Hydejacking
#100 of The Moonrise Chronicles
The
next morning they were awoken by a cell phone going off. It was Edward's,
telling them that the plane had been repaired. Apparently the fix was
temporary, since parts for the beast weren't common in Great Britain, or
anywhere outside of the former Soviet Union. They were going to have to fly
back to St Petersburg before heading to Rome.
Edward
considered taking a regular flight until he recalled their illegal entry into
the country. There was no way they were going to be able to leave unless it was
on Alexei's plane. There were worse things in life, and another trip to Russia
was hardly disheartening. He would feel far safer knowing their means of
transport was in good operating condition before they did a lot of flying
again, not that the trip over Scandinavia wasn't going to be long- for it would be.
He was
talking with Alexei when a knock came at their door. Edward threw on his pants
from the night before and opened it up. Robert was standing there with a smile.
"I am an early riser, so I hope I haven't disturbed you, but if you both could
be ready we can head to breakfast."
"Sounds
lovely. We'll get ourselves together as quickly as we can."
Their
host stood a bit on his tiptoes, trying to see into the room, but doing so as
inconspicuously as possible. He sighed and made a bow before backtracking down
the hall to the sitting room. Edward closed the door and smiled at Maggie, who
was sitting up with the sheets pulled around her.
"Breakfast
sounds good! I burned a hell of a lot of calories last night. What about you?"
"Yeah,
I'm hungry, but I was hoping for something more satisfying."
"Oh no!
We about broke the bed last night as it is. Get dressed and let's go eat. The
plane is ready for takeoff and I'm sure they're just going to wait for us to
request a slot in the flight schedule."
"Did I
hear you say that we can't go to Rome just yet?"
"You
did. Apparently they milled a part for the engine, but no one is guaranteeing
it'll last as long as it should. Alexei has a warehouse with parts that are
meant for it, so the plan is to go there, do a proper repair and return to Rome
from St Petersburg."
"Oh
well. A little delay is no bad thing. We can dine on caviar and vodka when we
get there."
"You
and your tastes. I think I'll settle for breakfast now and worry about supper
later."
"Fine!
Give me a minute to get dressed." She rummaged around for her clothing from the
night before, assuming the dress code still held. Edward followed suit, though
his was a little wrinkled from the heap it had been left in. Together they
strode from the room arms interlocked together. They were both beaming with
enthusiasm for getting on with their life. Breakfast, a plane ride and then a
marriage seemed to just be the perfect end to all the trouble they had been
having. Their strange little host, whose antics had been taken with some
trepidation was being a fine gentleman on all fronts, so even with his past
history, they found no reason on this bright sunny morning to feel ill towards
him or anyone else.
Their
meal was excellent, with a variety of meats, eggs, pastries and more to fill
them up to the point of gluttonous complacency. Edward was about to mention
their change in flight paths when Robert cleared his throat.
"Little
miss, might I make a request of you?"
"Uhhh,
sure?" she answered, a little taken aback.
"It's
nothing much, I assure you." He pulled out a chain and what appeared to be some
sort of cylindrical locket attached to it. It was dull silver in color.
"I
would ask that you keep this with you at all times."
"Is
this real silver?"
"Yes. I
know you can touch it because of your ring."
"What's
it for?"
"It
contains the distillate of my formula. I don't trust myself to carry it on my
person. In a moment of weakness I might prematurely try to drink it. If you're
carrying it for me, I'll feel much better about it."
She
looked at Edward who shrugged. "It's your choice Mags. I think it's not a bad
idea. He obviously knows its power and wishes to reduce any risk associated with
it."
She
took it from him and placed it around her neck. The metal felt cold to the
touch, but otherwise made no impression on her skin. It was as inert for her as
it would be for a normal person. But if not for her ring, the small silver vial
would have been burning a hole it her.
"I'll
keep it safe for you Mr. Stevenson."
"I know
you will child. Thank you."
The
news had been broken to him that they could leave whenever he was ready. They
returned to his home, changed out of the vintage clothing and back into their
own. He opted for something less formal, but still beyond what a normal, modern
Londoner opted to dress in. Somehow though, all his choices seemed to fit him.
A cab
was called which took them to the airport. From there it was a tricky bit of
maneuvering to get behind the scenes, but they managed to get through the
barriers without being caught. Another few minutes of working their way through
the complex and they were at the hanger where the big Antonov was located.
Everyone was on board, mostly just to keep out of sight. They too had spent
some time in the city, but unlike them had managed to get back into the airport
unseen thanks to the same delivery vehicle.
Everyone
was brought up to speed on who their friend really was, since Stevenson had
abruptly changed roles from host to guest. He looked around the interior of the
airplane, marveling at its size. "I'm not generally a fan of aircraft, but this
one is very large."
"Yes,"
Alexei said. "Large and quite capable of holding her own. She's been a
workhorse for years."
"I see
you've installed some amenities. How nice. I would hate the thought of enduring
this entire trip in a noisy cavernous hull."
"Of
course! Come in and relax. The old saying in Russia is "zakalennyye zheludki khoroshiye tovarishchi delayut;" hardened stomachs good comrades make, but
I feel differently. The trip will be over far too soon. I'm sure we both have
many questions we can ply each other with over the course of the flight."
Alexei
went into the cabin to talk with the pilots and came back all grins. "We have
been cleared early. Apparently the British authorities want this monstrosity off their tarmac as soon as
possible."
A half
an hour later the engines rumbled to life. Robert's face grew tense as he
gripped the armrests of his chair. The plane began to move slowly, gaining
speed as it headed for the end of the runway. It turned, attaining taxiing
speed as it roared down the asphalt.
Once it was going fast enough the controls were set for climbing up,
leaving the airport of the city of London behind. The craft circled once before
heading off in a northeasterly direction passing through the clouds on its way
to its cruising altitude.
Things
were going well enough, despite the fact that the newcomer seemed ill-at-ease.
He took twice as much alcohol as did the others, his nervousness showing
through his normally fairly composed exterior.
Edward
tried to calm him. "Relax! This plane is a solid piece of work. We've ridden in
it before, and we had no problems."
"Good
for you. I happen to hate flying. It's an old holdover from my military career.
They used it to their advantage in the last Great War."
"I
don't understand."
"Of
course you don't; how could you? The matter was kept secret and after the war,
King George kept his promise and had every document burned."
Maggie
was crouched down in front of him. "What did they make you do?"
"They
didn't make me do anything my dear. I volunteered. The royal family knew of me,
for Queen Victoria and I had a few experiences together. They taught me how to
fly, the mere basics really, and shipped me off over the channel to soar over
Germany."
"And
you dropped bombs?"
"No my
dear, I dropped myself. Falling from a few thousand feet brings out the worst
in me, as you can imagine. Captain Louis Belfour fell from the plane and Mr.
Hyde landed on the ground. Even for my alter ego the landing was tough to deal
with, but I still healed just like in the old days. It might take an hour, but
for that hour the pain fueled my rage."
"So you
were a one man wrecking crew?"
"You
have better believe it. Nazis didn't have a chance. Bullets either stopped dead
when they struck me, of were ejected as fast as they penetrated my skin. Either
way, I taught them the meaning of the word blitzkrieg."
"And no
one ever found out?" Edward was incredulous.
"Son,
would you report anything like what you saw yesterday to anyone else? They
would shoot you for being either crazy or a liar. This was war, and I was at
home in the mayhem. I worked largely at night, and the Germans soon learned to
fear the darkness. "
"I
should think so. Is that all you did? Kill?"
"Wasn't
that enough? I killed just about everyone I came across. I did stumble upon
some old friends however."
"You
had friends that were Nazis?"
"No!
Not all Germans were Nazi sympathizers young lady. Remember that. Don't judge
all by the actions of a few. These were friends from my time in France back in
the eighteen seventies. I have no idea what ever happened to them or their
line."
"Let me
guess. Their family name was Frankenstein?"
"Your
attempts at levity are failing. Frankenstein was a castle for which a literary monster
was named. These people were real, flesh and blood, bona fide friends, just as
they were friends of your grandparents young man. They were artists, among
other things, and some of the finest members of The Kind that you will ever
find."
"Sorry.
I wasn't trying to be nasty. What was there name?"
"It's
alright my dear. I'm just a little edgy right now. When we get to Rome I'll
feel much better I'm sure. And their name? It was Fangboner."
Things
went downhill from there.
Alexei
started to speak, Maggie jumped to her feet, Edward was rocked back on his heels,
and Stevenson looked alarmed. The Fangboner name of course was something known from
Edward's time in Russia while wandering about with his brains a scrambled mess.
They had passed a sign back in the states that was for Fangboner Road. And here
the name was again. But before they could question him on the family it
belonged to, Alexei cut into the conversation.
"Didn't
anyone tell you? We aren't going to Rome just yet. This plane has a bad engine
so I'm taking it home for repairs. I'm sure it won't take long and we'll be on
our way. In the interim, please feel free to partake of anything I can provide.
If you have never been to St Petersburg, then you are in for a treat!"
The
little man's face began to twitch. "I understood this plane was going directly
to Rome. A change of plans should have been discussed with me."
"It's
no big deal. We're going to go to St Petersburg for a little while, get the
engine patched up properly and then head down to see the pope. What's the big
deal?"
Sweat
beaded up on his forehead. "I hate flying. I'm not scared to fly mind you. I just
hate it. I fear what I become when I fly. You have no idea how many times I was
dropped in on the enemy and then fought my way back to the coast to start over
again."
Edward
felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. "So you associate flying with
your darker half?"
"Precisely.
I figured I could keep it together for the trip to see the pontiff, but now...
Now I am unsure of myself. You may have taken onboard the worst thing you could
conceivably have done of anything on this planet, all things considered."
Maggie
looked sympathetic. "But you've got yourself under control, don't you?"
"My
dear, use your nose. What do you smell?"
"Alcohol.
Sweat. Metal. Airplane fuel."
"Sweat.
And why do you smell sweat? It's hardly hot in here."
"Because
you're nervous?"
"I'm
sweating from fear my dear, and he, the other me, he smells fear. He lives for
fear. Blocking fear is all I have had to keep him under control. I'm afraid I'm
going to lose that soon. I haven't been in an airplane of any sort since those
dreaded war years. I have not had to face down what is within me without having
surgically precise control over it."
"But
it's just flying. Surely you aren't frightened of that?"
"You
are referring to simple aviophobia and I told you that's not the case. I fear
the release of the beast within. The associative memory is strong. I climb into
an airplane, I fly for a while and then I change. You folks are Russian; Ivan Pavlov
understood the concept, why can't you?" His voice was sounding agitated.
"Why
didn't you tell us this before we got off the ground?"
"I
thought I could make it. It has been a long time after all. A man can hope that
the worst of him has been left in his wake. But new feelings; awkward feelings
have put a chink in my armor."
Maggie
was looking both sympathetic and confused. Edward was looking worried. On the ground his worry would have been less.
Flying in the sky somewhere over the North Sea was hardly an arena for the
potential disaster that seemed to be unfolding. He wasn't worried for himself. He
had died and lived through it, but there was no way he could protect everyone,
not on this flying tub. He had to try and defuse the situation but his
confidence in that happening was hovering somewhere around the zero range.
Edward
put his hand on Maggie's arm for a moment, looking Robert dead in the eyes.
"You're going to have to keep it together. We are probably a good seven miles
up now. This is neither the time nor the place for you to lose control."
Robert's
voice cracked. "Don't tell me my business! If I had known this delay existed I
would not have come. I have yet again acted brashly."
Maggie's
nose smelled something else, and at first she thought her nostrils were playing
tricks on her. But she noticed that his sweat was turning red. He was bleeding
from his pores! She had been reluctant to accept this situation as being
potentially lethal until that moment. He was expending every ounce of willpower
he had to contain himself, and she backed up a few feet to be clear of him if
he lost control.
He was
watching her. "You know little one, you and your mate are lucky. You have love.
I never had it in the way you do. I gave up all hope of it, and yet when I saw
you, I recognized that you're not normal, just like I'm not normal. I don't
know what it is about you, but you're different. You smell different. I wish I
could have found someone as special as you. I listened in on you last night. I didn't
mean to, but you were so enthusiastic in your playing that I couldn't help but
overhear. I must admit it made me jealous."
His
face was swelling up as he loosened his collar. "I have been under such
pressure to keep my emotions in check that I forgot that I had any capacity for
anything more than friendly banter and careful acquaintance. I felt things I should
not have felt and they are going to be my undoing."
Maggie
was growing more nervous. She continued to back away to the side of the cargo
hold. "You're not blaming this on me are you?"
"The
blame is all with me, but you are the root of it I think. I should never have
dredged up my old memories. They inflame those things best left forgotten. My
alter ego dwells on such details, and the more unpleasant they are, the more he
feeds on them. It has been a long time since he was able to make any new
entries into my mind. I have been so proud of that fact, but now I am undone."
"You
can hold it together al little longer, I know you can."
His
face was turning scarlet. His features hadn't turned red with the previous
day's display. It was becoming painfully obvious that this present situation wasn't
going to turn out well. His only real control over all these years had been to
retire himself from things that might spark to life his inner beast. He had
deluded himself into thinking he was in control; he had no more had control
over the beast than he did over the weather.
His
clothing was beginning to come apart at the seams. It was apparent that he was
trying to fight the change, and it was equally obvious that he wasn't going to
be successful. Within a minute he was standing there looking ashorrid as the
weakest imagination could conceive. He was sniffing the air, and gazing around,
his eyes wild and his brow furrowed.
"Free!
I am finally free again!" He roared and flexed his muscles. He focused on
Maggie. "And look! A tasty morsel for to sate my appetite!"
She had
backed up to the side of the plane. She had yet to feel worried, but she knew
that it wasn't going to take much to bring down this craft. Edward was bad
enough when he went berserk, and from what she could tell, this was going to
boil down to an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force. The problem was
figuring out who was which portion of the equation.
Edward
had yet to change. He yelled at Hyde to get his attention. "Hey! That's my
future wife you're talking about!"
"YOU!
I'll rip you to shreds, you insignificant little man. I have destroyed stronger
men than you!"
"But
I'm not just a man. I'm a were, just like you used to be."
"PAH!
That means nothing to me!"
"It
should." He tore through his clothing and assumed his greatest form, which
dwarfed Hyde by a few inches in either direction.
"OH HO!
A nice trick! But I don't care if you assume the form of an elephant you bloody
bastard! I can still tear you apart!"
Edward
growled; a deep rumbling in his throat. "Say what you will. I will do
everything within my power to stop you. This is neither the time for the place
for this display."
"Do I sense
fear? Are you a coward? Do you grovel despite your brave words?"
"Nothing
of the sort. I will protect everyone aboard this plane, and that includes you, even
if I must save you from yourself."
"I NEED
NO SAVING!" he roared.
"Yes
you do. If this plane goes down, everyone on board goes down with it. That
includes you."
Hyde's
voice lowered to something more menacing than his bellowing. "I need no saving.
I have lived longer than you, and I will continue to live long after I've
killed you. Let this plane fall from the sky. I live for the fear. I live for
the meat. I can pick the wreckage clean of your flesh and then move on."
"A lot
of good that will do you. We're over the ocean right now. You might be tough,
but can you swim in this form?"
"Swim?
Who cares? I am invincible!"
"Are
you now? I guess then that it's time to test that hypothesis." Edward roared
and dived for the malformed and disfigured creature. He liked the little old man, but this was no
longer him. His claws came out in a furious display of agility, but Hyde
grabbed his arm in a grip as strong as steel. Edward swung with the other paw
even as he heard his wrist snap.
Blood
spouted from Hyde's chest and he roared, releasing his opponent in his surprise
and indignation.
"YOU
FOUL BASTARD! NO ONE DARES DO THAT AND LIVE!"
Edward
pulled his broken wrist into place and waited for the bone to start knitting
back together. He bared his teeth, all the while keeping an eye on Maggie. She
was tough and scrappy, but this guy was a lot tougher. No one snapped his wrist
with the ease this guy just showed. It was a grip to bend hardened steel and crush
stone.
Sure
enough, he lunged and grabbed for the girl, hauling her into the air with a
dance of glee. "Robert is so smitten with you! I wonder how he'll feel when he
learns what I did to you?"
She
didn't even bother to struggle. "But you are Robert! You would never do
something to hurt me!"
For an
answer his gnarled fingers shredded her shirt. "We are not the same person! I
have never been able to stomach his compassion and his kindness. This world
only understands hatred and fear! FEAR! I feast on it! I crave it! I must have
it!"
Edward
struck him from behind with a blow sufficient to level a brick wall. Hyde
slammed into the wall of the plane with a resounding thud. Up in the cockpit
the pilots felt the impact and glanced worriedly at one another. Back in the
hold, the others were transforming too, though they had no idea where to even
begin helping the couple. Hyde was wary, and being caught off guard once
sharpened his perception to the possible dangers surrounding him.
He saw,
much to his surprise, a pack of werewolves. Whence from an odd group of
assorted humans had sprung a dire looking assemblage of red eyed ferals, all
obviously intent on preventing him from doing anything rash. But he knew no
caution, other than to keep whatever advantage he had, which at this exact
moment was nothing. The girl had sprung from his grasp and was also standing
there, covered in fur and staring at him with narrowed, red eyes.
"So you
seek to oppose me do you? What chance do you have against my might?"
Anna
spoke softly. "We are family, and family ties are stronger than anything you
have."
"HA HA
HA HA HA!" His laughter boomed out. "That is nothing. I will tear you apart and
watch you bleed on the floor. I will knock this craft from the sky if I have
to. I have fallen many times before, and here I am. Little Robert would never
survive the fall so he let me take the brunt of it. I always get to have the
fun. But it has been too long." He made a feint at the group, dodging backwards
to grab for Maggie again.
She was
prepared for it and jumped up and clung to the support beam overhead.
"It's
not nice to attack a lady!" she said sassily.
While
he was staring up Edward crashed into him with the force of a rampant
steamroller. On the ground that move might have been more effective. Here on
the plane it knocked Hyde into the side again, bulging the skin as the metal
reacted to the force. But since they were in the air, the plane absorbed some
of it, forcing the craft to the side and nearly yanking it out of the pilot's
control.
Hyde
stood up, cracking his shoulders back into place as he pulled himself together.
"You're a right bloody nit. I'll deal with you first I guess. I can't have you
spoiling my fun, now can I?"
"Good
luck with that," Edward growled. "I happen to like Robert, but this side of him
is worse than useless."
"USELESS?"
Edward's
tail was lashing. "You heard me you overgrown slab of rancid meat. You're
nothing more than a quivering mass of gelatinous garbage. You haven't the brains
to successfully pick your own nose. If you were any prettier you might just
pass for a baboon's prolapsed rectum."
Hyde
was fuming, his rage building at the insults. If he had half the brains of his
counterpart, he would have recognized the taunting for what it was. However he operated
more on emotion than intellect. The words worked their magic and made him even
more unreasonable and unthinking. His
face contorted to increasingly more horrid proportions as his anger knew no
bounds.
"I WILL
ENJOY WATCHING YOU DIE!"
"Shut
up twinkle toes. I've about had enough from you."
Hyde
rushed him, but hadn't gone three steps when Maggie dropped on his head and
raked her claws across his face. Blood spurted from his forehead, dripping down
and blinding him temporarily. In the
next instant she leapt aside and out of his reach.
"BITCH!"
Edward
ran headlong into his chest. The sound of cracking bones was audible over his
cursing. Again he slammed into the side of the hull, with Edward's arm latching
onto his adversary's shoulder and flinging him across the interior of the cargo
hold. Hyde slammed into the other side with a sickening crunch. Again the plane
lurched in midair, giving the pilots another shock. It was acting like it was
in a hurricane with all the buffeting coming through the controls.
"ENOUGH!"
Hyde wiped his hand across his face, just in time to see Edward take a swing at
him. He grabbed the paw and hurdled him to the floor. In the next instant his
grotesque foot connected with his gut and sent him careening to the other side,
making yet another dent in the plane. Again, the craft shuddered in midair. If
this kept up the plane was going to be going down. From a height of seven
miles, it was a long ways down. Water wasn't solid, but from this height the
difference was barely discernible.
Maggie
dropped down next to Edward. "Now?"
"The
sooner the better. This plane won't take much more of this."
She
jumped back as Hyde came crashing over, intent on finishing off his foe. Edward
didn't move, lying as he was on his back. As Hyde jumped to land on him, Edward
stuck out his back feet and with a mighty kick, launched him into the wall
again. Only this time, his aim was for the side door.
Maggie
had already undone the latch so that the force of the impact knocked it open.
Open and right off its hinges to be precise. The hatch flew off into the clouds
to sail away downward at killer speeds. From this height it would take only a
couple of minutes before connecting with the waves far below.
Hyde was
screaming in outrage, his feet and hands clinging to the edges of the opening
as the wind and low air pressure tried to suck him out. Maggie took the
opportunity to strike at him, hoping he would try to retaliate and thus lose
his hold.
He was
too wily for that. He bellowed and fumed but held on for all he was worth. His
grip was made even more tenuous by the violent shaking the plane was
experiencing. The hull was depressurizing, and the missing door was creating
drag. If this wasn't put to an end soon, all would be lost.
Edward
stood, grabbed Maggie and gave her a lick. In this form a kiss was awkward.
"Take care kiddo. Looks like our marriage is off the table."
With a
roar he slammed into Hyde, taking both of them out the door. Maggie cried out
and went to follow, but her mother bawled out, "Don't you dare!"
Maggie
turned. "I love him mother. Where he goes, I go."
With
that she dived through the opening and
was immediately out of sight. Alexei transformed back into a human, running to
the cockpit, heelless of his nakedness. "Turn the plane around!"
"Boss,
we couldn't if we wanted to. I don't know what happened back there, but the
controls are a mess. We'll never make it to Russian airspace at this rate. I've
already radioed Olso and reported we have a mechanical failure. If we try to
turn now the plane will tear apart. I'm taking us down slowly as it is."
"Will
it help it we seal off the hatch?"
"What
happened to the hatch?" The pilot color drained from his face.
"It's
gone. If I can block it up, can you turn about?"
"No! It
might ensure us making it to the ground in Norway, but I'm sorry boss, this tub
isn't turning. When we get to Oslo Lufthavn we'll need to come in straight or I
might lose the whole thing. She's vibrating like sheet metal in a storm wind
right now.
That
much was obvious. The entire structure was thrumming, now and again shaking
violently. "I'll see what I can do."
He was
out of the cabin, transforming as he left. He searched the cargo hold for
something large enough and thick enough to plug the hole. Hell, he'd hold it in
place the entire time if he had to. Anything loose was getting sucked through
the gap, but finding anything large enough to form a stopper was proving to be
a challenge. He finally settled on a large thick steel plate bolted to the floor.
With everyone's help they forced it up and carried it to the hole. As one they
flipped it into place, leaning against it until the vacuum held it in place.
Anna
found the breath to speak. "We have to go back!"
"If we
try, we're lost. It's a seven mile drop for them. No one, not even a member of
The Kind survives that."
"Edward
might!"
"Maybe,
but what of Maggie? I am not saying we write them off just yet, but their
chances of survival are slim to none."
"We
must turn back!" she screamed.
"No!
We'll do them no good if we crash. We must get the plane to the ground and work
out arranging a rescue from there. But I doubt there will be anything to find.
Even with coordinates, finding them without lifejackets or homing beacons is a
lost cause. The North Sea is a rough mistress."
"You will find them!"
He
sighed, tears forming in his eyes. "We can but try my sister. We can but try."
[img][/img] Yes folks, that's right. I just couldn't let the happy couple have a quiet and easy life. They are werewolves after all. Nothing would doom their potential life together quicker than common, everyday living. So this being Chapter One Hundred marks the present end to the series. What happens to them from here on out might very well lay in your hands. Readership has dropped off, a common enough occurrence, so I may leave their lives to your whims. I mean, I could write sex into every chapter, but quite honestly, even my vivid imagination is getting strained over all the series I am doing. So speak up all you readers. You have a voice, even if you're too timid to use it. If the series ends here, who will you have to blame but yourselves? Well, there is me to blame, but hey, a man has to do what a man has to do.