Day of Rebellion by Johnny O'Brien Page B

a huge chimney sprouting from the middle of its deck as it puffed its way up the great brown Yangtze – the largest river that Jack had ever seen. The boat’s steam engine powered two vast paddle wheels – one on either side of the boat – and the relentless pumping of the great iron contraption beneath the deck was starting to inhabit Jack’s very soul.
    They were up on the deck for fresh air – a privilege allowed them only once since leaving Nanjing. It was a blessed relief from the hot, cramped cabin in the aft of the steamer, where Jack and Angus had been held. Backhouse had taken charge of the precious cargo – the Babbage ‘Seeing Engine’. The ship was crawling with Taiping guards and armed with twelve-pounder guns at the bow and aft. No chances were being taken. There were two escort boats – one armed paddle steamer nosed through the great brown river two hundred metres off their bow, and a second followed them from behind.
    After they had boarded, Backhouse had attempted to interrogate Jack about the VIGIL device and how it had come into his possession. Jack had done his best to claim that it belonged to his father. Jack pretended that he knew nothing ofthe function or origin of the device and had assumed that it was some sort of lucky charm. He told Backhouse that his father had never talked to him of Charles Babbage, the CPS or the British government and claimed to be as mystified as Backhouse. With a stroke of brilliance, he suggested the best solution was for Backhouse to find his father as soon as possible. This had made Backhouse think, but so far caused no change of plan. As every minute passed, they steamed further away from Shanghai and his father, and closer to incarceration in the Taiping rebels’ heartland in southern China.
    “You did well,” Angus told Jack as they stood on the deck. Backhouse had hardly given Angus a second thought, though he’d been in the same cabin throughout the interrogation.
    “I was squirming as I spun him the yarn about Dad…”
    “It sounded believable… but Backhouse is going to keep on until he gets some answers.” Angus kicked out in frustration. “We’re kidnapped on board this stinking bath tub in the middle of nowhere… time phone’s still dead I suppose?”
    “I’m not getting it out here, but yes, last time I checked – dead as a dodo.”
    They stared out at the muddy waters for a while and a gentle breeze gave some relief from the humidity.
    “I just had a horrible thought…” Jack said, suddenly breaking the silence.
    “What?” Angus looked at him anxiously.
    “Well, you know, what if the Revisionist Taurus doesn’t work in the same way as VIGIL’s. You know how the VIGIL Taurus powers up and alerts the connected time phones every time thereis a time signal, so we can time travel? What if the Revisionist Taurus is different – what if it just sits there and does nothing unless there’s someone back at the base giving it instructions?”
    “Then we’d be stuck here forever – enslaved by this mad lot. Anyway, your dad wouldn’t have come to China unless he knew exactly how he was going to get back.”
    “True.” But the mention of his dad gave Jack another stab of anxiety.
    Angus looked over the rail at the massive steam paddles churning the brown water into white froth.
    “I suppose we could swim for it…”
    “You serious?” Jack said. “That riverbank has got to be at least four hundred metres away. And even if we made it, what then?”
    Jack looked around. Their Taiping minders were gossiping to each other, further down the deck, “I guess that’s why they don’t seem to be taking a lot of interest… they know we can’t escape.”
    Jack slumped down on the deck, beaten down by the humidity and the relentless pumping of the engine, and out of ideas. Angus sat next to him and they stared up at the huge iron funnel that belched a continuous plume of smoke which drifted on the breeze. Jack’s eye followed the