We decided to return to Mars and wait until Moriarty made his next move. That occurred when Captain Xavier arrived at Tarquins house while we were having supper and looking at the plans for his new mansion he was having built. Xavier was concerned as he had not seen Col. Singen-Smythe recently. Xavier had received a telegram from him yesterday asking to meet with him at the club but had not arrived.
A brutish Irishman then arrived at the door with a message that Tarquin was needed at the Palace theatre immediately before running off. A not completely strange request as he was now in joint ownership of the theatre with Col. Singen-Smythe. We set off in Tarquins carriage to find out what was happening. One of the doors of the theatre was ajar and there was a Finnian flag pinned to the door. In the lobby we found the theatres factotum lying in a pool of blood. He had been stabbed in the back and his throat cut. The door slammed shut behind us.
We went into through into the theatre auditorium and saw Col. Singen-Smythe hanging from a hook above the stage. A voice boomed out saying he was Michael O’Rourke, had taken over the Finnians and planned on revenge for some imagined slights he ranted on about. Tarquin rushed forward to try to save Smythe. I saw three people waiting in ambush and took cover, drawing my pistol.
I exchanged fire with the concealed Irishmen as Tarquin charged them with his sword. Maxfield and Xavier rushed upstairs for a higher vantage point and found another two Irishmen waiting in ambush there. The three downstairs were killed but O'Rourke was in the gantry above the stage and started firing with a rifle. After killing one of the Irishmen upstairs, Maxfield rushed back down to try to help save Smythe while Xavier continued to exchange fire with the other.
I finally killed O'Rourke as Maxfield climbed to the gantry and pulled up Smythe. Tarquin followed and performed first aid on Smythe and Maxfield jumped down to try to defuse the bomb. I went upstairs to help Xavier who had been badly shot, killing the last Irishman upstairs and then carrying Xavier to safety. While doing so I saw another bomb upstairs and warned Maxfield who gave up his disarming attempts and helped Tarquin get Smythe to safety. The bombs were incendiary devices and the theatre was destroyed seconds after everyone escaped.
Smythe decided to return to Earth after recovering, having sold his share in what was left of the theatre to Tarquin and I think Tarquin was over generous as the theatre needs to be completely rebuilt and Tarquin is not certain the insurance company will pay out.
A few days later we were hanging around at Maxfields when a message arrived, carried by a street urchin asking us to visit a Martian toymaker called Gochevan in Candle street. As it was late we waited until the following day, when after breakfast we went to see what was the next trap Moriarty had planned.
We knocked on the door of the toymaker and it opened. Inside there was a trail of blood. Maxfield entered and opened the curtains while Tarquin waited at the door. The trail lead to a body of a canal Martian on the floor with a small dagger in his back. We saw Mr Sin on a shelf. He seemed inanimate at first glance but sat up when Maxfield talked to him.
He said he killed the toymaker because he was bored. He had an envelope and eventually handed it over. Inside was a letter and photograph. Moriarty was in Jan Saroon, the Martian city where Mr Sin was found. Mr Sin seemed upset he was abandoned in the sewer but we explained the alternative was leaving him in the burning cellar. We told him he had been swept down the sewer and we could not find him. (That would be because we did not look).
Xavier agreed to take us to Jan Saroon by airship. The trip took about a week. We landed about half a mile from some ruins that Mr Sin said was Jan Saroon. As we crept closer we saw several humans who were guarding canal Martians excavating in the ruins. Tarquin and Xavier ambushed and captured one of the guards. It took some persuading to make him talk but eventually he admitted Moriarty was with Aga and her mother in the palace in the centre of Jan Saroon. The excavations were in a search for a blue liquid called Telluric energy.
We returned to the airship and flew round to the other side of the city then approached on foot from the opposite direction. There were more Martians and guards but we crept past to the palace which was the only domed structure in the city. The entrance was a closed iris which opened at the touch of Mr Sin. Beyond was a ladder descending into a large empty room with a doorway to a corridor in the far wall.
In the floor of the corridor was recessed rectangles about the size of a Martian. Telluric energy flowed across them and the names of the Martian kings were written on them. Possibly this was their crypt. Mr Sin announced they were interesting and we left him examining what I presume were gravestones. Beyond was another iris. Maxfield worked out it took pressing in a specific pattern to open it. When the iris opened it revealed an amphitheatre with a pool of red liquid in the centre which looked like the red leech blood that came from the lobsters giving Mrs Gillyflowers minions super powers. Aga was tied hanging over the pool and Mrs Gillyflower was standing next to a lever at the far side of the pool. Beyond her was an open iris from which a blue glow emanated. Six of Mrs Gillyflowers minions were spaced round the room.
Jean Luc shot Mrs Gillyflower twice, killing the lobster on her and making her cry out in pain and shock, but she was still able to reach out and pull the lever, which caused Aga to slowly start descending towards the red pool. I shot and killed the lobster on one of the minions as Xaviers soldiers opened fire killing Mrs Gilliflower and the minion I had delobstered. The rest of the minions charged forward, attacking and stunning both Jean Luc and Xavier who had moved into the room. Tarquin charged one of the minions, killing its lobster then the minion himself. I killed another lobster and the soldiers then killed the rest of the minions and their lobsters.
Maxfield reached the lever, pulling it and stopping Aga from descending further. He then climbed up some scaffolding to rescue her. She did not even remember him but was grateful of being rescued. We head Moriartys voice from the room beyond the iris saying it was our last chance to join him. The blue glow in the room was from a pool of Telluric energy. Above the pool was hovering a large construct surrounded by a blue energy field and four blue orbs spinning round its head visibly drawing energy from the pool.
Four of Moriartys henchmen burst in as Moriarty said ‘kill them all’. The construct raised an arm and a bolt of fire hit Tarquin, seriously injuring him. I fired on one of the blue spheres as did Jean Luc. The sphere shattered and the construct looked stunned. The soldiers shot the henchmen and Xavier performed first aid on Tarquin who then decided to open another door only to find Moriarty inside wearing some sort of Martian harness through which he was controlling the construct. Tarquin attacked him immediately, stunning him.
Moriarty immediately surrendered and was disarmed. The construct had dropped into the pool of Telluric energy when Moriarty was stunned. Mr Sin appeared again having got bored with the gravestones. He wanted to live with us but Maxfield was adamant that he gave up his homicidal tendencies. He finally agreed I could make an attempt to repair him in Moriartys Workshop, accessible down a ladder from the room we had found Moriarty. After making an examination of Mr Sins workings I was able to make repairs. Immediately he seemed to relax. He wanted to live with me. I agreed as he would be very helpful in my research and there is a great potential in making some useful inventions from the Martian technology I found at Jan Saroon. Maxfield seemed disappointed I had not also tried 'repairing' his accent. Moriarty was handed over to the Belgians care.
Several months passed and there was an announcement in the paper of the engagement of Maxfield and Aga. The ceremony was performed by Rev Jones who returned from missionary duty on Venus. We were all given titles for recapturing Moriarty, though we heard the Belgians had him under house arrest so no doubt we will end up hunting him down again in the future.