A Clockwork Origin

When one wakes up, they expect a few things. To see their bedroom, familiar possessions, a loved one, or even the motel room they have rented.

A pair of solid electric blue eyes connected to a small silver robot an inch away from your face is not what you would expect or appreciate. So it was completely understandable when our protagonist screamed like a little girl when he woke up.

“YAY! New masters up! Hiya new master!” The owner of the blue eyes exclaimed in a high pitch robotic voice. “I’m sooo happy! I could explode! . . . that happens sometimes.” And then it hugged me.

“Please don’t.” I managed to choke out as it strangled me in its embrace.

“Gir, please release your new master. You don’t want him to die, do you?” The voice f Clockwork carried through the room, even though the voices owner was not present.

“Okay mister Clocky! I’m just gonna make some TACOS!” The small robot released our poor hero and proceeded to do a back flip off his chest, causing him to grunt in mild pain, before running off for God knows where.

“I am sorry for Girs actions, he is quite excitable. Here, let me help you up.” Appearing out of nowhere, Clockwork grasped the young man’s hand and pulled him to his feet. “I know you have many questions Samuel, but please, let me explain the situation.”

The ghost led the bewildered Samuel through a doorway towards a room full of monitors and, surprise surprise, more gears. “I am Clockwork, master of time and manipulator of space. It is my duty to watch over the multiverse and prevent its destruction. Recently a danger has appeared in the multiverse, Samuel. A danger that is spreading at an alarming rate.” With a wave of his hand the screens flared to life, showing hundreds of different scenarios with hundreds of different people. To his surprise, Samuel realized that he recognized some of the people shown. Not from actually meeting them, but from the various games and movies and such he has seen or played over the years. Seeing this, he could think of only one thing to say.

“Is that Harley Quinn riding a unicorn?”

“Not exactly.” Seeing Samuels’s confusion, he elaborated. ” The women you see calls herself as  Harley Quinn, she looks like Harley Quinn and even talks as Harley Quinn, but that is not Harley Quinn. That is a women who was once known as Jennifer Lacks, a student of Bakersfield Institute of Art. One day she went to a costume party with a friend, wearing a handmade Harley costume and holding an comically large mallet she found at a yard sale. Unknown to her the mallet held magical properties and dragged her into the world you see before you, driven to insanity by her mode of transport. She is currently the most dangerous being in that universe and slowly driving every race there to extinction.”

A look of shock crossed Samuels face. One person was able to threaten an entire universe, how? And most importantly,” Why are you telling me this?”

“Because she is not the only one. Every screen shows a different human that was dragged into a parallel universe to the one Jennifer is in, and all have gone mad. Some are sannier than others, yet all are dangerous. I am telling you this because I need help stopping them.”

Taking a step back, our protagonist asked in a shocked voice,” Me? W-what? How do expect me to be able to help you? I mean, I would love to help, my parents always told me to help those in need, but I’m just a normal guy! Those people, if they even count as such anymore, could rip me apart!” He took a deep breath and Clockwork chuckled softly.

“And? I am sure there is more than that.”

“And, and, what about my Dad? He just lost Mom. And . . . it was all my fault.” Tears start to form at the corners of Samuels eyes, the emotional pain catching up with him.

“Ahh, someone needs a hug.” Gir’s voice is the only warning Samuel gets before he is once again in a death hug from the tiny robot. “It’s not your fault master. You’re too nice to have killed someone.”  The little robots hug and words seems to help the guilt ridden man, as the longer it lasts, the more control he seems to gain over himself.

‘He’s right, I didn’t kill her. I didn’t save her either though.’ Samuel thought with a scowl. He shook his head after looking into the innocent eyes of the mechanical bening hugging him. ‘No, there was nothing I could do. I was trapped in my seat.’

Wiping the remaining tears away, he gently pulls the child size robot away. “Thank you, Gir. I needed that.”

“What I do?” The little robot asks in confusion, before something in the corner caught his eye, “hiya Pig, I’m gonna ride yoou!” And with that the crazy robot runs after a pig that was definitely not there before.

“Don’t try to make sense of it,” Clockwork says before Samuel can say anything,” when it comes to Gir, even I’m not sure what’s happening. Now, I’m sure you got that out of your system?”

“Almost, but I’m sure in time,” Clockwork smirked,” ill come to grips with it. But I am still not sure how I can help you.”

“I have seen the goodness in you, and that is why I have brought you here first.”

“First?”

“Others will follow, and some are already doing as I have asked. I see you are confused. I am the master of time, and as such time moves differently for me. In the future I will have recruited others, and sent them to various different worlds with various powers. Thus, even though you are the first, some are already out there fighting the corrupted. Some fight humans turned evil, some fight the corrupted in other worlds. Those who have influenced by the over flowing evil energy originated from a parallel world.”

“Powers?” Samuel asks, that one word having caught his attention.

“You didn’t think I would send you in unarmed, did you?” Clockwork laughed at the guilty look on Samuels face. “I have been given permission from various beings and entities to give the people I will send powers similar or matching their own.” He leaned closer to Samuel,” have you changed your mind?”

Samuel nodded, now that he knew he would not be helpless, his morals would not permit him to back away. But he couldn’t help but ask,” But what about my life on earth, won’t they miss me?”

Clockwork shook his head,” I have created a small paradox in the earth’s time line. Effectively I have duplicated you so no one will miss you.”

Samuel wasn’t completely sure how to feel about that, so he just shrugged his shoulders.

“Now, for your powers.” Clockwork floated over towards a large cabinet, easily large enough to fit a giraffe in, and threw the doors open. Inside were thousands of do-dads and trinkets. A large sledge hammer rested next to a pair of oversized red shoes, a silver bow was hung next to a brilliant green wooden mask. A black and green watch rested next to a small doll, and on and on it went. But Clockwork did not grab any of these, no, he floated to the top and removed a small safe. He entered the combination with care, and removed a simple golden pocket watch.

“This is perhaps the most powerful power I shall grant to any of the chosen.” He said solemnly as he carefully held the watch.

“Why, what is it?”

“This watch contains a power similar to my own, yet very different. Like me as soon as you touch this watch you will exist outside of time, and thus be unaffected by it.”

“So I’ll be . . . “

“Immortal? Yes, you shall exist past the end of time. Unless, of course, something manages to kill you. But with the secondary power, the ability to traverse freely through time and space, that will be nearly impossible.” He took a deep breath. ‘Strange, I thought he was a spirit.” “Normally I would never do this. Never task someone with eternity. But I’m afraid that the evil will soon spread farther than just a few parallel worlds.” He extended his hand, the watch just a few inches away from Samuel. “Will you take this burden, Samuel?”

Samuel stared at the simple device for what very well might have been eternity before taking it from Clockworks hand. He looked at the watch before looking at Clockwork, “I don’t feel . . .” He began screaming in agony as  he was essentially ripped out of existence, his body being displaced from any one dimension, becoming a being outside of time. “I am not going through that again.”

“Well it’s a good thing you never will. Thank you, Samuel.” Clockwork moved over to a empty space and held his hand up, palm out and before him a giant blue clock appeared, its hands swiftly moving around to form a portal. “This will take you to the world I need you to watch.”

“Aren’t you going to teach me how to use my powers? Or who I’m supposed to stop, at least tell me where I am being sent. You can’t just make someone equivalent to a god and then tell them to have a good day without teaching them how to use their powers!”

Smirking, Clockwork told him,” I find experience is the best is the best teacher, the rest will become apparent in time. Now, I think it’s time for you to leave. I will contact you again soon.”

Samuel sighed before walking over to the portal, “Good bye, Clockwork.” And he stepped gracefully into the portal, ready to face the trials ahead . . . until Gir jumped on his back sending him tumbling through the portal. Clockwork laughed at the small bots antics for a moment, before turning towards a shadow.

“You can come out now, Aku.”