“Reb and I didn’t live in the same state. I grew up in Indianapolis and she was from San Francisco,” Giles responded, trying to keep a positive attitude.
Beauregard closed his computer. “You guys had the right connection, so it worked. Online dating might not be the right solution for me. It’s impersonal and most of the profiles are filled with lies. Unlike you, I’m a romantic. I want a magical experience.”
Giles rested his arms on the table. “Why do you have such a hard time meeting women? You’re a celebrity. Women throw themselves at you every day. You should be able to meet someone among those admirers.”
“It’s complicated. Most of the women who pursue me are searching for fame and money. I want something more genuine. As a freelance painter, I don’t have coworkers. The majority of the women who buy my artwork are too old. Reb is my agent, but she’s married to you and I respect that. Sometimes I go to nightclubs, but I mostly meet wild girls who spend a lot of time partying. I don’t want a girlfriend who’s going to suck me into a life of drug abuse again,” Beauregard fretted.
Giles patted his client on the shoulder. “At least you’re thinking logically and responsibly. That means you won’t settle for anything until a decent woman enters the picture. It might take time, but that’s the right strategy. I got lucky. Reb was always mature for her age and very independent. She was a career-driven woman who had a lot of motivation. We had a good level of compatibility. Otherwise, I would be single too.”
*****
On another part of the deck, Reb and Malcolm were playing poker. Malcolm wore a traditional Victorian outfit consisting of a suit, coachman’s hat, gloves, spats, and all the usual accoutrements. Reb’s outfit had an aerial theme running through her aviation cap, goggles, leather jacket, knee-high boots, and leather gloves. Although they weren’t currently together, Reb and Giles wore outfits that complimented each other.
Reb laid her cards on the table and she declared, “Beat that! I have a straight flush!”
Malcolm’s gave up and tossed his cards down on the table in front of her. “Poker isn’t my strongest game. I can’t read the expression on your face with those bug-eyed goggles. What’s up with the aviation outfit?”
She pulled the goggles down to neck level. “Steampunks wear all kinds of strange outfits. Victorian attire is the most popular, but I also see influences from the Wild West, aviation, nautical themes, Dieselpunk, and all kinds of things. You’re the one who likes the explorer theme.”
“Exploration outfits give me a masculine appearance. Speaking of masculinity, where’s your better half?” Malcolm wondered out loud.
“He’s trying to help Beau with some online dating,” Reb replied.
Malcolm tapped his fingers on the table. “Well, I think Beau is the lucky one. He hasn’t experienced heartbreak, betrayal, or frustration in a relationship yet.”
“Yeah, but bad experiences make you stronger in the long run. You should talk to my mother. She dated a lot of idiots before starting a serious relationship with my father. Gable used to be a ladies’ man. And my brother was a huge playboy before he dated Priscilla,” Reb mentioned.
Malcolm shrugged. “I had my fair share of casual relationships too. It’s fun, but I can’t get anything meaningful out of a relationship like that. For a while, the press was labeling me a womanizer and the commitment-phobic type.”
“Were they wrong?” Reb asked.
“I’m trying to get past that stage. After years of throwing my life away, I’m ready to earn respect from the public and my peers. I’ve redeemed myself through a terrific career, but that’s only the first step. Now I need to complete the rest of my goals. Take a look at this zeppelin. It’s a remarkable work of Steampunk transportation, but I can’t share it with anyone. That’s how all of my trips feel,” Malcolm discussed.
Reb tried to avoid her sympathetic side, and said snarkily, “Well, you’re stuck with me in the meantime.”
Malcolm became distracted by a surveillance camera that was mounted ten feet away from them. “Look at that camera. I saw cameras like that when we sailed on the ocean liner. Does that mean the airship has booby traps?”
“Probably. Steampunks have very creative ways to get rid of their enemies,” Reb commented.
*****
A flying battleship was following the zeppelin at a safe distance to avoid being noticed by the passenger airship. It was a large vessel that was sculpted from grafted bronze, brass, and iron. The battleship had a similar design to an aircraft carrier, and it was powered by two massive turbine engines. It was piloted by sky pirates wearing aviation garb. They were hunting for the Steampunk zeppelin.
Their captain, Dante Magnum unfolded a single binocular and he intently stared at the other vessel. “That zeppelin is a beautiful machine. It will be a fantastic addition to my arsenal.”
Dante’s first mate, Aiden Tierney, was also fascinated with the Steampunk airship. “It’s absolutely gigantic. Do you know if it’s armed with weapons?”
“Certainly. I spent a lot of time studying the zeppelin’s architecture. It has weapons dispersed throughout the vessel to combat outside enemies. It might look like an aerial cruise ship, but this zeppelin would be uncanny in warfare,” Dante explained, as he put away the binocular.
“What about booby traps? Steampunk transportation is notorious for killing non-grafted invaders,” Aiden said.
Dante shook his head. “I didn’t see any evidence of booby traps on the blueprints.”
“Forgive me for doubting you, but I don’t understand how you found out so much information about the zeppelin,” Aiden mentioned.
“Don’t worry so much. We have allies on that vessel. I bribed someone on the crew to give me information. If we’re going to seize this airship, we need to eliminate the crew. I have a mole who’s going to murder the crew. He’ll tell me when the task is done,” Dante discussed.
Aiden became apprehensive. “I don’t think one person can murder the entire crew. That’s impossible.”
Dante walked over to a wooden crate and pulled out a peculiar-looking rifle. He handed the weapon to his first mate. “This is how our spy is going to finish the job. Steampunks are immune to electric shock because their clothes are infused with modified metal that repels it. However, this is a new type of electricity. I have a supplier who figured out a way to modify electricity so it can be specifically deadly to Steampunks. Guns like this one shoot bolts of green electricity that can kill any living creature.”
The first mate was impressed with the rifle. “This is excellent. You’re a very resourceful man.”
“That’s why I’m the captain of this battleship. Soon, I will also be the captain of that zeppelin. We’re carrying biplanes and specialized hang gliders that can swarm the airship. My crew is well trained and they’ll be able to handle rogue Steampunks who will try to retaliate against us. This is going to work quite well. I dislike Steampunks, but their technology is very useful,” Dante explained.
Aiden looked at the crew, who was busy preparing weapons and methods of aviation for a significant attack. “You won’t have to worry about those Steampunks for much longer. When we take control of the zeppelin, they’ll be afraid to fight us. It will be easy for us to steal more of their world’s resources with a powerful Steampunk airship.”
“Exactly. Now we’re just waiting for our mole to set the plan in motion,” Dante responded.
*****
Captain Otto and first mate Trent walked down one of the hallways.
“There’s a flying pirate ship coming closer to the zeppelin. Our crew needs to keep an eye on that vessel,” the captain ordered.
They entered the captain’s office and Trent replied, “I already informed them about it. So far, the pirate ship seems to be a civilian vehicle.”
Otto sat down in his chair. “I don’t want to take any chances. There are too many passengers aboard this airship. Let’s keep a close on eye the pirate ship, and then we’ll prepare th
e crew for battle if it becomes necessary.”
Trent gingerly took a knife out of his belt as Otto continued to talk, not noticing his first mate’s actions. The first mate slashed his captain’s throat before he had a chance to react. Blood spewed out of the wound while Otto coughed, desperately trying to get air. Soon, he slumped on his desk and was completely still. Trent was repulsed when he saw Otto’s blood run down the desk. He used a handkerchief to wipe the blood away from his knife, then quietly exited the office.
Chapter 9
The treasonous first mate walked by the main control room and pulled out a small device. He pressed the button and triggered a trap in the control room. Sparks and green electricity flew out of the machinery and electrocuted the crew members. The men cried out as the electricity violently jolted their bodies. Soon, they collapsed and smoke sizzled from their corpses. Trent cautiously opened the door after the task was finished.
“That takes care of those guys. Now I just have to eliminate the pilot and copilot,” Trent muttered to himself.
He briskly walked to the cockpit and knocked on the door.
“Who’s there?” the pilot asked.
“It’s your first mate Trent. I need to speak with both of you,” the traitor answered.
The copilot opened the door and greeted him. “Hi, Trent. What can we do for you?”
Trent pulled out an electrical gun and pointed it at the copilot. “I’m sorry.”
He fired the weapon and blasted the copilot with green electricity.
The copilot fell to the floor and the pilot whipped around in his seat. “What the heck is going on?”
Trent pulled out his knife and quickly slit the pilot’s throat. He died almost instantly from blood loss. Trent tossed his body out of the seat. Trent turned on the autopilot function and used a communication device on his wrist to contact Dante.
“The mission is complete. I took care of the entire crew, including my captain. Right now, the zeppelin is running on autopilot,” Trent stated.
Dante was pleased with the news. “Wonderful. You’re proving to be a very good ally. Leave the zeppelin. We can meet on my battleship. Your reward will be quite impressive.”
Within a few moments, Trent had exited the zeppelin. He flew through the air with a jetpack strapped on his back. He found the battleship and boarded the vessel. Trent was removing the jetpack when Dante greeted him.
“Okay, I hope this reward is worth the effort. I’m going to be a fugitive for killing my crew. What are you giving me?” Trent eagerly asked.
Dante responded, “Actually, I lied about the reward. You should never trust a sky pirate.”
He grabbed the front of Trent’s shirt and tossed the turncoat overboard. Trent screamed as he plummeted miles below the battleship.
Aiden laughed at the traitor’s misfortune when he saw what Dante had done. “What an idiot. I’m starting to feel a lot better about this plan. Maybe it won’t be so bad.”
“Just trust me and watch everything turn in our favor,” Dante replied.
*****
Meanwhile, Gable and Oliver continued to play air hockey. Oliver noticed the battleship passing them in the distance.
“Did you see that battleship? It looked really cool,” Oliver mentioned.
Gable looked up from the air hockey table. “Yes, I see it. It might be a military vessel. Let’s keep playing. I’m getting better at this game.”
*****
Malcolm also noticed the battleship through a porthole while he played poker with Reb.
“Is that a flying battleship? I’ve never seen an aerial vessel like that,” Malcolm commented.
Reb started to feel uneasy about the strange vessel. “Something about it seems eerie. Back when we were all on that cruise, Gable and I saw a pirate ship when we took a walk on the ocean liner’s deck. It didn’t end well. The ship fired a canon and set the two of us on fire.”
Malcolm wasn’t worried about the mysterious vessel. “I doubt that will happen to you again. Even your luck can’t be that bad.”
Back on the battleship, Dante lined up his crew to ready them for the invasion. A handful of crew members aimed the ship’s missile launchers at the zeppelin.
“Fire at will!” Dante ordered.
Aiden became panicked from his captain’s command. “Are you crazy? Those missiles will damage the zeppelin!”
Dante argued, “The grafted metal will protect the airship from our missiles! I just want to give those Steampunks a scare! We need them to believe my battleship can bring them down in flames!”
The sky pirates fired their missile launchers and pelted the zeppelin with explosives. The missiles exploded harmlessly against the grafted metal, but the impact jostled the airship and its passengers. Several windows shattered when the missiles blasted against the Steampunk vessel. Passengers cried out from the sudden attack while they tried to find cover from the flying glass.
A number of Steampunks fell on the floor, including Percy and Savannah. They quickly stood up and saw civilians fleeing in different directions.
Percy unsheathed two tomahawks. “So much for a relaxing trip. Someone is attacking us!”
“It’s got to be those sky pirates. Who else is going to attack a zeppelin that’s flying thousands of feet above the ground?” Savannah grumbled, then she grabbed a whip that was fastened to her belt.
Percy looked around the corner and saw mobs of Steampunks running in every direction. “We need to find the kids before our situation gets uglier. Come on!”
The middle-aged couple bolted down the corridor and searched for their family.
*****
Reb and Malcolm were also thrown to the floor when the missiles detonated against the zeppelin.
“What was that? It felt like an explosion!” Malcolm hollered.
Reb grabbed for her baton while their cards flew through the air. “You’ve got to be kidding! I knew this trip was too easy!”
She stood up and activated a small crossbow that was strapped on her wrist. Malcolm was intrigued by the small contraption.
“That’s a cool gadget. Does it fire like a weapon?” Malcolm wondered out loud.
“This is a miniature crossbow. I knew it would be handy if we encountered sky pirates. It seems like we’re going to have another battle. Are you ready for a fight?” Reb asked, as she loaded her weapon.
Malcolm shrugged. “Sure. I’m getting used to it.”
He followed Reb across the deck while they searched for other members of their group.
*****
The sky pirates prepared their weapons and aerial transportation. A group of sky pirates wore mechanical devices on their backs that unfolded and worked as wings. They hurried off the battleship and flew directly to the zeppelin. The group broke the rest of the zeppelin’s windows and infiltrated the flying vessel. After they boarded the zeppelin, the sky pirates pulled out their electrical guns and zapped multiple Steampunks. Passengers were electrocuted and thrown several feet across the rooms. Some of them banged against tables and equipment.
Giles and Beauregard hid behind an overturned table.
“This time, I came prepared,” Beauregard said, then he pulled out some throwing knives.
Giles grabbed a sawed-off shotgun that was strapped to his back. “Hold on. This isn’t normal electricity. I don’t think our grafted clothes will protect us. We need to escape and figure out a plan.”
“Lead the way. You haven’t gotten me killed yet,” Beauregard replied.
The two men ran away from their hiding place and escaped from the electrical fire.
Two of the sky pirates used a map to reach the cockpit. They took control of the zeppelin and turned the massive vessel in the opposite direction.
One of them used an earpiece to contact Dante. “Captain, we’re piloting the airship. What are your orders?”
“Turn the zeppelin around and head toward our headquarters in the Rocky Mountains. The rest of our crew will keep those Steampu
nks under control. Just maintain the coordinates and don’t leave the cockpit unless I say otherwise,” Dante said sternly before he ended the transmission.
The copilot looked at his partner. “Do you think this plan is going to work? The Steampunks will probably revolt and try to reclaim the zeppelin.”
“We don’t have a choice. Dante isn’t very forgiving to weaklings. If we don’t succeed, he’ll make us walk the plank and it’s a long drop below,” the pilot stated.
*****
Back on the pirate ship, Dante and Aiden watched the beginning of their conquest.
“I knew those Steampunks wouldn’t be so difficult to defeat. They use their grafted clothes and bones as a shield, but it doesn’t work against this green electricity,” Dante commented.
“I have to admit, those electrical guns are quite terrifying. When we take full control of the situation, what are we going to do with the passengers?” Aiden asked.
Dante nonchalantly responded, “We’re going to kill them. I don’t want any witnesses or freedom fighters.”
The battleship followed the steam-powered zeppelin, and they both headed toward the mountains.
Chapter 10
Gable and Priscilla heard some commotion from the recreational room.
“That doesn’t sound good. I don’t know what’s happening, but we should probably find a safe location,” Priscilla stated.
Gable nodded. “We’ll take the kids to our cabin and lock the door. Nobody will even know we’re there.”
“I can see people running and shouting. What’s going on?” Maggie wondered out loud.
Gable didn’t want to alarm the children. “I’m not sure, but we shouldn’t stay here. Follow us and stay quiet.”
“If we’re being attacked, I want to fight back,” Oliver stated.
Priscilla took his hand. “That would be a good idea under a lot of situations, but you two don’t have grafted bones yet. We need to keep you children safe.”
Gable peered through the doorway. “I don’t see any terrorists down the corridor. If we hurry, everything should be fine.”
The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Vendetta Page 17