West nodded. “They got pumps, coal-fired or steam-powered. They send these big waxed tubes up above the Blight line and pump down fresh air that way.”

Otis Caplan struck a pose for pondering, with his hands on his hips and his head cocked to the side. If he could’ve reached his beard, he might’ve stroked it in a villainous fashion. “Could we swipe one of those tubes?”

“I doubt it. They’re awful big to make off with. Besides, the tube’s no good without the pump.”

“Could we steal a pump?”

“No idea,” West told him.

Angeline said to Rector, “Now that’s a man who’s lying. He’s just afraid of telling his boss no too many times in a row. Any damn fool knows you can’t steal a pump. They’re as big as a whole room.”

Rector said, “Otis ain’t never seen a pump. For all he knows, one might fit in a wheelbarrow.”

From within the tower came the sounds of footsteps and grumbling, descending the spiral within—and using more caution on this trip than they’d shown before. Rector heard, “Watch out for that step. It’s broke,” as the creak of decaying metal made a straining sound that squealed all the way out into the park.

“Here they come. Help me unload,” Caplan ordered West. Together they went to the wagon’s rear, and Otis released a latch that dropped the back end open. “I’ve got the glass you asked for, and the closest thing to a sealant I could find, which is tar. I hear nothing works better against this gas, but it won’t be pretty. As for the rest of the stuff, I brought enough to start a war.”

He reached into the cargo area and withdrew a crate. It scratched across the floor until he had it in his arms, then, with some help from West, he put it on the ground. Isaac West said, “Too bad we ain’t got an army. You can bring us all the guns you want, but without anybody to shoot ’em, they don’t do us much good.”

“It ain’t all guns, West—though if it matters to you, I’ve got more fellows coming tomorrow night. We don’t need an army to bring this place down to the ground. Or … farther into the ground. I don’t know, I guess we can send it straight to the devil with what I brought.” Caplan pulled a pry bar out from the wagon and gave it a twirl, then jabbed it into the top of the crate. “Get a gander at that, would you?” he suggested proudly.

Angeline, Rector, Houjin, and Zeke all craned their necks.

“Hot damn, Mr. Caplan. That’s a lot of dynamite, ain’t it?”