The Marquise's message had been clear enough: the Crown Prince had given the order to move the bird. The attack on Ironport would happen soon, so if they wanted to stop it, they needed to get rid of the bird before it left Ravenport.

Master Nilla had reacted immediately. She left in the morning and returned in the afternoon with a group of Sky Pirates, the Rayguns. Although no one was excited about relying on mercenaries, they knew they'd need help if they wanted to successfully take the scorpion's nest. Besides, the pirates would do just about everything so long as they were handsomely paid, and Master Nilla made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

Along with them, the Rayguns brought Clementine, their pirate-ship-shaped aeronef. The vessel was large enough to carry all twenty of them, but discrete enough to hide in between the clouds, giving them the necessary stealth to make their strike.

After spending all afternoon planning and preparing, they finally came up with a decent strategy. Timothy and Alder, along with fourteen of the Rayguns, would remain aboard the Clementine, while Emmu, Master Nilla and two of the pirates, including the Captain, entered the lair and secured the engine room. From there, they'd open the trap door, allowing the rest of them to enter and join the attack.

Timothy disliked the idea of staying aboard the Clementine, but he knew it was the best way to go. He trusted Emmu, and knew he'd get the job done. However, the idea of separating from him, especially now that they were closer than ever, was one that had him feeling more anxious than ever.

The Clementine was now slow and steadily flying just above the clouds, its engine puffing, leaving a trail of grey smoke. Standing on the stern, Timothy hugged Eldon from behind, enjoying their last moments together before they separated for the mission. What was great about their relationship was how natural everything came. They had gone from friends to lovers without a big fuzz. There were no big speeches or grand declarations. They didn't even have to say they loved each other. It was implied in every kiss, in every touch and every stolen glance.

It was truth that they were avoiding the most complex truths. Timothy was still sort of engaged to the woman his father had wanted him to marry, something neither of them had forgotten. He thought that was the reason why Emmu hadn't fully thrown himself into the relationship. While the two of them clearly wanted to be together, there seemed to be something that was still preventing Emmu from going all in.

As they approached the point where they'd divide, Timothy planted a soft kiss on Eldon's mouth, gracing his sapphire's face with his glove-covered hands.

"Are you nervous?" he asked as their lips separated.

Emmu shrugged absently. "A tad. I'm more nervous about what comes after this."

"We'll worry about that later," he said as he kissed Emmu's neck. "Focus on the now."

"Are you doubting my fighting abilities?" Emmu asked, feigning offense.

"You can never be too careful. And I really don't want to lose my sapphire."

"Don't worry. You won't."

Their lips met again, this time for a longer, more intense kiss. He didn't want it to end, but it had to, especially because they had reached their destination.

Master Nilla's voice made them come out from in between each other's arms. "You can do all the kissing you want after we get out of this. If we get out of this."

"Could you be any more positive?" Emmu asked, eyebrows raised.

"Just keeping your feet on the ground, Master Eldon," she replied behind a modest grin.

"My feet are always on the ground. It's my head that you have to worry about."

Emmu turned and gave Tim another quick kiss, then walked away and took the gear Master Nilla was offering him: goggles, a mouth cover and a rusty and heavy-looking backpack from which a large propeller came out of. He climbed to the ship's edge and, after giving Timothy a warm and loving smile, jumped into the night sky, quickly disappearing beyond the clouds.

********

The cold wind hit him in the face. As he rapidly approached the ground, Eldon tried to ignore the sensation of his stomach traveling to his throat. His hands were firmly holding on to the levers he'd have to pull to activate the propellers once the moment came.

On the corner of his eyes, he saw Master Nilla and the two members of the Rayguns. All four were now at the same level, meaning it was time. He pulled the levers and the propellers instantly came to life. It was as if a large invisible hand had stopped him while he was running at full speed. He felt the impact on his neck and for a moment, it seemed as if something had cracked.

Struggling to direct the propellers, he turned the levers to the left as he followed Master Nilla, the only one of the four who knew exactly where they were heading. They flew for less time than he had expected, until they finally saw a small hill appearing below them. It looked so out of place in the middle of the open field, that Eldon was sure they were in the right place.

Beginning their descent, Eldon knew he'd have to turn the propellers off. They couldn't risk attracting any attention, so they needed to shut them before they reached the ground. That meant they'd have to free-fall from a considerable height. Beside him, Master Nilla signalled with her arm and all four pulled the levers at once, stopping the propellers.

Eldon felt this fall more than the first one. When his legs hit the grass, the impact echoed in his entire body and a loud moan escaped from his depths.

"What part of quiet wasn't clear enough?" Master Nilla whispered in a reproachful tone.

Eldon clenched his teeth. "I know. It just slipped."

"Are we moving or what?" the Raygun captain asked. "We're gaining daylight here."

Master Nilla nodded. "Follow me."

Miles of open field spread beyond the hill in front of them. They were entirely exposed. Crouching, they moved with the shadows, trying to blend with the flower-covered grass.

"There's an entrance right here." Master Nilla stopped and pointed at the ground under them. "There's another just over there, but we have to open it from the inside." She pointed to the top of the hill. "Master Eldon, you'll take the top entrance. We three," she pointed at herself and the two Rayguns, "will use this one and let you in once inside. As soon as we enter, we'll find heavy fire. We need to take them fast and swiftly. If they ring the alarm, we're fucked. Any questions?"

"Just one," Eldon muttered. "Does this outfit make me look fat?"

Master Nilla rolled her eyes. "I have something for you," she said as her hand reached to the insides of her leather jacket. She pulled what looked like a simple metal tube and handed it to him.

"A stick. How did you know?"

"It retractable. Press the button and it'll turn into a spear." She proudly smiled at Eldon's obvious surprise. "I thought you might like it."

"You gave me a gun and now a spear? You're spoiling me, Nilla."

Eldon had never enjoyed guns, and he didn't really know how to properly use them. His aim was shit. A spear, however, was a weapon better suited for his abilities. He smiled gratefully at the woman, then proceeded to climb the hill in all fours.

Once at the top, he remained lying on the ground, silently waiting for Master Nilla's signal.

Several seconds passed. Nothing. The wind hissing and the howling of faraway animals made him shiver. The echoes of the night were not helping his anxiety. More seconds passed. Had something gone wrong? He remained still, listening. Nothing.

Then the ground started to shake. Like an angry animal opening its jaws, a round and minimal door appeared in front of him. No more seconds were wasted. He jumped, perhaps too eagerly, into the scorpion's nest.

He landed in the middle of the battle. There weren't too many guards. Ten, perhaps twelve. Enough to keep them entertained. Master Nilla was in front of the alarm switch, protecting it, so Eldon turned his attention to three guards who had overpowered one of the Rayguns and were now kicking him mercilessly.

He ran and jumped, tackling one of them. Falling alongside him, Eldon kicked the legs of the second one. He heard a knee cracking. He jumped back up, kicked the gun out of the third one and sent him flying to the other side of the limited space.

Master Nilla had single-handedly taken down four. The Captain had some trouble with the two that had come his way but, all in all, it had been an easy battle.

With all the guards down, Eldon looked around the lair. The simplicity of the shiny metallic walls gave the place a dignified look. Just like the outside, there seemed to be nothing around them. They were standing on top of what looked like a long spiral staircase that led deeper into the nest. The silence that now reigned was interrupted by the sound of a faraway engine starting.

It would take a couple of minutes to climb down the staircase. Never one to be patient, Eldon opted for the quicker route.

"Nilla, you and the Captain will climb down the staircase. Take out any soldiers that cross your way."

The Captain frowned as he kneeled to check on his fallen comrade. "What about you?"

"I don't really like waiting."

Eldon reached into his pocket and took out a wire. He attached one end to the bannister, then held tightly to the other and jumped into the vacuum below. His descent was quick and almost unnoticeable. His eyes barely registered what was going on, as a dance of shadows and colours passed him. He was beginning to wonder if the wire would be long enough to take him all the way down, when the floor appeared below. His feet hit the ground as he let go of the cord, which travelled back up, returning to its original form.

He was now in the inside of a factory. Large, steaming machines lined the road ahead. Low-hanging lamps were suspended from the tall ceilings. There were no windows, only storm drains in the floor, and Eldon felt as if he had just walked into a furnace.

He set aside such thoughts. The control room would surely be further down, he needed to keep moving. The steam would be his ally. Eyes wide open, he slithered through the machines, minding his step. The sound of the engines running and the heavy smell of coal and burnt wood made him nauseous.

Maybe I can throw up on them. Now that would be something.

He stopped moving as soon as he heard it. Boisterous steps, the kind that came with heavy boots. Hiding behind a round, silver machine, he saw a thickly armed group of soldiers heading towards the stairs. He counted ten. Master Nilla could handle them. The Captain might not be so lucky, though. He waited for them to disappear beyond the stairs, then crossed the space that separated him from the door from which the soldiers had come out of.

Another room full of machines. These ones were turned off, meaning there was no steam behind which to hide. The sound of steps made it clear company was on its way. He had left the previous group for Master Nilla to handle. This one would be all his.

Noticing a metallic chair on the side, he grabbed it and placed it in the middle of the room. He then sat and waited. A few seconds later, a new group came out of a wide door on the other side of the room. The six soldiers froze when they saw him.

"Hey boys," he said in a singsong voice. "Do you think this outfit makes me look fat?"

He didn't give them a chance to react. He grabbed the chair and threw it at them. It hit one straight in the face, probably breaking his nose. Three of them ran to him at once. Eldon axe-kicked the first one, taking him out. He leaped frog over the second one, who came charging at him like a bull, and wrapped his legs around the third one's neck, doing a round off and making the man's face crash against the floor. The bull grabbed him from behind. Eldon caught the man's hand and twisted it, his ears ringing with the soldier's roar. He turned and launched his feet at the man's face. They both reached the floor at the same time. Only Eldon came back up.

He turned but the other two soldiers were nowhere to be found. He stayed put, trying to see if they'd come out from behind the machines, but the room was dead silent. They probably went back to where they came from, which could only mean one thing.

Backup is on its way.

Eldon traversed the room and went through the wide door. This time he found a long hall. There were no machines in sight. Instead, a long line of soldiers was now standing between him and the door on the other side. The sound of a roaring engine was all that he needed to know he had found the control room.

Now the problem was getting there.

The soldiers gave him their most menacing looks as they approached him slowly. This time he counted twelve. He reached into his coat and took out the metallic stick Master Nilla had given him earlier. Doing as she said, he pressed the button in the middle and two sharp blades came out of each end of the tube. Spear in hand, he pointed it at the soldiers, ready to play.

"Okay, gentlemen. Let's dance."

********

Timothy had been pacing around the deck of the Clementine for the last ten minutes. He could hear the sounds of the battle below him, yet there was still no sign of the trap door. His heart was racing and his head was spinning with a million different thoughts, each one worse than the one before.

"Maybe we should go help," he said as Alder approached him.

The old man put his hand on Timothy's shoulder and shook his head. "I know how you feel but we need to trust them. We have a plan. We must stick to it."

Timothy growled but said nothing more. He knew Alder was right. If for some reason Eldon and Master Nilla failed, it would be up to them to destroy the bird.

"Trust him," Alder said in a comforting voice. "He knows what he's doing."

"I know that. It's just..." he bit his lip as his eyes travelled back to the hill below him, which seemed to be slowly sinking into the ground. "I don't want to lose him. Not now that we're together. There's so much left for us to do."

"And you will do it all. Give it time..."

Timothy didn't let him finish. The sound of metal banging made him turn his attention to the left side of the hill. The earth was beginning to separate and he knew his Emmu had come through.

He didn't lose any more time. "This is it! Prepare, we're going down!"

The Raygun that had been left in charge of the Clementine nodded and commenced the descent of the vessel. Timothy and Alder exchanged one final look before turning their attention towards the scorpion's nest, which was now in full display.

And it was chaos. Soldiers dressed in heavy armour and wearing masks moved around a platform, trying to surround two figures, who Timothy recognized as Master Nilla and the Captain. As soon as he saw his wife, Alder jumped from the Clementine, activating his propellers and heading straight into the thick of battle. Timothy tried to search for Emmu but failed to find him. Knowing his sapphire was most likely in the control room, he turned to the Rayguns, ready to assume the role of Captain for the moment.

"You stay here and keep the engine going," he commanded, pointing at the pirate behind the wheel. He then turned to the men beside him. "You five, put on a backpack and come with me. We're going deep into the nest. The rest of you, stay in the platform and help your Captain."

Timothy grabbed a backpack, pulled the switches to activate the propellers, and jumped from the ship. He entered the nest and passed through the waves of soldiers dressed entirely in black, ignoring them. As he approached the bottom floor, a storm of steam attacked him, clouding his sight. He reached the floor and found a welcoming party.

Dropping the backpack, Timothy took out the mace that Alder had made for him and threw himself into the fight. He struck one of the soldiers straight in the chest. He turned and hit another one in the head. The steam was increasing by the second and Timothy suddenly found himself completely blinded.

Remembering his training, he stopped moving. Instead, he started listening. The nest was full of life. Screams that came from above. Gasps. Guns firing. A ringing in his ear. And then, steps behind him. He turned and struck the hammer into a chest plate. A loud scream accompanied by the sound of someone falling came next.

The soldier's armours were too bulky, which meant once they fell on their backs, they became turtles and were unable to get back up. A soldier tried to grab him by the shoulder. He knocked him out with one strike. The five Rayguns finally came to join the battle, their propellers doing a lot to dissipate the steam. Knowing they would take care of the remaining soldiers, he turned and ran towards the door on the other side.

"Make sure they don't follow me," he screamed at them before leaving.

He came into a new room with machines but no steam. This one was nearly empty, save for the unconscious soldiers lying in the floor. He had no business there, so he traversed it in three long strides and came to a long hallway. Like the previous room, it too was filled with defeated soldiers. This was surely Emmu's work. He ran through the hall and into a new room with a large engine

"What took you so long?"

He'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Emmu was standing on the left corner of the room. His face was red and his clothes splattered with blood, but he looked unharmed.

"You know me, I like to take my time," Timothy replied in between gasps. "Nice work back there."

"Thanks. I was wondering if we could take one of those soldier's helmets with us. Figure we could use it in bed one of these days."

"Now you have a thing for soldiers?"

"Only if they look like you."

Smiling, Timothy walked to his sapphire and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him into a savage and desperate kiss. Their bodies pressed against each other and their tongues intertwined, making him tremble with excitement.

"There's another room even lower," Emmu whispered as their lips separated. "I'm sure the bird is there."

Timothy used a more formal tone, pointing towards the stairs beside them. "After you."

Emmu smirked. "Pussy."

They descended quietly, turning around every so often to make sure no one was following them. After a while, the sounds from above became only a whisper. They were now going to the very core of the lair. When they reached the end of the staircase at last, they understood they had entered the bird's nest. Even through the blackness that surrounded him, Timothy recognized the large machine that stood in front of them.

The bird rested in front of them. It was twice the size of any blimp he had ever seen, but it was nowhere near as big as the giant creature than had been haunting his dreams. Seeing it now in real life, he found it even scarier. Its head was so large, almost the size of its body, giving it an oddly misshapen appearance. A collection of wires came from underneath its beak, reminding him of a rooster's wattle. Its feet had long, sharp and shiny claws the size of Timothy's head, while its wings seemed to be made of razor feathers.

Its entire body was metallic, but unlike the bird in his dream, it didn't look rusty and old, but new and modern. Walking around the machine, Timothy couldn't help but feel anxious. More than once he thought the broad eyes of the machine had lit up. He tried to hide his discomfort from his sapphire, not wanting to worry him. As soon as he saw his lover's expression, his concerns evaporated.

Unlike him, Emmu seemed intrigued and borderline fascinated by the machine. His hand had reached to it and was now caressing the bird's head, as if it was an actual live animal that Emmu was afraid of waking up.

"I thought it'd be bigger," Timothy said as he took a closer look at the bird's glass eyes.

Emmu nodded without looking at him, his attention still devoted to the machine. "Me too. It's not so scary. It's actually quite beautiful, if you really look at it."

Timothy was about to refute that statement when a loud burst drowned his words. The heat in the room increased at once and a sudden steam discharge blinded them. Before he knew it, the platform in which they were standing had begun rising from the ground.

They went up, straight towards the ceiling. For a second, he thought they would crash. Then, the ceiling shook and another trap door was revealed. The night sky received them as the cool wind struck them, giving their lungs a chilly welcome.

Once they were out of the lair, a new tremor shook them, separating the bird. The head and the wings remained on the floor, while the legs and the tail ascended again, propelled by two rockets that came from the sides of the platform. The front half of the machine then advanced through the open field, it too driven by two rockets that came from the side of the platform.

Emmu and him exchanged looks and as soon as Timothy saw his sapphire's eyes, he knew what that hothead was thinking.

"Follow that thing. Don't let it get away!"

"Why do you get to take the flying one?" Timothy shouted as his sapphire ran towards the rising platform.

"Because I can't drive!"

With a powerful jump, Emmu grabbed the edge of the platform. He pulled himself up and disappeared between the bird's sharp claws.

Timothy sighed in defeat. Turning, he saw the front of the bird was now advancing rapidly towards Ravenport.

"Timothy!" He heard Master Nilla's scream and found her among the crowd of soldiers and Rayguns. He signalled her to follow him and the two ran towards the Clementine, who was still floating above the now collapsed hill.

Climbing the rope ladder that had been lowered, they reached the deck of the ship in no time and Timothy ran to the wheel, taking control of the vessel. He turned the ship around and sped away from the scorpion's nest and into the heart of the night.