Clementine (The Clockwork Century 1.10)

Lamar’s voice was muffled from within. “They won’t be a problem until we’re airborne. And we might be able to outrun ’em. You never know. We might get lucky yet. ”

“Here’s hoping,” Simeon said, not because he lacked faith in the captain, but because he lacked faith in luck.

When the first mate emerged, he thought he heard a rustling sound coming from inside the Valkyrie so he grasped his revolver—and he went into a half-crouch as he snuck up the steps that led into the ship’s belly.

It was mostly for show.

He didn’t plan to shoot anybody for a couple of reasons. For one thing, you didn’t open fire inside a metal container if you could possibly help it. Bullets bounced in close quarters. And for another thing, the noise would summon everyone within the yards, security and otherwise. Simeon didn’t need the extra attention and he sure as hell didn’t want to make a stink before the captain was on board.

For a third thing, and possibly most important thing, you didn’t go shooting willy-nilly inside a canister with a giant tank of hydrogen strapped to it—not unless you wanted to see yourself splattered all over Kansas.

Up the folding steps he moved with surprising silence for such a tall man. He kept his gun out of sight against his chest. His head breached the bay, and he swiveled it back and forth—making sure there was no one behind him, and becoming confident that there was no one else present in the cargo bay.

He made a cursory examination of the munitions crates. Next he checked the bridge, where six swiveling seats were affixed into the floor. Three were positioned at the wide, curved glass of the ship’s windshield, and the other three were assigned to spots in front of the craft’s weapon systems.

“This bird’s not kidding around,” he said to himself.

He ran his fingers over the levers that worked the automatic rotary firing guns, and scanned the buttons and handles that managed assault launches of bombs and other assorted things which might be dropped, and might explode on impact. There were even two pivoting guns mounted bottom and side within thick glass shields that extended outside the body of the craft.

On the other side of the bridge was another door that must have led to sleeping quarters or a lavatory, but a poorly smothered curse from Captain Hainey drew Simeon’s attention elsewhere. He went back to the cargo hold and climbed past the crates, then descended the steps to meet the captain, who was carrying everyone’s personal supplies and ammunition like a blue-coated pack mule.

“Here,” Hainey said, upon spotting Simeon. “Take this. Get it on board. I assume everything’s under control?” he said in a casual voice that knew better than to whisper. Everyone listens hard when someone whispers; and people who whisper have something to hide.

Simeon said, “Yes sir, more or less. ” Without clarifying, he took half the captain’s load and walked it nonchalantly up the stairs, with the captain coming up behind him.

Once they were up in the cargo bay, Hainey felt the need for clarification. He asked, “What’s ‘more or less’ suppo

sed to mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. If we move quick, we can lift this lady up without too much notice. I took care of one mechanic, and the other two are missing at the moment. ”

“And the crew?” the captain asked.

“Whoring and drinking down in the blue district. Won’t be returning until tonight. ”

Hainey lifted an eyebrow as he lifted the heaviest of his packs onto a crate. “It’s like a sign from heaven. Or else it’s a bad trick someone’s playing on us,” he said. “What does Lamar think?”

“Lamar thinks we’d better hurry up, and we’ll stay in the clear except for the service yard security. And once we get airborne, he trusts you to keep us aloft and in one piece. What about the Rattler?” the first mate asked.

“It’s back in the coach. I can carry it, but I can’t carry much with it. I’ll go back and pick it up,” he plotted, “and you stay here and keep an eye out on Lamar. If those other mechs come back, he might need a hand. How long until he’s got the bird air-ready?”

“Less time than it’ll take you to retrieve the Rattler,” Simeon said. “Are you sure we even…I mean, do you think we’ll need it? Look at this bird, Captain. She’s loaded up like nobody’s business. More guns than I ever saw on a ship. ”

Croggon Hainey made a harrumphing noise and asked, “Can we take any of it with us?”

“Well, no. It’s all attached pretty solid, I’d say. ”

“Then I’m going back to get the Rattler,” he said, and he retreated back down the steps. “Be ready to take off when I get back. ” To Lamar, under the hatch, he added, “Did you hear that?”

“Yes sir, Captain. I heard it. ”

“And you’ll be ready?”

“I’ll be ready,” the engineer promised.

“Good,” Hainey said, and he stalked back out to the edge of the service yard, for coaches were not allowed within the repair grounds and the captain wanted to make as little fuss as humanly possible.

The yards weren’t particularly crowded, but they were populated here and there with mechanics and engineers like Lamar, though most of them were white. Once he spied an Asian man who looked like he might’ve had something important to do, but Hainey didn’t stop and ask him about it. He only gave a half nod of acknowledgment when he caught the other man’s eye, because he wanted the whole damn world to know that he wasn’t up to any trouble, no sir. No trouble at all.