Time Peace by Angela Roquet

Author:Angela Roquet [Roquet, Angela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-25T12:33:26+00:00

Chapter Eight

December 26th, 1916 – 12:21 p.m.

McCaffrey never took personal time without putting in a formal request with Mr. Campbell. Abraham didn’t see why the end of the world should be any different. In fact, he expected the end warranted even more order. Should they go down in history, he wanted to be remembered with dignity and valor.

Abraham hadn’t pegged McCaffrey for the quitting type—a trait he’d admired despite her biting candor. But he had most certainly not expected her to betray him. There was no other explanation for her sudden disappearance.

“Search every inch of this building, top to bottom!” he shouted.

“She couldn’t have just walked out,” one of the guards quaked. “We doubled the exterior watch after—” He bit off the sentence as Abraham turned on him.

“Top to bottom,” Abraham repeated. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” The guard saluted and hurried out of the office. Abraham stole a breath of oxygen from the tank he’d kept and had hidden under his desk—but only one. Mr. Campbell was soon in his doorway again.

“What now?” Abraham hissed.

“Mr. Bradbury has returned from the wharves with Mr. Ellis, the mechanic you requested to see.”

“Send them in.”

“Right away, sir.” Mr. Campbell pushed the door open for the two men, quickly closing it behind them once they were inside.

Ellis gave the closed door a cautious glance as he twisted his flat cap between his hands. His jacket was worn in places, and his britches were dirty. But for a mechanic, Abraham supposed that was acceptable work attire. At least the pilots aboard the airships dressed more respectably.

Bradbury slinked into a corner of the room and propped his back against a wall. He would remain there until he received further instruction. Normally, he would have stayed behind in the waiting area near Mr. Campbell’s desk, but Abraham had asked him to sit in on the meeting with Ellis. Bradbury had a dangerous aura about him that set men on edge, and Abraham needed that influence now. There was no time for delicate maneuvering.

He opened a hand to an empty seat in front of his desk. “Sit,” he ordered Ellis as if he were a dog. The man’s brow furrowed, but he obeyed.

“I don’t really have anything exciting to report,” he said, nervously licking the corners of his mouth. “Still working on rewelding a lot of the snare shield joints.”

“I’m sure you’ll have the Validus up and running in no time,” Abraham said.

“Yessiree. We get a little closer each day.”

“Well, I do hope you’ll check in with Officer Twain before you get back to work. Seeing as how he tells me you’ve been working on the Enca.”

“Oh!” Ellis blinked stiffly. “Right, that’s what I meant. The Enca.”

“Or was it the Bennetti?” Abraham tapped his chin.

“I, uh...” Ellis cleared his throat and stuck a finger down in his collar, tugging the material away from his neck. “I dunno. I just go wherever Twain points me.”

“You don’t know which ship you’ve been working on?”

“Well, see...” Ellis sputtered, his face turning redder by the second.

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