"Welcome back to Airship Anatomy, where we dissect, discover, and divulge in knowledge. On today's agenda, we explain the hovering of airships." Mr. Gates pulled out a large model of an airship that was cut down the middle. It exposed all the innerworkings.

"Now, imagine I lost my balloon." He popped the balloon segment off the ship. "Logically, I'd be falling to the ground, right? Most don't. In groups of two or three, try to come up with an idea of how it could stay afloat. There are almost no wrong answers."

Gogs and Sail partnered up before he even finished talking, so Cog and Sprocket paired up. Lukas ended up joining them as well.

"Okay," Cog began, "so I actually tried figuring this out one time, but I couldn't. I saw vents on the bottom of an airship once." She paused, trying to piece the concept together. "What if enough air gets pushed down through them to keep the ship up?"

Sprocket and Lukas both sat quietly, unsure of how to respond to her idea. There was no physical way for that to work, and they knew that.

"Is that a no?" she guessed, observing their contemplating faces.

Lukas opened his mouth to respond, about to destroy the idea with actual physics, but Sprocket gave him a warning gaze.

Don't. Even. Sprocket mentally warned. Lukas didn't have to read his mind to understand what he was trying to convey.

"It's possible," Lukas said, rewording the answer he had prepared. "But I think a more efficient way would be steam power. If heat rises, and you get enough heat, then logically it would rise."

"I'm hearing two normal answers," Mr. Gates announced. "Yes, steam and propellers keep it up. But I also heard Cog's answer, which is also plausible." He himself had to hold back any snarky comments. It wouldn't be very professional, after all. "However, can anyone think of the two other ways?"

Both Gogs and Sail both raised their hands immediately.

Gogs chimed, "They used to use Helium storage pipes pre-1960, until the Helium regulations."

"Now, primarily electricity and aerodynamics keep it up," Sail added.

"Nerds!" Sprocket whispered in their direction, sticking his tongue out. They both returned the favor.

"Boom and boom," Mr. Gates said, a fist pump with each syllable, "the first students I've ever had get both of those. And you included the date of the change. There goes my entire lesson for the day."

A worksheet and a couple more notes later, class ended, and lunch was on. The four sat down, each with a tuna cheese melt as the main course meal, with a side of... something.

"I've got seafood," Sail said, pointing to the food. "See? Food!"

The other three groaned.

"I hope you don't have any more of those," Cog said.

"Puns?" Sail poked. "Oh, I've got a tuna them."

"That's the spirit," Gogs cheered, offering a high five. Sprocket just shook his head.

"I could hardly handle it when there were just two of you who made puns," Cog moaned. "Now I have to deal with three?"

All attention aimed at the stage as Amp ardently approached the auxiliary microphone. Now that the Bahamas were far behind them, he was decked out in his normal attire again.

"Day five already, everyone!" he announced, a big smile shining out at the lunchroom. "I hope it's going splendidly! Of course, tomorrow is the big day. President Jimmy Carter will go on live television, broadcasted worldwide, and speak about Christmas, Nazis, his plans going forward, and our very school! The TVs have all been installed and are in perfect working order. Feel free to watch one of the five channels we can get.

"There are two other things I need to mention. First, keep in mind that while tomorrow is both Christmas Eve and a very important day, classes will still be in session. I don't want any first-years forgetting that Saturday classes exist. Also, just a friendly reminder that while we do keep the heaters on, we are now in proper winter weather, and it can get chilly on board. Please dress accordingly. Amp out, peace."

Lukas reflected on tomorrow's events and his plans. He grinned maniacally. "Yes," he mumbled to himself, "tomorrow will indeed be a big day. You can bet your life on that."

-=[ ]=-

"Totally hyped for that speech tomorrow," Gogs said.

"We know," Sprocket instantly responded.

"How do you guys avoid getting burned out with six-day class weeks?" Sail asked, dreading having a shortened weekend for the next thirty-some weeks. Class was hard enough without less break time.

"I don't know," Gogs answered. "Usually, we just hang out. I don't really get burned out."

"Hopefully it'll be that easy for me, too," she lamented.

Amp walked over to their table shortly after. "May I sit with you four?" he requested, grabbing a nearby empty chair.

"Yeah," Cog replied, "but why?"

"Well, my little Cogwheel," he started, taking a drink of his coffee, "I need to talk about tomorrow. I figured if we got you four to represent the school, everything would flow together a lot more smoothly."

"Represent?" Sprocket repeated. "How so?"

"If we get some of the best students to show up for the live feed of school, it'll display our knowledge."

"Why me, too? I can stay out," Sail offered.

"No, you can't. You've got perfect scores in every class, and somehow I don't think that's going to change."

"That's because it's day five."

"Your classmates average a score of ninety-four percent. If I combined your class averages, you'd have over one hundred percent."

"How do I have extra credit?"

"Socials. I've been told of your battle yesterday."

"We'll do it," Cog said, settling any stirring debate.

"Great. Meet me here tomorrow morning for practice." He got up, but instead of leaving, he turned over to face Sail. "Glad to see you're keeping the natural colors. I had a hunch you would, but I was worried you'd go back to the other."

"Of course not," she responded, recounting his speech on the beach.

-=[ ]=-

"Welcome back to socials," Springlock said, greeting the class. "As you may have heard, we had quite the battle yesterday. Today, we're going over Spanish in depth, and then playing the same review game. The top two in the class will battle again."

Spanish was almost as easy to learn for Sail as German was. Cog, however, was not skilled with either. Her, Sail, and Lukas paired together. Sail didn't quite like how much he had been grouping with them, but she badly wanted to beat him again. The fair way.

Cog surprised herself with how well she did during practice, regardless of the obvious fact that a second round of Lukas versus Sail was in the works. The two hardly hesitated with their words and finished way ahead of the rest of the class.

"So, you never finished your evac story," Lukas told Cog, trying to spark a conversation.

"Oh, right," she said. "Well, I got an evac helicopter ride directly here. I arrived at lunch hour, sat alone, then met Sprocket and Gogs."

"Wait, that's all?" Lukas asked. "With the way you guys were talking, it sounded a lot more interesting."

"Nope, that's pretty much it." She turned her attention away, doodling an eye on the word sheet. He suspected there was more to the story, but for the sake of trying to stay on her side, he decided not to press anything.

Not yet, at least.

"Well, class," Springlock said, "anybody who wants to compete in the face-off, please stand."

Cog stood with the other two, cracking her knuckles. She may not have done well earlier, but she had every intention of showing them up.

Lukas was now in a predicament. Does he win against Sail but lose against Cog, lose against both Sail and Cog and let them go at each other, or some other combo?

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"First, das Gehirn versus Cog," Springlock announced. That narrowed down his options. Now, to win or lose.

The teacher pointed to "galleta" for Lukas, and without a heartbeat of hesitation, he purposefully slaughtered the word. Cog's eyes lit up as she chimed, "Galleta!" with correct pronunciation.

Lukas knew his ego would hate him for throwing the word away. Robbed of victory again, and by a different American girl. He could only hope that both Cog and Sail would be more accepting of him as a person. Plus, his strong hunch that she would know the Spanish word for "cookie" worked out, so at least he was good at guessing which foreign words people knew.

It came down to Cog vs. Sail in the battle of the Spanish language, which didn't last long. Cog messed up almost immediately, so Sail was awarded a Mark II, Cog a Mark I, and Lukas a Mark 0.

"What happened?" Sail asked Lukas. It seemed like a half-taunt, half-suspicious inquiry.

"I saw Cog's beauty and screwed up," he answered. Sail's face scrunched up with a mix of uncertainty and jealousy. Like most compliments, Cog didn't seem to acknowledge it.

Why jealousy, Sail? He made a mental note: she either claimed Cog as her own, or was defending Sprocket's attempts at winning her over. It was an interesting dynamic, and most likely made for yet another obstacle to get through.

-=[ ]=-

When their last classes finished, the four met up in the study hall for another afternoon of homework and hanging out. They all had a fair share to work on, so the four immediately got to work. Gogs helped walk them through their math homework per usual, and Cog and Sail worked together on the Spanish homework afterwards. Then, the group quickly cranked out the history homework.

"So, Sail, what's up with the bow?" Sprocket questioned, pointing at the elegant ribbon that was tied to her hat. "I meant to ask earlier but never had the chance."

"Well, it's winter now," she reasoned, "and almost Christmas! What are we gonna do for Christmas around here?"

"We usually visit whatever town we're hovering over, but we can also just stay on board. I heard our hotspot is Baton Rouge this year. In fact, we're probably really close right now."

Baton Rouge, 1974. Lloyd was sitting outside on the grass, watching his parents and sister pack things into a truck. He was too young to understand much, but he understood they were panicking for some reason.

"Come on, we don't have long," his mother said, closing the trunk and swooping him off the ground

"I know, Mom," his sister remarked. "Let me just get my hat. I can't leave without my hat!"

His sister disappeared into their house. A noise slowly grew louder, filling the air as they waited for her to return. There was just enough time for him to see the water from the hurricane sweep her away. They never saw each other again.

"We let Cog loose in Baton Rouge and we'll never see her again," Sprocket joked, snapping her back to reality. "Oh, look, a mall," he mocked, imitating her voice as best as he could. "And another. Oh, nice shoes. What do you think of this necklace?"

She kept quiet, holding back tears caused by her recurring dream. She'd had it repeatedly before, or at least something very similar, but didn't know what it meant, if anything. All she knew was that Baton Rouge was the trigger for it.

Gogs added, "But, we love her anyway."

"More than any autumn-haired girl, at least," Sprocket teased. "That's for sure."

"Hey," Sail huffed, acting offended. "You take that back, wimpy!"

He flexed and scoffed, "Wimpy? These babies are drop-dead gorgeous."

Gogs countered with, "So very drop-dead gorgeous. We usually have to hide those who drop dead, gorgeous."

"That turned dark, but you called me gorgeous," Sail said, winking. "I'll get the shovel if you get the body bag."

"Ooh, already burying bodies together," Sprocket said. "True love, no doubt about it."

"Speaking of true love," Cog said, "I'm hungry."

"Well, I suppose food might solve your issue, but what's love got to do with it?"

"I love food."

"Me too," Sail added, retrieving a bag of gummy worms from her seemingly unending candy pocket.

They walked down to the mess hall, where dinner was just starting to be served.

"I want someone to look at me the way Cog looks at food," Sprocket confessed, watching as she ran to get into a line.

"You mean, you want Cog to look at you like she looks at food," Sail whispered to him. "Anybody with eyes can see that. Except for her, apparently."

"I doubt it'll happen anytime soon," he whispered back.

The three joined her in line. Sail knew she had to hatch a plan to get her to see, somehow. She could just bluntly point it out, she supposed, but that was too straightforward and would show that she was trying to pin the two together. Instead, she would have to subtly nudge Cog in his direction.

Right after he'd finished his homework, Lukas went to make sure all parts of his plan were ready.

The crowbar he stashed on a pipe near the pilot's cabin still remained, nearly out of sight. He figured you'd have to be actively searching for it to notice it.

The sleep-inducing drug he smuggled on board was sitting in his room, currently soaking into a rag in a chemical bottle.

The foam ball snugly rested in the pipe he put it in. There was no chance that was going anywhere soon.

The machine he placed in the vent now beeped softly, indicating it was in working order.

Lastly, the restricted area remained untouched.

He couldn't believe it. The last thing he needed was Cog, and his plan would be complete. He couldn't figure out how to get her on his side until he heard her say, "I love food."

And what better food than chocolate, he thought. At least, he hoped the chocolate trope would work.

Sail pulled Cog over to the side.

"Cog," she whispered, "I've noticed that you don't seem to respond when someone compliments you or does something for you."

"Oh, sorry," she responded. "I guess I just don't notice it. Wait, who's complimenting me?"

"Well, Sprocket does it a lot. And I think he means it."

"Him?" Cog gazed at her in disbelief. "Sprocket only ever teases us."

"Well, not lately. It's been mostly him complimenting you on how pretty you are and stuff."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I usually just dismiss most of what those two say. Keeps me a lot less insane."

"I think you'll wanna start paying attention now, though. He's being pretty blunt about it."

"Okay, will do. But he should know by now that if he really wanted my attention, he would bring me food. That's the quickest way to my heart."

A few minutes later, Lukas walked up to their table, holding something behind his back.

"To share," he said. He revealed a few different chocolate bars that were gotten from one of the game room vending machines just moments before and placed them in the center of the table.

Oh no, Cog realized, was this what Sail meant? She had just talked to Sail about almost this exact situation. Did it count if he got one for everybody? It was just a friendly gesture, right? Her mind wandered back to earlier in the day, trying to remember if Lukas was showing hints, either.

"Thanks," she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

Cog wasn't the only one confused. Sail herself was now getting mixed messages, and Gogs was a lot more out of the loop with current relationship events than everyone else. Nobody was more affected than Sprocket, however.

"Very casual," he sneered. "So, what's your plan, Kraut?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Lukas responded.

"Randomly offering chocolates, hoping to persuade one of them?"

"I figured I'd be a nice person and reciprocate the kindness you guys have shown me. Besides, it appears the idea was a hit." He gestured to Cog, who already had two pieces stuffed in her cheeks like a hamster. "It seems to me you're simply jealous of my idea."

The word made Gogs freeze and glimpse back and forth at the tension building at the table. Cog made eye contact with Sail, hoping she would offer some sort of solution. Sprocket was jealous, but he wasn't going to let him know. Lukas knew Sail probably was, too.

"Jealous?" Sprocket repeated. "Of what, the fact that you brought chocolate here in order to feel popular or generous, even though it's far from a good gift?"

Cog chimed in. "I may feel fat, but at least I'm happy, too."

"No, jealous of the fact that it's working," Lukas corrected. A few other tables nearby noticed something was happening at their table, and some heads turned their way.

"Sprocket," Cog voiced, hoping to end this conversation, "it's going to take more than a box of chocolates to keep me from loving you."

What? The other four were all shocked at her statement.

Why, oh why did I have to say that? she thought. This is gonna end badly.

Gogs spit his drink out and back into his glass. "OH MY GO—Cog, that was the most romantic garbage I've ever heard you say."

Both Sprocket and Lukas were unsure of where to take the conversation after her outburst.

"Well, this got quiet," Sail vocalized.

"And awkward," added Gogs.

"Yeah..." Lukas agreed. "I'll just... go... then...." He sheepishly left them, disappearing entirely from the cafeteria.

After a few more minutes of sheer awkwardness, Sail tried to spark a conversation.

"So, Sprocket," she began, "what do you do for f-u-n?"

"That spells fun," Gogs told him.

"No kidding?" Sprocket replied. He cleared his throat, appreciating the attempt at changing the subject. "Usually, I take photos of things and people, and if I'm not working on my own airship, I repair others."

"He also lifts," Cog added.

"Do you even lift, bro?" Gogs asked him.

"Don't ever say that again," Sprocket commanded.

"People are gonna say that in the future, calling it right now."

"A true visionary," Sprocket scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"So, what do you do in your free time, Gogs?" Sail pried, redirecting the conversation again.

"Other than doing homework and socializing, I design weapons to combat Communists, Nazis, and Russian Communazis," he smirked. With a salute and a shout, he added, "Heil equal poverty!"

"He also does impersonations of famous people far too often," Sprocket added, adding a reluctant sigh.

"Indeed," Gogs confirmed, in a Jimmy Carter voice. "These potatoes taste like cardboard and coffee creamer."

Sail was laughing as Sprocket commented, "I thought I recognized the taste."

They were interrupted by a visitor again, as Torque walked over in the mascot costume. "Howdy!" he greeted. "This is going to drive me clinically insane! Ha ha!"

"Have fun tomorrow," Cog encouraged, fake smiling and waving.

"Yes ma'am, good luck with whatever malarkey you've got to do, too." He walked off, doing his Big Wy mascot voice. "Hew hew hew! Wool and Wind, fellas!"

-=[ ]=-

For the rest of the night, the group went and reclined on a couch facing one of the newly installed televisions. The local weather forecasted more and more snow, but that didn't really matter to them until Christmas finally came around. Worst case scenario, there was no exploring the city.

Cog sat on the ground in front of the couch, and Sprocket sat directly behind her. He debated for about fifteen minutes whether he should say or do anything about earlier. Her comment kept resonating in his mind. Was he finally close to having her attention?

He decided to test his luck. While everyone was focused on the television in front of them, he reached for her hair and started running his fingers through it.

She didn't say anything at first. His heart was pounding. It was a bold move, and he figured it was going to backfire. A few seconds later, she timidly asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm, uh, playing with your hair," he answered, clearly nervous. "I'll stop if you want."

Again, she said nothing. The other two watched, eyebrows raised. It was the moment of truth for Sprocket, and everyone knew it.

"No, it's okay," she finally said. "It feels nice."

-=[ ]=-

Curfew slowly creeped up, and the group split in half as Gogs and Sail lagged behind a little. They stopped outside her room, Cog already inside, and awkwardly stood looking at each other.

"So," Gogs awkwardly began.

"So," she repeated, reflecting the mood. Instead of letting it drag on, she kissed him on the cheek.

He stared at her, not knowing what to do or think. Do I kiss back? Hug? Say goodbye?

This was their own moment of truth. The next move from either of them would decide the fate of their relationship. He decided the best answer was to kiss back, so he offered his hand. She took it, and he leaned down towards her.

"Move it along, you two," Amp commanded, turning the corner and walking past with a malicious grin. Both jumped, and they tore their hands away from each other. "Tomorrow's a big day. Do it then if you have to."

So close, Sail thought, closing the door in frustration.