The Artful Dodger, Chapter Two

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.

The Adventures of the Artful Dodger, Chapter One

“Are you coming home for Passover, honey?”

“And send Ari a kick in the ass for me… Um, what?” Indy Smyth practically dropped the phone in her hand as she slipped a little on the dock. The ship, the Artful Dodger, was currently docked in New York City and taking on new crew members and goods. And of course, Indy was in charge of making sure everything went smoothly. Her job as head of security wasn’t an easy one, but she loved it all the same. Her mother was, however, very upset that her oldest child’s job took her far, far away from home. Indy didn’t usually like going home. As much as she did love her family, she couldn’t connect with them. But her mother insisted on having Indy come home for every holiday. And they celebrated both Christian holidays and Jewish holidays, which kept her mother very busy in the decorating department.

The Adventures of the Artful Dodger, Intro.

In a world where special abilities are the norm, those without are looked upon with disdain and extreme prejudice. Families go to extreme measures to cover up a child’s lack of abilities; some go off the grid completely and take shelter in secret colonies of those like them.

Many aren’t so lucky. The slave trade is alive and kicking. The massive airships that circle the globe looking for work are indeed illegal, but the governments turn a blind eye to their trade, taking bribes and making favors in exchange for the good the traders ply.

Some slavers are relatively kind and good, many more than that are wicked and cruel. Some are practical about the way they treat the goods they carry.

One ship was a little bit of everything. The Artful Dodger had the best of the best in regards to the captain and crew. Delilah Fury was the captain and she does her job well. She was a tall, powerful-looking woman. Her hair was as fiery as her temper, and she never took no for an answer, even when the clearest and sanest answer was no. The first mate, Manitoba Blake, was very much her opposite. And he preferred it that way. He was kinder gentler, and most of the crew went to him if there were issues.

The crew was an eclectic gathering of people. Some enjoyed the lot they had been dealt, others felt sympathy for the slaves on board the ship. But they had a job that paid them well, and that’s all they needed.

Untitled Koi/Indy. Present for teh Jill.

Her birthday had come and gone, and now she was nursing a hangover. Indy had spent the day at a spa, of all places in Alaska to go. She’d been scrubbed, massaged, moisturized, and waxed within an inch of her life. And what exactly was she doing this for anyway? What was the procedure here? It wasn’t like she was the one cashing in her v-card. He should have been the one getting ready. She stalked her way through Anchorage, shopping bag in hand. She’d ducked into the first lingerie shop she found and spent her last month’s pay on a pure silk kimono. She didn’t even bother try it on. It would have the desired effect.

Siren's Song, NaNo 2008, Chapter Fourteen

The bus stopped, just outside of Fresno, California. She stepped off the bus, just for a break. The air smelled much like the air at the Vegas bus station. There was a hint of something different though. The bus was parked at a gas station, and it wouldn’t have been too much to just grab her purse from her seat and run for the hills.
Which she, of course, did. She left her remaining tickets on the driver’s seat, and headed north for the city on foot.

Siren's Song, NaNo 2008, Chapter Thirteen

‘Dear Tucker, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you get involved in this…”
Senga could only imagine the look on his face when her note was found. The sun had yet to rise when she woke up to scribble out one last note to him on hotel stationary. She’d tucked it away, safe in his pants’ pocket. They had planned to go to the airport first thing in the morning.

Siren's Song, NaNo 2008, Chapter Twelve

A few more weeks had passed and life had never more blissful for Senga. She finally had someone sturdy, someone steady to hold on to. And Tucker didn’t seem to mind. She liked the pattern that was emerging: wake up, have breakfast, learn and help Tucker practice poker, lunch, work, dinner, work, then capping it all off with sexy fun times back in their suite. Hades hadn’t even bothered them. Hades didn’t even seem to be around at all, which was fine by them.
Life was good.
For a while.