The way the Random Play company car almost-nearly managed the dust-caked, profoundly uneven road, Belle was afraid overhauling the suspension on the damn thing would become another expensive future project, if only to prevent the Hollow exploration equipment in the back from being smeared across the ceiling.
That was, if her hips, or Wise's, were still made of solid bone by the time they arrived. Thus far, the only one enjoying the ride was their Bangboo, Eous, whose electronic eyes were semi-circles to indicate the pure glee of bouncing atop Belle's lap while the two of them rode shotgun, watching Wise follow Caesar's fluttering jacket as she led the way deep into the Outer Ring's canyons.
Rounding a corner, the first thing the two Proxies saw of Mochizuki Machinery was the cranes. A great orange spire nearly reached above the rocky walls, and from it hung a large strap that connected to another crane that came into sight. As Caesar, Lucy, and the siblings approached the work site, they again saw what an operation it was to resuscitate the fallen aircraft.
Hired hands were scurrying back and forth between containers, tents, and a total of four towering cranes, only sharing a common safety feature of a yellow helmet as they managed pipes, chains, welders and every other tool that could be needed.
Taking up the space unoccupied by the cranes was a massive cargo hauling vehicle. "Vehicle" in the sense that describing it as a mere "truck" was an insult to it. Its cabin was like a mining dumper's that was bulked up even further, with reinforced grills and thick plastic windows insulating the engine and driver, and room to spare for even a metal stairway that hung from the very front, masking the "CORLEY" brand stencilled in blocky letters that spoke of long-gone companies. Its carriage was a chain of wide flatbeds that had been modified with U-shaped cradles, hemmed in by containers of all sorts that were covered in walkways and gangplanks as to make traversal over them as realistic as possible. It seemed impossible to imagine a human could climb up a ladder and dare to steer the thing.
But the true star of the show, of course, was the zeppelin itself, which rested on two large belts hung from adjacent cranes on either side of the carrier.
Belle remembered standing at the top of the Ballet Twins in Eous's body, and seeing the clean and pristine New Eridu Justice Department's aircraft sail past in an attempt at mass murder. The original sleek hull was almost nearly gone, making Belle almost wonder if it was even the same one they were after. The front third of the original shell had been replaced, the hard polymers switched out for thick fabric that squeezed against the metal frame underneath. Creeping out at points were long cracks and missing panels that had been filled in and repaired where possible. Even the initials printed along its side, "N.E.J.", seemed to have been painted over, replaced with a silhouette of a rabbit staring at the stars, while two stenciled, capsule-shaped clouds bore the words "MOCHIZUKI MACHINERY LTD."
Despite the damage it seemed to have taken, the airship appeared to be fully re-inflated and floating.
"Man, I cannot tell you how bad it looked when we found it," Caesar remarked as the quartet left their rides. "The thing actually face planted into the ground and was leaning against the wall. The whole front was a skeleton."
"But are the insides untouched…" Wise murmured. It was an extensive repair, after all. Had it gone all the way to the electronics?
Such thoughts had to be put aside, though, as more familiar faces emerged from the crowd, excited to see the return of their leader.
"Caesar!" Burnice cheered, waving her hands merrily, thankfully bereft of her flamethrowers at the moment.
"Boss," Lighter coolly added, flicking his zippo shut.
"Sorry I had to be away," Caesar said with a laugh. "Was picking up some friends. Where's Piper?"
Burnice gestured with her head at the giant wheeled carrier. "Oh, she's in that monster, getting used to the driver's seat. We're still tagging along, right?"
"Well, if the situation hasn't changed, we probably will."
That was something Belle hadn't heard before. While having the Sons for company was welcome, a biker gang wasn't hired for laughs.
"Are we expecting trouble? Is this related to why they need a Proxy?"
"Oh, I think the Mochi guys have been struggling with a gang or something," Burnice breezily half-explained. "You want the deets… I suggest you hit up Kessler."
The new name was immediately filed in the siblings' memories, while Wise raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "And where would this Kessler be?"
Eous, who barely reached anyone's knees, was easily forgotten, but the diminutive rabbit-eared robot was always looking around with childlike glee, and it didn't take it long for it to see something amazing atop the carrier.
It quickly wrapped a stubby arm around Belle's leg and shook it, while pointing. "En-nah!" (Octopus man!)
"Octo-wha…" Belle looked down for a second while mentally translating her Bangboo's odd statement, and followed its limb up to the yellow steel behemoth.
A man atop it was waving a pair of lights, bellowing to the crane operators, while slacking cables brought the suspended airship towards the cradle below.
"Alright-Alright-Alright! Alright-Alright-Alright! Slow it! Slow it! END!"
There was a final jerk, and the airship slotted into the U-shaped rest. More workers descended on the strange structure in a swarm of hardhats and non-uniform clothing, carrying cables of all lengths and widths to tie the bloated beast to the flatbed.
As the job finished, Caesar gave a cry of her own, shouting, "Kess!"
The man turned, and Belle squinted, trying to understand why he was still holding the lights over his head. The confusion only grew when, after stowing his equipment, he brought those outstretched limbs to a zip line rigged to the carrier's roof and proceeded to slide down it, hands – hands? – screeching and sparking until he dropped to the ground.
Up close, the supposed Kessler's details were clearer. The wiry man was dressed in white and blue coveralls that bore more Mochizuki logos, but more obvious was why Eous was calling him an "octopus man". The bare limbs he had used for signaling and zip-lining were a pair of white claw-gripped manipulators that swayed and bent as they folded themselves away to lay flush against a backpack strapped to his shoulders. As his real hands pressed switches on a pair of controllers wrapped around his forearms and hands, the second pair of metal limbs at his hips also retracted, leaving an otherwise ordinary man with a battered cap, a jaw in need of a razor, and a pair of lips taking a deep drag of a cigarette.
"I see you're back, King," he said, flicking his wrists near-reflexively to swing the joysticks on his arms downwards, while jerking his head at the new faces. He sharply exhaled, smoke billowing outward in a cloud that framed his face. "Who're your buddies? Look like outta towners."
"Well, Kess, you've hit the jackpot," Caesar said, beaming in the image of a victorious conqueror and rubbing her nose in self-satisfaction. "I got you two top-notch Proxies who are here to solve all your problems."
Despite Caesar making it sound like Mochizuki were in the direst of straits, Kessler didn't look ready to drop to his knees in tearful thanks. Instead, he just hummed in curiosity, as he scrutinized Belle and Wise.
"No shit," he simply responded, before walking forward with a professionally outstretched hand. "Cole Kessler. Mochizuki Chief Engineer. Basically I make, carry, and load up anything that hasn't been nailed to the ground around here."
"Just call us Phaethon," Wise answered, taking the hand. The grit and sweat was not a pleasant combination, but more than anything, it spoke to a certain reality they would have to be ready for with this commission.
"Huh." Kessler adjusted his cap, the brim shadowing a scrutinising look. "The Phaethon? The super Proxies outta New Eridu?" An acidic grin tugged as his mouth, and he turned his attention to the Overlord. "Heh. No shit. Caesar, I don't know what to be more impressed by: their ability to lie or your ability to humor them."
The duo in question just rolled their eyes, and shrugged. It was an age old accusation.
"Oi…" Caesar quietly bristled, posture tightening, ready as ever to jump to the defense of her friends had Lucy not airly riposted for her.
"Regardless of their identity, if they can accomplish even a tenth of what they claim they can do, I'd say you're still getting more than you could ever ask for," the blonde haughtily sneered back, a bent hand at her mouth.
"Any port in a storm, sure," Kessler parried back with a bark of a laugh, accepting the trade. "Not the time or place to give you a full briefing of what we want of you two. If you want the job, you'll ride the Corley behind me to headquarters. Safer that way."
"We got our own car, though," Belle pointed out, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "We kinda need all the stuff in it for your big job?"
The two were confident that the company car was road worthy, even with its low ground clearance and pretty city tires. Piper had on more than one occasion helped herself to the driver's seat, and Phaethon had made it out here, after all.
Still, Kessler gave one unapproving glance at the colorful compact, and sighed. "I'll get some ramps out so you can get that onto the rig. You'd be too much of an easy target, and the Sons'll have their hands full protecting the transport."
"You sound sure we'll be attacked," Belle questioned. "Who are we up against?"
"Like I said, it's kind of complex, but I'll tell you this: Mochizuki's pretty much at war. We've been relying on Calydon's protection on the road for a while, and if they see this big rig coming through, they're definitely going to go for it. If you're serious about the commission, I'll explain more on the way-"
An unfriendly crunch of metal echoed behind Kessler, and everyone looked to see a worker working around the cradle dangle from a safety line, the metal path below him having been jostled away somehow.
"Come on!" Kessler shouted. "I told you guys to do this slow!"
The Chief Engineer groaned underneath his breath, sparing Belle and Wise a glance and a word while he flipped the joysticks into his hands.
"Look, just get your shit stowed and get into the cabin if you're coming. We're gonna leave at three to not get caught out after dark, and I'll explain everything after I – stop kicking, moron! I'm gonna get you, just hang in there!"
Kessler's attention was completely lost as he raced back to the carrier, his mechanical limbs unfolding and stretching out in preparation. In his wake, the bikers and the proxies watched the airship continued to be secured ahead of what apparently would be a full-on war.
Lighter, who had spent the conversation quietly surveying the site – and the sight – as his scarf fluttered almost theatrically in the wind, once more stowed his Zippo and said, simply, "I'll go get the ramps."
"Looks like Kess has a lot on his mind," Belle decided, even if the nickname came out of her mouth a little too barbed.
"It sounds like this is going to be a pretty dangerous job," was all Wise said. But in for a Denny, in for a pound, it seemed. If the chase for a lead needed to cut through a road gang, then there was little alternative.
"Eh, don't worry about it!" Caesar loudly proclaimed, cutting through the tension with her two arms that she slammed around the shoulders of her city friends. "And remember, you'll all be safe as long as I'm on the road with you."
"You mean, we're on the road with you," Lucy sniped. "You'll probably chase after a mirage or a windmill and dump your stupid self into a river."
"Well, it doesn't matter, the more the merrier!" Burnice countered, ebullient as ever. "These milk runs are kinda boring after the first few fights, y'know? You guys never are!"
Belle and Wise gave their small smiles, knowing that, in some way, they wouldn't be helpless.
As for the hot road ahead, all they could offer was trust, faith, and nerve.