Excerpt: The Madness of Two

Luke Acton had people chasing him, although that was not unusual. He did things every chance that he had to get himself mildly disliked, whether it was pocketing someone's watch from a table, talking in circles at them, or just by being himself. For Luke, it was just another day.

The difference was, though, that today was special. Today he had found the keys to going wherever he wanted to go.

That key was flight. For years, Luke wanted to build an airship that would be fast, faster than that zeppelin he'd been using for the past God Knows. And finally, after much stalking and lying in wait, he had found it. The ever curious Wright brothers had been working on a set of plans for years to make a flying machine, and Luke was fortunate enough to have “stumbled” on a set of those plans. It...no he was brilliant.

Laughing, Luke looked behind him at the pair of winded brothers. “Thanks for the plans, Gentlemen!” he called as he sped down the narrow strip of beach that the brothers had been working on. He stayed near the dune grass, where it was easier to get a footing, and also so that he could duck into the tall grass for cover if he really needed to. Either way, Luke was completely thrilled to finally accomplish one of his goals: steal a blueprint for an airplane.

He laughed to himself. “Next stop, everywhere!” he proclaimed, jumping a fence. He quietly made his way through the town of Kitty Hawk, but he knew that he had to hurry if he didn't want anyone catching him before he was able to take off.

Once he was outside town, he waited for his companion. In the distance, he saw a horse drawn carriage headed his way. He sprinted towards it.

“Excuse me,” Luke panted, “But are you, by any chance, supposed to be picking up a Luke Acton?”

The driver, a young boy no more than thirteen, nodded. “Yes, sir, I am.”

Luke's grin grew impossibly wide once more. “Splendid!” he said, wrenching the door of the carriage open. “Back the way you came, then!” he called, vanishing inside.

The inside of the carriage was dark and cold, much like the night outside. Letting his eyes adjust, he could see that he wasn't alone in the cab. “Jonathan,” Luke sighed. “I didn't think you were going to be here.”

“I couldn't very well allow you to go through with this by yourself, sir,” Jonathan replied. “Besides, I too need a bit of excitement now and then.” He paused a moment before continuing. “Were you able to get it?”

Luke was sure that Jonathan could see him beaming. “Did I ever!” he said, trying to keep his voice down. “Jonathan, this has got to be my biggest success yet!”

Jonathan rolled his eyes. If there were two things he had learned through Luke's heists, it was that every one of them had been his 'best yet,' and that when he got really excited over what he had stolen, he started to cackle. This time was no exception. “Master Luke, do keep your voice down. You're making that absolutely dreadful noise again.”

Luke fell momentarily silent. “I still have yet to notice that, you know,” he said, glancing at his companion.

“Trust me, sir, any louder and you could wake the whole of Kitty Hawk. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say that it would be your trademark if you ever went the way of the phantom thief.”

“Jonathan, why do you always make fun of me? I'm asking this seriously.”

“Because, sir, it's so easy to do.”

“I'd appreciate it if you'd knock it off now and again,” Luke smiled.

Jonathan smirked, glancing out the carriage door. “Ah, we're almost there,” he said. “Look, Master Luke, you can see the ship in the distance.”

Luke leaned over Jonathan to get a better look. “Oh, so you can,” he mumbled. “How about that." He stopped and immediately looked at Jonathan, his expression falling flat. "Do you have someone looking after it?” he asked.

“No, it should be fine as it is.”

Luke sighed, sitting back in his seat, and shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so.”

When the pair had finally made it to their destination, Luke hopped out of the carriage and ran towards the silhouette of the zeppelin. Jonathan stayed behind, partially to pay the carriage driver and partially to keep watch over his energetic young partner.

However, when Luke is excited, he moves faster than Jonathan can keep up with. By the time the older man turned around, Luke was nowhere to be seen. He sighed. "I need to keep him on a leash, I swear," he growled, glancing around for any sign of him.

Suddenly, and not too far away from where Jonathan was, Luke let out a gasp that bordered on a scream. Jonathan burst into motion, trying to trace where he had seen Luke go. “Luke!” he called. He silently cursed himself for letting the damn boy get away from him.

Jonathan ran in a straight line towards the zeppelin, looking down each alleyway he passed. He turned down a small alley that led towards the zeppelin. As he turned another corner, he saw Luke caught in a doorway, cornered by a couple of men.

“News travels fast around here, boy,” the first man said to him, “and word is that you've stolen something valuable from the Wrights. Time to give it up.”

Luke glared at the man. “And what makes you think you have any proof of that?” he growled. “Let me through; I have places I need to be.”

The second man pinned Luke against a wall by his shoulder, making him let out a slight yelp. “I don't think so,” he said, grinning at him. “Not until we're done checking you out.”

Jonathan sighed in frustration. If there was an invention that he truly hated, it was the telegraph. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered, pulling a small metal sphere out of his pocket. “Luke!” he called, lobbing the object at the two men. “Please do hold your breath!”

Upon contact with the ground, the sphere exploded, releasing smoke that both blinded and choked Luke's assailants. Luke was feeling the effects of the smoke bomb as well; his eyes were starting to tear up and he realized he couldn't see a thing. Moving quickly and quietly, Jonathan moved through the smoke cloud and reached for Luke's arm.

The pair ran through the alleyway and turned a corner, leading them right into a smaller alley. It was obviously some sort of connector; Joanthan looked behind him to make sure no one else was following them. When he was sure the coast was clear, he let the blond go.

Luke fell to the ground in a coughing heap. “J-Jonathan...thank you so much,” he said, wiping his eyes and laughing. “I thought I was done for.”

Jonathan was leaning against a building, resting on one foot, looking down at Luke. He smiled. “Nonsense. What kind of partner would I be if I left you there? Besides, you have the plans. That's no good.” He pushed himself off the wall with his foot, reaching a hand out to Luke. “Now come on, we've lost a lot of time. The sooner we get back to London, the sooner we can get this new plan of yours underway.”

The blond smiled and took the other man's hand. “Yes, you're right. We have to get back to the zeppelin as soon as possible. I do regret not being able to get any Tootsie Rolls, though,” he pouted.

“I've already covered that, sir. They're waiting for you in the airship.”