Cogs in Time Anthology (The Steamworks Series Book 1) Page 13

  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 th
ough, 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.

  *****

  As the sun rose, Cassie sat on the deck of the S.S. Liberation, Barrington’s aptly named airship. Her body may have been in the golden-hued clouds, but her mind was still down on the Mainland. As she thought over the night before, crystal tears fell down her cheeks. Her mind replayed the scene repeatedly. She heard the gunshot and saw the anger in Adrian’s face, the sounds of the screams had nearly deafened her as the bullet found its mark, and the shock of the explosion shook the ground under feet.

  “Hey, there. You okay?” Justice came to join her at the railing.

  “I was just thinking about him.” Cassie wiped at her face, trying to be strong.

  Justice wrapped her arm around Cassie’s shoulder and leaned their heads together. “You know, he always wanted to be your hero. He finally got what he wanted.”

  Cassie’s voice turned bitter. “I hope it was worth it.”

  “Don’t waste your tears on Westing. He’ll hold this over my head for the rest of my life. The day he saved Maxwell Gauswald’s ass.” Max laughed as he joined the women.

  “I hope he’s okay,” Cassie said as she leaned into Max’s chest and his arms came around her.

  Giving Cassie a squeeze, he tried to sound shocked. “Okay? He looks like a hero, Cassie. He shot the man believed to be trying to destroy the Time Clock. That speech he gave, that was brilliant. He will claim he didn’t know about the explosives. He will tell them he thought that I was trying to hurt you, and he couldn’t let that happen.

  “He will smile, and charm, and con his way out of it all.” Justice added.

  Cassandra finally smiled. She knew they were right. Overall, things had turned out okay. The Clock Tower was destroyed, they had escaped undiscovered, and even though the police had Adrian in custody—that was just another adventure to be had.

  Haven

  By MJ Baerman

  New Orleans, March 1887

  Whoever heard of a pirate on the Mississippi River, anyway?

  Ignatius Thor had, and he thought it was ridiculous. He scrubbed at the stubble on his cheek, rubbing at the sharp angles of his jaw as he contemplated his plan. The Dixie rocked gently in the river dock as the cold breeze ruffled Thor’s salt and pepper hair.

  Captain Gideon Rhettson swaggered across the deck, snapping his suspenders and stomping his boots, an overconfident peacock in full display. The top hat he had stolen that morning was precariously perched upon his too-large head.

  “Iggy!” he called loudly, clapping him on the back. Thor lurched forward, his upper half numb. “Ah’m proud o’ you, son. We had a good haul today, thanks to y’all.”

  “Aye, sir,” Thor muttered, rolling his shoulder. The day’s work was not a point of pride. He could still see the desperation and anger on the old man’s face. Thor had exposed his lie, told to protect his wife’s modesty. He could still hear the screams as both were tossed overboard, naked and penniless, into the oil-polluted water.

  He had been asked if the man was telling the truth, and Thor could not lie.

  “Wipe that frown off’a your face, boy,” the captain insisted, “Ya got a gift!” His pearly white grin stretched from e
ar to ear, and he leaned his heavy frame down to whisper conspiratorially in Thor’s ear. “And that gift is makin’ me rich.” Another clap on the shoulder and a laugh obnoxious enough to annoy the entire dock in which they were moored.

  Thor rolled his eyes, glancing briefly into the darkening sky. He caught sight of a small airship, chugging low across the cityscape with an enormous dirigible and numerous propellers. What he wouldn’t give to be on one of those.

  A crewman brought Rhettson his favorite red coat, a questionable dinner jacket he always wore for evenings in town. A bit narrow for his shoulders, he shrugged it on with some difficulty, brushing imaginary dust from the sleeves.

  “You goin’ inland, Cap?” Thor asked casually, and Rhettson grinned at him, tipping his stolen hat.

  “’Course Ah am! You gon’ watch mah ship?”

  “’Course Ah am,” he replied with a grin. His blood burned and his heart raced, laced with fear and excitement. It wasn’t a lie. He’d be watching the beautiful sternwheeler for years to come if he had his way.

  With a purposeful nod, Rhettson and half the crew left the boat, striding off to get their fill of pleasure—women, opium, gambling—disappearing under the bright gas lights of New Orleans.

  The young boatswain glanced about the deck of the steamer he called home. The men on deck watched him expectantly, and he stared at each of them, letting his pale, hazel eyes bore fearlessly into theirs. The back of his mind tingled, and with the sharpening focus came a trick of the eye—vibrancies that appeared in an ethereal palette about each crewman’s head and shoulders.

  Thor had tried to explain it to a starry-eyed girl once, and that was the day he’d been thrown out of his hometown and beaten half to death. Prowessors, people like him with a little extra gift of the mind, weren’t welcome.

  The men that stayed aboard felt dark blue to him—loyal and honest. It had taken Thor the better part of a year to organize the watch crew into only the loyal ones—loyal to him. Those unwilling to let a respectable carrier business get twisted into a poor excuse for pirating. Now, it was finally time to do what he had wanted since she became the only tyrant steamer on the Miss.