Cogs in Time Anthology (The Steamworks Series) (14 page)

*****

Maxwell and Justice stood in an abandoned house on the edge of the square, waiting for the others. The owner had passed months before, leaving a litter of unloved and unwanted items behind. The Death Day decorations still hanging among the cobwebs and dust were a stark
reminder of why the sad and neglected site had been chosen to hatch the last of their nefarious plans.

Max leaned up against the wall, staring down the street that led into the square as he checked the time on his pocket watch once more. The sun had begun to set, and still the others had not arrived. A thin sheet of sweat beaded on his skin, and his stomach churned like bubbling lava. He had never attempted to pull off such an elaborate ruse before, and knowing that his future with Cassie hung on the line only added to the pressure.

Snapping the watch case shut, Maxwell cursed, “Damn it, Justice, where could they be? If something has happened to Cassie, I don’t—”

“Don’t even think about that. She’s fine, man. She is in the company of three men who love her nearly as much as you do. Perhaps the airship was delayed, those things do happen.” Justice tried to offer comfort, but Max could tell that she was just as worried.

The thought of Adrian smiling down at Cassie with adoration sizzled through Max’s brain. Indeed, his friends did love Cassie nearly as much as he did, and that was part of his worry. The fact that Barrington and Jules also admired her greatly left many possibilities open. Any one of them could betray him, in hopes of gaining Cassie’s love.

Just as his inner demons took hold, a wagon pulled away from the main square and turned down the road. “Here they come now, Justice.”

He heard the darkness of his thoughts in his voice, and tried to push it away.
Trust, Max. You must trust them as you did in the past. These are your only friends and family, have faith.

Under the cover of nightfall, the risk of being caught lessened, but the trio of men unloaded four crates into the house as quickly as they could while Justice supervised. Once they were all inside, Max pried open the box that held Cassie, all the time reminding her to keep her eyes closed, to cover her face, and promising her he’d have her out soon. Once he had managed to free her, all he could do was wrap her in his arms and say a silent thank you that she had returned to him in one piece.

As soon as Max released her, she asked. “I only have one question. Where the hell is Westing?” The entire time she’d been in the abominably hot and uncomfortable crate, she had been trying to figure out where he was, and if he had somehow gone rogue on them.

Everyone but Cassie laughed, and then she heard Adrian’s muffled voice coming from the smallish crate—only half as tall as a normal man but at least three times the width.

“I would very much appreciate being let out of here, is where I am.” The irritation in his voice only caused the group to laugh more. Within minutes the rest of the crates had been opened, Adrian and the two mortechs freed from their casings.

Drawing their attention, Max announced. “Now that the gang is all here, it’s time to get to work. We have very little time and much to do. When the Time Clock strikes the midnight hour, I want every man, woman, and child in that square but at a safe distance, so that the explosion we are going to make will harm no one.”

Stretching and jerking his cramped legs, Adrian still looked annoyed. “Not to take away from our grand reunion here, because it is good to see you all, but would you mind telling us what the plan is? Not to doubt you, old boy, but after being stuck on my hands and knees in a box for over an hour, I’m ready to find out what is going on.”

Max grinned, “Right, I guess it’s about time to lay it all out.” As he spoke, he pulled out a string of explosives held together by leather straps.

Gesturing to the lifeless mortechs, he said, “At midnight tonight, Cassie and I are going to put on a little theater for all of Wren City to see. We will announce our love for each other, and then denounce the Time Clock and the city officials for the evil that they are. After we have brought everyone to witness our star-crossed love and manic devotion, an explosion will occur, killing us and destroying the machine. Once the explosion hits, it will shut down every timepiece connected to the clock. Manmade death will end. In the confusion of the panicked crowds and the fire, the real Cassandra and I will make our way to the East Street Park. Hidden there will be Barrington’s smallest ship. Without the timepieces, and with everyone assuming we are dead, Cassie and I will make a break for it and start a new life. You all are welcomed to join us.”

“How are you going to make these declarations, get out of the way, and get back to Barrington in time?” Adrian had always been the one to question Max, when all the others followed him blindly.

Julius stepped forward, his goggles back down over his eyes, as he studied an arm cuff covered in wires, gears, and buttons. “That’s where I come in, Westing.” Turning his attention to Max, he added, “I’ve got it all programmed. As soon as the mortechs make it to the square, you and Cassie can say what you need to say.”

Max pulled Cassie into his arms, and gave Adrian a wink, “All in good time, my man, and you know the rule. No one knows more than necessary to do his or her part. Keeps us all safer that way!” To the rest of the room, he asked, “So, who shall go with us?”

Barrington’s deep voice was the first to respond. “I’m flying the ship, so I’m going, but I will come back as soon as possible. I can’t leave all my ships behind. I will join you once the heat has lain off and I can make the move without jeopardizing my work.”

Julius grinned, “I have nothing left here. My father has given himself over to The Officials. He sees nothing but profit to be made. Perhaps with me gone, the mortech line will die away as well. Count me in.”

Westing paced in silence, but Justice was the next to throw in. “I’m nothing but a whore in this town, a paid favor and a spy. A fresh start would be good, I think. I’ll go.”

Finally, Adrian spoke. “I don’t know, Max. Someone must stay behind and see that the town goes in the right direction. There’s nothing to tie me into this scheme. For all the police know, I saw Cassie off to the market, not knowing she was being sought after, and then stayed in the Sky Market for the day.”

Max cuffed his hand on Adrian’s shoulder, sincere emotion showing in his eyes, “I understand, Adrian. I admire you for fulfilling what we all started out to do.”

After many embraces and instructions, the group set off to gather their things, leaving Julian, Max and Cassandra to the last of the plan.

*****

             
A small boy ran for the church tower, the fistful of money he had been given ensured his urgency. Cassie held Max’s hand, terrified of what would come next, and yet, relief washed over her. After all they had been through, being separated and brought back together again, she felt lightened that they would finally be free. Standing on her tiptoes, she gave him one last kiss.

The gong of the bell shattered the night as the young boy pulled the rope again and again. As the people poured out of their homes and shops, the mortech versions of Cassie and Max made their way to the tower, just as they had been programmed to do. Their oddly uniform movements went unnoticed by the gathering crowd as the people wiped sleep from their eyes and asked each other what was going on.

Cassandra couldn’t help but think that the image of her and her beloved strolling towards certain death as they held hands, almost seemed romantic. It would not have been so if it were all real, but as far as an idea went, she felt her eyes tear up at the bitter sweetness of the moment.

Interrupting her thoughts, Julius thrust his arm forward, placing the strange cuff in front of their faces, and nodded.

Max gave her a devilish grin, pressed in a sequence of numbers on the keypad, and began to speak. “People of Wren City, you have been called here tonight to witness the destruction of the very thing that hinders us. When we asked The Officials to give us better working environments, they ignored our pleas. When we begged amnesty from the grind for our children, they did nothing. When we asked for help for our elderly and sick, their silence let them die. When we fought against the injustice of the classist system and we took what they would not give, they gave us the Time Clock.”

Cassie watched in amazement as the mortech gestured and moved its mouth as if it was alive and giving the speech in the same fashion that Max would. Deep inside though, she knew it wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny. No matter how vibrant the creature might appear to be, the dead and glassy eyes would always show that it was no more than a machine.

              Max pushed the device to Cassie and keyed in another code. Her voice shook at first, but grew stronger as she ranted. “They have taken a good, strong people and turned them into nothing more than machines. You work, you toil, and you wait for the Death Clock to flip the switch so that you might retire into nothingness. They have taken a power that should only belong to the Creator, and placed it in the cogs and springs of a mechanical thing.”

Through a small speaker on Julius’ device, they could hear the people cheer as they raised their fists in the air. Cassie suddenly felt an urge to walk out the door and join them, to feel the electrical charge in the air as the people morphed into a single entity.

At that moment, the police arrived in the square. “Maxwell Gauswald and Cassandra Dalton, cease and desist under the order of the Wren City Police.”

“No!” The mortech roared as it whipped open its coat and displayed the explosives beneath. “I will not stop!”

The real Max leapt up from his crouch near the window, nearly knocking Cassandra over. “It is you, who will cease and desist. It is The Officials who will stop pushing their bloody boots onto the necks of the Wren City people.”

Cassie held her breath, fearing the police would interfere. If anyone stepped forward and grabbed one of the mortechs they would be thrown off course, and their plan would fail.

The mortech moved to stand beside its mate, as Cassie went to stand by hers. Inside the house and out in the square, both versions of the couple stood with vengeance and pride against their oppressors. Just as Max had predicted, the sight of the lovers united brought the crowd together in a mob mentality to rise against the injustice of what had come.

Mayor Dalton arrived right on time, blustering his way past the screaming and jeering people trying to fight their way through his guards. He ignored the red-faced citizens and focused on one thing, his daughter.

“Cassandra, what are you doing? Come away from him. I order you to stop this at once.” His voice was strong and demanding, but the mortech version of Cassie remained silent for a long moment.

When it spoke, at last, the real Cassie’s tears and regret made the creature sound more lifelike than anyone had hoped. “No, Father. You have taken away my love from me once. You will not do so again. You can’t send me away, and try to hide what I’ve done this time. I am not the daughter of an Official. I am the daughter of the people!”

Max took control of the device once more, the real him comforting a weeping Cassandra. Outside, the mortechs stepped backward, pressing their backs to the clock. The police turned their backs on the mortechs, pushing the people back, trying to get them away from the area. The crowd didn’t resist, fear of being wounded by debris made many of them run. They wanted to watch their martyrs give their lives, but they didn’t want to die.

Once the people were clear, Max activated the final sequence. “No more talk! We cannot live beneath the heel of the Officials, we cannot love in the heart of a city that murders its women and children, and so, we end it here.”

As his words faded, the mortech pressed the button to ignite the bomb. A collective gasp echoed loudly through the crowd, and then silence. Nothing happened, no explosion occurred.

Julius screamed, “No.”

Max fell to his knees, cursing.

Cassandra remained standing, staring as the police approached the mortechs. Having served their purpose, their programming had ended and they stood with wide unblinking stares. Her mind was fraught with panicked half-formed plans, as the time stretched out in impossible slow motion.

Max jumped up, grabbing her face in a painful grip. She gasped as his lips met hers in a rough and passionate kiss. Pulling back, all he could say was, “I love you.”

Cassandra grabbed his arm, knowing what he was going to do. “Don’t! Don’t you dare go out there, let’s just run. Run now before they figure out it’s not really us!”

“Cassie, I can’t. I started this, and I must finish it. If I don’t, the people will pay the price. I will always love you, Cassie. Go to Barrington. Run. I will come when I can.” He turned then, and opened the door.

Cassie cried out, following him on to the stoop, calling out, “Max, no. Please, Max.”

Over the crowd jeering and Cassie’s pleading, a familiar voice screamed out. “Not again, Maxwell. You won’t do this to the people again.”

Max stopped and began backing up. “Cassie, Cassie get inside.”

A shadowy figure stepped into the square, the glint of gunmetal in its hand. “I will not let you bring The Officials down on these people again.”

“Adrian?” Cassie’s whisper was lost in the sound of gunfire.