Footsteps. Slow. Methodical.

Arthur opened his eyes and found Grace still asleep on his chest. The footsteps continued above them, somewhere in the watch tower. He gently nudged Grace off him and got up. He took out his pistol and listened at the bottom of the ladder. The footsteps continued their patrol.

"Hello?" he called out.

"Mmf?" Grace stirred and looked over at him, "What?"

"Listen."

She did and frowned. "I didn't hear anyone come in."

"Stay here." Arthur began climbing the ladder. He stopped just before he reached the top and listened. The footsteps continued. "Hello?" he called out again. No reply. He climbed the rest of the way.

The footsteps stopped and the watchtower was empty. An oil lamp was lit, but there was no sign of anyone else there. He looked over the side but couldn't see a way for anyone to climb over and hide.

"Everything okay up there?" Grace called up.

"There's no one up here," he replied. He took one more look around before extinguishing the oil lamp and climbing back down the ladder. Grace was standing at the bottom of the ladder waiting for him.

"You're leaving the lamp on then?" she asked. Arthur frowned and looked up the ladder. It was lit up again. What the hell.

"I put it out," he said, confused.

"Ooo, maybe it's haunted," Grace teased. Before Arthur could reply, the footsteps started up again above them. Arthur raced up the ladder again, only to find the watchtower still empty and the oil lamp relit.

"What the-"

"Coming up," Grace called out as she climbed the ladder to the watchtower. "Huh, guess we might have a ghosty guest."

"You ain't scared?"

"Nah. Are you?"

"Course not."

A sudden crash below made them both jump. Arthur slid down the ladder, stumbling when he reached the bottom and looked around with his pistol raised. Tins of food were scattered across the floor as if someone had swept them off the shelves. But there was no sign of anyone around and the door and windows were all still shut and latched.

"So what do you think?" Grace asked, climbing back down the ladder.

"I don't know," he said, trying to keep his composure. It just didn't make any sense.

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

"No, Well," he paused and looked around at the mess, "I don't know. What about you?"

"I guess it depends," she started picking up the tins and placing them back on the shelves. "I think... I think there might be people who were awfully unhappy when they died, so their spirit continues to wander the earth trying to find happiness."

"Huh."

"I went to a seance once," she continued, "where a medium can supposedly talk to spirits from the beyond. But it was very obvious it was completely faked."

"Why would anyone do that?"

"Money," Grace sighed, "I had a friend, Sarah. Her husband died suddenly and she was inconsolable. But then she heard of this man who could 'talk to the dead' so we went to see him. I figured if it made her feel better somehow, then why not? This guy did a lot of exaggerated moves and asking vague questions so it seemed like he was actually talking to Caleb's spirit."

"Hah, sounds like something Trelawny would do."

"Well he certainly has a knack for the theatrics," she grinned, "But some of these are desperate people, you see. Not just the rich with money to spare. Sarah was going to spend every last cent she had just to 'talk' to her dead husband until I said I'd pay."

"So what happened with Sarah?"

"She seemed more content after the seance. I'm not sure if she actually believed she was communicating with her dead husband, but she was able to move on with her life."

"Seems like it works, in a way."

"I suppose."

"Ever thought of trying it to talk to William?"

"Pfft, nah. While Sarah, and many others, are duped into a false sense of contentment, I don't believe in it. Why would your dead loved one only talk through someone you have to pay? I think when you die, you're dead. That's it."

"So what about all this then?" Arthur gestured around.

"I don't know. Maybe it is an unhappy ghost, or maybe it's something else." She sat down on the bed. "But just in case," she then raised her voice, "If there are any unhappy spirits around here, please just let us sleep for the night. We'll be gone in the morning. We promise."

Arthur smirked to himself. "Think that'll work?"

She shrugged. "No idea, but I'm too tired." She lay down and moved so Arthur could lay next to her. Before he closed his eyes, the oil lamp in the watchtower went out.


The rest of the night was uneventful. Arthur woke first and searched the watchtower and living area, but still found no sign of anyone else having been there. He reached for one of the food tins so he could make something for breakfast, but then decided against it. Better not risk it in case there really is an irritated spirit or ghost or whatever.

Instead he opted to go hunt for a rabbit. It should do them for the day. He went out to his horse, fed him, then took out his rifle then wandered north of the watchtower, finding a small group of rabbits. He shot one easily, making the rest of the rabbits scatter across the field. He picked up his kill and carried it back.

"What's that?" Grace yawned as she sat on a log near the unlit campfire.

"Breakfast," Arthur said, draping the rabbit across the log across from her. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah, still waking up." She watched him light the fire, then skin the rabbit and removing the organs. "Hey, save the liver."

"What, this bit?" he held up a small piece.

"Yeah, it's my favourite part."

"Huh, never tried rabbit liver. Had deer liver before. It was..." Arthur made a face.

"I love liver, It's good for you."

"If you say so," he put the liver aside and continued cutting out the rabbit meat.

"I do say so." She took out her journal and started writing in it. It still looked strange to Arthur the way Grace wrote. She was writing with her left-hand today, but there was still something odd about it. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Wait.

"You don't write proper," he stated.

She stopped and looked up at him. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, you don't write, you know," he mimed writing with his hand from left to right.

"Oh, you mean I write backwards," she smiled at him.

"Yeah, how do you do that?"

"Well, I start at the right side of the page and work my way left."

"I meant how do you know how many words to write so they fit?"

Grace frowned before realising what he meant. "Oh, you think I'm writing so you can read it left to right."

"You mean it also reads right to left?" he furrowed his brow, trying to make sense of what she was saying. She held out her journal. Even when trying to read it right to left, it still looked like gibberish. It still didn't even look like English. Before he could ask, she took out a pocket mirror from her satchel and held it to the right of the page. In the mirror, he could read it clearly.

"Told you there was a trick to reading it."

"How the hell did you learn to do that?" He asked, trying to read more before Grace put her mirror away and took back her journal.

"It took a lot of practice," she said, "I went to an art gallery in Italy and they had Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks on display. They said that he used mirror writing as a way to truly keep his ideas private."

"Ain't he a painter or something?"

"Yep, and also an inventor of sorts. He had ideas for all kinds of things, even a flying machine with wings like a bird!"

"Hah, ridiculous," Arthur laughed.

"I know, but wouldn't you want to see the world as birds do?" She paused and gazed up at the sky. "I'd love to do that again."

"What do you mean 'again'?"

"I've been up in a big air balloon," she said with a smile, "I mean, I had to disguise myself as a boy because they weren't allowing women up."

"Why not?"

"Said women are too delicate and are more prone to get hysteria," Grace snorted, "I mean, it was years ago and I'm still okay, aren't I?"

"Well..." he grinned at her.

Grace laughed, "I know, it's questionable, isn't it? But it was fun. It was scary being up so high, but fun. Then you just kind of float along with the wind."

"You can't make it go where you want to?"

"I don't think so," she shrugged, "I wasn't the one working it, but the man who was in charge said you go where the wind takes you."

"Isn't that what you do anyway, with all your world travels?"

"Heh, I guess I kinda do." She watched him cook the rabbit meat for a few minutes. "So, what's the plan when you give Dutch and everyone the money to escape?"

"Pack up, help them get on a boat or a train to wherever they're gonna go."

"And then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, aren't you going with them?"

"I told you, I'm staying with you," he frowned.

Grace sighed, "You wouldn't leave them for Mary, why on earth would you leave them for me?" She looked up at him. "Is it because I have money?"

"No, no, it ain't that."

She looked at him for a moment. "Okay."

"It ain't the money," he insisted. He had to admit it was a perk, but he had already given it a lot of thought and he decided it didn't matter.

"I believe you."

"Don't you want me to stay?"

"Of course, but I also don't want you to abandon people you've known far longer than me."

"So, you stayin' with us?" Arthur asked, confused.

"No."

He shook his head angrily. "Well, what do you want?"

"I want you to be happy, but I also want you to realise you can't just turn your back on your family on a whim."

"That ain't what I meant."

"I know."

Arthur silently removed the rabbit meat from the fire and set it aside to cool a bit. He waited a few minutes before speaking again.

"I don't want to leave you," he said quietly.

Grace looked at him sadly. "You will eventually. So why don't we make the most of it while we can?"

"You expectin' me to leave?" he frowned.

"Yes. Maybe not now, but you will."

"What, you one of those people who can see the future or somethin'?"

"No."

"So how do you know I'm going to leave you?"

"I don't know when or how, but you will." She moved and sat next to Arthur, taking his hand in hers. "I know it's hard to understand, but try not to worry about it. We still have plenty of time. Let's just enjoy it." She squeezed his hand.

Arthur didn't say anything, thinking about what she just said. He didn't want to leave Grace, nor did he want to leave the gang. But maybe she was right and they should enjoy their time together while they still can. He kissed her hand before handing her a piece of the rabbit meat. They ate in silence before he stood to get Smokey tacked up and ready to go.

"I hope you're not mad at me," Grace said as she nibbled on the small piece of liver.

"Nah, just... " Arthur paused after tightening the cinch, "I just don't get you sometimes. You want me to stay, but then you don't and I don't know what to think of that."

"Sorry. I don't mean to be so ambiguous. I guess it's because I haven't been this close to someone in a very long time."

"Me neither." He turned just as Grace approached, tucked her arms inside his jacket and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, kissing the top of her head, her dark hair warm from the sunshine. "I don't want to lose you."

"Oh, don't get all sappy on me," she choked back a sob.

He chuckled slightly and pulled back, cupping her face gently. "Stay with me. Please?"

She nodded and kissed him, grasping his shirt tightly. He kissed her deeply in return. He didn't know what she meant by him leaving her, but he wasn't about to go that easily. Grace was like a beacon of light or a warm fire at the end of a long day. The gang would always be family, as she keeps saying, but she was home. He didn't want to give her up and he was going to find a way to keep her and the gang in his life as long as possible.

"Mmm," Grace sighed contently as she hugged him again, "Should we get going?"

He nodded. She picked up her hat from beside the log and pinned it to her hair before he lifted her onto his horse. He mounted up and clicked his tongue to urge Smokey towards the road.

"So you think Magnus has been seeing a ghost watching him all this time?" he asked her as they headed down to the road.

"Maybe. I hope he's alright with those bear cubs."

"I'm sure he is."

They rode for a while, alternating between trotting and loping, before Arthur noticed something strange ahead. "Hey, look at those trees." He pointed at some trees that looked like they were leaning over.

"Weird," she said.

As they rode closer, they saw the trees were circling a large crater. Arthur stopped his horse so they could have a look. In the middle of the crater was a large, black boulder.

"Guess that big rock fell out of the sky," he said, dismounting.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to have a closer look. You stay here." He made his way down the craterside to the large rock. He'd never seen anything like it. The rock felt sooty and it was cracked open. Inside the meteor was a smaller, smoother rock inside which he took out and examined closely before returning to Grace and Smokey.

"What did you find?" she asked.

"Here," he passed her the small rock before mounting again, "A present."

"You know, most fellas bring their ladies flowers," she laughed as she looked over the meteorite and pocketed it.

"You seem more of a mysterious-rock-from-the-sky kind of gal."

"Heh, guess I am."

They continued on along the road, stopping to have a rest and a bite to eat. Dusk crept in as did dark clouds and the distant sound of thunder. Arthur started looking for an area to pitch his tent.

"What's that?" Grace pointed to a building off the road. Seemed a strange place for a building that wasn't a house, way out here in the wilderness. Behind the building was a strange, circular tower.

"I don't- wait, I think it's that professor's place."

"You mean the one from Saint Denis with the little boats?"

"Yeah, looks like the lights are on, let's see if he'll let us stay the night." Arthur turned his horse toward the building and hitched him outside. They dismounted, went up the door, and knocked. There was no answer. Arthur knocked louder, but still nothing. He cautiously opened the door.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anybody here?" He went in, followed by Grace. They looked around at the room full of a variety of equipment. In the middle was what looked like a large cage with a large object covered in burlap. There were large wires and cables snaking along the floor, connecting the different machines to each other.

"If you are here to rob me, I wish to make clear that I have weapons that could liquify each of your internal organs in turn and leave you just a puddle on the floor." They heard the Marko Dragic's voice in the room, but it sounded odd, like it was echoing. Grace and Arthur looked around but didn't see him.

"Uh, you sure you want to stay here?" Grace asked Arthur as she followed him towards a smaller, windowed room.

"We ain't here to rob you, Professor," Arthur called out again, entering the smaller room, "Remember me? I helped you at the pond." He stopped and nodded at Grace to look. She peered around the door and saw the professor crouched down with a large device but he clearly didn't notice them.

"You did?" Marko spoke into the device. Arthur knocked on the wall, startling the professor as he stood. "Oh! You did! The buffoon!"

Grace hid a smile as Arthur reluctantly nodded. "We hope we're not disturbing you, we-"

"Of course you are disturbing me," he pushed past them, "I almost solved biggest problem and you mess it up!"

"Uh, we did?" Arthur asked, confused.

"No, but I did," Marko sighed angrily, "I can't get the bloody conductor straight! You! Stop touching that!" He whirled around and yelled at Grace, who had opened a book on the table. She closed it and held her hands up apologetically. Marko continued to pace, agitated, like he was looking for something but didn't know where to find it.

"Well, we ain't here to disturb you or nothin', it's just-"

Marko suddenly grabbed a few metal rods. "There is just one more big problem, and maybe I solve it, but I can't get it right!"

"Uh, I don't understand," said Arthur.

"Of course you don't." Marko thrust the rods into Arthur's hands. "Help me adjust these things and I will show you what I mean."

"Well, I... I'm not much of a scientist," he looked over at Grace who shrugged.

"Yeah, well, you are an American. Science is far beyond you-"

Grace snorted into her hand, but Marko ignored her.

"But you make a fine buffoon!" he pushed Arthur toward the door. "Now, go.. go!"

"Wait, there's a storm coming, he shouldn't be going out with those," Grace interrupted.

"It is for science! Here, take this," He shoved another device into Arthur's hand. "The filament flashes when it points at locations for conductors. Go!" He pushed Arthur out the door.

"Hey, wait," Grace moved to follow Arthur, but Marko blocked her.

"Bah, silly woman! No distractions! He has job to do!"

"Listen, you lay one finger on her-" Arthur started threatening him.

"It's fine," Grace interrupted, "Just... be careful. I don't want you dying because of this idiot." She gestured at Marko who looked at her dubiously.

"I am no idiot! I am great scientist! Now, you! Go! Quick!" He shooed Arthur away and slammed the door.

Arthur looked down at the device in his hand which now started flashing slowly. He stood where he was for a moment, wondering where exactly he was supposed to go. Then Marko's voice suddenly boomed in the air.

"Follow flashes up in hills and plant conductor rod where filament glows solid."

"Hey, how are you doing that?" Grace's voice spoke.

"Get away, this is very... very scientific! Not for silly women!"

Arthur chuckled to himself and started walking towards the hill, watching the filament in the device start flashing faster.

"When all three conductors in place, lightning strikes the rods-"

"Lightning? Are you trying to kill him?"

"Go sit over there! Leave the buffoon to me!" Marko said angrily, then continued dramatically. "Lightning strikes the rods and we harness power of nature to make life!"

"Life? How on earth-"

The speaking device Marko was using suddenly screeched and then it was quiet except for the sound of thunder and the distant howls of wolves. Arthur continued up the hill until the filament started glowing solid, as Marko had described, and planted one of the rods.

"Okay! Now find the position for the second conductor," Marko's voice came through again. "You are doing a... bang up job. Remember, this for the good of all mankind."

"Attempted electrocution is for the good of mankind?"

"I told you to stay away! How anyone gets anything done with silly women around?"

Arthur smirked to himself and followed the device's flashes further up the hill.

"You are better than my last assistant! I hope you live longer too!"

"If you get Arthur killed, so help me..."

"Go... go sweep something!"

Arthur planted another conductor rod when the filament glowed solid again. He turned to follow the flashes even further up the hill.

"Two down and one to go, and you're not dead! Yet."

"He better not be!"

"I told you to sweep up... No, not that!" Marko sighed in frustration. "Life and death, the master equation that unlocks everything! We're so close now-"

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck a tree near Arthur. He jumped back to escape the sparks. "Whoa! Jesus!"

"Wait, that wasn't you, was it?"

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

"Is fine, he's okay."

"Arthur, are you okay? Just come back! Don't get yourself killed!"

"Get away from that, buffoon is fine!"

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief when the filament glowed solid and he stuck the last conductor rod firmly into the ground. He wasted no time in rushing back to Marko's laboratory. He had barely opened the door when Grace leapt into his arms.

"Thank God you're okay," she hugged him tightly.

"Ah, you made it!" Marko greeted him while glaring at Grace, "See, told you it would be fine."

"I wish I ever went to school so I had a clue what was going on," Arthur said, letting go of Grace and returning the device back to Marko.

"I had schooling and I don't even know what's going on," added Grace.

"That's because you're-"

"A silly woman, I know," Grace interrupted Marko with a roll of her eyes. Marko ignored her and started looking over a large panel with lights and buttons and levers.

"Can you even go two minutes without annoying someone?" Arthur asked her quietly.

"Pfft, of course not. But I was worried about you."

"Yeah, so I heard."

"Hush!" Marko said loudly. "Now, I become the second creature after God himself to bring life to this earth." He pushed buttons and pulled levers before setting his hand on a larger lever. "Like this!" He dramatically pulled the lever down.

Arthur and Grace watched as nothing happened. Marko pulled the lever a couple of times, tapping at one of the lights on the panel.

"Was something supposed to happen?" asked Grace.

Marko was deep in thought before he suddenly realised. "Ah! The switches, the bloody switches!" He grabbed Arthur's arm and led him back to the door. "Climb up there and adjust them for me." He pointed up at the tower behind his lab.

"Up there?" Grace asked.

"Bring her with you," Marko pushed her out the door behind Arthur. "Go, quick, please!"

"Stay here," Arthur said to Grace.

"Not a chance." Grace went over to the tower and started climbing the ladder in the middle of it. Arthur followed.

"What have we got ourselves into?" he asked her.

"I don't know, but I want to see what this silly man thinks he can do."

They climbed up to the top to a panel of three levers.

"The switches are on a circuit." Marko's voice boomed up to them. "Flick one switch on the array and another might go off. You want the three illuminations so flick the switches til that is the outcome."

"What's he sayin'?"

"Turn all the switches on and off until all three are lit up," said Grace, looking closely at them. She flipped the right switch, then the left, and then the middle to make them all light up. "Pfft, easy."

There was a sudden explosion of sparks from behind the panel. Arthur shielded himself and Grace from them as lightning hit the conductor rods in the hills. Lightning then hit the top of the tower sending a shockwave throughout.

"It's working! It's working!" Marko shouted through his speaking device, "Come down here! Quick!"

Arthur and Grace climbed down the ladder and returned to the lab. Marko was rushing about, flipping more switches and levers.

"Are you ready?" he asked them excitedly.

"Sure, second time lucky, eh?" Arthur said.

"Second time? More like seven thousandth!" Marko pulled open a door to the large cage. "This is my life's work, and it is incredible!" He yanked off the burlap to reveal a large automaton.

Arthur and Grace stared at it in amazement as Marko returned to the large lever and pulled it. Small bolts of electricity flashed out of a large conductor in the ceiling down to the automaton. After a few moments, the electric flashes stopped and the automaton moved its arm.

"He lives!" Marko shouted, "My son lives!"

"Jesus," Grace said quietly, her eyes wide in astonishment.

The automaton raised its other arm, then leaned forward to step off its platform. It took two steps before falling flat on its front. Arthur looked between the automaton and Marko, who looked like positively elated.

"Is that it?"

"For now," Marko pushed up the levers to turn off the machine, "I am so happy! You just saw Creation's second birth."

"I just saw a machine waddle a few steps," Arthur said.

"It's still impressive," Grace said, crouching down near the automaton for a better look.

"Ah, maybe the lady is not as silly as I thought," Marko knelt down beside his creation, "I have a son! I am the luckiest man alive! I... those morons! They doubted me!" He opened a panel in the automaton's back and started fidgeting with wires inside.

"So, uh, since we helped you, mind if we stay the night out of the storm?" Arthur asked.

"What? Oh, sure. Sure. Just don't touch anything!" Marko replied without looking up.

Arthur shrugged at Grace and looked around for somewhere to sleep. It was difficult with all the machinery, but they found a somewhat empty corner where they curled up together.

"So what do you think?" he asked her quietly, as they watched Marko tinker with the automaton.

"I think he's nuts, but this is brilliant," she replied, "But I wonder what he's going to use it for."

"I don't know and I don't think I want to know."

"Heh, I'm with you there." She snuggled closer to him. "I'm glad you're okay." She kissed him on his stubbled jaw and hugged him tightly. "Good night."

"'Night." He kissed her forehead and held her close as she fell asleep. He stayed awake, watching the professor make adjustments to his creation before nodding off.