The Infinity Bridge

Part 15

Sam’s forced his brain through a red headachy maze and looked around the alleyway. The bearded man was dressed in a tail-coat and top hat, with a dark red waistcoat and cravat. A bundle of wires and bulbs were in a box by his side.

The groaning shape of Ben was slumped a few yards away and nearby the body of Delta lay face down in the grime of the alley. Smoke was spiralling in grey tendrils from Delta’s back.

‘This is impossible,’ Sam said. It took all his energy to talk. ‘We should be dead. Merlin said the radiation was lethal...’

‘Merlin?’ the bearded man exclaimed. ‘Have you journeyed through the luminescent rift from a land of Arthurian legend?’

‘Uhh, no,’ Sam said. ‘How do you know about the... rifts? Can you see them?’

The bearded man chuckled. ‘Why I must respond in the negative, esteemed visitor. The rifts exist at an electro-magnetic and phantasmagorical frequency most incompatible with the perception of the naked orb. No, I, Thadius Bourneville, have designed my own perceptual aide—the wondrous Phantasmascintigram.’

Sam looked doubtfully at the box of wires, diodes and bulbs. He could see a small oscilloscope buried in the spaghetti of leads.

‘Bourneville, you old sot,’ a voice called. ‘I knew we’d find you skulking in some filthy alley.’

Bourneville leapt to his feet. His face paled. Two men, wearing bowler hats and leers, entered the alley. Sam caught the glint of light on the knives they held.

‘Rufus, Obadiah.’ Sweat matted Bourneville’s forehead despite the chill. ‘You catch me at a moment most inconvenient. I have not had chance to raise the funds for this week’s payment.’

‘Or last week’s, or the week before,’ Rufus said. ‘Mister Crank said to carve two hundred quid’s worth from your fat belly.’

Obadiah looked from Sam to Ben to Delta. ‘Hells teeth, Rufus. That ‘uns dead.’

Rufus glanced at the immobile form of Delta. ‘Who gives a monkeys? I sez lardy ‘ere will be joining ‘im soon enough.’

‘You lads need to be getting back to your Dickens novels.’ Ben stood with his pistol pointing at Rufus.

Rufus froze, his eyes wide in surprise. Then they narrowed in malice.

Obadiah stood to Ben’s side, pointing Delta’s gun at Ben’s head.

‘Say night, night, baldy,’ Obadiah chuckled and pulled the trigger.

An aura of pale light consumed Obadiah and he jerked his hand in surprise. The energy beam shot above Ben’s head as he ducked, blasting a hole in the brick wall next to him. The glow around Obadiah faded and he crumpled to the alley floor. His skin had a hideous waxy hue.