It took Lucian only a second or two to tumble into the cab’s interior. Turning quickly, he looked on in shock as a colossal white tiger stood where the young woman had been standing only moments ago, her dress pooled around the animals enormous paws. The Chronomech stopped and regarded the tiger with dead, glass eyes.
Without warning the tiger’s head lunged forward and a spray of flame shot out, enveloping the clockwork machine. The Chronomech reeled under the attack, pitching back against the alleyway wall. The force of it’s impact cracked the wall as a half dozen bricks tumbled onto its now motionless form.
In the dancing flames of the still burning machine, the tiger shimmered for a moment before it seemed to melt back into the form of the beautiful woman Lucian had seen before. Turning away in shock and embarrassment, Lucian looked down at the mysterious package in his lap. With trembling fingers he want to unwrap the package, when suddenly a slim, white hand fell on his, stopping him at once.