The horse-drawn aircart was comfortable, but very slow. The horse plodded along like an old lady at a grocery store, and the farmer didn’t seem to want to hurry the process either. We also had to go around the long way to reach the land bridge to the city, since we had flown in over the bay. In this way, it took us a full day to get back, even though we’d flown out in just a short time.
The sun was setting when we arrived. Despite our near-death adventure, the city remained the same—a few ships in the harbor and airships overhead, but mostly just people quietly walking through the streets as their workday came to an end. We thanked the farmer profusely for giving us a ride, and then headed to the airdocks.
Sydney was furious, just as I had expected. At first she thought that I had just lost the ship and jumped out to save my own skin. I was very glad that I had Summer there to back up my story about the sabotage, or else it would just seem like I was incompetent. Once we explained to her that (a) the airship itself was still safe with Akari and (b) it wasn’t my fault, she redirected her rage.
“I can’t believe it,” she grumbled, while pacing around her office. “A saboteur, here in my own docks? And you say he’s some kind of mafia? No way in hell I can allow someone like that near my ships. You two”—she jabbed her finger at us—”find a way to deal with him.”
“Deal with him how?” I asked. “You mean, kill him?”
“What? No! What the hell are you thinking?!” She slammed her fist on the desk. “I mean deal with him legally. I’ll file a police report and tell everyone to be on the lookout, but that probably won’t be enough. I want you dig up some dirt on that gang that will make them leave us alone. I’ll suspend your regular dock job until you do. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.” I swallowed nervously, but tried not to let it show. “Can I get Vera and Akari to help me? They’re involved in this, too.”
Sydney did a facepalm and groaned in frustration. “They’re involved in this too? What are you three doing to make a gang target us? Never mind, I don’t want to know. Yeah, I’ll take them off regular duty too, even though it’ll mean working everyone else here like hell to cover their shifts. I’ll send them over to the place you’re staying as soon as they report in—” she stopped her speech and gave me a look I’d never seen before, like she was actually concerned about me—”Be careful, OK? I’m counting on you.”
“Uh, yes sir!” I replied.
“Don’t call me sir!” she snapped. “I'm not a gang leader, I just want my airships safe. And my dockies too, if possible.”
After that—which I suppose passed for a motivational speech by Sydney’s gruff standards—Summer and I left. We were both exhausted, so we agreed to get some rest first, and then meet back at my hostel tomorrow to plan a strategy.
----------------------------------------
Summer met me there bright and early. We discussed things a bit while I ate my usual breakfast of grits and beans, but mostly we just chitchatted while we waited for the others to show up. Neither of us had any bright ideas, but just having Summer there made me feel better about the mess we were in.
Vera and Akari showed up around 9, after everyone else in the boarding house had finished breakfast and left, so the common room was empty. They had first reported for work at the airdocks and been filled in by Sydney, so they knew as much as we did.
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“We’re in deep shit,” said Vera, bluntly.
“Yeah, I know,” I replied. “They did try to kill Summer and me too, you know?”
She shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. Yesterday was them being nice. They sabotaged our airship because that would make it look like an accident. Morgan sent Smiley because that’s the sort of sneaky job he’s good at. But as soon as they find out that we survived—and they probably already know, because I flew the airship back, which isn’t exactly subtle—they’re going to send over some goons and straight up murder us.”
“Vera is correct,” said Akari. “Dragon Gang is known for being utterly merciless to their enemies.”
This made Summer very frightened, and she held my hand under the table. We suggested some normal options—reporting the crime to the police, hiding in a safe house, or leaving town—but Vera and Akari were adamant that none of these would work.
“Morgan Blackstone has built his criminal empire with a great deal of patience over the years,” Akari explained. “He has allies everywhere, and will use them to follow us where we go.” Vera nodded in agreement.
My heart was sinking. It seemed that our situation was even worse than I thought. Why on Earth had Vera antagonized someone like that? And why had I gone along with her crazy scheme without asking more questions? But what’s done. It was time to prove my mettle as a man.
I squeezed Summer’s hand for reassurance, and spoke up: “Then there’s only once choice. We have to go after Morgan and his gang, and take them down!”
“Are you nuts!?” said Vera. “You want to fight all those psychopaths?”
“Not a physical fight. Summer, you said that the police have been suspicious of Cyrus for years, right? And you Vera, you said you had friends in the police! We’ll work with them, and get him and his whole gang arrested!” I pounded the table for emphasis as I said this.
Summer added her opinion: “Well, it’s true that he’s a suspicious person… officially Cyrus Blackstone gets his money from running the city’s water supplies, but everyone knows that he makes his real money from criminal activity with Dragon Gang. But no one has any real proof, that’s why the police can’t touch him.”
“Then we’ll get them that proof!” I said. “What do they need?”
Everyone thought for a while, then Summer answered: “Numbers.”
“Numbers?”
“Numbers!” she repeated, louder this time. “Get me the business records of his accounting. His ‘water utility’ is supposed to be a legitimate business, so it’s required to have them. Get me his internal accounting numbers, and I’ll be able to prove to the police that he’s making his money from organized crime. Or at least take him down for tax evasion.”
“An interesting proposal,” said Akari. “But with a critical flaw. Such records would only be kept in their headquarters. We do not know where their headquarters is, and it would be heavily guarded—we have no means of accessing it.”
“No—I know where it is!” Vera shouted in excitement. “And I think I can get us in there, too!”
“Wait, you do? How?” I asked.
“I was in Dragon Clan, remember? They didn’t tell me much, but I picked up on a few things. They don’t keep any fixed headquarters, at least not for anything illegal. Sometimes they hang out at speakeasies, but all their real business is done on board airships, so they can avoid any fixed address. And as an airdock forewoman, I kinda picked up on which airships belong to them.” She winked as she said the last part.
So it seemed we had our plan. Infiltrate the main Dragon Gang airship, steal their accounting records, have Summer analyze them, and then hand over the incriminating records to the police. The only question left was who was going to do it. But as soon as I asked, they all looked at me.
“I’m too well known,” said Vera. “But you’re still a newbie, I don’t think they’ll recognize you on sight.”
“I’m just an office lady—it would be strange if I was seen working with an airship directly,” said Summer. “But you’ve got the perfect excuse, since as a dockie you’d be handling it anyway.”
“I lack the upper body strength for this mission,” said Akari. “But your arms appear quite strong and muscular”—she gave me an odd look as she said this—”you should have no trouble with the physical tasks required.”
So it was agreed. I was going to sneak onto a mafia-owned airship and steal their most sensitive records, and I’d have to do it all on my own. Somehow I had found something even more dangerous than my normal job.
Well, at least hospitals were cheap and pleasant in this world.