Free Cogs in Time Anthology (The Steamworks Series) by Catherine Stovall, Cecilia Clark, Amanda Gatton, Robert Craven, Samantha Ketteman, Emma Michaels, Faith Marlow, Nina Stevens, Andrea Staum, Zoe Adams, S.J. Davis, D. Dalton

expedition. He did not know any members of the Independence’s American crew, which included the pilot Joshua Gridley, the engineer, and seven “airmen.” He had only just met Billings and his ten men upon boarding the craft.
    Murunga clung to a bulkhead support and stared out one of the windows at the green grass a hundred feet below. Although his scarred face rarely smiled, his eyes shone with excitement.
    “This is wonderful,” he said.
    “Coming into position, Captain Pierce,” the pilot said as he eased the wheel around.
    “Where's the portal?” Pierce asked. He stepped toward the front, just behind the pilot. Next to him was a polished wood panel, loaded with dials and brass switches. He clasped his hands behind his back to prevent the urge to tap the dials or push one of the levers.
    Gridley glanced over his shoulder at Pierce. “You mean you don't know?”
    Billings chuckled. “He was brought in at the last minute, Gridley. He doesn't know much of anything.”
    Pierce turned to glare at the officer, who immediately lost his pompous grin.
    “Let's just say, Mr. Gridley,” Pierce said, “that I haven't been fully briefed on details. All I know about the Tesla portal is that one has been modified to support this airship. It must be extremely large. Where is it?” He looked out the front widows but saw only pasture.
    A hatch to the upper deck clanged shut and shoes tapped on the rungs of the ladder as someone climbed down to the control room.
    “You're in it, Captain Pierce.”
    The woman pulled an oil-stained cloth from the pocket of her baggy trousers and wiped her hands. She was about thirty, her black hair tied back, wearing a blue blouse with the sleeves rolled back. A belt around her waist carried a leather pouch overflowing with tools. The cuffs of her brown trousers were stuffed into heavy, laced boots.
    “Beg pardon?” Pierce said.
    She walked around him to the panel of controls and began throwing levers. “I said, you're in it. The Tesla portal. This airship is one big Tesla.”
    Because she was American, like the pilot and the rest of the ship's crew, Pierce could ignore her brash behavior. For now.
    “I'm sorry,” Pierce said. “I don't understand. How can an airship be a portal?”
    “Didn't you notice the superstructure?” she asked.
    Pierce recalled his first look at the craft, moored on the pasture. “Oh, you mean the copper tubing on the outside. Sorry, haven't seen many airships. I thought it was typical or just fancy.”
    She glanced from her dials to him, then back to her work. “That's right, you've spent the last ten years in Africa while the rest of the world has been going through a scientific revolution. Well, those aren't copper tubes on the superstructure, they're coils.”
    “Ah, Faraday coils!”
    “Good, so you aren't a complete Neanderthal. Yes, Faraday coils. Instead of a stationary portal, we are portable. We dial in the frequency on this panel, activate the coils, and produce the Tesla field directly in front of the ship. The field runs along the length of the ship, and we pass through to the other side.”
    “Sounds simple enough,” Pierce said. “Did Tesla invent this, too?”
    She shot him a scowl. “Tesla developed the first prototype based on Faraday's experiments. My father modified them to build the actual portals, but had to use Tesla's name in order to patent. This airship modification is my own design.”
    “Impressive,” Pierce said, looking over the interior of the ship. The woman must be brilliant.
    “This,” Billings said, waving a hand at the woman, “is Miss Elizabeth Fletcher. Her father is Elias Fletcher, owner of Fletcher Industries and of the Independence .”
    She wiped her palm on the side of her trouser and shoved her hand out to Pierce. “Liz Fletcher and I own the Independence . Your government just happens to be borrowing it.” She shot a disapproving look at Billings. “I'm also the engineer.”
    Pierce took her hand in a