Free The Steampunk Detective by Darrell Pitt Page A

linked by barbed wire and before he slept he imagined himself caught on them, legs caught on blazing embers, stuck fast in the night.
     

Chapter Ten
    Jack awoke to the sound of frying bacon.
    He opened bleary eyes to see Mr Doyle moving bacon around in a pan and cracking eggs.
    “Wake up, my boy.” He said, smiling. “Breakfast is almost ready.”
    Jack threw clothes on. A moment later he heard Scarlet call from beyond the curtain.
    “Is everyone decent out there?”
    “We are, Miss Scarlet,” Mr Doyle said. “Please enter.”
    Scarlet Bell removed the screen and appeared looking remarkably refreshed.
    “I’m afraid I am wearing the same attire,” she said.
    “As are we,” Mr Doyle said. “But at least none of us carry malodorous odours.” He placed bacon and eggs onto a plate. “With the exception of Jack.”
    “Mr Doyle!” Jack cried, but Scarlet laughed.
    They ate breakfast around a small fold out table, chatting about the events of the previous day. Jack was reminded of his own family and how many times they had eaten together. Their time at the circus had been hard – circus life always was – but breakfast was usually the one time of the day when they could relax together and talk. After breakfast they would normally help the other men prepare the tents for the day or practice their routines.
    Mr Doyle made no comment about their conversation of the previous evening and Jack wisely did not raise the subject.
    “Mr Doyle,” Scarlet said. “What do you think Jon Harker’s involvement is in this matter?”
    “It is impossible at this point to say,” Mr Doyle replied. “Although if we extrapolate the course of events from yesterday, it is fair to say his life may be in danger.”
    “When will we arrive at the metrotower?” Jack asked.
    “Within the hour,” Mr Doyle replied. “As a matter of fact, we are now drawing quite close.”
    They finished their meal and grouped around the viewing window. The metrotower already filled most of the screen. Airships of all shapes and sizes were arriving and departing from decks all up and down the structure. Jack had read everything he could about the metrotower. A book at the orphanage had been filled with pictures taken from the first ground breaking ceremony to its completion. Measuring some twenty miles across at the base, the structure narrowed as it rose all the way into space, eventually measuring only a mile across at the top.
    “I’ve heard it said the London metrotower still remains the largest of all,” Scarlet said.
    “I wish that were true,” Mr Doyle said. “As a matter of fact, ours has slipped quite some way down the list.”
    Scarlet looked shocked. “Really?”
    “Yes, unfortunately. The American tower is larger, and the Chinese and even the German tower is larger now that the war is over and their renovations complete.”
    “General Churchill says that the next war will be fought in space,” Scarlet said, frowning. “Does that mean we are already on the back foot?”
    A shadow crossed Mr Doyle’s face. “General Churchill is too zealous for battle. I would have thought he and others would have learnt since the Great War.”
    Jack decided to remain silent. He looked straight from the window without letting his gaze stray to Mr Doyle’s face.
    “Our Prime Minister, Mr Kitchener, is rather more even minded,” Mr Doyle admitted. “However, I must agree that airships made all the difference in the Great War. I imagine dominance over space will decide the next.” He turned away from the window. “Jack, would you be so kind as to wash the dishes? I will prepare our docking procedure.”
    Jack quickly cleaned the kitchen utensils as Mr Doyle focused on bringing the Lion’s Mane in to land. It seemed for some time they would never arrive. The side of the metrotower appeared as chequerboard from a distance, almost like looking at hundreds of fields laid upright. As they drew closer they realised each level was determined by