Cold Fusion - A Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Fusion Short Story Anthology

The Winter War - part 2

Balt frowned as he stepped into Leicester Square to the sounds of a steam calliope. Considering that a steam-powered animatronic circus was playing at one end, hearing a calliope playing wasn't all that surprising. It was the song that it was playing.

'Something Wicked That Way Went?' he thought with a frown. Could it be coincidence that the circus music-filled song about shadows and menace would begin to play as soon as he stepped into the square?

It wasn't a little ironic that the song also described how he was feeling about their current situation. While Balt couldn't say Gattacus von Brandenburg, Prince of Prussia, was evil per se, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the man was power hungry and ambitious. Von Brandenburg had ruthlessly quashed opposition at home, deftly unified the various Prussian states into a powerful whole via military conquest and broadened Prussia's borders at every opportunity. And that had brought him into direct conflict with Her Majesty's interests on the continent.

Balt had faced the Prussian warlord a number of times over the years that Britain had been at war with Prussia. Most recently the two of them had taken the field at Antwerp, Belgium where he and the Steam Rifles managed to outmaneuver the highly skilled and well-trained Prussian army to claim high ground and push the enemy back before they could seize the strategic port city.

It was a bid to control even more of the southern coasts of the North Sea, giving Prussia a stranglehold on commerce and traffic moving through the busy seaway. A bid that the Steam Rifles narrowly thwarted. Unfortunately for the Empire, reeling from a number of smaller losses to Prussian assets across the continent, the grim and determined Prussian noble was far from being done.

"I like this song," a deep voice rumbled, sounding more like an avalanche than a man talking. Eyebrow lifting in curiosity, Balt turned towards the speaker. And found himself looking at a massive mountain of a man in an engineer's coveralls, a sleeveless tunic, with a welder's mask propped up on his bald head and a bomb tattooed on his left shoulder.

Catching Balt's eye, the big man nodded in greeting before going on.

"Especially the part about the old gypsy with the sewn-closed eyes still able to tell the future," he rumbled. "And the Shadow Show."

"You always had an ear for strange music, Sully," Balt said with a chuckle. He stepped forward to take the big man's hand in a firm grip. "How are you? And Mrs Sully? She well?"

"Not bad," Sully replied. "The Mrs is good. You should try it, Balt."

"What? Marriage??" Balt smiled. "I'm married to queen and country, you know that, Sully." He sobered. "So where's Eloise?"

Sully motioned towards the animatronic circus with his head.

"The gear gorilla brought out her Kate side." The big man looked back at Balt. "Better, though, if you want her to look at those plans."

The colonel patted the pocket he had the plans stuffed into.

"I do, indeed," he said. "You coming or standing watch?"

A big wrench came up to rest on the big man's shoulder, its bottom end held ready in a meathook hand.

"Watch," Sully replied. "Lots of trouble kicked up by the mole's fall. Somebody needs to watch your backs."

"Fair enough," Balt said, giving Sully a comradely slap on the shoulder. Then he was turning to make his way towards the tent that was marked by a sign with a giant gorilla on it.

As the tall career military man drew closer to the circus, he could hear the barker call out the various acts in a well-carrying voice:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up and behold, the most amazing animatronic creatures ever created! From the steam-powered swan to the gear-filled gorilla, this is truly a sight to see! You don't want to miss it!"