoved the general toward the cave and plunged into the darkness after him.
Newcombe caught only a glimpse of the scuffle on the ground before Sorensen banked away, cutting off his line of sight, but it was enough to fill him with hope. As long as Dodge was alive, there was a chance.
He settled back in the cramped cockpit. The space had been designed for a single passenger, but Sorensen had told Fiona to sit on Newcombe’s lap. It was a degree of contact he could only have dreamed about, but given the circumstances, he took little joy from the experience.
But then he she pressed her cheek against his. “Findlay, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
She had to shout to be heard over the roar of the engine and the whistle of the wind, but her entreaty was no less meaningful. “It’s not your fault at all,” he answered. “None of us knew who he really was. But if anyone can stop him, it’s Dodge.”
“Findlay, we can’t wait around for the cavalry to charge in and save us.”
Dodge’s parting words still rang in his ears. Go along… take care of Fiona. So also did Von Heissel’s boast about creating a new world.
After learning Barron’s true identity, Dodge had shared his concerns about what Von Heissel’s broader goal might be. Building a bigger version of the wave generator was merely an intermediate step toward that unknown objective. Simply escaping from the baron’s clutches wasn’t going to be good enough. With or without Newcombe’s help, Von Heissel was going to carry out his dark purpose. Newcombe knew that if he cooperated, or at least seemed to, there was a chance he might be able to figure out what the baron was really up to. And just maybe, stop him.
Dodge had wondered if the baron’s men would simply cut their losses and return to the airship, but as he scrambled through the darkness, urging Nora forward, sporadic gunfire behind them indicated otherwise. The bullets ricocheted from the walls, showering them with chips of rock.
It wasn’t until they reached the junction near the river that Dodge was able to ascertain that Hurricane and Vaughn were still alive, and but for a few scrapes, uninjured. As the big man tumbled out of the narrow passage, Dodge saw a flicker of light — their own flashlights, now in the hands of Von Heissel’s goons.
“They’re still coming.” Despite the dire pronouncement, Hurricane’s voice was like a solid rock of hope.
“I hope you’ve got a better plan than to just keep running,” Vaughn said, sourly.
Dodge was about to utter a caustic retort when he heard Nora’s sibilant “Shhh!”
He resisted the urge to question her, and in the silence that followed, he was glad he did. They were not alone. The darkness was filled with the soft sound of breathing and the scrape of claws on stone.
A burst of gunfire erupted from the opening. The bullets cracked harmlessly against the cavern wall on the far side of the acid river, but in the fleeting spark-light, he saw pale forms moving up the tunnel from the direction of the gates.
Before any of them could move however, a flashlight beam stabbed out of the passage and the first of the baron’s men burst into view, gun in one hand, flashlight in the other.
Hurricane acted decisively. He gripped the smoking barrel of the man’s Tommy gun, and wrenched it loose. The gunman stumbled headlong down the terraced slope and splashed into the river.
Dodge caught just a glimpse of the man surfacing again before the flashlight abruptly went out. Then the cave reverberated with his screams.