Right now, that justice was far in the back of his mind, though it never really left entirely. He stood at the foot of a large four-poster bed in one of the many bedrooms available in his home and watched with his arms folded across his chest as Emily OBrien, one of the most intelligent people he knew, tended to their unconscious guest, whom the maids had relieved of her soaked clothing and put to bed.
She doesnt look scary, Emily commented in her soft Irish brogue as she applied the tip of what had once been a perfume atomizer but was now a pretty glass bottle with a brass syringe tip attached, to the wound on the unconscious girls brow. As she squeezed the bulb, a fine mist from the glass reservoir sprayed through the syringe onto the broken skin. The mist was made up of the life-giving material Griffs parents had found at the earths coretiny little creatures that could mimic the bodys own cellular behavior. The Organitesor beasties as Emily called themattached themselves to the human tissue and copied its composition, so that when applied to the wound, they worked to rebuild the flesh and heal the injury. By morning, the girl would be completely healed, without even the tiniest scar. A similar brew had been used on Griffs torn knee and he could already feel an improvement.
This existence of these Organites was one secret Griff kept to himself. The queen hadnt wanted to know about it when his parents first discovered it. She liked the ore that his grandfather had mineda wondrous substance made by the Organites that emitted energy that could be used to power anything from one machine to an entire householdbut the rest of it came too close to proving Mr. Darwins radical theories of evolution correct. Victoria thought the church might take offense to such a discovery, or worse, that man might be corrupted by it and start playing God. In fact, shed ordered the Organites destroyed, or at least returned to the earths core.
This existence of these Organites was one secret Griff kept to himself. The queen hadnt wanted to know about it when his parents first discovered it. She liked the ore that his grandfather had mineda wondrous substance made by the Organites that emitted energy that could be used to power anything from one machine to an entire householdbut the rest of it came too close to proving Mr. Darwins radical theories of evolution correct. Victoria thought the church might take offense to such a discovery, or worse, that man might be corrupted by it and start playing God. In fact, shed ordered the Organites destroyed, or at least returned to the earths core.
Griff thought she was just a scared old woman, but no one asked his opinion.
Thankfully, Griffs parents hadnt obeyed their sovereign and kept a small batch of the primordial goo on hand. The Organites thrived in a small grottolike vault far beneath the mansion, replicating and producing the fantastic blue-green substance that Griffin used as his personal supply. While the rest of the world benefitted from a diluted version of the ore, Griff had the purest samples at his disposal for Emily to use in her inventionssuch as the velocycles, which moved faster than those available to even the wealthiest consumer.
They were their own Special Branch.
Theres something not right about her, Griff said finally, frowning as he studied the sleeping girl.
Shes come to the right place then, the redhead replied with a touch of a smile as she pushed her ropey hair out of her face. Theres not one right amongst the lot of us. And then, She must have jumped out of your way and struck her head on the ground. If you had hit her, shed be more seriously injured.
Griff kept frowning. I did hit her. Thats part of whats not right. The girl had practically leaped onto his cycle, hadnt she? He shook his head, uncertain whether his memories were real or imaginings.
Other than remaining unconscious and the gash on her head, there was nothing wrong with the girl. Nothing at allexcept for the bruising on her face, which he could now see bore the imprint of a signet ring.
Someone beat her, Emily remarked. You probably saved her.
Or saved whoever was after her, Sam commented from the doorway.
Griff flashed a quick glance in his friends direction. He practically filled the door frame with his broad shoulders and height. His longish black hair was damp, but hed changed into dry clothing. His dark gaze was intense as it fell on Emily. Angry but admiring.
Griffin shook his head. You should have seen her, Em, like something out of one of those gothic novels youre always reading.
Finished with her patient, Emily tucked a chunk of bright red hair behind her ear, revealing a line of golden hoops that stemmed from lobe to high on the cartilage, and rose to her feet, atomizer in her hand. Are you implying shes a monster, then, Griffin King?
He arched a brow at her challenging tone. No, but she could have escaped from someones attic. Im told these things happen more often than you might think.
She actually smiled at that. Emilys love of gothic novels was no secret, and she took a lot of teasing for it, being the only girl in the house. The only girl until now. There was Aunt Cordelia, but she was away more than she was home. He looked again at the sleeping young womanwho couldnt be any older than Emilys own sixteen yearsbefore motioning them both out of the room. When the door closed behind them, Emily asked, What happened at the museum?
Sam caught Griffs eye with a questioning look. Griff shrugged, indicating that he didnt care what information he shared. Sam seemed to have this old-fashioned notion that women needed to be protected. Some of the most devious people Griff had ever encountered had been female. He didnt share the sentiment.
Sams lips tightened. Griff found a small glob of oil.
Oil? Emily shot him a frown. What kind of oil?
Sam shook his head. Griffin said what he could not. We took a sample. Its in your lab. Em He ran a hand through his hair. It looks like the kind of oil used to lubricate exposed automaton joints.
The implication of that froze Emily on the spot. An automaton robbed the museum? Her crystalline blue eyes were wide as they turned to Griff. Was it The Machinist?
It looks that way, he replied, seeing Sam continue on without them. Recently there had been a few crimes around town seemingly perpetrated by automatons acting against their programming engines, none of them particularly dangerous. Except for one. That one had been enough. It had almost cost them one of their own. The authorities suspected a criminal calling himself The Machinist was behind the incidents.
The thought called to mind a vision of blood and smoke. Of a broken body close to death, held in the clutches of a metal man. Griff remembered leaping onto the machines back, tearing open its panel to reach the controls inside. He knew Sam must be reliving a few memories of his own. After all, he had been the one the thing almost killed.
Theyd been chasing similar, though less violent, incidents for almost a year. Griffin figured they were looking for a man with superior mechanical knowledge, particularly that of automatons. Thus far, Emily had found nothing in the programming of the two specimens they had to even suggest theyd been tampered with.
The automatons power sources were the same as all standard androidsthe same compound that powered most of London. Griff was a bit of an expert in this, since the compound was derived from the ore discovered by his grandfather. He owned the patent on it, owned the rights, too. So Griff knew that the small nugget inside each machine was just as it should be.
So how did the villain make the automatons act against their programming?
We should assume that any mech involved was accompanied by a human master until we know otherwise. He fought the fear coiling around his heart. Machines that could think for themselves. Surely it was impossible?
Emily was paler than usual, and Griff knew she was thinking of what had happened to Sam, as well. He should comfort her, but he didnt know how. Give him a problem to solve and he would jump in with both feet, but he didnt know how to give comfort, and he hated it.
Sam was waiting for them as they entered the library, where they took all their group meetings. As his gaze fell upon his friend, whom he had known for almost the entirety of his life, Griff couldnt help but feel surprised that anything had ever managed to hurt him. Sam was so strong. He was a little taller than Griff and certainly more powerfully built. His rugged features only added to his intimidating demeanor. He hadnt always looked so fierce. Less than a year ago, hed been quick with a grin or a naughty joke.
Six months ago, an automaton had attacked him in the middle of a routine assignment and tore Sam apart. It had been brutal, a shock for them all to see their strongest member taken down like that. It had been Emily whod saved him. Emily whod put him back together. And sometimes when he looked at her, Griff suspected Sam had never quite forgiven her for it. In fact, when he looked at her now, the fingers of his right handthe hand shed repairedtwitched.
Emily saw it, too. Griff could tell because she quickly looked away, purposefully focusing on anything but Sam.
We should have taken the girl to the hospital, Sam muttered, leaning against the corner of a sofa. He rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. Bringing her here puts us all at risk. What if shes a wanted criminal?
Emily saw it, too. Griff could tell because she quickly looked away, purposefully focusing on anything but Sam.
We should have taken the girl to the hospital, Sam muttered, leaning against the corner of a sofa. He rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. Bringing her here puts us all at risk. What if shes a wanted criminal?
Griff tilted his head. I dont think it would have been safe to take her to the hospital, for her or the staff.
His friend raised a heavy brow, sarcasm written all over his face. So you decided, hell, why not bring her home with me? Well done.