Chapter 10. The room into which the small man shuffled was both vast and cluttered beyond all

reason. Shelves were everywhere running right to the top of the ceiling several stories above,

and every one of them was packed with all manner of ancient artifacts, mechanical devices in

various stages of completion, and common household

objects which had become hopelessly mislaid in a system of sorting understood best by its creator,

but in reality, by no one at all. Dr. Theodore Cronopoulos possessed one of the most remarkable

brains in all the world. His work had touched on nearly every discipline, though he had been happiest,

since he had made his way to the ancient studies department of the museum, where his eccentricities

were tolerated in deference to his sheer instinctive brilliance. But he remained a man who loved a

challenge, loved to have his perceptions of what was possible torn down by facts, and most of all,

he secretly loved adventure, even if he preferred to play in the margins of such stories with a

cup of tea and a biscuit. To that end, Chronopolis had never been more pleased than when he had

made the acquaintance of a remarkable young man with a crimson mask who called himself the

red panda. It took him back to his boyhood when he used to scour the papers for tales of the

exploits of the Society of Gentlemen Adventurers and other mystery men. More importantly,

it gave him a chance to help people in his own way. And that is why, on this particular day, a series of specimens

recently brought back from an unearthed Mayan settlement had been removed from the large

worktable, and an enormous man-shaped metal monster had taken their place. The casing of the

great beast had been opened in a number of places, and parts as large as a fist and as small

as a fingernail had been removed, and spread out upon the table surrounding the creature.

It was easy to see that this robot would terrorize the city no more, but Chronopolis was

desperate to make some discovery that might help to bring down its brethren before they

...