Oduwa looked frantically around the chamber before realizing how aimless that action was. Yes! It was painfully obvious that their prisoner had gotten away.
Emma ran for the next partition. “Let’s go!”
Oduwa shook off the pain and followed.
********
The Mandinka pair emerged into the dining section to see Mao struggling with a dark eyed, dark haired abductor.
Prince Abdul Ibn Hajj had his left arm wrapped around the prisoner’s neck, dragging him toward the dining section exit. The Arab’s right arm was encased inside a chrome gauntlet of metal coils and piping held together by interlacing wiring and bolts. A thick spring connected the forearm segment to the upper arm, enabling Abdul to bend the gauntlet at the elbow.
“Please!” Mao yelled in desperate gasps! “Let me go and I’ll make you rich and powerful!”
Abdul chuckled. “I already have a measure of power in my kingdom. Your formula will give me an empire. You and I will stay together.”
“Not if we have anything to say about it!” Oduwa contradicted, raising his crossbow.
Emma inched closer to the pair, steadying her crossbow for a shot at the Prince’s head.
Abdul failed to present an opportune target. He kept all but a minute portion of his face concealed behind his prisoner.
The Arab pointed his gauntlet arm at Emma. A rapid succession of metal slugs whisked from the gauntlet’s central muzzle.
Emma and Oduwa dove for cover as air propelled projectiles spattered above them, punching holes in tables, chairs, and walls.
The two ducked behind a serving bar. “A simple grab and run,” Emma griped.
“You should know by now that even the simplest assignments are not so simple,” Oduwa admonished with a teasing smile.
Emma sighed dramatically. “When will I ever learn?” She scurried to the edge of the bar and risked a quick peek around its corner.
Abdul and Mao were gone. The prince managed to slip his captive into the gaming section. Beyond that section lay the operator’s booth.
“They’re getting away!” Emma and Oduwa raced for the exit.
When they reached the gaming section, Abdul was already at the other end, in the process of opening the partition door. He kept his gauntlet arm trained on Mao. The moment he spotted his Mandinka pursuers, he pivoted the gauntlet weapon in their direction.
Emma and Oduwa launched their bolts.
The Arab slammed against the partition door as two bolts drilled into his chest. His gauntlet weapon flailed, sending slugs arcing wildly around the section, shattering a row of windows and over a dozen slot machines.
Mao seized the opportunity to make a run for it. He opened the partition door and leapt through.
Abdul lay on the floor, wheezing for breath, struggling to lift his gauntlet. A pneumatic whisper issued from the weapon, heralding another round of slug fire.
Emma ran full sprint, plunging her sword through the prince’s heart. She withdrew her blade and brought it down on the gauntlet in a chopping motion, severing wires and denting its flawless chrome. Air hissed from the damaged weapon to the accompaniment of the prince’s dying breath.
Emma nudged the prince’s lifeless body with her foot before advancing cautiously through the partition exit into the next and final section of the carriage.
Oduwa hovered close behind.
Both stopped when they saw Mao Li standing beside a coal furnace holding a small gray, metal object.
The operator’s section of the carriage was a cramped, dull space, strictly designed for the utilitarian purpose that it served. The operator’s booth occupied the very front of the section. A black-hinged door led to its interior.
A carriage’s mobility came from the outside in the form of steam dispensers. But the vehicle was capable of independent motion. If the dispensers failed, the carriage’s internal engine provided a coal-fueled backup. Containers of coal took up much of the section’s space. The coal furnace was kept hot in the event of a rare dispenser failure.
The object Mao Li held inches from the furnace opening filled Emma and Oduwa with cold dread.
They had read enough about the formula’s applications to understand what they were looking at. Their fear was far from unjustified or misplaced.
“You know what this is,” Mao Li commented, a wry, laid back confidence replacing his earlier rabbit-eyed fright. “If I drop it in, you know what will happen.”
Mao made a motion as if he were about to toss the object into the furnace, but stopped short. He grinned in delight at the sight of Emma and Oduwa flinching.
“I’m really an engineer by profession,” Mao confessed. “I spent much of my career designing machines to serve mankind. But when I discovered…actually stumbled upon this formula, I saw incredible possibilities. That’s when I began creating tools designed to destroy. My country will benefit tremendously!”
“Your country…” Emma said, eyes squinting in confusion. “Meaning China, right? How exactly will China benefit when you’re trying to deliver the secrets of this formula to the Americans? The highest bidders!”
The engineer put on a disdainful face. “As I said to you earlier, my emperor is progressive in some areas, woefully shortsighted in others. He saw the weapons I demonstrated with the formula but refused to put them into production. He wanted nothing to do with my formula and forbade me from pursuing further research relating to its use. So I decided to share it with a nation that would be more appreciative of its applications. Eventually, other nations will possess weaponry fueled by my formula, which will force China to adopt such weapons as well. My emperor will have the military China deserves, whether he desires it or not!”
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