The Demon's Clockwork Heart

[LU CAIN. Fort Las Vegas, Mojave Wilderness, United States of America. Tuesday 15th of June, 1880 Gregorian Calendar].

Lu Cain examined the heavy, two handed weapon in his hand, which was known as a rocket maul. It had the general shape of a spike maul, but was twice the weight of one. Furthermore, the flat hammering face had been replaced by a pointed streel protrusion, that resembled a straightened pick axe head. While the reverse end, had hole in it. Finally, the handle had two buttons. One near the centre of the handle and just above where one would place their right hand. The other near the bottom of the handle, just above where one would place their left hand. Pressing both buttons at the same time, would activate the release of pressurised air from the hole at the back of the hammer head. Pushing the hammer forward like a rocket. The force generated would allow the pick axe head to penetrate the toughest demon armour.

Corporal Mason had handed the weapon to Cain and informed him of its history. The tool had been designed by John Henry as an anti-demon weapon that could be handled by those labourers who had practice wielding heavy hammers, axes and pick axes. A weapon which railway workers, miners and lumberjacks could easily adapt to.

Unfortunately, though the theory seemed practical, the weapon had failed during field testing. There were simply too few people who had the size and strength to efficiently wield the rocket maul. Most wielders would suffer dislocation injuries after only a few strikes. While others simply couldn't control the trajectory of the attack.

"Don't overanalyse," Morris instructed Cain. "Just swing and hit."

"You'll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind!" shouted Catherine. "Stop thinking and start smashing!"

Presently, Cain was standing outside Fort Las Vegas in order to see if he had the capability to use John Henry's weapon. Watching him were Corporal Morris Mason, Special Agent Catherine Douglas and a man who'd been introduced to him as Sergeant Jin Jie-Rong. His ability to wield John Henry's weapon would determine whether or not he would be allowed to accompany the trio during their investigation of the Lake Mohave demon attack.

Cain girded his resolve, focused on the human sized boulder in front of him and swung. Halfway through the swing, he pressed the two buttons, unleashing a jet of pressurised air from the back of the maul head. The sudden kick exerted by the release of pressured air made it feel as if Cain were wielding a hammer ten times the weight of what it truly was. However, he refused to let go, knowing that his chance to get revenge on the demons was contingent on his success in mastering this weapon.

CRACK!

The pick head punctured a gaping hole into the boulder. If the rock had been a human sized demon, then it would currently be missing a large chunk of its chest.

"Well done," congratulated Morris. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit sore," admitted Cain. "But nothing is damaged, and I could take another swing right now if needed."

"No need," said Morris. "The rocket maul is heavy enough that it's lethal even without activating the air rocket. So, you only need to go all out when you encounter an armoured demon. Also remember that there's only six compressed air cannisters in the head. That means you can only use it that many times before having an engineer refill it for you."

"I understand," nodded Cain. "Does this mean I can join the expedition?"

"My little sister and I lost our whole family when we were children," recalled Morris. "So, I know how you feel. You have every right to come on this expedition. Unfortunately, this test wasn't set up by me, but rather by Sergeant Jin, so he's the one you need to be asking."

"Sergeant Jin," Cain addressed the expedition's commanding military officer. "Does this prove me capable enough to join the expedition?"

"You are adequate," stated Jei-Rong. "Now, Corporal Morris and I must complete our inspection of the men. You should send the rocket maul to engineering for a refill. Special Agent Douglas can show you the way."

"Come along Cain," Catherine gestured. "Let's get your smasher seen to."

Cain followed Catherine back into the fort. On the way they passed the battle wagon which was had been commandeered for the mission.

Battle wagons used steam locomotives, engineered to burn demon cores as fuel and designed for battling demons. The cab was fully enclosed and expanded to comfortably accommodate the engineer who drove the engine, the fireman in charge of fuel and the gunner who controlled the machinegun perched on the roof of the cab.

Due to the efficiency of demon cores and engineering breakthroughs in recycling steam, the traditional tender which had been used to store fuel and water, now had extra storage capacity. This extra space was used to store provisions, ammunition and spare parts. A second machinegun was affixed to the top of the tender.

The next component of the battle wagon was the guard carriage. An armoured carriage on top of which was a third machinegun. Within the armoured carriage, were the main gun crew which controlled the machineguns on top of the tender, guard carriage and living carriage. The guard carriage was also where the commanding officer stayed during battle operations, in order to access the battle wagon's communication systems.

The final part of the battle wagon held the living and sleeping area and was known as the living carriage. Aside from the machinegun on top of its roof, the living carriage also had sliding ports from which its occupants could fire out of.

"Pretty impressive, isn't she?" stated Catherine on noticing Cain's admiration for the battle wagon.

"Battle wagons, war zeppelins and ironclads are humanity's frontline of defence against the demon hoards," said Cain, repeating a line his father had said.

"No, they're not," corrected Catherine. "Those things are just tools. People are the frontline, backline and every line of defence. In every war, even long before demons came, this was always the case. The most important asset are people. Machines and weapons have no heart, no soul. If captured, they can be turned on their former owners with ease. People on the other hand, are harder to turn. Well, good people at least."

"I guess you're right," agreed Cain.

"Pfft!" Catherine exclaimed. "Of course, I'm right. Anyway, enough sightseeing. Let's get doing what needs to be done."

Catherine once more led the way for Cain. The duo arrived at the fort's engineering workshop. Where the rocket maul had an extra gas cannister inserted into its head. Thanks to the wonders of modern engineering, these gas cannisters were only the size of half a finger yet could produce enough force to propel the heavy rocket maul to penetrate steel armour.

Afterwards, the duo grabbed an early lunch. Cain made a number of inquiries about the mission and the Coalition of Humanity. However, Catherine politely refused to answer nearly all of them on the grounds that Cain didn't presently need to know.

She did however, explain that Cain's friend; James Hatathli would not be accompanying them. As a newly recruited special agent, James was being sent to the Coalition's headquarters in London, in order to undergo a year of training. Afterwards, he would be sent on a three year assignment far from his home country. This was something all special agents underwent, in order to weaken nationalistic ideologies and reinforce the international nature of the Coalition.

Cain continued to chat with Catherine about the wider world, while they waited for the battle wagon to be ready.

The battle wagon was finally fully prepped by noon. On boarding, Cain noted that the aside from Catherine, Morris and Jie-Rong, the rest of the team seemed to be nervous. He wondered if they were worried for themselves or perhaps for loved ones.

Wooonk!

The deep sound of the battle wagon's whistle indicated that they were finally on the move.

Corporal Mason had informed everyone that they would arrive at the town of Searchlight, which was eighty kilometres away, within three hours. About two hours into the trip, the Corporal gathered everyone but the driver and fireman into the living carriage for a meeting.

"I know everyone is on edge because of the lack of details regarding this mission," Morris started. "However, there was a very good reason for why this briefing didn't happen at base. That reason being that we couldn't risk information being spread at Fort Las Vegas. The aim of this mission is to investigate a demon attack on the Lake Mohave settlement. We believe that the settlement was wiped out."

Those words brought forth an angry reaction from the soldiers.

"Why are we only sending a squad?" a tall soldier asked. "We should be marching down with a company or at least a platoon."

"Why didn't we hear about this earlier?" questioned a soldier with glasses. "I have family on a homestead near there."

"I have family at the actual settlement!" exclaimed a soldier whom Cain identified as a former railroad worker. "We had the right to know."

This last comment was followed by general agreement. Many of these soldiers had family or friends located at or near the Lake Mohave settlement.

"I understand your concerns," Morris tried to calm the room. "I also would have preferred a company at my back. However, Major Carney needed to follow military protocols that focused on containment before investigation. In fact, the only reason I was able to even form a squad was due to the assistance of the two people beside me; Special Agent Catherine Douglas and Sergeant Jin Jei-Rong of the Great Qing Imperial Army."

"This is a joint mission with China?" asked one of the soldiers of Chinese descent.

"It's a mission for the Coalition of Humanity," clarified Morris. "Overall mission directives are under the command of Special Agent Douglas. While Sergeant Jin and I have co-command of military assets."

"Not meaning to be rude," said the glasses wearing soldier. "But Special Agent Douglas is… well… she's rather young. I'd say only twenty years old. Why couldn't the Coalition send the other lady along?"

"I'm not as young as I look," declared Catherine. "As to why Special Agent Martha Canary is not here instead. It's because she had to ensure the safe passage of a new Special Agent to San Francisco."

"How old are you then?" the glasses wearing soldier asked.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to ask a lady her age?" huffed Catherine.

"Enough with the stupid questions," commanded Morris. "We have our orders and we will follow them. Failure to do so is treason. Now, I'll assign tasks and you will all do them."

"With all due respect, we should…." the glasses wearing soldier's words were cut short by the sound of machinegun fire coming from the train engine.

"Positions!" shouted Morris.

The order was quickly obeyed. The battle wagon came to a halt and soon the sound of all four machineguns rang out.

Cain was handed a rifle and directed to one of the living carriages firing windows. Outside, he could see winged figures flying in the sky. The machine guns and riflemen were making quick work of the demons. Yet despite their losses, the demons continued to attack and eventually all two dozen enemies were slaughtered.

"Fireteam three and Special Agent Douglas, perimeter check," Jei-Rong's voice commanded over the battle wagons internal speakers. "Fireteam two and I will salvage demon cores. Fireteam one and Corporal Mason will remain on board and man the machineguns."

The members of fireteam three consisting of the glasses wearing soldier, the former railroad worker and the only female soldier in the squad, cautiously exited the back of the living carriage. They were immediately followed by Special Agent Douglas.

Morris tapped Cain on the shoulder to draw his attention.

"I need you to go out there with Catherine," Morris requested. "See if those demons look anything like what you saw at the settlement."

"Yes sir," Cain agreed and left the safety of the living carriage.

He headed towards Catherine who was inspecting one of the fallen demons. The creature had the general body shape of a human. However, its arms were in the form of large bird wings and its feet were akin to eagle talons.

"Harpies," said Catherine. "They prefer mountains and places with uneven terrain. Maybe harpies attacked your work camp, which is why your machinegun nest fell so quickly."

"This wasn't anything like the corpse demons I saw at the settlement," stated Cain.

"Maybe the attack on your work camp and the attack on your settlement were done by two different types of demons?" Catherine theorised.

"A coordinated attack by two different types of demons," said Cain. "That's pretty scary. Though I think it's unlikely, since these harpies were pretty unintelligent. They just kept attacking, even though they had no chance."

"Don't underestimate demons," said Catherine.

As if to reinforce her statement, a warning shout came from the salvage team. "They're still alive!"

"Damn it!" cursed Catherine, as the harpy she had been examining suddenly grabbed her arm and bit hard.

Crack!

Cain slammed his rocket maul into the demon, crushing the harpy's chest into a bloody paste. After a few spasms the monster once more become still.

Noting that Catherine had been bitten, Cain recalled the scene of Father' Yong's death and reanimation. He felt certain that these harpies were carrying a similar poison, which allowed them to continue fighting even after death.

"You were bitten!" exclaimed Cain. "Do you know if you've been poisoned?"

"I'm fine," stated Catherine. "But they're not."

The sleeves of Catherine's jacket suddenly burst into flame. Beneath, the burning material, wasn't the pale white skin which Cain had been expecting. But rather the cold glint of silvery steel.