“They’re Fang’s extra set. You can put them back when we’re finished for the day, and then we’ll ask around in the Vaults.”

“That sounds good.” He worked them over his fingers and found that they were almost too snug, but far better than nothing. “So, let me ask: You’re not on any official business?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not under captain’s orders, or anything? There’s nothing keeping you here?” Rector prodded, looking around and making a show of being unimpressed, even though he’d never been inside an airship before and was pretty impressed.

“No, not really. What about you?”

“Me? I plan to get to work.”

“For Yaozu?”

“That’s right,” he confirmed. He stepped up into the bridge and strolled over to the large windscreen, leaning forward to see out into the dirty air that filled the foggy courtyard area within the fort. “He thinks there’s a breach in the wall someplace, and he wants me to find it.”

Houjin cocked his head to the side. “A breach? Is that where he thinks all the rotters are going?”

“Yeah, he said they’re getting outside. People are starting to talk.”

“They are?”

“I think so. I think that Swakhammer fellow knows, but he got all squirrelly on me when I asked him about it. Anyhow, Huey, you think there’s a chance the captain would give us a lift? It’d be faster hunting if we did it from the air.” He lifted his eyebrows optimistically as he looked back at Houjin, but with the mask on, Houjin didn’t see it.

“No way. Especially not with the steering gone iffy. And don’t even think about it.”

Now one eyebrow was held aloft with virtuousness. “Think about what?”

“We’re not going to take the ship without permission, even if we could. Captain Cly and Fang would kill us both. Kill us all, since you probably mean to get Zeke involved.”

“Oh ye of little faith,” he murmured, quoting Father Harris.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you don’t trust me, do you?”

Huey shook his head. “If I thought you knew anything about flying, I’d be worried. But you don’t. And I won’t help you do it.”

“You think you’re real smart, don’t you? All sorts of brains, you’ve got—you think you know damn well everything,” Rector said crossly.

He might’ve added more, but the hatch hissed and popped—and this time, from inside the ship, Rector felt his ears pop with it. He abandoned his position beside the oversized captain’s chair.

“Hey, Zeke!”

“Rector, you’re back! I thought you were going to sleep for a week,” Zeke said, hopping up into the ship’s belly and waving at Houjin.

“Well, I didn’t. I hear you were off chasing nurses.”