as Fiona was to him. Absinthe is furious that Cole has hidden the Engine. He rips out Cole's actual heart and all goes dark for Cole. The first issue of Steampunk begins 100 years later: Cole wakes up in a strange coffin during the Victorian Age. His coffin was discovered by two grave-robbers, Randy and Sköm, who are attacked by Dog Soldiers, half man, half beast. Cole attacks the soldiers in a daze and defeats them, then turns on the grave-robbers, but loses consciousness. Randy takes him to safety, hoping to make some money off of Cole. When he wakes up, Cole's memory is a mess, he can recall little of his past and when he looks at himself, he's in shock: his chest is now a metal furnace and his right arm is a gigantic mechanical claw. He is informed that London is now under the rule of Lord Absinthe and has been for the last century. London is unrecognizable: dark smoke obscures the sky and leaky pipes circle ramshackle villages. Poor people are forced to live underground. The aristocracy lives at the upper levels, unaware and uncaring about anything besides themselves. Those with the money and desire can buy animal or mechanical parts to enhance their bodies as they wish. Death and destruction have become entertainment for them. Cole becomes an unwilling inspiration to the Underground Resistance led by Sir Robert Peel, while Absinthe hears of Cole's return and sends his best assassins to capture him: the demonic Faust and Victoria, a woman who would have become Queen Victoria if it had not been for Cole and Absinthe's actions. Characters Main characters In alphabetical order Cole Blaquesmith: Former fisherman and prizefighter, Cole fell in love with Fiona, a teacher who taught him to read, write and most importantly to think for himself. When Fiona falls ill, Cole makes a pact with Dr. Absinthe. A pact which ended with Fiona's death, Absinthe in possession of technology 200 years more advanced than anybody else and Cole with his heart ripped out. Cole's heart and right arm are replaced with a furnace and mechanical arm made from steel by the mysterious Dr. Sundown. He wakes up 100 years in the future and becomes the unwilling hero against the rule of Lord Absinthe. Cole suffers from amnesia and can only recall fragments of his past. Cole's metal arm gives him enormous strength