Not Yet Titled - a steampunk spy extravaganza
an excerpt

“Okay, here we go.”
The quietness of the night air was cut by a whirring sound, as a dark cable flew up into the sky. The grapple at the end of it snagged onto the window-sill several storeys up, sending a clank echoing down to the alleyway below.
The figure glanced left and right, but no passers-by were in this part of London at midnight: it had gone unheard, except by him and his companion. He inclined his head and said, “After you, Theo.”
“You’re so kind,” the second man said with a grin, before taking hold of the cable with two gloved hands and giving a sharp tug. The rope held. Theo grunted with the effort of lifting his own body plus his backpack – both sizeable – off the ground; then, supporting his weight with the cable wrapped around his hands, Theo started walking up the wall.
“Not bad: you got it higher than we needed,” he commented casually, as the first man shouldered his own, smaller, backpack, from which he’d launched the grapple.
“Let’s cut the chatter,” he said crisply, following his companion up the bricks. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”
“Ah, will you relax, Austin?” Theo complained, puffing slightly with exertion. “There’s nobody here.”
Austin rolled his eyes and kept climbing, his long trenchcoat billowing below him into the alley.
They stopped at a third-storey window. Standing at an angle out against the windowsill, Austin reached into his coat and retrieved a metallic device, which glinted dully in the fog-filtered light from the gaslamps on the main road. Pressing it carefully against the pane, he flicked a switch. Through the transparent parts of the item’s casing, gears could be seen spinning inside, as a small blade began to rotate, etching a circle in the glass. The device span several times before Austin switched it off, and dealt a sharp blow with his elbow to the weakened circle. The glass disc fell into the room beyond with a tinkle.
He reached his arm through the hole, feeling around for the window lock. He fumbled with it for several seconds while Theo hung beside him, tapping his foot impatiently. Then he gave a soft curse, and said, “The windows are locked, and there’s no key I can reach. Looks like we have to abandon subtlety a bit.”
He looked up into his companion’s face, and rolled his eyes. “There’s no point trying to look disappointed. We both know you enjoy it. Go crazy, big man.”
The larger infiltrator produced a sturdy crowbar from his own trenchcoat. Austin sighed and said quizzically, “You had it ready?”
“Hey, you can’t blame a man for hoping, right?”
Theo’s practiced biceps made short work of the office’s window – if anything, he had more difficulty fitting his frame through afterwards. Austin anchored the cable on the swinging window’s handle before following his colleague into the darkened office.
“This isn’t the place we’re after, right?” asked Theo after a moment.
“Of course not,” replied his lankier companion good-naturedly. “Quinterson’s office will have much fancier chairs. But it should be somewhere on this floor.”
The two padded softly through the deserted offices, peering through each door. No further locks impeded their progress before they reached the room they’d been seeking, whose opulence did indeed distinguish it from the others. Mahogany panelled walls were decorated with paintings of wartime scenes in extravagant frames. The three or four chairs were ornate, and upholstered in crimson velvet. Theo whistled and said sarcastically, “But you know, he doesn’t like to show off.”
Austin had been looking around the darkened room with a professional’s eye. He stalked up to each of the paintings in turn and lifted it from the wall, glancing behind it before letting it fall against the mahogany. At the largest, depicting a fleet of frigates being routed by musketeers in zeppelins, he paused. There wasn’t anything that looked out of the ordinary, but... He removed his gloves, carefully lifted the painting from the wall and placed it beside him, before running his fingers across the panelling. “Aha,” he said with satisfaction, as a panel clicked inwards in response to his pressure. Behind the wood was a sheet of steel and a dial.
“Here we go. Looks like he’s got a pretty sophisticated safe. Time to show off those ears of yours?”
Theo peered at the dial, then grinned as he pulled out a large brass box. “Nah, we’ve got simpler ways to do it these days,” he said with relish. He measured the size of the dial with his fingers, then adjusted a couple of wheels on one side of the device, before pressing it up against the safe, the dial snugly nestling into a cavity clearly designed for that purpose. He pulled a large lever, and the room filled with a whirring and clicking as the clockwork spun, whizzing through trying each combination in turn.
Austin raised an eyebrow and watched. Within five minutes a click was heard and the safe door sprang open. He said laconically, “Nice.”
“Yes, it is nice of you to have gone to all that effort for us,” said an imperious voice from the doorway. Theo spun around in shock, to see a woman standing there, dressed in black leather, and pointing a pistol at Austin, while the man behind her aimed a musket from his shoulder at Theo.
“Ah, yes, Dalton did say we might be expecting some competition here,” said Austin casually. “There’s no need for those weapons, put them away.”
“I’m giving the orders here, and we’ll keep them out, if it’s all the same to you,” replied the woman coldly. “Now step away from the safe.”
“Are you Ariana’s people?” Austin asked, with a professional detachment.
A trace of a smile played around the woman’s lips as she walked across the room, keeping her pistol trained. “And what if we are?”
“Just wanting to know who I can tell Dalton we got beaten by, that’s all,” he said casually.
She definitely smiled at that. “Then you can tell him yes, we’re here from Ariana, and he’ll have to pay handsomely if he wants this information.” She tossed her head, her long black hair rippling over her shoulders as she added, “I’m Julia LaRousse.”
She caught her companion’s eye to check his musket was still at the ready, and then swung the safe door open. She took a single piece of paper from the safe and squinted at it in the dimness. “Edmund, could you get the lights?”
The man cautiously stepped around the room to the ornamental gas lamp on a side desk. Julia raised her pistol, watching each of the other two in turn, while he fiddled with flints for several seconds until the wick caught. Within moments the room was filled with a warm glow.
“That’s better,” she said indulgently, before regaining her detachment as she scanned the document. “Hmm... there’s not much new here anyway. The Observatory must have been slacking off.”
She looked up, and for the first time, noticed Austin’s expression. She said in a discomfited tone, “Why are you staring at me like that?”
Austin said slowly, “Julia LaRousse? From St Swithin’s?”
She frowned, looking closely at the other agent for the first time. “...Have I met you somewhere before?”
“St Swithin’s Road. We went to school there. I’m Austin Garrity.”
“...Austin?!” He eyes went wide, and she gave a short, sharp laugh. “Well, well. Austin Garrity. So you’re working for Dalton now?”
“It’s the smart place to be,” he replied with a shrug, before looking over his shoulder and adding, “Theo, you probably don’t need to bother with the stun gas after all.”
Julia raised an eyebrow, then said, “Yes, Edmund, we probably won’t be killing these guys tonight. At least not right now.”
Theo and Edmund nodded uncertainly, catching each other’s eye as their companions chatted.
“So how are you, Julia? I haven’t seen you for what, ten years?”
Julia laughed again, more musically this time. “At least. Back when we were young and innocent, huh? How’s the place doing?”
“How would I know? I haven’t been back there since I left school.”
“Did you leave at ten, or stay till you were fourteen?”
“I left at twelve. Worked in the factories for a few years, before... well, I won’t go into details about how I got in with Dalton’s group.”
“Of course,” said Julia with a nod.
“How about you?”
Theo sighed and relaxed. It looked like the infiltration mission had turned into a cocktail party.
Several minutes later, Julia and Austin were still chatting animatedly, when Julia suddenly tensed, broke off mid-sentence, and said, “Wait, what was that?”
All four agents froze. Within a couple of seconds, it came again: a pounding sound, echoing through the window.
“Sounds like someone’s at the front door,” murmured Austin. He sidled up to the window and carefully tweaked the ostentatious curtains. He slowly peered out through the glass, when suddenly a beam of light from below caught his face.
“AHA!” came a faint cry from below.
Austin cursed and ducked back into the room. “What did you think you were doing, lighting that lamp? You broadcast to any passing Peacemaker that there was someone in here!”
“Hmph,” Julia replied, sticking her nose into the air. “Right, we’ll be going now. Edmund?”
“STOP WHERE YOU ARE!” the voice cried from the ground floor. “THIS IS THE PEACEMAKERS!”
“Do you need a lift down?” Austin offered amiably. “We’ve got a line from this floor. I’ll let you use it in exchange for a glance at that elevium record.”
“Nice try. But no, we’re fine. We made our own way in here, and I think we can make our own way out and avoid that interfering Peacemaker without any problems. And I don’t think Ariana would like to hear that we gave away information like that.”
“Come on, Austin, let’s go,” Theo urged from the doorway, his device already repacked and on his back.
“...Julia.”
She turned and gave Austin a quizzical look. “Yes?”
“Would you like to climb a mountain with me?”
“...What?!”
“Would you like to come with me to climb a mountain?” he repeated.
“What are you talking about?” Julia replied, her tone a mixture between annoyed and intrigued.
“I’ve found indications that there’s an unclaimed elevium deposit in the Lake District. I haven’t told Dalton about them yet. I’m planning to retrieve the elevium myself. I wondered if you’d like to come with me.”
Julia stared at him for several seconds before replying. “...You’re serious, aren’t you? Why me?”
He shrugged. “Because we used to know each other when we were kids, and now we’ve just met, and we’re in the same, ah, industry. I thought it’d be nice to get to know you a bit better.”
“You know, most men might offer to buy a lady a glass of wine or something...”
A rogueish grin appeared on Austin’s face as he said, “Well, I’m not like most men.”
Julia’s expression went through two or three mixtures of incredulity, bafflement, and amusement, before she gave him a quizzical smile and said, “All right, I’ll do it. When do you want to meet?”
“How about Tuesday, at 9 o’clock in the morning, by the main gate of Kensington Gardens?”
“Sounds fine,” she said with a flick of her hair. “Now, I think Edmund and I need to be getting out of here. See you later, Theo, Austin Garrity.”
Edmund shouldered his musket and ran after her, with long, loping strides, into the deserted building.
A sudden darkness enveloped Austin. He looked around in surprise, until Theo muttered, “And they left us to turn the light off!”
“...Shall we go?” Austin asked his friend, a pleasant lightness taking hold of him. Life had just got a little more interesting.

* * *
The summer sun coruscated through the water droplets flung joyously in the air by the fountain, suspended above the garden for an instant before they fell to splash off the carved stone. The trees provided dappled shade to the morning passers-by. A few children ran through the grass, scaring sparrows and pigeons into flight.
“Why did you tell me to meet you here rather than at the station?” asked Julia, idly brushing her hair from her face.
“Because I thought you might enjoy the walk through the garden,” Austin said with a disarming smile.
“Is that so,” the lady retorted with a grin. “You're looking a bit different to when we met a couple of nights ago.”
Indeed he was: he sported a gentleman's waistcoat and cravat, with trousers to match, topped off with a jet-black cape that was somewhat unnecessary on a warm summer morning.
“I could say the same about you,” he replied warmly. “I can't decide whether I prefer you in black leather or in a crinoline dress and bonnet.”
“Well, one has to look the part. Although since you hinted the journey might get eventful, I've got outfits for a few different occasions in here.” She tapped gaily on the elegant two-wheeled suitcase beside her.
The stroll through Kensington Gardens was indeed pleasant, passing fountains and sculpted hedges. But all too soon they arrived at Victoria Air Station. The cavernous hall was bustling with morning traffic: bankers, industrialists and businessmen flying in from all over the South of England to their offices or appointments. Dispersing steam made the atmosphere humid and uncomfortable. Austin forged his way through the crowd to the ticket desk.
“Two first class to Windermere, please.”
“Windermere, eh?” muttered the clerk, flipping through pages. “That'll be changing at Manchester. Two shillings each.” As Austin fumbled the coins from his pouch, the man added, “Pylon eighteen. Thank you.”
The pair joined the queue for the elevators, waiting impatiently to get out of the overheated hall. The brass articulated doors clanked open, and they gratefully squeezed into the metal chamber. With a hiss and squeaking of cables, they were carried through the ceiling and into the open air, slowly climbing the network of iron beams that spread out into the sky above Victoria.
For all the times he'd flown by dirigible before, the sight of them nestling in the airship cradles always made something leap within him. Airships of all shapes and sizes were visible, whether moored to the pylons, circling overhead, or sailing majestically through the sky into the distance. There were conventional zeppelins, with their gas balloons supporting a small squarish basket beneath; and there were skyships of more varied designs, whether patterned after frigates or other traditional sailing ships, or fancifully shaped like trees or locomotives, each one hanging under an egg of gas to keep it aloft. There were small ten-person dirigibles, normal passenger airships with about two hundred berths, and one vast replica of a cruise ship, easily big enough for two or three thousand, which would presumably be sailing to America or Rome soon enough.
Their elevator came clanking to a stop, and they stepped out onto a wide railed gantry as soon as the doors opened. They headed for the pylon with a large number 18 emblazoned on it in red and black paint. An airship fashioned like a corsair was anchored there by sturdy iron cables, with a boarding ramp leading from the platform to the deck.
On board, the ship had perhaps a hundred seats in the open air, with the same number below decks. Austin always liked to sit on deck if possible, so he made straight for a pair of free seats in the first class area towards the bow, inviting Julia to sit beside him.
There followed a certain amount of waiting for the ship to fill with passengers. But it wasn't too long before the powerful steam engines in the ship's interior were stoked into life. The boarding ramp was withdrawn, the anchor cables released and winched in, and the propellers slowly backed the airship away from the pylon. The craft executed a smooth turn, and then the engines started roaring as the ship started gaining altitude and sailing northwards.