Of Gears and Humanity

| 17.2

[DAMIEN]

The Attributions were elegant, perfectly resembling humans in every way. Their bodies were straight, joints agile. If they walked amongst humans, within human cities, a normal person wouldn't be able to spot them in a crow unless they looked into their eyes; flickering lights sparked by electricity was their only abnormality.

Yet, when I saw Eon in my room, the Attribution I knew my whole life was not what I saw.

Eon lacked grace. His shoulders were hunched up to his ears. One hand pressed down against the windowsill. He was perched like a bird, head cocked to one side. When I said his name, his lip twitched up into a smile, a grin, but there was nothing friendly in the expression. He appeared dangerous, defiant. And the red in his eyes terrified me.

"Eon..." I stepped back towards the door. I wouldn't move forward, I couldn't.

"Damien."

The way he said my name, blended with a hiss, raised the hairs on the back of my neck. I fought my trembling hands, forced them into a fist. The tremors slid up my arms instead.

"Oh, Damien." Eon hopped down from the open window and landed on the ground on all fours. Rather than stand, he stayed like that, lifted his head, and looked at me like some wild animal. As he smirked, he kicked a leg back, knocking the side of the wall so hard the window slid down, slamming shut. When the breezed in the room stopped, he stood, body swaying slightly from side to side.

"Why are you here?" I whispered, finally finding the strength to talk.

"Why am I here?" Eon rolled his eyes before snorting into a sigh. Shaking his head, he pointed at the door behind me. "Did you lock that?"

My eyes widened as I glanced at the door. The key was still in place, turned in the lock position.

Eon dropped his hand and took a step towards me. "I asked if you locked it, Damien." He chuckled, deeper than any sound I had ever heard from him. "If you want the humans to come in here and see us, fine, because I can simply—"

Eon lifted a hand. Pointed a finger. My heart hammered in my chest as I saw his gaze focus on the door. Before he could do anything else, I moved towards him, lifted my hands above my head, and let his finger hit my chest.

Attributions were weapons, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

Once we made contact, he smiled and dropped his hand to his side. His eyes followed the corners of the room. "So this is where you've been, hm?"

Pressing his hands into the pockets of his pants, he turned and walked the room. He eyed the portraits of old men on the wall, the lit candles beneath them. When he passed them, he kicked his leg so he turned towards the bed. He dropped on it. Head to the pillow. With a sigh, he slid his hands up his face.

"Eon..." He was different, looked awful. Rabid, if I could use the word to describe a machine. Aside from his animalist, deranged movements, his clothes were tattered, ripped at the knees. The sleeves just above his wrist were singed, blackened. Had he been burned?

With a jump, Eon sat up, swung his legs over the opposite side of the bed and looked at me. "I assumed you've cleared your head."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "Arvon told you what I was doing?"

"Attributions noticed your absence." Shrugging, Eon stood and walked towards me. His red eyes peered at me as he closed the space between us. "Our lead mechanic is absent, missing possibly. Machines can tend to worry."