Author's Notes:

So I told myself I wasn't going to upload more then one chapter at a time, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to get a little farther in. I know it's kinda boring so far, with her just wandering around, but in this chapter Melody is going to meet the boys we all know and love. Things will get better I promise.

Don't forget to read and review!

From the outside the library looked like a mausoleum. Inside was a circular room. Starting from the right as you entered there was a fireplace, a shelf with a blue book and a blue piece of paper beside it, a painting of the view when one stood in the room and looked outside, a bookshelf with a lot of books, another panting of a doorway leading to a hallway, a shelf with a red book and a red piece of paper beside it and finally a map of the island to the left of the front door. Starting at the fireplace, Melody discovered she could go inside it and stand up. Pressing a red button, the opening closed and a panel appeared. By pushing in tiles you could create a pattern. It had to be some kind of lock, but Melody had no idea what to do to open it. Pressing the red button again, the fireplace opened and she was back in the circle room.

Picking up the blue book, she opened it out of curiosity.

She gasped when the picture began to move.

There was a lot of static, like a TV with bad reception. Some of the pages had been torn out. Picking up the blue piece of paper beside the book, she placed it inside.

Some of the static cleared and she could just make out a man's face.

"Sirrus!?" he cried. "-s that you?!" The static interrupted for a moment, but then cleared somewhat. He looked at her curiously. "Who are you?"

Melody's mouth dropped in shock. "Can you... can you see me?"

"Help me..."

"Oh my god you can," she said in shocked realization. "Help you? How?"

"... need blue pages... please bring me... never, never happened..."

"What happened?" she asked. "Who are you?"

"... pages... I must have... to me..."

The man faded completely and the picture went black.

"No wait!" she called. "I can't understand you! What's going on? Come back!" She closed the book and opened it again, but all she saw was static.

She placed the book back on the shelf in frustration. He had called her Sirrus as first. That was the name of one of Atrus and Catherine's sons. Did that mean that the man she had just seen was Achenar?

Her gaze went across the room to the red book. Could it be...?

Crossing to the red book, she put the red piece of paper beside it in the back. When she opened the front, the static cleared a little and another man's face appeared.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Hello?" Melody called. "Are you Sirrus?"

"I can't..." he was breaking up just as badly as the other man. "Bring me a red page... must... red pages... bring me... had given up... rescue..."

Just like the other book, he faded and the picture went black.

Evidently that was all she was going to get out of them until she found more of these colored pages. But where were they? Putting the red book back on the shelf, she went over to the book case. Like Atrus had said in his message to Catherine, most of the books had been burned. But who had placed them back on the shelf and why?

Only five of the books were undamaged. None of them contained red or blue pages. She hadn't seen any other books around the island. What was she supposed to do?

Frustrated, she examined the painting beside the red book. It showed a hallway in this room, but there wasn't one. That had to mean a secret passageway. But how to open it was the question.

It turned out to be remarkably easy. She discovered it by accident. When she touched the painting of the secret hallway, a mechanism behind the wall activated and the bookcase slid down to reveal a door that opened. Melody smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

The hallway ended at a structure with a door and a green button on the inside. It took several presses of the button for her to realize that she needed to shut the door before it would work. It turned out to be an elevator. When the doors opened again, she was in some kind of tower. Two ladders led up to platforms above. Each was marked by a plaque, one an open book and the other a key. The book ladder led to a wall with two beams running vertically several inches apart. The key ladder also lead to a wall with two vertical beams but they were further apart. Not finding anything else of interest, she went back to the library room.

Melody was a little alarmed to see the front door shut but figured out that if she touched the painting of the view outside, the secret hall closed up and the front door opened.

When she looked outside she was surprised to see it was getting dark. She hadn't found any pages and she hadn't found a way home. The thought of spending the night on this strange island didn't exactly appeal to her, but she didn't really have any other choice at the moment.

Although she knew there was no one else on the island with her, she didn't feel comfortable sleeping in the library room with the door open. She opened the secret hallway to close the front door and got as comfortable as she could on the floor.

It was going to be a long night.

After a fitful night's sleep she was up the next morning at 7:30, according to her watch. The first thing she did was examine the map of the island in the library room, to see if she had missed something.

It turned out she had.

The map lit up as she approached. Four places were highlighted : the giant gear, the rocket ship, the large tree and the dock. A dial on the side caused a line that started at the library to rotate around the map, turning red when it hit one of the four highlighted locations. This must have been the tower rotation Atrus had talked about in his message. She lined it up with the giant gear and took the elevator up to the tower.

Now the two beams up the book ladder had opened and she could see the gear from the tower. Up the key ladder she discovered that some writing had appeared : 2:40 2, 2, 1

Two forty? Was that a time? It had to have something to do with the clock tower. When she went back down and opened the front door, she remembered something as she watched the bookcase slide into place. Something about a gear. She had seen a gear on the cover of one of those books.

Looking among the five undamaged books confirmed that there was indeed a book with a gear on the cover. Curious, Melody opened it and began to read:

Before arriving in this Age I was determined that it would be a journey to a world very different from my previous adventures. And it was.

The sky here is dark and grey and incessantly displays flashes of lightning in the distance. I met a very old man with a long beard and hair that hangs to his waist. He is very feeble and has trouble even moving. This man has obviously been through many things in this strange world and I have learned many things from him. He has told me an interesting story of this world's history. Years ago, he told me, there was a beautiful city that rose up out of the water. It housed many people inside it's walls and the people had everything they wished for. The city was surrounded by three high hills which rose higher than the city. On the east hill of the city rested a large look-out post and the people of the city had constructed the post expecting visitors to arrive from the east. The people had no means of traveling on the water, which forced them to merely wait for friend or foe. As time passed, friendly visitors brought rumors of an enemy that existed beyond the horizon. The people grew fearful, but nothing happened. One day the usually sunny day became as dark as night and black ships appeared on the horizon. The look-out post's attempts at peace were turned away and the sentries were easily overwhelmed. The ships continued to wreak havoc on the city, apparently destroying everyone and everything. After the foundations of the city were destroyed the city sunk deep into the ocean and only the look-out post remained. The black ships sailed away. The man continued to say that eight people had hidden and managed to survive though the attack. In the nine years since the attack, two of the survivors had died. He also said that it was rumored that ten years from the attack the enemy would return to finish the destruction they had started so long ago. I have decided since hearing the man's story it would be admirable to save this civilization and stop the enemy's plan of destruction. I am excited about the adventure that awaits me and an idea has sparked in my mind to provide the needed defense for these people.

I met the remaining survivors today and I have begun to work on a plan for protection. After a short absence I have returned to this Age with my two sons. They have, as of yet, traveled rarely with me and they are understandably excited to be here. They have grown considerably since Everdune and it is obvious to me that they will be a great help this time, instead of the nuisance they have been in the past.

All three of us, along with four of the healthier survivors began construction today. We are building upon the old city's ruins, which will provide a perfect foundation for our fortress. My sons have been spending much of their spare time on the south island where most of my materials are stored. I am very pleased with their intelligence and their creativity is refreshing to see as they work on small projects of their own.

It has been over four months now and construction is going well. My sons love the world except for it's grey sky. They detest the grey sky and tell me many times they wish the sky here were like the blue sky in Myst. The old man I first talked to tells me the enemy is due in four months. I feel we will be ready when the time comes. The man reminds me of Emmett in many ways and I often wonder how Emmet and his people are doing.

It has been six months of work and we have finally finished the fortress. It rests between the three hills which are now only islands due to a rising water level that the people experienced after the attack. Inside the fortress I have designed a most intriguing device. It makes use of a technology called holography I began experimenting with on my visit to Aspermere. It will be working in a couple of days, after I compensate for some small miscalculations. This holographic device will enable the survivors to learn to use the fortress. The enemy is due to come soon and I trust the fortress will provide sufficient protection for all of us.

The black ships have come. Their attack was substantial. Their weapons have been stopped and it appears they have turned away in defeat. I could not help but smile as I watched the boats leave.

Last night we had a small celebration. The old survivors danced their dances of old. My sons did not understand why the sky had not turned back to it's original blue. The old man told them the storms would never end until the enemy was destroyed. I assured my sons that a blue sky was not worth the risk of death and they seemed to hear me.

I have had a healthy adventure and begun work on a new book. Once again I must leave a familiar Age in search of a new universe I have begun. But first I will have an extended time with Catherine whom I miss very much. I must also return to the people of the Tide. I believe in my travels I have found a substance that will ease the pain of their bone ailments that they have long endured. I hope to return to the Mechanical Age one day to find the population growing and my fortress still strong. Though the sky may always be black, I am confident the people here feel a heavier darkness has been lifted from their shoulders.

Wow she thought as she closed the journal, what a way to spend a year. It seemed this Atrus guy was quite the adventurer. How had he gotten to this Mechanical Age? With the ship at the dock that was now sunk?

Melody replaced the journal on the shelf exactly where she had found it. On to the clock tower.

The console on the shore facing the clock tower was simple to figure out. One wheel turned the hour hand, the other the minute hand on the clock. Melody turned the time to 2:40 and pushed the red button.

A path made of gears rose out of the water. She shook her head. Atrus was certainly mechanically inclined.

Inside the tower was a small room with a strange device. But she was coming to expect the strange now.

Three gears were stacked on top of one another on a bar that led down to a machine with two levers. Another larger lever was on the wall on the right. A large gear was embedded in the floor in front of the machine. The gears had the numbers 1, 2 and 3 on the spokes.

Melody was sure that this was where the second set of numbers came into play. Using the levers, the left turned two gears and the right turned one, she lined the gears up to read 2, 2, 1 and pulled the larger lever.

The large gear in front of the machine turned to reveal that a quarter of it was gone. She looked at it curiously. It resembled the giant gear on the platform at the other end of the island. Since this gear had moved, did that mean...?

Rushing out, she ran up the path and took the stairs two at a time. Just as she had thought, the giant gear had turned to reveal a quarter of it missing. Inside was a shelf that held a book with a grey cover.

Melody approached it cautiously. She had learned to become weary of books. Slowly opening it, she felt the familiar jolt of shock at seeing the picture moving. It showed a fortress surrounded by three islands in the middle of a vast ocean.

The Mechanical Age.

This was how Atrus had traveled there.

The books were like a gateway to other worlds.

Taking a deep breath, Melody placed her hand on the page...