The Martian Falcon (Lovecraft & Fort) (21 page)

‘New tool from the eggheads in the police armoury, Charlie,’ Carter replied as one of the uniformed officers hurried across to Rusty and handcuffed her. ‘Pneumatic needle gun. Each needle carries an anaesthetic compound with a component that prevents shapeshifters from doing their party trick. Only lasts for a few hours, but that’s more than long enough to get them squared away.’

‘That’s pretty impressive tech for the NYPD,’ said Fort as two more policemen moved forward and cuffed Fort and Lovecraft.

‘You’d be surprised at some of the tricks we’ve got up our sleeve, Charlie,’ said Carter.

‘I guess that’s true. What’s the deal, John?’

‘You’re under arrest,’ said Carter.

‘On what charge, for Christ’s sake?’

Carter indicated the Teleforce Projector on the desk. ‘Accessory to murder… but I guess now we can add possession of an unlicensed weapon.’

‘God damn it, John! Are you still playing that tune?’

‘What other tune would I play?’ Carter pointed to Rusty’s unconscious form. ‘She staked Sanguine, and here she is in your office. And we also have reason to believe she’s involved in the disappearance of Aldous Bradlee…’

‘Who the hell’s he?’

‘The chief archivist at the NCPE in Florida,’ said Wiseman. ‘As if you didn’t know.’

Wiseman glanced around the room, saw the rock book propped against the wall and picked it up. ‘And what do we have here?’ he asked theatrically. ‘Why, it looks like a Martian artefact! I wonder if it’s the one that was stolen from the NCPE. So we can add theft to the list.’ He chuckled. ‘Oh, you’re in it, Fort – up to your eyeballs!’

‘Go screw yourself, Wiseman,’ muttered Fort.

Carter walked across to the desk and picked up the Teleforce Projector. ‘Where’d you get this?’

‘Just read me my rights,’ said Fort.

Carter looked inside the case and picked up the Anomalous Oscillation Detector. ‘What’s this?’

Fort scowled at him. ‘I said read me my rights.’

CHAPTER 28
Too Much Knowledge

There was a police wagon and two squad cars waiting outside. Fort and Lovecraft were shoved unceremoniously into the back of the wagon while two of the uniformed officers placed Rusty’s sleeping form on the floor between them. Carter gave the rock book to Wiseman, who held his hand out for the case.

‘You just take the book,’ Carter said. ‘I’ll hold onto this. I want to take a look at it.’

Wiseman nodded. ‘Okay, John, I’ll see you back at the precinct.’

Wiseman left in one of the squad cars while the uniformed officers climbed into the other. Carter climbed into the wagon and sat on the bench seat beside Lovecraft, who gave him a morose look as the vehicle set off. ‘This is so embarrassing,’ he muttered. ‘Arrested! Imagine! I don’t know
what
my aunts would say.’

‘They’d probably say you shouldn’t have got yourself mixed up with Charles Fort,’ Carter replied. He lit a cigarette, blew a stream of smoke into the air and looked at Fort. ‘I’m sorry, Charlie. I wish this caper could have played out some other way. But you’re in it deep, and I can’t see a way out for you.’

‘I’m sorry too, John,’ said Fort. ‘I expected you to be smarter than this.’

Carter smiled and blew more smoke. ‘Why don’t you square with me, Charlie? Things’ll go easier for you and your friend here if you do.’

Fort nodded. ‘All right, I will. You remember the conversation we had when you pulled us in after the Expressway?’

‘Yeah. You said the Falcon had something to do with the death of the Martian civilisation.’

‘That’s right. Well, it’s true. Howard and I went to see Tesla…’

‘So he’s the one who gave you that cockamamie gun and the other gadget.’ Carter said.

‘Yeah. It
is
a weapon – the only weapon that stands a chance of destroying the rock book.’

Carter sighed. ‘And why, for the love of God, would you want to destroy the rock book?’

‘Okay, this is going to sound crazy, John, but hear me out.’

Carter shrugged. ‘Go ahead. I’m all ears.’

Fort laid it all out for Carter; everything they’d learned about the Martian Falcon and the ninth rock book.

Carter whistled loudly. ‘Whew! You’ve really gone off the deep end this time, Charlie. Nyarlathotep? Azathoth? The Great Old Ones? The Outer Gods?’ He laughed harshly. ‘So you’re going to destroy a priceless artefact to prevent a mythical bogeyman from eating the world. Jesus, is that the best you can come up with?’

Fort sighed. ‘Why am I even bothering?’

‘Beats the hell out of me,’ Carter replied, dropping his cigarette butt and grinding it under his heel.

Rusty groaned and began to stir.

‘Welcome back, Miss Links,’ said Carter.

Rusty opened her eyes and looked at him, her face expressionless. Then she frowned, and a look of fear and consternation spread across her face.

‘Trying to shift? Don’t bother. There’s a chemical compound in your system that prevents it. You just lie there and be a good girl, okay?’

‘What are you going to do with the rock book, Lieutenant?’ asked Lovecraft.

‘Same thing I’m going to do with the gadgets in this case, Mr. Lovecraft. Bag them as evidence.’

‘Is there nothing we can say to convince you of the truth?’

Carter shrugged. ‘You could try telling me the truth. That might work.’ He looked at the case, which he had placed on the seat beside him; then he opened it and took out the Teleforce Projector. He examined it carefully and nodded. ‘Quite a popgun you’ve got here, boys. Looks like it could take out half a city block.’

‘It was designed to end trouble, not start it,’ said Lovecraft.

‘Oh, I’m sure it was,’ Carter chuckled.

‘Tell me something, John.’ said Fort. ‘How did you know we’d be at my office?’

‘We’ve got men watching your office and your apartment. They saw Miss Links here going into your office. They also saw you arriving in a cab in a hell of a hurry, and then Father O’Malley leaving with your secretary.’

‘Have you picked them up, too?’

‘Not yet, but we will.’ Carter replaced the Projector in its case, glanced out through the barred window behind him, reached into his jacket and pulled out his service revolver. ‘As soon as I take care of the business at hand.’

Fort eyed the revolver. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

‘You and your friends know way too much about the Falcon, Charlie. I can’t have that.’ He shrugged. ‘Just can’t have it.’

‘My God,’ said Lovecraft. ‘Do you mean to
murder
us?’

‘Self defence,’ Carter replied. ‘The three of you attacked me, tried to get the keys to your handcuffs off me. Three against one – I wouldn’t stand a chance. Then you would have gone for my gun and put a slug in my head. I really had no choice: you’re dangerous fugitives, after all. That’s what my report will read.’

‘Christ,’ said Fort. ‘You’re working for Crystalman?’

‘In a manner of speaking.’

‘What do you mean “in a manner of speaking”? John, what the hell’s going on?’

‘You’re the one who told Crystalman that Charles and I were going to Colorado,’ said Lovecraft.

‘That’s right, Mr. Lovecraft.’ Carter threw him a mock-sympathetic glance. ‘You know, you really should have stuck to writing pulp fiction instead of living it. You might have lived a little longer.’

Fort gazed at Carter, appalled. ‘Why, John? For God’s sake, why?’

‘Like I said, Charlie,’ Carter replied, taking aim at Fort’s head. ‘You know way too much.’

His finger squeezed the trigger.

CHAPTER 29
Ambush

The police wagon jolted at the instant the hammer of Carter’s pistol fell, throwing off his aim. The bullet missed Fort’s head by less than an inch, the report sounding like a thunder blast in the confined space.

Carter cursed. Assuming they had hit a pothole in the road, he quickly took aim again, and again his aim was thrown off by another jolt, much harder this time. And then he realised, as they all did, that the wagon had not hit a hole in the road. Carter stood up and looked through the barred window. He cursed again, more vehemently this time, as the wagon was shunted to the side by another impact. He lost his footing and fell to the floor, dropping his gun.

Lovecraft reached out with his leg and kicked the weapon away from him and under the bench seat. Rusty squirmed to the side, her hands reaching blindly behind her back, searching for it. Fort stood up and was about to kick Carter in the gut, but there was another impact and he, too, went over.

The driver struggled with the steering wheel as the wagon was hit again and again. The cabin was filled with the loud, ugly sound of metal crunching against metal. Fort tried to knee Carter in the groin, but with his hands cuffed behind his back, he was at a serious disadvantage. Carter easily evaded him and punched him hard in the face. Fort’s head swam. He tried to get up but Carter punched him again. Lovecraft stood up and aimed a weak kick at the detective’s head, but Carter grabbed his ankle and twisted. Lovecraft howled with pain and went down.

Carter raised his fist for a knockout punch, but at that moment the driver of the wagon lost control, and the vehicle mounted the kerb and toppled onto its side, throwing Carter and the others from the floor to the wall in a mass of thrashing limbs. Carter’s head hit the wall hard as the wagon slewed along the sidewalk, smashed a lamppost flat and ground to a halt.

For a few seconds the only sounds were those of panting and groans. Fort got onto his knees and spat blood. He looked at Carter, who was unconscious. The door of the driver’s cab opened and the two men inside screamed in unison and fell silent.

‘What the fuck’s happening?’ demanded Rusty of no one in particular.

‘This feels oddly familiar,’ said Fort, as the rear doors were ripped from their hinges, revealing two black-suited figures. Beyond them could be seen a sleek, black car, its front wings dented, the paint chipped away to reveal the steel beneath.

‘Evening, fellas,’ said Fort. ‘Right on time… but how did you know? Were you staking out my office as well?’

The vampires stood aside to reveal Johnny Sanguine. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I was.’ His eyes dropped to Rusty, who was picking herself up. ‘Hello, doll. Long time no see.’

Rusty sighed. ‘Well… I guess this is it. Do me a favour and make it quick, huh Johnny? For old times’ sake?’

Johnny smiled at her. ‘You think I’m gonna kill you? Nah! That’s all in the past. All is forgiven. I have other work to do, other debts to repay.’ He glanced up and down the street and added more urgently: ‘Let’s go. Can’t stick around here.’

‘Where to?’ asked Fort.

‘The meeting place, of course,’ Johnny replied. ‘We’ve still got an appointment to keep – assuming Capone shows up.’

‘What about O’Malley?’

‘He’ll be there, too. I paid him a quick visit at your secretary’s parents’ place.’

‘Okay.’ Fort nodded at Carter’s unconscious form. ‘First things first. He’s got the keys to our cuffs in his pocket. And we’ll have to take him with us.’

‘Why?’ asked Johnny.

‘Because he’s working for Crystalman. He may have been in the Dero caverns. He might be able to tell us something useful.’

One of the vampires took Carter’s keys and unlocked their handcuffs. Fort grabbed the case containing the Projector and the AOD. They stepped out of the wagon and saw that traffic was stopping and people were getting out of their cars. A tram glided past, its windows filled with gawping faces.

Somewhere in the near distance a police siren blared, growing rapidly louder.

Johnny shook his head. ‘No time to take him; we have to leave right now. Come on!’

Fort glanced again at Carter. ‘All right,’ he said, reluctantly.

‘Kill him,’ said Rusty.

‘What?’ said Fort.

She gave him a look that said
I can’t believe how stupid you are
. ‘Kill him! He’s working for Crystalman and he has the rock book. We can’t let him live. Kill the son of a bitch, while we have the chance.’

‘For God’s sake, Miss Links,’ said Lovecraft. ‘We cannot commit cold-blooded murder!’

‘Even if it means saving the planet?’ said Rusty.

Lovecraft looked at Fort. ‘Charles, we can’t. He’s our enemy and a traitor to the human race, but…’

Fort balled his fists in frustration, as a police squad car rounded the nearest corner and sped towards them. ‘You’re right, Howard – we can’t.’

Johnny nodded to his vampires and they returned to their car. ‘My boys are leaving. If you want to as well, get in the car. Right now.’

Fort sighed. ‘Let’s go.’

They piled into the vampires’ car and took off, as the police car screeched to a halt beside the overturned wagon.

CHAPTER 30
The Meet

The oil-black sea lapped against the slowly-rotting wood of the docks, like a tongue probing reluctantly at something unpalatable. Even though the night was warm, Lovecraft shivered slightly as he and Fort and Rusty got out of the car. They looked around at the sea and the garbage-strewn shore and the great black monolith of the old Marsh warehouse that reared up like a gigantic tombstone, soundless and solitary. Its windows were smashed and pitch-dark, silently declaring the emptiness within.

Good Lord, what a foul place!
Lovecraft thought.
Given back to nature… a nature that never wanted it
.

‘Come on,’ said Johnny. ‘Follow me.’

He glided off, followed by his two vampires. As they followed, Lovecraft noted that only he, Fort and Rusty made any sound as they walked across the shingle; the vampires and their ghost boss made none.

‘I can’t believe you didn’t take the chance when you had it,’ Rusty muttered.

With ice in his voice, Fort replied: ‘Murder may come easily to you, Miss Links, but not to me. There’s another way to get this job done that doesn’t involve putting a bullet in an unconscious man.’

Rusty gave a contemptuous shake of her head. ‘Why didn’t you do it, Sanguine? You know what’s at stake. You could have had one of your men take care of Carter.’

Johnny smiled back at her. ‘I’m trying to save my soul, Rusty, not sully it even more.’

Rusty shook her head again but didn’t reply.

Headlamps cut through the darkness about two hundred yards away. A taxicab screeched to a halt. A door opened and closed and the cab drove away quickly, its driver clearly wanting to get away as fast as possible. A burly figure hurried towards them.

‘Cormack?’ said Fort.

‘That’s me,’ said the priest as he joined them.

‘How’s Penny? Is she okay?’

‘She’s right enough – mind you, she and her ma and pa got a nasty fright when himself showed up.’ He pointed to Sanguine, who was about to enter the warehouse through a doorway whose door was nowhere to be seen. ‘So they sprung you all right, those lads.’

‘Yeah, and not a moment too soon. John Carter’s working for Crystalman. He was about to off us when Johnny’s boys ran us off the road.’

‘
Carter?
’ said O’Malley. ‘Lord above, who would have thought it?’

‘Too bad,’ said Fort. ‘He was the only one of that bunch I had any liking for.’

‘What happened to him?’

‘He was knocked unconscious. We left him there. We would have brought him along for the ride, but we had to get away quickly.’

O’Malley peered at Fort’s face in the darkness, noticing his injuries for the first time. ‘Did he do that?’

‘Yeah. I hope to pay him back someday soon.’

‘Well, we’ll worry about that when the time comes.’

They followed the vampires through the doorway and into a vast, dark space, empty save for the ragged islands of detritus scattered across the floor, like a map of a place no one wanted to visit.

Fort checked his watch. ‘Five before ten,’ he said. ‘Think he’ll show?’

‘I hope so,’ Johnny replied. ‘Like I said, it’ll be a tough job without him. I hate to admit it, but the fact is we need him and his zombies.’

‘Need us for what?’

They all spun around, looking for the source of the voice, which was hard to pin down in the enormous echoing space of the warehouse.

‘Capone?’ Johnny called. ‘Where are you?’

‘Need us for what, blood-sucker?’

‘Come on over here, so we can see each other.’

‘I can see you just fine, and that’s all that matters. Why did you call this meeting?’

‘Okay, Al, okay,’ said Johnny. ‘We’ve never seen eye to eye, that’s for damn sure, but right now – believe me – we’re on the same side. We have a common enemy. The whole
world
has a common enemy.’

After a brief hesitation, Capone’s voice continued: ‘So it’s true, what I heard. You’re a spook.’

‘Yeah, it’s true. I can’t hurt you and you can’t hurt me. In fact, I called off my boys on the Expressway.’

‘Uh huh. Hey, Charlie, what you doin’ here? And the librarian… and Johnny’s ex, and Father O’Blivion himself! Quite a party. I’m honoured you invited me.’

‘We’re here because we need your help, Mr. Capone,’ said Fort. ‘The whole world needs your help.’

‘How about that!’ Another hesitation. ‘No more nightwalkers out there?’

‘None,’ Johnny replied. ‘Just us in here.’

‘Well… at least you ain’t lying about that. Okay boys, move in.’

A shuffling sound drifted out of the darkness, accompanied by a dozen zombies, all armed with Thompsons, all of which were trained on the small group. And then Capone himself clanked out of the shadows, the steel of his massive cybernetic frame glinting dully, his fat, cruel face peering at them.

‘All right,’ said Capone with a sneer. ‘Start talkin’.’

Johnny glanced at Fort, who shrugged and said: ‘Start talking.’

*

When Johnny had finished, Capone looked at each of them in turn, and then burst into a huge, derisive laugh. ‘You expect me to swallow that load of horseshit?’ he said. ‘Even my cast iron guts couldn’t handle that!’

‘It’s not horseshit, Mr. Capone,’ said Fort. ‘It’s the truth. You’ve got to believe us…’

‘I don’t gotta do
nothin’
!’

‘Listen, Mr. Capone,’ said O’Malley. ‘Johnny’s on the level. Do you think I’d be mixed up in this if he wasn’t?’

‘I was wonderin’ about that,’ said Capone. ‘You’re a good man, Father – not my type at all, and sure as hell not
his
type. So what’s
really
goin’ on?’

‘It’s just as Johnny said…’

‘You’re gonna go up against Crystalman on his home turf to stop him from releasing what’s-his-name…’

‘Azathoth,’ said Fort.

‘Yeah, that guy, who’s gonna eat the planet.’

‘That’s it,’ said O’Malley. ‘That’s the truth. You have my word on that, and you and I know what that’s worth, don’t we, Al?’

‘Yeah… yeah, I guess we do. So what’s the plan?’

Johnny smiled. ‘Thanks, Al.’

‘Don’t thank me yet, Sanguine; I ain’t said yes. I just wanna know how you think you can pull this crazy scheme off.’

Johnny nodded to Fort, who said: ‘We’re not going to knock on Crystalman’s front door, that’s for sure. We’re going in under his house on Long Island, through one of the Dero caverns which the IRT Company discovered back in ’95. He won’t know we’re coming until it’s too late.’

‘Know that for a fact, do you?’ said Capone.

‘Not really, to be honest, but we’re in with a fighting chance.’

‘And say you get in there without being eaten or butt-fucked by the Dero… what then?’

‘Then we destroy the Falcon…’

‘Destroy it?’ said Capone. ‘Is that such a good idea? Won’t destroying it set that Martian schmuck free?’

Fort shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. If that were true, there’d be no need for the rock book in the first place. All the Martians would have had to do to release the prisoners would be to break the falcons containing their minds. If we destroy the Falcon, the rock book becomes useless, and Crystalman’s game’s over. And I’ve got something up my sleeve that’ll take care of it
and
the Dero, if they decide to give us a hard time.’

‘Oh yeah? And what’s that?’

‘Something Nikola Tesla gave me. It’s called a Teleforce Projector…’

‘A what?’

Fort explained what the Projector was and how it worked.

‘Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out, Charlie. But the big question is, what’s in it for me?’

‘Survival,’ Fort replied simply. ‘You get to carry on living, along with everyone and everything else on Earth.’

The zombie standing closest to Capone turned and said: ‘I don’t like it, boss. Sounds like a double cross to me.’

‘No one asked you, pus-brain!’ said Capone.

‘Sorry, boss,’ said the zombie.

‘And not just survival, Mr. Capone,’ said Lovecraft. ‘You’ll be off the hook for Mr. Sanguine’s murder and the theft of the Martian Falcon, not to mention being part of the group which will bring Crystalman to justice. You’ll be a hero in the eyes of the people
and
the authorities. I believe that will pay off a lot of your debts to society.’

‘I don’t owe society
nothin’
, librarian!’ Capone thundered; then, in a calmer voice, he added: ‘But you’re right about the other stuff. This situation’s bad for business; can’t get a damned thing done while I’m on the lam like this. Yeah… bad for business…’

‘So what do you say, Al?’ said Johnny. ‘Are you in?’

Capone considered for a moment and then nodded. ‘Yeah, okay, I’m in.’ He indicated the zombies. ‘Are these twelve boys enough for you? I hope so, ’cause I don’t got no more, not the way things are right now.’

‘They’ll be enough,’ said Johnny.

‘We’ll need some weapons as well,’ said O’Malley. ‘Tommy guns, if you have them.’

‘We got them,’ said Capone.

‘When are you moving?’ asked Capone.

‘Tonight,’ Fort replied. ‘We left Carter unconscious but not badly injured. My guess is he’ll take the rock book to Crystalman as soon as he can. It could be tonight or it could be tomorrow, but it’s going to be soon. We need to get to Crystalman first. With the Falcon destroyed, the rock book will be useless.’

Capone nodded. ‘All right. Let’s do it.’