Professor Atticus stepped up to the small podium while his two assistants set their boxes down. Machina's was the size of two coffins and looked like it weighed a thousand pounds. Silver Head's was as small as a shoebox, but his metal arm crinkled, and it seemed as if he sucked in two dramatic breaths when he dropped his box on the floor with a loud clonk.
Professor Atticus gave him a stern look, then turned toward the audience. "Good morning to you all, and thank you so much for being here. Coming on such extreme short notice can't have been easy, I'm sure. But a dreadful time has come upon us, and we must act quickly. We will need everyone in this room, without exception."