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Chapter -30- Great American Adventure

Wednesday, May 17, 1893 New York City ...

Reno opened his eyes and glanced down. Kerii was fast asleep, resting her head on his chest, snuggled up at his left side. He brought his right hand up, rubbed his face and sighed.

Reluctantly at first, he brought his left arm up and draped it over her.

For the last few days, she stayed in her bunk room and he stayed in his, across the aisle.

This was the first time she'd 'made a move' so to speak, and he was surprised how respectful she'd been, considering the fact she was a succubus.

Her elbow was cold to the touch from a lack of blankets. He put his palm over her skin, just beneath where the sleeve stopped. Reno looked up at the ceiling of the train car and sighed again.

He reminded himself that she was still a woman, and she likely just wanted a hug, or to be held, or something.

Actually, the closeness was kind of nice.

Reno knew he had to consider the fact he might be stuck in the past forever. It was good to make friends from the start. The fact he fell into favor with Niall Kincade's closest trusted circle was a plus. He already knew the man in the future. In fact, at some point, he knew the man would eventually change his name to 'Methos.'

So far as Reno was concerned, he had a head start on the future.

He wondered about opening a bank account in 1893 and accessing it in 2050 - he'd be rich on the interest alone. A sly grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. He knew it would cause trouble somehow, so he decided against it.

The train slowed. He heard footsteps out in the aisle - the footfalls of dozens of people coming from their bunk rooms. They were finally nearing the station.

Reno gave Kerii a gentle shake. "Time to get up, 'wifey.' We're here."

She stretched a bit and sat up. "Oh. Uhm, sorry. I thought I would just lay besides you for a bit because I was cold, then go back to my room before you woke up. Sorry."

"It's fine, really."

"You're sure?"

"It's okay, I promise."

"I just wanted to hear your heartbeat. It's been a long time since a gentleman put his arm around me for more than four minutes."

Reno frowned.

"I'm ... sorry, that was gauche."

"It's fine. I don't judge you. I used to be close to a succubus. We were damn good friends. I understand. I like you just the way you are."

She smiled inwardly and sat up. "Don't forget your suitcase ... 'husband.'"

Reno grinned. "You wife-ing me already? We're not even out of the honeymoon period."

She grinned in reply.

Reno pulled his suitcase out from the storage cubby adjacent to the frame for the bunk. He lifted it up by the handle and fell into step behind her, through the sliding door and down the aisle of the bunk car.

Kerii pushed a lock of her hair from her cheek, guiding it over her shoulder. "I enjoy the lack of show - it's refreshing."

"Meaning what?"

She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. "Some men like to peacock. They spit into their palms and rub them together, or crack their knuckles as if preparing to do battle. Sportsmen are worse - they tap their cleats with a bat before stepping up to the plate. It's always pomp and circumstance before picking up a bag, but not you. I like your simplicity; your lack of drama."

Reno chuckled inwardly, mostly keeping his amusement to himself. They made their way off the train and took a carriage to the seaport.

The whole affair took several hours.

By the time they were able to purchase tickets, there were few people left in line. Kerii spoke to a gentleman regarding travel accommodations.

Afterward, she turned to Reno and frowned. "Nothing tonight. The good news, however, is that there is a ship that can take us to Spain tomorrow."

"Oh yeah? I thought we were going to northern Europe to find our way to Spain - that's actually really handy."

"Yes, I certainly do not mind waiting a day for a shorter journey." She offered Reno a sly smile. "We're in New York City and I have money from Eli. He'll wire us whatever we require before departing New York."

"Oh." Reno chuckled and shook his head. "You want to go shopping."

"I will not torture you with such mundane tasks. Perhaps we can find you a proper place to drink with fellow gentlemen until I finish my errands. Afterward, we can check into a hotel."

"I ... alright. Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

She replied with a genuine smile. "You are thoughtful to offer. However, you will have more fun on your own. Trust me. No man wishes to watch a woman play dress-up."

"I get it - you want 'girl time.' I understand."

"Girl time," she repeated with a smile. "Yes, that is a sufficient term, Nathan. Perhaps we can find a hotel with a proper place to find a proper gentleman's drink. Then, at any time you wish, you could simply walk upstairs to your room."

"Sounds fine by me." Reno was easy to please; his personality had changed dramatically since leaving the force. He missed the feeling of being productive, but the lifestyle of a homicide inspector was mired in police politics - that was something he did not miss.

Being relaxed in life was something he was quickly growing to enjoy.

Kerii smiled softly. "You are so ... amenable."

"Sure, I guess. Back to the stage coach?"

"Yes, the carriage - we'll find a hotel worthy of Eli's financing." She offered him a wink.

"Let's live it up, then." Reno followed her away from the seaport...

X

X

Two hours later The Waldorf Hotel ...

Reno grimaced and exhaled. The bourbon was potent. The fact it was his third drink made it easier to tolerate the stuffy room filled with cigar and cigarette smoke. The fact the lobby and the bar had no central air made things worse.

It was a gorgeous hotel, and brand new at that. Having just opened a few months ago, everything was new, the staff looked sharp, and even the carpet was perfect.

Sitting at Fifth Avenue and Thirty-Third street, it was odd to consider he was sitting in a hotel bar where the Empire State Building would one day be erected, almost forty years later.

A man, sitting behind Reno, announced, "I was ruining my eye sight! If I never seen another diamond through a jewelers loupe, it would still be too soon."

Another man said, "Morgan, it was far less exciting than life as the first mate of a proud vessel."

"No, Aaron, life on the ocean is not for me anymore. It's not as exciting as it was when I was a young man."

"You are a fine writer, Morgan. Short stories are a fine use of your time, however I am quite sure you are capable of writing a proper novel."

"I need ideas."

"You've spent years at sea. You'll think of something - you're a traveled, cultured, and worldly man. Trust me. Better yet, trust in yourself."

"Oh, I do! I am Morgan Robertson and I will most certainly succeed as a writer. I know my capability. I know my talent."

"I look forward to reading it. For now, though, I should look forward to taking the wife to the theatre this evening. Be well, Morgan."

"And you, Aaron." Morgan Robertson stood up from his table and settled at the bar counter adjacent to Reno with a sigh.

"Writer, huh?"

Robertson nodded to Reno in reply. "That I am."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just wanted to say - good for you, for doing what you really want to do with life. I used to be a homicide inspector in San Francisco, but now I do what I really want to do. I live my life to the fullest."

Robertson grinned. He turned to the bar tender, raised his hand and pointed to Reno's glass. "I will have whatever he is having."

Reno was quick to notice the unpleasant smell of the man's breath but ignored it. He was, after all, three drinks in. "So what kind of stuff do you write?"

"I consider myself rather proficient in all sorts of adventures."

"I haven't read any of your work. Sorry. I'm not from around here - and I'm a bit drunk." Reno offered the man a sheepish sort of expression.

"No worries."

"I've been on some adventures, though."

"Oh?" Morgan tilted his head a bit.

"Yeah. I've seen some weird things. What about you? Your friend made a good point - if you write what you know, you will do your best work. Why not write something about being at sea?"

"My experience on a passenger liner..."

"I mean, make it an adventure," Reno said. "Write about the sinking of the Titanic."

"I'm not sure what you mean by that."

Reno waved the bar tender down and said, "How about another for me and the author? It's on me."

"I want to write books about things that haven't happened yet. I know that sounds presumptuous, but I want to look at the world and write what I feel is the inevitable."

Reno reached for the refreshed glass of bourbon and clinked his glass to the novelist's glass. "I could tell you so much. All sorts of things you wouldn't believe."

"Is that so?"

"Like when America goes to war with the Japanese in the Pacific over Hawaii, and invents a weapon that will melt eyes and skin with unimaginable heat because the Japanese won't relent. I could tell you about submarines, like the one in Jules Verne's novel, but how they'll be used to attack other ships - not by ramming them, but by first spying on them with a periscope. But, to start, you should stick with what you know."

"I'm listening."

"If you know passenger travel on ocean-liners, then write about the biggest one in the world sinking. I thought the Titanic already sank."

"I worked in merchant shipping, however I've not heard news about the world's biggest passenger ship sinking."

Reno shrugged. "Biggest ship ever made by man at the time, but it hit an iceberg one night in April or something ... there wasn't enough life boats."

"And how big is the 'biggest ship ever made by man,' do you suppose?"

Reno drank down the fourth bottle of bourbon and set the glass cup on the bar counter. "Well, I only recently saw a documentary but I was falling asleep in the middle of it, so I might get it wrong. I think they had the minimum lifeboats allowed by law. They were doing twenty-something knots about four hundred nautical miles south of Newfoundland. ... I'm trying to remember the details, I'm kind of drunk. Let's see, more than half of the ship's two-thousand-some-odd passengers and crew drown..."

"Did she have triple-screw propellers?"

"I ... that sounds familiar. I might've saw that on the documentary, yeah." Reno shrugged. "It was eight-hundred-something feet long. I know it was the biggest boast-worthy ship, and people called her 'unsinkable' or whatever."

"Mm, the Titan."

"No, the Titanic."

"I feel as though the 'Titan,' as a name, would carry more weight with readers."

"That's cool. Base it on the Titanic, then."

"I have never heard of such a ship sinking. I assure you, I would have heard of it. This is New York, and people talk."

Reno frowned and rubbed his forehead. "God I should have paid more attention to when I watched the documentary." He thought for a moment and shrugged. "On second thought, maybe you should forget about all the stuff I said."

"You had a point, good sir. I should write what I know and make it an adventure."

"Just make sure you capture the essence of action, and you focus on the futility of the wreck. Engage the reader's imagination. That's how you really do it."

Morgan rubbed his chin. "Futility, hmm? I like that..."

Reno thought back to his childhood comic books. "You know, I lived out in the middle of nowhere. My parents were weird like that. But my father always brought me comics. The narratives about action, adventure and heroes ... that's what made me the person I am today. If you inspire your readers with something they fear, and your hero is able to brave it, then your books will go a long way."

"How does a hero inspire action on a sinking vessel? To be realistic, saving people while it is sinking is not realistic. If he's anywhere near the ship when it goes down, he will be pulled under."

"I don't know, you're the writer," Reno said. He shrugged with a laugh. "Have the guy fight a polar bear stranded on the gigantic iceberg. I don't know." Reno laughed at his joke. "Penguins are only in the south right? They're not in the north. Does that apply to polar bears too?"

"I believe polar bears exist in the North Pole."

"If all the penguins are at the South Pole, what do polar bears eat?" Reno stretched a bit. "God it stinks of smoke in here." He didn't care for the thickness of cigar and cigarette smoke, but Morgan's breath was even worse. "What've you been drinking anyhow?"

"How do you mean?"

"You drank something. I smell it over the bourbon. What is that?"

"Ah. It's something I use to help me relax and sleep. It was ... prescribed to me as a cough medicine," said Robertson. "That's likely what you smell."

"Oh. Right, I understand. I hope I didn't offend you, bud."

"It's difficult to shut off my mind some nights. It races with thoughts and ideas. It's also used as a hypnotic." Morgan grinned. "Would you like to try it?"

"No thanks. I don't need to be hypnotized. Look, just get all the current short stories out of your head, and make some notes for the Titanic story. Write that when you're ready, there's no rush."

"Short stories - I can write many in a smaller time frame. I need the money so I can be well off while I work on my big stories."

"I never drink this much at one time," said Reno. "I should be able to metabolize this quickly but alcohol is flammable and I don't want to use my power, or I might combust."

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," said Morgan.

"No big deal. I might head up to my room and get some sleep. I've been traveling for the last few days and I want to sleep on a bed that doesn't shake, rattle, and roll."

Morgan offered Reno a hand. They shook. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

Reno returned the handshake and made his way out to the lobby of the hotel.

A gentleman at the desk said, "Sir? Would you like for a bellhop to assist you in taking the stairs to your room?"

Reno scoffed with a crooked grin. "You're only offering because Kerii was a big tipper, so you remembered us together. I don't have much on me."

"Sir, let me find someone to help you up to your room."

"Thanks. Stairs would be difficult right now." Reno squinted and rubbed his face. "Did I have four or five? Now I can't remember for sure... Reno was fairly sure he was slurring his speech. "She's pretty, you know. Kerii, I mean. God I miss Karla. I mean, Nicky. Yeah. That's who I miss. I hope I see her again - she could just teleport me to my room. It would be so much easier..."

X

X

Morning...

Reno opened his eyes. Lying on his stomach, he looked up at a wine bottle on the nightstand adjacent to his pillow sham. He eased up into a kneeling position on the bed and looked down.

He was dressed in silk striped pajamas. The shirt clung to his back from sweat; the situation was no better on the backside of his legs.

Kerii slept in a flowing nightgown at his side. She opened her eyes at the sensation of him sitting up on the mattress. "Good morning," she said with a sultry smile. "You're up early, considering."

It all came rushing back ... drunken sex. Reno sighed through his nose. "Sorry about last night. I know I was forward and..."

She sat up and stretched, interrupting him with a laugh. "My goodness, you were quite inebriated, Nathan. I do not regret it; I hope you enjoyed it."

"I uh," he looked around. "I thought the hotel would have two small beds, side by side."

"Oh those things ... a menace to society," Kerii said. "The medical community suggests everyone puts two beds adjacent to one another. What a farce." A sly sort of smile crept across her face. "You sweat off the alcohol and slept like a baby after I helped you into the pajamas. I see they fit you well. I had to guess your size."

Reno slid out of the bed and stretched. "I thought I'd feel guilty after that, but I ... suppose I don't."

"Did Odysseus feel guilty in the arms of Calypso or Circe? No. Also, neither could sway him from continuing to sail back to Ithaca, because they knew he yearned for the arms of Penelope."

"I saw the movie ... the motion picture, or whatever it's called. I get your point. I feel bad that I don't_feel guilty about it. I only _just got my fiancée back, and I've already lost her again."

Kerii's smile faded. "Keturah's uncle will take you home soon enough, Nathan." She lowered her gaze and saw the way his newly-purchased silk pajamas stuck to his skin in some places. "Perhaps you should bathe or take a rain bath."

"Rain bath?"

"A spray bath that dumps water on your head from above."

"Showers are already invented? Thank God." Reno made a beeline for the bathroom and stopped in front of the bathtub. "What is this unholy contraption?"

Kerii followed him to the bathroom door and peered over his shoulder. "Sorry?"

Reno nodded to a round cage-like shower system with a showering curtain designed to wrap around it. The curtain was drawn back. Nozzles were set into the bars at thigh-height, and a drain was in the floor, in a square ankle-height basin.

"Mm, usually it's only a halo-shaped piece above the bathtub for the curtain. It keeps water from spraying outward onto your floor, and works for privacy."

"That thing almost looks like a ... torture device. Or maybe a bird cage."

Kerii giggled. "An iron maiden for water, hmm? This is the only hotel room to feature this standing-only rain bath, the rest of the rooms have only a soaking tub. Posh, isn't it?"

"How the hell does it work? It's an overwhelming thing when you're hungover."

Kerii drew his pajama shirt up over his head and folded it in half. She carried it out to the bed and returned to the bathroom. She reached through the circular metallic ribbed piping that created a nearly full circle.

She turned the cold knob, the hot knob, and a third knob that Reno didn't recognize. Water came from above, and from nozzles on the sides. Water sprayed, some of which wound up on the tiled floor.

She closed the showering curtain around the circular cage. "Now you take off your pants and step in.

Reno reached for towels hanging from a bar mounted to the wall and bent at the waist to wipe up the water.

Kerii abruptly stopped him. "What are you doing with those?"

"I was going to wipe up the water so no one slips in here."

"Those towels are for your hands. I will take care of it, Nathan. You are more likely to stumble and strike your head on the sink basin in this condition. Take your rain bath. Go on, now."

"But..."

She took the hand towel from his grip and draped it back over the wall-mounted bar. "Go on. I will clean up the water on the floor. It isn't much; certainly not enough for you to fret. In you go."

Reno reluctantly pulled down the silk pajamas, which clung to his backside and the back of his legs every inch of the way. He handed them to her.

She shook the fabric out, so that it wasn't balled up, and then she folded them and carried them out to the bed. "Go on, Nathan."

Reno shook his head with a chuckle and stepped into the shower. He adjusted the lay of the curtain so no water would escape the oddly made shower.

Kerii came back into the bathroom and cleaned up the water on the floor.

He couldn't see what she used to mop up the water, but he could hear her humming to herself. "I have to admit, having nozzles directly on your legs - that's nice."

"I thought you might like it. Don't use up all the hot water, if you don't mind."

Reno paused to think about it. He sighed and shook his head. He'd already had sex with the woman, even though some of the details were a bit blurry. He recalled that it took an unusual amount of time and effort to get off, probably due to being so drunk.

He also recalled that she enjoyed their time lasting as long as it did. He was pretty sure he was dehydrated, but ... he cared more about her not having any hot water. "Hey, Kerii?"

"Mm?"

"You, uh ... you want to join?"

"It's only big enough for one."

"We'll make it work. You want to join me? It's still hot, you know?" He grinned a bit and said, "You can make sure I don't slip and fall. I just need some toast and a lot of water."

She opened one side of the shower curtain, just a little bit. "Are you sure?"

He shrugged. "Well, we've already consecrated our ... you know, us, uh ..." He wanted to say, 'us playing house together.' On second thought, he was worried it might come off as insensitive. "Might as well, you know?"

She smiled a bit and closed the curtain again. A moment later, she opened it enough to step through the opening in the rounded rib-like bars. She was no longer wearing her nightgown. "How is your head?"

"I wish I could make the water hotter."

"It's designed so that it won't scald you."

"Let me be the judge of how hot to make it, you know? But I'll take what I can get right now." Reno put his back against the bars on one side to make room for her in the small circular shower cage. "I forgot the soap."

She smiled and lifted her hand. "I didn't." She pushed the soap into his hand and said, "Ivory! It's floats!"

Reno blinked, not understanding the reference. He took the bar and took her by the hips. Reno turned her away from him and used the soap to wash her back. "Ladies first."

"Aren't you a gentleman... A woman could get used to such a considerate man."

"I guess I was well trained." He worked a lather in his palms and soaped her back, beneath the warm water.

"I have no complaints. The lady who trained you deserves a medal." She grasped the bars firmly and sighed in content. "I know I said this last night, but you have a firm touch, Nathan."

"I'm not hurting you am I?"

"Most certainly not. I hope the hot water lasts long enough for me to return the favor."

Reno grinned but said nothing in reply. He looked down at his left hand. The man whose ability to sculpt metal was an artist. Reno's gold band had a thatch-weave design in the metal.

He reached around Kerii and took her left hand into his. He lifted her hand up and looked at the ring and band, fused together, which had been custom made for her. "Do you like wearing this?"

She glanced back at him, over her shoulder. In a soft voice, she said, "Yes. It's my first time. So help me, Almighty God, I will wear this to my grave." Her smile broadened. "You're holding my hand, you know."

Reno swallowed and offered a grin. "Yeah..." He released her hand and started washing the back of her legs as best as he could reach them in the cramped space. "I'd better finish this before we run out of warm water, huh?"

"Quite so."

X

X

Six hours later...

Kerii ascended the plank up to the large ocean liner. Massive steam chimneys towered over the ship. "My last voyage to Europe was on a side-wheel steamship. The accommodations were decidedly less luxurious."

"I thought boats with those big wheels on the side were for river fairies and stuff?"

They made their way near to the top of the gangplank. "For a while, it was believed a side-wheel ship was the only proper way to cross the Atlantic. Propeller technology has come a long way." She gave him a sidelong glance and a smile. "I hope you do not suffer from seasickness."

"Nope." He paused. "So, how long is the voyage?"

"Roughly six days."

Reno nodded. They approached a man on the deck who greeted them aboard as if they were royalty.

Kerii leaned towards Reno and whispered, "Money surely brings respect, does it not?"

"Definitely."

Once greeted aboard, they walked the deck together. "I am told there is plenty and a variety of food. As I understand it, we will fare for a week better, and shall be surrounded by more appointments of wealth and luxury than either of us are accustomed to, even in lavish homes the likes of Parker Manner."

"Since we've started hanging out, you've been talking a little more like I do. But just now ... you completely reverted."

"Mm, I suppose you are right. I suspect it came from listening to the man who greeted us aboard." Kerii made her way to the railing and glanced over the side of the ship. "New York is lovely."

Reno looked out over the city. It was weird without the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. He wasn't sure when they would be built, but of all the buildings in the city, none of them could be considered skyscrapers by his standard. The tallest in the city had a dome on its top.

"What's that building, there?" he asked.

Someone passing by said, "That's the New York World building, friend. It stands on the corner of Park Row and Frankfort Street, and is the tallest building in New York City. In that dome is the office of Joe Pulitzer. Can you imagine being twenty stories above the rest of the world?"

Reno glanced back at a man in a striped suit with a vest, high collar and bowtie. Reno recognized the man instantly. "Justus!"

The man grimaced and approached Reno and Kerii. He stood adjacent to them, peering over the side of the railing. The man reached up and adjusted his bowtie, then brought his hands to either side of his sport-blazer and held onto the fabric over the buttons.

Reno frowned, seeing the expression on the man's face. "Sorry for the outburst."

"Young man, I haven't gone by my birth name for a number of centuries. Your Americanized mispronunciation of it, while not offensive, is perplexing - how would someone know? How could anyone know?"

"I know Natalia and Donovan."

Justus drew in a deep breath through his nose and sighed with a shake of his head. "Natalia has asked me to watch you. However, she never mentioned your acquaintanceship, Mr. Carrington."

"I feel like I can rest easy knowing you're aboard."

Justus arched his brows. He kept a firm hold on his jacket, tugging on the material in frustration. "Is that so?"

Reno saw the clear sign of discomfort on the man's face. He leaned towards him and whispered, "I met this gypsy girl, once, who put a hex on me. She said she was opening my mind's third eye or whatever. For a while, I had abilities that were similar to being an oracle."

"You speak a rather queer rendition of English, Mr. Carrington."

"Yeah, so I'm told. Hey, you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Proceed."

"Why does Donovan talk all weird and old style?"

Justus quirked a brow at Reno. "He was raised and schooled by his parents, who retain their archaic method of speech. It is disconcerting how much you know, Mr. Carrington. Now, I have a question for you, young man: Why are you seeking a self-proclaimed time traveler?"

"Because he is."

"That remains to be seen. He refuses to demonstrate his ability to anyone. He has rescinded his claim, and avoids the Esoteric Community."

"Yeah, well, he's legit. He moves through time like you move through the shadows."

"I see." Justus buttoned his suit jacket. "Stay out of trouble, Mr. Carrington." He walked away from the couple.

Kerii frowned. "You knew him?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He's here for the other reason Eli is paying for this trip." Her eyes lowered. "I am not quite sure what they are planning, however there will come a time when they ask a favor from you - nothing is free, Nathan. Certainly not help from the Esoteric Council. Justus will likely approach when he has received word of what to demand from us."

"Eli Parker just wired you a substantial amount of money to survive in Europe," said Reno. "That guy is here to protect Eli's investment. That money came with its own bodyguard."

"That man is no sentinel. He is an enforcer, and he is next in line to become a Justiciar. He is very educated, and powerful. Also, rumor has it, he is rather old."

"In my time, he's an ally. There's no reason to be afraid of him."

"Is he still a Justiciar?"

"No. He apparently hated the job and tried to pawn it off on Johann, and later on Eric. Neither really wanted it."

Kerii nodded and looked around. Justus was nowhere to be seen. "Think of him as a deputy, aspiring to become Sheriff. However, a Justiciar is much more than a Sheriff. He is also a sort of Governor. He is responsible for a territory determined by the council. If there is unrest in that territory, he will answer to the council."

"Has any Justiciar ever screwed up before?"

Kerii nodded. "Salem, Massachusetts, during witch trials, caused the death of a Justiciar. A family of succubae and three incubi were put to death in Salem. A small brood of vampires were burned. Countless people said to be witches, but possessed no active abilities ... it spiraled out of control, and the area Justiciar had to answer as to why he could not protect supernatural people from the humans and vice-a-versa." She pronounced the Latin phrasing with four syllables in total.

Reno glanced down at the deck with a nod. "You really have to believe in that job to want it."

"Yes, but like any politician who is given the power to enforce a law, it is rare they perform their tasks admirably. I have met my share of corrupt Justiciar."

Reno stared back out across New York. He eyed the so-called tallest building with the round top. It was underwhelming to him. "I wonder what it looks like up close. It's not really that tall."

"I beg to differ."

"I bet the Eiffel Tower is three times that height. I have a pretty good eye."

"I've never seen Paris."

"I have. You know, Spain isn't terribly far. We could swing by if you want to see it."

Kerii bit her lower lip. "You're sweet to me, Nathan Carrington."

"Yeah. I know how women romanticize Paris. If you want to see it, I'll take you."

She swallowed and smiled somewhat. "I've now seen the city of Brooklyn, the city of New York, and you're promising to take me to Paris? You ... are a special sort of man."

Reno shrugged. "We'd be too close not to stop by. Let's just do it so you can see it. Speaking of tall French art, where's the statue of Liberty?"

Kerii looked around. "Let us look from a different angle."

They made their way from one end of the ship to the other and spied a large statue with a dull-copper coloration. It stood as tall as the building with the dome, which Reno had spied earlier.

Reno licked his lips. "Jesus."

"Mm?"

"It's still new. It's not even blue yet."

"Blue?"

"Yeah, in my time it's blue."

"It was painted?"

"No, I think the metal changed color or something. It happened naturally. I don't know how or when, just that it was natural."

"How odd." She placed her hands on the railing and gazed at the distant island with the statue of Liberty up on her pedestal. "It was completed a few years ago. Trajen once suggested the torch should stay unlit until all Americans are liberated - blacks, whites, women..."

"It happens," said Reno. "It just takes time." He snapped his fingers. "Eight, Twenty, Nineteen-Twenty."

"I beg your pardon?"

Reno grinned. "Nineteenth amendment. Hey, not bad huh? I remembered something I learned when I was a teenager." His gaze returned to Lady Liberty. "Damn that's awesome looking."

A loud steam whistle interrupted them. Reno cleared his throat. "Do you want to see what our room looks like?"

"You knew I only booked the one?"

Reno shrugged. "We only got one at the hotel, I figured this would be no different."

"Are you upset?"

"Nah. What's the point of being upset? Let's go see what it looks like."

Kerii smiled. "You are such a pleasant man."

"Yeah? I've known some people who would disagree with that statement." His thoughts turned to Frank Sanders, his old boss, but the fleeting memory lasted only a moment. "But I decided to change a while back. Maybe it has something to do with being able to throw lightning bolts at will, or healing from a gash on my hand. Maybe I just ... really wanted to change."

"Whatever you do, do your best to keep life's hardships from reverting you to a disgruntled man. But do yourself a favor."

"Yeah?"

"Keep your happiness a secret." Kerii smiled and gestured for him to follow her. "If you come off as aloof, mysterious, and rare-spoken, people treat you with respect. People fear and respect what they do not understand."

"Yeah, I get you - speak softly and carry a big stick. Teddy Roosevelt, right?"

"I'm afraid I don't know of him."

"Oh. Well, I guess you will soon." Reno followed her inside the large vessel.