“Beautiful Place in My Heart: mine of the lost Dutchman”
The deserts of Death Valley, North America are some of the harshest, quietest, and loneliest in the world. The wastes of Arabia, the endless stretches of the Kalahari, the bitter cold of Siberia…nothing can compare to this most desolate world, where rock and sand and sun rule as merciless dictators, where the desperate fear to tread, where nature loses her mind…
And where Allegra van Landingham was currently running through.
“Dang it, some people are too sensitive for their own good! Why’s this nonsense always happen to me?” She spared a glimpse behind her, searching for her pursuers. A small dust cloud was slowly growing in the distance; the thunder of hoof beats, shouts, and shots fired pierced the desert calm. Apparently she didn’t have as great a head start as she once believed. The woman continued to sprint, ignoring the baking heat and her dripping forehead: jumping over rocks, weaving through cacti, hopping over the burning earth, until she found a sanctuary, a cave, and leaped inside. Dust coughed in her wake, and then, all was still. Allegra covered herself in darkness and didn’t even dare to breathe as she watched the hunters ride through, praying they wouldn’t search for her. The leader, a handsome rogue with a goatee and an eyepatch, paused momentarily to scout around. Providence was on her side, though, because he missed the cave and kept on riding, barking that his men “better find that swindling woman”. Allegra didn’t even move until the dust his horse coughed up had settled.
“Dang, that was close,” she exhaled. An icy chill crept up her spine as she heard something grumble behind her. Gingerly, fearfully, she turned her head, and saw the only thing in the world worse than “Devil” Devon Macree: a bear on its hind legs. She grinned in fright and ran out screaming as fast as she could.
“Oh, golly,” she cursed as she bolted outside. Apparently, Macree wasn’t as far away as she had thought. “Exit, pursued by a bar,” she yelled, and sprinted anew.
“Really?” Kate laughed as Allegra paused. “An ursus? I thought they were just myths.”
“This one was real, all right,” Allegra grumbled. She moved her rifle from her left shoulder to her right, rubbing her nose as the two women wandered through the frontier town. Allegra thought it would do some good to give her companion a brief history of this place— or rather, her history, and what they might expect to run into. “Anyway, I’ll bet you’ll never figure out how I escaped.”
“I assumed you didn’t,” she grinned. Allegra chuckled.
“It was a close call, all right. I ended up throwin’ what little food I had at that bar, an’ she got so distracted that the riders came right across her when she was eatin’. So that threw them off my trail somethin’ proper, but it wasn’t no good for me. I nearly starved.”
“You have had some adventures. So what exactly did you swindle from old Devil Macree?”
“A map, or part of one anyway. The part he needed the most. It was some treasure map copied off an old manuscript that said something about a gold mine.”
“And you risked your life for this?”
“Hey, I was a different woman back then!” she defended. “I didn’t have the sense o’ responsibility I have now! Anyway, with a bit o’ luck, we won’t run into ol’ Devil Macree, and if we do, he prolly won’t remember me. Men don’t carry grudges like women do.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Kate murmured. “I’ve seen plenty of guys who made persistence an art form.” Allegra smiled in wonder.
“Oh yeah? Do tell.”
To commemorate her first job completed as an “independent contractor”, Katherine Shepherd decided to get a tattoo— and then sleep with the artist. She had never made love to another woman before, let alone as a spur of the moment decision, but she was in a wild mood and the tattoo artist was beautiful and warm. After that first night, though, she was hooked, and would always have a hot little reminder on her arm to think back on and smile. When morning came, they shared a bath and made love once more— but Kate’s world was turned upside down as she heard gunfire explode and the door break down. Her first lover rushed outside in fear, bare naked and dripping, and was gunned down before she could take ten steps. Kate screamed, narrowly avoiding a similar fate, and scrambled for her guns. She had never felt more terrified or more helpless, but she worked through her emotions and defended herself well. After the smoke cleared, she covered her lover up with a towel, fighting back the tears. Kate then investigated the assassins and identified them as people who were working for Lord Valachi, the very man who put out a price on her head.
“Is he still after me?” she wondered. “It’s been three years already! Doesn’t he have better things to do? Ugh, it’s a shame I got Tria mixed up in all this. I’m sorry, babe, but maybe this is for the best. Death on Utopia is better than life in Hell. I just wish it had been me instead.” She went ahead and called the police, then destroyed the cell phone, robbed the assassins’ wallets, quickly dressed herself, and resumed her exile, desperately praying for a way out.
“Oh hell,” Allegra said in awe. “That’s damn persistent. I’m sorry for your loss, honey. Seems we have more in common than I thought. Over here. Yeah, I guess Macree wouldn’t forget about me if I stole his treasure map. That’s why we bought supplies, see, and that’s why we’re gettin’ horses right now.”
“Horses?” Kate looked puzzled as Allegra led her to a corral where four-legged beasts with long necks and glistening coats were trotting freely. She drew back, but Allegra seemed perfectly at ease and even petted a few.
“Yeah, horses! Don’t tell me you’ve never seen one!” Kate certainly looked like she was unfamiliar with them, so Allegra had to introduce her. After assuring her that she was in the care of an expert, Allegra helped Kate onto her horse and taught her how to ride. Lady van Landingham had two reasons to visit this backwater dust bowl: one was to attempt to see her children again, and the other was to investigate that map she took. As the two women rode to the foster home, she told Kate about how her husband had died, and how, after nearly being raped by roving soldiers, she had went on an insane killing spree in a misguided attempt to avenge him. Being of unsound mind, her children were taken far away from her, further driving her off the edge.
“I only came to my senses when I heard about Amy’s little job. I thought to myself, ‘here’s my chance to get outta here and start all over again’. I never meant to put my young’uns through that; I just wanted to be a good mama for em’. I doubt I’ll be able to be with them very long, but even if it’s just for a few minutes… Sorry, here I am rambling and you ain’t said a word.”
“I just like learning more about you,” she replied warmly. Allegra smiled and blushed.
“Y’know, it ain’t fair that I gotta tell you my history. You got yours, too.”
“You’ve already heard all there is! I worked for the underarm of society and did things that were borderline criminal at best. I killed people and…” Kate cut herself off, clenching her powerful hands and shutting her gentle emerald eyes. Tears came out as bad memories returned. Allegra reached over, parted her hair, and kissed her cheek.
“And you turned out to be the beautiful, kind-hearted, strong woman I fell in love with. We crooks gotta stick together, right?” Kate sniffled, smiling gorgeously as she nodded. It took her a little longer than expected to get the hang of horseback riding, and longer still to master it to the point where she could keep up with Allegra. The two women soared over the plains, painted fiery red and umber and sunburnt orange, past thistles and bracken and stretching cacti, pointing as lizards, jackrabbits, and buffalo scattered. They reached the foster home just as the sun was beginning to sink. Allegra’s stomach was churning but there was no going back now; they dismounted and approached it. Before they could reach the door, however, it opened of its own accord, expelling two women.
“Thank you for your time,” the first one said. She turned around and noticed the company, and stopped, staring. The second one came out with a sigh, but perked up as she noticed the duo as well. It was Kaori Chuunaru and Sati Yeriman.
“Uh, hey ladies,” Allegra said. “What are y’all doin’ here?”
……
“Captain Chuunaru, we have arrived at Helios three. All systems are nominal.”
“Good. Any word on Forsyth’s location?”
“Currently tracking him in the western part of the North American region, northwest hemisphere.”
“And the ecology report?”
“Desert, Captain. Sparse population, but plenty of places to hide.”
“Request assistance from local law enforcement to set up a perimeter. We’ll close it around him and catch him in a pincer.”
“Aye, Captain. Wait— radar’s picking up two unidentified vessels, closing in on our vector. Hailing frequencies open. Unknown ships, this is the United Cosmic Military battleship Neo Yamato. Please identify yourselves.”
“Kaori?!” squealed a very familiar voice. “Is that you, Kaori-chan? Hahahahaha!! What a surprise! I just came from vacation and I run into an old friend! Fancy that! So are you here to catch this guy, too?”
“Unidentified ship,” the communications officer barked, “please identify yours— ”
“It’s okay,” Kaori gestured. She smiled and said, “Hello, Sati. Is that a friend of yours?”
“Um, no, it’s a bounty I’m chasing. Globbixyl— a mouthful, I know. He’s one nasty sonofagun. Are you here to help?”
“No, we’re after someone that assisted in the Martian Academics robbery awhile back, by the name of Dennis Forsythe. Ensign, get me whatever you have on this Globba…whatever his name is. How do you spell that, Sati?” She spelled it and Kaori ran the name through the ship’s database. Extortion, blackmail, grand theft, destruction of property, forgery…it was quite a grocery list. Chuunaru whistled. “And you’re after this guy?”
“What, you don’t think I can handle em’?” Sati smirked. Kaori mirrored her expression and crossed her arms.
“Not without me to watch your back. We can’t shoot him down for you— we’ve already hit atmo and a single shot would be fatal— but we can help box him in. We were going down to the surface anyway.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Sati exhaled. “Boy, this is gonna be fun, huh? You and me duking it out with a couple of bad guys, just the way it should be!”
“Careful about that sentiment, Yeriman!” Kaori grinned. “This is an open channel. I’ll see you topside.”
“Wilco. I owe ya.”
“Friends never carry debts,” she answered warmly.
“Never a dull moment with you two,” Kate smirked. “But what are you doing here?”
“Once we met up and set the perimeter, I connected Forsythe and Globbix to two other people: someone named Macree and a crime boss called Valachi. It turns out they want this place out of their way so they can start an illegal mining operation, and our two boys were basically their extra muscle. I just figured this would be a good place to start our investigation.”
“They what!!” Allegra blurted. “Are you saying that Macree and them are gonna decimate this place just so they can dig out some gold?!”
“I never said there was gold,” Kaori muttered carefully. Allegra grimaced and decided to come clean. She wasn’t the type to trust bounty hunters or UCM lapdogs, but…Kaori and Sati were friends, or at least friends of her friends.
“We also got dealings with those two polecats. Macree’s after me cuz’ I swindled a treasure map of his, prolly the same one he was gonna use for this minin’ operation, and Valachi wants Kate for her bounty. She pissed him off royally good.”
“All four of them teaming up would be very dangerous,” Shepherd mused, crossing her arms. She looked to the two women and got an idea. “It seems the only way we’ll get out of this mess is if we also team up. I want these people off my trail, Allegra wants to keep her family safe, you want them brought to justice, and you want their bounty. I think it’s the safest bet and most beneficial for all.”
“I was actually thinking the same thing,” Sati grinned. “Maybe once this is over, we can come after your bounties! I’m kidding! Just treat us to dinner and we’ll be even.”
“It’s a done deal!” Allegra exclaimed. “But first things first. I gotta see my kids. I haven’t been with em’ in years; my body’s startin’ to ache. I wanna hold them. I wanna play with them. I don’t want them thinkin’ their mama’s a bad person! Could you two hold up for a second while I…”
“Of course,” Kaori said compassionately. “Take all the time you need.”
“Thanks,” she smiled, heading for the door. “I won’t be long.”
……
Allegra was much improved when she came back outside, though her expression was more bitter than sweet. “They sure did raise a stink about me seein’ them,” she muttered through a depressing smile. “Said I was a bad influence, that I ran out on em’, and that they shouldn’t have anything to do with a cold-blooded killer. But I said I’d help em’ with their problem, and I was a friend of yours, Miss Kaori, and that was good enough, I suppose. But they told me I was to never come this way again once I cleared everything up. Anyway, we’d best get gettin’ if we wanna see a happy ending. Lookit this here map.”
Kaori barely needed to glimpse at it before she lit up in surprise. Kate and Sati obviously wouldn’t recognize it, but she certainly knew what it portended, and Allegra did as well. Why else go through so much trouble to steal half a treasure map? Written on the hologram, in Roman alphabet using the English language (which she could read with little difficulty), were the ominous words “lost Dutchman mine found, proceed with caution”.
“What’s it say?” Kate said.
“Something about a miner’s superstition,” Allegra waved dismissively. She was clearly lying but it was for a good reason: she didn’t want to scare or excite them with all the stories. “They just think they found this lost mine full of gold that’s been hidden for seven-hundred years. I don’t doubt that Macree knows where it is, but he’ll have a hard time convincin’ his partners if he ain’t got no map. Right now, we got the lead. You two still in on this?”
“Like hell we are!” Sati snorted. “There’s nothing you could say that could make us leave! So can we get to it?”
“Oh yeah, I know this place like I know my own room. I actually think I’ve passed by this mine before, but I just assumed it was abandoned. Do y’all got something to ride in? We brought horses.”
“Ever hear of a hovercraft, van Landingham?” Kaori smirked and indicated the vessel she and Sati had shared on their way to the foster home. It was big enough to seat several comfortably and could glide over the prairie faster than any horse. Allegra chewed her lips silently and thrust her hands in her pockets.
“I’ll say it if you won’t,” Kate offered. “Gol’ durnit, don’t that just beat all?!”
“Do I really talk like that?” she wondered. So much for the horses; they left them behind and rode on the craft as Allegra navigated. They drove until dark and camped for the night, two women sharing two pup tents. In the morning, they resumed their search, coming across an ancient, abandoned mountainside mine, which would have been lost to them in the dark of night. The area around them was very still, and completely empty. They hid the craft and got out to explore on foot, being sure to bring plenty of weapons. Sati suddenly raised her hand, squatted down, and put her finger to her lips.
“I think I hear our visitors approaching.”
She turned back to face the entrance of the mine, where a silhouetted figure was emerging. A man’s head came out from the darkness, roguish and mysterious, a patch over one eye and a goatee curling around his chin. He was accompanied by a very nondescript man who had dull, flat features but steel and fire in his eyes, and there was another one following them, older and larger, his face plump and his hair silver with age. The fourth to come out was not a man, but a beast-creature nobody could identify. It had prickly brown fur from the tip of its elongated neck to the bottom of its apelike feet (the beast didn’t seem to have a head), and its limbs were pliable and long, more like furry tentacles with fingers. It had a single red eye at the end of its cylindrical neck, and wore a pouch around its waist. Together, the four women recognized them either as the people they were after, or the people who were after them: Macree, Forsythe, Valachi, and Globbixyl.
“Damn, they found us!” Macree exclaimed as he ran into their ambush. Eight guns were drawn in a flash, but time froze as the two parties stood opposite, each glaring but none daring to move, lest the silence be broken and Hell pour over. Kaori, being the military brat she was, spoke first, assuming control of the situation.
“Put your weapons down! I am Captain Chuunaru of the United Cosmic Military, and you are all under arrest!”
“Fuck you!” Forsythe screamed, firing first. He shot Kaori in the stomach but her Damascus armor protected her; however, the impact sent her stumbling, and chaos ensued. Everybody dove for cover and exchanged fire, Valachi groaning as his mountainous fat slammed to the ground. Kate made a dash for him but was refrained by the crossfire; she shrieked and rolled behind an old overturned cart. Matters became worse as Macree’s and Valachi’s followers rushed to the scene, wildly shooting and shouting.
“You idiots, what kept you?!” Valachi roared. Three of them fell immediately to Allegra’s fire, and two more were taken out as Sati darted in, kicking their legs and breaking their kneecaps. She was grazed on the forearm and judo-flipped another; Globbixyl leaped out of the fray and tackled her, and the two rolled and wrestled on the ground. Kaori, meanwhile, had struck two of the underlings with a clothesline spin, ran into another, and punched him hard in the face. She quickly flipped forward, snapping her leg out to break another minion’s jaw, revolved around, and swept her feet, tripping another. She jumped on him and dug her elbow in his solar plexus, but was kicked in the head. She staggered back, a little dizzy, and blindly fired, getting hit twice in the torso and once in the shoulder. She would have to properly thank Eve Kasberry for her hand in creating this armor; it had saved her life many times.
Macree, meanwhile, was making a run for it while his underlings kept the ladies busy. Allegra emerged from hiding to shout at him, but a hail of gunfire kept her down— one even penetrated her rumpled old hat. Before she could attempt to sneak away and follow her enemy, she heard Sati shouting for help: Globbixyl had pinned her down and was leering at her with his large crimson eye. A venomous secretion dripped out of it, acidic teardrops strong enough to corrode through most common metals, yet harmless to his kind. Sati screamed as the burning humour trickled down, singeing her hair and splashing precariously close to her face; one drop landed on her ear, sizzling through like a hot poker. She tried wiggling her way out and kicking between his legs, but Globbixyl’s race kept their genitals hidden inside them until mating; it would be useless to paralyze him this way. Allegra saw her chance and drew a bead on the furry menace.
“Lay off, asshole!” Globbixyl saw her and jumped away before she could put a bullet in his neck, acid spilling everywhere. Sati screamed and rolled away before she could be touched— glaring hotly as she stood back up— and came after him with a roar. Globbixyl whipped his eye-stalk around, flinging deadly poison everywhere, and made his escape as Sati tried to shield herself. Luckily, it was only a distraction tactic: the acid fell harmlessly at her feet, but this gave him enough time to run for it. Sati cursed and took her aggression out on the nearest group of thugs.
“Okay, no more Miss Nice Inu!” She ripped her jacket off with a flourish, revealing a blue shirt with a “Superman” logo on it. Forsythe and Valachi glanced at each other in fright.
“We’re in deep shit now.”
“Screw this, I’m outta here!” Forsythe made tracks, enraging Valachi. Before he could get very far, however, Kaori stood before him, battle-damaged and engulfed with the flames of righteous anger. She grinned maliciously and cracked her knuckles.
“Going somewhere, Dennis?”
“Oh, shit,” he trembled, stepping away shakily. Several of Valachi’s gang didn’t want their leader’s business partner taken in by the police, so they stepped in and surrounded Kaori, each pulling a large knife. This gave Forsythe enough time to make tracks, but before he could take ten steps, Allegra leaped out and threw a bola, neatly tying his legs.
I knew that thing’d come in handy!” she cheered. “Need any help, darlin’?”
“With these punks?” she smiled, adapting a fighting stance. “Just leave them to me.”
“Awright! Katie, it’s up to us now!” She nodded firmly.
“I’m going after Valachi. Cover me!” Allegra tipped her hat and ducked down to provide cover fire; Kate Shepherd raced through the scores of people to reach Valachi, while Sati was cleaning things up very nicely. Meanwhile, Kaori stared at her attackers, gesturing for them to approach. Three came after her: she swerved to the right, avoiding the first plunge, grabbed his arm, twisted it, took the knife, and pushed him away, all in one and a half seconds. She threw the knife at the second one, tagging him in the shin, then grabbed him in a hold and flung him behind her— one second. The third she pulled towards her, shoving her palm in his face and breaking his nose— half a second. Kaori ducked as two more came at her from behind, stood up suddenly so that her head crashed against the first man’s jaw, and thrust her hand out to chop at the second man’s throat— half a second. Three more came at her: she launched a spinning kick on the first man’s ear, knocking him into the second which she pushed hard in the ribs, then cart-wheeled to the third, ducked down, and crushed his abdomen in a powerful hug, nearly breaking his spine. Three and a half seconds. One screamed as he ran up to stab her, but his knife broke as it rammed into her tough armor, and the shattered piece flew back and lodged in his forehead. Kaori picked him up and hurled him like a hammer into the others, knocking them down. She had beaten them all in only ten seconds.
With Sati fighting half of Valachi’s men and Allegra shooting the other half, Kate had no trouble catching up to him. He was large, but most of his body was fat earned through years of prosperity. Now, it hurt to run, and it hurt when someone struck him, and it hurt when he fell over and found himself at the business end of Kate’s boot. She ground it in his mouth for a few seconds before pulling away and glaring.
“Okay, Valachi, let’s get one thing straight! I don’t give a shit about what you’re going here, but you’re going to leave me alone, got that? You call off the bounty on me and I won’t force you to swallow your own teeth, deal?!” He shakily nodded his head. “All right then. Now— you’re going to answer some questions. Did you and your friends come to this mine in search of gold? And did you find it? Good boy. Is it still here? Just as I figured. Where is it now? What’s that? Speak up!”
“I said I don’t know! He…he was going to transport it somehow, away from the usual lines. I don’t know; he didn’t tell me.”
“That’s not a mistake a man like you would make!” she shouted, pressing her foot on his large chest. “Why did you go along with this deal if you didn’t know where he was taking the gold?”
“It’s standard procedure! I got a cut up front and a little extra for carrying it to the transport. We were smuggling it anyway, so I knew where it was going!”
“Unless the dag-vern fool went ahead and swindled you,” Allegra spat. She stood playing with her rifle as she tried to think what lines of transport Macree could use to smuggle so much gold in secret. It wouldn’t fit on a hovercraft, and a private vessel would attract too much attention. He certainly wouldn’t carry it in increments, and there were no boats or planes or…
Suddenly it came to her as she heard a lonely howl in the distance. Train.
“The Lost Dutchman Mine recreation experience,” she murmured. Kaori and Sati were rounding up the wounded, including Forsythe and Valachi, when they overheard her.
“The what?”
“It’s like a Wild West theme park this crazy rich guy made,” Allegra explained. He built a whole town and had everyone dress up like they did seven-hundred years ago, and centered it around this mine everyone thought was a legendary lost cache. He even built a steam engine train, a real live working train! If there’s any way of gettin’ all that gold from one spot to another without the local feds noticin’, that’d be it!”
“Oh my god,” Sati whispered in surprise. “I had no idea steam engine trains even existed anymore. Do you know where it is?”
“Yeah, but we have to hurry. I hope we can take those hovercrafts o’ yours.”
“I’m sorry, but we’ll need those to take these people into town and process them,” Kaori said. “You two can go on ahead; we’ll catch up.”
“Go on ahead? How?” She smirked craftily.
“You still have those horses, right?”
……
It wasn’t long before Allegra and Kate felt the rumble of galloping horses again, and the shiver and shake of the earth as they raced over the prairie, urging their steeds to go faster, faster— hya, hya!— Allegra wincing in the wind as she tried to spot the train tracks. She had only been there once, and only to go after a man with a price on his head, but she remembered the train and the general direction it took. After soaring through the brush and bracken, beaten by the hot sun and empty sky, Allegra noticed a long stretching line in the desert waste, and pointed to it.
“There’s the track!”
“And there’s the train!” Kate shouted, indicating a long, rectangular vehicle chugging steadily along the tracks. First they had to guide their horses to the railing— relatively easy— then they had to follow it, at top speed, until they caught up to the train— a little more difficult. After that, it was a matter of boarding, handling the crooks, slowing the train, and stowing the gold away: quite problematic. Allegra reached the tracks first and encouraged Kate to follow her; their adrenaline surged wildly.
Luckily for them, the train hadn’t picked up its full speed yet and they still had a chance of catching up. Still, the locomotive was going fairly fast, and the wind whipped at them as they tried matching its speed. The track suddenly bent a little, forcing the train to go slower as it slithered around, and the duo saw their chance. Allegra screamed and gave her horse a firm kick, picking it up to a fierce gallop. Knowing she didn’t have much time before the poor creature wore out, she took a grappling hook from her pack and whirled it in the air. As she got within range of the caboose, she threw her rope and hooked onto one of the rails, then pulled as hard as she could. Woman and beast worked together, and soon Allegra flung herself on the car, getting the wind knocked out of her.
“I’m all right!” she yelled, waving at Kate. “Hurry up! She’s picking up speed!” Allegra threw her rope, but Kate missed it; she tossed it again and the Heavyworld woman grabbed hold. She was far stronger than Allegra and managed to pull herself and her horse up much faster. “Jump!” Allegra said. Kate’s face turned green as she stared incredulously, but there was nothing for it. She jumped— Allegra reached out to catch her— they both fell in a pile.
“This is not how I envisioned our first time,” Kate muttered playfully. Allegra blushed and pushed her away.
“Oh, get offa me! We can play later! First we look for them scoundrels, then the gold!” Kate peered into the caboose, which was empty, and sidled along the outer edge as she reached the next car. She cursed as she looked into it.
“Just great: hostages!”
“What? Lemme see!” Allegra peeked inside and noticed that yes, at least fifty people were tied up, unfortunate tourists caught in the middle of this mess. Globbixyl was watching over them, which meant Macree wouldn’t be far. “Aw, hell, like we need to make things worse!” Allegra snapped. “At least he ain’t got no gun! D’ya think you can take him out?”
“With all those people, it won’t be eas— wait, what? Me? What about you?”
“I gotta try an’ slow this thing down! I’ll bet anything that ol’ Macree’s behind this! Don’t worry, you’ve fought worse!”
“Yeah, but…” Allegra smiled at her and gave her a deep, loving kiss.
“Go get em’, darlin’,” Kate blushed wide-eyed as Allegra jumped over the connection and climbed the ladder to the roof.
“Wait, what should I do if I find the gold?” she shouted. Allegra waved at her.
“Dump it!”
“Dump it?”
“Yeah, throw it over the side! See ya!” She scurried away, leaving Kate stunned.
“Okay, if you say so. Ready or not, here I come!” Kate easily broke the car door down and burst in, glaring at Globbixyl. “Freeze! One false move and I rip your neck off!” Globbixyl shivered and barked— a sound eerily close to laughter. He twirled his neck around and leaned over a trembling elderly man, crying tears of corrosive venom. Kate lost her temper and tackled him, but not before getting splashed by the acid.
“Damn it, why don’t these fools ever listen?! SHIT!!” She cried out in pain as the acid touched her arm; her clothes burned away and her skin began to melt. She backed away, wary of the creature’s deadly eye, and barked for everyone to get as far away from him as possible. Meanwhile, Kate searched for something she could use to blind him with, even for a moment…and then saw an old glass lantern swinging on the ceiling. Quickly, she jumped up and took it, vaulted over to her enemy, rolled away from his stabbing punches, and smashed the lantern onto his eye, scattering ash and broken glass everywhere. Globbixyl roared as he covered his bleeding orifice; Kate didn’t waste a second and lifted him in her arms. With a furious growl, she flung him out the window and watched as he bounced on the hard, rocky ground, and disappeared. She took a moment to breathe and catalogue her wounds as she glanced around the stunned hostages.
“No ticket,” she pointed.
……
Allegra winced as smoke from the train’s stack billowed in her face. She decided to wrap a kerchief around her face to filter out the fog, and continued running and jumping from car to car, heading for the engine. The last jump was the worst: she had to hop down to the fuel car, where piles of wood were arranged in a big jumble. She curled herself into a half-ball and hopped as gently as she could, stumbling and crushing herself a little. She got back up, ran across the logs, hopped down to the engine room, and pulled out her rifle, ready to blow Macree’s head off.
“Reach!” she yelled. A man paled and put his arms up. It was the conductor.
“Is this a holdup?” he said. Allegra frowned and pulled her mask off in frustration.
“It’s a rescue mission! Stop this thing!”
“I’d love to, little missy, but I can’t!” He indicated the brakes: they had been completely broken off. There was no way this train was stopping. Allegra grumbled.
“Aw, crud. Listen, there’s a criminal here who’s using this train to smuggle gold. He’s taken hostages! I’m going to see if I can— ”
“Look out!” he shouted, pushing her aside. Allegra avoided getting hit in the head with a shovel, but the conductor didn’t. He slumped back against the controls and groaned, out cold. Allegra glared as she saw Macree standing before her, grinning devilishly.
“I suppose you want me to tell you my plan now!” he exclaimed proudly. “I’ll think about it once I’ve got you bleeding and broken.” He swung— Allegra ducked— she punched him twice in the chest, got hit in the face, and stumbled back, falling next into the unconscious conductor. Macree swung again— she jerked back, but he caught his shovel on her pants. He kicked her once, twice, three times— she grabbed the shovel and thrust it upwards, ramming it into his stomach and scrambling back to her feet. The two crouched for a moment, catching their breath— Allegra punched him again, breaking skin on both sides, blood gushing as his tooth flew out. Macree stumbled back, then jumped onto the fuel car, where he picked up a heavy log and swung it like a club. Allegra grabbed his shovel and blocked, but he kicked her and sent her careening into the controls, and all the while the train gathered speed.
“Almost there,” he snarled gleefully, slithering inside to gloat. “But we’ve got a long way to go yet.” She scowled at his double entendre and managed to pull herself away. Allegra stabbed with the shovel, swung, was blocked, slashed again, got punched, slapped him with the flat, and knocked his club out. She jerked forward and slammed her boot down on his foot, and spat blood in his face as he screamed. Allegra slapped him hard on the ear, but got a nasty punch in the chest for her efforts, and winced as he sliced her cheek with a knife.
“No-good dirty sombitch!” she yelled as she thrust his head through the engine room’s window, shattering glass.
“Two-timing swindling whore!” he roared as he flipped her over. Macree raised his boot and Allegra tried swerving around, but she had very little room and got stomped more often than she had planned. Allegra groaned and reached around for shards of glass. She found one and ran it through his shoe as hard as she could, buying enough time to get back up and chop him on the neck. Macree coughed violently for a moment, glaring daggers— and was suddenly silenced as something heavy and blunt struck him on the head. Kate stood triumphantly as he fell over.
“I love you!” Allegra gushed. They embraced and kissed passionately; it took everything she had to pull away. “Okay, we can save this for later! What about the hostages?”
“They’re all free, but I can’t get them off the train. We dumped all the gold, too.”
“Herd them all into the rear car and unhook the cable! It’ll slow down and stop on its own!”
“I already thought of that. No go: the release pin was fused in.”
“Fuck!” Allegra muttered, aggravated beyond ladylike niceties. “Now what?” Kate didn’t know what else they could do. The train was already moving rapidly, and jumping out, even for a Heavyworld woman, would be fatal. She looked around for anything they could use, but what she spotted came in from the horizon: two small objects closing in fast. She lit up for joy as she recognized the transports.
“Hey, it’s Kaori and Sati! The cavalry has arrived! We need to signal them somehow!”
“I’m already on it!” Allegra exclaimed. She stepped into the engine room, over Macree’s body (reminding herself to take care of him later) and, with a squeal of glee, pulled on the whistle as hard as she could. The train cried out for joy. “I’ve wanted to do that all my life!!” she exclaimed. She used the whistle again, this time pulling it so that it would produce longer and shorter sounds. Far out on the plains, Kaori and Sati were squinting through a pair of field-glasses, wondering if their allies were successful. They saw the train and heard the whistle, but that could’ve been anything. However, the next few whistles were unmistakably a signal.
“What is it?” Sati asked.
“Morse code. K…S, and A…L. Kate Shepherd and Allegra van Landingham! They made it!”
“Awesome! Let’s give’m a ride!” The two women pulled their crafts over to the train, taking care to match its speed. The four of them waved at each other.
“Come on, let’s go! We found the gold you threw!”
“Not yet— there are hostages! We need you two to get them out in your vehicles!”
“I thought something like this would happen!” Kaori shouted. “That’s why we came with two! How many are there?”
“Fifty, I think!” Kate said. Kaori looked grim but hopeful.
“Let’s load them up first! Then we’ll see where things go!” They gave Kate and the unconscious conductor a ride back to the rear cars, where the frayed hostages were still waiting; Allegra stayed at the front to restrain Macree, and so she could warn everybody about upcoming obstacles. She gave Kate a two-way radio and her equipment, then handcuffed her enemy and kept a sharp eye out. At first, nobody knew how they’d be able to transport all those people from train to craft, especially at that speed, but then Sati had a great idea. She asked Kate to set up a broad plank between the two vehicles and borrowed Allegra’s grappling hook. One by one, the hostages would walk over the plank, held in place by one woman in each transport, secured by the hook and rope. A few brave volunteers went first; some children and elderly had to be transported by hand, which was nerve-rattling for poor Sati as she stood on the plank and transferred them. Several refused to move even when they had Kaori’s assurance, but most of them were taken to safety. However, those two hovercrafts could not hold many passengers, and soon both women were weighed down.
“Did you ask for backup?” Kate asked.
“Yes, but I don’t know how long they’ll be. We left as soon as we handed the criminals over. They might stop to confiscate the gold.”
“Or Globbixyl,” she muttered. “All right, it looks like I have no choice! You two head back to the engine room and get Allegra! I’m going to put everyone else in the caboose!”
“You told us that wouldn’t work!” Sati said. Kate smiled gravely.
“I’m a Heavyworlder, aren’t I? When in doubt, rip it out!!” She headed off without a moment’s pause, informing the remnants of her plans. Once everyone was secured in the car, fastened down and padded in, Kate went outside, stood on the edge of the caboose, thrust her back against the car, lifted her legs so they were pressing against the box ahead of her, and— with all of her might— gnashed her teeth and pushed as hard as she could.
Wow, that’s really stuck on, she thought as her face started turning red. I didn’t think it would be this difficult! Still, I…
“Darlin’, are ya there?” It was Allegra on their radio; Kate didn’t have the time or energy to answer it. “Okay, just listen,” she resumed: “if ya haven’t cleared off already, now’s the time! We’re heading straight for an incomplete bridge! Macree must’ve switched the tracks earlier on. It’s a common move for thieves to set a vehicle on autopilot or whatever and throw it down a ravine, or somethin’, and get it back later! Kate, are ya there? Get everyone outta here, no matter what! Don’t worry about me; I’ll think o’ somethin’!”
Just great, she grumbled as the transmission ended. Now she really had to apply herself. Although even her efforts would not be able to budge that fused iron, if she could…just…break apart the bolts…and the wood…holding the two cars together… If she could shatter, splinter, and crack the floor somehow, so that it would give way and shake the car loose…
Suddenly she felt the caboose jerking. Almost got it!! One more big push…
“YES!!!” She cheered for joy as the boards splintered and broke: the car fell away from its family, gradually coming to a halt. But what about… “Allegra, it’s me!” she barked in the radio. “Get out of there! We’re all right now! Move it!”
Katherine’s blood froze as she heard static, and nothing more.
“Allegra!! ALLEGRA!!!”
The transmission came to life one final time: “— ree, just die already! Kate, hightail it— ”
“No! NO! Come back here and talk to me, you…” The caboose finally stopped moving, the hostages beside themselves with relief. Kate collapsed and began to cry, even as Kaori and Sati rushed to her rescue, their passengers safely removed.
……
I’ll think of something? Yeah, right! That was what went through Allegra’s head as she surveyed the surging landscape before her and the ravine even further in her future— that is, it was what she was thinking, until Macree broke out of his shackles and cuffed her with them. She was already afraid and desperate; she didn’t need to be attacked as well.
“Doggone it, Macree, just die already!” She noticed her radio was still on and barked into it. “Kate, hightail it— ” She was struck again and fell to the ground, breaking the radio on impact.
“I don’t plan on going just yet,” he growled as he hovered over her. “However, if I must, then I’m taking you with me.” He drew out a knife and lunged, but she caught his wrist and struggled to keep the blade away.
“Sorry, pal!” She lashed out and bit him as hard as she could on the nose, blood gushing beautifully. “Enjoy your gold in Hell!” She took his fumbled knife and slashed his face, cutting his eyepatch off, revealing an ugly, sealed-up sore on an otherwise handsome face. She cringed and scrambled away; he caught her ankles and pulled her back. “Dang it, leggo o’ me!”
“Never!” Allegra kicked him hard in the mouth, but his grip on her was firm. As she lunged for the edge of the car, pulling herself closer, she finally noticed what she had been fearing all along: the train had come to the half-built bridge at last, and after that, an endless plummet to the afterlife and sweet destructive death. She paled as the wind whipped her hat clean off her head.
“Ohhh, golly…” Meanwhile, Kaori, Sati, and Kate were racing to save her as fast as they could, but they were too late. Before they could even reach the final car, the train lurched off the edge of the rail, flying in the air for one glorious moment before taking a dive down, down, down, down into the darkness, shattering and breaking in a spectacular wreck, smoke and flames billowing, blowing up high, expanding…and then becoming silent. Kaori stopped the craft and the three raced out, terrified as they leaned over the precipice.
“Allegra! Miss van Landingham!! ALLEGRAAAAAA!!!”
Their only answer was the death-rattle of the ruination below them as another burst tore everything apart.
“Oh God,” Kate whispered numbly, tears cascading down her face. “She’s gone. I’ve lost another one. I was helpless. She’s gone, and…we never did anything. I never told her anything. There just wasn’t enough time. An hour would have been enough. All I wanted was just one more hour…” She shivered like the last leaf of a dying tree, staring emptily into the void. Sati bowed her head and closed her eyes; even Kaori mourned, though she was mourning a criminal.
Slowly, a hand shakily reached up from the cliffside, joined by a second as they pulled something up from the depths. Gingerly, the hands inched along the cliffside, hoisting the body, where it stumbled from exhaustion and relief and stood dizzily. After getting her bearings, she approached the three women standing at the edge, positive they were in awe of the broken marvel below. She shook the dust and grime away, breathing hard, shaking her head, thankful to have escaped so narrowly. Kate noticed her standing there, looked away— and then rushed at her for joy, crying and smiling as she embraced her.
“Oh!! I thought I’d lost you, girl!”
“I thought…you had lost me too, sug.” She smiled helplessly; Sati sat flabbergasted, trying to figure out how Allegra pulled that off, while Kaori just beamed, glad she was okay. Allegra suddenly pulled away from Kate, clapping her shoulders enthusiastically. “Well, that was fun, but it ain’t over yet! We’d best get our hindquarters movin’ if we want that happy ending! No time to be resting!”
“Y…you’re right,” Kate stuttered, too giddy to even think straight. She leaned in to kiss Allegra but was stopped by a soot-stained finger.
“Maybe when we’re more decent, hon…and alone.”
Kate lit up for joy. “Oh.”
The world was darkening once again as Allegra and Kate sat mounted on their horses, studying the beautiful inky sky above, the fiery mesas around them, and the humble foster home before them. After paying for the destroyed train, the rental horses and cars, and the foster home’s prosperity, there was just enough left of the legendary lost Dutchman cache to fill a single pouch, four coins for each of them. Allegra sat there in melancholy, while Kate wondered if she was really content with her choice.
“You know…I know you said you’d stay by my side, but once we leave, we might not be back for a very long time, if we come back at all. Are you sure you want to leave like this?”
“…I’m sure,” she answered emotionally. “It’s better this way. At least Legato and Madrigal will know their mama still loves them. I can’t do much for em’, but at least I can try and provide. We all went on this voyage for treasures, but I already have mine. Besides, you and me got some catchin’ up to do.”
“That we do, my dear. Ah, here they come.” Kaori and Sati were trotting away from the home, their expressions calm and benign. Since Allegra had been forbidden to approach her children, she trusted them to hand over the money. “How’d it go?” Kate said.
“Everything went smoothly. Your children won’t have to worry about anything for a very long time, Allegra. Are you sure you don’t want to see them, even for a few minutes? I could put in a good word for you.”
“Nah,” she smiled. “I’m sure they don’t wanna see an ornery ol’ horny toad like me. I did what I came here for.”
“Well, if that’s your decision. So where are you headed now?” Sati asked.
“I think Amy wants to visit Venus next. What about you two?”
“Back to work for us, saving the universe and all,” Kaori smiled. “How about we give you a proper send-off, since we’re all going the same way?”
“I have a better idea!” Sati exclaimed. “Let’s have a race! Winner gets a foot massage from the losers! HYA!!” And with that, she bolted off, cackling and shouting— and soon, losing her balance a little. Kate laughed at her and leered at Allegra.
“Now you’re not going to let her get away with that, are you?”
The woman grinned in happiness. “HELL no! I want my dang foot rub! Hya!” And so the three of them set out to join Sati, and together they rode off into the sunset.
A sea littered with sand that is the stars
Makes the warm sun shine back
On the little oasis Our home The green earth
Someday I will surely return
So until then I won't change its form
Beautiful place In my heart
In mother's arms I remember the fertile earth
Someday I will surely return
So until then I shall fill it with tenderness
Beautiful place In my heart
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Preview of next chapter
Rachel: The crew of the Dauntless has been through much, but now all their skills and experiences will be put to the ultimate test. It’s time for the grand act of the story to open, the beginning of the end, where preconceptions are taken away, questions are answered, and deeper mysteries are born. Travel to a world beyond imagination, where time is stretched over countless eons, and where the crew finally encounters their destiny. Be ready for the turning point of the voyage in the final chapter of Volume Eight, “Voyage to Venus: knockin’ on heaven’s door”.
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