38. Vigilantes

Out on the docks of Manihiki, after a clever sabotage plan was successfully staged and completed, the group gathered at The Molly for their next move.  It seemed obvious to most that the Ironside Roar is out on the rail with a deadly new weapon and needed to be stopped.

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“Nice goggles,” Bruce said as he saw Rain and Peggy strolled down the dock to The Molly later that evening, “All the better to see you.”

Rain couldn’t resist a little last-minute shopping and had found a pair of leather and brass-framed goggles with glass lenses.  Eating bugs was an occupational risk of flying the wings, but being able to see while speeding fifty metres above the ground was beneficial to sustaining life. 

“Well actually, they’re all the better for me to see you,” Rain acknowledged the compliment, “I agree they do look dashing.”

Just behind Bruce, Algernon and Ish-Ma-el were having what looked like a staring competition.  At the same time, they blinked, turning away simultaneously to frown in confusion and disappointment.

“Don’t look now, but I think our two savants have mind-swapped again.” Rain pointed out the two as the Captain ( now piloted by Algernon), climbed into the engineer’s cabin beside Peggy and the stoker.

“Don’t look now, but I think the Ferro Navy has come to get Peggy back,” Bruce pointed over Rain’s shoulder. Rain turned to see a group of Manihiki Ferro Navy officers marching towards the dock The Molly now stood.

 “All Aboard!” Bruce yelled, and the crew snapped to, taking up mooring-lines and locking carriages for the trip out.  

“All Aboard!” Captain Ish-Ma-El repeated, unlocking the brake and releasing the steam.  The train started reversing from the dock.

Algernon, (with Ish-Ma-el now in control) stormed towards the cab, “Get out of my body!” He roared leaping to the side of the cab and throwing a clenched fist at The Captain’s face.

“Deckhands takes this disreputable young man down to his quarters and lock him in!” The Captain cooly ordered as a deckhand sprang into action. 

“Let go of me, you idiots!” Algernon glowered, as another two crew stepped into help and started dragging him away.

As they passed Rain, he shrugged apologetically, “I’ll make sure he’s not left alone with it.” He said before leaping into the cabin doorway and holding onto a hand rail.

“Goodbye, gentleman! “ He waved to the navy officers that were already running back up the jetty.  On the navy wharves, wreathed in steam, the two engines stood ready to depart.  Rain turned back to his companion, occupying the Captain’s body, “You know I won’t be leaving your side until you give back that body.” 

From the Naval Dockyards, a bullroarer revved up, roaring out over the whole of lower Manihiki.  Crew and engineers swarmed to the two steam engines, the Red Myrmidon and The Slicing Raider.  Slowly they too reversed out of the dock and along tracks after The Molly.

“I’d be more useful in a battle than in my room!” Algernon yelled as he was pulled down into the train.  The Captain shrugged as if they didn’t think much of the young man’s argument.  As they continued to guide The Molly away from Manihiki however, both Peggy and Rain noticed the Captain’s eyes turn glassy and unfocused.  Their body slumped away from the controls, only to catch themselves before falling into the coal-filled tender.  

“What are you doing just standing around, I need you at the head of the train switching lines!” Ish-Ma-El turned to see where they were and barked at Rain.

“Aye Captain!” He smiled, extended the wings and jumped back into open air.  Grabbing a switching lever as he sped along, he flew off to the last carriage, currently the head of the train. Ish-Ma-El was right, as soon as he reached the last carriage, he could see the line they were on was leading them in a slow arc back to Manihiki.  Flying ahead of the reversing train, he found the next point and shifted the track.  

Peggy, working her magic in the engineers’ cab gleaned a little extra steam out of The Molly, and she shot forward onto the new rail, now heading away from town.  The little engine that had only a week before been nose down in a hole was outrunning the Ferro Navy!

“Smoooooke on the wa-ter…” Bruce sang from the top of the train as he watched the two navy train’s trying to keep pace.  The Red Myrmidon steaming up behind The Molly.  A movement along the boiler drew Bruce’s attention.  Two crew were climbing out to the front of the engine with a rope and grappling hook.  Loosening his crowbar in its scabbard, he too started climbing down from the carriage, across the tender to the engine.  Once at the front he held onto the boilerplate with one hand, withdrawing his crowbar with the other.  Looking past the two crew preparing themselves with the grapple, Bruce could just see the engineers in the cab behind frantically stoking the fire.   

“…fire in the sky!” He sang out again, gleefully anticipating the moment of destruction.

The Red Myrmidon crew swung the grappling hook back and forward, until the two engines were within range.  The hook flew across the intervening gap.   Bruce’s crowbar met the hook midair batting it away to fall uselessly into the sand.

“Ha-ha!” He laughed, allowing his reckless side, full expression.  He watched, holding onto The Molly’s rolling wild-eyed face as the Red Myrmidon sped closer and closer.  A flash of fire in the engineer’s cabin and the Myrmidon jutted on the tracks.  Then fire licked along under the engine, sparks and smoke sprayed out of the pistons instead of steam and the whole train shivered. 

BOOM!

The Red Myrmidon leapt from the tracks as steam and fire forced their way through weakened firebox and boiler.  The engine derailed, pulling the rest of the train around with it out into the deadly sands.

“Yeah!” Bruce screamed in triumph as the first of their pursers was left in their steam.  His job done, Bruce started climbing back, keeping his eye on the second engine, The Slicing Raider, coming up on their starboard.

Rain was flying out to switches and back to The Molly on the other end of the train, tacking in a north-easterly direction away from Manihiki.  He looked up scanning the track ahead for the next point when the sound of a foghorn bellowed out of the empty desert like a challenging monster bull. And monster it was, shimmering on the horizon and coming fast was a large diesel engine.  On a flatbed directly after the engine, a shining metal cigar-shaped something was strapped down at an angle, propped up on crates and the boards of carriage siding.

“Ironside Roar!” Rain yelled to a crewmember further down the train for passing back, “Six miles off the port bow!”

The message echoed down The Molly to the Captain.  Ish-Ma-El climbed nimbly up out of the cabin and onto the observation deck.  There, they and Bruce clearly made out the Ironside Roar and its new upgrade.  Ish-Ma-El seethed, pulling out their hand crossbow to fire on the train obviously well out of range.  Bruce pointed out the Slicing Raider coming up alongside, drawing the Captain’s attention back to the more immediate threat.

“What would happen if we shot their switcher?” He said, pointing out the specific crew member on the Slicing Raider.

Ish-Ma-El didn’t reply but sprinted for the ballista sitting empty and turned it around to face the Raider.

“Hard to port!” They cried, and Rain at the bow responded flying out to find the next switch to take them in that direction.  The Molly reversed into port, cutting ahead of the Slicing Raider and bringing the ballista within range.  Ish-Ma-El fired the massive bolt, the recoil rocking the carriage.  The more acute angle brought the target closer, but narrowed the field of fire, and the bolt skittered into the sand missing its mark.

Following a crewmember on the Slicing Raider with another grappling hook, Bruce positioned himself once more to knocked aside the projectile as it was flung across the dividing sand.  Now safe from being grappled for the moment, he pulled out his crossbow and fired on the switcher leaning out from the engineers’ cab.  His shot hit, taking the fast young crew member by surprise.  They fell from the train onto the sand and were soon left behind.

Inside his cabin, Algernon was getting fed up with being left out of the action.  One moment he’d been in control of The Molly, a moment of grey later and he’d found himself pacing the floor of the too tiny space.  Turning on his force shield, Algernon quickly bypassed the lock on the door and joined the others upstairs.  As his head breached the top of the carriage, he saw the Slicing Raider beside them shudder.  Sparks flew from under the engine, from the chimney and out the pistons.  It lept forward on the track, a last sudden burst of speed before…

KA-BOOM! 

The boiler finally exploded, sending the engine and the first carriage flying into the air.  With a sigh of satisfaction for a job well done, Algernon climbed the rest of the way onto the carriage. Behind them and gaining quick, he spied the Ironside Roar and it’s deadly cargo.

“Bruce, take this and shoot the engine!” Captain Ish-Ma-El ordered, and Bruce took their place on the ballista.

“I could have done that,” Algernon said as Ish-Ma-El stepped back to take in the new threat.

“You?  You’re nothing but trouble,” They complained, frustrated that their tormentor was back.

“Can I shoot the train then?” 

“Yes!” Ish-Ma-El agreed and Algernon pulled out his heavy crossbow.

Aiming down its length, Algernon lined up his shot.  Even at the distance, on the top of a rocking train, the bolt flew straight and hit a crew member operating the device.  As they fell from the train, two others took their place and the metal contraption stolen from Ish-Ma-El’s train was powered up.

“We need to take out that weapon, could Rain drop me on the Ironside?” Bruce asked joining the others on top

“I think that’s pretty reckless,” Said Algernon readying for another shot, “Can we spread detritus on the tracks?”

“Explosive detritus?” Bruce added before all three called out at the same time,

“PEGGY!”

Leaving her job keeping The Molly steaming ahead to the other engineers, Peggy quickly pulled together an assortment of items leftover from the sabotage plan to create railway detonators.  Usually, coin-sized and meant to alert drivers and rail maintenance workers of each other, Peggy’s pressure-sensitive explosives were enough to take a wheel off a moving train.  At least that was the hope.  Once made, they were passed forward to Rain with instructions to lay them on all tracks following The Molly.  With the amount of crisscrossing tracks, the task would have been impossible for a crew-member on foot.  Flying from one track to another, Rain quickly placed the explosives and flew back to his position now at the train’s end.

Rain watched as the Ironside Roar slowed in anticipation. Sparks flew from the rails into the early morning light.  But no matter how they tried, the massive diesel engine couldn’t stop fast enough and eventually rolled inexorably onto a detonator.  Not as impressive as a Ferro-navy steam trains self-destruction, the flash did light the desert and bring the Ironside Roar to a screeching halt.  Soon the Ironside Roar was left behind in the gloom of the early morning, and The Molly continued her journey into the Railsea.

It was late morning by the time The Molly and her crew found themselves tacking through narrow canyons between steep-sided mesas.  The sand of the Railsea here was a distinctive rusted orange colour and coated everything that passed through it.

At a narrow passage between two monoliths of rock, Bruce, Algernon and Peggy all spotted people aiming a giant catapult in The Molly’s direction.  Algernon ran across the top of the train to get into position.  With a distant twang, the catapult’s payload was released, sailing over the distance from the mesa to The Molly. Once it was within range of his levitate Algernon pushed it aside, deflecting the boulder side projectile.  It bounced once off the mesa’s side before exploding, sending broken pieces of metal and rock raining down onto the sand.

“Get a white sheet or cloth!” Ordered the Captain and crew scrambled, looking for something to use as a flag. 

“What are we afraid of?” Rain asked until someone pointed out the people now working on the catapult again, “Is that all?” And launched himself into the air and over to the mesa.  In the meantime, both The Molly and the defenders found white flags.  When  Rain finally landed it was to a group of nervously curious individuals instead of aggressors.

“Greetings, from Captain Ish-Ma-El of The Molly to the Commander and people of Okamo, and the Captain of the Almighty Bruce,” He announced, as if in a royal court and courtiers rather than on a dusty mesa to a bunch of miners.

“What of the Almighty Bruce?” One defender, unsure what to make of this messenger tried playing dumb.

“Captain Ish-Ma-El wishes to align themselves with their fight,” Rain teased back.  Two could play this game.

“Against who?”

“The Ferro Navy, of course.  We only escaped three of their engines this very morning.  The Red Myrmidon, Slicing Raider, and the Ironside Roar.  Of the later we have vital information our Captain wishes to impart.”

“A message has already been sent of your arrival.  Tell your Captain that they will be given safe passage to Okamo.” The speaker pointed to a signal mast already being strung with a string of colourful flags.

True to their word, The Molly passed several more catapult emplacements.  No more shots were fired and within an hour they were in sight of Okamo.  Bruce, grandstanding on the top of the Molly, was drawing all attention.  Even from a distance, it was clear that people in the crowd were looking from the Mighty Bruce to a middle-aged man waiting for them on the dock.  They had found Jimmy Johnson.

While all attention was on The Molly and its surprise passenger, Ish-Ma-El took a moment to read the older man’s surface thoughts.  A profound sense of surprise dominated a relatively curious mind. It had been ready for anything from this odd little train, but not the fact that his son was aboard.

Before The Molly was properly berthed, Bruce jumped off and walked up to his father, ahead of the party’s Captain.

“Bruce!  Son!  How did you get here?” Jimmy said to his son, stepping forward.  It said something about both men that neither held out their arms to embrace.  Rain watched every moment in silence as Algernon found popcorn and offered it around to the others.

“Hi Pa,” Bruce casually said as if greeting his father for the first time that day, not the first time in more than two decades, “Watch ya doin’ here?”

The older man chuckled self-effacingly, “Leading a revolution, it seems.”

“Not leading a family,” Replied the younger man critically , “What happened?”

Jimmy looked around at the people gathered.  All of his crew were here and much of the mining community’s two hundred residents.  All had come to rely on him, most even trusted him. It was a shame his son was neither.

“A man I knew owed me money, “Jimmy sighed, dredging up a past he’d rather have forgotten, “When I confronted him, he knocked me out.  Next thing I knew I was in this place.  Without anyone to vouch for me, I was press-ganged into the Manihiki Ferro Navy.  I saw how the navy treated the people of Okamo and trains out on the Railsea.  The first chance I got, I decided to do something about it.  I escaped, made my way here and with what little knowledge I had I got an old train and diesel crane working.  Been giving the Ferro Navy a hard time since.”  The older man finished his story squaring up to the stranger that was his son.  The crowd stirred, unsure what was going on and not understanding the tension between their saviour and this young man that happened to look just like him.  

“You know what Pops, you taught me everything I know about duty and obligation.  You taught me by never showing any,” Bruce didn’t even acknowledge that he’d heard his father’s story, just continued as if reciting a long practiced speech.  

The crowd hushed and murmured at the ungrateful stranger before them.  On the train, the speech was like a physical slap, and the group all winced in response.

“Oh!  That’s some damage!” Ish-Ma-Eh exclaimed, grabbing a handful of popcorn from Algernon’s supply.

Each muttered their opinions—some that he deserved it, some that it was to be expected.  Only Rain held silent and still and horrified.

“I never had a chance to leave, to get back,” Jimmy explained as best he could.  Many in the crowd made approving sounds. Some though, could be heard to murmur that for family he should have tried harder.

“So, what’s the mission?” Asked Bruce after letting the murmuring of the crowd settle down once more.

“Stay free.  Help these people stay free.” 

Bruce nodded, “We might help you with that.”

With that one reply, the tension relaxed.  They were allies, of sorts, and had a common enemy.  Captain Ish-Ma-El saw it as their cue and climbed down from The Molly join the conversation.  The rest of the group followed behind, Rain last of all.

“You need to know the Ferro Navy have got themselves a laser cannon, it cuts trains in half,” Bruce informed his father who slumped where he stood.  The crowd looked on concerned but confused. In a world only recently introduced to gunpowder, what was a laser?

“From where?”

“Alt tech?  They stole it from our Captain’s first train. Captain Ish-Ma-El, this is my Father Jimmy.”  Bruce now introduced the group, “Rain…where are you…” He dragged the little man forward, “You are Rain today?”

“Ah…that will do for now,” Rain replied, turning to shake Jimmy Johnson’s hand, “Very pleased to meet you, sir, I heard a great deal.” Their eyes met, and Rain gave an apologetic expression.

“Algernon, our crack shot and master saboteur,” Bruce’s expression became more animated and cheerful now that he was introducing his crew,” He’s only three and a half years old, long story.  And Peggy, our resident genius and The Molly’s engineer.”

A movement at the signal mast as new flags fluttered into position.  The crowd murmured concern. Some cried as rail crew returned to their train,  miners their defendable positions.

“The Ironside Roar is on its way,” Captain Johnson informed the group turning back from the mast, “If you’re offering help, now is the time.”

“Great,” Bruce replied, ready for the battle, “Rain give me the wings.”
“Why?” Rain suddenly defensive clutched the harness to himself.

“I’m going to fly the Ironside Roar and drop bombs on the artefact.”

“Don’t let him break the Pew-Pew!” Algernon exclaimed, adding his thoughts to the argument.

“Do you have another solution?” Bruce retorted displeased that Algernon would want to keep such a deadly weapon.

“Is there a map of the area including the rails through the mesas?” Peggy asked, and Captain Johnson nodded, leading the way.

The group were ushered towards a warehouse on the docks used for strategy meetings.  On the wall a large map of the entire region. The mesas were small islands dotting the desert. The rails were like stitches holding the whole area together.

Rain and Peggy studied the map and found the narrow passage they had to come through that morning.  It was the only way to the mining town without going the long way around and seemed a perfect spot for an ambush.

“Why not set up an ambush at the pinch point, something to slow them down.  We can get in close and decouple the train from the engine, then attack the train with catapults.”

“I could disintegrate the coupling,” Algernon suggested, and more than a few heads turned at the surprising revelation.

“What, like crumble to dust?  How long would it take?” Ish-Ma-El asked incredulously.

“It’s pretty quick, a few seconds,” Algernon nodded, then rethought the idea, “Though I would have to be touching.  Peggy, what would be the vulnerable parts of a diesel engine?”

Peggy went through a few more sensitive areas, including the wheel and the vents where the engine cab metal plating was weakest.

“Do you have a busted up old engine and train we can use to block the tracks, maybe go head-on with the Ironside Roar?” Bruce suggested turning to Ish-Ma-El.

“What?  You want me to play a game of chicken with the Ironside Roar?”

“We have to stop that weapon from getting to town, “ Now he turned to his father, “I don’t think the weapon is safe in anyone’s hands, what do you say?”

The older man listened carefully to the question and nodded, “I understand your concern, but as someone who’s had to defend a town with just scrap metal, force of will and luck I can tell you that if I can get a hold of a decent weapon, I’d keep it.  Every weapon is a deterrent.  It will give them a reason to be afraid to come here.”

Bruce’s expression darkened, and he shook his head. Concerned for Bruce’s intentions for the weapon, Algernon started reading his surface thoughts. A list of Bruce’s inventory, showing Bruce was trying to work out what he had, but not necessarily what he wanted to do.

While Algernon’s attention was drawn to Bruce, Ish-Ma-El took the opportunity to do the same to Rain. Instantly they were plunged into chaos as a churning maelstrom of terror, crying, quietly pleading in a language they didn’t understand assaulted their mind.  Scrambling away from the madness, Ish-Ma-Eh found themselves staring back at Rain who until that moment had been carefully listening to the ideas go back and forward.  Ish-Ma-El stillness caught Rain’s eye, and he glanced in their direction. Tilting his head in an unspoken question, he watched as Ish-Ma-El blinked, shook their head and tried to return their focus on the discussion at hand.  A worried look passing over Rain’s face before he too returned to the planning.

“Rain, you won’t need the wings, why don’t you give them to someone who can make the best use of them,” Bruce asked again.

“Why won’t I need them?”

“Well,” Bruce scoffed, looking around the group for support, “It’s not like you’re going to go in with knives flying or something.”

“I help…” Rain replied defensively, but couldn’t finish the argument. It cut too close to the thought that he’d harboured since the party started finding their powers.

“You’re disregarding…” Peggy started, but Algernon interrupted her coming to Rain’s rescue.

“What about when he inspires and simulates…and then in dreamland he made a real dragon!” 

The defence was so unexpected and at the same time completely undermined itself that Bruce didn’t reply.

“We have to get Bruce out there in front of the train,” Ish-Ma-el offered as if nothing had happened, “He’s a distraction.”

“No, he’s the destruction, I’m the distraction.” Rain replied jokingly and turned to Bruce to see his response.  Bruce was too deep in his thoughts to respond.  Leaning in so only Bruce could hear, Rain said,  “Bruce, you need all of us. You can’t do this alone.” 

Bruce scowled and turned away disregarding Rain’s admonishment.  It wasn’t like Bruce to discount what Rain had to say.  The brush-off so soon after the unsettling moment with Ish-Ma-El, got Rain thinking about what was going on in his friend’s head. Bruce didn’t like the idea of the weapon in anyone’s hands.  Would he do something reckless to make sure it was destroyed once and for all?  Adamant he would have to stay close to Bruce, he vowed to make sure the wings did not go to him. 

“Ish, what if you used the wings.” Rain finally suggested to the group,” You’re fast and agile, you can bring down your two swords on an enemy then zoom off to another part of the battle,” He glanced up at Bruce and saw his expression sour even more, “I’m sorry Bruce, you’re pure melee, you need to stay on the ground, the wings would be wasted with your style of fighting.”

“Bashing away in the centre of the fight?  Sure, I see your point,” Bruce said lightly enough to allow the discussion to go onto other topics.  Rain was deeply agitated.  For the first time before Christmas, he wanted the peace of his puzzlebox.

“How long have we got until the Ironside Roar gets to our pinch point?”  He asked Captain Johnson as Bruce swung the discussion back to the fight.

“We have about two hours.”
“And how long to get back out to that spot from here?  An hour?”

“About forty minutes.” The elder Johnson confirmed.

“Well, whatever we’re going to do, we better get planning.”