“Who’d have thunk the Troubleshooter would be such a nance? This is freedom, old man.” He spread out his arms with his eyes closed, letting the wind flutter his coat and rattle the dog tags that hung from a steel chain around his neck. “Check out the view. The city lights are like stars. Not taking part in anything, just looking on forever.”
I glared at him. “It’s not the heights, kid. I said I wasn’t mad about airships. Last time I was on one I was set up by a good friend of mine.”
Pan smirked. “If you got set up, it sounds like your friend wasn’t exactly good.” Tiger Lily stood next to him, cloaked in a black trench coat over her leather corset and tight black leggings. That, along with her thigh-high stiletto boots and captain’s cap over her raven hair, gave her the perfect rebel military look that complimented Pan’s. She gave me a tight smile. Guess I was growing on her.
The boys that accompanied them weren’t quite as dapper. They all wore drab gray jumpsuits and harnesses for their tools and weapons. There was a pair of dark-haired twins called First and Second, a smiling blonde boy named Tootles, and my good friend Curly, who cringed every time I looked in his direction.
The airship was one of the standard aluminum-cased, helium powered floaters that drifted across the ceiling of the Haven like gleaming whales. It was apparently Pan’s personal ship, though how he funded a purchase like that was beyond me. I cut a glance at the kid. He laughed and slapped backs with his gang, getting their engines revved. Everything about him screamed just another street punk, but I always went with what my gut said. And my gut told me I could trust Pan like I trusted strolling through the Docks without a loaded heater in hand.
I puffed on a gasper while I tapped a few digits into the holoband around my wrist. “Maxine, run that number through all known databases.”
“At once, Mr. Trubble.”
The response came back immediately. What I saw only confirmed the hunch I’d had. I switched off when Pan waltzed over. He gave the holoband a casual glance.
“Calling for backup? What’s the matter, don’t trust us?”
I pulled my flogger back so he could clap peepers on the Mean Ol’ Broad sitting pretty in her holster. “I got all the backup I need right her, Ace. I was just checking the time. You got me cooling my heels up here with the promise of pay dirt. Right now all I see is a spectacular view of the city. Not bad, but I thought we were here for more than a scenic tour. So what are we waiting for?”
“Relax, Mick. I’m waiting for Tink. Matter of fact, here she comes.” He pointed.
‘Tink’ turned out to be a fist-sized orbital sphere robot. Orbots are used for anything from surveillance to personal assistants, depending on their programming. I instantly disliked Tink because she reminded me of another orbot I recently had the misfortune to run across. That one could have destroyed New Haven by disrupting the entire city’s power grid. This one appeared to be more of the personal assistant sort, but I kept a wary eye on her anyway.
Tink was an especially shiny orbot, with alternating winking lights that made her look more like an ornament for Christmas. She hovered playfully around Pan’s head.
“I found the ship, Petey,” she said in a pixie sweet voice. “I have directed ours to pull directly above it.”
Petey’s grin was wicked. “This is it, then. Time to fly.”
“I left my wings at home,” I said. “Better have a ladder or something.”
“Just jump on the wind’s back, and away you go.” Without a second thought, Pan leaped over the railing and dropped out of sight.
Then he floated back up. “Thinking happy thoughts helps, too.” He grinned as he flitted around, crowing like a rooster.
I had to admit, it was a pretty cool trick. I figured it out quickly, though. The bulky gloves and boots gave away the repulsers that used air current and fusion to keep the wearer afloat. The pack on his back had repulsers as well, to aid his balance and steering. The controls were built into the gloves. I’d heard of zipsuits, but never wanted to try one out. A body had to be insane to trust the tech with his life. There were a million things that could go wrong, leaving the wearer with nothing but gravity and a fateful impact to count on. But then again, Pan didn’t exactly seem to be the sane type.
“Coming?” He beckoned impatiently, jerkily hovering in midair.
“Of course we’re coming.” Tiger Lily carefully clambered over the railing, unraveling lengths of rappel cord attached to the deck. Curly and the other boys followed suit, leaving me standing there with the risk of my legendary reputation soiled from being outdone by a bunch of kids and a dame. The dame part I didn’t really mind since I knew how badass some dames really are, but I’d be damned if I was about to let some punk kids leave me looking like a geriatric codger with chattering dentures.
I flicked the gasper out into empty air and swung over the railing. I regretted the bravado instantly when the wind nearly yanked me off the tiny ledge. My flogger fluttered in the breeze, and I yelped when my Bogart was ruthlessly snatched from my head. I could only watch in dismay as it sailed out of sight, headed toward the crisscrossing lanes of air traffic below us.
I glared at Pan. “You owe me a new Bogart. That one fit just right, too.”
He laughed as he hovered closer. “You’ll get it. Now come on. The window closes fast.” He switched direction and took a nosedive toward the airship below, followed closely by Tink. Looking at him, I almost believed he could fly. He had obviously been using the tech for a long time, because he made it look effortless.
The rest of us had to rappel down, which made Pan’s choice mode of transportation seem like a comfy bus ride in comparison. The wind was ruthless, shoving us around while the city blurred and spun beneath in dizzy circles. We had brake bars to control our descent, but the work was slow as hell with us at the mercy of the currents. My arms throbbed from the strain, and my stomach didn’t do much better. Pan floated around, shouting insults and laughing.
I cut a look at Tiger Lily. Her mouth was set, and her goggles hid any fear she might have felt as her inky hair and long coat billowed in the wind. The boys took it all as a game, whooping and shouting every time they collided or slipped, nearly killing themselves. I had a hard time catching my breath with all the wild careening. Not that I was scared or nothing. Just thin air, was all.
The target airship was much like Pan’s with its aluminum hull covering the helium gasbags that kept it afloat, only this one had a grinning skull and crossbones painted in black across its back. Fusion powered motors hummed quietly at its rear, propelling it along its casual course.
Good thing it was slow, because we almost missed our window. I exhaled a huge sigh of relief when my heels clanged against the railing of the deck. Pan gave me a hand as I shakily clambered over.
“Nice going, old man. We’re only about an hour behind schedule.”
I ignored the sarcasm. “You sure Hooke is on this ship?”
“I said so, didn’t I?” Pan gave me an irritable glance. “You got a suspicious mind, Mick. Just follow my lead, and keep your head down. We’re about to liberate some stolen goods.”
He gestured to Tootles. “Blow the door.”
Tootles grinned, exposing his missing front tooth. “Aye, aye, Cap.” He dashed up, placed a small putty bomb on the keypad, and leaped back a few feet with a detonator in his hand.
“Fire in the hole!”
It wasn’t much of an explosion, but Tootles made up for it by crowing like a rooster as sparks flew from the ruined door handle. The Twins flanked the door, tossed in flashbang grenades, and waited for the detonation and flurry of curses before gesturing to Pan. He grinned and unsheathed a razor sharp kukri blade, almost a short sword in his hands.