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still working on those.”
    None of that made much sense to Rhys. “Show me one of them.”
    “The hybrid model is along the back wall.” Lydia went to the area where the largest automaton stood dormant. She slipped behind it and opened a panel on its back. Rhys heard her wind up something before taking a wire in her hand. “Give the engine time to warm.”
    After three minutes, she spoke into the wire. “On your guard,” she said in Greek.
    He stepped back as the automaton’s gears whirred and it turned its head his way. “What is it doing?”
    The soldier progressed towards him. Rhys moved out of its way. The floor vibrated with each heavy iron footfall. It kept advancing towards Rhys.
    “Make it stand down.”
    “You have to be quiet and remain still or it will keep coming at you.”
    “Not likely.” He reached for his revolver.
    ”No,” Lydia shouted.
    The automaton reacted to her elevated volume. Lumbering on two tree trunk-size pistons for legs, it came at Rhys. He aimed the revolver at the automaton’s chest.
     
    #
     
    “Stop,” Lydia cried.
    She ran around the automaton and rushed to Rhys’ side, shoving his arm down. “If you shoot it, you’ll risk the engine combusting.”
    The automaton, registering her shout, increased its advance.
    “Are you mad, woman? Your machine is on the attack.” Rhys pushed her away and squeezed the trigger on the revolver before it could take another step.
    The shot rang within the confined space, amplified as the bullet struck metal. The automaton came at Rhys again, unencumbered by the saucer-sized dent in its chest plate. Lydia saw the hydraulic fluid trickle down its torso.
    “You’re going to get us killed.”
    “And this monstrosity isn’t?” Rhys fired a second shot, and a third.
    The sharp tang of gunpowder mixed with smoke from the automaton’s damaged parts. A high whirring issued from its engine as oil spewed from the wiring connecting the head to the torso.
    A fourth bullet cracked the air.
    “For goodness sakes, Rhys, stand down.” Lydia reached for one of the leather engineer’s aprons hanging on the wall and flung it over her head. She drew in close to the automaton.
    Its movements slowed. Oil pooled at its feet. Hydraulic fluid pelted Lydia’s apron, sizzling atop the thick grain of cowhide. She got behind the automaton and found the panel door dangling where the impact of Rhys’ gunfire shook it open. Copper wires spilled out of the voice receptor box.
    “Cease.”
    The order did no good with the box damaged. The automaton was locked onto her first command, still on its guard. Lydia extended a hand out from beneath the protective covering of the apron. Drops of hydraulic fluid hit her skin.
    Burning pain crept seized upon every nerve in her hand. Lydia grabbed the wires and pulled them loose. The whirring inside the automaton stalled. The machine gave one final groan before it ceased altogether.
    The room returned to its former quiet, save for the hiss of steam that poured out of the fissures of the assistant’s broken engine. Lydia heaved a sigh just before Rhys appeared beside her.
    “What did you do?” He kept the revolver aimed at the downed machine.
    “Helped you nearly destroy four years of hard work, that’s what.” She whipped the apron from her head. The action sent her hand into flares of agony. “If you had listened to me instead of brandishing that firearm, none of this would have happened.”
    “You set that soldier on me. You told it to be on guard.” His stare took on an accusing, hard gleam. Smoke trailed from the gun barrel in his hand. He did not move to lower it in front of her.
    Lydia involuntarily trembled. “I say ‘On your guard’ to all of the automatons after their engines are powered. It’s my order for them to await my next command.”
    “Why did it come towards me?” Rhys ground his words out through his teeth. His voice was deep and devoid of any consideration of what she just said.
    “The