"Oh shut it," she growled crossing her arms and moving behind John.
A cackling laugh filtered over the comm channel, sending shivers up the spine of his crew members. Maureen rolled her eyes and looked to John, then Stefania, and finally Rebecca.
"None of that now," a crewman said poking his air rifle at Maureen.
"I wouldn't do that If I were you," John warned.
"Shove it old man," the business end of the air rifle swung towards John and poked at his waist.
"Careful now," John said taking his finger and moving the air rifle away from him, "that's no toy there, someone could get hurt!"
"Look you, shut up now or..!" the man's voice was cut off instantly as Rebecca garroted him crushing his windpipe with a knotted cord as Maureen disarmed her guard his shock still showing as he slid to his knee's his hands grasping his belly. Stefania had wrestled away her guards air pistol and she aimed it down the corridor squeezing off round after round until the hammer clicked on empty cartridges. John looked to her as he lowered the last guard his hand red with blood.
"We need to get off this airship now," John hissed ignoring the long red wound running up his thigh and vanishing beneath his kilt. Stefania pointed to the ceiling and gasped. A loud hissing and a blue glass was venting into the corridor.
"Through the hatch now!" John grabbed Stefani and manhandled through the hatch as the blue gas thickened and filled the corridor. He coughed and covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief as Maureen and Rebecca followed after Stefania. John lurched forward striking his knee against the hatch's seal his body swaying. Delicate hands reached out and grabbed his jacket pulling him through the hatch and shutting it behind him.
"Grab his shirt, I'll get his arms,' voices said as he looked about his vision blurry.
"I'm gonna be sick," John mumbled and promptly threw up.
***********************************************************************************
The General paced back and forth the North Sea winds whipping lightly about his legs the pleats of his kilt swaying gently back and forth. He looked to the south but the low lying cloud cover obscured even nearby buildings, the grey clouds blending with the local granite. An aide stopped and saluted, waiting.
"Out with it," growled the General.
"Sir! Our advance listening posts report the approach of a Airship of War from the south!"
The General nodded and bit off the end of a cigar and held a match to it. He puffed it into life and stood there smoking in silence. "Have the pods brought online," he said finally.
To Be Continued.......
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