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with metal
fingers, praying that he could somehow survive this city, that he
could somehow blend in and convince everyone that he was normal.
That he was a real person, not something cobbled together in Dr.
Malachi’s basement.
    That he wasn’t a monster.
    Feeling colder inside than he ever had on the
outside, Jin turned away from the crowds and climbed higher,
seeking somewhere quiet to sleep.
     

Chapter 3
     
    Molly stifled a yawn and tried to look
interested in Professor Titus’ lecture. History of the Mechanical
Sciences was without question her most boring class. Unfortunately,
it was also required to graduate, which at least meant that she
wasn’t the only one suffering through it against her will. A quick
glance around at her fellow students showed that most were staring
at the chalkboard with glazed eyes or listlessly scribbling the
occasional note into their composition books, although one girl
surreptitiously worked on a mouse-sized automaton under her
desk.
    “The first true automata are credited to a
group of inventors known collectively as ‘Heart of Heaven,’ who
created wooden men able to move about independently,” Professor
Titus droned. “As indicated by the date, this took place during the
Formative Period. It is thought that the Long Count, and thus the
concept of zero, were also invented around this era...”
    Molly’s eyes drifted up to the sign above the
chalkboard. In large, red letters, it declared: “ABSOLUTELY NO: RAY
GUNS, AUTOMATA, ELECTRO-SHOCK DEVICES, AETHERWAVE RECEIVERS OR TRANSMITTERS, OR OPEN FLAMES ALLOWED IN THE LECTURE HALL
AT ANY TIME. - DEPT. OF SAFETY.”
    A shame , she thought drowsily. Otherwise, I could invent a note-taking automaton that could
come to class for me . Which, on reflection, was probably the
reason behind that particular restriction.
    A student asked a question that she didn’t
catch. Professor Titus’ reply was laced with impatience. “Because,
Mr. Delorn, Eroevian contributions to the Mechanical Sciences
mainly post-date the Xatlian invasion. We will get to them when we
get to them. Now, if we may turn our thoughts back across the ocean
to the lowlands of Tliti, we will find that other early inventions
have also become shrouded in myth...”
    Molly’s mind wandered back to the young man
who had fallen through the skylight. He’d looked Xatlian, but his
accent was pure Eroevian, and upper-crust Eroevian at that. Not
nobility, he didn’t have the perfect diction for that, but
well-to-do for certain.
    She wondered what had happened to him, if he
was all right, or if the metal-toothed men had caught up with him.
Although the fact that he had flown an airship into the town made
her question his sanity, he had been awfully handsome.
    Molly sighed. There was no point in
daydreaming about the dashing young lunatic who crashed airships
and fell through skylights. It wasn’t as though she would ever see
him again, after all.
    He certainly did have nice eyes, though.
    Gah! Frustrated with herself, Molly
forced her thoughts back to the lecture and resumed taking notes. I don’t need this sort of distraction. I can’t afford this sort
of distraction. I have to pass this class. If I fail, I’ll have to
move back in with Mother and Father .
    The thought of knocking on their door in
defeat, begging to be allowed back in, made her cringe inside. Mother would never let either Father or me live it down . It
had been her father who’d taken her side when she’d wanted to go to
the institute, which had led to the worst fight she’d ever
witnessed between her parents.
    Straightening her spine, Molly began to take
notes in earnest.
    * * *
    Jin stood on the docks, watching the
steamships leave the harbor. The salty breeze stirred the feathers
in his hair, bringing with it the smell of seaweed and pitch. As he
watched children and seagulls scavenge in the surf, he took a big
bite of the vegetable pie he’d bought from a street vendor. Rougher
fare than he was used