“Gearcycles,” Sev said, testing the word. “I like that. Let’s get t’work on these gearcycles.”
That’s just what they did, throwing themselves into the work of fabricating the vehicles. They welded and wound, diligently pressing forward with their creations. Sev was proud of Rat as they pounded away on the project.
Rat pointed out a few more elements that would ultimately improve the design. He suggested a set of spring-loaded pistons attached to the front and rear wheels to absorb shock to provide a smoother ride. Sev proposed they move the gear shifter to the footrest, since the rider’s hands would be occupied with switching and braking. They worked, talked, and worked until they were both exhausted and retired to their respective chambers for a few hours rest.
WHEN THEY awoke, Sev prepared a quick breakfast of bread, cheese, and cold roast. The gearcycles were nearly complete, and the friends got back to work as soon as they’d finished eating. Rat spoke easily about inventions and projects he’d worked on in between jobs for Midnight. Sev felt as though he had the old Rat back at last.
Rat started to relate a story about a few days he’d spent with Faraday. William Faraday served as the Minister of Invention. He, along with the young genius Nikola Tesla, had developed a battery that might have been what insured their success with the giant clockwork man, Prometheus, and certainly without Prometheus, they would never have defeated Fairgate and the corrupt Steamcoats. Apparently Rat had appealed to Faraday before they had all returned to daily life, and the old man agreed to teach Rat.
“So he had me pluggin’ in these huge cables. He was tryin’ t’build a Tesla-Faraday battery big enough t’power his lab. Well, as soon as I touched the forks o’the plug to the outlet, there was a grand discharge of energy, and I went flyin’,” Rat explained.
“Ye’re lucky ye’re alive,” Sev said as he tightened a bolt with a large wrench.
“Aye. So I wake up, and there’re these big blue eyes lookin’ down at me, and I could o’sworn it was Annie sittin’ over me….” Rat’s eyes appeared to unfocus, as though he were imagining their deceased friend’s face. Although, had their time together not been cut so short by her heroic demise, she might have eventually been much more to Rat. Sev worried this might send Rat back into his shell. Instead he heaved a small, steadying sigh and finished his story. “It wasn’t, o’course. The girl was one o’Faraday’s chambermaids. Her name was Esther. She was easy on the eyes.” Rat stopped the story abruptly.
“Well, ye’ve certainly learned quite a bit. I have t’say, I’m impressed.” Sev gave Rat a pat on the shoulder.
He beamed with pride, his pipe clenched in his teeth. “That means a great deal t’me, Sev.” He swiped a hand across his brow, leaving a streak of grease on his skin. “Good ol’ Annie,” Rat murmured. “I still miss her terrible.”
“Me too, Ratty. Me too.”
“We never would’ve escaped those godforsaken tunnels in the undercity if it wasn’t fer her, never would’ve gotten the Tear,” Rat stated, referring to the sealed portion of the underground village that had been built by a race of men called the L’amureans long before the Romans, and the gem they’d found there. “I’ll never forget the screamin’ of them awful monsters as they burned.”
Sev winced at the memory. Sometimes at night, when he was alone and the city was too quiet, he could imagine he heard the things that they’d discovered were once human, the monsters that would have killed them all, if Annie hadn’t given her life to destroy the creatures with fire, the only thing that effectively stopped them. “I don’t think any of us will forget that.” Sev glanced at the clock above his workbench. “Bugger, is that the time?”
Rat pulled out an oversized pocket watch and nodded. “Aye. Ye got somewhere t’be?”
“Silas wants t’meet me fer dinner. I should have just enough time t’get cleaned up and make it to Undertown.” Sev looked around at their almost-finished project.
“No, no.” Rat shook his head, apparently guessing what Sev’s glance meant. “I can finish these up. Go and meet Benty. Tell ’im I said ’ello.”
“Are ye certain, Ratty?” Sev’s heart swelled at the sound of Silas’s nickname.
“Bloody right.” Rat nodded and pushed Sev toward the stairs. “Get ye goin’. Ye don’t want t’be late.”
“Thanks, Ratty,” Sev said. “I owe ye one.”
“I’ll just add it t’the rest, shall I? Get goin’. I’ll see ye when ye return.” Rat smirked. “If ye return.”
“I’ll be back,” Sev said with a touch of exasperation. Then he considered how long it had been since he’d seen Silas. He amended his previous statement. “Maybe. Tomorrow, if not tonight.”
“That’s fine, mate. I’ll be here.” Rat waved him off as he focused once more on the pair of vehicles in the center of the garage. Sev brightened at Rat’s words, happy to have his young friend back once again. Without more discussion, Sev bounded up the stairs for a quick bath and then on to dinner.
2
SEV CHOSE to follow the hidden tunnel that Silas had led him down on his initial visit to Undertown. Silas, Murry, and the other residents of Undertown designed and built a more direct entrance that people could use when they wished to visit the underground city or vice versa. Sev always used this entrance, what most of Undertown thought of as the back door. It held a certain amount of nostalgia for Sev, and he entered the great domed room with the wrought-iron lift.
The room had been refurbished after Fervis and his men mounted an attack on Undertown. The damage might have been repaired and the scorch marks scrubbed clean, but he would never forget how the old bastard had tortured one of Sev’s oldest friends, Waverly, to get the location. Poor Waverly. Branded by Fervis, who’d started at one and made it to four, no doubt intending to sear his friend with each tool he’d used on Sev and his siblings. Waverly died of those injuries, another casualty of the revolution. Sev still felt like it was his fault, but he’d gotten some measure of comfort from the revenge he quite literally took out of Fervis’s hide, branding the sadistic son of a bitch, giving him a taste of his own medicine before slitting his throat. Sev shuddered at his foul memories. He pulled the switch and descended on the lift into the underground city. Even after all this time, it still fairly amazed Seven that something this vast and strange could be located beneath the biggest, busiest city in the kingdom, and until just recently remain completely unnoticed.
Many improvements had been made to Undertown since it was no longer secret. One of the most prominent changes was the more reliable delivery of gas, resulting in stronger, more consistent lighting. Silas had installed an enormous light on the central tower, which had belonged to Hephaestus Kildeggan, the man who founded the revolution. He’d also guaranteed its success, personally killing Fairgate at the cost of his own life. Now Silas lived in that tower, and that light was like Undertown’s own sun.
The strange race of men who had carved the city out of the bizarre black stone presumably worshipped dark creatures beyond man’s imagination, terrible, hungry things that lived in the dark, forgotten spaces of existence. Those people had tried to capture their gods’ likenesses in the stone, and all who looked on them were profoundly disturbed by them. When it was mostly children in Undertown, they had thrown blankets and tapestries over the carvings, but since Undertown was open to the city above, the ugly sculptures were more permanently covered with metal and wood.
The lift dropped to rest at the top of the stairs leading into the heart of Undertown. Sev slid open the door and stepped out. He smiled. Undertown evoked an odd mixture of feelings in him. He’d experienced death, despair, and fear down here, but despite all that, hope continued to blossom, as did love and optimism. All Sev’s musings were chased out of his mind by the sudden sound of excited hooting.
He scanned the ceiling, attempting to prepare himself. Before he could brace for the impact, he was knocked from his feet by a feathery projectile. The large, fluffy bundle hooted and cooed in Sev’s ar
ms as he sat up. “Hello, Hank.” He chuckled as the owl nuzzled up under his chin. Sev could still remember when he’d rescued the little injured owlet. He’d lived in the attic above the Royal Museum at the time, but Henry had grown considerably since he’d come to reside in Undertown. He owed that to a steady diet of rats from the streets and scraps from Murry’s pub.
“Come on, Hank. Up ye get,” Sev said, urging his feathery friend onto his shoulder. He winced as Henry’s talons poked through his coat and shirt. Sev knew the bird couldn’t help it. He also knew they could pierce even deeper if he wasn’t being extremely careful. Sev smiled in spite of the hint of pain, happy to be reunited with Henry. Other birds flapped and twittered in the vast underground cavern that housed Undertown. They’d started migrating in when the new entrance had been built. Whether they did so purposely or just got lost and couldn’t escape, Sev couldn’t say for sure.
Sev decided to stop by the flat he kept in Undertown. It used to be Silas’s. But Murry and Silas had offered it to Sev when Si moved into Heph’s tower. Sev accepted, seeing the practicality of having a place to stay when he visited.
When Murry took over the running of Undertown, she named Silas her assistant, and he met with the queen to discuss Undertown’s disposition within the empire. It was decided that Undertown would be recognized just as any other city and that they would be able to run it as they saw fit, filtering taxes to the crown and deferring to the same rules as the rest of Her Majesty’s towns and villages. Silas’s first order of business had been to oversee the management of real estate. All citizens who chose to stay after the revolution were offered deeds to their homes at no cost, the consensus being that they had earned those deeds with their sacrifices during the battle. After that, land and structures were offered for purchase by outsiders looking to make a new start in the underground. The profits went into the city treasury along with any money they made from the use of Heph’s inventions and patents.
A number of small shops and businesses had set up near the canal docks that were once another of the city’s secret entrances and had since been opened to the city above. It was a natural spot for commerce; deliveries could be made daily with ease. The field where the children of Undertown had burned the bodies of their allies and enemies after Fervis’s invasion grew into a small market district. Some of the shopkeepers inhabited the existing stone dwellings while others had built new structures for their businesses.
As Sev walked to the flat where he and Silas had shared their first night together, he and Henry were greeted by a number of citizens. Some simply called out and waved; others ran up to shake Sev’s hand or scratch Henry beneath his beak. Henry hooted to his admirers, and Sev responded humbly. He didn’t really feel like he deserved their admiration. He’d only done what the rest of them had: survived. When Sev reached the ladder that led to his flat, Henry flapped up into the dwelling ahead of him. Sev checked the post box mounted by the door. He found a few letters from admirers, nothing he hadn’t expected. He placed the missives inside on the table and looked around. Silas’s furniture and belongings had been replaced with things Sev had purchased, gathered, or been given by the residents of Undertown. Henry’s cage stood open in the corner. Sev was reasonably certain that unless he was in the bed, the owl didn’t sleep in the cage.
Sev’s gaze fell on the only thing Silas had left when he’d moved: a copper teakettle. The little vessel had a small dent in it. It had been bent. Sev smiled as he remembered asking Silas if that’s what had given him the idea for his alias, Mr. Kettlebent. Sev decided he’d wasted enough time strolling through Undertown, reminiscing. It had been much too long since he’d last seen Silas, and he wanted nothing more at that moment. He bid Henry farewell and slid down the ladder. Then he dashed through Undertown’s streets toward Silas’s tower.
JUST BEFORE he reached the entrance to the round, black stone structure, he recognized two of the young men walking toward him. Sal and Terpin had both been pilots of Prometheus. Micky was their third, but he hadn’t survived the final battle. The two young pilots spoke animatedly to a few other boys as they approached. Sev noted that they were all roughly the same height and muscular. Terpin had an honest face and close-cropped brown hair. Sal had been burned in the showdown at the palace and had since worn his head shaved. His eyes were cold, icy, and his gaze sharp. It made sense considering he was Prometheus’s eyes as well. He was the first to notice Sev, and he smiled slightly. Sev knew Sal blamed himself for Micky’s death, and he also knew that slight smile was the most Sal had allowed himself for a long time. “Wotcher, Seven?” Sal raised a hand in salute and then offered it for Sev to shake.
Sev did. “Evenin’, Sal, Terpin,” he said with an inclination of his head.
“Boys,” Sal said to the others. “This is Seven.” Sev shook each of their hands in turn as they were introduced. He was still a little uncomfortable with the undisguised awe people showed when they met him.
“What are you fellas up to?” Sev asked.
“Terp and I’ve been trainin’ the boys fer pilotin’,” Sal explained. “The Queen and Parliament have decided they ought to add a Prometheus or two t’the Royal Army.”
“They’re never goin’ t’let a bunch o’kids pilot ’em, though.” Sev realized he’d unintentionally insulted them. “No offense,” he added hastily.
“None taken,” Terpin answered. “Ye’re right. They en’t too quick t’want t’put children in harm’s way.”
“But they’re havin’ trouble,” Sal chimed in. “They’re tryin’ t’make ’em bigger so they can be piloted by soldiers, but they can’t work out the conversions.”
Sev nodded. “Heph perfected Carrington’s design over years. And then Faraday and Tesla came in and refined it even further. How can the Ministry hope to just crank out Prometheuses?”
Sal shrugged. “Silas said we should find some likely candidates fer pilots and start trainin’ ’em. Just in case.”
“Y’ask me? I think Silas’s goin’ t’make himself a couple o’clockwork men, and he wants teams trained,” Terpin added.
“That makes sense,” Sev agreed. “Ye can’t be too careful, can ye? I think we all learned that the hard way.”
The boys mumbled their agreement and then bid Sev goodbye, walking off renewing their conversation. He considered the prospect of Undertown forming its own militia with a pair of Prometheus constructs at their disposal. He wasn’t sure the queen would be comfortable with that, or Wrathsbury for that matter, but neither could he argue with Silas’s logic. As Sev walked up to the entrance to the tower’s lift, he wondered if he could wiggle the topic into their dinner conversation. He pulled the switch and the lift grumbled to life, carrying him upward toward Silas.
SEV FIDGETED in the lift as it ground past the tower floors. He straightened his crisp, charcoal-colored shirt and smoothed down his black waistcoat with the crimson pinstripes. He knew he didn’t have to get this dressed up to eat at Murry’s, but because it had been a while since he’d seen Silas, Sev wanted to look his best. He’d even tried to comb his hair, to no avail. He settled for tucking his slightly too-long locks behind his ears. Passing one of the lower workshops, Sev noticed a number of glass reservoirs crackling with electricity: Tesla bulbs. Copper wires ran from the glass batteries to various and sundry projects scattered throughout the workroom. The workshops and laboratories looked much the same as they had when Sev came here the first time to meet Heph. His nose registered a delicious smell as he passed the kitchen, but what he saw in the shop above the kitchen stole his breath.
Sev’s mouth dropped open as he rose to and then past the next level. He was half tempted to stop the lift. He could have sworn he’d just seen a giant set of clockwork wings. What on earth could Silas be planning with those? And how would he get them into the air? Sev was lost in thought, pondering the physics and viability of the wings. So much so, that he didn’t realize when the lift lurched to a halt in the room at the top of the tower.
Ins
tinctively, without looking up, Sev wandered over to the desk that was once Heph’s but now belonged to Silas, all the while rubbing his chin in thought. When he reached the desk, he leaned against it. “Sev,” Silas said, his voice sounding slightly tinny.
Sev turned to respond and was shocked once again. Silas wasn’t in his chair. “What th—”
“Sev. Over here,” Silas said, or rather his voice emerged from a small box on the wall near the desk. “It’s an overwire communication device. I’m calling it an overcom. It carries voice vibrations along a wire connecting the boxes. It’s based on Carrington’s voice-amplification device.”
“Wow.” Sev remembered the stories of Carrington addressing all of Undertown during Fervis’s siege. “That’s pretty interesting.”
“I assume you’re speaking to yourself?”
“I—” Sev began. Am I? he thought.
“If you want me to hear you, walk over to the box and press the red button while you talk. The button engages the wire. Try it. When you’re finished talking, pause so I know you’re done.”
Sev walked cautiously to the apparatus. He pressed the button. “Um, h-hello.” He paused with his finger on the button and waited. Nothing. “Silas?” Sev took a step back and frowned at the little wooden box.
“Did you take your finger off? Can you hear me again?” Silas asked. “When you’re done talking, take your finger off the button. It will disengage the wires so I can talk.” Sev assumed the pause was for him.
“I think I got it,” Sev said, pressing the button, then releasing it. Waiting.
“I knew you would,” Silas answered, and Sev could hear the smile. “I’ve made us dinner. You don’t mind staying in, do you?” Pause.
“No,” Sev responded. “Not at all. I’ll be right down.” He didn’t wait for Silas’s response, just turned and headed for the lift.
The 7th of Victorica Page 2