James Axler – Keepers of the Sun

The experiences of being trawled had toppled the balance of his fine brain, and he clung to sanity by ragged nails. Now he was generally in good mental health, though sometimes a few cogs failed to connect and he would slip away for a few seconds. But he always came back.

Doc was as tall as Ryan at six-three, but as skinny as a lath. He had silvery hair, which hung to his shoulders, and wore an ancient frock coat, so old that it showed patches of dull green mold, though the garment was in slightly better condition than his cracked knee-boots. His weapon of choice was a unique gold-plated commemorative J.E.B. Stuart 9-shot LeMat revolver, which also fired a single 18-gauge scattergun round.

He also carried an ebony cane with a silver lion’s-head hilt that concealed a slender rapier of finest Toledo steel.

“By the Three Kennedys! What a fine jump that was. I’m ready now for any roister-doistering that you may care to mention. Be it drinking snapdragons or jumping jointed stools.”

“Hi, Doc,” Krysty said, reaching down to help him to his feet. “Glad to see you’re back with us.”

“I never really left, did I, my dear?” He looked around the chamber and brushed at his clothes. “I have two comments to make on our location. Firstly to point out that the color of the walls is by far the most hideous that I can remember. Like the agonizing feeling at the back of the eyes after a long night’s drinking of porter at O’Flaherty’s Irish bar, down on the Tenderloin in old Boston.”

Everyone waited, and Ryan finally asked the old man. “You said you had two comments, Doc?”

“Ah, yes. Indeed I have. Perhaps it’s my failing memory, but I seem to recall that we commenced the jump while sitting neck deep in floodwater. Does anyone have any suggestions where it might have gone?”

“We were just talking about that,” J.B. said. “And the answer, Doc, is that nobody has any idea. Somewhere in the middle of the jump it just sort of vanished.”

“Well enough, John Barrymore. I shed no tears for its departure. There are few things more unpleasant than walking around with wet underwear.”

“Guess you know about that, Doc.” Mildred grinned. “Not one of my problems.”

He shook his cane at her in mock anger. “Aroint thee, rump-fed runyon.”

“Would if I knew how,” she retorted. “But I don’t, so I guess I won’t.”

“If you two have finished, then I reckon we should think about moving out of here.” Ryan drew the SIG-Sauer, examining it carefully, working the action a couple of times. “Everyone onto double red, as usual.”

“Suggest we all check blasters,” J.B. said. “All been soaked in the water, so it’s better to test them.”

The gateway chamber was filled with the sound of guns being cocked and cartridges ejected, tinkling on the metal disks in the floor.

Ryan waited until everyone was happy before reaching out to the handle of the heavy door. “Right. Here we go.”

The armaglass door swung open more easily than usual, totally silent. Ryan paused in the entrance, peering at the deep-set steel hinges. “Been properly oiled,” he said. “Within the last few weeks, I’d say.”

“Think someone’s been using chamber?” Jak asked as he looked out into the anteroom. “Something there.”

Ryan stepped out, aware immediately that the flavor of the air was different. “What does ?” he began.

But the others noticed it, except Doc, whose sense of smell was never that good.

“Not a redoubt smell,” J.B. commented.

“Too fresh,” Mildred agreed. “Sort of an odd flavor to the air. Like a mixture of town and country. Kind of warm smell, as well.”

“Swamp and desert,” Jak offered. “But not like any swamp or desert I ever knew.”

“I cannot notice anything at all unusual in the scent of the air.” Doc sniffed vigorously, making himself sneeze, so that he had to blow his nose into his swallow’s-eye kerchief.

Jak pointed again into the anteroom. “On table,” he said. “Look.”

Most of the rooms adjoining gateways were stripped bare, though occasionally one might have a small chair or some shelves. This one had a rectangular table with bamboo legs and a glass top.