Airship City

Chapter 14

JOSEPH

“I thought Mo was going to bust a gut when you shot up the shaft again!”

Harry was lounging on an improvised chair in the corner of the workshop that the apprentices had converted into a common room. Joseph returned his smile, shifting his perch on an upturned paint tin. 

“Yes, I enjoyed that. Although for a while there I didn’t think I’d be able to clamber back over the railing.”

“Oh, you did a lot better than some I’ve seen.”

“Does everyone get thrown over the railing, then? In this initiation of yours?”

Harry looked slightly embarrassed. “Well, the idea is to time the fan, to fall as little as possible, so most lads jump off the railings themselves.”

Joseph raised an eyebrow. “Most?”

Harry gave a short laugh, reddening slightly. “OK, everyone except you.” His face fell. “They’re not beaten up first either.”

Joseph groaned as Harry’s words reminded him of his injuries. “What is Mo’s problem anyway?”

Harry frowned. “I don’t know. He’s got a chip on his shoulder, and no mistake. Something about rich people makes him angry.”

“I’m not rich!”

Harry looked at him. “Really? Well, you do talk like every rich person I’ve ever met.”

They both looked up as Mo himself walked into the room. His hand was bandaged roughly with an old rag. “Hadn’t you better be getting back up to the posh part, then?” he said with a sneer.

Joseph stared him down. “Not really.”

Mo turned his attention to Harry. “And what about you? Got no work to be doing then?”

“I’ve got a break until third shift. Thought I’d show Joseph around.”

“Well go on then. Stop taking up space in here.”

Joseph looked around the room meaningfully. All the other apprentices had started second shift a few minutes earlier. The three of them constituted the sole occupants of the room.

Harry stood up with a sigh. “Come on, then, Joseph. Let’s go.”

He didn’t want to give up so easily, but Harry was insistent, motioning with his head. Giving Mo a final stare of defiance, Joseph stalked out of the room after Harry, catching him up in the corridor outside.

“Why didn’t you back me up? He had no right to kick us out!”

“Come on, it’s not worth getting into a fight every five minutes.” Harry grinned. “Besides, it’s boring sitting in there. There are things I want to show you.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll see.” 

Joseph followed his new friend along the corridor and down a stairway. Apart of course from Mo, the apprentices had treated him like a returning hero when he had flown back up the airshaft, and many hands had helped him over the railing as he had struggled to make the transition from flying to standing. It had felt good. As he reflected on this, he became determined not to let Mo blight his mood any more. He jogged ahead to draw abreast of Harry.

“Do you like working on Aeropolis then?”

Harry shrugged. “It’s all right, I suppose. Bit boring, all the cleaning and painting. But it’s nice to travel ‘round the world.”