Chapter 12By the time he reached the engine room, Montreal’s mind was already filled with exactly what he needed to programme the automaton to do. A series of ground-level photographs for us to map out the topography, weather recordings, and the run of the mill soil and rock samples.
“I take it you need an automaton.” Eris greeted Montreal with a robust handshake before jerking her thumb toward a row of the mechanicals that stood in individual chambers awaiting activation.
“They’re all fully charged and ready to go.” She marched toward her consoles, stopped, and looked over her shoulder. “Do try to make sure this one comes back. You have a reputation for losing them.”
“Undeserved,” Montreal retorted as he studied the automatons. “I just had a run of bad luck with them. I’m no tinker whe
