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Author's Chapter Notes:
Technically, this is the second time I'm posting this chapter. The first time was after I made the mistake of having it ghost-written by the Invisible Man!
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For a few seconds, Sir Anthony and I just stood there in open-mouthed shock. So stunned we were by the implied threat, to our fellow Americans, in that under-statement.

"B-But," I finally managed to stammer: "That makes no sense! Japan is a modern, civilized society, now. Why would they...?"

"Because," Sir Anthony replied: "...despite their modernization, they are still as class-conscious as any Park Avenue plutocrat!* So, if their government is this desperate to recover a missing trainload of Issei orphans, it can only mean one thing. There was a high-ranking Japanese personage aboard, as well!"

"Bingo!" exclaimed Captain Biggs: "Those kids had a consular chaperone. The grandniece of the Japanese Foreign Minister, himself!"

"Oh, Dear Lord!" I sighed, running my left hand through my hair: "And, how does this Madame Chulu tie into it?"

"One of the first things Nakafusa found out," the captain's brother replied: "...is that the Seattle orphan train had been privately chartered. By a bereaved railroad magnate who'd lost his wife to the Spanish flu, and his only son to the World War."

"And guess who was acting as his 'spirtual advisor' with regard to keeping him in touch with the dearly departed?" Houdini now added.

So, the first thing Special Agent Biggs did, after arriving in New York City, was to supervise the police search of Madame Chulu's residence and personal effects (following her untimely demise from "cardiac failure"). It was as the result of this search that they found the correspondence between her and a Midwestern widow named...Cassandra White.

"Knowing who her husband had really been," the special agent continued: "...and fearful of any kind of alliance between organized crime and this unholy cult, the Attorney General immediately contacted the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Personally requesting the fastest available means of transport for Mr. Houdini, my brother, Nakafusa, and myself."

As if on cue, the five of us were suddenly--and quite literally--overshadowed by something massive, right above us. At the same time, all conversation was drowned out by the noise, and the dust, kicked up by the propellers of the largest dirigible I had ever seen!

Sir Anthony looked at me and slowly mouthed the letters:

"X--Z--R!"

I nodded in understanding.

A minute later, some kind of vertical breeches buoy was lowered down to us. Captain Biggs motioned to Sir Anthony and I to climb within the cage-like mesh of thickly coiled rope. We nodded, as one, and grabbed on to the ropes as tightly as possible. A good thing, too.

For within ninety seconds, we had been hauled aboard the XZR-1 like a pair of rainbow trout in a net!

It took us one more minute for our stomachs to readjust. Then, we took note of our surroundings. We were, for lack of a better term, in a veritable floating hangar. Surrounded by Thomas/Morse biplanes just like the one that had saved our hides from Pamela Plaisantine!

Emerging from that maze of planes was a military officer who quickly identified himself as:

"Jonathan Hopkins (Major General; USMC). Sir Anthony? Dr. Thorpe? It's a pleasure and privilege to meet the both of you."

We thanked him, and took turns shaking his hand.

"I must admit, general," Sir Anthony then remarked: "...this is quite the marvel you're commanding, here."

He smiled and nodded, in appreciation.

"It was built in Germany, as part of their war reparations. But, there's one feature that was loaned to us, by the Regular Navy, only more recently."

He pointed to a large, four-wheeled cart that had been positioned near the still-open trap doors we had ascended through, just five minutes earlier. Upon that cart stood what looked like five-gallon drums of oil.

When I openly asked if such was the case, the general's smile turned into a feral grin.

"They're actually a new kind of depth charge. Specifically modified for just this contigency. You'll see what I mean once Messrs Biggs and Houdini are out of the way."

Moments later, the "Jenny Ericsson" was once again airborne. Following which, General Hopkins ordered two nearby deckhands to "commence the mop-up."

One at a time, those depth charges were hurled through the trap doors. And, one at a time, they landed on either side of the dead giantess' head. We saw that much through two pairs of binoculars the general had handed us. Yet, when the depth charges went off?

Such was the ensuing fiery brilliance that we had to look away!

When the glow had faded enough, that we could finally look back, the giantess' body was gone. Only a large scattering of ash remained in its place.

tbc
Chapter End Notes:
*Class-conscious: though the burakumin caste system of Japan was officially abolished, by the Meiji government, in the late 19th century, those formerly classified as "eta" (or "defiled"), under that system, were still being heavily discriminated against by the early 1920's.

Park Avenue: justly listed as one of the most expensive streets in the world. At least, between Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal and 96 Street!
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