*Man of Steel

Intro: At LTUE last week I attended a class on rewriting the classics. I have always loved fairy tales so I decided to rewrite some of them. I did this a couple of years ago with the idea of having male protagonists in a modern setting. This time I am playing more with a steampunk setting. I hope you enjoy it.

The master in the mansion. A man of flesh and steel. He avoided looking at any reflective surfaces. The jagged line that split his face, covering one eye and down the side of his neck. His entire left arm was made of metal. The steel always cold. Every movement ached, the bolts secured to his bones shifting and tugging.

His breakfast waited for him in his study and as he sipped his juice he gazed out at the garden below. Catherine walked through the hedges the two hounds at her heels. He provided her with the most exquisite gowns complete with gems but she always wore the plain brown dresses. It fascinated him that no matter what he provided her with, she always stayed the same Catherine. That was what he loved about her, but he couldn't tell her that. He turned away from the window and hoped that she hadn't seen him.

"Master, do you need anything else?" The man servant stood at the door. His metal frame dented and tarnished but otherwise in excellent condition. That was one thing he did well. Building robots powered by steam. He hadn't developed a talent for it until his own body had been rebuilt with steel. The two dogs with Catherine were two hounds he'd taken from the town that had been injured in an accident. One was 50% percent metal the other 15% and Catherine didn't care. She took to them immediately. If gave him hope that one day, she would feel the same for him. He was only 12% steel. He pushed the thought away and went back to work. Though the people in the town feared him, he was the top robotics engineer. One day they would probably try to oust him, but for now he was safe.

The second man servant came to dress him for dinner. It was the same process as it had been for the past year. Tonight was her one year anniversary as his housekeeper. The table was set with all the best foods. Only a small portion of the food would be eaten, whatever wasn't he had delivered to Catherine's family. He also provided them with a stipend for her service.

"How was your day, Catherine?"

"Nice. I spent the morning walking through the gardens. The hounds were playful today."

He didn't dare approach the hounds. Though he saved their lives they only knew him for someone who caused pain. They would die protecting her. Just what he planned. None of the animals he worked on could stand to be around him.

"Did you have a nice day, Sir?"

"I did."

"Master, run." The man servant stumbled into the room, his head sparking from a gash.

The master lunged to his feet, grabbing Catherine and pushing her towards the kitchen door. "Cook, get her out of here. Send someone to get the hounds. They will protect her."

"No."

Her words catch him off guard but the cook robot swept into the room and escorted Catherine away. The master stands behind the table, playing with one of the knives on the table. Tonight was the night. Not surprising since this was the year anniversary of the airship crash. They didn't remember him for saving lives. They remembered him as a butcher who cut off limbs and left others to die. They saw him hoarding his steelworks technology. He refused to be the cause of constant pain, especially since only seven percent of the people who undergo the operation to attach the steel plates to bone survive. He'd already known who Catherine was before that evening but when she showed up covered in blood, none of which was her own, he realized he wanted her close to him. He had needed someone to oversee his accounts and order the parts, she accepted his proposition.

"It is time for you to leave. We don't want you here anymore."

Several of the men in the crowd were using prosthetic limbs he'd created for them. All they saw was his fully function arm and optic eye while they hobbled around on peg legs and used hooked hands. Some had his newer steam powered design. It didn't matter though.

"Let's just kill him."

The master raised his hands and closed his eyes. He was a monster. If fate had decreed that he died tonight, than he would.

"Kill him."

"Touch one hair of his head and I will make you pay." Catherine's threat was punctuated by growls. The two mechanical dogs chased the men all the way from mansion.

The master looked at Catherine, not meeting her gaze. His blue optic light reflected in her eyes.

"You were suppose to lead," he said.

"I'm not leaving you. I want to stay with you." She stepped forward and her hand brushed the left side of his face. Half flesh half metal. The pain from the pressure made him wince and she pulled away.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I'm fine." He smiled pushing past the pain.

"Can I stay with you, at least a little while longer? Don't make me leave yet."

"You can stay as long as you want."

"Good," Catherine picked up her napkin and sat back down on the table. "Then I chose to stay, forever."

The master spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out why someone like her would want to stay with a monster. When Catherine kissed his cheek goodnight he wondered if she even saw his metal side anymore. For one person in the world, he was a man who happened to have steel skin.