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---

The Dragon left the settlement of Uranus behind and rolled into the deep night. Senta had handed off piloting duties to Sascha so she could brief the rest of the crew on their situation. They were all arrayed in the main hall, poring over the paper Senta retrieved from the town’s office. The one that damned them to life as fugitives.

Now that the full poster was unfurled it revealed a tapestry of information. However, instead of it being in written language, most of it was detailed in pictograms. Harper screwed up her face at them. “So, why are these scribbles so important?”

Senta glowered at the skunk. “It’s a wanted poster. Our wanted poster.”

Realization dawned in her eyes and a joyous grin spread across her face. “Seriously? That’s totally awesome!”

“Don’t you know what that means? Anyone we come across could be after our tails now!”

“But we’re much more well known!” Harper countered. “Everyone will have heard about the crew of The Belching Dragon!”

“Harper, go do something useful like throwing yourself under the tires,” the rat said, waving her off.

The skunk gave Senta a two bird salute before breaking away from the group and wandering down the stairs to the washroom.

The rat ignored Harper and returned her focus to the document. “Anyways, this is the bounty amount, measured in ounces of gold,” she said, pointing to the number that was front and center. It was a long number.

“H-how much is that?” Algernon asked.

Senta adjusted her spectacles. “Enough to buy a whole new steamer,” she said. “Below it are the specifications of The Dragon, at the time that it was purchased from Seb. It’s meant to help bounty hunters identify the vessel and crew.”

Small diagrams showed various parts of the vehicle, including the engine, mounted weapons and chassis type. The poster showed a uniflow engine, and he supposed if it was a more complex rig like The Providence it would display the multiple-expansion engine it had.

It was an impressive amount of organization for a bunch of vagabonds. Although there were no laws about slaying each other, they were diligent over who owed them. Algernon was still having a hard time navigating scavs’ priorities.

“The type and amount of crewmembers is the main point of recognition,” she continued, indicating the main content of the poster. “Peach is listed at the top because she is the most recognizable.”

The badger gave no comment, glaring at the paper with her arms crossed. Algernon perused the poster and indeed a sketch of a badger was drawn, with one inky clawmark next to it. Below were sketches of a skunk and a raccoon, also with one clawmark apiece. At the bottom of the stack was an image of a rat, with five marks beside it.

“Five rats? But even with Frieda there weren’t that many...” Algernon observed.

Senta scrunched up her brow. “Well, most scavengers aren’t known for their intellect, they may have miscounted. They don’t even have you on here!”

He read through the list again, this time noticing the lack of opossum representation. Understanding seemed to dawn on everyone at the same time, and they all turned to their captain. His tail and ears twitched under their scrutiny.

“Al does kinda look like one,” Teddy offered.

“If your eyes are closed, perhaps.” Senta shook her head. “The last piece of this is the type of bounty. If there are chains, then the issuer wants the quarry captured alive. You can probably guess what this one means,” she said, pointing a finger at the rat skull at the top of the page. Algernon felt a tingle go down his spine; it was clear how Seb wanted his crew returned, and it wasn’t in one piece.

“The good news is that this isn’t the only information I was able to gather. I procured a map as well.” Senta picked up a rolled paper that was put to the side and unfurled it over the wanted poster.

Algernon leaned down to get a good look. It displayed a sprawling territory with many different biomes. To the east were forests, in the middle plains, to the west deserts and mountains. Innumerable roads criss-crossed the landscape, but one in particular was highlighted in red marker, which stretched from one corner of the map to the other.

“It shows the entirety of The Devil’s Road! No need to thank me,” she said with a self-satisfied smirk.

Teddy crawled over the map on his hands and knees. “Cool! Where are we right now?”

Senta’s expression shifted into one of concentration. The names of towns and landmarks were everywhere, not making that an easy task. She scanned the forested region until alighting a digit near where it started to merge with the plains. “We are somewhere around here,” she declared.

Algernon also explored the map, but starting from the start of The Devil’s Road in the northeast. Eventually his eyes caught a name he recognized. “Here’s the Meramec Valley,” he said, tapping the label. “That was where th-the, uh, limb-beast nest was — there were precursor relics with that same name inside the ruins.”

He traced down the highlighted road with a finger from the valley until another name stood out. “And here’s Uranus, the settlement we just left. So that’s where we are right now.” Glancing across the rest of the map, his heart plummeted. They weren’t even close to halfway down The Devil’s Road.

“S-Senta, how long do you think it will take us to —” When Algernon glanced towards the rat the words evaporated from his mouth. Senta was glaring at him with an unadulterated loathing that made his knees weak. He tried to think of what he had done wrong as her eyes bored holes through him, but it was difficult as panic began to build in his brain. Was she still upset about him becoming the captain? He hoped she wouldn’t blame him for that, since that was out of his control. Senta became furious when he started reading from the map, so perhaps he was infringing on her duties as assistant?

“What’s up with this area here?” Teddy asked. He was crouched over a section of the desert that was covered in hash marks. The Devil’s Road continued through that area, but the red line diverted from the main highway and circumvented the shaded area.

Peach frowned. “That’s just below the Western Roughs. Dangerous region.”

Algernon swallowed, trying to recompose himself. “Wh-what kind of danger?”

A look of intense discomfort crossed her muzzle. Despite heavy reluctance, she opened her mouth to speak, but Teddy spoke first. “Maybe this thingy?” The raccoon pointed at another doodle within the encircled land. Algernon hadn’t noticed it before since Teddy had been sitting on it. To his eyes it looked like some sort of serpentine head.

“Dragons,” Peach said.

Teddy’s pupils expanded. “Really?” he exclaimed in delight. “Can we ride one?”

She sighed. “There is one thing a hybrid fears above all, and it is them. Their territory must be avoided.”

The raccoon’s ears drooped and his excitement turned into a pout. “Have you seen one b-before?” Algernon asked.

“No. I am not stupid enough to fight one.”

“Are you done, or are you lot going to waste more of my time?” Senta snapped.

The group grew quiet at the rat’s outburst. For several moments there was silence, then an angry shriek from below broke the air. They turned towards the stairs as Harper stomped up from the washroom. Water dripped from her soaked fur, which was now a violent shade of pink.

“You steaming sack of cow dung! Why didn’t you say the water was still dyed?!” she seethed at the badger.

Despite her stony demeanor, Peach couldn’t help but let the smallest sliver of a smirk touch her muzzle. “Oops.”

“Oh, can I become pink next?” Teddy asked.

Senta shook her head, walking towards the hole in the wall to escape their stupidity. Harper looked like she was about to pounce on Peach who sighed out through her nose. “That’s not a good idea.”

The skunk didn’t heed Peach’s advice, growling up at the larger hybrid. It seemed prudent to hide away for the evening so Algernon quickly made his way up the ladder to the second floor. As he made his way into his quarters he heard the first sounds of caterwauling come from below.

---

Whatever transpired between the two of them, it was clear Peach was the winner. The following day Harper was quietly stewing on the roof of The Dragon, purple welts visible even with her pink fur. Algernon didn’t notice any such injuries on Peach, who was also moving less stiffly than the skunk was.

Teddy was sitting with them, kicking his feet contentedly. Before they had stopped and emptied the tender of the dyed water the raccoon had also used the washroom, so now the three of them were all vibrantly colored. Unlike the other two Teddy was at least happy about his new hue.

Even though the group looked ridiculous, Algernon had them on lookout duty as the steamer continued west down The Devil’s Road. He didn’t want a repeat of their approach to Uranus, so he put the most scav-like scavs on watch, especially since he wanted to devote his time to the continued maintenance of The Dragon.

Senta’s commandeering of the wheelhouse also gave Algernon more time to attend to his engineering. Since there weren’t any catastrophes yet while Sascha was piloting, she brought him on as co-pilot. Algernon couldn’t remember how many jobs the calico rat had at this point, but the two of them taking shifts on steering meant he didn’t have to, so he didn’t think too much about it.

Senta had been moody and quiet since they had left Uranus, but when working around the calico rat as he continued his repairs, Algernon realized how talkative Sascha was. The rat went on and on about different ways of preparing roach meat, the different delicacies that they had found in precursor ruins, and other culinary facts. Sascha also regaled some of the crew’s exploits, which often started with a scheme to steal valuable relics and ended with fiery explosions and nothing gained. Algernon only caught bits and pieces with his attention split between working and listening, but he had a better idea of how the members of The Dragon had struggled to pay off their debt.

Sascha didn’t seem to mind that Algernon wasn’t latching on to his every word, and was content to simply talk to someone who didn’t berate him for being too annoying. However, the rat’s words also seemed to distract himself just as much as they distracted the possum. Algernon noticed that sometimes as Sascha was lost in his monologues the vehicle would start to veer towards the opposite lane of the highway. Whenever that happened he called out to Sascha, who casually turned The Dragon back on course. From then on Algernon made sure to keep one eye on the road whenever the calico rat was on duty.

As he watched through the bridge’s window, the passing scenery slowly marked their progress down The Devil’s Road. The road which had once twisted though precursor suburbs and forests now straightened and the structures grew sparse. Thick forests were giving way to quaint woodlands and copses, the land flattening out and giving way to meadows.

When Algernon realized he was spending more time looking at the landscape than actually reconstructing the wheelhouse with Sascha at the helm, he scheduled the more menial tasks during those times. Admittedly he was much more efficient during Senta’s shifts, using her time as helmsman to go back and forth between there and the main room to bring in the stored metal plates and bolts. Initially he hoped to start the missing walls and ceiling, but that quickly shifted to patching up the floor when he tripped over gaps in it one too many times. Algernon figured it would be best to fix it even if it just meant it would stop Senta’s disapproving glares.

Even though he left one portion loose to store the Master Key, it still took a couple days to rework the floor plates. The walls took even longer. Part of the additional effort had to do with the greater finesse needed — he had to build window frames for the frontside — but the elements were the bigger factor. The waist-high barrier protected him while he worked on the ground, but working at the edge of the room left him exposed to the full assault of the wind. Not only did it dry his eyes out and blow his fur everywhere, but a deep chill started to accompany it. He couldn’t count the number of bolts he dropped off the side of the vehicle due to his fingers growing stiff. It was yet one more thing Senta was critical of, especially since their spare supplies were starting to dwindle.

The turning of the season also made the nights miserable. As the heat from the boiler was left to burn out, the colder evenings made the quarters frigid. Algernon trembled in the cot with only his fur for warmth. More than ever he missed the communal beds of The Providence, where Autumn and Winter could be staved off with the shared warmth of other bodies.

Peach didn’t seem fazed by the weather and continued to sleep fitfully, if her snoring was anything to go by. He wondered how she was able to withstand the chill. If the stage show they’d seen at Uranus was even a little bit accurate, he imagined her hardiness came from her past. Which meant it wasn’t something he could also acclimate to easily.

She had thick skin, but it turned out there were things that could disturb even her slumber. Several days out from the settlement there came a night when as Algernon lay awake a baleful shriek echoed from outside. The noise caused his stiff muscles to quiver in terror. Peach didn’t move, but she had grown silent.

“P-Peach?”

“A feral,” she murmured, still facing away from him. “They won’t be able to get in.”

That was all the explanation she gave. Over an unknown period of time the creature outside let out more cries, followed by stretches of quiet. Eventually one gap of quiet stretched so long that it was clear whatever was out there had moved on. Shortly thereafter snoring once again filled their quarters.

Despite the weather conditions and lack of restful sleep, work continued on the wheelhouse. The day after, Algernon was installing the ceiling plates, which was the most awkward and exhausting portion of the repairs since it was above his head.

The only saving grace was that instead of Senta watching him struggle, Sascha was on piloting duty. Although that also meant he was constantly watching the road as the rat talked. Ahead, the road began to crumble.

“S-Sascha!”

The rat broke from his monologue, noticing the holes in the concrete. “Hey Siegbert, slow us down buddy!” he called through the grate in the floor.

After the mechanical sound of a lever being pulled, The Dragon slowed to a crawl. With their new speed, Sascha maneuvered the wheel to pick their way around the obstacles.
Algernon continued looking down at the grate. He forgot sometimes that the largest of the rats was working down there with how mute he was. “Is Siegbert... How is h-he healing up?”

“Oh yes! His fur is starting to grow in, so he looks less like a plucked chicken now!” Sascha said jovially.

The possum cringed. “I... Uh, f-feel like I should have kept b-better track of his recovery...”

The rat planted a paw on his own chest. “It is part of the crew’s duties to alleviate stress from the captain, there is nothing to feel bad for! Plus, Siegbert always gets back on his feet, a little fire won’t keep him down!”

“... You’ve known him for a while, then?”

“All my life, in fact! We’re from the same litter, together since birth!”

Algernon was beginning to wonder if there was anyone on the crew who wasn’t related to one another. Sascha was lost in the past as he continued.

“Amongst the family we were both runts. Me, well,” he indicated his lithe frame. “But for Siegbert, it certainly isn’t in the physical sense, so it wasn’t noticed right away. When you have dozens of siblings, that means all of the mouths can’t be fed and the smallest is always the least prioritized. When the others need to take out pent-up aggression, the runt is also the target.

“I wouldn’t have lasted if Siegbert didn’t start protecting me and sharing food scraps. When we started growing it didn’t take long for the other siblings to turn on him as well once they realized he couldn’t think like they could. Once we were both outcasts, we learned that by working together we made up for each other’s deficiencies. I was able to learn the skills needed to eke out an existence as a scavenger, and Siegbert kept the two of us from dying. It has worked out well so far!”

Algernon wasn’t sure how to respond to their depressing history, but Sascha’s attitude remained chipper throughout his retelling. His arms were starting to grow tired, so he lowered the plate he was working with to the floor and steered the conversation on to something lighter. “Is Senta also part of your litter?”

“No, Senta and Frieda are from a different caste. They were raised under the firstborn doctrine.”

Algernon stared at him blankly.

“Surely the last crew you were on followed its principles?” the rat said, bewildered. “The vessel’s captain and officers were rats, no?”

“W-well, yes...”

“Then they probably followed the doctrine! It asserts that as the firstborn of all hybrids, humanity determined rats as the leaders of our kind. Now I personally have no ambition for such a calling, but many rats believe if they are not leading, they have failed at their life’s mission,” Sascha said, gesticulating with his hands. “That leads to many becoming heads of scavenger groups, even if they don’t... ah... have the qualifications for it.”

The possum’s eyes went wide. “Th-thats not a n-nice thing to say about Senta!”

Now it was Sascha’s turn to blanche. “No, no! I didn’t intend the insult for her, but as a generalization! Senta has great potential to be a captain, but...” He looked down, wrestling with his words. “I suppose like all of us there are things she’s not good at. Like Siegbert and I she’s also good at working around her flaws, even if it makes the roles given to us more difficult.”

With his recent promotion and his not unwarranted self-doubt about being a captain, Algernon could certainly relate. Curiosity wanted him to ask what exactly Senta was lacking, but propriety made him hold his tongue. Sascha was more than happy to fill the dead air.

“Now Frieda? I know it’s improper to speak ill of the dead, but she’s a prime example of deflecting shortcomings through pure determination. She yelled so loud that even I sometimes forgot that she didn’t know what she was doing!”

As if their late captain’s spirit heard his remarks and came to enact vengeance, The Dragon ran into a pothole and ground to a halt.

Metal screeched and snapped, and the two in the bridge were thrown forward onto their bellies. After sucking a lungful of air back in, Algernon gasped and tried to quickly assess the situation.

Sascha was on the floor beside him, stunned but unscathed. The vehicle was shaking and the smell of burning rubber wafted from outside. “S-Siegbert, stop the vehicle!” Algernon called towards the vent.

After a few seconds the vibrations and the whining of straining joints ceased. The only sound was the burning of excess steam running through the pipes.

The door to the bridge burst open and Senta stepped through. “What did you two do?” she demanded.

Sascha was the first to respond, a worried smile on his face. “I think I got a bit distracted, but I don’t think we hit anything major!”

She wandered to the viewport and looked outside, before fixing her gaze on the other rat. “You could have crushed us,” she said flatly. “You’re no longer allowed to pilot.”

His ears drooped. “Yes ma’am.”

Senta turned to Algernon, and he feared she was about to dress him down too, but she simply told him, “We need to see what trouble we’re in.”

They scurried into the main hall and down to the first level. Someone had already opened the hatch to the outside, so they walked out into the sunlight. Peach was on the asphalt with her hands on her hips, looking at the ditch the front right wheel of The Dragon had sunk into. Harper was leaning against the side of the vehicle and sharpening her claws with a shiv. Teddy was pushing against The Dragon to get it unstuck. He wasn’t making any progress.

Algernon rounded the vehicle. It was immediately apparent from the angle of the left wheel that the front axle was unsalvagable. He quickly peeked underneath to see that the rust-caked rod had snapped in two.

“Well?” Senta asked from behind.

“It, uh, it doesn’t look good,” he said. “Th-the front axle is broken...”

“Can the steamer still run?”

He brought a paw to his temple, trying to think of a way that could work. “... N-no?”

Senta pinched her brow and sighed. “How long will it take to fix?”

“I-I’m not sure where we could find a new one... Maybe at a settlement? We sh-should have done that in the valley...”

She bored holes into him. “And why didn’t you? Did you know this was going to be a problem?”

Algernon froze with his mouth agape, trying to not wither under her scrutiny. The rotting axle did ring a bell, all the way back when he did an initial inspection of the vehicle under Frieda. “I-I... I forgot!”

The rat was too furious for words. She stormed away from him towards the other side of the vehicle. He thought that Senta had gone to sulk, but a minute later The Dragon started to rumble. Curses came from the other side where Harper was resting as the steamer began to shift, and Algernon quickly scampered away from the wheels. The grating of metal against pavement filled the air.

When he turned back it looked like the vehicle was stuck, the broken axle wedged in the concrete fissure and the back wheels failing to gain traction. Then, part of the pothole gave way and The Dragon lurched backward. The two halves of the axle scraped across the ground and the front wheels bowed inward, but it was moving.

For a moment Algernon worried that Senta was going to take off without the rest of them. However, the vehicle shuddered to a stop and shortly after the rat reemerged. She strode up to Algernon with map in hand, shoving it into his arms. “Figure out how to get to the nearest town.”

With fumbling fingers he unfolded the paper and laid it down before them. His tail twitched in anxiety as he looked over the map. He saw a marker for Seb’s scribbled near the top right, and eyed the distance from there to the start of The Devil’s Road, where he had departed The Providence. Using that as a guide, he traced down from Uranus his best guess as to the distance traveled over the past several days. His claw stopped just shy of another marker that was down the highway. “There’s a settlement n-named Depot not far from here, maybe less than a d-day’s travel.”

“Then we get The Dragon there... somehow,” she growled. ”I don’t care how, just make it work. You’re the engineer.”

Algernon looked to the rig, its front scraping the pavement. Next, to the road ahead, where debris littered the path. Lastly to Peach, Harper and Teddy, who stood around aimlessly. He brought a finger to his chin.

---

“This plan suuuuuucks,” Harper bemoaned. She hauled a fallen street sign with Teddy’s help out of the path of The Dragon, both struggling under the effort. Peach cleared the road of a chunk of concrete on her own without breaking a sweat.

Once Algernon was satisfied that the way was clear enough, he called back, “Good to proceed!”

Sascha was working with Siegbert in the engine room to make sure Algernon’s directions were followed as timely as possible. The vehicle started moving again at its slowest speed, leisurely enough that the crew outside could keep up with it at a brisk walk. The grinding of the axle against stone accompanied The Dragon as it inched forward. Algernon leaned out the viewport of the bridge, keeping his eyes peeled for obstacles.

Ahead, a divot in the ground pockmarked the road as if struck by a cannon. “Bear left,” he said over his shoulder.

At the wheel, Senta gently turned them away from the hole.

“Ah, a bit less left,” he guided as their trajectory took them too close to the opposite curb.

The rat rolled her eyes but complied. Algernon continued to give course corrections as the vehicle navigated the minefield of broken asphalt and guardrails. It wasn’t long before they came across another impassable section of debris. “Stop!”

As soon as the vehicle came to a complete halt, it was time for the others to clear the way again. Harper let out an exaggerated sigh, and the three set to work on moving the loose rubble.

They had been limping along for hours. The entire stretch of highway they were on was all in a similar state of disrepair, the most poorly maintained he had ever seen of The Devil’s Road so far. It had made an already arduous journey with the broken front of the vehicle even more so. The only upside was that they hadn’t seen any passing vehicles since their axle snapped. They were in no shape to fend off attacks, and it saved the embarrassment of other crews seeing them in such a state. It was odd that there hadn’t been any — there had always been a steady traffic along the highway — but he wasn’t complaining. The decrepit hulls of precursor vehicles amidst the rubble were hassle enough to avoid.

The sky was turning overcast, and the pale, burning light of the sun behind the clouds indicated it was mid-afternoon when they reached the fort. The skeletons of automobiles had been moved to create barriers which funneled them towards the center of the road. Green pennants had been fastened to the wrecks, and a droplet symbol designating a nearby water source had been painted on one of their doors.

“Finally, this must be it,” Senta commented. She steered the rig through the opening in the barrier of discarded vehicles.

On the other side was an intersection that had been cleared, leaving it bare except for a pile of crates in the center. Sitting casually on one of the crates at the foot of the pile was a fox hybrid dressed in coveralls similar to the ones Algernon brought with him from The Providence. The fox waved to them as The Dragon approached.

“Stop here,” Senta hissed down to the engine room. The Dragon grinded to a stop before the hybrid.

“H-hello there,” Algernon called down to the fox.

“Greetings, travelers!” He shouted up in return. “What brings you out this way?”

Senta joined him at the viewport. “Is this Depot?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not. That’s still down the road a ways,” the fox answered. He shifted his gaze to ground level as Peach, Harper and Teddy walked up to where they were parked. “Quite the ensemble you have! I take it you’ve come from that carnival northeast of here?” He pointed to the brightly painted fur on the three of them.

Harper crossed her arms, clearly unhappy to still be pink. Peach ignored the fox, swiveling her head around to take in the environment and frowning at the fortifications surrounding them.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t my natural color!” Teddy offered.

“I figured,” the fox said, amusement on his muzzle. He turned his attention back to the cabin. “By the looks and sounds of your fine vessel, it is in dire need of fixing. It would be irresponsible to send you on your way to Depot in the state it is currently in.”

Algernon frowned in concern. “Why’s that?”

“They’re opportunistic folk, just as likely to pick off a group as they are to help them if they seem like easy prey. But, I have good news!” The fox lifted a digit and smiled widely. “This is Aesop’s one-stop shop for all your steamer needs! Our expertise with them matches any provider of such vehicles.”

“Who’s Aesop?” he asked.

“Why, you’re speaking to him!” the fox said. “Being scavengers, you must have procured many interesting trinkets on your way here. I’m sure we can come to an agreement about the repairs to your vessel that is amenable for the both of us!”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Peach look up at him. The warning in her gaze gave him pause. Meanwhile, Senta leaned over to him. “He’s flying green, this is a peaceful station,” she whispered.

It was true that they needed to get The Dragon fixed as soon as possible. They were essentially a sitting target until they could get up to speed again. “Do you have a spare axle for sale?”

Aesop beamed. “Of course! If you’ll bring your steamer around to the lakeside, the workshop is over there!”

The fox sprung to his feet and trotted down a small road away from the intersection, waving for them to follow. The crewmembers on the ground walked after him, and the steamer shortly started trundling forward too.

Algernon kept his position at the viewport. Unlike the main road, the one here was devoid of craters and debris, so Senta didn’t need him to direct their movements. He cast his vision to their surroundings. They were leaving the sparse suburbs behind and passing through a grove of trees towards the shimmer of water in the distance. Aesop walked them up to a small lot within the trees, but continued on past it to a dirt path which was scored by tire tracks of several vehicles. The Dragon shook as it transitioned to it, the broken axle digging grooves into the soil as they followed the fox.

Beyond the group of trees, the land opened up to the shoreline. Several steamers crouched on the grass in various states of disassembly. Hybrids were perched on their bodies, prying off plates and unfastening pipes. They turned their heads to The Dragon as it passed.

“Oh, you brought friends!” Teddy exclaimed.

Algernon looked down. A group of other raccoons and skunks were walking alongside the rig, all wearing similar uniforms to Aesop. His own crew stood out in stark contrast with their dyed fur. Peach scanned Aesop’s crew with a frown, but said nothing.

“The extra hands are needed to handle all the intricacies of our work,” Aesop said. “Especially for guiding rigs into the garage; It’s a tight fit.”

“Where’s the garage? I don’t see —” His words failed him as he saw the structure the fox was leading them towards. It wasn’t on solid ground, but rather a metal structure that jutted from the shore out onto the lake. What was unnerving about it was its shape. For an unexplainable reason it took the form of a massive blue fish, its paint faded and flaking. The tail arced out over the water like a dock, while its gaping maw was the entrance inside.

The fox smirked at his apprehension. “I can’t fathom why humans made this strange aquatic sculpture, but it has served as a good deterrent for ner’do’wells!”

A couple of workers took positions on either side of the portal, motioning with their paws how to align with it. Senta made adjustments to The Dragon’s angle of entry to comply. As the yawning visage was about to swallow them, Algernon felt a shiver of unease. Even though the macabre building would have made any hybrid feel that way, a nascent instinct in the back of his mind warned that they shouldn’t be here. It was the last opportunity to back out, but as the shadow of the upper jaw started to eclipse their vehicle he found that he couldn’t speak up past the indecision tying his throat into a knot.

The structure overtook them and they entered its stomach. After a moment of his eyes adjusting to the dim interior, he saw that it was stocked with all manner of steamer parts. Buckets of washers and nails lined the right wall, while closed barrels lined the opposite one. By the concerning smear of fluid under them they were probably filled with gasoline. Ropes and chains hung from the roof, loose hooks dangling from some while others lashed spare plates to the ceiling, much like how supplies were secured in The Dragon.

At the back of the interior it opened up to the tail of the creature. A gantry stretched before the opening, where more stray pieces of rigs were stored. Mounted in the middle was what looked like a —

The rig shook as its main door was yanked open. Algernon and Senta whipped around. “Peach, you’ll rip it off its hinges if you pull any harder,” the rat called out.

The door to the bridge burst inward. It wasn’t Peach that entered, but a skunk and raccoon from Aesop’s company. Before they could react each grabbed one of them around their waists and started carrying them out of the room.

“Unhand me you lizardbrain, I can walk myself out!” Senta growled.

Algernon was too taken off guard to resist, allowing the skunk handling him to drag him down and out of his steamer. Outside, the rest of the fox’s workers were busy wrapping thick ropes around The Dragon. A winch was being maneuvered over the center of it.

He was brought farther back into the fish’s belly where the others were. “Hey, only I get to be grabby!” Harper snapped at the raccoon pulling her into line with the rest of the crew. Each of them were being watched over by one of Aesop’s minions, while Peach, who stood frowning and with arms crossed, had two at either side of her, each looking cowed by her size.

Another raccoon emerged from The Dragon covered in soot and hacking his lungs out. Sascha, who was similarly dirtied, was tucked under one of his arms. “It’s black as pitch in that bastard, but I snagged the engineer,” the raccoon croaked out between coughs.

The fox stood between the crew and their vehicle. Now that Algernon was on the same level as him, he realized how tall his lanky frame made him compared to the rest of them, standing a whole head above Peach. “Why is the steamer still running?” he demanded. The rumble of the engine filled the space and made it sound much more all-consuming than when it was on the open road.

“I could barely see this little squit with all the smoke in there and his fur is half neon! You expect me to find the controls on this junker?!”

“No matter, we can let the room vent. Hoist her up!” Aesop yelled.

The winch hooked the ropes around the vehicle. It slowly lifted upward and the cords became taut. Algernon guessed that the winch was motor-powered as The Dragon broke from the ground, since it was inconceivable that the rig could have been lifted even with the combined strength of a hundred hybrids. Its presence elicited a current of dread as it lifted over their heads; it hung like the world’s largest pendulum, teetering back and forth slightly. Despite the sheer absurdity of seeing their entire home suspended, the ropes creaked but held strong.

In the back of his head, he considered how the Master Key was now out of reach along with their entire rig. Now that it was impossible to get to it, concern gripped him. “So, uh... We have m-many artifacts to trade for your services.” Although now that Algernon said that, he realized that all of those were also still inside The Dragon, too.

“Of course, let’s get to business.” Aesop rubbed his paws together. “I’m sure your treasures are quite interesting, however, I have a different proposition: I keep your vessel, and you get to leave with your lives.”

A hush fell over the group. Algernon wasn’t sure he’d heard the fox correctly. “Well, I-I’m sure we have something that —”

Aesop put a hand on his shoulder. “My possum pal, I must not have been clear. I don’t want anything you have on your vessel, I want the vessel itself! I have to admit, it is quite a junker,” he said, giving The Dragon a critical squint, “But my talented workers can salvage something from it, I’m sure.”

Hissing escaped Harper’s lips, but before she could attack the nearest bandit, the raccoon had a knife to her throat. She looked ready to froth at the mouth but made no movements against the one holding her. Algernon let out a cry of surprise as the one behind him stepped on his tail; it seemed they were aware of its prehensile nature and didn’t want any sudden moves from him. Fear blanketed his mind as the situation unraveled.

“In my opinion, this is a generous offer!” Aesop continued. “Most scavs would dispose of the bodies and be done with it. Hell, once I have enough steamers to open this as a trading post, I’ll even let you buy your vehicle back! With interest, of course.”

“You mangy cur!” Senta exploded next to him. “You’re flying green, and you dare break the scavenger code by attacking us?!”

Algernon had never heard her yell so loud nor look so furious. The bandit hovering behind the rat flinched at the ferocity of her outburst, but Aesop only reacted by smirking and propping his cheek on a paw as though contemplating. “So that’s what those funny little flags are for? I just thought they were nice decorations from all of the steamers we’ve been repurposing. As for your accusations of assault, well, I’m not harming you, am I?”

“Damn you to hell,” Senta seethed.

Harper let out a growl, causing the raccoon holding her to press the shiv closer to her neck. Beads of blood dripped from where it nicked her and she froze. Algernon’s mind raced to think of something, anything that could get them out of this. Their night at Uranus flashed before him. Harper had given him her old knife, and he’d kept it in his pocket ever since. The fox was still standing nearby. He wasn’t one for violence, and doubted he’d be able to do much of anything with the weapon, but perhaps if he made enough of a distraction...

He hurriedly shoved a hand into his pocket. Instead of touching steel, his fingers brushed the tear in the fabric where the bottom used to be.

While he tried to process this, Aesop tutted beside him. “I wouldn’t recommend trying to play the hero,” the fox addressed him. “Breaking our agreement with unneeded violence will lead to some unsavory consequences.”

Over the rattle of The Dragon’s engine the metallic clunk of a machine turning on its mount caught Algernon’s ear. Turning to the gantry that loomed in the back of the fish, he saw a turret much like the one attached to the top of their steamer attached to the middle of the walkway. The weasel manning it had its business end pointing directly at him.

“Move along, then,” Aesop said, gesturing past the suspended rig towards the entrance. “My hospitality can only be stretched so far.”

He glanced over at his crew, most of whom looked nearly as terrified as he felt. Even Harper's expression showed a grim resignation, her body slack in the grip of her captor. It seemed like their only course of action was to retreat.

A call to his crew to leave was on the tip of Algernon’s tongue when Peach let out a huff. “Cut it down,” she commanded in a loud voice that echoed through the interior.

There was a heavy pause, then air filled with the bandits’ laughter. Aesop most of all was tickled by her brazen words, slapping his leg and barking out vulpine trills. “My dear, that’s not going to happen!” he said once he got control of himself. “You must be fresh out of the circus if you think you have any power here!”

Peach sneered at the fox. “If you do not do what I have asked, your pack will soon all be dead.”

The scavs didn’t laugh this time. They shot each other uncertain glances, before looking to their boss. Aesop himself didn’t appear rattled by the badger’s words. “I don’t take kindly to threats,” he said, his speech dripping with venom. “For your insolence, in addition to absconding with your vehicle I’ll now take what’s on your person as well.”

Algernon heard the mounted turret rotate again, and he saw that the operator had it aimed on Peach. Even though everyone else was transfixed by the back-and-forth between the fox and the badger, he also picked up on another faint sound that was almost lost under the drone of the engine. The squeak of a hatch came from The Dragon. When he peeked up at it he thought he saw a dark shape moving towards one of the ropes.

He quickly turned his attention back to Peach as to not arouse suspicion. She put her hands on her hips and there was a hint of embarrassment in her face. “I’m not stripping for you.”

Aesop scoffed. “I have no carnal desires for a brute like you, but perhaps the rags you’re wearing can be of some use. I won’t ask again for your belongings, so hand them over.”

“Make me,” she said, not moving an inch.

The fox made a clicking sound with his mouth, and the pneumatic hiss of the turret reported through the garage. Adrenaline spiked Algernon’s system as three nails struck Peach in quick succession.

To his shock, the first two bounced off the badger’s vest. As the bent nails fell to the floor, he wondered if she had somehow sewn metal plates into her top as a form of armor. He let out a gasp, however, when the third embedded itself in Peach’s leg.

Not so much as a grunt escaped her lips. She stared down at the nail skewering her leg as though it were an inconvenience. Aesop’s gang stopped in place, unsure what to do with a hybrid who shrugged off their projectiles.

She gripped the head of the nail where it was poking out of her thigh, her breathing becoming erratic. Algernon worried that the wound was overcoming her, but when she looked up there wasn’t pain in her eyes, but murder.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she murmured.

Peach yanked the nail from her flesh. He only had a moment to glimpse the crimson sheen covering it before she drove it into the nearest bandit. The hybrid fell like a sack of grain.

Before any response could be made, the snap of rope tearing came from above. A rushing of air through the hollow preceded The Dragon crashing down into the ground.
The impact clapped against their ears and shook everyone off their feet. From where he lay Algernon glimpsed Siegbert holding tightly to the roof of the vehicle with the end of the rope still in his teeth.

A streak of white bolted past him towards the rig. More hisses of compressed air followed. With surprising nimbleness Senta weaved and dodged on all fours while nails rained down around her. She hopped over a gap which had appeared in the floor and ducked behind the still open door of their vehicle.

Peach was next to recover. She rolled to her front so she was beside him, and stomped on the arm of a raccoon who was reaching for his dagger. A crack and a scream rang out. The badger ignored both, picking up the dropped weapon and slinging it up towards the turret. A wet impact and gurgling could be heard above. The barrage of nails stopped.

Algernon had never been in the midst of so much violence, and the visceral sights and sounds nearly paralyzed him. His body refused to obey him, so he crawled towards The Dragon as more carnage erupted around him. Additional screams echoed in the wake of his crewmates’ wrath. The one who had restrained Harper fell under his own knife as the skunk drove it into his neck. Thumps shook the deck behind him as bodies were slammed down by the badger warrior.

When he reached the gap, icy tendrils gripped him. The floor panels had bent down and dark water was seeping through. He knew safety was on the other side, but he couldn’t bring himself to step into the lake.

Sascha jumped up onto the front of the rig. Using the fissures between the plates of the hull he scrambled up into the cabin. Following the rat’s lead, Algernon moved towards the vehicle. Before he made it far a hand snatched the back of his collar.

“You’re not getting out of this alive, vermin,” Aesop growled in his ear.

The fox flung him backwards towards the tail of the structure. He tumbled to a stop and looked around him for an escape route. The back exit led out to the open lake, which wasn’t an option at all for him. Towards land was the front entrance, separated by a gulf of chaos. Amongst the turmoil Algernon noticed a shaft of light coming from above. There was a portal high up on the wall, which a precursor-sized ladder led up to.

But between himself and the ladder was Aesop. The fox strolled up to him with no hurry in his steps; he’d correctly deduced that the possum wasn’t a threat and wanted to play with his prey. He dragged a pipe wrench behind him like a massive club.

“I’ve spent seasons preparing my business, you and yours don’t get to take it away!”

Aesop swung the wrench over his head. Because of its mass, Algernon had time to let out an “Eep!” and jump out of the way before it crashed down against the floor. He scuttled away from his assailant until he hit the wall.

On the opposite side of the garage, Senta’s voice called out. “Clear out, we’re leaving!”

The Dragon began to back out the way it came. The shrill screech of metal against metal added to the din.

Hearing the rat, Harper spit out the severed fingers of the scav she was mauling. Seeing the widening gap, she sprinted after the rig and leaped over the water. She splashed down in the shallow end of the sinking floor and legged it out of the fish.

Peach meanwhile continued to fight as though she hadn’t heard the command. Bandits surrounded her and clawed at her limbs, but she didn’t seem to care. One-by-one she pierced and crushed the hybrids until they fell.

Aesop brought his makeshift club around again on Algernon. He ducked out of the way and the wrench clanged against the wall.

Teddy, who had been at the sidelines of the fighting, brought out a lighter from his overalls. As a parting gift he ignited it and tossed it towards the oil spill on the floor.

Before Aesop attacked Algernon where he crouched, he scrunched his nose as the acrid smoke reached him. The fox turned in alarm and orange reflected in his wide eyes. Cursing, he dropped the wrench and sprinted to the ladder.

Algernon’s relief at Aesop retreating was short-lived as he also became aware of the fire. He saw Teddy paddling towards the entrance and crawling to shore beyond the flames, which crept closer to the barrels.

Silhouetted by the inferno was Peach. She stomped the life out of her last attacker and kept on stomping the body, unaware of the danger at her back.

The brutality around her was horrifying, but Algernon couldn’t leave a member of his crew behind. He ran past the ladder towards her. “Peach! We n-need to get out!” he shouted.

She ignored him even as he approached through the corpses littering the ground. It wasn’t until he grabbed a tuft of fur at her elbow that she reacted. Peach whipped around and snarled in his face, causing him to fall back in terror.

The badger loomed over him. Her fur was painted a deeper shade of red than the dye could account for, and it dripped down from her claws. He had forgotten how wicked those claws were, but all of the fear he once had around Peach came rushing back as she raised them. Desperately he met her eyes, but they were clouded. She breathed through her nose, and the scent of him made her pause.

The barrels exploded, sending them flying.

---

Algernon was discombobulated. For how long he didn’t know, but when he became aware of himself again he was laying in a pool of water.

He quickly snapped to his feet to escape its embrace. The Dragon was gone from the entrance of the fish, which itself was moving away as the portion he was in tilted down and was sinking. A cough sounded next to him, and he noticed his crewmate laying next to him in the water.

“P-Peach?”

She groaned and pushed herself up. Her gaze fell on him, but this time there was clarity in her eyes. “Al...”

The possum flinched as he realized the water was now up to his chest. He was paralyzed as it crept higher.

“We need higher ground,” Peach said. She sloshed over to him. Suddenly Algernon was hauled up by the neck of his uniform and she tossed him into the air.

He swung his limbs around wildly, but he shortly felt a pole glide past his body which he clung to for dear life. Realizing that he was on the ladder, he began climbing up towards the portal at the top. It shook when Peach lifted herself up onto it from the ever-deepening water.

Reaching the top Algernon poked his head out of the hole and his ears drooped. The exit led to a sheet of metal that protruded from the fish like a fin, leading directly into the lake.

Peach joined him at the lip. “When you hit the water, get as far from the shell as possible,” she instructed.

Before he could protest, she pushed him onto the fin and he began sliding down. In a panic he cried, “Wait! I-I can’t —”

He slipped beneath the surface. The swirling waters entered his ears and made it impossible to tell which way was up. His limbs windmilled but his thrashing led him nowhere. He let a mouthful of bubbles rise from his lips in his distress before he had the mind to clamp his muzzle shut and not let more escape. With the half breath of air he had, his chest was already aching.

Still he flailed his arms and legs. He found that he was moving, but not towards the shore or the surface. A current was sucking him down towards the giant fish while it sank into the depths. Realization hit that this was it. His greatest fear had come true, he was being pulled down to a watery grave.

A paw gripped his tail. He opened his eyes in surprise when his movement stopped and he was tugged in the other direction. The silty murk stung his eyes, but he made out the blurry pink form of Peach.

The muddy bottom was just beneath them and Peach dug into it with her feet to resist the pull of the current. She sluggishly took one step forward, then another, each a herculean effort against the rushing water.

Algernon could see that there was light above them, but even as the ground inclined upwards the landscape grew dimmer in his eyes. Darkness encroached on the edges of his vision as the weight in his chest grew unbearable. It sounded like the water moving past his ears was a million miles away. The last thing he saw was Peach persistently trudging forward with him in tow. Then everything was black.