The Martian Falcon (Lovecraft & Fort) (25 page)

CHAPTER 38
Lovecraft and Fort

STRANGE ACTIVITY ON MARS

__________

ASTRONOMERS REPORT MYSTERIOUS DARK CLOUD EMERGING FROM THE RED PLANET

POSSIBLE SIGN OF THE

ANCIENT MARTIAN CIVILIZATION

DR. TESLA REPORTS DISPERSAL OF THE CLOUD

Dr. Nikola Tesla has stated that the strange dark cloud which astronomers reported issuing from the volcanoes on Mars last night appears to have dispersed.

Using the ‘Teslascope’, a device he designed and constructed at his laboratory in Colorado Springs, he observed the phenomenon from start to finish, and has concluded that it was most likely the result of seismic activity deep within the planet.

‘I observed the cloud passing across the face of Mars for approximately seventeen minutes,’ he stated, ‘after which it became more and more diffuse and finally faded completely from view. My opinion is that it has dispersed into the interplanetary æther, and poses no threat to Earth.’

When asked whether it might somehow be related to the mysterious transmission which he recently received from the Red Planet, Dr. Tesla refused to comment.

Fort read the newspaper report and then passed the paper to Lovecraft. They were sitting in a booth in the drugstore on the corner of Clinton Street and Atlantic Avenue, along with Rusty Links and Cormack O’Malley.

‘We gonna get any zombies in here today, fellas?’ asked Hans from the kitchen.

‘Not today, Hans,’ Fort replied as he looked at the menu.

‘Well, Charles,’ said Lovecraft as he finished reading the report. ‘It looks like the Earth is safe from the attentions of Azathoth, although I’m still not sure how.’

‘The clue was in Haq ul’Suun’s power,’ Fort replied. ‘Five million years ago, when he opened the portal to the space between dimensions, he was in momentary contact with the breath and gaze of Azathoth. The same quantum bond that kept Azathoth’s awareness imprisoned at the centre of Mars imbued the Martian’s spirit with the Great Old One’s power – or at least a tiny fraction of its power. That was what allowed his spirit to go up against Nyarlathotep on equal terms.’

‘Know that for a fact, do you, Charlie?’ asked O’Malley.

Fort smiled. ‘No, not really, but when you’ve been in this game as long as I have, you can make educated guesses.’ He tapped the newspaper with his index finger. ‘Nyarlathotep
did
win: Azathoth’s awareness
was
released from Mars… but we’re all still here, and Tesla reports that the darkness that emerged from the planet has dissipated harmlessly into space, following the destruction of Crystalman’s house by that column of light.’

‘What the hell
was
that?’ asked Rusty.

‘Nyarlathotep leaving our dimension, or being
forced
to leave by Haq ul’Suun,’ Fort replied. ‘Nyarlathotep is the offspring of Azathoth; the bond between them must be even more powerful than the quantum bond… so with Nyarlathotep gone from this dimension, there was nothing to anchor Azathoth’s awareness here. It was drawn back into the space between dimensions, where it belongs.’

‘And with the Great Old One’s awareness gone,’ added Lovecraft, ‘the crew of Rocketship X-M should now be free of their nightmares. Their sanity is no longer under threat.’

Fort nodded. ‘Haq ul’Suun must have been aware of Crystalman’s plans from the beginning, and refused to allow the Earth to die in the same way as Mars had all those millions of years ago. He took the chance to atone for his hubris.’

‘Speaking of atonement,’ said O’Malley, ‘that little bastard Johnny Sanguine got away scot-free after all his mischief. I still can’t believe I was taken in by the little gobshite.’

‘Don’t be too hard on yourself, Cormack,’ said Fort with a smile. ‘You weren’t
completely
taken in – just enough to set us all on the right track to winding up this caper. Although,’ he added with a frown, ‘it was more by luck than judgement that we came through.’

‘I suppose so,’ O’Malley nodded. ‘So… what now?’

‘Well, John Carter bought everything we told him, which is just as well since it’s the truth, and he was there. I’m kind of glad he wasn’t responsible for his actions – I do quite like the guy. Capone’s off the hook and is shopping around for a new pair of legs. And Howard and I are off the hook, too.’ He looked at Rusty. ‘As for you… you helped us out a lot under Long Island. But you still murdered Sanguine, and I’m willing to bet you murdered that archivist at the NCPE, Aldous Bradlee. I suppose it’s too much to ask that you turn yourself in.’

‘
Way
too much,’ Rusty replied. ‘No prison can hold me, Mr. Fort, and you don’t have what it takes to bring me in, so why don’t you just drop the subject, huh?’

Fort shook his head. ‘You’re bad news, sister.’

‘Bad news for anyone who tries to mess with me…’

‘And bad news for some who don’t.’

Rusty stood up from the table and smiled down at them. ‘So long, fellas. Maybe we’ll cross paths again, someday.’

Fort looked at her as she sauntered out of the drugstore. ‘I sure as hell hope not,’ he said.

*

‘I wonder if it’s true,’ mused Lovecraft as he and Fort entered the building containing Fort’s office.

‘What’s that, Howard?’

‘What Crystalman said about there being a dimension in which the Great Old Ones are my literary creations. It hardly seems plausible, but…’

‘But in a universe containing infinite dimensions, all things that
can
happen
do
happen. I wish to God I lived in
that
dimension! Anyway,’ he continued as they climbed the stairs to the second floor, ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’

‘Really? What’s that?’

‘Well, you did great for your first case, so…’

Fort was then silent until they arrived at the outer door to his office. Lovecraft looked at the sign on the frosted glass of the door. It read:

Lovecraft & Fort

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS

‘I had it done this morning, while we were out,’ said Fort. He looked again at the sign. ‘What the…? God
damn
it! They got the names the wrong way round! It should say Fort & Lovecraft!’

Lovecraft pondered for a moment, and then said: ‘Oh, I don’t know… Lovecraft & Fort has more of a ring to it, don’t you think?’

Fort sighed and opened the door to the office. ‘Whatever,’ he said.

LOVECRAFT & FORT

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS

WILL RETURN IN

Dial M for Mi-Go