Temeraire struggled not to pull a face as the last screw dropped away into the pan. That, at least, was something he had never encountered while examining the automatons before, and it was becoming readily apparent to him that whatever the cause of this was, it was in all likelihood not mechanical in nature.

He had encountered very little resistance as he unscrewed the back panel--if anything, it had seemed to him that something was trying to force its way out. He was certain he could have tipped the panel off with a finger, and his mentor's caution seemed to him unwarranted. All the same, he had hardly made it this far in academia by disobeying his direct superiors. With a small nod, he located the tongs and carefully levered the back panel of the automaton away from the main body.