Indy arrived at the docks, with her rental truck full of supplies for the trip north. They were headed for a quick tour of New England and Canada then they were headed west, for Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Why the captain insisted on sending her to pick up the supplies when the task should have gone to the quartermaster and the cook alone. Instead she was sent with them, even though she was convinced they didn’t need any protection. New York City was not a third world country, ripe with impoverished peoples that would run the truck down and steal its contents and murder its occupants.
Several of the slaves emerged from the loading bay doors of the ship to help unload the truck. Ajay was close behind them, holding a small device with several buttons. The buttons, when pressed, sent a wave of intense pain through the slaves, via a small chip implanted in the back of the neck. This was supposed to keep them in line, and behaving. Indy, however, hated the idea of implanting chips into people, and much preferred direct contact to punish those behaving badly. That made the slaves more afraid of her, and it was very effective in getting them to accomplish the tasks at hand. And if it got the slaves working, the captain didn’t care.
Out of the corner of her eye, Indy spotted a small, young girl approaching the pier. She was dressed poorly, a heavy trench coat covering her from neck to toe. Indy rolled her eyes. They didn’t give handouts, she could get a job like everyone else with money.
“Excuse me, little girl, but this is a private operation, you’ll have to go back the way you came.” Indy shouted, heading towards her.
Louisa’s head snapped up in the direction of the voice. In her clenched hand was a notice she’d seen at the dock’s office. It was a job notice, saying that particular ship had been looking for a pilot. And she liked the name, The Artful Dodger.
“I found this notice, at the main office. I’m a pilot, and I’d like to apply.” She said, her voice getting softer and weaker. The woman standing in front of her wasn’t very tall, but she had energy around her, energy that suggested power and control, and lots of it. She had a slightly crazed look in her eyes, which contradicted the control she seemed to have over those working on the docks.
“Do you have your papers? I need proof you’re a special, and any transcripts from your kindergarten before I even send you to the first mate.” Indy said, a slight sneer on her face. Which went away as soon as Louisa dropped her trench coat.
On Louisa’s back was a pair of large and long wings. They resembled the wings of a butterfly, and were made of the same tissue as butterfly wings. The black and orange colorings resembled that of the Monarch butterfly, and were fully functional. Indy reached out and gave the wings a tug at their base, where they connected to Louisa’s back. The small girl let out a cry of genuine pain, moving in the direction of the pull.
“Is that proof enough for ya?” Louisa spat, rubbing her back when Indy let go. Indy nodded a little.
“I still need any transcripts you have, just to prove you know what you’re doing.” She crossed her arms, and waited for Louisa to produce the paperwork.
Louisa dug through her well-worn and much used messenger bag, and pulled out a fistful of paper, holding it out for Indy. “Here. If you need anything more, I can get them. My school isn’t too far from here. It’s closed for the weekend, but I can get in anyway.”
Indy’s eyebrow raised at that. This little girl could be useful after all. After a courtesy glance through the rather impressive paperwork; the girl was young, but talented, she shrugged and let her through. “First mate Blake will be on Deck Two. Tell him I sent you. He’ll want to interview you more thoroughly.”
Louisa grinned from ear to ear, nodding. Even her wings fluttered, giving her a little bit of lift. “Yes, Ma’am, thank you so much!” She said, taking off in a run towards the ship. She was so happy she could just take off right now, and do her own flying.
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