The Falling Machine by Andrew P. Mayer Read Free Book Online Page B

completely removed any mention of Nathaniel's unconscious form being lowered down from the tower in a basket like so much fish. Sarah had mentioned to her father that she was concerned that Nathaniel's need to protect his reputation would diminish the chances of tracking down the man who had murdered Professor Darby. He had scoffed at the suggestion and told her that the only truth in history was what people could read between the lines. “The truth is that the average man doesn't have the capacity to understand the boring details, or the moral capacity to understand what they meant if he did.” Sarah replied that she thought that the world could use a strong dose of the truth every now and again.
    Her father had been the final speaker at the funeral, delivering a patented Stanton droner. It recounted, in detail, the mythic founding of the Society of Paragons, including his early days as the Industrialist, and how he was unable to capture a black-hearted villain called “the Lightning Rod” who was using bolts of electricity to “slay every man who ignored his genius.”
    He had tracked the maniacal master of electricity to the Darby mansion, where he was hoping to steal some of the Professor's amazing devices and use them for nefarious purposes.
    But the Industrialist found Darby first and took possession of an invention called the “grounding shroud.” Using it, he was able to siphon off the villain's electrical energy field and claim the day in the name of the Paragons.
    Seeing the potential in combining his skills with the clearly superior intellect of Sir Dennis, the Industrialist proposed that they work together, creating an organization dedicated to “protecting those who cannot protect themselves.”
    “And the rest,” he concluded, “is history.”
    The audience had cheered wildly at the end of his story, as they always did whenever they got a chance to see the Paragons in the flesh. Sarah knew that the truth was, once again, far more nuanced than the simplified fairy tale he told the adoring masses.
    It was her father, not the Lighting Rod, who had broken into Sir Dennis's mansion, hoping to find some technology to use to stop a villain who had given him nothing but trouble and bad press. In particular, Alexander Stanton was looking to grab an electrical dampening device that Darby had shown at the scientific exposition the year before, an event that the Stanton Railroad Company had funded.
    When Darby had found out that his home had been vandalized he was furious, especially considering that Alexander Stanton had gained a growing reputation for not giving credit where it was due.
    Ultimately Darby had been “convinced” to join forces with her father only after being given a considerable sum of money to help with his research, along with a promise that any future profits they made in their fight against crime would be given to a foundation dedicated to sharing those inventions with all mankind. In the years since, not a single dollar had been given to charity. According to her father's accountants the operating costs of the Paragons were far greater than any money made by their inventions.
    That funeral had also been the last time she had seen Tom. On the outside he appeared to be back to normal, as if the damage he had taken from the battle at the bridge had been completely repaired. His mask had been replaced with a freshly painted one, and he had been given a new suit and gloves. But when he moved it was obvious that it was all a façade. He had a profound limp, as if something deep inside of him was broken, and his right arm swung free. His part in the incident had been removed entirely from the official story, and he was not allowed to speak at the funeral, although a great cheer went up when he was introduced to the crowd by her father as “Darby's greatest creation.”
    Ahead of her the massive doors leading to the conference chamber were wide open. She slowed her pace and crept along the wall