Frank is a clock mechanic, set out to replace a broken loop in 2018, but when Luz, the friend he shouldn't have made sees more than she should've, the simple tasks he was given turns into a mission to save the world.
*
The world doesn't live on beca...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The clockwork machine is crying. I feel it. Hear it. The sound of its whirring, struggling, malfunctioning gears hit my ears as I push through the dimension-portal. I thought if I'd step into the building and out of the rain, I'd be out of the storm. That isn't the case.
Earth's soul is brewing its own storm. The flickering stars, once beautiful to look at, are exploding in the air, turning to dust and smoke. And from the smoke falls tiny drops of grey water, like tears of a dying heart.
I frown as I look at the space above me. If I had just done my job, this wouldn't have happened. Earth would've progressed normally. The year 2018 would've been saved. Yet, after my neglect... I'm not sure how far this damage has gone.
"But I can fix this," I whisper to no one, turning my gaze away from the dirt in the air and over to the machine in front of me. Parts of the face have fallen off, exposing the wires and emptiness inside of it. As I approach, I can see the vast abyss behind the number three. A roar erupts from inside the hole. I gulp but reach for it without fear. "I can fix you," I say to the clock.
As if it hears me, it seems to respond. The minute hand jerks. The second hand screeches as it struggles to move. But it's the hour hand that grabs my attention, the only fully functioning piece of this machine. It moves, the point of its tip scrapping against the clock's face, too heavy to move. And when it lands, the thump it makes hits me. I feel it in my core.
I lower my hand to my side and move around the clock. "I'm sorry," I say to it. The box with the replacement piece is still where I left it. Reaching inside of it, I pull out the second hand. My thumb slides against the golden stem as it extends in my hand. "I should've placed this piece days ago."
Another thump. Another roar. The clock vibrates, shuddering against my touch as I grab onto its side to pull myself up. "If I had fixed your second when I first came, you'd be okay now."
My foot finds a nook to push off of and higher I go, up the side of the clock. To keep from falling, I press the second hand down the back of my shirt. I feel it stick to the top of my pants, securing itself. While I'm glad I won't lose it, I'm mad at myself.
My fingers grip a rounded edge along the side of the clock as I climb higher. "You'd be the normal old and cranky Earth every Cog knows," I grumble as I pull myself up again. And again. "Humans wouldn't have been bothered with the storm outside."
The clock trembles. Another roar bursts from its injury, but louder this time. It echoes around me, shaking the entire room. My foot slips as I lose my balance. I shoot both of my hands out to grab another edge and grip it tight.
I'm too high to fall now. Glancing down at the floor below me, I realize a fall from this height can kill me. Did I climb this high so fast? Sweat trickles down my brow.
The clock trembles again.
"I hear you," I say, pulling my gaze up from probable death to look at the clock that needs me. I lift one hand to pull myself up again and when I grip its edge, my other hand strokes its face. "I'm going to fix you. Finally."
