Empire

Jan opened his mouth in disbelief, shut it to regain his bearing, and then let it fall open. "Mr. Danbry!" He turned to see if the door was closed. "How can you say that?"

Danbry beckoned Jan closer. "Look, kid. I'm old, but I'd rather be old and have my mind than part of your or your parent's generation and have my head filled up with Jung-Freud and all that Socratic garbage."

For the first time, Jan took a hard look at Danbry and saw how old he really was.

"Zepher is hiding something, I can feel it in my bones. You still have a lot to learn about reporting and are right in the middle of all of this. No single news article is going to topple the Empire or the engines." But Danbry smiled shortly and simply looked up at Jan. "But we can make a big stink out of it."

Jan looked back down at the envelope in his hands. He nodded and started to leave.

"Facts boy," Danbry stood up and coughed violently when his head poked into the hanging smoke. "We need the facts."

Jan nodded absently and once he was out of the office, felt afraid about more things than he could count. It took him over an hour to remember what Jung-Freud had on treason and blasphemy.

Part II

Penelope Olson checked her teeth in the mirror with a sultry smile before resuming her frown. The flat she shared with Laura Avery was neatly kept and heavily perfumed to fight the stink of the air. Broad air filters were stretched over the windows and filter tape was affixed to every door and heating vent. Laura finished counting a thick stack of ones and tucked them into her secret money place.

"So," she demanded with a soft voice and broad smile. "What was it like?"

Penny unlaced her corset and placed it on the vanity table. "What sort of details you want, honey?" She poked her tongue at Laura. "It was," she cocked her head to the side, "it was weird. I swear the thing knew we were there and watched us the whole time."

Laura stood up laughing, "so he did want it right there in front of the engine?"

Penny's frown creased her brow even more, "love, he wanted it everywhere in that bloody room. But that engine was .."

Laura broke her off, still laughing. "What was he like? Built, big and beautiful?"

"He had money," was all Penny said.

"Fat, dinky winky and gross?" Laura sighed, her smile fading into a delicate glimmer of entertainment.

Penny bent her pinky and flexed it, "money was good. And he didn't stink of gear oil like other engineers. He actually smelled decent. If you closed your eyes, it was like you were laying in a field of flowers." Her eyes rolled to and fro, "that was about it. Couldn't feel a thing, though. Neither coming or going."

"Oh, you're bad!" Laura giggled in her own lovely, maddening way.

"The other weird thing, I could have sworn I heard a lot of people being called on the phone at once, but no one was there save us. And the engine." Penny shrugged and put on her robe.

"Which engine was it?" Laura propped her head onto a pedestal of palms.

"Zepher. So Duke Doggy coming back?" Penny took her turn to tease.

Laura smiled sickly, "do shut up, Penny. I don't care how much money he has, this will be the last one, I swear."

"You swore the last fifty some times, love. You know you like it that way." Penny knew she should stop, but felt revenge was such a sweet thing.