Chapter 9: Battle at the Harbor
Fung & Taotie lunged towards Dr. Crane, who flew up out of the way. Lidong, meanwhile, moved towards Shenlock Holmes. The titanic croc threw a punch...it was swiftly blocked. He rounded again with the other side...once again, blocked.
Lidong chuckled.
"You're very good at this," he rumbled.
"I've had practice," smiled Holmes.
Crane kicked Taotie away as the warthog ran at him with its tusks...but he failed to avoid a stinging blow from Fung. The crane recoverd quickly, smacking a wing across the thin croc's face. Fung growled and made to throw the wine bottle he held at the doctor, but it was easily ducked.
Lidong prepared another strike...and suddenly felt a burning slash cut across his jaw as Holmes flicked out a blade. He growled as the peacock tried to slash him again...but instead, the burly crocodile slapped the knife away, and grabbed Holmes by the collar. Holmes let out a sharp gasp as Lidong picked him up into the air like a bag of old vegetables, and tossed across the room and into a wall.
Crane ducked two strikes from Fung, and as Taotie ran forward, he flung his hat like a disc, distracting the warthog long enough for Crane to grab his tusks, and roll on the ground, slamming Taotie onto the floor face-first. As Fung lunged forward again, Crane jumped over him, kicking him in the back as he went.
Lidong slowly approached Holmes, who stood unsteadily, leaning against the large table for support. He held up one feathered finger.
"One moment, please," he panted.
Lidong shrugged.
"I'm in no hurry," he said, nonchalantly.
"Good," said Holmes, and grabbed an axe that was lying on the table, swinging like a club. Lidong ducked, and the blade flew off the (very, very old) handle...
Right into Taotie's head; the warthog had been holding Crane in a strangle-hold, but fell almost instantly as the blunt, heavy side of the blade smacked into his skull with a horrible WHACK!
Crane stumbled forward...and the little black box in his pocket fell out, bouncing across the floor...
Where Fung picked it up, dangling in his fingers teasingly.
Crane ran at the croc, who dodged and spun, his long, scaly tail tripping Crane.
Meanwhile, Holmes and Lidong wrestled with the axe handle. With a snarl, the enormous crocodile wrenched the handle away, and snapped it in half with his bare hands, then proceeded to strike Holmes across either side of the face with the two broken halves.
Holmes fell back against the table...
And his eyes connected with Dr. Crane's, who had been pinned down to it by Fung.
"Having fun yet?" teased Crane, as he kicked Fung away. The black box went flying, and Crane caught it in his beak, only to lose it again as Fung's tail connected with his stomach.
Holmes squawked as a heavy pair of clawed mitts grabbed his tail feathers and dragged him back across the table. He reached out to grab something, anything...
The best he could manage was a pair of metal prongs that had been stuck into the machine; they detached easily.
Holmes flashed out his train, throwing Lidong off, and spun, holding the prongs like a sword...
Lidong grabbed Holmes' wing with one claw, and his throat with another.
Fung & Dr. Crane stepped over Taotie, who still lay upon the floor, the box still going back and forth between them; just as the croc bandit would get ahold of it, Crane would peck him, and catch it as it dropped, only to drop it again as the croc would snap its jaws right in front of his face, and probably would have caught him, too, if the bird hadn't had the sense to flinch back.
Holmes gasped for air, straining with his wings to pry the grinning Lidong off, neither noticing as the prongs went lower...lower...
ZZZAP!
"AAARRRGH!" roared Lidong, and flew backwards as the equivalent of a lightning bolt on a stick connected with his chest. He crashed through a door nearby, and fell down a flight of stairs into what Holmes guessed would be the basement.
The three remaining (conscious) people all froze, looking at the smashed door and the prongs.
Then Crane and Fung looked back at each other, let out a fierce battle cry, and lunged after one another once again, still juggling the little black box as they dueled. Fung shoved Crane, knocking him onto the floor, causing the box Crane held to fly into the air. Before the croc could catch it, Crane grabbed his collar with one talon, and turned the tables so that Fung now lay on the floor, catching the box with his other talon. Fung twisted the talon holding him, and pushed Crane against the wall.
Holmes hurriedly stood up, hearing the thundering sounds of Lidong downstairs. He stuck the pronged end of the rod back into the machine, and, on a hunch, spun the crank handle on the side of the strange device, recharging the prongs.
Finally, with a sound somewhere between a growl and a gasp, Lidong emerged, scratched, bruised, and very dusty. His jawline was red from where Holmes had cut him earlier, and a burn was visible on his chest where the prongs had hit him.
He groaned, leaning against the wall, one hand clutching the metal pipes that ran across it for support. He held up one claw.
"One moment, please," he panted.
Holmes smirked, and shrugged.
"I'm in no hurry," he said, nonchalantly, and quickly turned to see how Crane was doing.
...Not so hot, apparently, as the good doctor had a talon over the box, which lay on the floor between them, and Fung held a piece of broken glass to his throat like a knife...
Holmes turned back, as Lidong pulled from his belt a knife as long and thick as the croc's own arm.
Holmes tapped the pipe with the prongs.
"ARRR-AGH!" screamed Lidong, as he flew into the air once more, and slammed into Fung, who dropped the glass shard as he fell, his larger partner on top of him.
Crane blinked, staring at the fallen pair, then turned to Holmes, who was recharging the prongs again.
"Um...Holmes? What is that?"
Holmes pulled the prongs out and spun them, skillfully.
"Not a clue," he answered.
Lidong struggled to his feet, and ran to a nearby window.
"After him!" shouted Holmes, and followed, still holding the prongs. Lidong jumped out of the window, still dazed, and began to run down the street. Holmes flew after him, gliding to the ground, and sprinting in pursuit.
Crane, meanwhile, put the ring in his pocket, picked up his hat, and decided to just use the door.
Holmes glared after his quarry as he chased the massive croc. Lidong barreled through the harbor streets, toppling and shoving and striking out and anyone and anything that crossed his path. Holmes trailed behind, jumping and dodging the obstacles the crocodile left behind. At last they came to the shipbuilding yard; a large sailship was set on a long track, leading into the water, with large wooden supports tied with chains set about it to keep it from going down the track before completion. Holmes was almost directly behind Lidong at this point. He stopped abruptly, and snapped out his whip, catching Lidong's legs and letting the croc fall with an audible THUD onto the ground. People and workers stopped and stared as Holmes twirled the prongs again and stalked towards Lidong, sliding the whip back into his sleeve.
"Who sent you?"
"You know very well," growled Lidong, as he slowly rose to his feet. He took an instinctive step back as Holmes pointed the prongs at him.
"Funny how you'd still be doing a dead animal's work."
"He's returned from the dead; you know that, also."
"Dead or alive, you will tell me where he is."
Lidong smiled a slow, dark smile, and shook his head with a slow, dark shake.
"There are far worse things to fear," he droned, "Than your little toy."
So saying, the giant crocodile snatched the prongs away from Holmes; He hissed in pain as the electric shock burned his meaty hand, but the power of the prongs only lasted so long, and had already gone down significantly during the run; he did not go flying again. With a deep, rolling growl, he bent the prongs and tossed them to the ground, wiping his burning hands on his legs.
Holmes gulped.
Lidong sneered.
"Fly, little bird," he whispered. "Fly."
"...With pleasure."
And Shenlock Holmes flew off as Lidong lunged for him once more. The peacock ran towards the ship, ducking under one of the supports. Lidong snarled, grabbing a large, iron mallet – a hammer that weighed at least fifty pounds – and smashed through the support, nearly taking of Shenlock's head. The workers and pedestrians on the ground all took off in fear, racing out of the yard to summon the police.
Holmes lashed out with his whip again, but Lidong caught it in one hand and turned it over, throwing the peacock down.
Holmes snapped the whip back again, the speed leaving another scratch in Lidong's scales, and jumped back onto his feet. Lidong tramped forward and swung the hammer again, smashing through another support, and then another, and another...
The unfinished ship lurched on its track. Those still on board fell from the craft.
Holmes ducked another swing, which bashed through yet another support. He reached and grabbed a hammer of his own...
A tiny thing for floor nails that couldn't have weighed more than two pounds, at best.
Lidong chuckled. Holmes, desperate and frustrated, flung the hammer. It hit the large crocodile in the gut, but Lidong barely even flinched. The enormous croc laughed hysterically as he brought the hammer around again, shattering another support...
The ship couldn't take anymore, and, slowly but surely, began to slide forward...
As people ran for safety, a loud caw sounded overhead; Dr. Crane finally made it to the shipyard, gliding down to the ground. Seeing Lidong and Holmes ahead, he spun around as he fast as he could, the wind flashing about the crocodile, momentarily blinding him.
With a grunt of exertion, Holmes kicked Lidong twice in the face. With a final roar, the crocodile threw the giant hammer. The peacock barely managed to dodge the horrible missile, and jumped into the air as a barrel rolled towards him...
Only for the croc to throw a piece of broken chain that wrapped around Holmes, causing him to fall out of the sky right into the deep groove of the ship's track.
As the ship continued to slide forward towards Holmes and Lidong, the crocodile finally decided it was time to go, and dove into the water like...well, a crocodile.
Crane sprinted forward, just in time to see the ship slide where Holmes lay...
"HOLMES!" he yelled as the ship scraped over...
Then, as the incomplete vessel slid off the track and sank into the harbor sea...a white feathered head poked out of the track groove.
Crane ran over as Holmes sat up, eyes rolling dizzily, a wing to his head. He was stunned and dazed, but very much alive.
"Holmes! Are you all right?"
"Urgh...wh-what happened...?"
"HALT!"
Both turned as a group of officers – none of whom the two knew – came up, pointing their spears at the duo.
As the slowly stood up, wings over their heads, Holmes whispered, "Doctor...what have you done?"