Go to the Beginning of the story
Higgs and
Kostas climbed to the roof and handed their bags into the cabin of the airship.
Kostas expertly climbed his way into the ship and extended an arm to Higgs.
Inside the ship, they looked around at all the things they’d taken. There were
dozens of sacks of valuables and stack after stack of gold bars lining the
walls of the cabin. Higgs was satisfied with what they had. Not as much as it
could have been, but good.
“Where are
Phineas and Anabelle?” Dr. Montebanque asked.
“I sent
Anabelle to be lookout, Phineas went after her. We wait only as long as we’re
able.”
Dr.
Montebanque nodded and went to his Winch, prepared to release it at Higgs’s
command. They watched out the door as Charlotte began to untie the mooring
ropes at the rear of the ship.
Just then,
they saw Anabelle climbing up onto the roof of the car two in front of theirs.
The ruffles of her dress flapped in the wind as she climbed on her hands and
knees, keeping one hand gripped on the rail at the edge of the car. She bridged
the gap to the next car and continued to work her way along.
Charlotte
had finished with the cables and Kostas and Higgs reached down to pull her up
into the ship. “No, wait.” Charlotte shouted over the rushing wind. She kept
herself tied to the car and shouted to Anabelle. “Just a little further! You’re
almost there!”
Anabelle
continued to slowly make her way to the back. One more gap. When she was just
about over the last gap, the train entered a curve and Anabelle was thrown to
the side. She hung on with all her strength with both hands. The railing was
the only thing keeping her from flying off the train and hitting the ground at
100 mph. Her legs were dangling off the edge of the train, and she was trying
her hardest to pull herself up.
Dr.
Montebanque shouted to Higgs. “I have to cut the cable. The tunnel is just
ahead.”
“Hold on
one minute!” Higgs shouted.
Anabelle
looked up and saw Charlotte inching her way along the rail toward her. She
reached the spot where Anabelle was hanging. Charlotte laid her body flat on
the train car and clicked her magnetic heels onto the metal of the car. They
stuck there firmly, and she extended both arms down to grab Anabelle’s arms.
Charlotte pulled Anabelle onto the roof and together, they found their way back
to the airship. After helping Anabelle onto the ship, Charlotte grabbed the ship’s
runner with both hands.
“Go!”
Higgs Shouted to Dr. Montebanque, and then reached down to grab Charlotte’s arm
while Kostas grabbed the other.
Dr.
Montebanque pulled the cable that unlatched the end of the cable from the
railcar. The airship broke free of the train. Instantly, air resistance slowed
it down rapidly. Higgs and Kostas Struggled to hold on to Charlotte. The
airship was moving slower now, but still careening toward the point where the
train entered a tunnel in the side of a hill.
“We can’t
pull up. We’re too heavy.” Dr. Montebanque said, turning his head briefly
toward Higgs before turning back and trying to steer the ship.
“Release
more ballast!” Higgs shouted.
“The
ballast is all gone.” Montebanque shouted.
“Release
me.” Charlotte cried to Higgs and Kostsas.
“Ok.”
Kostas said without hesitation, releasing Charlotte’s arm, leaving her to
dangle in Higgs’s grasp.
“I’ll
remind you that if we crash, the hydrogen in this ship is likely to explode!”
Dr. Montebanque warned; the urgency in his voice was clear.
“I’ll be
fine. I’ve got the rocketsuit.” She winked to Higgs.
He shook
his head sadly and released her arm. She extended the wings and began to glide.
The ship instantly began to lift upward over the hill. Higgs watched as
Charlotte glided and crashed into the entrance of the tunnel. She fell in a
heap next to the tracks.
“She
crashed, we have to go back.” Higgs shouted to Dr. Montebanque.
“She must
fend for herself.” Anabelle said, putting a hand on Higgs’s shoulder. “She’s
tough, if she survived that crash, she’ll be better on her own than if we tried
to get her. Beside, we can’t risk our own lives for her.”
Higgs
nodded, accepting Anabelle’s logic, but still rattled that he’d just dropped a
girl, possibly to her death. He knew it was for the best, but he hoped that she
was ok. “To the airport, Everton.” He said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Dr.
Montebanque piloted the ship to the airport, and for the moment, it appeared
that their camouflage dye-job was successful in keeping them hidden from sight.
As the ship lowered to the ground next to the boxcar, Kostas jumped out and tied
the mooring ropes. The team unloaded the ship and filled the boxcar.
“What
about the ship?” Anabelle asked. “We’ve got to do something about it.”
“Kostas?”
Higgs looked to the burglar. “Can you make sure that there is no sign of this
ship ever existing?”
“Okay,
boss. It is my pleasure.” Kostas had a disturbing smile on his face. He jumped
onto the ship, and went to work. He climbed onto the outside of the cabin, and
attached a device to the side of the balloon. Five minutes later, he jumped to
the ground with a satisfied look on his face. “It is ready.”
The team
untied the mooring ropes and watched the ship drift into the air. It caught in
the wind and drifted to the East, away from the city. Higgs remarked at how
well camouflaged it was, almost disappearing from sight in a matter of minutes.
The ship had served them well, and it was time to say goodbye.
Suddenly,
the tiny spec in the sky became a fireball. Streamers of black smoke shot
outward from the sides of the ship and smoke and flames billowed up from the
explosion of the massive balloon. Kostas was nothing if not thorough. Surely,
there would be nothing left of the ship.
The foursome climbed onto the train and began working the lever that propelled the train down the tracks toward a tunnel. A few hours of time, and they would have their take safely stashed in the safehouse subway station. As the car freely rolled down a slope and under the city, Higgs wanted to celebrate a successful heist, but somehow he couldn’t. He couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to his friends. For now, they would need to wait in the safehouse and hope to see Phineas and Charlotte again soon.
Part 24 >
Part 24 >
No comments:
Post a Comment