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"Are…are you sure?"

"Sure enough," he nodded "We need to sabotage that bird before she gets off the ground; we need to sort through her cargo, find out what nefarious piece or part is so valuable that it requires such a transport, and destroy it for the sake of the Confederacy--if it’s not too late already!"

"It’s not," she blurted "It’s not too late Whatever they’re doing, it’s not been done yet Just…" herarea was no doubt already wondering what had becoo back inside and make my escape from the Pinkerton ?"

She nodded vigorously and said, "I am But the Valkyrie will be ready to lift in under an hour, and I’ain, for my home For my country Stay here," she told him "I’ll be back in a moment"

When she reappeared less than two ernon Rice very perplexed in the dining area

To Randolph Sykes she said, "Quickly, to the service yards I don’t know the city here You’ll have to lead me, and we’ll have to hurry"

7

Back at the service yard docks Lamar was torso-deep in the underside of the Union warship Valkyrie Grunts that signaled the stiff-armed turns of a wrench echoed around in the hydraulics co despite the pronounced chill in the air The wrench slipped froround, and was retrieved by Simeon--who handed it back with a s

Fro bay doors, a fat whiteSiuy some friend of yours?"

Lamar ducked his head out from the hydraulics compartment, realized who’d passed him the wrench, and said, "Oh yes Friend of mine Nobody to worry about at all"

To which the first ht’ve been a littlestrides, taken so quickly that the other man barely had time to squeak, Siht hook the ainst the bay doors on his way to the ground

From his position half inside the Valkyrie, Lah"

"Why not?" he asked, already dragging the heavy ht, back under the craft and behind the pipework docks

"Because this thing ain’t ready to fly yet, and his brother’ll be looking for hio, to chat with so for the captain"

"His brother’s the captain?"

Lamar said, "No, but he went off to talk with him I’m surprised he ain’t back yet He walked off with an older fellow, hair going gray Sounded like he wasn’t local"

Simeon dumped the unconscious man, dropped his feet, and returned to Lamar’s side He ducked under the unfastened panel so that he was at least unidentifiable, if not invisible For all any passersby ht know, he could be another mechanic--as he could only be seen froet her airworthy?"

"I’ around in his tool belt for a screwdriver of the correct size "I’ the last of it now, but I need a ainst the first h for the two of us Where’s the captain?"

"He’s right behindup the Rattler and the last of our stuff off the coach"

The engineer said, "All right, that’s good Give ether That’ll be plenty of time to wrap up and shut the hatch"

"How many other folks are aboard this craft? Who else do we need to worry about?" he whispered

"Not sure It doesn’t have a crew, really--or it does, of course, but those guys hit the red blocks two days ago and they won’t coht, when the bird is set to take off There’s the mechanic, his brother, and a third fellow I think he’s supposed to be an engineer, but he’s a shit excuse for one He was acting like he couldn’t figure out rong, when the bird’s leaking piston lube and control line fluid all over the place" Lamar sniffed with disdain and wiped his forehead with the back of his forear a ith the captain"

"If he coet out of the hatch and let ood, we , easy as can be"