Agatha H. and the Airship City

disheveled lifestyles an affront to everything he believed in. The Jagers thought him a self-important, officious prat. Boris had yet to give any Jager an order that was not automatically questioned. This had escalated until the famous incident where a Jagermonster who was on fire had to be ordered several times, in writing, to put himself out, after which Klaus had stepped in. There were still arguments, but now there was a time limit.

This morning Klaus intervened early. “Boris, is it safe?”

“I honestly believe so, Herr Baron.”

“Good. Sergeant? Carry on.”

“Jah, Herr Baron.” With a theatrical sigh, the soldier tossed his weapon to Boris, who managed to catch it without spilling his coffee, and stomped over to the machine, which had advanced to meet him in the middle of the street. When he was within range, the arm quickly unfolded from underneath and grabbed him.

“Oh, help,” he muttered in a disgusted tone of voice, “I hef been captured by a clenk. Help. Help.”

The machine raised him up to what appeared to be an array of crude sensors on its front. “Hokay,” the Jager muttered, “get on vit it.”

Several of the sensor lens flared into blue-white brightness and swept over the captive soldier, who flinched at the glare. After several seconds of stillness, the device casually tossed the Jagersoldier onto the ground and again began to advance.

Boris smiled serenely and bit into a fresh doughnut. “You see, Herr Baron, entertaining, but harmless.”

The furious sergeant strode up, while brushing off his hat. “You is schtupid! Dat ting could be lookink for hennybody! And ven it finds dem, den you gots trouble!”

Klaus nodded. “You are correct, Sergeant, but this is also a priceless opportunity.”

Boris looked stricken. “I don’t understand, Herr Baron.”

The now grinning Jagermonster poked him in the back of the head. “Dots because hyu ain’t the schmot guy.”

The Baron turned to his son, who quickly finished his own doughnut. “Gil?”

“Well, Father, I’ve thought of four ways to stop it, depending on whether you want it destroyed, shut down, contained, or immobilized.”

The Baron sighed. “Actually, I want it distracted.”

A look of annoyance flashed across Gilgamesh’s face. “Of course you do.” It was replaced by a mischievous look and with a “Consider it done!” he bounded forward, ignoring his father’s cry of alarm.

Striding up to the machine he jauntily addressed it. “Hullo, Herr Clank! Are you looking for me?”

Again the metal arm whipped out and grabbed, but all it brought up to its sensors was an empty greatcoat. Several yards away, from atop a stack of barrels, Gilgamesh gaily called out, “Ho! You’ll have to do better than that!”

Instantly the giant device launched itself towards him, displaying an unsuspected turn of speed. The ground shook under the impacts of its massive feet. Gil stood, apparently unconcerned as the device thundered towards him, until the last second, when as the great hand smashed into the barrel where he’d been, he leapt onto the shaft of the arm, and with a bounce, latched onto the case containing the sensor array, blocking it with his body.

The device stopped dead for several seconds. Its arm swung up, but could not reach Gil. It then began a twisting, gyrating series of movements to try and throw him off. Clinging grimly, Gil called out, “Any time, Father!”

Klaus, after his first display of agitation, had gone still, as he intensely studied the movements of the control unit at the rear of the clank. It was a small bullet-shaped mechanism equipped with several flexible arms which furiously operated the levers and wheels that actually drove the main engine. After a minute or so, a grim smile crossed his features and he reached into his coat, pulling out a small grappling gun. In a single motion he aimed and fired, and the automatic grapple closed upon the lever he desired. A sharp tug, and the switch was thrown. With a massive hiss of escaping steam, the clank pitched forward onto its knees, inert. Gil released himself at the last moment and landed lightly upon his feet. Nonchalantly dusting himself off, Gil remarked, “Well done, Father.”

Klaus wheeled at him and roared, “LACKWIT! How dare you put yourself at risk! You or I may very well be this device’s quarry! I needed a distraction, not a sacrifice! That is what the Jagermonsters are for!”

Boris looked askance at the sergeant. “A pity we can’t use them

all.”

The Jager dismissed him with a good-natured wave of his hand. “Ah—go kees an hoctopoos. Oh vait, you mama already did!”

His point made, Klaus began to examine the motionless device. The monster soldier sidled up to a silently fuming Gil and murmured. “Hey, keed.” Gil blinked as a large hairy hand descended on his shoulder. “Hyu deed pritty goot dere, hen don be fooled. You papa doz crazy schtupid stoff like dot hall de time. Hokay?”

Gill nodded. “Hokay. Ah—I mean okay. Thanks.”

At that moment the Baron yelled, “Everybody back!” as he leapt from the rear of the clank, which, with much hissing and squealing, was pulling itself back up onto its feet. Once there, it spun around several times, and whistle blowing, strode off down the street by which it had come. Klaus nodded in satisfaction. “Sergeant,” he roared, “prepare some ‘C’ bombs! First patrol— Follow that clank!”

Six Jagers roared, “Jah! Herr Baron, ve hunt!” and pelted off down the street.

Gil turned to his father who was shrugging off his greatcoat. Even beneath his shirt and vest, muscles could be discerned, shifting and moving. “What did you do, Father?”

“The device was programmed to find someone and then bring them ‘home.’ I simply reversed the device’s task order.” He flung his coat at a startled Boris. “Now let’s run!”

As one, the two men sped off down the road, to the astonishment of the observing townspeople. As they ran, Klaus called out, “Tell me what we’ll find!”

A look of exasperation crossed Gil’s face. “Everything does not have to be a test!”

Klaus laughed and effortlessly cleared a cartload of barrels that had been knocked down by the passing clank. “Life is a test! Now answer!”

Gil concentrated for a moment as he ran, then spoke as they leapt down a set of stone steps. “It’s not one of Beetle’s—it’s too crude. Maybe a student, or a younger professor.”

The streets were beginning to fill now, people were staring after the clank that had rumbled through the streets and the Jagermonsters that had pursued it, but the way was still clear enough that the two men were able to run unhindered.

Klaus shook his head. “No. Anyone at the University would have had access to better materials. The construction screams inexperience, and since there have been no new Sparks in this area for several years, I believe this to be a breakthrough! A new Spark, and I want him!”

“Maybe Beetle was hiding him?”

“No. The preliminary stages of a breakthrough are extremely difficult to disguise. Remember?” Gil nodded. His own breakthrough had had to be explained as a venting explosion in the main labs, and everyone else had just assumed that the pools of raspberry jelly were a bizarre side effect. Klaus continued, “Beetle couldn’t even hide a Hive Engine. A new Spark would have been impossible.”

Gil looked and saw that the street up ahead had completely filled with curious bystanders. Without a word the two men swerved, and leapt atop a wall that ran along the street, upon which they dashed past the astonished crowd. “Unless, Father, he’d known that this particular person would break through, and had isolated them beforehand.”