The Mysterious Disappearance of Alistair Avery: A Finnigan Flynn Investigation

IV

The sun was setting when they reached the Territories. As Flynn looked down over the forest that surrounded the settlement he could see the large balloons of airships settled in a huge open field. The plane jerked, turning through the air to land on the grass as well. They touched ground and bounced on the landing gear. MacAully turned the wheel hard and the plane turned with it, skidding to a stop just before crashing into the huge trees.

"It doesn't seem to land quite as neatly as the Territorial airships." Flynn commented.

"Yes, well, it's still just a prototype." MacAully rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and you probably have no idea what you're really doing." Viola threw herself from the seat, opened the door to the outside and promptly vomitted.

"What a lady." MacAully scoffed and moved to toss a long rope ladder out the door before descending to solid ground.

"I'm more lady than you could ever get," Viola said as she climbed down after him.

Flynn followed closely behind, careful to avoid the puddle of vomit at the bottom. He watched as Solomon leapt through the door, its feet sinking into the soil as it landed.

"There's someone here," Viola said, standing still, hands hovering over her pistols. "And whoever it is isn't a Territorial." Viola said, whipping her guns free of their holsters and spinning around to stare into the trees.

"Who is it then?" MacAully side stepping behind Flynn's broad body.

"Dunno," Viola said, spinning around again. "But he's fast."

Before anyone could say another word there was a flash of light as their guest sped through the clearing. Viola fired at him and he easily avoided her shots.

He slipped past Solomon, extending the blade on his right arm. It cast off sparks as it sliced through Solomon's metallic leg and the machine stumbled, hopping on its remaining leg as it tried to stay standing. It raised an arm and fired its automatic weapon in the direction of the mysterious attacker, but the blast knocked it off balance and it fell hard into the grass.

"Who is this guy?" Flynn wondered out loud as he tried to see their attacker, but he moved too quickly through the darkness.

"Don't know, don't care." Viola didn't lower her guns as she followed the attacker's movements.

"Most likely an assassin." MacAully remained cowering behind Flynn's muscles.

"Assassin?" Flynn watched their attacker dart through the clearing again. Viola fired at him but again he avoided her bullets, weaving back and forth and moving in ways that amazed Flynn. The assassin sped for Solomon again and sliced the machine's chest, there were more sparks and a hiss of steam as Solomon fell forward. The light in the machine's eyes was fading as it fired blindly after the assassin.

"We're losing here," Viola screamed at Flynn and MacAully. "Why don't you two man up and figure out some way to turn this fight around." She fired at the assassin as he circled them, he was moving so quickly that Flynn had trouble keeping up with each darting sprint.

"Why would an assassin be after us?" Flynn asked, still too shocked to spring into action.

"The Territorials aren't pleased with Avery's disappearance. Perhaps this is their retaliation?" MacAully screamed as the assassin sped past him, cutting into his arm.

Solomon was writhing on the ground, trying to aim at the assassin. The others took cover under the plane as the assassin darted towards the half-ruined machine-man again, easily slicing off its head.

"What are those blades made of?" Flynn marvelled. "They cut through iron like its flesh."

"Are you serious?" Viola turned and slammed one of her pistols into Flynn's face. He clenched the muscles in his jaw and tightened his large fists. "Stop asking questions and do something!!"

There was a moment of silence, the air was still and the assassin didn't attack again. Flynn stepped out from under the plane and looked around the clearing. "I think he's gone."

"Not for long, I'd bet." Viola spat as she followed Flynn to Solomon's side.

"I don't like this, I think we should return to Creswick." MacAully sputtered, still hiding under the plane.

"We're not going home until we've solved this thing," Flynn said, inspecting the broken bits of Solomon that lay in a heap on the ground. "Or at least until we've found a solid lead." There was no response from MacAully but Flynn didn't care. He were too focused on Solomon.

"Do you think you can fix it?" Viola asked.

"Well...I'm not familiar with most of these components...but perhaps with enough time and supplies."

"Well I'm not sure you've got a lot of time." A strange voice came from behind them and they instantly spun around. The assassin was standing under the plane, MacAully's lifeless body impaled on one of his blades.

"What do you want with us?" Flynn asked, holding a hand out to Viola to stop her from shooting.

"You are looking for Alistair Avery." The assassin said, his voice muffled under his mask.

"Yes...and just what are you doing?" Flynn asked.

"Showing you."

"Showing us what?" Viola snapped.

The assassin looked at Viola and lowered his arm, MacAully's body slipped from the blade and landed with a thud on the grass. "The truth."

The assassin ducked away into the trees and Flynn and Viola stared at each other. "Flynn, he just destroyed Solomon and killed MacAully. Are we really going to trust this guy? Just let me kill him!"

"Solomon can be fixed, and do you really care that much about MacAully?"

Viola stared silently at Flynn for a moment then shrugged her narrow shoulders. "Good point," she said and gestured with one of her pistols after the assassin. "After you then, that way if this guy turns on us he'll get you first and I'll have a fighting chance."

Flynn looked down at Viola for a moment before going after the assassin, but found the man was no longer hiding amongst the trees.

"You know he's just setting us up, right?" Viola sounded nervous. "He's probably just waiting for us to get separated in this ridiculous forest before he picks us off separately."

"You're so negative."

"I'm so realistic."

Flynn knew he was being stupid; he knew he shouldn't be following an assassin into the dark but something told him he was on the right path. He'd been hired to investigate the disappearance of Alistair Avery and this mysterious man seemed to know something useful. "Let's just see what he's got to show us."

"All he's got to show us is a swift blade to the guts."