Chapter 3

The streamliner the small group found themselves situation within was a modern marvel when compared to trains even a decade old. Its most striking feature was, of course, its appearance. Its main body was a sharp blue in color, slightly darker than the sky above and striking in its brilliance. The remainder of the train, including the roof and doorways, was wrapped in chrome and glistened in the now warming sun. Its shape was unlike any of the trains to come before it. Where those had been hulking pieces of machinery, this train was smooth and contoured to be both easy on the eyes as well as cut through the air with greater precision.

And it needed this decrease in drag because of the large sap engine that purred at the front of the train. Its power output, so much greater than that of the coal-burning engines of the past, allowed the train to move at speeds in excess of one hundred miles per hour. This blinding speed, however, was often toned down slightly when the engine hauled passengers, as it currently did, for their comfort. While the train could reach such unprecedented speeds, most agreed that it was not always a pleasant trip. At the moment, however, Quincy Boone was telling the others about trains that were even faster.

“That’s crazy. How,” Hank asked.

“Glad you asked. These trains here,” Quincy sand, banging his hand on the train car wall, “are packed with the Gibbons Engine. Now Gibbon’s a good man. Don’t want you thinkin’ I don’t like the fellow. But his engines are, well…a little shoddy. I mean, take a look at his carburetor design. He’s got a –”

“Mr. Boone…” Abigail said, clearing her throat. “We talked about this before.”

“What’s that, trains? I don’t recall –”

“No, your machine-talk. Remember that we aren’t all world-class machinists.” Levi guessed she was trying to be gentle, though see appeared rather exacerbated by the whole exercise. A straight-talking woman, he decided.

“Oh, but you’re right, of course. Apologies.” He needed to each in turn, then looked to Levi and Hank. “You see, I was explainin’ all about the workings of the World Engines while we were waitin’ in line. Seems I get a little carried away at times.”

“It’s quite alright, Mr. Boone. I’ve personally never heard this much about trains. They sound rather fascinating.” Levi smiled. He had always enjoyed trains, ever since he was a child. However, talking of the diameter of fuel lines was a little beyond him. Regardless, he tried his best to look politely interested. He was the host, after all.

“Nah, Abigail’s right. Don’t need to know ‘bout the Gibbon’s carburetor. But to your question, Hank, some newer trains are gettin’ a better engine. They can clear one-fifty on the straight. Some say it’s because of the new track these trains run on, but I think it’s all the engine.”

“And you would,” Abigail said, smiling to take the harshness out of her words.

They all chuckled lightly as Quincy waved his hand in surrender. Leaning back in his chair, Levi glanced out the window next to him and watched the landscape quickly fly past. They were now well north of Meadowshire, having moved along at a fair speed for a few hours now. The relative sameness of the entirety of the Reach, however, sometimes made it difficult to notice any real change in surroundings. Beyond the train car, tall plains gasses whizzed by as the horizon slowly rose and fell miniscule amounts with the changing contours of the land. If it wasn’t for the clouds in the sky, with their slow but persistent south-eastward movement, it would have seemed as though the train was standing still and the grass had simply become a blur.

The trip had gone exceptionally well up to that point, if he had to judge. The train, as trains generally did, was running right on schedule and their seats had been waiting on them when they first arrived. Levi had managed to get tickets to the more luxurious of the cars, after a little talking with the ticket office. This afforded the group with a little more comfort, or at least as much as could be found on a day train. They had two couch-style seats that faced one another, with an ornate table between them on which the hostess would occasionally place drinks and various snacks for the trip. It wasn’t the fanciest train car Levi had ever seen, but he hoped that it at least showed a little consideration toward the comfort of his wards.

Thus far, Quincy had dominated the conversation, as Levi had quickly suspected he would. He hadn’t shown the least amount of shyness when moving through Meadowshire, as newcomers sometimes did, nor had he seemed overly awed by the great expanse of the Reach. He had stood there on the platform of the train station for only a moment, looking generally north across the endless fields of yellow grass, his hands on his hips. With a whistle and a shake of his head, Mr. Boone had turned and moved into the train station with hardly a word.

Abigail, however, was a somewhat different case. Though she had seemed pleasantly eager in the gate terminal, she had slowly become more introverted as they moved through the city toward the train. Levi had been silently musing over this since they departed, trying to figure out what could’ve caused it. After all, she seemed to open up once more as they were seated within the train. At first, he thought that it was the Reach’s crime rate that had her worried. She had asked about it and perhaps it was still on her mind. That explanation, however, didn’t sit well with him for some reason. She seemed too strong of a woman to be intimidated by such things. She, too, had spared the large expanse beyond Meadowshire little more than a glance. No, she was not a woman easily intimidated. His musing was cut off as Hank broke the easy silence that had settled at the table.

“So, we know why Quincy would be going up to the Mine. How about you, Ms. Graner? What brings you to the Reach?”

“As I believe it said in my request to Hannan, I’m looking to gain medical experience. As one of my professors often said, there is only so much you can learn in the classroom. After a time, you simply must get out to where the medicine happens. North Mine seemed to be a good place to do just that. Unfortunate as it is, these sap mines you have here are prone to accident.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Hank said. “Just last week I was reading about a guy that lost his hand. I’m sure they’re really going to appreciate having you. Where did you go to school?”

There was a momentary tightening in Abigail’s features, barely there before gone once more, followed by the shortest of pauses.

“Berlin.”

“You don’t say,” Hank said, unaware of anything amiss. “I knew a guy from Berlin once. He was an older guy, but a trainee like me. Well, before washing out. Said he just didn’t like it. Don’t know what’s not to like, though. Pretty simple, if you ask me; just sit in trains and drink coffee.”

“Be that as it may,” Levi said, giving Hank a sidelong glance, “I’m sure our guests done want to hear about your particular take on Hannan security jobs. If my watch is right, we should be arriving in Walton Harbor soon. I hope the trip has gone well thus far.”

The two newcomers nodded their agreement at the same time.

“It’s been a fine journey, just fine. If you’ll excuse me, though, I think I’ll go take care of some personal business before we make station.”

Sliding off the end of the couch, Quincy made his way down and out of the car. The rest of them simply sat there, idly waiting for the train to come to a halt. Just as Levi was beginning to think that his estimation had been off, the train gave a little shudder and its decreasing speed became noticeable. After a few more moments of clicking and clanking, the train came to rest in Walton Harbor’s South Station.

Quickly slipping to his feet, Levi turned and offered his hand to Abigail. Just as at the gate terminal concourse when he had pulled her chair out for her, this garnered him a curious look. She did eventually take it, however, and she rose to her feet, straightening her coat and dress. They lingered for a few minutes; the three of them simply standing there, looking uninterested as they waited for Quincy to return. As the whistle for new boarders sounded, however, it was becoming evident that something wasn’t right. Levi turned toward the others.

“It appears our friend has gone missing. Hank, if you’ll please escort Ms. Graner to the platform, I’ll go get him. Alright?” He gave them a smile before turning and moving off in the same direction Quincy had gone.

As he moved back through the cars, Levi casually placed his hat upon his head. He wondered to himself what could’ve happened to Mr. Boone. He had said he was going to do some personal business, which Levi had assumed involved a porcelain toilet. However, all of the restrooms he past were unoccupied. Curious, he stopped at the nearest exit and asked the attendant if he has seen anyone matching Levi’s description. Unhelpfully, the attendant shook his head and promptly disregarded Levi. With a sigh, he turned and continued on down through the train.

He finally found himself standing in the final passenger car without having located the missing man. Perplexed, he let his mind play for just a moment over the possibility of some nefarious action. Quincy Boone was a man in his later years and probably easily overcome by more youthful individuals. And he was most likely carrying a large portion of the money he possessed. There’d be little sense in placing it in a Meadowshire bank, after all; it would be too far from North Mine to be of any good.

He let the thought go as soon as he had it. This was a train, not some dark back-alley. He couldn’t even recall of the last time he had heard of a robbery on a train, let alone something worse. Shaking his head, he was about to start searching back toward the front when he heard a slight clanking noise behind him. He slowly turned and listened. Sure enough, the noise sounded again from the well-disguised door in the back of the car. Curious, he wondered if Quincy could be back there. That area was off-limits to passengers, but it was worth a look. With a few strides, he reached the door and opened it.

A puff of steam welcomed him, momentarily obscuring his vision. When the steam cleared, he saw Quincy and two men dressed in blue overalls standing over an opened hatch in the side of a large contraption of some sort.

“Well there’s your problem,” Quincy was saying. “You’ve got a leaky check valve.”

“That’s no leak. Just condensation on the line.”

“No leak? Smell that? That burnt wood smell is refined sap. Can’t tell me that’s ‘just condensation’. That’s goin’ to decrease flow to the manifold and reduce your overall output. That’s why your gage isn’t readin’ as high as it should. I’ve got some tape in my luggage. Give me a sec and we can have this thing running like new.”

Quincy moved toward the door, seeing Levi standing there for the first time. Levi didn’t say anything. He didn’t really know what to say. Instead, he just shook his head slightly.

“Ah, Levi. Sorry ‘bout disappearing on ya’ll. But I heard these cotton heads messing around back here and I think I’d give ‘em a hand.” He gave Levi a large smile. “A man’s gotta do what I man knows how to do. My apologies. Boys, you’re gonna have to fix this one on your own.”

The last call whistle sounded out as Quincy exited the rear engine car. The floor of the train shook slightly and they both shot a glance at one another before moving hastily for the nearest exit. Just as the attendant was closing the door, they slipped through and hopped down onto the station platform. Quincy bent down for a moment, hands on knees as if catching his breath, then laughed as the train started back down the tracks.

“Well that was a close thing. That thing headed back to Meadowshire?”

Levi nodded, finding himself amused though he knew he shouldn’t.

“That would’ve been a boring trip. I’ve already seen all of that grass.” Standing straight once more, he looked around. “So where’s the rest of our traveling team?”

“Right here,” Hank said as he and Abigail moved through the mild crowd. He looked over at Levi, a smile on his face. “I thought we were going to lose you, Boss. Glad you found him in time.”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry to all,” Quincy said, bowing to the rest with his arms spread wide. “I saw a machine in need and felt that it was my moral obligation to do something about it. I’m already starting to do good for this place, you see.”

“Well maybe I could kick you in the shin for having me worried. Then I’d have a wound to treat and I could do some good, too,” Abigail responded.

“But…if you kicked me, then it would be your fault.”

“Bah. Mr. Wyman, are we ready to depart?”

Casting a glance to Quincy, who had a mischievous grin upon his face, Levi nodded. The group slowly moved down the platform to where their luggage had been left with a steward. After a brief conversation, the luggage was loaded into a truck and sent on its way to the harbor. The four travelers then got into a motor-carriage and followed their luggage.

Walton Harbor was very different from Meadowshire, and the two newcomers seemed to have noticed this. Both of them had turned and were looking out there windows without saying much as the carriage made its way through the town. Whereas Meadowshire was similar to most of the towns found in the Midwestern states of America, with two- and three-story building of wood and brink dominating the skyline, Walton Harbor was decidedly more industrial in nature. Giant warehouses loomed along the roadside, and these were even occasionally overshadowed by massive factories. The sky was peppered with the movement of small blimps, while the occasional large airship labored across the bright blue sky. Compared to Meadowshire, it was a relatively dirty place though not overly so. A fine dust seemed to linger in places, an offshoot from the factories. More motorized vehicles moved through the streets, even though Walton Harbor’s population was much less than the cities to the south. Trucks and motorcars of every shape and size lumbered up and down the roads, transporting goods all throughout the town. Overall, it was an exceptionally busy place.

“What are all of these plants for,” Abigail asked, still looking out her window.

“Those are refineries. Walton Harbor is pretty much the largest city north of Meadowshire and acts as a hub to all of the northern mines. Everything comes here to be processed before being shipped south for transport elsewhere. Rice Beach is basically the same thing in the south.”

“Why refine and then ship instead of the other way around?”

“You mean why don’t they refine right there in Meadowshire, where the gates are? Someone decided back when Franklin Reach was still new that its central city should be an aesthetically pleasing place. The ultimate goal is for the Reach to become a colony world, not just a big mining operation. They wanted people to see it as an extension of the American plains, so they moved the hard industrial work away from the center.”

“And is that working?”

“I suppose so. Most of the people that come through are going to the mines. But a fair percentage are settling in Meadowshire, Cairn City, or some of the smaller towns and setting up show, so to speak. It’s slow, but we’re growing.”

The carriage turned a corner and ran headlong into a long line of traffic. As the vehicle came to a stop, Hank popped the door open and leaned out to get a better view. He came back in a moment later with a grin on his face.

“You’re not going to believe me,” he said, looking at Levi.

“What is it?”

“A truck’s hit a trolley.” His grin widened.

Levi simply blinked.

“See? It happens more than you’d think. So this morning wasn’t my fault.”

“No, that was still your fault,” Levi said as he opened his own door and proceeded to exit the vehicle. “This is just coincidence. Ms. Graner, Mr. Boone, it looks like it may be faster to walk the rest of the way if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, not at all. Do my legs good to stretch out a touch.”

Levi helped Abigail from the vehicle, this time without the suspicious glance, and waiting for Quincy and Hank to come the car. He told the driver what they were doing and he wished them luck as they started making their way down the sidewalk. After a few moments, the entrance of the harbor came into view.

It was not a truly a harbor in the traditional sense. There was water in one area, which Levi supposed made it more harbor-like than not. That water, however, was only for the airships that needed or could land in it. The majority of the ships rested on giant piers that supposed them up off the ground and made their cargo holds easily accessible or sat on feet that were lowered right from the airships themselves. And harbor was absolutely covered in ships that afternoon.

They were an impressive sight to behold, regardless of previous experience. There were the older gasbags and blimps that relied solely on their balloons for lift. There were also the newer rigid bodied ships, some with fully enclosed balloons that were aided in flight by massive sap-powered propellers. Down on one end, battlebags and hardened gunships, the security for all of the other airships, could be seen moored to their piers. A few of the new aeroplanes could even be seen in a hangar. It was an impressively busy place, with its main cluster of buildings at its center servicing everything.

“That’s mighty impressive,” Quincy said. “This may even rival some of the larger cities back on Key.”

“Yes, there are a lot of airships operating in the Reach. You know how important the sap of this place has become. People are trying to move it as quickly as possible.”

“Aye. Always moving fast for money.”

“It’s strangely peaceful here,” Abigail said suddenly, her eyes fixed on two of the larger airships slowly moving through the air toward the harbor. “I’ve always had that feeling when looking at airships.”

“I know,” Hank said, following her gaze. “It’s just so weird to see these huge things just floating around in the sky. It seems like they shouldn’t be up there at –”

His words were cut off by the sudden report of gunfire off in the distance near the center of the harbor. Before the sounds could register, however, a massive series of explosions rocked the area as fireballs the size of airships rose into the pristine azure sky. And then the yelling began.