Josephine
Parker pulled his gold watch from his pocket and checked the time again. “Another half-hour until my employees leave Tiffin neatly bound and secured, in the iron cage in the chapel above this room.”
“You mean your men know about this laboratory?” Josephine asked, astonished.
“What do you take me for?” He gave her a disdainful look. “Do you think that I would risk telling a couple of footpads such a great secret? They were given instructions to secure Tiffin, leave him locked in the cage in the back of the chapel and then depart. No one knows about this place except me.”
“I now know about it,” she pointed out.
He inclined his head, amused. “I stand corrected.” He looked up at the vaulted ceiling. “And, in a short time, after the cage is lowered through the hidden trapdoor in the floor of the chapel, Tiffin will learn of it also. I trust the two of you will both be suitably cognizant of the great honour that I have bestowed upon you.”
“The honour of allowing us to view the secret laboratory of England’s second Newton?”
“You sound so scathing, Miss Langford. Really, you wound me.” He chuckled and reached out to take hold of a handle on Jove’s Thunderbolt.
“But you will change your tune after you see what this device can do.”
He began to turn the crank very quickly.
Josephine watched uneasily. “What are you doing?”
“Building up a strong store of electricity. When it is ready, I will use it to activate the machine.”
She studied the device with mounting anxiety, paying close attention now. “How does it work?”
“Once the charge of electricity has been properly stored, I can release it by turning that knob on top of the machine.” He pointed to it. “That is also how one turns off the thunderbolt. When the sparks of electricity come in contact with the three stones in the chamber it excites the energy stored in them, just as the old alchemist predicted. A very narrow beam of crimson light is released. I tested it once, just before my grandmother had me carried off. It worked perfectly.”
“What does the beam do?”
“Why, the most amazing thing, Miss Langford,” Parker exclaimed. “It destroys whatever happens to be in its path.”
She would not have thought it possible to be any more terrified than she had been already. But when she saw the madness burning in Parker’s eyes, the icy sensation in the pit of her stomach became a thousand times more intense.
She knew then that whatever else he planned to do with Jove’s Thunderbolt, he intended to turn it on Hero and herself first.
Hero
Hero had thought that the darkness would be the worst part of the business, but in the end, it was the odour that bothered him the most. The smell that emanated from the enclosed riverbed was so foul that he had been forced to wrap his neckcloth around his nose and mouth to block the stench.
But at least he hadn’t had to walk along the narrow, rat-infested banks of the lost river, Hero thought, dipping the pole back into the black water. He had found a small, shallow bottomed boat and a pole at the secret dock beneath the old warehouse.
“Treyford kept extra boats and poles at both the entrance to the laboratory and here in the warehouse,” Lady Wilmington had explained when she had led him down into the dark basement of the abandoned building and showed him the secret underground dock. “He told me that this way he could enter or leave the laboratory through the abbey or this place, according to his whim or if it became necessary to escape due to some disaster with an experiment. Parker appears to have followed the same practice.”
The current of the murky river was sluggish, making it relatively easy to force the little boat upstream with the pole. The light from the lantern that he had positioned at the front of the craft splashed its glare across a bizarre scene.
More than once he had eased the boat around a twist in the river and had to crouch quickly to avoid an ancient footbridge.
There were other hazards in addition to the low bridges. Chunks of stone and ancient timbers had fallen into the river in places. Some projected above the waters, looming like the long-lost monuments of a dead civilization. Others were submerged and did not reveal themselves until the little boat bumped lightly against them.
He studied each fallen stone carefully as he poled past it, watching for the classical statues and the strange marble relief that Lady Wilmington had told him to use as landmarks.
“They had survived many centuries when I last saw them,” she said. “I am certain they will still be there.”
Josephine
Parker checked his gold watch yet again and appeared satisfied, even eager. “Twelve-thirty. My employees will have locked Tiffin in the cage and left by now.”
Josephine looked up at the vaulted ceiling. “I heard no sound from the rooms above this chamber.”
“The stone floors are very thick. They do not transmit any noise. That is one of this laboratory’s most admirable features. I am able to conduct experiments that produce a great deal of noise and light and no one, even if he were standing directly above, would have so much as an inkling of what is happening down here.”
“What makes you think your men will not wait and watch to see what happens?” she asked.
“Bah. They are as frightened of the old abbey as everyone else in the neighbourhood. But even if their curiosity got the better of them, they would see nothing but the cage disappearing into the wall of stone behind the altar. Once the hidden panel closes, it is impossible to find the opening. They would not see the cage being lowered into this chamber.”
He reached up and turned the great iron wheel that projected from the stone wall.
A section of the ceiling slid aside, revealing a dark shaft overhead. Josephine heard the creak and rumble of a heavy chain. She recognized it as the sound she had heard earlier when Parker had brought her here.
Her heart pounded. The only chance she would have to seize the rod on the workbench would be when Parker was occupied with the task of getting Hero out of the cage.
The rattling of the chain grew louder. Josephine saw the bottom edge of the iron cage appear out of the shadows of the vault that housed the mechanism.
The tips of a pair of brilliantly polished boots came into view. Parker was riveted by the sight.
“Welcome to the laboratory of England’s second Newton, Tiffin,” he said, never taking his eyes off the boots. The words rang with exultation and excitement.
Josephine took a step closer to the workbench. She reached out with her bound hands and picked up a heavy iron rod. There would be only one chance, she thought.
“Josephine, get down.” Hero’s sharp command reverberated across the chamber.
She obeyed reflexively and dropped to the floor, still clutching the iron rod.
“Tiffin!” Parker spun away from the sight of the empty boots in the cage, pistol lifting.
“No,” Josephine screamed.
The twin explosions that ensued echoed through the Laboratory. The acrid stench of burnt powder wafted through the air.
The two men were still standing, she saw. The pistols had both discharged, but the distance had been too great to allow any degree of accuracy.
Both weapons were now useless until they were reloaded, but Hero quickly drew a second pistol from his pocket. He came forward swiftly, never taking his attention off Parker.
“Josephine,” Hero’s voice cracked across the space. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” She got to her feet. “What about you?”
“I am unharmed.” He aimed the pistol at Parker.
“Bastard,” Parker rasped. He looked at Hero with eyes that glittered with fury and moved a little closer to the workbench.
“He has another pistol,” Josephine shouted. “It’s on the table behind him.”
“I see it.” Hero stepped forward and scooped up the unfired weapon.
“Fool.” Parker stared at him from the opposite side of the workbench. “You do not know who you are dealing with.”
Without warning, he flung himself toward the strange device and used both hands to turn the round knob on the top.
Hero raised the pistol. “Do not move.”
“Beware,” Josephine warned. “He claims that the machine works.”
“I doubt it. Nevertheless—” Hero motioned with his pistol. “Get away from the device, Parker.”
“Too late, Tiffin.” Parker's laughter echoed off the stone walls. “Too late. Now you will learn the truth of my genius.”
A strange crackling came from the device. Josephine saw electricity snap and arc in the air around it.
A thin beam of ruby red fire blazed forth from the long barrel. Parker swung the mouth of the weapon slowly toward Hero.
Hero dropped to the floor. The ray of red light sliced through the air where he had been standing a second ago. It struck the stone wall behind him, hissing and sparking wildly.
Sprawled on the floor, Hero raised his pistol and fired. But he had no time to aim properly. The shot thudded into the workbench.
Parker was already swinging the nose of the device downward in the direction of his target. The hellish beam sliced toward Hero, charring everything in its narrow path.
Josephine tried to move soundlessly up behind Parker. She must not alert him until she was close enough to strike, she told herself.
“Did you really think that you could defeat me?” Parker shouted at Hero.
He used both hands to make the barrel of Jove’s Thunderbolt follow Hero's rolling body. The action of the heavy machine was slow, and it was clear that Parker had to exert considerable force to continually readjust the aim.
Just a few more feet, Josephine, thought. She tightened her grip on the iron bar she had taken from the workbench and raised it.
“You are a madman, not a genius,” Hero yelled. “Just like your grandfather.”
“You will acknowledge my genius with your dying breath, Tiffin,” Parker vowed.
Josephine took another step closer to Parker and swung the rod with all her strength, aiming for his head. But at the last instant, he sensed her presence.
He spun quickly to the side just as she brought the bar down in what should have been a deadly blow. The iron struck the heavy table and rebounded with such force that she lost her grip on it.
She had missed her target, but the distraction had obliged Parker to release his hold on the killing machine. Enraged, he shoved Josephine to one side.
She tumbled to the floor, bruising herself on the hard stones. Her eyes closed against the pain.
It was the sound of a rush of motion that made her raise her lashes. She opened her eyes just in time to see Hero slam headlong into Parker.
The two men went down together, hitting the floor with a sickening thud. They crashed violently from side to side, Hero on top one second, Parker the next.
Abandoned by its operator, Jove’s Thunderbolt was steady now, but the deadly ray continued to blaze from the mouth of the barrel.
The two men fought with a savagery that was unlike anything Josephine had ever witnessed. There was nothing she could do to intervene.
Without warning, Parker suddenly rolled free and surged to his feet. He scooped up the iron bar that Josephine had attempted to use against him and made to bring it down on Hero’s head.
Josephine screamed a warning.
Hero hurled himself to the side as the rod descended toward him. The bar narrowly missed his skull. He reached out, seized one of Parker’s ankles and jerked violently.
Parker shouted in rage and staggered in an attempt to free his leg and regain his balance. He raised the rod again, preparing to deliver another crushing blow.
Still half lying on the floor, Hero suddenly released his captive.
Caught off balance, Parker swept out an arm and moved back hastily in an attempt to find his footing.
“No,” Elenora shrieked.
But it was too late. She watched in horror, her hands to her mouth, as Parker’s desperate attempt to catch his balance carried him straight into the path of the deadly beam of light.
He screamed once as the ray burned through his chest in the vicinity of his heart. The dreadful cry bounced off the walls.
It ended with horrifying suddenness. Parker collapsed like a broken clockwork toy. The searing ray continued to shoot into the stones directly behind where he had been standing a second before.
Josephine turned away, unable to look at the terrible scene. Her stomach lurched. She was afraid she was going to be violently ill.
“Josephine...” Hero was on his feet, moving swiftly toward her. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” She swallowed heavily. “Is he—? He must be.” She dared not turn around.
Hero stepped past her, careful to avoid the light beam, and knelt to check the body. He rose quickly.
“Yes,” he said. “He is most certainly dead. Now we must find a way to switch off that device.”
“The knob on top, I think. “
A strange, low rumble interrupted her. At first, she thought that the iron cage was once again in motion. Then she realized with horror that it was coming from Jove’s Thunderbolt.
The rumble became a low roar.
“Something has gone wrong,” Hero said.
“Turn the knob.”
Hero ran to the workbench and started to wrench the knob. He drew his fingers back instantly.
“Fucking hell. It’s as hot as live coals.”
The muted roaring gradually changed into a high pitched whine that was unlike anything Josephine had ever heard. The red beam projecting from the device grew less steady. It started to pulse in a strange pattern.
“Let’s get out of here.” Hero came swiftly toward her.
“We can’t use the cage,” she warned. “Parker said it could not be made to operate unless one knew the secret for unlocking it.”
“Not the cage. The lost river.”
He reached her side, gripped her shoulder and propelled her toward the crypt at the back of the laboratory.
She did not understand what he was talking about, but she did not argue. On the workbench, the machine was turning a dull red as though it was being heated in the intense flames of some monstrous forge. The strange, shrill sound emanating from it grew louder.
It certainly did not require a genius of Newton’s calibre to conclude that the thing was about to explode, she thought.
She fled with Hero into the crypt. The dank smell hit her with great force. Hero lit a lantern. They got into a tiny, shallow-bottomed boat.
“I see now why you came alone,” she said, balancing cautiously.
“This craft will only hold two people,” Hero said. He grabbed a pole and used it to propel the boat away from the stone dock. “I realized I might need to use it to bring you out.”
“This is a river,” she whispered, astonished. “Flowing beneath the heart of the city.”
“Keep your head down,” Hero advised. “There are bridges and other obstacles.”
The muffled noise of an explosion came a few minutes later, echoing down the ancient tunnel walls. Josephine felt a tremor go through the little boat, but it continued forward, riding the current.
There followed a horrific grinding, crashing, shattering sound of stone on stone. It seemed to go on forever.
After a while, an unnerving silence descended.
“Dear heaven,” Josephine whispered. “It sounds as though the entire laboratory may have been destroyed.”
“Yes.”
She looked back into the darkness. “Do you think Parker really might have been England’s second Newton?”
“As my great uncle was fond of saying, there was only one Newton.”