CHAPTER 48Resisting the urge to stay in this version of the Mason Fix-It Shop to crack open some gadgets and see how their biomechanical innards operated, Mara stepped onto the sidewalk running along Woodstock Boulevard. While the cars and trucks passing by looked normal enough, a typical smattering of old and new, foreign and domestic, they sounded odd, ranging from a low burbling sound while idling to a staccato purr when accelerating. Mara glanced around, and other pedestrians moving up and down the street appeared oblivious to the background noise of the traffic. Must be normal.
And the smell. Mara crinkled her nose as a whiff of methane and sulfur rode a light breeze across her face. She waved a hand in the air and winced. “Not sure I could live in a world where cars emit farts as ex
