"Ready, boy? Taking notes properly? Good good. How's your mother? All well in the tenements? Excellent. So, let's make a start. Make sure you note properly, this is a good path into the trade. I know you know your letters. Anyway, I ramble. Oh, have you seen Lily? Never mind, getting distracted."

The clatter of metal tools and the scuffle of feet obscures the murmured conversation briefly. Several lamps are turned to an object laid out across several workbenches. There was the hiss of a steam engine and the whir of a drill.

"We will be making use of our new steam and electric tools. For the purpose of the notation, I am Chief Engineer Shen, assisting me are Messers Goldsworth and Shang, in our examination of the 'combat discs'. The specimen, as the good Doctor would call it, is approximately five and a half feet in diameter. We initially believed it to be an element of the larger flying vessels the Martians make use of, or some remote device, controlled via radio waves."

There was a brief whispered conversation, and the scratch of pencils on paper. A tremulous voice queried, "And we're sure it's dead?"

"Dead, inactive. This specimen whilst remarkably intact, has sustained serious damage to specific interior elements. Which we will cover, Engineer Roberts, shortly. Please do not interrupt."

"Sorry, sir,"

"So, where was I? Bits here, unfolds, there… ah yes. Subsequent investigation of the recovered discs have shown similar devices to those extracted from the alien cross-breed troopers. There are some subtle differences, which will require some level of investigation; however I hypothesise that the cross-breed implants have an inhibitor element to enable better discrete control whereas the ones in the discs are a simpler design - perhaps these devices require simple instruction rather than more exerted control or fail-safe measures. This device is certainly autonomos and has exhibited reported traits of both aggressiveness and tactical awareness. We've yet to recover one of these in functional condition from the field - the men seem to enjoy using them for target practice. At the present time, we know that the "Combat Discs" as they've been calling them, are heavily armed, but it shows no clear pattern of behavior on the battlefield."

There was the sound of a drill revving, then the squeal of metal on metal.

"If we remove a segment of our plating, we find a collection of connective banding that allows the disc to transition into a combat form. Mr Goldsworth, if you could just hold that bit back, yes right… thank you. Now, looking here we see these slatted overlaid bands of what appears to be metal. However, Vahlen's team have analysed the material and have deduced that this entire being is actually a silicate creation, rather than carbon. For those of you unaware, all life on our planet is based around Carbon. Down to Dalton's atomic level."

There was a clang as more pieces of metal were peeled away and stacked on a neighbouring table.

"Analysis of the interior reveals… yes, as with the other specimens, a uniform arrangement of tubes and pumps. The fluid within the machine is similar to the plasma that we have been able to test and extract from the alien weapon systems. However, whilst within these devices it can serve as weapon fuel, and does indeed appear to be an ammunition source, it also acts as a form of circulatory fluid. Mr Shang, if you would pass me that knife there.. .yes. And that screwdriver. Thank you."

There was the scrape of metal on metal and a hiss of pressure.

"Now, where as humans possess a single central pulmonary unit in the lungs and also with the single, central heart at the focus of the vascular system.. Oh, excuse if I get the terms incorrect, I am not a medical man… a chemist, but no medic. So, as I was saying, the device exhibits a number of redundant systems. Note these junction points and secondary piping systems here and here. As well as several secondary and even tertiary storage reservoirs, pumps and what appear to be energy batteries. These are smaller than some of the power packs we have recovered from the rocket-men and the central flying vessels themselves. The tripods contain a scaled up design. This would indicate a universal application of design principles on an internal and infrastructure level for the invaders, despite the strange menagerie of beings that make up their forces. This uniformity means a simpler supply chain and an easier construction path, I would surmise, but also I believe risks over specialisation and a limited capacity to adapt in the short term."

Shen stepped back and gestured for the two assistants to prise apart more of the machine.

"This is likely why they field an array of beings in the field - to account for varied strategies. And yet they also fall victim to trying to account for every eventuality. I will let the commander decide what this means, but I hazard that they are attempting to counter strategies we are not yet capable of. Further analysis of the device shows it capable of flight, yet it uses a system similar to the larger vessels, rather than the cruder rocket packs… well, hardly crude by our measure, but in relation to the alien technology overall."

The chief engineer removed his glass and rubbed his eyes then sighed.

"I believe we are not close to replicating the flight method of these devices; I may be able to find a way to adapt the existing samples we have to make a limited run of engines of a sort. I feel we are more likely to make headway on the engine examples shown in the rocket-packs. I am considering some older designs I have seen - Da Vinci springs to mind, as does Felix du Temple; things we're already working on. If we can adapt steam or, perhaps, some form of petroleum based engine… but I am getting distracted."

"Sir, these redundant systems… I note some light shades of metal in here… it looks newer? Or unfinished?"

"Let me… hmm, interesting. Well spotted Goldsworth. It would appear that the machine uses the plasma as some form of… replication? Healing? We have anecdotal reports from troopers around Horsell that the discs will withdraw and newer ones will enter the fray, almost endlessly. We had believed they had reserves, as they appeared too quickly for mechanical support. Except we know their smaller claw-flyers are able to effect repairs on the fly as it were. Do these have a limited form of self repair? That would match the redundancy we see here and account for their ability to survive short of excessive firepower. The distributed network allows it to weather damage and self repair enough to survive for more substantial repairs to take place… I wonder…"

"Sir?"

"We may need to enlist some of the Insectoids and Vahlen's team. I wonder if we can adapt this to our machines. Or perhaps… but that is too far fetched. I will let the Doctor ponder the implications there. You, boy, get these notes typed up and sent to the commander forthwith. We have a briefing slated for early tomorrow and I have other things to present. I need to check on the Icarus team. Goldsworth, Shang, please break apart the other specimens here, see of the replication phenomenon is present in all of them. Extract the weaponry where we can and see if we can't work out which bits make the bloody things fly."

"Sir."

"Yes, Zhu."

"And see if you can decide if this thing is… alive or not. I have a bet going with Bradford. I do rather like a good brandy. Would hate to have to give him my last bottle."

The door clicked shut as Shen left the workshop, leaving behind a young man furiously typing at a mechanical typewriter and a crowd of engineers setting to the remaining discs, like butchers to a prime cut of beef.

The clock was ticking. And Icarus was likely going to be needed for this final push.