Chapter Sixteen

With a cry of horror, Griffin pushed past Sir Joseph and unlocked the bombardment chamber. Lucinda fell out with a moan into her brother’s waiting arms, having apparently fainted. Panicking, he pulled her away from the bombardment chamber and to the other end of the laboratory. Shirley and Mrs. Preston rushed to join him, while Sir Joseph took his time, as if he were on a leisurely stroll through a public park.

Laying her on the ground, Griffin shook Lucinda’s shoulders and patted her cheeks. The whole time he called her name and begged her to wake up. After a moment, Lucinda groaned and opened her eyes.

“Griffin?” she said. “What happened?”

“You went through the purification process in the Eden Engine, remember?” said Sir Joseph, standing by a workbench. “You said you wanted to be a perfect lady, one all of society would love. One who might even be able to land the heart of a prince.”

“What?” Griffin roared, glancing between his sister and great-uncle. “You fed her that stack of lies? You made her believe that?”

“I did it for you,” Lucinda revealed. All but Sir Joseph stared at her with shock and confusion. “I did it to help you.”

“Oh my word,” said Mrs. Preston.

“Why would you do that?” asked Shirley, barely keeping her tears and anxiety in check. She kept expecting Lucinda to explode, just as the little piglet had after its leg had grown into place.

“I cannot let my brother give up all his dreams,” she replied, reaching a shaking hand up and cupping her brother’s cheek. “He’s already given up so much for me. This was how I could help him.”

Griffin held her hand against his cheek, tears welling in his eyes. “Lucinda. You did not have to go to such lengths for me.”

“Why are you crying?” she asked. “Be happy. My future husband will fund you if I ask him to, whether it be in business or in education. He will help you marry Victoria, or any young lady you want. All because he will love me so, and all because of Uncle Joseph’s kindness—argh!”

Lucinda winced and brought both her hands to her belly. Underneath the fabric of her dress, Shirley spotted what looked like hills rising out of her before receding back into her. “What’s happening?” she asked.

“Nothing to worry about, Shirley, my dear,” Sir Joseph assured her. “Just the changes taking place in Lucinda. She’ll be a perfect society lady in no time at all.”

But despite Sir Joseph’s optimism, Lucinda did not seem to be improving. Instead, the rising and receding hills spread from her belly to her entire abdomen, to her limbs, and finally to her face. And the more they spread, the more in pain she seemed to be. When she finally burst out screaming, Griffin turned to Sir Joseph in desperation. “Do something!” he shouted.

Sir Joseph only shook his head. “It would appear that I was correct. The idea of a ‘perfect lady’ is so fraught and full of contradictions, that the pure energy cannot change her from her flawed self to that ideal being. I thought that might pose an obstacle, given my own wife could not find a balance between ‘too many emotions’ and ‘being an unfeeling woman,’ but I had to find out the Engine’s limits. At the very least, I thought it was possible she would no longer need to defecate to rid herself of waste products.”

“You bastard!” Griffin screamed. “You knew this would happen?”

“Sh-Shirley!” Lucinda muttered. Her screams had died down to moans as her skin shifted like the waves of a choppy lake.

Shirley knelt beside Lucinda and took her hand. “I’m here,” she said. Terror had spread through every vein and artery of her body, making it difficult to think straight. “I’m here, Lucinda. What do you need?”

Despite what was happening to her and the pain she must have been feeling, Lucinda managed a smile. “I am so glad,” she said, taking her brother’s hand with her free one. “The people I love the most are here with me. I just wish…”

But whatever she wished for, they would never find out. Her voice faded, her eyes closed, and then Lucinda Avondale melted and dissolved into a puddle. Shirley and Griffin rose with horrified screams as what had been their friend and sister spread outwards from her dress, looking like the largest spill of cake batter ever. Shirley shook the liquid on her fingers off, realizing, with a disgusted thought, that she was shaking off her last real friend in the world.

Scooting around the spreading pool of what had been Lucinda to where Mrs. Preston and Griffin stood, she turned around to Sir Joseph and was appalled to see that he seemed totally unaffected by the death of his niece, let alone at the death caused by his own machine. What he said next only appalled her more.

“Such a shame. I was sure after the failure of that maid, I had perfected the process. But I guess more work is needed before I can try again on another live subject.”

“Did you say you used the Engine on a maid?” she asked, horrified.

Sir Joseph nodded. “Yes, the Dean girl. Her failure to reach perfection showed me how to improve the Engine for humans, however, so her death was not a total waste. In any case, the next experiment should be a success. After all, what has to be accomplished is nowhere near as impossible as creating an impossible archetype.”

Shirley felt her blood chill. Sinking to her knees, she finally let the tears she had been holding back loose. Sir Joseph had killed Nellie. He was the cause of her strange and sudden illness. He had used the Engine on her and then let her die in that horrible way. How could he do this?

“Another experiment?” Mrs. Preston asked in dismay. “Surely, Sir Joseph, you would not try this again?”

“You monster!” Griffin screamed, his voice choked with sobs. “Haven’t you done enough? You don’t even know what that machine is doing!”

Sir Joseph smiled madly at them. “On the contrary, I know exactly what it does. You see, the Pure World spoke to me recently. It spoke to me!” His insane smile grew wider as he continued, “You see, the Pure World is alive and intelligent and sentient! And it wants to help this imperfect world. It wants to bring the Garden of Eden back to our world!”

“Sir Joseph, you can’t do that,” Shirley interrupted.

The baronet’s face fell, and he turned to Shirley, still kneeling on the floor, in surprise. “Why is that, my dear? Did you not share my dream as well?”

“I did!” she replied. “I still do! But don’t you see? The price isn’t worth it!” She gestured behind her at what had been Lucinda Avondale up until a few moments ago. “Besides, you don’t know what’s been happening around the Lodge. The Engine has been letting something through. Something terrible!”

“Please, Sir Joseph!” Mrs. Preston begged. “Please listen to us and call off this foolish mission! There are things happening in the Lodge that I fear are endangering all our lives!”

Sir Joseph’s face registered confusion for a moment. Then it morphed into anger as he said, “Foolish mission? I beg to differ.”

Then he pulled a revolver out of his coat and fired two shots.

Shirley screamed and ducked down as the bullets roared over her head. When the gunshots had died away, she turned around and saw, to her horror, Mrs. Preston lying in what was left of Lucinda, a dribble of blood flowing from her forehead. A moan to her left alerted her to Griffin, who was lying on the ground and holding his knee. The bullet had shattered his kneecap.

“Damn,” Sir Joseph murmured, pocketing the gun again. “The boy moved. Well, no matter. What is important is you, my dear.”

Before Shirley could ask what he meant or try to get away, Sir Joseph had crossed to her, grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards the Eden Engine. Towards Console Seven and the bombardment chamber.

“No!” Shirley yelled in terror. She tried to free herself from the baronet’s grip, but it was like trying to bend steel.

“I must admit, Shirley, since I first met you, I felt we had a connection,” Sir Joseph said as he continued to pull her forward. “It only intensified when you began to work for me as my assistant. In time, I began to think of you like a daughter. But since we began the experiments on live subjects, I’ve been certain. And now, after what I’ve found out, I know for certain.” He laughed madly. “You are my daughter, Shirley Dobbins! The blood that flows through your veins is the same as mine! And I will give my daughter, my own flesh and blood, the very best! No one will look down upon you again!”

He’s gone mad, Shirley thought. The Pure Terror spoke to him, not the Pure World, and now he’s gone mad. Mad enough that he’ll kill me!

She struggled to break free, but it was as if trying to break free of gravity. Sir Joseph continued to pull her along, unmindful of her futile attempts. When they reached Console Seven, he tossed her into the bombardment chamber with as much ease as throwing a ragdoll. Shirley cried out, slid to the bottom of the chamber, and watched with mounting terror as Sir Joseph locked her into the chamber.

Scrambling to her feet, Shirley banged on the glass with her fists and screamed. Sir Joseph ignored her, running from console to console to turn the Engine on again. A cleansing burst of pure energy, golden and fragrant, hissed into the bombardment chamber, covering Shirley in golden light. She coughed as it entered her nostrils and mouth and then into her lungs like gas. Her body tingled uncomfortably as the glow dissipated.

Oh God, he’s going to kill me! She pounded harder on the glass, screaming for Sir Joseph to let her out. The baronet only smiled and waved excitedly at her, like a parent waving at a child on a roundabout ride.

As the Engine roared to life and pure energy began to move through the vacuum tubes and consoles to Console Seven, Sir Joseph strolled to the bombardment chamber and put a hand on the final switch. He smiled and gave Shirley a knowing wink, though what she was supposed to know, she had no idea.

Suddenly a pair of arms tackled Sir Joseph and pulled him away from the switch. It was Griffin, his knee still shattered, but the rest of him raring for a fight. Shirley watched with trepidation as they struggled against each other, and then struggled for the revolver as Sir Joseph tried to pull it from his pocket again.

Suddenly, Sir Joseph freed his arms from Griffin’s grip and attempted to raise the one holding the gun to eye level. Griffin raised his good leg into the air and, with a tortured scream, delivered a strong kick into his great-uncle’s side. Sir Joseph fell to the ground and the revolver went flying into a corner. Crying out in agony, Griffin toppled over, but managed to pull himself up again and limp towards the bombardment chamber. Shirley watched, frozen, as he undid the latch and slid back the glass door.

“Griffin!” Shirley jumped out of the bombardment chamber and wrapped her arms around the injured young man. He cried out again but managed to stay standing, wrapping his own arms around Shirley. Silently, Shirley promised herself if they both managed to leave the Lodge, she would consider marrying him, income be damned.

She was pulled from her thoughts, however, as she noticed the level of noise coming from the Engine. She looked around, and saw that bright light was pushing through the steel plates that made up Console Seven. Something was wrong with the Engine.

“It doesn’t matter if you stopped me!”

Shirley and Griffin turned to Sir Joseph, who had shakily gotten to his feet and stood with the second most horrible smile Shirley had ever seen on a human face. “It doesn’t matter if you stopped me!” he repeated, somehow making himself heard over all the noise. “The process has already begun. Mankind will reach its destined perfection. Behold, the pure world comes!”

Console Seven exploded.