The Airship Race (Clockwork Calico Book 3) Read online

  Focusing her mechanical eye, she looked through the vent and scoured the room. Sitting at the back wall was a massive safe. Her heart leapt into her throat. This was it! Scanning for any security, she laid eyes on the small tank of gas with its output pipe leading to the door. It was rather simple, and could easily be pushed aside.

  There was also a camera mounted above the safe. Anyone attempting to open it would have to stand within the camera’s view. A launcher was mounted next to it, armed and ready to strike. Even her feline reflexes might not be enough to avoid the blast it would create. It would have to be disabled. Where was Emmit? She decided to wait, giving the little mouse time to complete his duty.

  As the minutes ticked by, the vent grew cramped. Her mind began to wander to all the possibilities that might have befallen her friend. Had she unknowingly sent him into danger? Would Morcroft set traps inside the walls? She tried to shake the thoughts away. Emmit was a clever mouse, far cleverer than most. He could sense a trap and avoid it with the best of them.

  Pressing her ear to the edge of the vent, she hoped to hear something of Emmit’s whereabouts. He was likely still in the wall, but his paws made no sound that her ears could detect. If he was still in the opposite wing, she doubted she would hear him if he squeaked. Settling in, she resigned herself to a long wait.

  Minutes later, the light on the camera in front of her went dark. Rising to her feet, she peered through the slats on the vent cover and waited. Had Emmit managed to shut off the security? When the light did not return, she assumed he had. Letting herself out through the vent, she made her way to the door.

  As she inspected the gas trap closer, she understood how it worked. It was rather simple. The turning of the door handle opened a cover at the end of the hose, releasing the gas through the keyhole. Since it was already capped, she moved the hose away and opened the door.

  “Emmit?” she whispered. There was no sign of the mouse, but she could hear the wheels of the sentry still pacing throughout the manor. Emmit would have to tread carefully to reach her. The automaton might be programmed to attack mice. Morcroft was unlikely to spare any creature he found lurking in his home.

  Turning her attention to the safe, she examined the locking mechanism. It required a combination. Sitting back on her haunches, she tried her best to come up with the correct series of numbers. If this safe used one of Lionel’s locks, putting in an incorrect code would lock it for an hour before she could try again. There was no time for mistakes.

  A soft scratching put her on alert, and she stuck her head outside the door. “Emmit!” she called, relieved to see the mouse in one piece. Before she could warn him about the pressure plate, he scurried over the top of it. She gasped, pressing her paw over her mouth. To her great relief, the plate did not trigger. The mouse was far too light to set it off.

  “Are you OK?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” she said. “But you just ran over a pressure plate, and I have no idea what kind of weapon it activates.”

  Unconcerned, he waved his paw. “It’s probably turned off like everything else.”

  “I’m not so sure,” she said. “It’s weighted, so it might need only gravity rather than electricity. And the sentry is still at full power.”

  “It has its own power supply,” the mouse said. “I flipped all four switches that I found, though, and it looks like all the cameras are off.”

  “That’s the best we could hope for,” she replied. “Good job, Emmit.”

  The mouse gave a single nod. “Did you find the safe?”

  “It’s in here,” she said. “I’m trying to decide which combination to try.”

  “I think I know it,” he replied.

  “How?” Had he found something in the walls?

  “I looked at those gears on Gadget,” he explained. “They had Morcroft’s name and a patent number. That’s his most important invention, and probably the only one he didn’t steal. I’d bet a week’s worth of cheese he used that number to protect whatever’s in that safe.”

  The corners of Cali’s mouth curled into a smile. If Emmit was willing to wager cheese on it, he must be entirely sure of himself. “All right,” she said. “Let’s try it.”

  Emmit approached the safe and carefully entered the number of Morcroft’s patent. A single click sounded, and the door swung open. “Voilà!” he said, beaming with pride.

  Cali dove into the safe, her paws touching every object inside it. There were small wooden boxes, cases filled with strange rocks, a few jeweled trinkets, a gold pocket watch, and an abundance of papers. Grabbing a stack of papers, she handed them to Emmit. “See if anything in there resembles an airship or engine.” Retrieving the rest of the papers, she began thumbing through them.

  “Look at this,” Emmit said.

  “Did you find it?” she asked.

  “No,” he admitted. “But it’s worth a look, even if it’s a quick one.”

  Cali laid eyes on the most elaborate writing she’d ever seen. The words were strange, but the letters themselves were like artwork. Multicolored and traced in gold leaf, they appeared brilliant against the aging page. “What is it?” she wondered.

  “I don’t know, but it looks rare and expensive.”

  “It’s no use to us,” she said. Though beautiful, it wasn’t what they were after. Flipping two more pages, she found what she was after. “Here it is!” she said. Three separate pages depicted the same airship and engine she’d visited on the rooftop. These had to be the final plans.

  Grappling hooks and crossbows were the only weapons familiar to her. She had already seen those installed on the vessel. Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t planning to use them, but she had to know what else she might be up against. The documents revealed far more sinister devices, some of which she’d never seen before. She didn’t know if such contraptions even had a name.

  “This is bad,” she said.

  Emmit nodded, his expression grim.

  At least a dozen drawings depicted Morcroft’s most sinister thoughts. Cali’s stomach tied itself into a knot as she committed the designs to memory.

  “Do you think he would actually use something like that?” Emmit asked, pointing to one of the drawings.

  Cali nodded slowly. “I think he would.”

  “But that could kill someone!” he replied, astonished.

  “I don’t think he cares about that,” she said. Pausing, she swallowed hard, the lump in her throat not budging. “Emmit, I’m going to need a big favor,” she said.

  His eyes grew wide, his mouth hanging open. He knew what she was about to ask. “You want me to find Morcroft right before the race,” he said.

  “More than that, I’m afraid,” she replied. “We can’t be sure which of these devices he plans to use until the day of the race. If you can find his vessel, you’ll know what he’s going to do.”

  “Then I can report back to you before Lionel takes off,” he said.

  “Yes,” she replied, “or you can go up in the balloon with Morcroft.”

  “Have you lost your mind?”

  “Hear me out,” she pleaded. “You’re small. He’ll never see you if you hide in the engine. These drawings show where you can safely stow away.” She pointed to a section of the engine with no moving parts. “From there you can thwart his every effort to attack Lionel and the other contestants.”

  The little mouse swallowed hard. “I don’t know, Cali.”

  “There’s no one else who can help,” she said. “I’m too big to fit inside the engine. So is Gadget. Neither of us could hide in there unnoticed.”

  Sweat appeared on the end of Emmit’s nose. “But I’d have to fly,” he said. The thought of having nothing under his feet was more frightening than facing Morcroft.

  “It’s a lot to ask, I know,” she said. “You’re the best mouse for the job.”

  The little mouse closed his eyes, his head hanging down in defeat. “All right,” he said. “I’ll do it.”

 
“Emmit,” Cali said, “you truly have a heart of gold.

  The little mouse rolled his eyes. “Let’s get out of here before I change my mind.”

  Cali nodded and stuffed the schematics away in the safe. Closing the door, she spun the lock away from its final number, then pulled the handle to be sure it was secured. “I’ll hop out the window,” she said. “You’ll have to go back through the walls and turn the security back on.”

  Emmit gave a salute, signaling he understood. “I’ll meet you outside the cellar,” he said. Following her across the manor, he waved goodbye as she exited through the window. Closing it behind her, he returned to the kitchen and entered the walls. Now that he knew where to find the switches, he needed only a few minutes to turn them back on. When he returned to the cellar, Cali was waiting.

  “How’d it go?” she asked.

  “Smooth,” he replied. He could only hope the airship ride would go as smoothly.

  “You know,” she said, “you could come along on Lionel’s next test flight.”

  “What? Why?”

  “To prepare yourself,” she said. “I’ll be there to help if you get scared.”

  Emmit’s immediate thought was to refuse. But after some consideration, he decided she might be onto something. If his first flight was in Morcroft’s balloon, he might be too terrified to sabotage the weapons. He might remain frozen inside his hiding place. Going up beforehand would give him a chance to desensitize to flying, assuming such a thing was possible. “I’ll think about,” he finally squeaked out.

  The answer pleased Cali, who nodded and smiled. Scanning every inch of the manor grounds, she made sure no one was around before returning to the front gate. Gadget lay outside it, his back legs stretched out behind him. “Gadget?” she said.

  The little dog sprang to his feet and turned around. “You’re back!” he said, his tail wagging. “Did you find what you were after?”

  “We did indeed,” she replied. “Did you see anyone around?”

  He shook his head. “Not a single person came this way. I got bored and decided to lie down, but I didn’t fall asleep, not even for a second.”

  “You did a good job,” she said.

  The trio set out toward home, but this time, Cali allowed a brief stop at a nearby park. With a plan in place to protect Lionel, the feline’s spirits were high. She settled down in the shade of a tall oak tree, tucking her paws beneath her. Emmit scoured the waste bins for a bite to eat, while Gadget entertained himself chasing squirrels and lifting his leg on every inch of the park.

  It was just past midday when she rounded everyone up to return to the apartment.

  “So soon?” Gadget asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. “There’s something I need to do.” The downtime had given her a chance to reflect on the situation, and she’d formed an idea about how to keep Lionel safe in case Emmit wasn’t able to prevent every attack. After all, he was only one mouse with four paws. He couldn’t be everywhere at once. Morcroft might be utilizing more contraptions than the mouse could handle alone.

  Arriving back at the apartment, they let themselves in through the window.

  “You’d better get back to Florence,” Cali said to Gadget.

  He nodded excitedly and darted through the flap in the rear door. Cali was glad to have him around. Without him, Emmit wouldn’t have been able to guess the combination to Morcroft’s safe. The dog was surprisingly useful, even when he wasn’t trying. Cali still felt a cat was the most useful species of all, especially one with enhancements like her own. But she decided to keep those thoughts secret rather than risk insulting her friends.

  “I’m going into the workshop,” she said.

  “Want me to come along?” Emmit offered.

  “Sure,” she replied. An extra pair of paws was always good to have around. “I want to craft something that will help Lionel.” She gave the mouse a sideways glance. “Just in case.”

  “I understand,” Emmit said. “Morcroft might have an army in the sky, all intent on Lionel’s airship.”

  Cali paused. She hadn’t considered such a dire situation. “You mean he might have recruited other contestants to do his dirty work.”

  The little mouse gave a grim nod. “They could blast the poor tinker out of the sky.”

  “In that case,” she replied, “the only thing that will help him is a soft landing.”

  “Does he have a parachute?” the mouse asked.

  “Emmit! That’s a brilliant idea!” She licked the little mouse on top of his head. “I’ll craft him a parachute and leave it out for him before the race. He’ll think Florence left it for him out of concern, and I bet he’ll bring it along to appease her.”

  “But how are you going to craft a parachute?” he asked.

  “There’s bound to be materials in the workshop,” she replied.

  “Cords and a pack, yes,” Emmit said. “But silk is in short supply. Lionel said he didn’t have extra for the balloon.”

  “I won’t need as much as the balloon,” she said. “Will I?”

  Emmit shrugged. “I’ve never actually seen a parachute.”

  Cali hung her head, defeated.

  “Could we send away for one?” the mouse asked.

  “The race is two days away,” she replied. “It would never arrive in time.” She also had no idea how much such a thing would cost. Where would she get the funds?

  Snapping his fingers, Emmit said, “I’ve got it. Cheesecloth.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Cheesecloth,” he repeated. “There’s yards and yards of it at the cheesemaker’s shop. All we have to do is go and get it.”

  “You think that will work?” she asked, hopeful.

  “I read it in a news article once,” he replied. “Someone was in an airship collision and survived by hanging onto the corners of cheesecloth and floating to the ground.”

  “That’s brilliant,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  Returning to the streets, they made their way to the cheesemaker’s shop. More than twenty mice waited in the alley behind it. All eyes were on Cali when she approached, Emmit at her side.

  Throwing his hands up, Emmit said, “Don’t panic! She’s a friend.”

  Half the mice bolted toward the corner, the others remained frozen in place. Cali stayed perfectly still, seated on her haunches. Attempting to project an air of nonchalance, she casually licked at a paw.

  “Listen to me,” Emmit said. “She’s my friend, and she won’t hurt any of you. We need your help.”

  The mice appeared uncertain. One mouse took a wary step toward Emmit, but lost his courage and scurried backward three steps.

  “We need cheesecloth,” Emmit went on. “If you can distract the people inside, we’ll reward you with the biggest hunk of cheese we can grab.”

  “But the cat will eat us!” one mouse cried.

  “It’s a trick!” a second added.

  “Emmit, how could you betray your own kind?” another asked.

  “Listen!” He was getting annoyed. “This is my friend, and if she hasn’t eaten me, she won’t eat you. She’s strong and can carry a whole wheel of cheese! It’s yours to share if you’ll help us.”

  At the prospect of such a prize, the mice sounded more agreeable.

  “She doesn’t look all that scary,” one commented.

  Despite the dirt in the alley, Cali rolled over onto her back, playfully pawing at the air. It was degrading, but there was no other choice. The mice had to see her as harmless.

  Finally, one large mouse stepped forward. “I’ll do it, and my brother will help.” The mouse next to him nodded.

  Others chimed in, and eventually all twenty mice agreed to help Emmit.

  “Here’s the plan,” he said. “You run inside all together. It will scare the dickens out of everyone in that shop. Then run back out as fast as you can, and stay away from human feet. Don’t get cornered either.”

  “Got it,” one mouse said. The others n
odded vigorously.

  “Cali will grab the cheese and toss it over that fence into the alley. You’re all free to eat it in peace.”

  They licked their lips, anticipating their reward.

  “Everyone ready?” he asked.

  The mice all nodded and braced themselves to run.

  “Go!” Emmit shouted.

  Cali waited until the mice had a good head start. They poured themselves like liquid over the shop’s windowsill. Shrieks erupted inside, a line of humans stampeding out the front door. The feline made her move. Leaping through the window, she spotted a bright orange wheel of cheese. Grabbing it with her mechanical claws, she was surprised to find it so heavy. She’d have to get rid of it before going for the cheesecloth.

  Racing with all speed, she praised the strength of her enhancements. Running into the alley, she tossed the cheese over the fence, and heard the mice shouting in celebration. Leaping back through the window, she tugged at a large roll of cheesecloth. It was heavier than the cheese! The weight would put all her enhancements to the test.

  Bracing herself with her enhanced hind legs, she shoved with all her might. It was enough to set the bundle of cloth rolling. There was no time to find a better method of transport. The shop owner would be returning soon. Nudging the bundle along, she steered it as it continued to roll down the sidewalk.

  “Cali!” Emmit cried out.

  The cloth was headed straight for him. Before it could crush him, he dodged to the left, grabbing onto Cali’s tail as she raced by. It was the luckiest grab the mouse ever made. The feline couldn’t slow down if she was to keep control over the rolling bundle.

  Emmit clung to her with all his might, his paws aching by the time they reached the apartment. The cheesecloth crashed to a halt on the factory’s brick wall and fell over on its side.

  “Are you all right?” Cali asked.

  The mouse staggered a bit after he slid down from her tail. “Never better,” he groaned.

  “Let’s start unwrapping this,” she said. Grabbing one end in her mouth, she hopped through the apartment window, a trail of cheesecloth following after her. Once the entire bolt was unwrapped, she said, “I don’t think we need this much.”