Fic: Early Morning, London Skyline for littlewolfstar -1/2

[nerakrose]

Title: Early Morning, London Skyline | Early Morning, London Skyline on AO3
Author: nerak_rose
Recipient: littlewolfstar
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and a little bit of bloodshed
Warnings: none
Word count: 12812
Beta: heartofspells who has my eternal gratitude for looking this over for me at literally the last moment when no one else could. ♥
Summary: Sirius and Remus are patrolling the East English airspace when they get summoned for a top-secret mission.
Notes: Non-magical steampunk AU based on this artwork. I hope you like it, littlewolfstar! I had loads of fun writing it, anyhow.
Anachronisms galore. All sorts of liberties were taken with history and technological advances, as one would expect of a steampunk fic. Set on the brink between the Victorian and Edwardian era. Highlight for spoilery notes: **The London Underground started operating electric trains already in 1890 and not in 1900 as implied. Capital punishment in the UK wasn't abolished until 1969 (and last hanging took place in 1964). Benelux wasn't coined until ~1946. Finland never became Russian Grand Duchy here.
In 1900 Alexei hadn't even been born - eskewed timeline ahoy. He's 14 here, and everyone else's ages have been altered to fit as well. Rasputin wasn't quite the villain I made him out to be; he was the family friend and doctor.
The Chapare arenavirus exists (not discovered until 2003) and is as described...however, the rest of it is fabricated science. If anything is correct, it is so unwittingly.
Brigs and schooners fly. Just go with it. Pretend they're made of super cool anti-gravity wood from Sherwood Forest. Lightning cannons don't need to be re-charged for they are magical and I've no idea how they work. Possibly they are powered by bottle-able Lily!Rage. (I, er, didn't have time to come up with explanations for everything, so I'm just going to refer you to The Rule of Cool.)
Sirius is, of course, unaware that the 'y' in "ye" is the letter thorn, pronounced 'th'. Remus is, as usual, too soft to correct him.**
Early Morning, London Skyline


Europe is at war.

Britain (with a forced Irish inclusion) is allied with Czechoslovakia, France, Italy and Spain. Czechoslovakia broke it off with the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1899 in order to be friendly with Britain - reasoning that its fashion was fancier and its tea tastier. France was easily bribed to let go of centuries' worth of animosity in exchange for sterling silver - Britain is, after all, quite fond of French wine and champagne and an agreement was easily reached. Italy had nothing else to do and Spain was in because France was.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire is generally a bit bewildered and doesn't quite know what to do about anything, especially since Czechoslovakia eloped.

The Benelux countries chose to be neutral. However, they are generally on France's side and therefore indirectly pro-Britain, even though they'd never admit to it.

Switzerland, as usual, refuses to comment.

Scandinavia, in general, is neutral - albeit Denmark and Sweden are still fighting each other - but takes in refugees. Parts of Germany are warring Britain with some support from Denmark as it never quite forgave England for the Bombardment on Copenhagen in 1807. Outwardly, Denmark opposes Rasputin and supports the Romanovs due to royal kinship, thus rendering itself a backstabbing nation that plays with what pays off best (especially if it also pwns Sweden).

Rasputin, who not so much usurped the Russian throne as sneaked onto it while no one was looking, is allied with everyone he's occupied and/or threatened. Ukraine and Belarus are his main allies. Poland is neutral on the outside for the sake of appearances, but everybody knows it's on Rasputin's side.

Germany is in conflict with itself. Some regions are at war with Britain, some aren't at war with anyone (but rather with other regions) and others are looking longingly towards Russia. The emperor has no power to unite the nation and so he sits back and lets things happen, hoping for the best.

The Baltic countries and Finland are neutral but (very secretly) on Britain's side. (Don't tell Sweden.)

The Ottoman Empire resolutely refuses to be part of any European shenanigans and spends its time lounging on ottomans, burning incense and drinking tea, while facepalming at Europe in general.

The big players in this three-way drama, pan-European war, are as follows: Russia Rasputin, Britain and Germany. Britain is the white knight in the play, hell bent on saving Europe from madness, Rasputin is the psychotic megalomaniac and Germany is the unwitting pawn of Rasputin, acting on the belief that Britain intends to occupy German regions in order to gain access to wood and Lederhosen, though no one seems to know why Britain (and England in particular) is interested in German fashion.

And our heroes?

Sirius Black is a perfectly normal English bloke, who just happens to both be in denial and the most talented sky captain in the Order of Phoenix. He is also a heir to a fortune, though he doesn't like to talk about it. His best friend is James Potter, a young man prone to melodramatics when under stress.

Remus Lupin is also a perfectly normal English bloke, though less in denial. He is Sirius' other best friend, as well as he is a biological warfare expert. Why he's continually tagging along with Sirius is a bit of a mystery to everyone (except Remus himself), but no one is really complaining.

The Order of the Phoenix is the Queen's Special Force, a secret squad that no one really knows what does or is. Its members are positioned all over Europe in positions of power, influence or observation. Lily Evans is one such person.

It is when Rasputin, our moste evile villain, discovers a potential weapon for mass destruction, that this story starts. Follow our heroes as they attempt to save not only Europe, but the world...


I

London loomed on the horizon, the sky above a brilliant, blood red. It was partly illuminated by the setting sun and partly darkened by the London smog. The city was dreary to look at; dark and, even if it wasn't visible in the darkness, grimy. Only the Palace of Westminster was golden as it stretched upwards and out of the gloom, the last rays of the sun brightening its spires. Sirius steered the Prometheus towards it, humming softly under his breath. He was obviously pleased, despite the chill in the air, the ominous sky - not so much ominous as simply polluted, Remus thought - and the somberness of their city.

"Have you heard, Moony?" Sirius suddenly called out. "They're proposing to run trains on electricity! Have you ever heard anything as ridiculous?"

"I happen to like electricity," Remus replied, glancing at the scroll of parchment he was supposed to be studying. A fountain pen was precariously balanced over his left ear but he caught it before it fell and absent-mindedly scribbled something in the margin of the document. "It's what makes our lightning cannons work, after all."

"This will be the end of my beloved Baker Street and Waterloo Railway." Sirius sighed dramatically. "No more coal fumes! Can you imagine that?"

Remus shook his head exasperatedly and it finally registered within him where exactly they were going. "Sirius, why are we headed towards Westminster Palace?"

"Because we're going to Westminster Palace," Sirius replied cheerfully.

"And where are you going to moor the ship? Big Ben?" Remus got up, gesticulating towards the tower. "There's no air ship mooring in the city centre, you daft thing."

"Where there is a tower, there is a place to fasten one's rope," Sirius sang and turned the ship sideways, so that it could glide up next to the tower. "Grab the rope, will you?"

"I can't believe you're doing this. No wait, actually I can. You're paying if we get imprisoned."

"There's a spire right over there you can tie it to."

Remus sent Sirius a withering look before he rolled up the parchment and went to get the rope. After three tries and much sniggering from Sirius, the rope was in its place and Remus was winding the winch. The ship moved slowly closer to the tower, the spire bending more and more under the strain.

"If this breaks -" Remus started and was then rudely cut off by the loud sound of something snapping. He didn't have time to express his frustration as the winch suddenly pulled the rope in faster and Remus fell over with the momentum and crashed to the floor. The broken spire on the end of the rope flew over the railing and hit him with a low thud. "I hate you," Remus muttered, scrambling up from the heap he'd formed on the floor. "I hate you and your stupid ideas."

"Oops," Sirius said, not showing the remotest hint of remorse, and helped Remus up. "You all right? Ok, let's try some other spire."

"Is that Scotland Yard down there?" Remus remarked nonchalantly and when Sirius turned to look, Remus smacked him over the head.

"Ow!" Sirius rubbed his head, scowling. "What was that for?"

"I figured you deserved it." Remus' lip curled up in satisfaction. He turned and gave Big Ben a critical look. "We should try those two spires over there."

"You're the man." Sirius bowed theatrically, gesturing towards the tower and Remus went to secure the rope once more, kicking the winch as he did so.

Remus noticed out of the corner of his eye that men in dark clothes and helmets were gathered on the ground. They blended in with the darkness between the buildings, but the gaslights reflected off the shiny badges on their helmets gave them away. "That is Scotland Yard down there," he said after having battled the rope and the spires for a while.

"I'm not falling for that again, Moony."

"I'm not kidding." Remus threw the rope for the sixth time, this time managing to get it around both spires at once. "They don't look happy."

"Hm, so it is. And they don't, do they?" Sirius gave them a long look. "That's all right."

"They're going to arrest you," Remus pointed out gleefully. "And this time I'm not bailing you out."

"I hate when you do that." Sirius rolled the rope ladder out. "Coming?" He gestured downwards.

"What, right into the arms of Scotland Yard?"

"Scotland Yard is on the ground, shaking their fists and truncheons at us. Ergo, not up here." Sirius swung his leg over the railing and started climbing down. "Also," he said, pausing to give Remus a wide grin, "I was told specifically to bring my germ friend."

"It's biological warfare expert!" Remus muttered as he clambered over the railing to join Sirius. "It's not that hard to - wait. James contacted you!"

"'Course it was James. Who else?" Sirius jumped down and dusted himself off. He peered into the tower, finding it empty, then up at Remus who was slowly making his way down the rope ladder. "Very limber, Moony. Graceful. Majestic."

"Ha ha," Remus said as he touched ground. "I hate rope ladders. Couldn't you have installed one of those new mechanic ones?"

"Weighs too much." Sirius shrugged and cast a glance up at the ship. "Hm. Maybe we should've taken the sails down. Oh, to hell with it. Come on. Let's go see what Prongs has got in store for us."

"If Scotland Yard don't arrest you first, that is."

"They won't," Sirius replied confidently as he pushed his goggles onto the top of his head. Remus wanted to smack him again.

They found James in Kingsley Shacklebolt's office.

"Hey guys!" Sirius greeted cheerfully, though he sobered up at the stern look from Kingsley. "I mean of course, how are you doing, most graceful fellows?"

James grinned, even if he seemed a little paler than usual, and Kingsley shook his head. Remus furtively stole a glance at the neat rows of fountain pens on his desk. He inched closer.

"Behave yourself, Sirius," Kingsley said. "I've got Scotland Yard just outside and I promise you, they'll be here in seconds if I give them even the faintest reason to. I hardly need to remind you they're still grumpy you got away with the Sewer Episode."

"Hello, Kingsley," Remus said, stepping forward before Sirius could open his gob and say something stupid. "I was told you need me?"

"Yes," Kingsley answered heavily and gestured for James to go ahead. He stepped forwards and cleared this throat.

"You know the Romanovs?"

Remus straightened up, apprehension settling in every fiber of his body. "The Russian imperial family? Yes, of course."

"Then you know they've dedicated their lives and science to the discovery of a cure for haemophilia," James said. His face was rapidly losing more and more colour. "They haven't yet found the cure, but they've discovered something else - the isolated haemophilia gene can be attached to a certain virus..." he produced a scrap of parchment from his inside pocket. "...the Chapare arenavirus," he enunciated carefully.

"A virus that causes shock and excessive bleeding," Remus breathed. "It's deadly; the mortality rate is 30%. Combined with the haemophilia gene...the mortality rate is 100%, or as good as." He absent-mindedly picked up one of Kingsley's pens and fiddled with the cap. "This new strain - this mutation - of the arenavirus...there would be no cure. It could wipe out entire villages -"

"Exactly," Kingsley interjected. "It has come to our attention that Rasputin has discovered this potential weapon. The Romanovs left Moscow in haste last night, with the help of our man - woman, I haste to add - in the Palace. They're in a safehouse right now, but they must leave Russia. Rasputin has access to the Tsar's secrets and it is only a matter of time before he finds out which safehouse to go to."

"And it is for this reason you summoned me?" Sirius spoke up. "I am only the best sky captain in the Order, after all." He grinned, but the desperate look on James' face quickly wiped it off his face.

Kingsley rubbed his face. "Your vessel is the smallest in the fleet," he stated. "You'll be able to get under the radars, unlike the rest of the fleet. Take Remus with you, he's a decent shot. No one else -" Kingsley looked hard at James, who'd been about to speak up. "No one else. Too many cooks spoil the broth. You will leave immediately. James will give you instructions and remain behind; don't think I don't know what you're planning, James Potter."

James' jaw set defiantly, but Kingsley glared him into submission. "Fine," James spat and turned on the heel, walking straight out the door. Sirius instantly followed, but Remus paused to nod to Kingsley before leaving.

He found them further down the hall, James pacing the floor and Sirius attempting to calm him down.

"Lily is with them!" James suddenly roared. "And he expects me to - he thinks -"

Remus put Kingsley's pen into his pocket. "You are our communicator," he said firmly, putting a hand on James' arm. "You're our link - and Lily's link - to safety. You know that if you come along, you'll lose that link, and all of us would be fumbling in the darkness. Think, James."

James swallowed hard. "But it's Lily," he said dejectedly. "And that - that madman is after her."

"We'll get her. I promise." Sirius spoke softly. "I'll look after her for you."

"You promise?" James croaked, wild-eyed.

"I swear on Moony's grave," he replied gravely, earning a snort from Remus and James both.

"I'm charmed," Remus said dryly, then patted James' back. "I'll look out for that idiot there and see to it that we get the job done."

"You wound me." Sirius pouted and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Says he who swears on my grave. Man up, Prongs, and tell us where to go."

*

Remus gazed over the dark shapes that was London and the deep purple of the night sky, too distracted to realise he was again fiddling with Kingsley's fountain pen until he'd accidentally loosened the ink reservoir and gotten ink all over his fingers and cuffs.

"That's what you get for stealing pens," Sirius said from behind, handing him a handkerchief. "I was putting my money on five more minutes before that happened. My debt to Archie now runs up to 12 pounds."

"Archie is an inanimate object." Remus wiped his fingers on the kerchief but had to give up the cuffs for lost.

"Shh, you're hurting his feelings!" Sirius glanced over his shoulder and made a soft, sad sound. "Look at him! You should apologise."

"I will not apologise to a lamp."

Sirius scoffed and only then did Remus realise that he wasn't at the wheel.

"Sirius," he said tightly. "If you're in here, who is controlling the ship?"

"My scarf."

"Your scarf."

"I tied it to the wheel, you see, and then to the railing, so the wheel can't turn on its own accord," Sirius explained enthusiastically. "It's very cool. I should patent it. And call it auto-pilot."

"You, my friend, are a loon." Remus sighed exasperatedly and not completely without fear for his life.

"Moony!" Sirius whined. "It's brilliant. And anyway, I'm too lazy to stand there all night. I intend to sleep until we reach somewhere around...Ukraine or Finland. Which should be sometime tomorrow."

"Ukraine or Finland," Remus repeated, dubious.

"I can't control the wind, you know!" Sirius threw his hands up in despair. "Ye gods!" He stalked off towards the door to the bedchamber.

Remus sighed and balled up the handkerchief, throwing it after Sirius' retreating back. His heart gave a tiny, wistful pang and Remus turned to look out the window again.

*

He woke up to the sound of distant shouts and loud cracks, discovering he'd fallen asleep over his journal and not in his bed and that the petroleum lamp had gone out, leaving him in almost complete darkness. He raised his head groggily, looking around with a frown and trying to discern where the noises were coming from.

It was only when a particularly loud crack shook the mast of the ship that Remus fully awoke and realised they were under attack, and if not, then very close to one.

"Sirius!" he cried, leaping towards where he knew the armory trunk was and hastily pulling out a lightning cannon. It gleamed in the moonlight and occasional flashes of light coming from the outside.

A low thud came from the bedchamber, followed by a string of swear words and what sounded like a kick to the bedframe. Remus hauled out the other cannon and so when Sirius came racing through the door, he grabbed it and slung the strap around himself.

"Who?" he asked, but Remus shook his head. Sirius made a face, already halfway up on deck.

Remus ran after him.

Once up on deck it became very apparent that they were not under attack, but that someone else was. On Prometheus' starboard side, about one league away, there were two large airships amids flashes of bright white light, set against the backdrop of a dark cloud. There was a large flame licking up a sail on one of the ships, but the sail was dropped and the flame seemingly extinguished.

Sirius swore loudly.

"Are we going to do something?" Remus asked, picking up Sirius' spyglass to study the flags. "The one on the left seems to be Welsh. I'm not sure; the flag is torn and it's too dark to see properly."

"And the other?"

"...some kind of German. I don't recognise the region, but it's got the German imperial sign in the upper right corner...I'm guessing it's one of the regions we're actually at war with," Remus said grimly. "They seem to be on the winning side." He turned to face Sirius, but found him gone. It didn't take him long to discover that he was at the wheel, untying his scarf from it.

"We've got to help them. Give me a hand, Moony, we need to get closer."

Remus was sure - no, he knew - that Kingsley had ordered them to go straight to Russia, no dawdling, no sightseeing and certainly no random heroic deeds.

He was pretty sure this fell into the last category.

With Remus' help, Sirius steered the ship towards the Maybe Welsh airship, taking care to go slowly enough to not crash into them or alert them to their presence. Prometheus' sails were dark and all lights were off, but an attentive spectator would've seen the lighting and flames reflect off the windows and brass fixtures and surfaces.

"See anything?" Sirius asked anxiously. Remus' eye was like glued to the spyglass.

"Definitely Welsh," he confirmed and then swore. He put the spyglass away and adjusted his lightning cannon. "We'll have the element of surprise on our side."

"Ready to fire at the Germans?" Sirius propped a plank against the wheel and hoisted up his own cannon. "On my count - one - two -"

Sirius fired before reaching three, his lightning bolt whizzing over the contours of the cloud beneath them and hitting the sail on the fore-mast, which went up in flames. Remus winced, but aimed his own shot at the mizzen-mast. He missed, but only barely.

The Germans didn't realise at first that they were being attacked by two ships, but soon enough there was a loud cry of outrage across the gulf and Sirius smirked. Remus didn't have to look at him to know he was smirking, so he only said softly, "This isn't over yet, Pads."

They counted on the darkness being cover enough for them as they continued firing at the German ship. The next lightning bolt hit the second window from the left in the poop cabin. Flames licked up the outer walls and along the quarter gallery. Panicked men shouted as the ship started sagging. Their attack deteriorated as the men shot wherever their cannons pointed. At this, the Welsh' ship's counter-attack turned ferocious, intensifying to a degree that showed the Germans no mercy.

A stray lightning bolt or two whizzed over Prometheus. Sirius kicked the plank away and smoothly steered the ship behind the Welsh, using them as cover.

"You all right over there?" he called out, even as the German ship, now a ball of flame with a black skeleton of a brig inside, slowly fell towards the ground. Remus spotted several parachutes below it.

"Got a couple of injuries and one man gone," someone called back. "Who's there? No lights, no flag?"

"Two Brits, that's all," Sirius called back. "You have a doctor with you?"

"Yes. Thanks guys, it was getting tough there."

"No problem! We'll be on our way then. No time for a chat - see you later. Or not!" Sirius fired his lightning cannon upwards in salute. An answering salute came from the Welsh and Sirius turned the ship around, heading towards Russia once more.

"Is this the point where I tell you that Kingsley will have your scalp and feed you to Scotland Yard?" Remus asked, leaning against the railing next to the wheel. His cannon was by his feet, the opening still smoking lightly.

"Yes," Sirius replied cheerfully, punching a few controls on the wheel, "but I'd rather not. I was having fun."

Remus snorted. "Your definition of 'fun' is rather morbid, Sirius. There must've been at least fifty men on that ship."

"They were soldiers. It's a part of the job description."

"Still."

"Would you rather we'd left the Welsh alone? The Germans were pretty vicious. Also, our enemy. It'd have been traitorous to leave the Welsh to their death. We serve Britain, Remus."

"I know." Remus sighed and decided to change the subject. "Where are we, then?"

Sirius pointed at his map. "Round about here." His finger was resting on the triangle border of Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. That explained the Welsh, then. "Just crossing into Poland now." He consulted his compass. "We strayed a bit south, but that was to be expected."

"How soon can we get there?" Remus yawned. He'd been keyed up on adrenaline, but now that the battle, brief as it had been, was over and dawn was breaking ahead of them, he felt exhausted. And sore, having slept in an awkward position over the desk. "Or maybe more importantly, can I go back to sleep?"

"Yeah, you can." Sirius' eyes were soft - or maybe the fine light of dawn was tricking him. "Go to bed. I'll wake you up later when I get hungry."

"As usual." Remus smiled and shook his head. "Goodnight, then." He trotted inside, dropping his cannon off in the trunk.

*

Crossing into Belarus was remarkably unremarkable, albeit wet.

"I'm not complaining," Remus said, clutching an oversized mug of steaming hot tea, "but you could've given me warning before heading into a giant bank of clouds!"

"Give me some of your tea," Sirius said, teeth clattering.

"My tea is sacred." Remus glared. "There's coffee in the other pot."

"I already drank it all." Sirius shuffled closer to Remus. "Moony, I'm cold. Show mercy."

Sirius was, if possible, even wetter than Remus. His black hair was plastered to his face, his clothes were more soaked than moist - Remus had at least had the sense to run inside and throw on an oiled coat - and his nails were a scary shade of blue.

Remus sighed. "Go and get changed. I'll make you a pot of tea. Good heavens, man, why didn't you put on your waterproof coat? You're going to catch your death."

"Not yet I won't," Sirius replied cheerfully, the effect somewhat ruined by the clatter of his teeth. "And I forgot."

"Go get changed. You look like a kicked and drowned puppy and it's hurting my heart."

"I'm sorry for hurting your heart." Sirius got up and disappeared inside, leaving Remus with his wistfulness and hurting heart and hope. When he reappeared, Remus had brewed another pot of tea and spiced it liberally with anise and sugar.

"Feeling better?" he asked, handing Sirius a steaming mug.

"Mhh. Thank you." He looked towards the wheel, which was barely visible in the thick mist. "Let's hope the clouds will cover us until Smolensk. We can then go down when it gets dark without being seen."

"Do you think we will get problems?"

"We might. There's no predicting what the Russians will do." Sirius sipped his tea. "James hasn't telegraphed?" he asked, even if he knew very well that James hadn't sent a word.

Remus shook his head.

"Hm," Sirius grumbled and checked his compass. "We'll reach Smolensk in four hours."

"Want me to try to reach James?"

"No. Don't want the Russians to intercept on the wireless. Unless you're very good at your code." Sirius raised an eyebrow in question, his lip curled up into a smile.

"Padfoot whiny Moony bored," Remus said dryly. "If he even bothers to reply it'll be to tell you to shut your gob."

Sirius flopped down onto the bench next to Remus. "You wound me."

"I don't."

"You deflate my ego."

Snort.

Silence.

"It could've been worse, yeah?" Sirius asked quietly.

"I suppose," Remus answered lightly. "It's a picnic. A piece of cake. Et cetera. pick your own food metaphor."

"You know what I mean." Sirius nudged him. "Unless we get into trouble, that is."

"With you leading this mission, we're bound to get into trouble."

"Oi!" Sirius elbowed him but Remus was grinning.

"Just stating the truth." He looked sideways at Sirius' scowling face, grin turning into a full on smirk. "Keep doing that. It suits you."

Sirius' scowl turned into surprise and Remus wondered if he'd object very much if he just leaned in, just like that, and kissed him, without preamble. He gave Sirius' lips a long look, then looked away with a sigh. Best not.

"Hungry?"

"A little."

"You get us to Smolensk safely and I'll cook us something. Which would you prefer? Stew, stew or stew?"

"Stew sounds mighty fine to me." Sirius grinned and stood up, holding out his hand for Remus. Remus took it and Sirius pulled him to his feet. "Dinner of the warriors. Champions. Whatever."

"Whatever." Remus tugged his hand out of Sirius' warm grasp and awkwardly stuck it into his pocket. "You know - about the Welsh..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad we helped them."

The bright smile Sirius gave him warmed him inside out, despite the wet and cold whiteness around them. Remus smiled back.

*

James telegraphed half an hour before they reached Smolensk. Sirius jumped out of his chair, abandoning his coffee, and raced over to the telegraph. He jotted down the morse code with furious speed.

"Dot dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dash dot dot dash, dash dot dot dot...argh, Remus, can't you do this?" Sirius thrust the paper at him. "James isn't making sense."

"How bored are you?" Remus read. "That's it?" He frowned, sitting down before the telegraph and morsing back.

"What're you telling him?"

"That he sucks." Remus' finger tapped out a series of dashes and dots that Sirius could make neither head nor tail of. "Now let's see what he's got to say."

Sirius crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently and Remus tapped the table with his fingers. Eventually James morsed back.

"Flowers bloom in spring," Remus translated. "Oh, balls!" He leafed through the maps and documents on the desk, while Sirius was cursing at James' uselessness with code language. "Here," Remus said, holding up a map James had given him.

"Flowers bloom in spring," Sirius snorted. "Right, where is it?" They leaned over the map, studying the area immediately around Smolensk. There were three of the tsar's residences in the area and according to James' message, Lily had moved the family. None of these residences were named anything in relation to spring, however.

"There!" Remus pointed at a tiny word just south of Smolensk. "весна. Spring."

"Are you sure? That place looks...it's in the middle of nowhere."

"No. But it's all we've got."

Another message came in.

"Two flowers wilting. Gardener no mercy. Be quick. Rats are coming." Remus looked at Sirius, swallowing hard. "The Chapare arenavirus is spread via rats," he explained. "I bloody hope that's not what James is saying."

"What's that wilting business?" Sirius demanded.

"Injuries. Quick, Sirius, where are we? We're in a hurry - we don't have time to wait for dark, either," Remus said, tapping out a quick confirmation message to James.

When he looked up, Sirius was already outside at the wheel and the ship was lurching to the right as it took a sharp turn. Remus went straight to the armory trunk and picked out one lightning cannon - for Sirius - and two pistols, one for each. He hesitated a little before also taking a rifle. He had nearly gone out the door when he went back and took the other lightning cannon as well.

"Hold on to something!" Sirius shouted as Remus joined him. "We're going down!"

Remus held hard onto the railing, swallowing hard as the Prometheus slowly dived. Suddenly they broke free of the clouds, into golden sunlight. Remus looked around wildly, expecting to see a fleet of airships or zeppelins, but there were none - at least none within close proximity.

"Sirius," he said tightly.

"I know."

"We won't have time to touch ground if we want to be able to escape -"

"I know."

"The injured..." Remus trailed off.

"They better be able to climb the rope ladder or we'll all be screwed," Sirius stated, pulling the ship out of the dive. They were now so low over ground that the tallest trees brushed against the hull. He shadowed his eyes with his hand as he looked east. "I'd say they're about twelve leagues away. That gives us half an hour before they're within range."

He swore. The three small shapes ahead of them seemed to grow bigger with supernatural speed.

"Best get on with it, then," he said darkly and scanned the ground.

The area seemed to consist of nothing but forest and a few crop fields here and there. No house or building was visible.

Remus was leaning over the side of the ship, trying to ignore the prickling feeling on the back of his neck. His eyes sought shapes, lines, disturbances in the natural landscape that would suggest human habitation.

"How close are we according to the coordinates?"

"We should be right above it - there!"

A tiny deserted cottage bloomed out from among a copse of trees. Only the horse-carriage outside the cottage gave away that someone was there. Sirius stopped the ship and let the momentum carry it into a circle above the cottage until it could still. Remus threw out the rope ladder and climbed down, leaving both lightning cannons with Sirius, the rifle strapped to his back.

Just as Remus' feet touched ground, Lily ran out to meet him, crushing him into a hug.

"I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life," she said, looking up briefly to give Sirius a wave. "James has been terrible with worry - he hasn't said, but I know it - and then this happened -"

"Injuries?" Remus asked, cutting into her babbling. "Can they climb?"

"I think so - come." She dragged him inside, where the Romanovs were huddled around a table. The tsar himself had a headwound, but Lily had already dressed it. One of the girls seemed slightly worse off, with bandages on both her head and her left arm. The boy seemed unhurt, though, and Remus breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tatiana only came to ten minutes ago," Lily quickly explained. "This is -"

"We've no time for introductions. They'll be here in less than half an hour so we need to leave now." Remus gestured towards the door anxiously.

Lily turned towards the Romanovs and from her mouth came a string of Russian that Remus didn't catch much of, but the effect was instantaneous. There was a flurry of surprisingly quiet movement and then they were all outside and the tsarina was climbing up the rope ladder, while Remus secured it for minimal shaking.

"I'll go last," Remus said, urging them on. "What about the horses?" He nodded towards the carriage.

"If the bastards don't kill them, someone will be along eventually to free them," Lily said, helping the boy up the ladder.

The three dark forms in the sky were no longer just forms, but airships. Remus reckoned they had ten minutes before they'd start shooting. Maybe.

"Hurry!" he hissed at Lily, who glared at him. Four of the members of the royal family were on the ladder now. Remus saw the tsarina climb over the railing and then offer her son help. The youngest girl started climbing now. "Lily," Remus said anxiously. "James will have my balls if something happens to you, so would you please - thank you, sir."

Lily glared at the tsar, saying something about him being her charge, but he would have none of it. When the last girl was halfway up the rope ladder, Lily finally gave in and climbed up, the tsar following her a few seconds later.

The three airships had halved the distance now and Remus was anxious to get going. He held the ladder, watching as Lily got safely on board and finally the tsar. Remus removed the groundplug and climbed up as fast as he could, feeling the ship move, rising upwards and gaining speed, albeit torturously slowly. The ladder swung in the air and Remus clung to it for dear life.

He glanced at the ships, swearing when he saw how close they were - not yet within range, but too close for comfort - and then continued upwards, focusing on not losing his footing and grabbing the next bar. When he reached the railing, he was relieved to find the strong arms of the tsar and Lily's insistent hands pull him over the edge.

"Where are we headed?" he asked, out of breath, but wasting no time in picking up one of the lightning cannons and aiming it at the ships. "Can we outrun them?"

"West," Sirius replied shortly. "We'll go with the wind, gain as much speed as possible. Go back into the clouds - hey, tell them to go inside, they'll be in the way on deck."

Lily immediately herded the Romanovs into the cabin. She came back a few minutes later, wielding a lightning cannon, obviously filched from the armory trunk.

"No, absolutely not," Remus protested. "You're going back inside. Sirius, tell her to be a lady."

"I'd rather not," Sirius replied, focused on the set of controls in the wheel.

"Just accept it," Lily said triumphantly, lining up next to Remus.

"James is going to shit a horse if he finds out," Remus grumbled.

An experimental shot was discharged from the enemy ship in the middle, but it didn't reach them, fizzing out into nothing just a few yards away. The air crackled lightly and Remus noticed that a few strands of Lily's hair stuck up. Another lightning shot came their way, this one disintegrating closer to the Prometheus.

"Sirius!" Remus cried. "Can't you go faster? I think they're trying to envelop us in static electricity!"

"That's bad how?" Lily asked, deciding that since the enemy was firing, she could fire back, and discharged a lightning bolt towards the middle ship. It didn't quite reach either.

"I don't know, but it's probably very bad," Remus replied. "At any rate the static electricity will interfere with our instruments...and it might disturb our cannons. Maybe attract lightning. I don't fucking know but I don't like it."

Lily eyed him sideways. "You're not just saying that to scare me and make me go back inside?"

"Maybe," Remus grumbled. "Please?" he added, but Lily didn't get to reply as a lightning bolt slid along the side of the ship, shaking them all a little. Lily shrieked and fell over, but was instantly back on her feet next to Remus and shooting back.

"Faster!" she yelled to Sirius and Remus would've rolled his eyes if it wasn't for the fact he was quite busy putting them to proper use, seeing where he was aiming.

"I'm trying!" Sirius yelled back.

They got hit by a bolt; it rammed into the rudder and sent it flapping wildly, causing the Prometheus to zigzag. Remus and Lily were wasting no time, firing lightning bolts back at the three ships. Lily's bolts found their marks every time, charging right into the sails - only one had caught fire so far - and she was lit up with fury, her hair standing on end as the air crackled with electricity.

"Hold on!" Sirius cried. "We're going up!"

Remus and Lily clutched the railing, cannons propped against it as they fired, Remus determined to bring down at least one of those darned ships. The left ship's sails were now all gone, thanks to Lily, and it was rapidly losing speed. Remus fired bolt after bolt, saw them hit, saw the electric tongues lick the sides of the ship, but nothing was catching fire, nothing seemed to be breaking...he saw the nails shoot out of the planks, sparks in their wake and he saw the first plank fall away before everything suddenly became white.

White, wet and cold.

Before he could orientate himself, the Prometheus lurched to the right, doing a nearly 90 degree turn. Lily lost her footing and slid along the floor until she met the starboard railing.

"You all right there?" Remus called out.

"Mfine..." She glanced through the bars. "Glad I can't see the ground, to be fair..."

The Prometheus righted itself and Lily scrambled to her feet and Remus let go of the railing. Sirius looked rather pleased with himself as he looked over his shoulder to check on his mates.

"You guys all right?"

"Fine," Remus said. "I should check the ship for damages..." He rubbed his face. "We don't want any surprises."

"Why the turn?" Lily asked. "You could've given us some warning!"

"We're going north. They'll expect us to go straight home, so we're not doing that. You can bet they'll be pursuing us...and alerting every single one of their allies," Sirius replied, without turning around.

"Won't help us much, will it?" Lily snorted. "We're still in Russian territory, aren't we?"

"Yeah. We're headed towards Latvia...we might have to briefly cross into Belarus..." Sirius shrugged. "No matter. We're not expected there...and it'll get dark in a few hours."

"Don't get too comfortable," Remus warned. "Anyway, Lily, you should go check on the family. I'll check the ship over."

Part 2

Comments

[brighty18.livejournal.com]

This is really cool - not to mention very exciting. I hope I can finish before I have to go to work, but, if not, let this just serve to let you know how awesome this is. I love the bits of humor and the little peak into Remus' head!

Also, bless you for bringing the Romanovs into it. That really makes me happy!

[nerakrose]

Heeehee thanks! :D

[epithalamium]

All right, I'm reading this while working so I don't know if I'll make sense or whatever but: I love the snarky and dry humour of this. I don't think I've actually read anything this quickly since--well, a couple of minutes ago, while reading Stephen Fry's Paperweight while waiting for my food. XDD The first introductory paragraphs are made of win. I'm not too good with historical dates, so I'll take your word in the notes for it. But I am rather fond of the Romanovs and politics, so yay! Also: mechanical talk and random acts of vandalism on the Big Ben? Lol, I knew to expect something like this when you said 'prefectly normal'. Usually, they never are.

I must also express love for the codes James sent. And of course, Archie. Archie is the best. <3

[nerakrose]

My note was originally much longer, explaining every single chance I'd made in the fic...then I decided it wasn't necessary and cut it out. I'm not really a history buff either (mostly I retain historical information like 'then he did this and this other guy did this and they were upset and then there was a war.').
Perfectly normal for marauder standars, I suppose. xD

<3

[littlewolfstar.livejournal.com]

I hadn't had time to sit down and read this yet but can i just say: SQQUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Omg, this is above and beyond and over the rainbow!! It looks like you built such an intricate and amazing world, I am just flabbergasted!!! Thank you thank you thank you for this amazing gift! I am super excited to read this!! <3<3<3<3

[nerakrose]

:D :D :D I hope it won't disappoint once you've started reading. Have fun with it :D <3