Luna on the Run (The Carmsborough Vigilantes #1)

Chapter 12

A good thirty minutes into the flight, I figured out how to set autopilot up and charted a course for the Commerce District docks closest to Shady Shane's hideout. For being my second time inside a cockpit, my first being an extreme-pressure situation, I've gotten a grasp on it pretty quickly.

Now that I don't have to stand and steer the whole time, I decide to take inventory of the things they provided me with on board. Aside from the things I need to survive, like food and water, there are other ship supplies, like emergency fuel, ammunition for a cannon hidden underneath the cockpit, and some sort of energy shield similar to the one Slaphand's ship had.

I'm still not entirely sure how that works. There's a shield manual sitting on the dashboard, as well as a button to turn it on and off, but where did the technology even come from in the first place? It's almost like science fiction.

Aside from that, I was given a few extra suits, some cash, two knives, and two pistols, as well as a more primitive version of the wrist device that Cho and the boss have. There's a manual for that as well, but the words were blurring together when I tried to read it, so I put it away. That'll be reading material for a more alert Luna, not three in the morning Luna.

From there, I hunted for the twin-sized bed that marked my bedroom and wasted no time curling up under the heavy comforter. As ready as I was for a nap, I couldn't stop thinking about Mary and Freckles. I felt guilty sleeping in a bed knowing what had happened because I didn't dig her out of the rubble. Eventually, exhaustion overruled guilt, and I drifted off into a restless slumber. Too many thoughts were swirling around in my head, infecting my dreams and filling them with trauma and memories.

I woke up an hour ago, at eleven. So much for that early morning start the boss wanted. Though the allure to stay in bed was strong, I knew I had to get moving. A suit change and a light breakfast later, and I'm standing on the deck of my ship, the sun hovering straight above me as I stare at Carmsborough's rocky coastline.

That feels weird to say. My ship. The Constellation is one of the first things I've owned for myself in a long time, and it's an entire frickin' cloudship.

There's a whole world in front of me to conquer, but my first order of business is to find Shady Shane and milk him for all the information on Slaphand and Bijabers that he's worth.

Knives and pistols sheathed in various pockets of my coat and pants, I hop down the ramp of my ship. My first steps back in urban Carmsborough match my expectations. A fierce wind batters my side, setting the mood for the gray winter day.

I don't think I've ever been this bundled in my life. I'm wearing a thick white parka, a white beanie and scarf, black jeans, and the cleats from the Lateral. While I don't quite fit with the rest of the Commerce District's aristocracy, I'm certainly not at the bottom of the food chain anymore.

Still, people are turning their heads to look at me as I pass by. It's a strange feeling realizing the only reason I'm being noticed is because I'm no longer poor and homeless.

It doesn't take long for me to reach Shady Shane's hiding place. He lives in a small tent city with some of the other homeless of the area, nestled in between the courtyard of four tall commercial skyscrapers, although it's hardly by choice. The tent city is one of the few safe havens for us left in the district, and it won't be long until the police break this one apart, too.

I've never lived in a tent city, personally. The idea of politics and infighting within the homeless community isn't my cup of tea. I'd rather tough it on my own than try to ration a loaf of bread for six people.

"Is Shane around here?" I call out, swerving through a small crowd of homeless men and women. Most people I come across would flinch or recoil at being so close to them, but seeing as I was still in their ranks as of a few days ago, I'm completely unaffected. Besides, they're just human.