Arachnodactyl (23 page)

Cross looked down into his glass. “Kid, I—“

“These statements are certainly toeing the line of libel, Mr. Berliss,” Admiral Daughton interjected. “If you have nothing more than broad speculation—“

“The ship was never supposed to fly.” Ikey slumped back against the corner of the carriage. “That’s it, isn’t it? Cross is brilliant. It’s ridiculous he couldn’t figure this out. Rubbish.”

Ikey turned back to Cross, who continued to examine his empty glass. “You were growing bored. Frustrated. Admiral Daughton wanted you out of the way. No, he had to make it look like—“

Cross lunged forward, his face inches from Ikey’s, “Shut up! Get the hell out of here.” He pointed a finger at the door.

“Please sit down, Mr. Cross,” Admiral Daughton said. “I’m a fan of tall tales, myself. Please continue, Mr. Berliss.”

Ikey glanced from Cross to the admiral. Cross turned around and flipped the back of the bench down.

“I think you’ve had enough to drink for now, Mr. Cross.”

Cross smirked. “Not if I have to listen—“

“Shut up and sit down!” Admiral Daughton bellowed.

Ikey pushed himself into the corner of the carriage.

“Mr. Berliss…”

Ikey swallowed. Cross plopped down onto the bench again and jiggled the empty glass across his knee.

Ikey turned to Admiral Daughton. “You wanted to show the Ministry that you were shaking things up. They were leaning on you, weren’t they? But Wendy might actually figure it out. So you needed someone you could reasonably put in Cross’s place, but someone who wouldn’t figure out how to raise the ship. Because you can’t submit any more expense forms once the ship is finished.”

Admiral Daughton clapped his hands together in a slow, drawn-out sweep. “Excellent deduction, Mr. Berliss. Worthy of the finest fiction, because that is all it is.” Admiral Daughton cocked an eyebrow. “You forget that I was all set to fire you, until Cross intervened. How much sense does that make in your tapestry of shadows?”

Ikey’s shoulders slumped. He was right. He glanced over to Cross. His face stared back blank and impassive. The empty glass danced across his jittering knee.

Ikey leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “I want in.”

Admiral Daughton’s eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch more. “Into what?”

“A cut.” Ikey stared directly at Admiral Daughton. “Let’s discuss my wage.” He turned to Cross. “And my living arrangements.”

Admiral Daughton’s face shifted into half a smile. His own eyes sharpened, his brow like a whetstone. He stuck his head out the window and yelled for Smith to take them to the hangar.

O
nce the carriage lurched forward
, Admiral Daughton threaded his fingers together and placed his hands on his belly. “So do you have anything in mind concerning a wage, Mr. Berliss?”

Ikey looked to Cross. His expression looked both sour and bitter. He leaned against the back of the bench and rocked with the motion of the carriage.

“How much is the stipend?” Ikey asked.

“I have no idea what you’re yammering on about,” Cross said. His words were small and pointed.

Ikey glared at Cross a second longer, then turned his attention to Admiral Daughton. “How much have you been paying Cross?”

Admiral Daughton shook his head. “I don’t discuss the wages of others. It’s a policy.”

Heat flushed up Ikey’s face. He had no idea how much money it might cost to run a house and keep himself and Rose fed and warm and clothed.

He turned his attention back to Cross. “How much will it cost to get you out of the house?”

Cross sucked at his teeth. “More than you can get out of this deal.”

“Gentlemen, what is this all about?” Admiral Daughton asked.

“Oh,” Cross said as with a tilt of his glass, “Ikey here has taken to snogging my wife, and since she is his first, he thinks he’s in love, and now wishes to buy me out like she’s a flat or something.”

“That’s not true!” Ikey spat.

“Isn’t it?” Cross asked and sat up in his seat. “Which part?”

Ikey gripped his knees and leaned forward. “I know of the conditions on the stipend. If I go to the authorities, the newspapers will get involved and Rose’s dad will renege on the agreement.”

Admiral Daughton cleared his throat. “And precisely what would you tell the authorities?”

Ikey closed his eyes and tightened his jaw. Damn. He had to be more careful.

“You are complicit, aren’t you?” Ikey asked Cross. “Rose said you’re not, that you have no need for money, but you know about this scheme. It’s the leverage you used to keep me on the crew when the admiral tried to fire me. And you are involved, because that’s the leverage he used when he forced you to take me on as an apprentice.”

Cross leaned forward. “You daft sod. You forget that I kicked your bloody arse out, which is the whole point of this pissing match, ain’t it?”

“Furthermore,” Admiral Daughton added, “I understand that you stayed at the hotel last night, and you certainly didn’t pay for your own room.”

Ikey glanced at Admiral Daughton, then back to Cross. “I bet it’d look queer if anyone noticed that your apprentice got the ship off the ground after two days when you’ve been failing at it for weeks. So you had to jump in a hurry, right? You had to make me look like someone more important than some bloke picked up in The Dales.”

Cross shook his head. “Admiral Daughton may be willing to entertain your little stories, but I’m damned tired of them. So let’s put your balls on the table. Where’s your proof?”

Ikey lifted his eyebrows. “Am I wrong?”

“You are wrong about so many things,” Cross said, “that I don’t even know where to begin.”

Admiral Daughton cleared his throat again. “Gentlemen, let’s focus on one thing at a time. I can see the two of you have a few matters to work out, none of which are any concern of mine. Work it out later.

“Mr. Berliss, you are certainly a brighter, more clever young man than I had originally given you credit for. You do not have the whole picture, however. I’m afraid your understanding of economics is pitiful. I placed you with Cross because I didn’t have money budgeted for your wage or living expenses, and the project is already over-budget as it is.”

Ikey’s gaze fell to the floor. Put like that, Admiral Daughton’s explanation struck him as perfectly reasonable.

“On top of that,” Admiral Daughton continued, “since you shared a keen knack for mechanics with Cross, I thought placing you with him would benefit you more in the long run. I hoped you might avail yourself of an opportunity to better yourself, to equip yourself with knowledge and experience for future projects. My intention was not to defraud anyone, but to work within the constraints of my budget while making it up to you with added experience, though I hadn’t intended you to pick up any particular experience with Cross’s wife.”

Ikey blushed and closed his eyes. The forward motion of the carriage pushed at him, his chest and shoulders. The carriage’s chugging engine sounded like gnashing teeth ready to consume him.

“How did you know?” Ikey asked. He opened his eyes and looked at Cross.

“I’m not finished,” Admiral Daughton said. “As for putting you in charge, that was a decision made of my own discretion. As you stated, you did in two days what Cross couldn’t manage in weeks—”

“Oy!”

“Be quiet!” Admiral Daughton shouted.

Cross slumped back against the wall.

“I thought if I put you in charge, either Cross would come crawling back for his position and take his work a little more seriously—and a little more dryly—or Mr. Barker, as Mr. Cross’s right-hand man, would be inspired to demonstrate an ounce of gumption and make a case for himself. Regardless, I’m quite disappointed to say I’ve yet to see a sign of either happening.”

Ikey slumped back against the wall. His stare fell into the chasm between himself and Cross.

“So what am I to do now?” Admiral Daughton asked.

“Send him back,” Cross said.

Ikey opened his mouth to respond.

Admiral Daughton cut him off. “I don’t give a dead man’s cold fart for the lover’s triangle between you two. Frankly,” Admiral Daughton said as he crinkled up his nose, “I don’t know what either of you see in that twisted woman. And I don’t want to know.”

“Money,” Ikey whispered under his breath.

“What was that?” Cross asked. He cocked his head toward Ikey.

“Here’s the situation,” Admiral Daughton said as he looked at Ikey. “My liaison from the Ministry of Defense, Mr. Ellsworth, showed up at the hangar today after hearing of the ship’s progress in a local pub. He demanded an immediate demonstration. I attempted to explain that the final design wasn’t in place yet, but he wasn’t interested in explanations. Since you were nowhere to be found, I instructed Mr. Barker to replicate your stunt.”

Ikey grinned at the thought of Wendy racing around, gathering lanterns and stuffing them under the converter. What a fat lot of crow he must have choked on.

“Suffice it to say, Mr. Ellsworth was astoundingly pleased with our work. He is expecting a working prototype to be delivered to the Ministry of Defense by the end of the month.”

Cross gestured at Ikey. “And you came for me when you couldn’t find him.”

Admiral Daughton nodded. “Mr. Barker may be capable of following instructions, but he couldn’t come up with an original idea to save his life. I’m afraid it is down to you two. The
Kittiwake
must make an untethered flight before the end of the month.”

Ikey glanced at Admiral Daughton. It didn’t seem likely that he would simply forgive Ikey his accusations of fraud and allow them to roll away like water off oiled canvas. But if the man was up against the wall with the Ministry of Defense…

Cross glanced at the wall of rock outside the window as they rolled back up Khyber Pass. “Aye,” he said to Admiral Daughton. “I suppose I can be talked into finishing that albatross, but how about we get to it in the morning?”

Admiral Daughton shook his head. “I’m afraid there is a concern I need the both of you to attend to sooner rather than later. As Mr. Ellsworth and I were inspecting the ship today, we took note of one of the cells. It was a bit flaccid. I want you two to take a look at it before all the gas escapes.”

Ikey arched an eyebrow. He had a difficult time imagining Admiral Daughton slipping his bulk through the trap door in the envelope and moving among the cells.

“A leak?” Cross said. “There’s nothing can be done inside the envelope. You can’t see the gas. It’s invisible. Nothing can be done but take the cell out, dunk it in a pool, and find the leak that way.”

“You’ll want to know which cell to take out, will you not?” Admiral Daughton asked. “Furthermore, perhaps it’s not a leak. A hose may need to be secured. You two should check that first.”

“Bloody hell,” Cross mumbled. “Wendy can run the engines tomorrow. We can check it then.”

Admiral Daughton shook his head. “We’re almost there.”

Ikey opened his mouth to agree with Cross, but then Cross swept a dismissive hand at Admiral Daughton before he leveled a bony finger at Ikey.

“Fine. But one thing we’re getting straight right here. That lout isn’t staying with me.”

A good retort escaped Ikey. He gritted his teeth instead.

“I don’t care where either of you stay,” Admiral Daughton said. “You two obviously cannot behave any better than two toddlers who cannot share a toy. Ikey, you’ll stay at the hotel until further notice.”

“What of my wage?” Ikey asked.

“Five pounds a week.”

Ikey looked to Cross for a reaction. The man smirked and shook his head.

“More,” Ikey said.

“You weren’t listening, Mr. Berliss. This project is over-budget. Now that Mr. Ellsworth has learned that the ship left the ground, there will be no further allowances, aside from those needed for material equipment. Five pounds a week comes out of my own pocket.”

Ikey rubbed a hand across his thigh and looked back at Cross.

Cross winked at him. “It’ll cost you more than five pounds a week to get at Rose’s snatch.”

Ikey gripped the leather upholstery under him until it squeaked. “Piss off.”

“Shut the hell up, both of you,” Admiral Daughton said. “I don’t want to hear another bloody word from either of you until we get to the hangar. Understood?”

Ikey nodded.

Cross rolled his eyes. He stood up and reached for the back of the bench.

“Sit your drunken ass down,” Admiral Daughton barked.

Cross froze, stooped under the press of the carriage ceiling. He glared at the admiral.

In return, Admiral Daughton stared back, his soft flesh a deep pink and his eyes hard like shards of polished glass.

Cross’s fingers slipped from the back of the bench. He sat and rested his empty glass on his knee. As the carriage chugged up to the hangar stuck like a tumor on the edge of the town, the glass resumed its danced over Cross’s knee. The sight made Ikey nervous.

T
he
Kittiwake
sat
on its haunches. The aft edge of the ship touched the ground while the bow tilted up a few degrees. The ship appeared so buoyant that a single person might lift it with one great heave.

“I told you there is a leak,” Admiral Daughton said as he stopped behind Ikey and Cross inside the hangar’s entrance. “She sat pert in the air but a few hours ago.”

Cross folded his arms over his chest and gave a sideways glance to Ikey, “That must have been a sight.”

“Where’s Wendy?” Ikey asked.

Admiral Daughton slipped a gold pocket watch from his waistcoat and regarded the time. “Once I discovered the leak, I sent Mr. Barker and the others home for the day. I didn’t want to risk any one of them setting the thing off.”

“Frankly,” Cross said, “we should be doing the same. Let the gas expel itself. Once the air has cleared up, we’ll look around.”

“And how will you then find the leak?”

Cross rubbed at his forehead with his thumb and fingertips. “All right. I’ll go look. I don’t need him, though.” He waved a hand at Ikey and started toward the ship.

Admiral Daughton poked Ikey in the shoulder. “He’s half drunk. You best go with him.”

Cross whirled around. “Half drunk, I’m twice the engineer he will ever be. I don’t need him in order to find a flaccid cell.”

“I don’t recall asking what you do or don’t need,” Admiral Daughton said.

Ikey shook his head, hitched the strap of his satchel over his shoulder, and started forward. His gut twisted and settled low in his abdomen. It lightened a bit, however, as he heard Admiral Daughton’s footfalls behind him.

Cross clambered up the rope ladder and disappeared over the deck rail. As Ikey reached out for the ladder, Cross yanked it out of his grasp.

“I can take care of this. I don’t need you up here setting anything to spark.”

“Drop that ladder this instant, Mr. Cross!” Admiral Daughton called.

Cross glared at Admiral Daughton.

“We’ll come around through the loading doors if need be.”

Cross puffed a sigh through pursed lips, then dropped the ladder.

Ikey looked back at Admiral Daughton. He nodded toward the deck. Ikey took the rungs in his hands and climbed. This was unlike Cross. He never passed on an opportunity to show off his brilliance.

Once Ikey stood on the deck, he stepped up to Cross and whispered, “What’s going on?”

Cross mumbled back, “Don’t argue. Leave.”

“Why?”

Cross clasped Ikey on the shoulder and Ikey flinched.

“I want you to rummage through the cabinet in the western corner and find me a patching kit,” Cross announced as Admiral Daughton’s head poked up over the side of the ship.

“Patching kit?” Ikey asked.

“Yeah, it’s a…” Cross held his hands a foot apart, “a small box about this big…”

“Never mind that,” Admiral Daughton said with a grunt as he pulled his bulk up onto the deck. “If you don’t mind, I have things to do today other than grow old watching your antics. Get your arse up in the envelope and make a visual inspection of the cells this instant. Both of you.”

Cross pointed at the ceiling. “There’s not enough light, and I can’t light a lantern. How am I to make a visual inspection in the dark? Let the gas bleed out first.”

“If you go now, you can tell by touch which cell is the affected one. Surely you have much personal experience handling flaccid objects.”

Cross glowered at Admiral Daughton.

Ikey struggled not to grin, despite the uneasy feeling of the situation.

Cross folded his arms over his chest. “You go, Ikey.”

Ikey looked from Cross to Admiral Daughton.

“You both go.”

“Now,” Cross said. “Get up there, Ikey. Find which cell is leaking. Get back down here quick.”

“This is the last time I’m telling you this: you both go.”

“I’m not budging from this spot,” Cross said, “unless you send him on his way. He can either go alone, or go away, but I will not work with him.”

Ikey hitched the strap on his shoulder. “Why do we both have to go?” He lowered his hand to the flap covering the satchel and hooked his finger over the edge.

Admiral Daughton glanced back and forth. The pinkness of his skin deepened. “I don’t want either of you overcome with the gas. If there are two of you—”

“Then we wait until it is safe to go up,” Cross said.

“That’s not an option,” Admiral Daughton said. He reached inside his coat.

Ikey slipped his hand inside the satchel and brushed his fingers over the collection of handles protruding from his tool roll. His touch grazed a soft, rounded knob on the end of a handle. He grasped it as Admiral Daughton pulled a revolver out of his coat pocket and aimed it at Cross.

“I wish to see your hands, Mr. Berliss,” Admiral Daughton said as he glanced over at Ikey.

Ikey let go of the pick and pulled his hand from the satchel.

“That’s it. Now I want both of you to climb up in the envelope at once.”

Cross snorted. “Or what? You’ll fire? The discharge will ignite the hydrogen.”

“There’s no leak,” Ikey said.

“Very perceptive, my boy,” Admiral Daughton said. “Now get moving.”

Ikey took a step toward the ladder when Cross held a hand up to stop Ikey. “To hell with that, Daughton. Why should we cooperate?”

Admiral Daughton straightened his arm and took aim at Cross.

Cross shook his head. “Threatening to kill a dead man isn’t much of a threat at all.”

Admiral Daughton’s arm relaxed a tiny bit. “I suppose you’re right.” He straightened his arm again. “My threats are wasted on you.”

Ikey dipped his shoulder and caught the strap of the satchel as it fell. The tools inside clanked.

The gun cracked.

Cross half-spun around as he dropped to the deck with a thud.

Ikey swung the strap of the satchel up and around and let it fly as Admiral Daughton swiveled the revolver toward him.

As the strap left his fingers, Ikey turned and dashed for the stairs.

The gun cracked again.

Admiral Daughton grunted. Tools rained on the deck.

Ikey reached the stairs and thundered down them.

At the bottom of the stairs, Ikey paused a brief second to consider which direction to run. The loading door offered escape, but he’d have to run across the open expanse of the hangar floor. Admiral Daughton would be waiting to pick him off. And that wouldn’t help Cross. Hiding in the galley or crew quarters wouldn’t do because Admiral Daughton would set fire to the ship.

Ikey ran for the engine room.