Steam Age: Titan Project (Steampunk in Space Trilogy)

Chapter 8: Ready for Launch

        It was amazing the amount of knowledge these two men possessed.  They could repair  anything from a simple internal combustion engine to a full size Oceanic City Rapid Transport System.  Nathan couldn't believe how skillful the two men were with mechanical parts and analysis.  It was as if they had been doing this sort of thing since they were children.  The amount of parts that lay on their bench only added to the impressiveness.  Gears, gages, pistons, pipes, and cable were scattered all over the work bench, ready to be assembled into something amazing.

                "Well, Kat," Orville said, "it would appear that the three of you have had a run in with mighty unsavory characters.  It would be only wise to leave here as soon as possible."  The man walked over to a small metal box that was about knee-high with a door on the front of it.  There was a silver latch extending from the middle of the door that the man pulled to open. "Water?"

               

                "I'm good,"  the three said it unison even though Nathan knew he could use a refreshing drink right now.

               

                "Shame...this is probably the best water you'll ever taste, cooled to forty degrees Fahrenheit, just right for drinking."  Orville was shaking his head, disapproving of their decision.  "It was tricky rerouting some of the steam flow from one of the condensers downstairs into this small box’s expansion valve, but it was well worth it.  Our very own refrigeration machine."  The man was smiling, holding up his glass to the three and downing the water in a matter of seconds.

                "Well, not to digress further," Wilbur interrupted, "but what exactly did you three have in mind?"  Wilbur stood there, leaning against the work bench and rubbing a cloth over some small mechanical piece as he waited on their response.

                "Unfortunately, our attempts to go back to the surface have been to no avail," Kat replied.  "Since the whole city has gone amok, we can't find any way to get out of here for the next day or two."  Kat held out her hands, palms up as a sign of requiring help from her two old friends.

               

                "We've been shut up in here the past week," Orville stated, proceeding to lean on the workbench next to his brother, "so we're  completely behind the times.  You say the city's run amok?  What exactly have you three been up to?"

                Nathan, Kat, and Boiler were astonished by that the two brothers knew nothing of the day’s incidents, especially not knowing about what happened on the surface.  ‘Surely word should  have reached them by now,’ Nathan thought. 

 

                In response to Orville's questions, the three began telling their stories, from what had happened on the surface, to Boiler finding Nathan in the wreckage, to coming down to the city and finding Kat, to the train ride, and finally how they wound up in this exact spot. The two brothers were amazed throughout the trios tale, almost showing signs of disbelief. But as Boiler said, the two were slightly on the crazy side, so they were probably the best candidates at believing such a tall tale. After they had finished informing the brothers about the current situation there was a short moment of silence.

                "So, from what you've told us, assuming it is all true," he turned to look at Kat, smiling, "and I'm sure it is, then it sounds to me like to you need a means of getting out of here."