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nonstop as the group entered the room.
    The Baron interrupted him in mid-shout and addressed the Jägermonster: “Thank you, Unit-Commander, stand at ease.”
    “Jah, Herr Baron.” The soldier’s weapon never faltered, but he allowed himself to slouch a bit. This, for some reason, merely made him look more dangerous.
    Beetle resumed his diatribe. “Blast it, Klaus, you’re too early! I told you—”
    The Baron effortlessly cut him off and strode over to the group in the middle of the floor. “You’ve had plenty of time, Doctor. Now who are these people?”
    Dr. Beetle swallowed his annoyance, and brusquely nodded to each of the staffers as he introduced them. “Dr. Silas Merlot, my second in command.”
    As he paused, the Baron broke in, “Ah. I read your latest report with great interest.”
    Merlot bowed and clicked his heels together. “I am honored, Herr Baron.”
    “Dr. Hugo Glassvitch, my Chief of Research.”
    “Welcome, Herr Baron.”
    “And this is our lab assistant, Miss Clay.” As he said this, he turned away dismissively. “Now the machine—” Suddenly he stopped, and with a snap, turned to stare at Agatha. “Miss Clay!” He barked, “Where is your locket?”
    Agatha blinked. “It… it was stolen, sir. There was an electrical anomaly of some sort and I was accosted by some soldiers while trying to get away.”
    The Baron’s eyebrows rose at this. Beetle looked shaken. “Accosted? Stolen?” His voice rose, “In my city?” He clutched at his forehead. “Oh no! This is terrible! Terrible!”
    Agatha tried to address his obvious distress. “I’m feeling better, sir, I—”
    At this Dr. Beetle snapped out of his distracted state and grabbed Agatha by the elbow and began to hustle her towards the door. “Sh! No! You’re obviously distraught, my dear. I want you to go home. Yes! Go home and have a nice lie down and I’ll have the Watch find your locket as quickly as possible!”
    “Wait.” The force of the Baron’s voice arrested Beetle’s movement as if he’d been grasped physically. Agatha looked up to see the Baron studying her with interest. “You actually saw the event in the town?” he asked.
    “Yes, Herr Baron, I was right in the middle of it.”
    The Baron nodded. “Stay. I would like your observations of the event when I am done here.”
    Beetle went pale. “Klaus, the poor girl has had a terrible shock! You must let her go home!”
    Agatha tried to calm the distraught scientist. “Master, please! I’m all right. Really.”
    Klaus nodded to signal that the affair was closed. “I’m impressed by your concern for your people, Beetle, but the young lady appears stable. Let us get down to business.”
    He turned to Merlot and Glassvitch. He gestured towards a large, obviously half-finished device that sat in the center of the room. It was a bizarre collection of tubes and coils that bent and twisted back on themselves in a most peculiar manner. “Doctors. My Dihoxulator. Why is it not finished? I’d thought I’d explained the underlying theory rather succinctly.”
    Merlot took a deep breath. “We do not know, Herr Baron. We were able to construct the machine up to a point, but then we hit a block.” Beside him, Glassvitch nodded vigorously. “We cannot reconcile the final linkages with the rest of the assembly,” he added. “We just don’t know what to do to make it work.”
    The Baron stared at him steadily for moment. “I see.” He raised his voice. “Gilgamesh?”
    The young man looked up from the device he was examining. “Yes, Father?”
    “These fellows seem to be having some problems. Can you assist them?”
    “I can try, Father. If you’d explain the theory?”
    The Baron nodded, placed a hand on his shoulder and drew him over toward the device. Beetle followed. “The basic idea is to promote secondary oxidation …”
    Relieved that they were no longer under the Baron’s direct scrutiny, Glassvitch turned to his companion and whispered.