by Keith Dumble
JESSICA COULD SEE the broad curves of the airship's framework above her as she ascended the steps. The Zephyr had only just begun to rise, and the currents were still gentle as she clambered up onto the deck. Even so, she lowered her goggles. Soon enough, the wind would be enough to make her eyes stream.
Flint was waiting for her beside the wheel. 'A decent enough night,' he said.
The storm had cleared; only a few bulbous clouds remained, low in the west. A band of stars ribboned across the sky and a silver hook of a moon hung high above.
'The flight should be smooth at least.' Jessica recalled Tommy's face on the journey here. Greener than the Thames. She took the wheel in her gloved hands, making a small adjustment as the Zephyr gained height. 'Any souvenirs this time, William?'
Flint shook his head. 'Beyond a bit of bruising on my ankles, I'll be fine. I think the beast didn't want to spoil its dinner.'
Jessica twisted the wheel as the Zephyr cleared the valley. She glanced down at the map, where Atsu was plotting their course. A glowing red line pulsed across the metal surface like a vein. She made the mental calculations and turned the wheel back in the opposite direction, stopping when the line on the map turned white.
'It's a cold one.' Flint turned up the collar of his greatcoat and blew into his hands. His hair streamed behind him, blown by the increasingly strong wind.
'A far cry from the Caribbean I expect?' Jessica relaxed her grip on the wheel. Unless they ran into a freak current or some unforeseen bad weather, she had little more to do until they landed.
'That's the truth.' Flint leaned one arm on the Gatling, his eyes moist. He refused to wear goggles, not even Cottingley's calibrated ones, claiming they interfered too much with his vision. 'I'll never get used to this, truth be told. A ship should be coursing across the waves, not floating hundreds of feet above the ground.'
'It's quite safe you know.' Jessica raised her chin, enjoying the air on her face. 'More people get killed in carriage accidents each year than they do in airships.'
'That old line!' Flint rubbed at his stubble. 'And more people get killed sleeping soundly in their beds at night, dreaming up meaningless statistics like that!'
'Don't be so cynical, William. Or would you rather be back in the stockades?'
He peered up at the bulk of the Zephyr's structure. 'Sometimes, I'm not so sure...' Jessica knew he was joking. Flint had been given the choice: redeem himself in the Black Diamonds, or rot forever in some forgotten pit in the West Indies. He hadn't needed to be asked twice.
It had been the same for them all; the unique way the Diamonds were recruited. Atsu's illegal stowing-away on the Trans-Empire Express, Tommy's infamous clockwork lockpick device finally failing him in the door of an influential member of the nobility, and Cottingley going a bit too far in his attempts to prove he could create life from inanimate matter.
And Jessica too, of course. Being born the bastard child of a traitor to the Empire was, in the eyes of some, the greatest crime of them all.
__________
'All hands. Approaching London.' Jessica leaned back from the brass mouthpiece and walked to the prow. The Zephyr was in its descent: the land beneath looked less like a patchwork quilt and she could now make out individual houses dotted around the outskirts of the city.
Atsu appeared beside her, the wind lifting her fringe and exposing the scar on her forehead. She tried to flatten her hair back down but gave up, securing it in place with her goggles instead. 'It's so beautiful,' she said.
And it was. The enormity of London could only fully be appreciated from the air. As the isolated houses below gave way to grid-like networks of roads, the city was spread out before them like a map.
'Too big for its own good, if you ask me.' Flint stared ahead, his face impassive.
'It does seem to keep on growing,' said Jessica. 'I wouldn't be surprised if it covered the whole country one day.'
The haze was draped over London like a shroud, lit orange by the gaslights beneath. Even through the fog, Jessica could make out the landmarks she knew. The dark snaking thread of the Thames, curving its way past the floodlit bulk of the Houses of Parliament. Further downriver, searchlights danced between the twin pillars of Tower Bridge. And beyond that, straddling each riverbank with one gigantic iron foot, the Colossus of the Empire.
'There!' Atsu pointed. 'The aerodrome!'
The lights throbbed like a pulsing web. Above the docking berths, more than a dozen airships of various sizes were circling. Some on their ascent; some, like the Zephyr, waiting for permission to land. As they approached, the drone of the ships' engines drowned out the sounds of the factories and workshops below.
'Tommy.' Jessica spoke into the mouthpiece again. Not even the splendour of London could coax the engineer on deck whilst they were in the air. 'Await the signal to land.'
'Very good, commander.' His voice crackled back through the ornate brass horn. 'Here we are, Zed,' he said, speaking softly to the airship. 'Not long til you get a good seeing to.'
Jessica swore she could hear a throttle in the airship's engine which sounded like a laugh. Though she understood the need for it in this day and age, part of her mistrusted the Scientifica which gave the ship its sentience — and its rather peculiar personality.
Flint pointed down to one of the clusters of lights, which had begun to flash with a regular pulse. 'That looks like our cue.'
Sure enough, Jessica felt the familiar lurch in her stomach as the Zephyr descended. She removed her goggles, letting them dangle on their strap around her neck. The temperature increased as they got closer to land and to the warmth of the city itself.
'Everyone below,' she said. Flint nodded and headed towards the hatch. Atsu however remained motionless, staring ahead. 'Atsu? Did you hear me?'
The girl did not respond. So unlike her. She was standing at the prow of the ship, her silk dress fluttering in the warm breeze as they continued their descent.
'Atsu? Is everything all right?'
'A storm is approaching,' she replied, her voice flat. Despite the warmth, Jessica shivered as Atsu turned round to face her.
Her eyes were red as blood.
CHAPTER THREE
Heart of the Empire