Transylvania's Most Wanted (29 page)

“That would be a mistake. If you want to
save poor Princess Alexi’s life that is,” Mr. Slang said. Everyone
looked at him incredulously. Mr. Slang turned to Red then. “Play
chess do you?”

“You’re the second person to ask me that in
the last few days,” Red said. “I have taken an interest in the game
just recently.”

“You’ve played this game wonderfully.”

“Thank you.”

“I used to play my younger brother when we
were children.”

“Did you?’

“He never could beat me. So do you know what
he began doing?”

“What?”

“When he was sure he was going to lose, he
would reach out and knock all the pieces off the board – ruin the
game.” Red looked intently at Mr. Slang then, waiting for what he
would say next. “I’m going to do that now - ruin everything.”

“How could you possibly?”

“There’s still a bomb on
board the
Tempest
,” he said glancing at the clock just above his head. “It
will pop that zeppelin like a balloon at precisely 3 o’clock. I’m
the only one who knows where it is onboard.”

Everyone looked at the clock. It was eight
minutes until 3 o’clock.

“I don’t believe you,” Red said.

“You will.”

“You were never near
the
Tempest
. You
couldn’t have put another bomb aboard. Sergeant Hightower made sure
nothing was brought on board there without being carefully looked
through.”

“I managed it still,” Mr.
Slang said confidently. “I suggest we all step onto the bridge. We
can radio the
Tempest
from there or we can have a nice view of it blowing to
pieces. It’s your choice inspector. Hand your weapons over or watch
Princess Alexi and the others on board die.”

“I’ll play along with you,” Red said. “Let’s
all go up on the bridge.”

“Why don’t we leave the witches here?” Mr.
Slang suggested waving a hand at Miss Kensington. “Wouldn’t want
her to do anything rash.”

Red glanced at his wife. “Stay here a minute
dear, won’t you?”

Miss Kensington looked at her husband. “All
right dear,” she said finally.

The rest of them walked up onto the bridge.
The ship’s captain watched as they did. Besides him there was the
helmsman and a navigator. The captain asked, in Russian, something
of Colonel Popov and Colonel Popov seemed to tell him to just keep
a steady course.

Looking out the front of
the ship’s bridge, the
Tempest
could be seen a mile ahead. Stone was the last to
come onto the bridge, pushing Dino ahead of him. Everyone spread
out across the room. Tom stood next to the captain and Red was on
the other side of him. Colonel Popov was next to Count Vasili when
he suddenly took Count Vasili’s rifle from him and handed it to the
sergeant.

Mr. Slang stood next to
King Havel against one wall and Count Vasili was a few feet from
them. Rollo was just next to Red. Stone went and stood on the other
side of the bridge against the wall, making Dino go there with him.
Mr. Jordan went there also and stood just by the window looking out
at the
Tempest
ahead of them. Colonel Popov came and stood in the middle of
the room just next to the helmsman in front of Tom. The sergeant
was closest to the stairs they had just come up.

“There’s a clock there,” Mr. Slang said
pointing to one hanging just above the helmsman. “It’s two seconds
fast,” he said comparing it to his watch. “Might want to keep your
eye on it.”

Suddenly Colonel Popov brought his rifle up
to his shoulder and pointed it at Red, but he did not fire. “I’m
sorry,” he said as Tom swung his pistol up and pointed it, his arm
fully extended, at Colonel Popov. “I need you both to hand your
weapons over,” the colonel demanded, glancing at Tom, before
looking at Red once again.

The ship’s captain pulled a gun then and
pointed it right at Tom’s head, holding it right up next to his
ear. His hand was shaking and he was nervous holding the gun on
Tom. Colonel Popov gestured for the sergeant to hold the rifle he’d
given him on Count Vasili.

“What’s going on colonel?” Red asked, still
holding his gun on Mr. Slang. “I thought you were with us.”

Guns were pointed every which way. Any one
of them fired would set off a chain reaction of bodies falling over
like dominoes.

“I am,” Colonel Popov told Red. “Believe me
I don’t want to do this,” he said, “but I must protect the queen. I
cannot allow a bomb to go off on her ship.”

“He’s bluffing,” Red said gesturing at Mr.
Slang.

“I do not care for Mr. Slang,” Colonel Popov
said. “But he is a very cunning man and I believe him when he says
there is bomb there. He does not bluff.” The colonel looked at Mr.
Slang then. “Get on the radio, tell them where the bomb is,” he
pleaded as he glanced at the clock.

Mr. Slang gestured toward Red’s gun pointed
at him. “I’d love to. As soon as Inspectors Meriwether and Flynn
hand their weapons over,” Mr. Slang told him.

“I’m not going to do
that,” Red said. “At least not until I get some proof there’s a
bomb on board the
Tempest
still.”

“You have it already,” Mr. Slang said
pointing at the alarm clock Red was holding.

Red glanced at it. “Nothing new here,” he
said.

“Look at the bottom; you know already that I
took two clocks from the shop in Transylvania City.”

Red flipped the clock over and glanced at
what was written on the bottom of it. “Damn it,” he said.

“What?” Tom asked.

“It’s from the Strigoi hotel,” he said
angrily. “He stole it from there.”

“That’s right,” Mr. Slang
said. “That makes for three clocks which means three bombs. One of
which is about to go off on board the
Tempest
unless I radio over there
and tell them where to find it.”

“You have your proof now,” Colonel Popov
said glancing at the clock again. “Hand your weapons over.”

“Not yet,” Red said. “I want to know how he
got it aboard. This may all be a trick.”

“I will not wait much longer,” Colonel Popov
said adamantly.

“He’ll kill all of us,” Red said gesturing
at Mr. Slang. “He has to after what we know now.”

“Then we will die.”

“He’ll kill Princess Alexi too.”

The colonel glanced at Mr. Slang.

“Doesn’t have to be like that,” Mr. Slang
said. “There’s not much time though.”

“You must turn your weapons over,” Colonel
Popov demanded.

“No,” Red told him.

Colonel Popov was losing control, he was
desperate to save Princess Alexi’s life at any cost, even his own.
It was just a matter of time until he fired at Red, so that Mr.
Slang would reveal where the bomb was and then Tom would be forced
to kill him.

The clock seemed to be
ticking especially loud as Colonel Popov took a step toward the
radio. He still held his rifle on Red and Tom still held his on him
as the colonel reached over and turned the radio up until the sound
of static filled the bridge. He picked the handset up then.
“Calling
Tempest
,” he said. “Pick up
Tempest
.”

It was Titan who answered.
“This is
Tempest
.”

“Standby
Tempest
,” he instructed.
“Repeat. Standby. Important instructions to follow.” He took his
finger off the button then. “Please tell them where the bomb is,”
Colonel Popov pleaded with Mr. Slang.

“As soon as Inspector Meriwether hands me
his weapon and frees Dino.”

Red glanced at the clock. He made no move to
turn his weapon over. “Tell me how you got the bomb aboard first,”
he said looking at Mr. Slang.

“No,” Mr. Slang said. “Stone,” he said then.
“Maybe you could help out here.”

“Huh? How?”

“
Why don’t you take
Inspector Meriwether’s gun from him? The deal I made with you still
stands. Red Army marines are going to storm this ship when we land.
There isn’t much time before the bomb goes off. Take his gun and
I’ll call the
Tempest
and tell them where the bomb is. You have my word the rest of
you can return home to Transylvania. Except for Count
Vasili.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Stone said.
“I’m afraid we lost,” he said to Red.

When Stone took a step closer, Red turned
his gun on him. “Stay back Stone.”

“That gun could never stop me,” Stone said
taking another step, slowly, toward Red.

Red moved back. “Rollo,” he said.

Rollo hesitated, but then he moved in
between Stone and Red.

Mr. Slang looked at the clock, but Stone was
doing the talking now. “They won’t hurt the princess. She’ll just
be banished along with her mother to some barren tundra somewhere.
You’ll see to that won’t you Mr. Slang?”

“Something will be arranged,” Mr. Slang
said. “Rollo, let him take that gun from Inspector Meriwether.
You’d be doing everyone here, including yourself, a favor.”

“Everyone except for Count Vasili,” Stone
said.

Rollo looked over his shoulder at Red.

“Go ahead Rollo,” Stone said. “He’s not
smart enough to save himself; you’d be doing him a favor.”

It was obvious Rollo was considering the
idea. Red backed away from him until he pressed up against the
barrel of the sergeant’s rifle. He glanced at Tom, but Tom directed
his gaze toward the clock. It was three and a half minutes until
the hour.

“Let’s just go home,”
Stone said. “Count Vasili is only getting what he deserves. I just
want to get my luggage off the
Tempest
and go home.”

Red looked at Count Vasili and then Mr.
Slang. There was nothing that could be done for Count Vasili.

“What will become of the princess and
Anna?”

Mr. Slang glanced at King Havel, who rose
then.

“If she abdicates her right to be queen in
front of Mr. Jordan here,” King Havel said pointing at him the
other side of the bridge. “I will promise no harm will come to
either of them. A simple banishment will suffice.”

Red dropped his weapon then. He stepped
forward to hand it to Mr. Slang. Colonel Popov lowered his
weapon.

“Wait,” Tom yelled as he suddenly swung his
gun toward Mr. Slang just as he accepted Red’s weapon. Mr. Slang
held the pistol out in front of him, his finger on the trigger. He
need only to raise it a few inches and it would be pointed right at
Tom. Everyone was frozen, waiting for Tom to act. “What did you
just say?” Tom asked pointing at Stone, but not taking his eyes or
gun off Mr. Slang.

“Nothing,” Stone said. “I just want to get
my luggage and go home.”

“You said you needed to
get your luggage off the
Tempest
,” Tom said. “When did you
pack your bags, before or after you went and made a deal with Mr.
Slang?”

“He packed them for me.”

Mr. Slang swung his gun up and both men
fired the same time. Tom was struck just on the outside of his
frame, near his rib cage while Mr. Slang was hit just below his
shoulder. Luckily, the ship’s captain decided to get involved, and
Colonel Popov shouted at him to lower his weapon. Mr. Slang slumped
into a chair as Count Vasili took the gun from him. Tom, bleeding
some, stepped toward the radio and grabbed the microphone.

“T
empest, Tempest
, this is
Dauntless
, pick up, pick
up,” he shouted into it.

There was the crackling of the radio for
what seemed a long time and then Titan’s voice came over the
radio.

“This is
Tempest
. Who is
this?”

Tom looked at Stone. “Tell him where your
bags are. Tell him to find them and open them.” Tom said as he
pressed the button to keep the handset open for Stone to shout
into.

“Titan this is Stone. My luggage is with
yours. Start opening all my bags, there might a bomb in one of
them.”

“What?”

“Better hurry.”

It was two minutes until the hour. A
crackling sound came over the radio as they waited. Miss
Kensington, pushing Esmeralda ahead of her, came onto the bridge
then. Everyone eyes darted between the clock and the radio.

“He’s found the luggage,” Pandora’s voice
came on the radio and announced.

Again the only sound was
static as Tom looked ahead, out the window, toward the
Tempest
.

“Did he find the bomb?” he shouted.

Silence.

“We threw his entire luggage out,” Pandora’s
voice finally came over radio and announced.

They looked out the window and saw several
bags falling through the sky.

“That’s all my stuff,” Stone said watching
it fall through air.

“Did you find the bomb before you threw the
luggage out,” Tom asked over the radio.

“No,” Pandora said. We just threw his entire
luggage out.”

“Is it in there?” Tom shouted at Mr.
Slang.

Mr. Slang looked toward the clock on the
wall. It was one minute until 3pm. “You’d better hope they threw
his small, black bag out.”

“The small, black bag,” Tom told Pandora.
“Did you find the small, black bag?”

“He’s not sure,” Pandora relayed. “Titan is
not sure if he threw that bag out or not!”

“Make sure,” Tom yelled over the radio.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Mr. Slang
said.

“It’s too late,” Colonel Popov said looking
at the clock.

Everyone watched the
clock. Finally the minute hand clicked forward. They all looked out
the window toward the
Tempest
as two more seconds passed and then the bomb
exploded!