The building was absolutely perfect for what Roger wanted. It was built of red brick and looked old. They had planted vines to make the place seem even more venerable.

Inside was plenty of wide open space. They could divide it however they wanted. There were questions over whether or not they should guide people from spot to spot or just let them wander. In the end they decided that a natural progression would make the most sense.

The patron would start from the earliest days and continue on to something more modern. Each scene would involve one battle. At least one side would be open for each display so that you could see the machinery involved. That was both a nod to the hard work that had gone into making everything and also something to remind the viewer of the clockwork nature of the exhibit.

Roger had received tremendous publicity and support for what he was doing. He’d made it clear from the beginning that he wanted to show the hazards of war and this immediately gave him credibility with huge numbers of people. There were editorials in the paper praising him. He was stopped in restaurants so people could tell him they admired his stance. Each time this happened, he was more and more certain that this was a good idea.

Once this happened while he was out with Alex. They had just finished eating when an older lady had approached them. She apologized for interrupting them and went on to tell Roger that he was doing something fine and important. He thanked her and said that he was just making his small contribution to the world. She went on to say that everyone was very excited to see what it would look like when it was finished.

After she left, he wondered if he should say anything to Alex or if he should just let the lesson sink in on it’s own. His youngest son looked thoughtful so he just let it lie. Sometimes it was best to work with a light tough. Boy’s minds worked in strange ways and one of the surest ways to get them to rebel was to challenge them. In time, he’d talk himself into agreeing with his old man.

When they got out to the car Alex brought up the subject on his own. “She really hated war, didn’t she?”

“Yes. Lots of people think war is evil.”

And then he fell back into thinking deep thoughts. Roger felt good. This was victory he would win and it would set his son on a good path. Best of all, he said to himself with a chuckle, he had won without ever firing a shot.

They had started creating with the earliest scenes and would go in roughly chronological order. The first one would show very ancient warfare. This had required some guesswork from the historical department but in the end they decided that it was good enough. It involved two sets of men advancing on each other with swords and spears and a few clubs.

The figures would move towards each other swinging their weapons rhythmically. Their complicated tracks would take them forward in straight lines and zigzags. A few of them would spin at the last moment and kill their opponents. Once dead, a figure would spring to one side and stop moving. The actual fighting was quick. The victors would proceed to the other side where they would destroy a small settlement.

In the background was a soundtrack for each one. There were muted yells and the sounds of metal clashing. This was followed by death screams. As the invaders entered the camp, you could hear women and children crying. The effect on more sensitive patrons would be devastating.

The precision of the pieces was nothing short of incredible. Each one had it’s own unique look. Some had limbs that would drop off on a wire when the attack happened. Others would drop their weapons when they fell. The artisans privately named each one, but these were kept private. Roger decided to record them as background in case there was ever a documentary about their efforts.

The second scene showed a Greek phalanx in action. It went to battle against a disorganized group of dessert warriors and was utterly victorious. The phalanx simply moved forward and destroyed what was in it’s path. It was hard not to have sympathy for it’s enemies.

Roman legions followed. This one became a favorite because they were opposed by war elephants. The scene was one of the bloodiest as it was fought nearly to a draw. After most of each army was killed, the survivors slowly made their way back to their own sides and it was clear that no one had really won.

Alex was happy with what they’d created. He relished the early parts of the battles. Roger wondered if he tuned out the after effects, or at least tried to. For every lurid scene that they were showing, there was a lesson. The dead were unhappy and the wounded were even worse off.

Phil was also pleased. Each set had required a lot of thought to get it just right. There was endless details not just on the figures but also the dioramas. They went and created lush farmland and harsh dessert. Each one had to be set up so that they tracks for the figures would covered. They were creating an illusion and it was quite rewarding.

An early challenge involved creating archers. They played with using tiny bows with real projectiles but quickly abandoned it. It was simply too difficult to reset each battle if they were going to fire things at each other. In the end they simply had the bowstrings draw back and release. Figures on the other side would crumple and it was clear what had happened.

They wanted to do a battle at sea but no one was sure how to actually sink a boat without creating trouble down the road. Everyone wanted to use actual water but they knew that it would shorten the lives of their figures dramatically. Some of the engineers played with it but no one had good results.

The most modern scene was of the Napoleonic era. Everything later than that was either too controversial or not good visually. No one thought it would be fun to watch trench warfare. Guerrilla tactics didn’t make for a good set piece either. They talked about tank warfare but it was tough to keep it from looking like remote control units.

It was important that they do good work. This would impress people and no one wanted it to look cheap. Roger had given most of the control over to his sons. Phil took care of the precision while Alex was in charge of the theme. His responsibility was the overall look.

Only Roger would be judged by the whole and he wanted to get it right.