The Kidnap of the Governor’s Daughter Part 3

The dashing rogue known as Zorro comes rushing through skies to help save the kidnapped governor’s daughter but is there more to kidnapped than the dapper hero knows?

Vanessa climbed on to the train with a deep scowl from letting Zorro lived, but the hero turned out to be a bit more resourceful than they had planned. Then again, Vanessa knew all too well any plan against the enemy failed the moment it met the enemy. She should have known better, plan around Zorro, and most of all killed the dashing vigilante. He was a great dance partner, the best she had duel in a long time. She enjoyed the fight and hoped, almost prayed she would get to test her skills against him again and then ---

                Put a blade through this heart.

                The guards at the door holding their rifles eyed her and then likewise the men stepped away from her. They were not going to get in her way unless they wanted to meet her rage. The men all of them long the train diverted their eyes as she headed for the back.

                The train was owned by Duke Adolf Bobzien from Omega City, and each cart showed his wealth in elaborate ways. The walls were lined with artwork, statues, and other fine things from around the world. Each of his men was in the uniform of Omega City, the dark blue and black with gold buttons surrounding the omega sign. But these men weren’t in the Omega army, the city didn’t have a true standing army like other nations, but each guild in the city had their own fighting forces making the city seem to have hundreds of armies within its borders. It made keeping the guilds happy with each other the one number goal of the ruling body of the city, but if Duke Bobzien got caught with the Governor’s Daughter then the ruling powers of the flying city could wash their hands of the Duke.

                The Duke, in all his wisdom, had a plan for getting caught by the United States, and it was a bit too simple. He had seduced Dagmara to run off with him. She had fallen deeply in love with the tall and handsome Duke with his blonde hair, golden eyes, and Aryan physique. If he were in German now, they would think he was the idea of perfection, but the Duke didn’t care a thing about his homeland.

                All he cared about was the riches he could gain from this little gamble. He ran off with Dagmara but made sure her father understood she would never come back if he didn’t sign the deal. A deal giving the Duke’s guild sole trade with the governor’s iron mines. Bobzien would make millions from the deal allowing him to quickly rise in rank in Omega and maybe, one day, be able to sit at the head of the Council.

                For all of this plotting and scheming, Vanessa could care less. She only cares to get paid when the job was over - if the governor would ever sign the bloody deal - and be on her way to find some more work. She opened the door to the cart right before the Duke’s chamber to find him standing behind the bar pouring himself a drink. He glanced over his shoulder, “How did it go?”

                He might not care anything about his homeland, but his homeland hadn’t left his voice at all.

                “Zorro showed up,” Vanessa hissed,” And got away.”

                “He is a devilish little fox,” the Duke said turning around with two glasses of liquor. He slid one of the glasses over to Vanessa, who grabbed it tossed it all back. The Duke smirked shaking his head taking the glass back. “But the plan was never to kill him, just to keep him off of our trail.”

                “Still, wouldn’t mind putting him down,” Vanessa said.

                “Ah, did he get the better of you, my White Wolf?” Bobzien asked with a risen eyebrow.

                “Actually,” she said with a playful grin, “I got the better of him. He just got away is all.”

                “I’m sure he’ll give you another chance to end his life,” Bobzien said slowly drinking his own glass. “What about the good Captain?”

                “Turns out he doesn’t have wings.”

                “Right, and the ship?” the Duke asked.

                “Burning,” Vanessa said, eyeing the empty glass. The Duke took the hint and poured more of the harsh brown liquor for the beautiful women. Somehow the fact she was deadly only added to how many men found her irresistibly attractive and the Duke was no exceptions. “How is your new plaything?”

                “She has a name,” the Duke said.

                “I know,” Vanessa said, drinking down her liquor playing up her attractiveness with a shy smile.

                “She is sleeping,” the Duke said. “The long days of travels has been taking a toll on her.”

                “I meant to ask,” Vanessa said, sitting the glass down, empty and waiting for more, “what is going to happen when her father does sign the deal? Are you going to marry this girl?”

                The Duke poured another round, wondering how these women could be out drinking him, and said,” You see my friend, Omega is very high up in the air, and people walk off the edge of the city all the time.”

                “Walk or thrown?” Vanessa asked.

                “It’s all the same to me,” the Duke said, pouring himself another cup of liquor.

                “I guess it would be,” Vanessa said, “she dies, and you are still rich form her daddy’s mines.”

                “And so, will you be,” the Duke said nodding at her,” when this job is over. You’ll never have to work again. You could even come to Omega with me and be my personal bodyguard.”

                “I’m sure,” she said, “You would love me to guard you from your bed as well, huh?”

                “It had crossed my mind,” he said.

                She winks, tapping her glass again, “I like my work too much to settle down.”

                “We could still travel the world,” the Duke said, giving her yet another round,” get into fights.”

                “Sorry, I don’t need you but,” Vanessa picked up her glass nodding back at the door that was opening, “she does.”

                “Adolf?” A sleepy voiced said from the doorway. “I’m hungry.”

Author's Note

I found out, not too long ago, that Zorro was public domain and was like well, why not use him? Thus, this short story was born. I wanted to put him in my steampunk world, which meant I had to change a few things here and there, but I think it holds true to the heart of the character. Another thing I did in this story which you will soon see, is you never know who the masked hero is, in fact, most of the story is from other people’s point of view facing Zorro.

Artwork: Cover to Dynamite Entertainment's Zorro #2 (March 2008) by Mike Mayhew