“No one seems to be anxious about me. I have the freedom to move around. They talk as if I’m not there.” Scott’s whisper shook with fear.

Albert and the two students worked for three weeks on the machines. The last one’s repair was almost finished. He did not look up as Scott talked but kept lightly polishing a gear’s edge.

“King Day is a joke. General Carr needed his financial support, so promised he would reign over the U.S. The real plan is to attack the President’s house to take McKinley prisoner and hold a trial followed by public execution. Proclaim himself as the nation’s true leader.”

“Reason?” he asked without moving his lips.

“Something about caring more about the votes than our country. I heard one of the general speeches. ‘McKinley’s actions took us to war but stopped too soon. He annexed the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico, but should have gone further and added Cuba to the mix. After all, we rescued them from Spanish defeat. His indecision betrays weakness. For the next war, we need to show an aggressive front.’

“His men chant General Carr’s phrase in unison as they march down the halls. ‘Strong, strong. We must be strong! Our country needs men to take charge!”

Tim paused and glanced over his shoulder, “I fear what will happen when we finish. We must escape!”

With a concerned expression, but choosing not to reveal any secrets, Albert listened to his student. Many people contacted him offering information but really wanted to steal his ideas. Jack, when Albert was a youth, cautioned him about ‘The Vultures’ as his brother called them. For some reason, Scott’s access to information did not correspond to how Jack and he were treated. Why give him freedom to walk around? And talk about their tactics out loud?

He decided to be cautious. Any escape plans would be kept between Jack and himself. “I believe General Carr. We will be released when I finish the machines.”

Scott did not try to dissuade him. If anything, he seemed relieved by his statement. They continued working in silence.

That evening, on the way back to their room, the guards let them walk close to each other. Maintaining an extra distance away from them, they could not hear the brothers’ conversation.

Instead of the short chain, Jack was fastened with the longer one. Bent forward, he whispered and ate, “This is strange.”

“Scott approached me. He wants to escape with us.”

His brother kept eating without a comment.

Albert repeated the rest of what Scott told him.

“Attack the President? Sounds like something an egotist would plan. Why your designs, though?”

“They fastened guns on the front to fire explosive rounds. I demonstrated a version of that while on the steamship. For the emperor, I modified it to shoot red steam. It was very impressive.”

“I have cautioned you about sharing your designs.”

“I didn’t. But there were all sorts of spies on board the ship. They could have copied my plans and watched the demonstration. That was done in the open. I was gone for almost six months. Plenty of time to get my plans to Carr and build these devices.”

Jack glanced at a newly drilled hole in the wall next to them. A small screen painted to match the wall was fastened over it. He pointed his chin at it, “What should we do?”

“I told Scott we trusted the general about releasing us afterward and had no plans to escape. He accepted my statement and did not push it any further.”

Jack picked up their trays and watched his brother collapse backward on the bed. “You alright?”

“Just discouraged. People I trust betrayed me. Hard to accept.”

The guard entered to pick up their trays and heard Albert’s last words. He turned his head and grinned at him. Albert jerked in surprise.

Jack watched him with a puzzled expression as the man left. “What?”

“I’m tired and need to sleep.” Albert gave a wide, fake yawn and closed his eyes. He heard his brother’s frustrated snort and smiled.

“Now, what was that all about?” Jack demanded the next morning while bent over his breakfast. As a precaution, he shoved his pillow up against what they assumed was a listening tube.

“We have help. You remember Harris?”

“Yes.” Jack caught on quick. He understood the question involved their guard.

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Albert continued to shove food in his mouth. He finished his coffee and yelled, “Guard, I am ready to work.”

“In a hurry, are you?” Their disguised guard entered and picked up the trays.

While Jack moved the pillow off the hole, Albert said, “Got a lot to do. And I thought of an improvement to make them more efficient.”

Another man appeared and shackled Jack’s feet and wrists. He followed behind Albert. The chains clinked with each step.

Albert waited until his brother was fastened down, and the guards left. The two assistants were not there yet, so they had the room to themselves.

Albert bent down to adjust his boot and removed the green stone. Without moving his lips, he asked, “Did anyone tell you about the green stones?”

“No.”

“They can be used for a power source but also have other properties.” He held the stone in his hand and rubbed his face with it. Feeling the energy surge through him, he dropped it in his pocket.

When his eyes turned bright green, Jack tried to control his reaction. He asked in a low, shocked voice, “Little brother, what have you done?”

His muscles swelled, and hands shook from the repressed energy. Design concepts raced across his mind. “The effect will wear off soon. Now, if I ingest some of it, that is different. Meanwhile, I can get a lot done before being interrupted.”

He worked at record speed, adjusting each machine to his satisfaction. He turned them on. The motors hummed together as one giant engine. His body was slowing down by the time Scott and Tim arrived, and eyes returned to their natural brown.

Jack nodded and pulled a breakfast roll from his pocket. He sensed the energy crash that would follow. Albert stuffed it in his mouth and gulped down almost a whole pitcher of water.

The two men walked around and studied the running machines.

Tim looked up and announced, “Uncle, they are finished.”

Albert shrugged, “Well, almost. There are always adjustments to be done on each, but they are ready for a test run.”

The workroom door slammed open and General Carr marched in. “That can be arranged. Take Dr. Timmons and his brother back to their room.”

Guards hurried them roughly down the hall. Two men held Jack while a third fastened him with a short chain to the bed.

Satisfied that the captain was secure, one guard turned and with a hard shove, sent a surprised Albert flying backward onto his bed. Off balance his feet flew up. The man caught them and lifted, giving each a twist. Albert’s face was white with shock at the pain.

“Just wanted you to know, I’m in control.” The guard jerked the boots off and threw them at Albert as he dropped him back on the bed.

His ankle was yanked upward again, and a cuff was fastened around it. A chain clanked as it was attached to the bed frame. The guard’s lips twisted in a superior smirk. He seemed to take pleasure in their helplessness and stood in the doorway for a few moments. With a laugh, the door was slammed shut, and overhead lights clicked off.

The brothers sat in total darkness with only a glimmer of light from under the hall door.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, but he made two mistakes,” Albert whispered.

“Only two?”

“One, he gave me my boots. Secondly, he turned the light off.”

His hands located both boots in the dark. Picking up the left one, he slid its heel to the side. He pulled the green stone from his pocket and before putting it back in the hidden compartment, rubbed it between his hands. A familiar surge of energy flowed through him. His green eyes gave him perfect night vision. He removed the lock pick from his belt and unlocked the chain on his ankle. Bending over Jack, he released him also.

“Those eyes are scary, but I can get used to them.”

“Wait until you see what is next. Ayame, can you come to me? The hall door needs to be opened.”

Their door clicked open. She appeared in the doorway. “Albert, this is dangerous.”

“I know. So now you must leave.” The green stone’s effect caused a hot surge to flow through his blood. He lost control and pulled her to him. Their kiss seemed to last forever.

When they broke apart to breathe, she rubbed his arm. As before, her touch calmed him.

“I apologize. Each time I use the stone, my reactions get stronger. My self-control slips. I don’t know what would happen if I ate some of it.”

She studied him with a somber expression and shook her head.

“Not a good idea.” Jack stepped into the hall’s light.

In a blink, Ayame disappeared.

“She is worth dreaming about,” his brother said.

“Her father is an aide to the ambassador of Japan. We met at a reception. The green stone somehow connects us. I will explain more later. Right now, I want to see my machines in action.”

They crept down the empty hall and tried all the closed doors looking for windows to the outside. General Carr’s private office was full of information, but the brothers did not have time to explore. They rushed to the window and pulled back a curtain. High snow drifts lined the roads outside. But a break in the weather brought out the sun.

From an open loading door, one of his machines chugged down a ramp. The other two were already lined up outside and waiting. The steam they emitted created a thick fog in the cold air. They rolled down an open road, around a corner, and disappeared.

“Seen enough?”

“Just a couple of things I need to do in the workshop.” Albert picked the lock, and they entered the large room. He moved from one station to another checking containers. He stopped at one and smiled. Using a funnel, powder from the container was carefully poured into three glass tubes. Corks were fitted into the tops to seal them. Opening the water tank of each machine, he dropped them in. Satisfied with his work, he nodded, and they hurried back to their room.

He reconnected Jack, slipped off his boots, and closed their door. In the dark, Albert fumbled with his ankle lock and then put his buckle back together.

“Why not escape?”

“They still need me. That was just the first step. To stop Carr, I must see this through to the end. Besides, where are we?”

“You are right on that point. We could get lost and get recaptured.”

“The General will not be too forgiving. He has already threatened and shot you. Can’t chance it.”

“Got any more gadgets to help us out?”

“No, but I thought of a few surprises. Might as well sleep. There is bound to be something broken. The general will be demanding I fix it.” Albert stretched on his bed and fell asleep.

A key rattling in the lock jerked him awake. He forgot to lock the door! Albert reached for his boot, prepared to remove the green stone, but could not find it in the dark.

The overhead light flashed on, and Harris entered. He frowned at them and glanced around suspiciously. “General wants to see you in the morning. The machines need modifying. Dr. Timmons, sorry you had to be cuffed, but all the guards were pulled away. Orders were not to leave either of you free. I was reassigned to watch the workroom for any intruders.”

As he bent down and unlocked Albert’s ankle cuff, Harris’s eyelid twitched in a brief wink.