The metal beating machine was a table with long metal legs set in a box. It's sides had extensions which housed fixed moulders and there was a metal screen that had fire hoses which pointed to a caved-in part of the table. The caved-in part was in the shape of a box extending below the table.
The metal box that housed the table had a stove in it to give the metals heat to melt. After they are melted, there were moulds to pour the liquids in and the metal took the form of the mould.
Xana was satisfied with the metal beating machine. But she needed more moulds though. She rummaged through the scraps in the junkyard and got all she needed.
Firstly, she chose all metals of the same properties and put them in the caved-in area of the table.
Next, she used a lighter on the stove and turned on the fire hoses. The metals started to melt slowly.
Xana impatiently looked at the process and was not contented. She needed this to be quicker.
But there was something she did not understand, why call it a metal beating machine and not a metal melting machine?
She paced around her workshop that she had erected at her backyard and decided to build a blacksmithing furnace. But it was gonna need a lot of space and materials. She decided to call her friends and meet Bill together with them.
Xana sat on her bed with a weary sigh. 'All of this to climb to the next stage of my life. Fighting!' she cheered herself inwardly.
Two hours later, Sam, Sean, Max and Xana were on their way to the scrap metal junkyard were Bill stayed. She talked about the iron deposit to her friends and Bill's conclusion.
"Sincerely, I believe it's a good idea." Max agreed.
"And, yes, dad had been acting quite strangely since the last meeting with the governor which was like a year and half ago." Sam said.
"Bill can be trusted?"
"Yes, he can. He is grateful to the village and not just the village chief, so we know were his loyalty lies." Xana replied her.
Soon they reached the junkyard and met Bill selling junks to metal beaters. He smiled and waved at them and pointed at the direction of his office.
Sam and Max smiled and waved back while walking with the other two to the office.
After Bill was done attending to his customers, he went to meet the teenagers in his office.
"Hello Deanna, Sean..", he paused not knowing the names of the other two.
"I'm Sam."
"And I'm Max."
"Oh, nice meeting you two."
"Same."
Bill went to his desk and sat on the chair and turned his eyes to Xana.
"How can I help you?"
"I have something to discuss with the rest of you." she addressed everyone.
"I want to begin making robots and that's why I came here. I got a metal beating machine from Bill but I don't understand why it's called one. It simply melts and moulds metals. That's not what I truly need."
"What do you need?" Bill asked
"A metal forger machine." she answered.
"But I need a smith to make that according to my design and so far, I have not seen a smith in this village." Xana lamented.
Sam and Max looked at each other surprised at the words coming out of Deanna's mouth. Sean was getting used to it and as usual, he was expressionless.
Bill smiled at Xana.
"If that's the problem then do not worry anymore. I have a friend, Old Tim. He also resides in this village and is the head of all metal beaters. But there is something that even the village chief doesn't know about, he is a blacksmith." he said.
Xana was pleasantly surprised. If things kept on going this smoothly, she might achieve her goals very soon.
"And, he also has a smithy," Bill continued.
"That is perfect. When do we visit Old Tim?" she asked.
"Look, don't immediately call him Old Tim once you meet him. He does not have a stable temper and he could hate or like you for any small reason."
Xana nodded.
"We'll go meet him tommorow. It's quite late now and he'll get very cranky if we go visit him now", Bill said and the rest nodded.
Xana thought, 'It's just evening. It should be around 4:30pm. Cranky old man.'
"By the way, what are you gonna do?" Max asked. The rest turned to look at her.
"Machines. Safety alarms, recorders, heart rate machines, etc."
"Okay, I have no idea of what ever they do." Max said bitterly.
Bill was shocked at her words. 'This girl is something else. Good thing I'm in her crew already.'
"Please tell us, what do these things do? Especially, the heart rate machines." Sam asked.
"You know you've got to.do what the villagers need." Sean said as surprised as the rest.
"Sure Sean, I'll give them what they need. The heart rate machines record the rate of the beating heart. There are a lot of old people in this place and the last thing any of us want is the sudden death of any of them. They could take precautions early." Xana said to Sean and Sam. Then she turned to the others.
"The safety alarms would help alert others around in case of any emergency or trouble while the recorders do exactly what the name is, records."
Bill started to wonder if the metal forger was enough for all this advanced technology.
"This is very important to us all. When did you come up with this ideas Deanna!" Max exclaimed. He didn't care much for an answer though.
Xana smiled to herself. She did not tell her friends that she needed more than a metal forger for all that. She'll tell them later.
Good thing she found a radio in her parents room and had taken it. The metal forger is just needed for the coating or cover. It isn't the main material.