The Grid Man

The Grid Man is a taint that appears in the Stoneheart Trilogy. George and Edie encounter this statue in Stoneheart. Even though he resembles a human, he is still classified as a taint.

Appearance
The Grid Man is a metal humanoid sculpture; his entire body is divided into separate parts that appear to have been reattached to each other. He is described as a stout and muscular man with swept back hair on top of his large head. His face is divided by several cuts: one vertical cut down his face perfectly centered between his eyes and his through his nose, and two horizontal cuts running across his face. Metal rods keeping his pieces together stick out of his body, and in his hands he holds two metal grids. He moves in a clacking and shuffling pattern, in a way that may resemble a toy robot or a Rubik's Cube.

Stoneheart
After leaving the Black Friar's pub, George and Edie make their way to High Holborn to find a safe place to sleep. While there, the Grid Man is awoken by the Raven. When they see the taint approaching, Edie hides. George tries to run from the taint, only to quickly be knocked down by a metal ball that the Grid Man hit towards his leg. Edie manages to warn George of the rebound of the metal ball, but while George ducks from the ball, the Grid Man spots, corners and captures Edie.

The Grid Man carries Edie towards George, carefully holding the girl's head in between his two grids. George tries to speak to the taint and tell him to stop, and after this fails, the boy tries to fight back. This does not work either. The Raven returns to the shoulder of the Grid Man and tells the taint something, probably an order to kill Edie. Before the Grid Man can do anything, however, the Fusilier appears from the nearby memorial. The spit orders the Grid Man to release Edie. Once again, the taint does not listen, so the Fusilier stabs the Grid Man through the back with his bayonet, causing the taint to release Edie.

A brief struggle ensues between the two statues, with the Grid Man rotating his body to face the Fusilier. Before the Grid Man can strike the Fusilier with his two grids, the Fusilier shoots the taint with his rifle three times to incapacitate him. He destroys the Grid Man with a final shot.

Trivia

 * Being a taint but also humanoid, he has limited speaking abilities; the only semi-intelligible things that he says are "Nonvogliolassiewanyoustronzoweebasturt" and "Cheyirprobbieignotopileatolieyirsel!".