She was not going to cry, no matter how much her eyes burned or her throat tightened. Her eyeballs could ignite and shed still refuse to cry in order to drench the flames. Griffin didnt need her tears, he needed her help. So, noshe was not going to throw herself on the bed they shared, bury her face in his pillow and sob herself dry. She would not bawl and snot and pray for him to return to her. What she was going to do was figure out how to bring Griffin home and rid them of Garibaldi once and forever.
But how? It wasnt as though she could simply kill Garibaldi either. Despite all her concern about Griffin killing Lady Ash, she knew she would find it incredibly easy to kill The Machinist. The problem wasnt whether or not she could stand to kill him, it was the fact that the villain was already dead. Unless someone figured out a way to kill a ghost, the pleasure of ending the bastards life would not be hers. Never mind that killing him wouldnt necessarily save Griffin. She needed to find him first, and how the bloody hell was she to do that? It was only because of Griffin that she could see what little ghostie bits she could, so it wasnt as though she could trust her eyes and search for him. Maybe Emily had some sort of contraption that could isolate his unique Aetheric resonanceif he had such a thing, whatever it was.
Not like she could simply kill herself and go into the Aether to rescue Griffin.
Couldnt she? The thought came to her as though sent via divine messenger, and latched on to her mind with sharp and certain claws.
Finley pivoted on the thick heel of her boot and left the room. Her dress and tailcoat were dirty from the earlier scuffle, but she didnt take the time to change. Clean clothes could wait; Griffin could not.
Her friends had gone to check other rooms in the house just in case Griffin had returned, but she didnt find them in any of the rooms, which meant they were probably in Emilys laboratory beneath the house, their search having turned up as empty and fruitless as her own. Finley took the lift down and stepped out onto the stone floor. Everyone was already there, just as she suspected.
No one asked if shed found Griff. The fact that she was there alone meant she hadnt.
What are you doing? she asked. They were all gathered around Emily at one of the worktables. The walls and shelves throughout the vast space were covered with tools, bits of machines and automatons and other bits and bobs. A large vault contained the remains of several dangerous automatons, including the one that had almost killed Sam, and the Victoria automaton Garibaldi had created.
Wildcat lifted and turned her head. Her full lips curved into a slight smile. Emilys trying to adjust a portable telegraph so it will pick up Aetheric transmissions.
So Aetheric resonance just might be a thing after all.
The portable telegraphs already utilized the Aetheric realm for communicating with one another, so it was a sound idea as far as Finley was concerned. However, she understood the Aether about as well as she understood the secrets of the Javanese, which was to say, not at all. However, shed gargle while standing on her head, reciting the Magna Carta in Latin if someone told her that was the way to get Griffin back.
How do we know hes even in the Aether? Jasper asked. Hed removed his cowboy hat, and the tips of his hair stuck out like little wings. That scoundrel couldve taken him anywhere, right? I reckon Griffins abilities could make that possible.
They all looked at Emily, who was uncharacteristically vexed. Oh, right. Ye all look to me for the answer, well, I dont have a single one! Im going on pure assumption and grasping at straws. Being dead, its most likely Garibaldi has Griff in the Aetherits the one place he knows we cant look, and the place he has more power. Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about the Aetherthat was Griffins area of expertise.
You know more than the rest of us, Sam reminded her in a gentle tone. He placed one of his big hands on her shoulder. No ones putting the responsibility of finding him on you, Em.
No, Finley agreed. In fact, I plan to take that responsibility on myself.
Now they all turned to her, in unison like a monster with four heads. Do ye now? Emily asked, arching a ginger brow as she crossed her arms over her brocade waistcoat in a challenging manner reminiscent of a school matron confronting a naughty pupil. Would you care to explain how and why to the rest of us, who I wager want him back just as much as you do?
Of course, Finley replied, ignoring her friends attitude for the sake of their friendship. Youre going to kill me.
Are you out of your ever-loving mind?
Finley opened her mouth to speak, but Emily cut her offthe girl loved a good tirade. Kill you? Thats your bloody solution? And then what do we do when we get Griffin back? She banged a spanner against the workbench. Tell him that killing you was the best we could manage?
This time when she opened her mouth, Finley put her hand over Emilys to prevent another detailed account of how idiotic she was, because she knew it was coming. No, thats when you wake me up. Her gaze locked with her friends. Emilys bright eyes snapped with annoyance, worry and fear. Emily was always the smartest person in the room, and at that moment, Finley reckoned her friend had no more answers than she did. Im going to use the Aetheric Mortality Disambiguation suit to go into the Aether and find Griffin.
They gaped at her. She felt Emilys jaw drop beneath her handonly then did she remove her fingers.
Oh, Sam said. I see. A man of many words, he was.
Wildcat frowned and looked to Jasper, feline eyes bright against the dusky hue of her complexion. What the hecks an Aetheric Mortality whatchamacallit suit?
That Tesla fella made it, he explained in his American drawl, casting a perplexed glance in Finleys direction. Dont know much more about it than it kills folks so they can go into the Aether.
Black curls bobbed as she shook her head, her scowl deepening. Whod want to die?
His lips quirked on one side. Says the girl with nine lives. Some folks want to know what happens after we die.
She made a face. Who cares? Youre dead.
Finley would have chuckled if her stomach wasnt in knots. Em? Will you do it? She intentionally chose will rather than can. She had no doubt her friend could kill her and bring her back, but whether or not she would...
Emilys ginger brows were knit tight, the edges of each almost meeting over the bridge of her pert nose. You know I will, you daft baggage. As if we have any other option.
Relief struck with such force Finley almost doubled over. She wanted to fall down on her knees before her friend and babble her thanks, but she couldnt move. Couldnt speak. She would find Griffin. She would. She would find him and get him out of the Aether. Theyd worry about Garibaldi later.
Tesla only used the suit for a few moments, Sam said. Hed actually been present in New York when the genius inventor showed off his creation. Is that enough time for her to find Griff?
That was an annoyingly astute question for the big brute to ask. Should she pinch him for asking, or herself for not? A few minutes might be enough time to find Griffin, but the Aether was a big and vast dimensionits own world. Garibaldi would have him well hidden. The villain didnt know about the suit, but he had to know they wouldnt just let him win.
Then again, maybe he thought he already had. In which case it might be very easy to find them. But then there was the fact that time moved at a different pace there... Oh, damnation. She had no idea how long it would take or how long the suit would give her.
Apparently Emily did, however. The suit has a cooling system to safeguard against loss of oxygen, as well as an Aetheric field that slows down all metabolic functions. When used properly, and if monitored correctly, it acts as a bubble, or stasis field, putting the body into a near-death state.
Sam smiled at her before turning to the others. That means that Finley can stay in the Aether for a long time.
Emily patted his arm like a proud mother. Thats right, lad.
Arching not one, but both brows, Finley resisted the urge to shake her head at them. How long will I have?
The little redhead turned to face her and shrugged. Forty to sixty minutes if I had to guess.
And if you didnt have to guess?
For most people Id be certain of forty, but youre not most people. Youre ability to heal and your physicality may afford you more time.
But theres no way of knowing?
I could equip the suit with some sort of safety feature that would sound an alarm once your brain activity and oxygenation levels began to drop. It would trigger the Lazarus switch.
Resurrection, Finley murmured. She wasnt having second thoughts or cold feet, but dying was a risky thing, and she had heard about the Aether demons that had attacked Tesla when he wore the suit. They were Garibaldis creations and they would come for her, as well. Shed already tangled with some of his creatures before. It would not be easy. It would be dangerous and she would be totally alone.
But Garibaldi had Griffin, and she would die a hundred times to save him. Too bad she only had to die once for everything to fail.
How quickly can you make the changes, Em? No sense in thinking about what bad things could happen. She had to concentrate on the task at hand.
Her friend looked at the suit, as though she could take each section and devise a dependable schedule. She probably could. Lord, Emily could probably estimate right down to the quarter hour. Three hours and ten minutes, Emily responded.
Better than the quarter hour. No faster?
Her friend shot her a cross look. No. No faster. Thats fast enough. Maybe youre fool enough to risk your life, but Im quite committed to making certain both you and Griffin come back from this.
Fair enough.
However, the process would be easier, and possibly a bit faster with an assistant.
Ill help you, Sam said.
Emily wrapped her arm about his waist and squeezed herself against him. I know you would, but your hands are too big for the delicate work. She tilted her head back and smiled up at him. Besides, I need you to keep me sane, not drive me mad.
All this romance was well and good, but Finley felt it like a thorn under her fingernail. Could you stop batting your eyelashes at each other long enough to help me save Griffin?
To her credit, Emily didnt seem the least bit irked by her snotty tonewhich only drove the thorn deeper. What if she never got to touch Griff again? Plus, Finley is in need of someone to fight with, and youve always been very good at that.