HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I once told ya'll I was ALL about Halloween. I love everything about this holiday. I love the candy. I love the decorations. I love the candy. I love the whole ambience of it. I love the candy. I love the parties. I love the candy. I love the dressing up, the food, the Trick Or Treating.

Did I mention I love the candy?

So, folks, and all you happy Trick Or Treaters out there, Happy Halloween. May you get enough candy that your friends have to help you carry your haul home in a wheelbarrow.

Happy Trick Or Treating!

Hephaestus

Part V - Offerings

Melanie took a short breath before continuing. "When we started out, we had a supply car for parts. But over the past seven years, those parts have been depleted. In short, when something wears out," she stated, holding up the damaged hex nut she still had, "like this hex nut, or a pipe, or a screw...wires...we have nothing to replace it with anymore."

The man seemed to consider her words, but didn't respond to anything she had said. So Melanie decided to tried a different route. Something that might better spark the man's interest in her need of his talent.

"You said since the room is small you can't make many things, Hes."

The man only nodded in response.

"What if I could get you more space? A larger forge? Materials to work with?"

The man's interest definitely rose up a few notches from the look on his face.

"Lofty offers." The metallurgist replied. "How does Hes know you are not just playing a game with him?"

"I'm good to my word." Melanie replied firmly. "Tell me what you need. How much room, the materials, the tools. Anything you would need to make things like that hex nut, but on a grander scale."

The blacksmith turned a cautious eye to Layton, unsure of the offer. But Layton simply gave him a small nod in answer.

"Forge is too small." He started with a firm response. "Would take a long time to make what you want with one this size."

Melanie quickly fell into the bargaining negotiations. This man had a talent she desperately needed. The trick was to keep him interested, but not greedy. Not an easy thing to do she knew when dealing with a Tailie. "We'll get you a bigger one." She quickly countered.

Hes turned his eyes back to Layton, who this time only shrugged slightly.

"Where? No others on the train. Took months to build this one out of spare parts found here and there."

"Leave it to me." Melanie quickly countered. "What else?"

"Forge not run by billows. Run by electricity. Bigger forge needs more power."

"Solved. What else?"

Hes narrowed his eyes a little as he tested the woman's limits. "More workers. More people to teach. More working on your project, faster you get it."

"Do you know others?"

Hes nodded. "Know several willing to come work. To learn."

Melanie nodded slightly. "Get their names to the governors in the Tail and we'll see they are contacted with an offer. What else?"

Hes thought for a moment, then shook his head as he gave her a calculating look. "Will do...for now."

Melanie considered the man's end to the negotiations. She clearly heard the warning in his last words. "All right." She stated with a slight nod. "Give me three days. If I can make all of that happen, I'll be back here in three days."

The metallurgist watched her leave with a small smile on his lips.

Layton followed Melanie out of the room, but didn't say anything until they were well out of the Tail section and he let his vigilance drop a few notches with Melanie's dismissal of their guard detail back to other duties.

"Hes fully expects you to keep those promises." He stated with a note of caution.

"First of all, they were not 'promises'. I clearly stated I would see what I could do. No promises were made, only 'offers'. Secondly, the 'offers' I made were all made in good faith. And for the good of this train, I'll try to get him what he's asked for. Plus, it will serve to keep him happy. Happy workers are productive workers, Layton."

Layton gave a quiet sigh. "I know those exact words would never have left the man's lips, but why is it when you say things like that I can practically see Wilford standing next to you, patting you on the head?"

Melanie stopped short and turned back to him. "Perhaps you would do better to remember I spent a large part of my life under his mentorship. However, that does not mean that I subscribed to all of his philosophies. And you are correct. That was most certainly not one he would have come up with." She added as she turned and continued on in the hallway they were in. "Wilford's would have been more of a "Threaten your workers into capitulation."

Layton walked next to her for a few feet before turning back to her. "Did that man ever speak in anything less than three syllables?"

"A well dressed vocabulary is as important as a well dressed man."

Layton quickly raised a finger. "OK. Now that one I know came right from his mouth."

Melanie gave a soft laugh as she shook her head. "You're starting to understand him better, Layton. But you still have a long way to go."

Layton pulled her to a stop. "Fine. You understand Wilford better than anyone else. Now let me introduce you to someone you don't understand at all. Hephaestus."

Melanie crossed her arms in front of her and stared back at him. "And what don't I understand about Hephaestus?"

Layton reached down and took the small train that she still held protectively in her hand.

"Hes gave you this as a 'gift'."

Melanie nodded.

"When Hes gives a 'gift', he wants something in return. And he doesn't just want it, he EXPECTS it."

"And I think we're giving him a lot of 'gifts' in return. A larger forge, materials, workers..."

But Layton shook his head. "No. That's just part of 'the deal'. A 'gift' is personal. He'll want that return from you."

Melanie only stared back at him, taking his words in carefully.

"Just be careful." Layton advised her. "He always presented himself like he was someone you didn't need to worry about being too clever. The way he acts. The way he talks. But don't be fooled by him, Melanie. Don't underestimate him. He's as cunning as anyone I knew in the tail. And Hes likes nothing better than to think he has the upper hand. As soon as he thinks he does, he'll use that against you."

Layton could see the determination coming up in her eyes. The same one that reared its head anytime she perceived a threat to the train.

"And you think all those years working under Wilford taught me nothing? I'm used to power hungry men, Layton. I know how they think. What they want. What they are capable of to get it."

"And you've never met Hes." He warned her.

That steeled determination didn't back down one bit. "And he hasn't met me." She replied before turning and starting back down the corridor again.

Layton gave a quiet sigh, then hurried to catch up to her again.

"So where are you going to get a bigger forge?" He asked as he picked up from where they had left off discussing her plans.

Melanie kept walking with more determined strides. "We already have one. The biggest forge on this train."

"Where?"

Melanie turned a satisfied smile to him. "The engine itself."

Layton pulled her to a sudden stop once more. "Whoa, lady. Your plan is to let a bunch of Tailies into the engine?"

Melanie gave him an incredulous look. "That's not speaking very well of your people, Mr. Layton."

"I'm speaking that way about them because they ARE my people and I know them. Look, Melanie, a lot of good people lived in the Tail. But so did a lot of very bad ones. Letting them run loose..."

Melanie began walking back down the corridor again. "And that's your first mistake, Layton. I have no intention of anyone 'running loose' in my engine."

"Hes will bulk at guards standing around watching him." Layton warned her.

"Then we won't post any."

Layton pulled her to a stop again. "Melanie..."

"Layton, we can easily set Hes up a forge in the third level in the second engine car. There's a great deal of open space there for him to work with and at least ten other people can easily fit in the area. And if we set it in the second car, it won't be as hot. There will be no need to watch them because the engine will be a full train car away from where they will be working. Past that the engine itself will be it's own guard. Anything done down there that is out of the ordinary sets off silent alarms to the engine room."

"How are you planning to get enough heat to this new forge? It takes a lot of heat to melt metal."

"We'll funnel heat from the engine to a working forge. The forge itself shouldn't be to hard to set up from parts we already have for the engine. It'll just take a little rearranging. Javi can make the sketches and Alex, Bennett, and I can set it up and make it work."

"Fine. And where are the materials coming from for him to make new parts for the train out of?"

Melanie paused as she was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Well?" Layton pressed.

Melanie gave a small sigh. "We can dismantle the storage cars."

"Wait a minu...!"

But Melanie shut down his protest. "There are ten of them, Layton. And they aren't doing anything now but taking up room in between. Can you even imagine how many spare nuts, bolts, and rivets Hes could make from...from just one panel on one of those cars? And each car is made up of hundreds of those panels. Plus, now that we have an actual metallurgist, we can start recycling parts that go bad. All of that should keep Hes happily making us spare parts for years.

Layton studied her for a moment. "You're sure about all this?"

"Of course not." She stated with a look as though this answer was obvious. "That's why I told him I needed three days. I have to make sure all of this will work." Her look slowly melted into a worried one. "We don't have a choice, Layton." She told him softly. "I already told you where we stood in this. Our situation is desperate."

"Fine." He conceded as they began to move on again. "But don't shut me out in any of this, Melanie. You think you know how to deal with Hes. I'm telling you straight up you don't. You'll under-estimate him. And that could be very dangerous for the train. Keep me in the loop on this one. That's all I ask."

Melanie turned back to him, a look of utter seriousness in her eyes. "We've always worked best together, Layton. We both know this. Any step I take with this man, I'll run it by your first. I promise."

Layton gave her a small smile in return. One thing had stood the test of all their fights and disagreements over the past months.

'I promise'.

Neither of them would say it to the other if they didn't mean it. Whatever was promised, they would do it regardless of anything else. It was one of the foundations of their friendship, and Layton knew she would never betray it.

"OK." He replied, "Lets go speak with Javier and see what he can come up to make this work."