Steampunk note: Featured in an anthology of steampunk romance fiction. The protagonist is a nameless woman (known only by a number) within a dystopian city: controlled by a clockwork heart, she and her companions form a breeding program, designed to keep the city running through child labour. A companion novelette, 'Pinion' (set in the same universe and overlapping the events of 'Escapement') was published as part of the contents of Ticonderoga's anthology Aurum.