The Time Hunters and the Box of Eternity (16 page)

‘
Don
’
t worry?
’
Becky blustered.
‘
Al Capone! Scalpel
Man! Otto Kruger! I think now
’
s a great time to worry.
’

Uncle Percy forced an unconvincing smile.
‘
Trust me. Everything
is in hand.
’

Becky didn
’
t believe a word of it.

The group entered the lobby. With Capone leading the way, the crowds
parted quickly and without protest, Becky soon found herself standing outside
the hotel, shaking as much from fright as the bitter Chicagoan wind. Capone
tramped right and soon they were heading down a side street, staring at four
vehicles: a large olive green Cadillac, two maroon Chrysler Imperials and a
gigantic coal-black van. It was the van that caused Becky to do a double take;
etched onto its doors were two large white stars, each containing the words
‘
Chicago Police
Department.
’

‘
Where are you taking
us?
’
Uncle
Percy demanded, although Becky had a funny feeling he already knew the answer.

‘
An Irish buddy of mine
owns a joint near here,
’
Capone replied.

‘
Let me guess,
’
Uncle Percy replied
coolly.
‘
Is
it a garage, by any chance?
’

Capone appeared genuinely stunned.
‘
Go figure, limey. No one told me you read
goddamn minds…
’

Chapter 16

Street Fighting Man

Becky, Joe, Uncle Percy and Will were bundled into the back of the
police van. Two of Capone
’
s men - one tall and lean with a long, slim neck, the other short
and stubby with a wide, thick neck - trailed them inside, pistols drawn. A
third gangster moved to the driver
’
s seat. Capone, Chapman and Kruger climbed into the Cadillac, while
the rest of Capone
’
s men and Associates filled the Chryslers.

Inside the police van, Becky glanced round at the murky interior and
saw two police uniforms folded neatly in the corner. Then she watched as the
shorter gangster sat down opposite and trained his pistol on Will. She felt Joe
tense beside her.

‘
I hear yer somethin
’
of a brawler, buddy,
’
the short gangster
growled at Will.
‘
Believe me, one false move, and I gotta bullet here that
’
s faster than your
fist.
’

Will cast him an indifferent look and turned away.

Becky heard the engine turn over and her stomach reeled. Within
seconds, the police van tailed the Cadillac onto the main street. Passing a
streetcar, full to bursting with people, they were soon hurtling along, every
rut in the road sending shockwaves through them, before turning down a narrow
side road, lined with parked cars.

‘
We
’
re going to die, aren
’
t we?
’
Becky said to Uncle
Percy.
‘
I
mean … this Valentine
’
s Massacre thingy - that
’
s us, isn
’
t it? We
’
re dead meat.
’

‘
I do hope not,
’
Uncle Percy
replied.
 
‘
That would be a dreadful end to our day trip to
Chicago. I mean -
’

The van squealed to a sudden halt.
 

Becky looked over at Uncle Percy, who appeared as confused as she
was.

The short gangster struggled to keep hold of his gun.
‘
What the -?
’

Dazed, Becky peered through the front window. She couldn
’
t believe her eyes.
‘
Oh
–
my
–
God,
’
she said.

Some distance away, a large, gleaming motorcycle was blocking the
road, making it impossible to pass. Bruce Westbrook was sitting astride Sweet
Sue, his Stetson tipped back on his head, a long tubular object in his hand.

Capone climbed out the Cadillac, waving his pistol in the air.
‘
GET OUTTA THE WAY, YOU
GODDAMN BUM!
’

Bruce looked at him with contempt.
‘
Capone, I ain
’
t no bum,
’
he muttered.
‘
I
’
m the cavalry!
’
He hoisted the tubular object on to his shoulder.

‘
T-that
’
s a bazooka!
’
Joe stammered.

With a thunderous
whoosh
, a missile blazed towards them.
BOOM!
 
It slammed into a water hydrant, showering
water everywhere. Confused and enraged, Capone gestured for his men to join
him.

Bruce hurled the bazooka aside and pulled out a Winchester rifle.
Then he kicked Sweet Sue into life.
‘
Yee Haaww!
’
he yelled, and powered down the road as if in a medieval joust,
firing repeatedly. The gangsters took cover as he sped past, brought the Harley
to a halt at the road
’
s mouth, and readied another assault.

Inside the police van, the short gangster, unnerved by the events
outside, cocked his pistol and directed it at Will
’
s head.
‘
Now don
’
t go gettin
’
any crazy ideas.
’

Will smiled. Then, in a flash, ploughed his fist into the gangster
’
s face. The other
gangster turned his gun on Will, but wasn
’
t quick enough. With a terrible
crunch
,
Will elbowed his nose and his eyes rolled white. The driver didn
’
t even have time to
react when Will smashed his head against the steering wheel. In a matter of
seconds, all three gangsters were out cold.

‘
Whoa!
’
Joe gasped, his mind
playing catch up.

‘
You really are very
good at hitting stuff, William,
’
Uncle Percy said.

‘
Tis a poor talent,
’
Will replied,
‘
but can be of worth.
’
He pulled the
pump-like object and pencil case from his pocket. A thin cord was attached to
the case, which he looped across his shoulder.

Joe pointed at the two strange objects.
‘
What exactly are they?
’

‘
Your uncle is an
admirable craftsman,
’
Will replied. He squeezed the pump
’
s casing and a giant bow unfurled before them.

‘
I call it the Joe-Bow,
’
Uncle Percy said.

Joe
’
s eyes bulged.
‘
That is the most awesome thing I
’
ve ever seen.
’

Then Will removed what looked like a pencil from the case. With a
click, it extended into a two-foot long arrow.

Joe looked as though he was on the verge of tears.
‘
You really are the
coolest uncle ever….
’
Suddenly, they were all brought back to reality by the whip-like crack
of gunfire outside.

‘
Bruce!
’
Becky uttered.

Will fixed the arrow to the bowstring.
‘
Stay!
’

Uncle Percy shook his head.
‘
You
’
re not doing this alone, Will, you can -
’
Before he could
finish, however, Will had leapt out. Swiftly, Uncle Percy picked up the short
gangster
’
s
pistol and turned to Becky and Joe.
‘
Do-not-move!
’
Then he raced after Will.

Becky
’
s heart thundered in her chest. Uncle Percy and Will had run blindly
into a gunfight, outnumbered and poorly armed. Frantic, she watched as
Associates and gangsters fired at Bruce, who dodged and weaved out of the way.
Then she heard an agonising scream. Becky looked over to see a gangster
clutching his hand, an arrow firmly embedded in its palm. Will was racing
between parked cars, firing arrow after arrow at gangsters and Associates
alike. Suddenly, all guns were trained on him. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. Will
hurled himself behind a car, bullets shattering the windows above, showering
him in glass. Uncle Percy fired back and raced to his side.

Seeing this, Bruce gunned Sweet Sue in their direction, shooting,
reloading, and shooting again. Then he ran out of ammo. Casting the rifle
aside, he leapt off the motorbike, and rolled to Uncle Percy
’
s left.
‘
Howdy, boys.
’
Then he pulled a colt
pistol from his belt.

‘
Hello, Bruce,
’
Uncle Percy said.
‘
Lovely to see you.
’

‘
The feelin
’
s mutual, buddy.
’

‘
Er, what exactly are
you doing here?
’

‘
Ol
’
Maria told me where
you
’
d
gone. Had a hunch y
’
all might need a hand. Turns out, I was on the money.
’

‘
Well, thank you very much,
’
Uncle Percy replied.
‘
But I assure you we
would
’
ve
been fine.
’

‘
Sure looks that way,
’
Bruce quipped.
‘
Besides, who could
turn down the chance of an old school gunfight with Al Capone?
’

A bullet whizzed past Uncle Percy
’
s ear.
‘
All things being equal, I believe I could!
’

*

Becky was panicking now. Uncle Percy, Will and Bruce had disappeared
from sight and she had no idea if they were injured or worse. Then she saw Joe
scrambling about on the floor, his hands rummaging beneath the tall gangster
’
s limp body. To her
utter dismay, he was waving a gun.

‘
That
’
ll do nicely,
’
Joe said admiringly.

Becky looked horrified.
‘
What the hell d
’
you think you
’
re doing?
’

‘
I
’
m gonna help.
’

‘
No you
’
re not,
’
Becky barked at him.
‘
What do you know about
guns?
’

‘
I
’
ve completed level ten
of Zombie Assassin.
’

‘
That
’
s a computer game,
idiot,
’
Becky snapped.
‘
This is
–’

But Joe didn
’
t listen; vaulting from his seat, he burst through the doors into
the street.

‘
If Al Capone doesn
’
t kill you, then I
will,
’
Becky
grumbled, before rushing after him.

*

From the Cadillac, Chapman spied Becky leap out of the police van.
His lips twitched into a smile. He leaned over to Otto Kruger, whispered
something in his ear, then hoisted up his shirt sleeve to reveal what looked
like an overly large wristwatch covered in numbers and symbols. Pressing six
digits on the watch face, his hand was suddenly ablaze in fine streams of
light, which then curled round his arm like a fiery snake, before enveloping
his entire body.

*

The gunfight was at an impasse, when Uncle Percy glimpsed a light
flare inside the Cadillac. At the same time, an identical blast erupted behind
the police van, followed by an earsplitting
snap.
A few moments later,
Chapman
’
s
sneering voice could be heard all around.
 
‘
This
will cease now!
’

Sick to his stomach, Uncle Percy watched as Joe moved into plain
sight, head down, crestfallen and defeated. A second later, Becky followed him
out, Chapman
’
s arm wrapped powerfully around her neck.

He was holding a scalpel to her throat.