“Do you want to come along?” she asked. The clockwork responded by crawling into her bag, and she laughed. “You don’t travel in the bag, here, try this.” She placed him on a bowler hat that she rarely used, and he fit perfectly. She could clip his legs all the way around the hat, so he secured himself into place.
“You’ll be right with me, and no one will suspect that I have an extra set of eyes. Or rather, one extra eye.” She took a step back to admire how well he blended in with the other adornments on the hat, then placed it on her head. And if she really needed to, she could activate him to do his little bounce trick and give her time to run.
Figuring she got everything she needed, she left the shop and bumped right into Thorne.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” he said, leaning down to pick up her bag that she’d dropped. “Nice hat.”
“Thanks,” she said, taking the bag from him. She locked the door behind her, and straightened the hat that held Sweetums.
“Where are you off to?”
“Work. What are you doing here?”
He stepped to the side and leaned against the building. “I just thought I’d come by and see how you are holding up. And explosion is an unsettling thing.” He offered what she assumed must be his idea of a warm smile, and she was surprised that her stomach did a little jump.
“Shouldn’t you be with the Mayor?” She asked, hoping to cut the interaction short so she wouldn’t waste more time being distracted by his dimples.
“She’s got others with her. I’m here to check on you.”
“Did she send you?”
“No. Believe it or not I really left her in good hands and personally wanted to come see if you were okay. I didn’t like the idea of you going through something like that and then being alone.”
Carleigh was touched. “Thanks,” she said, not quite finding the words she wanted to express how much it really meant to her. “That was very kind of you. I do have somewhere to be though.” She turned and started on her way, feeling afraid of her feelings and wanting to get away fast.
“Hey, how about I accompany you to your next client.”
She stopped in her tracks, but didn’t turn around. “Thank you, Thorne, but I don’t need a personal bodyguard. I’ll be just fine.”
“Okay, I get it. Do you think I could have a look around your place, at least?” He craned his neck, glancing through the window. “I’m sure you looked everything over, but I’d like to double-check.”
She finally turned back to him. “Are you checking for my safety, or checking because you’re suspicious?”
“Honestly, a little of both. If you are innocent, then I’m worried for you. Otherwise, it’s my job to look into every aspect and every possible suspect, no matter how much the Mayor vouches for you.”
“First off, you need to know that I'm a clockwork expert, not a chemist. I don't know the first thing about explosives. Second, if I wanted to kill the mayor, why would I have blown myself up?”
“Sometimes plans run awry.” He shrugged. “Don’t take this the wrong way, it’s not personal.”
“Look, I have nothing to hide, so here, I’ll unlock the door for you and you can snoop to your heart’s content. Just please lock up when you are done. I can’t stay, I have places to be.”
She pushed open the heavy metal door and motioned him inside. He tipped his hat to her and went in.
“ ’Preciate it,” he said, disappearing through the doorway.
Finally alone again, she headed off to Under State.
2
Carleigh picked up her pace, knowing that her best bet at staying safe in Under State was getting there early and getting out before everyone started waking up for their late day.
She wasn't worried about leaving a stranger in her shop, especially since he was a PO. They were known to be well-vetted and trustworthy, and it was highly unlikely that he was a secret clockwork and explosives expert who had been able to plant the bomb in the mayor’s desk. She did have an idea who did have those skills though, and that person happened to live in Under State.
Lighton was a town on the edge of a gorge. It was a small and quiet place, surrounded by desert as far as the eyes could see, and farther out than any land vehicle could travel.
Their neighbor, which was not officially a part of Lighton, was at the bottom of the gorge. Called Under State, it was a town, if you could call it that, which had built up around the river that was used for waterway travel and shipping. Over the years, as the natural water source shrank, the people had reinforced the waterway with concrete and metal. It was now a canal that was more manmade than natural. However, long ago the people there decided they weren’t going to follow the laws of Lighton; they were going to police themselves, and so they did through many political layers of gangs and bosses.
Not that the rest of the world knew how bad Under State was. To the rest of the world, it was a vibrant tourist area with friendly vendors and entertainment all down the canal. There were even gambling spots, and this was a huge draw to tourists. As long as you were there for a short period and you were spending money on gambling, shopping, or eating, you were safe. The bosses loved getting rich off tourists and, to ensure they didn’t lose any of them, they made sure the canal-facing side was very safe.
But Carleigh wasn’t going to the canal-facing side. She was going behind that, where the real dangers of Under State lay.
She rode the elevator down, listening to the gears grind and smelling the steam and grime rise in the air around her. Sweetums squeaked in her hat.
“Are you enjoying the view up there?”
The clockwork twirled its cogs and made what sounded like a delighted noise while it rolled its single eye around in its cylinder socket.
“You’re such a goof,” she chuckled, glad to find something light-heartening to focus on.
Carleigh exited the elevator when it stopped and was instantly enveloped in the dark, smelly Under State. She instantly felt dirty just stepping out into the slippery, greasy street.
She marched straight to her destination, ignoring the drunkards passed out along the alleys and the rats darting around her feet. She knew exactly where she was headed. The one person who could’ve sabotaged the mayor’s desk was someone who had the chemistry knowledge to handle the explosive, the clockwork skills to plant it in the desk, and the reputation as a gun for hire.
This very person was Carleigh’s childhood best friend, Kim Ramos.
They’d both started out in metallurgy, but when Carleigh started to excel and Kim struggled to shine, Kim dropped out. She couldn’t stand to lose. So instead of finishing her training in second-place, she’d changed her major to chemistry, moved to Under State, and turned her back on Lighton.
Now, Carleigh approached Kim’s shop, little more than a busted-up, darkened house. When she heard the unmistakable sounds of tinkering, hammer on metal, she knew that Kim was there, and she knocked.
The tinkering stopped and the house fell silent. “I need to talk to you.” Carleigh shouted, pounding harder on the wooden door.
“We aren’t open this early. Come back later.”
“I’m only going to get louder, and your neighbors won’t be happy about it,” Carleigh shouted.
It was just a few moments before Kim swung the door open, red fury in her cheeks. She was a thin and waif-like girl, not someone you’d expect to find in her line of work. She had a long nose, long face, and long dark hair parted down the middle, which seemed to pull all of her features down into a scowl. Like Carleigh, she wore the protective leather corset and leather boots, but all of her garb, including her undershirt and leather pants, were black. When Carleigh knew Kim, she wasn’t one who was prone to violence, but the girl who stood before her looked ready to throw punches.
“You? What do you want?”
“Why did you do it?” Carleigh asked. “Why did you plant the device in the mayor’s office?”
Kim threw her head back in a groan. “I don�
��t have any idea what you are talking about.”
Carleigh ignored the comment. She knew Kim well enough to know that she was guilty by her response. “Did you plant it there to get Mayor Reed, or me?”
“You’re fishing in the wrong pond, Carleigh. Go home.”
Carleigh knew that the best way to get answers out of Kim was to bait her. “Let me guess, it was to get me because you are trying to take me out of the picture so you can take over my position.”
Kim snorted and crossed her arms. “The last thing I could ever do is live up there again in the land of the genteels, and your fussy customers wouldn’t come down here, so how do you suppose that would work?”
Carleigh shrugged. “I didn’t say I thought you had a good plan, just that the work had your signature all over it.”
She narrowed her eyes and she clenched her jaw, leaning in close and speaking in a low growl. “If I wanted anything of yours, I would have hit you where it counts. You should stay out of this and just be happy your shop is still in one piece.”
“Then why did you try to kill the mayor?”
“It was a job!” Kim blurted out. “You wouldn't understand, living the lavish life up there, but down here is different. We all make money how we do, and the money was good for this one. What are you going to do, turn me in? To who?” She spread her hands and looked all around us at the empty streets. “That’s what I thought.”
She was right. It wouldn’t matter that she admitted it, because she lived in a world where the only people she had to watch out for were her bosses. The Lighton POs couldn’t arrest her, and she didn’t do anything to cross an Under State, so no one here was coming after her.
“Tell me who hired you. I need to know why they did this.”
“You know I won’t do that. Besides, why in the world do you think they would tell me who they were? Middle-men were there for a reason.”
“You know better than anyone that I don't ever give up on a friend. Even when they give up on themselves.”
“Can't say ever, huh? Just a few years, give or take.”
Kim’s words stung. Carleigh had fought for her to come back to them for years, and it took a long time for her to stop.
“I guess you have to know when to give up when the other person is hell-bent on personal destruction.”
Kim sneered. “Destruction’s in the eye of the beholder. I have plenty of money, plenty of free time, and I’m personally very valuable to some bosses around here. You can’t say as much for yourself. Now, I think we’re done here.” Without letting Carleigh get another word in, she went back into her shop.
Carleigh turned to go, but stopped when she heard Kim call her name. “Wait.” Kim’s voice was softer, and Carleigh turned around with a spark of hope that her friend was open to talking.
“Yeah?” Carleigh asked.
“A parting gift.” Kim said, tossing something toward Carleigh.
Carleigh didn’t have time to see what it was. She barely heard the male voice yell “Get down” before she was thrown to the concrete by a strong body and then bathed in heat. She heard the sizzling sound of flames going up in the air and looked back. Through the smoke and fire she saw that Kim was gone. Beside her, on the ground, was PO Adams.
“That woman just tried to kill you,” he said. “Get up, move.” She stood with him and they were on their feet, moving fast to avoid any secondary bombs from Kim or any other trouble that might come from the neighbors.
“I thought you said your next client wasn’t going to blow you up.” Thorne shouted to her as they ran.
“To be fair, she wasn’t a client.”
“So then you lied to me about going to see a client.”
“No, I think I told you I had stuff to do, not that I had a client.”
The shock was starting to set in, and Carleigh felt her body shaking. They were far enough from Kim’s that she felt she was safe enough to stop and lean up against the closest building, gasping for breath and willing her heart rate to slow.
Thorne moved close to her and offered his arms to her. She stepped into his embrace, and enjoyed the strong feeling of them wrapped around her, relieved that he wasn’t shaking like she was.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Don’t mention it. Did you at least get from her what you came down here for?”
“Not really.” Carleigh stepped back, feeling a bit stronger. “I mean, I know for sure now that I wasn't the target, not that I really believed I was, but I wanted to be sure.”
“And now you’ve got me on your side.”
“Are you saying I’m not a suspect? Oh, wait, it was ‘interested party,’ right?”
“I heard your conversation, so it looks like a no, I'm not interested in you anymore.”
Carleigh’s eyes moved from the shards of debris on his uniform to his face, and she raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Interested as a suspect,” he stammered. “Not, you know, that I'm not interested in you as a person.”
“Oh,” she smiled. “As a person?”
He smiled back. “Sure, you do interesting stuff for a living, that’s real interesting.”
Carleigh nodded, giving him a sly look. “Alright, I see how it is. How about we continue this discussion later and get out of here before someone else throws something at me.”
“Agreed.” He offered his hand to Carleigh, who took it. “Do you have an idea of where to look next?” They started walking back toward the gorge elevator.
“Not exactly, but I do know someone who might be able to point me in the right place.”
3
“I mean, two times in one day, it would be understandable if you wanted to back off. I can take over,” Thorne suggested.
“I can’t do that, just sit home and rest while I hope it all gets worked out. You couldn’t either. We both want to figure out who is going after Mayor Reed. Besides, this is a personal connection. He won’t talk to just anybody.”
The elevator gears churned as it made the slow climb to the top of the chasm. Carleigh took the spare time to wipe down her pants and shirt, brushing off as much grime as she could. Lying on the ground in Under State was on the top of her list of most disgusting things she’d ever done. She felt like she needed to take a decontamination bath.
She spared no time in stepping off of the elevator when it finally stopped. The hot sun rays hit her face, and dry sand kicked up around her boots. It was so different than being below, by the water. Carleigh took a deep breath and tried to shake off the lingering fear from Under State, or at least hide it. It wouldn’t do to let her next host see how afraid she was.
“Where are we going?” Thorne asked. “The town’s back the other way.”
“You’re so full of questions.” Carleigh continued walking, barely giving him a backwards glance. “Where does it look like I’m going?”
“The airship landing?”
“Right-o.”
Thorne fell into step beside her. “Great idea, we can check the passenger lists to see if there is anyone suspicious on board.”
Carleigh laughed loudly. “Are you kidding me? They won’t give you their passenger records, if they even have any, and how are you going to identify someone suspicious based on a name they put down on a passenger log?”
“Fine, then would you care to fill me in on what we’re getting into?”
“Not really. The way I see it, I’m going there. You can follow, but I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
The airship landing was the preferred method of transit for refined Lighton travelers who wouldn’t dare use the Under State canal. It had to be accessed by use of the large metal bridge construct that ran over the gorge from the town to the transport area. Anyone suffering vertigo had to avoid looking over the side, straight down into Under State. Carleigh preferred to stare straight ahead at her destination.
The airship landing area was bigger than the town of Lighton itself. It had to be able to house passing ai
rships that landed for refueling, maintenance, or tourism.
“I’m meeting an old family friend.” She finally told him. “He may be able to point me to someone who can give me more information, but no questions, okay? If you hadn’t just saved me from Kim’s bomb, I really wouldn’t even be taking you with me at all. But we both want to figure out who is after Mayor Reed, so here we are.”
“That, and the fact that I followed you before, and traveling together just makes more sense than me having to track you all day,” Thorne added.
“Heaven help me, why couldn’t PO McKinna have been on post this morning.”
“Aww, I’m way more fun than her.”
“Look, this friend won’t tell me anything useful in front of you, so I need you to just hang out in front, okay?” Carleigh knew there was more to it than that. The sight of Thorne’s PO uniform wouldn’t be welcomed there at all, and she just had to hope that her contact would remain calm.
“You’re really sure that there’s no chance of bomb number three?”
“As sure as I am of anything, I swear.”
He nodded, and Carleigh left him, going through the back of the main mechanical building to look for her contact.
“Wheeler?” She called. It took a moment for her to locate the hulking figure in the back, wrenching on an engine part. His mechanics leathers were in pristine condition, but they stopped at his shoulders where his bare arms were exposed, made up of muscles and covered in tattoos all the way down to his wrists. The goggles sitting on his head in his close-crop black hair shone with the silver of the reflective lenses. As the overseer of the airship landing, he didn’t usually work as a mechanic, but it was all about image. It was extra camouflage to decrease the odds that anyone would identify him as the only Lighton crime boss.
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