The Machinist's Apprentice

Chapter 1: The Machinist

"How's that? Any better?"

"Hm...no, it still doesn't seem to be working right."

The woman stared down at the mechanical contraption before her, her lips pressed tightly together as she considered how to proceed. "I'm starting to wonder if I made this one a little too complex..." she muttered as she used a small hand-held clamp to manipulate the delicate machinery.

The device which was her focus lay across a small table in a cluttered, but otherwise orderly workshop. Across the table from her sat a young man, watching the proceedings with a smile on his scarred face. "Too complex?" he asked, "Isn't that the whole point? To make each new attempt a little better than the last? That never comes easy. You know it always takes an extra bit of effort to get it to work." She stopped and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow as he continued resolutely, "and it always does work eventually. Don't get too frustrated, we'll figure it out."

She snorted, "Don't patronize me, Jevrem. One would think you'd be more concerned about getting this right than I would. You're the one who's going to have to live with it."

He just shrugged his right shoulder a bit, "If it gives us too much trouble, we can just go back to the old one. That should still work, right?"

She didn't reply to this, her concentration was back on the device. He had to concede that she was at least somewhat right. The mess of mechanisms and wiring was so intricate it seemed a wonder anyone could make any sense of it. Even Jevrem, who had worked in this shop with the machinist for years, wasn't entirely sure how every part of it functioned. The delicate adjustments she was making were so slight it seemed absurd to think they were actually accomplishing anything and yet he knew that in order for any of this to work it all needed to be aligned with absolute perfection.

At last she straightened, seeming a bit more satisfied. There was a sharp snap as she slotted a piece back into place. "Try it now."

Jevrem carefully lifted his new left arm off of the table. This time it responded immediately as he bent the elbow and flexed the wrist. The metal pieces scraped softly together as they moved rather than catching and seizing up as the device had before. After a few moments of testing the motions the stiffness worked its way out of the joints and the movement became much more fluid and lifelike. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the individual fingers. This new hand was much more complex than his last one and he wasn't sure of how much effort would be required to get the result he desired, but it came with such ease that the force he exerted caused the fingers to bend suddenly, giving a small clang as they struck the metal palm.

He stared at it in awe.

He'd had replacement limbs most of his life so the feeling of this false arm was not entirely unfamiliar to him. He'd been much luckier than most people who had suffered the loss of a limb. Ever since he'd begun living here with the machinist he'd had access to technology that few others could even dream of. Most of those who had lost an arm would have to settle for a simple hook. Jevrem had functioning limbs that he could move at will and grip and hold items with.

This new arm however allowed for a much wider and more natural range of movement. The thumb in particular was much more precise than any he'd previously used and the palm was sectioned instead of being made of a solid piece of metal, allowing it to bend and flex. "Would you look at it?" he asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice, "It moves almost just like a real hand!" He held his new left hand side by side with his right hand to demonstrate what he meant.

"Well, it looks fine for now, but remember it hasn't been tested much yet," the machinist said as she gathered her tools to put them away, "we'll have to wait at see."