BlueBattler

Somewhere, there’s a distant rumble of thunder, and he reigns in his temper lest he say or do something he’ll regret later. “I don’t understand.”

“You’ve changed, Marcus. You’re not the same man I first met.” She takes another drink, and he’s aware fully that it’s not his dear friend Shalice speaking. No, it’s Sister Psyche; the woman who can read a man’s heart and soul just as easily as she reads his mind.

“I’m still here. I’m still fighting the good fight.”

“But the way you’re fighting it has changed.” Again those eyes pierce his soul. “Do you really think that twenty years ago you would have let Siren’s Call remain as it is?”

“It’s a sound tactical decision.”

“Yes, it is. Justin agrees with you. But it’s a decision you wouldn’t have made once. Sunburst’s reputation is in tatters. Heroes go there, risking their lives, never knowing that it’s all part of a game between you and Recluse.”

He shifts nervously in his seat. “It’s necessary. Stefan won’t be beaten in a single battle. I’ve tried that. He has to be dealt with on a long term basis. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the greater good.”

“The sad thing is, Marcus, I think you believe that.”

“There are always casualties in war, Shalice.”

“Statesman isn’t a general, Marcus. The heroes of Paragon City aren’t your personal army to do or die as you see fit.”

“You don’t think I know that? You don’t think I know what happens to the kids who put on a pair of tights because they read the comic books or saw the movies of me and think it’s fun? I was the first, Shalice. They look to me for leadership, for inspiration. I’m supposed to be the world’s greatest hero.” His lips twist in mockery when he says that. “And sometimes I have to send those same kids to do the things that you and I can’t. I have to watch them lose their idealism-- and sometimes their lives. And I have to tell them to do it, to keep on doing it-- because it has to be done!”

Shalice sighs and finishes her wine. “I’m glad that some part of you still cares, Marcus. But I’m still worried about you. The more you pull away from everyday humanity, the less human you become. You’re starting to think like Stefan, Marcus. You’re starting to put your long term goals over the things that used to matter to you most-- you’re starting to put them over the lives of the people who trust you and believe in you.”

“I--“ And he pauses because there seems to be nothing he can say to that.

“Someday, I’ll be gone, Marcus. We all will. And when that happens-- when you’re alone-- who will be able to see beyond the mask of Statesman and talk to the man underneath the legend? Who will be there to tell you when you’re wrong?”

He looks down.

Shalice stands up. “The man is still in there, Marcus. I can feel him fighting to live, but he’s sinking. No one’s an island. Not even Statesman can live in the world alone-- not if he wants to be the man Monica Richter fell in love with all those years ago.”

“What should I do?” He hasn’t been human-- he hasn’t been a man-- in so long …

“Live, Marcus. Don’t let the future keep you from living in the present.” Shalice bends down and kisses his cheek. “There’s a blonde at the bar who’s been eyeing you since you stepped in. Why don’t you go say hello?”

“I--”

“Just say hello, Marcus. Do it for me. Do it for yourself.” A soft whisper in his mind. Do it for Monica. She wouldn’t begrudge you that. You know that she wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of forever alone.

I’ll try. And Shalice?

Yes?

Justin is one lucky man.

Oh, he knows. He knows. And with a ripple of mental laughter, she walks out of the bar, leaving him alone once more.

He finishes his beer and goes up to the bar. “I’ll have another one if you don’t mind, Sean.”

“Sure thing, Mistah Cole.”

The blonde looks at him. The only thing she has in common with Monica is her hair color. Her eyes are different. Her features are thinner, sharper. Not unattractive, but just not Monica’s “girl next door” look. “Hi there.”

“Hello.”

“You just get dumped?”

“Oh no. She’s a friend. She and another pal of mine just got married.” Do people say “pal” these days? And for the first time in decades, the same roguish Errol Flynn grin that Monica fell in love with decades ago comes to his lips. “My name is Marcus.”

“Hi, Marcus. I’m Cindy.”

“Pleased to meet you, Cindy. Would you mind it terribly if I offered to buy you a drink?”

“No, Marcus. I don’t think I’d mind that at all …”

I liked it. Very well done.

He braces himself for an attack-- physical, mental, or verbal. Shalice has so many options. At this point, all he can do is wait.

Her eyes flare, but she simply takes another drink of her wine. “So that’s it.”

“’That’s it’?”

“Everyone wondered why you didn’t attend the wedding. I think Justin even half-suspected those rumors about us might be true.”

“Well, that’s something anyway.” And the smile almost-- almost, but not quite-- reaches his eyes this time.

“We used to be laugh about that, you know.”

“’We’?”

“Monica and I. The tabloids used to have a field day every time you and I appeared together at a public function wearing civilian clothing. Surely you knew that?”

“Never had much time for reading papers.” He takes a drink of his beer for lack of anything more to say.

“I remember the first time I talked to her about it. I was going to assure her that nothing would ever happen between us. I was going to tell her your thoughts showed she was the only woman for you. She laughed when I brought it up.” She looks at him, then, and her eyes are damp. “She said she didn’t have to be a telepath to know that. She knew that you loved her, Marcus. She knew it with all her heart. I remember being amazed that someone could love someone so much.” The smile that comes to her lips softens her beautiful features and makes her eyes as young as the rest of her. “Now I know how she felt. That’s why I married, Justin, Marcus. Because I love him with all my heart.”

“I know.” That’s why he hadn’t said anything. You can’t tell someone not to follow their heart. He’d known that when he was just a man.

“Nothing is certain in life, Marcus. I may lose Justin like you lost Monica. I might see him die in battle. He has the same risks. Not even mortals have any guarantees about having a lifetime together. All I know is that life without Justin wouldn’t be worth living, no matter how long or short it was.”

“What about children?” It comes out as a whisper, and he can’t look at her as he says it.

“What about them?”

“Maybe you’ve made peace with watching Justin age and die while you remain the same, Shalice. Children are another story. Do you know how much it hurts me to see Alexis these days? She’s my daughter, my little girl, but every time we go out people think she’s my mother … or grandmother. I’m going to lose her just like I lost her mother. Do you have any idea what that does to a parent? To know that you’re going to outlive your child? It’s like a knife in your heart.”

“So you’d rather Alex had never been born, then?”

“No.” But he will never let it happen again.

“Marcus.” Shalice squeezes his hand, and he’s mildly surprised that he can’t remember the last time a woman has held his hand. “I know you just wanted to spare me. You’ve always wanted to save those you love from pain. That’s why you became Statesman. Why you didn’t become Recluse.”

And then Shalice slips away and is replaced by the implacable Sister Psyche once more. “At least not yet.”

Wow, "One Light" was amazing.

I just hope you're as kind to CK ...

[ QUOTE ]
I would like to say that as much sympathy as this story gave me, I immediately lost most of it when my blaster kept getting swarmed by Clockwork in Faultline and during a safeguard mission.
The whole time I kept thinking "Penelope! Call off your boyfriend!"

Also, this has left me with ideas for if the Clockwork King was able to re affix himself to new and better built body. I've spent at least an hour playing with the character generator to come up with something, ashamed there's no mono-eye option among the full helmet detail 2 selection.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL. Yeah, Penny really needs to have a long talk with CK ...

On a more serious note ...

My spin on it would be that CK's ramshackle body is a reflecton of his self image.

Or it could be that his madness keeps him from making a more perfect body ... or it might be that his powers only work on scrap metal and junk, essentially ... and that he wouldn't be able to animate a more refined form ...

I would like to see what you come up with, though. I did play around with the creator myself to try to see what CK as the Clockwork Kid would look like ...

[ QUOTE ]
As I recall, Blue Steel is tied to the Clockwork King's backstory. When the Clockwork first appeared, they were mostly just an amusing nuisance being directed by a young scruffy looking guy, until a police officer was killed trying to interfere with them. Blue Steel tracked the Clockwork King down after that and lost control, beating the Clockwork King so badly that Blue Steel was sure he'd killed the poor delusional kid. At some point in between Blue Steel reporting the incidence and backup arriving, some of the Clockworks apparently dragged their King's body off and fixed him up as the current Brain in a Jar on a Robot Chassis model he is today.

So when Back Alley Brawler was moved to Galaxy City, as far as I know that's the bit of game lore they raided for Blue Steel. I'm pretty sure he's an Ex-Cop now (possibly due to disciplinary action after he nearly killed the Clockwork King?), but still works closley with the PPD. He was also definitely a member of the Regulators with Back Alley Brawler. I'm not sure, but I think the two of them may be the only heroes from that team to survive the Rikti War? That would explain why BAB signed up with the Freedom Phalanx and Blue Steel is operating solo these days (as a Vindicators reservist by the look of it, since he pops up in Villain lore to save Aurora Borealis from Arachnos prisons in half the story arcs in Nerva).

Also, note that War Witch, Ravenstorm and Castle have the distinction of being Hero Zone Trainers without having Praetorian Dopplegangers, or appearing as enemy NPCs in any Villain content.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, if not for Blue Steel CK would be dancin' with Penelope Yin in Pocket D as we speak.

Nice. You go Willie!

The Bar has a name, but he’s just about the only one that remembers it. It’s been around even longer than he has. It has the best beer in Paragon.

Sean, the bartender greets him personally as he comes in. “Mistah Cole, it’s good t’see ya again.”

“It’s good to see you too, Sean.” It’s a lie. He was there at Sean’s christening. He was there when Sean returned home from the Vietnam War with the same haunted eyes he’d seen on his fellow Doughboys back in the trenches. In a few short years, he’ll be there at Sean’s funeral …

It seems like half his eternal life is spent attending the funerals of those he cares about.

No one else greets him or recognizes him. His face has been in the history books since their grandparents were children, but these days he can walk down the street without his mask on and not get a second glance. Statesman is a larger than life figure in red and blue, not a man of average height and build wearing a nondescript jacket and an old fashioned haircut.

“Sistah Psyche is waitin’ fer ya, Mistah Cole. I’ll bring ya a draft. Would ya be wantin’ somethin’ t’eat too?”

“The beer’ll be fine, Sean. I’m not very hungry.”

Sean leads him to the table and then hurries off to get the beer.

“Hello, Shalice.”

“Marcus.”

She’s nearly as old as he is, but her clothing and hair don’t seem out of style at all. No one recognizes her as the famous Sister Psyche. She could be just another young professional woman out on the town … a bit overdressed for The Bar, but very stylish nonetheless.

She’s drinking wine. She sips delicately as she looks at him.

He resists the urge to squirm. He’s the most famous hero in the world, not an errant schoolboy being brought before the principal. “How’s Justin? Is he all right?”

He knows that Manticore is fine, but he can’t stand the silence or the look in her eyes. Again, he resists the urge to twitch.

“He’s fine. He says thank you for the wine, by the way.”

“Your welcome.”

“Here ya are, Mistah Cole. Let me know if ya need anything.”

“I will, Sean. Thank you.”

He’s your friend, Marcus. It won’t hurt you to look at him when he talks to you.

Yes, yes it does. The candor surprises him.

Shalice takes another drink of her wine and just looks at him.

“Why, Shalice?” The question surprises even him when he asks it.

“Why what, Marcus?”

“Why did you do it? How could you marry Manticore? Knowing what I went through with Monica, how could you be so stupid as to marry a mortal?”

Just read your review, Mr. G. Thank you for the kind words.


And I'm working on it. Statesman takes a bit of work.

Well, I do have this story here ...


The Conscious of a King

I'm really hoping to see you tackle Faultline, myself.

What about Oranabega? Does it have a spirit of its own? If so, what has the corruption of its people done to it?

And the Ritki War Zone ... given the heavy preference of Ritki there now has it become partially Ritki?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The road to villainy in Paragon City seems to be paved with good intentions.

The Circle of Thorns. Vanessa DeVore. Heck, even Frostfire started out attempting to be a hero ...

And there are characters who have become villains through no fault of their own like Terra or A Titan Named Joe.

Is there any chance that future content-- I'm leaning towards a Task Force!-- might give heroes the chance to redeem one of these characters?

Or maybe someone else? Say ...someone whose name rhymes with Dockwork Ring?

[/ QUOTE ]

great idea, but I'd rather see a certain Riktified Hero get redeemed first.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd be fine with that too ... and I certainly don't expect us to be able to redeem EVERYONE ... I just want us to be able to save one of them ...

The road to villainy in Paragon City seems to be paved with good intentions.

The Circle of Thorns. Vanessa DeVore. Heck, even Frostfire started out attempting to be a hero ...

And there are characters who have become villains through no fault of their own like Terra or A Titan Named Joe.

Is there any chance that future content-- I'm leaning towards a Task Force!-- might give heroes the chance to redeem one of these characters?

Or maybe someone else? Say ...someone whose name rhymes with Dockwork Ring?

He hates moments like these.

The young heroes stand before him battered, weary, but triumphant. In spite of incredible odds, they have thwarted Lord Recluse’s latest scheme for world domination. They look to him to vindicate their pain, their suffering. They want him to tell them they have made a lasting difference in the world. He is Statesman, and they look to him for meaning.

He doesn’t tell them that within a matter of days Recluse will be free and as strong as ever, working on yet another scheme to destroy Paragon City and all those who oppose him. He doesn’t tell them it will never end. He doesn’t tell them these things because he is Statesman, and that is his burden to bear.

He praises their courage instead. He thanks them for their bravery. He salutes them for their dedication, their heroism. He tells them they are an example of the best and bravest that Paragon City has to offer. The words come easily to him because it is the truth.

He doesn’t tell them it never ends. He can’t. He is Statesman

He forces a smile for their sakes and salutes them as they leave him. They have won the day, and thanks to them countless people will live to see another dawn. They are true heroes, and he respects them for all that.

And he wonders which of them will die fighting the good fight. He thinks about those who will grow old and bitter, regretting a youth spent in a never-ending battle. He mourns those who will turn to the dark path and become the very things they have fought against this day.

He smiles, but it does not reach his eyes. He smiles and waves and thinks about how so very tired he is of living a lie …

Marcus.

Shalice? Is something wrong?

We need to talk, Marcus. Just the two of us.

He sighs. He might have known this moment was coming. Now is not really a good time.

I won’t be put off this time, Marcus. Recluse is down-- at least for the moment. It’s past time we had this talk. Meet me in King’s Row at The Bar.

Shalice-- He tries once more, but he knows he’s already lost this fight. Delaying the inevitable would only make it worse. I’ll be right there.

Pressing the concealed button on his helm that teleports him to the Freedom Phalanx Base while simultaneously activating the hard light hologram that will take his post while he’s gone, he finds himself grateful once more for Positron’s brilliant mind. Even a guy with the power of Zeus has to take an occasional bio break every once in a while, and the hologram would alert him if his presence was required.

As he puts on civilian clothing, he checks the computers to see if he’s needed. For once, though, all seems quiet in Paragon City.

It figures.

“Never an Archvillain around when you need one,” he mutters to himself as he heads for the King’s Row teleporter.

[i]Marcus, I’m waiting.[i]

“Believe it or not, Stefan, I think you’re the lucky one tonight.”

Nice to see the return of King!

Thanks, Azure. I think the best compliment a writer of fanfiction can get is when someone tells him that his work is done well enough to be worthy of offficial canon.

Mega, that's high praise from someone who wrote one of my favorite COH-based fics. As you may or may not remember, I'm a big fan of your "Faces of the City"story.

The only other story I have here is
Dark Genesis. It's the origin story of one of my favorite characters.

And wow, your story was VERY good.

Thanks, EL D.

That's high praise indeed.

Gosh.

Thank you.

You made my night.

Thanks for the kind words, all.

And Xalaqia, I do have the title I wanted.

I don't want to say much more than that, but yeah, I deliberately chose "Conscious" instead of "Conscience".

LOL.

I like it. It's very good.

If it makes you feel better, I had to take down CK with my stone tank in the level 41 Badge mission.

I felt bad about it. >.>

Thanks to everyone who offered feedback, and I'd love more.

Witness now the madness of a King.

He has eyes, but no tear ducts so he cannot cry. His voice is an electronic monotone that cannot be raised in rage anymore than it can drop to an agonized whisper. His soul may ache to run to leave his pain behind, but his mismatched metal limbs allow him no more than a pathetic shuffle. He can pound the walls or his own faithful Clockwork, but his mighty steel hands feel nothing. They cannot break or bleed or distract him from his inner torment by outer pain.

He is a brain in a bottle, riding a brass and steel parody of the human body.

Pathetic?

Perhaps.

Grotesque?

Without a doubt.

But he is also a man.

A man who can love and hate as passionately as any other person. A man who can lose his heart like countless others before him. A man who can long for companionship as deeply, as sincerely, as any other creature on the planet.

But a man who cannot have those things no matter how much he desires them. A man just sane enough to know how mad he is.

Penny is safe. Her father is safe. The heroes saved her. They will always save her. And she does not remember the PCM. She does not remember what I did for her. She does not remember me. But she is safe. That’s good. That’s good …

He knows he is mad, yes. He hopes that his memories of wearing human flesh and giving it up to save Penelope Yin are a fantasy born of that madness because he cannot bear to accept his life as it is if they are true. To have been a man-- to have held Penny in human arms just once-- that is either a dream to cherish or a nightmare to be forgotten as soon as possible. He cannot decide which.

“Penny is safe.” He hates the voice that utters those words. “She doesn’t need me.”

He is the mighty Clockwork King, ruler of a kingdom of metal. He is power incarnate. He is one of the fabled Archvillains of Paragon City.

He is a disembodied brain in a liquid filled bottle deprived of human senses, human pleasures, and sanity itself.

He is a monster.

“Monsters don’t get happy endings.”

He holds his hands up to his eyes. They are little more than a blur to his weak, all but useless orbs, but he knows they are there even if he can’t feel them either.

Strong hands. Powerful. Hands that can shatter marble, twist steel.

Hands that cannot bleed or feel. Hands that cannot be trusted to touch human flesh without doing horrendous damage to it. Hands devoid of coordination or fine motor control. Hands that cannot write or type or express anything but brute force.

A monster’s hands.

“Monsters don’t get happy endings, but they can end.”

He wants to just remove the jar, but after three attempts he realizes that his hands cannot get a good grip on the smooth glass.

I cannot even kill myself gracefully. Very well. If I must use brute force--

He balls his hands into fists and prepares to smash the jar …

CK?

His entire being seems to vibrate in response. Penny?

CK, I need your help. The Ritki kidnapped me. I can’t get away. Help me, CK. Please help me …

I will save you, Penny. I promise. I will always save you!

He lowers his hands regretfully. His pain will have to continue, for Penny has need of her CK.

Gathering his army, the Clockwork King shuffles once more to the rescue of his lady fair.

His precious Clockwork Princess.



The story of Penelope Yin and the Clockwork King is not yet finished, but its completion is not in my hands. Someday-- perhaps-- we will know what becomes of them, but I can do no more than leave you with this final thought:

Monsters may not get happy endings, but sometimes they are the most human of us all.

There’s nothing but the two of them.

There is no ground, but they’re not floating. They seem to be standing in the middle of a mist that makes Dark Astoria look like it’s bathed in sunshine. There is no cold, no warmth, no light, and no darkness. There’s nothing.

Yet.

Penelope Yin is holding one side of the PCM while he holds the other. She’s Penny again. Human. Whole. More beautiful, more precious, than anything else in the world.

“CK?” She’s unsure, staring at his human face. Her free hand reaches out and touches his face. “CK … I know you. But … this is really the first time I’ve ever seen you, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” He closes his eyes as he feels her fingers touch his face. So warm. Her fingers are so warm, so alive. He wants this moment to last forever, but he knows that even though time doesn’t pass here-- if “here” is the proper term-- it can’t last. He must do this before his will falters. “I used the PCM to alter time. To save you. To try to save myself.

“It didn’t work.”

“But you’re here-- you’re human!”

“Only for a little longer.”

“CK?” Her eyes widen in horror as she reads in his eyes what she can also sense in his thoughts. “You can’t! Don’t do this! Don’t do this for me!”

“The Clockwork Kid can’t save you. I’m not strong enough like this. The Lost will continue to come after you. It’s fated. Even the PCM doesn’t seem to be strong enough to change that. The Lost will keep coming after you, and they’ll take you-- unless the Clockwork King stops them.”

“I’ll help you! We can use the PCM together! We can change history!”

“I tried. It was wrong, Penny. You’re not meant to wind up as some kind of Lost monstrosity, but my fate is sealed.”

“No!”

“I tried to change history because you befriended me as the Clockwork King. We met after I became what I became. I knew that when I changed history. I knew I was really the Clockwork King. I knew that one of us has to be a monster. And because I tried to be human for you, the PCM made you the monster.”

“Even if that’s true, we know it now! We can use the PCM together! We can make it work, CK! I know we can!”

“No. You saw what happened to Overbrook when PsiCurse tried to use it to warp history. And his power is nothing compared to yours. Compared to mine. We might destroy the world. We might break time itself.” He smiles then, trying to burn the sensation into his memory. “I’m the Clockwork King, but part of me is now the Clockwork Kid too. The Archvillain would dare anything to be with you, Penny … the hero can’t take that risk.”

“CK, please.” She knows he’s right. He can see the sadness in her eyes.

“Penny. Penelope. We have this one moment in time because you’re touching the PCM too. It can’t restore time until you let go.”

“I won’t!”

“You will. You don’t have a choice. The entire world depends on it. Paragon City. Faultline and Fusionette. Your father. None of it will exist until the PCM restores reality to what it’s meant to be.”

“It’s not fair!”

“I got to see you, Penny. I got to touch you. It’s more than I ever dreamed would be possible. For me, this is heaven.”

“CK--”

“Don’t cry, Penny. It’s okay. This was meant to be.” He touches her face, brushing away her tears. Let me remember this. When the madness and the metal return, let me remember what it feels like to hold her. To have her look at me without disgust. Please, God. Let me remember what it’s like to be a man when I’m no longer human.

“CK, I won’t let it end like this. I’ll find a way to save you. I swear I’ll save you!”

“Penny, you already have. Don’t you know that?” He smiles at her. “I owe you so much for what you have done for me. You treated a monster like a man.”

“You’re not a monster!”

“Oh, but I am. But it’s all right.” Monsters don’t get happy endings, Penny. “It’s time, Penny. Let go.”

“Ck--”

“I love you, Penelope Yin. I will love you all the days of my life. And I know you don’t love me. I know you can’t.” A whisper. “Let go, Penny. Please.”

And she hugs him then. She hugs him fiercely, as though she’s never going to let him go. Both her arms go around his neck. He can feel her hot tears burning on his neck.

The PCM dangles freely in his grip. She’s let go.

Now it’s time for him to do the same.

He buries his face in her hair. “Goodbye, Penny. Goodbye, my love.”

And history changes once more.

Faultline and Fusionette think that it’s the psychic bond between them that leads him unerringly towards Penny. They don’t know that he’s walked this path before.

The enemies are the same ones he faced as the Clockwork King, but he is not. As the King, they were insignificant obstacles in his way. Metal hands could slap them away like insects. Concentrated thought could hurl them aside like leaves. Countless Clockwork could blast them with fierce bolts of electricity.

But he is no longer the Clockwork King.

The Clockwork Kid is an admired young hero, sidekick to Blue Steel himself. He can form four Clockwork minions. His psionic blasts can stun a man, and-- eventually-- defeat them. Sister Psyche tells him that when his powers mature he will be the most powerful psychic she’s ever trained.

But it’s not enough.

The monster could not be stopped.

The man-- the hero-- has to fight for every inch of progress. And without the help of Penny’s friends-- his friends-- he could not do it at all.

It galls him to realize that the monster is a better protector of Penny than the man can ever hope to be.

In the end, though, they make it.

And as he expected, Penny has once more been transformed by the Lost into one of their own. Now that he knows what to expect, he can feel echoes of her true personality in her thoughts … he can see the grace that not even the Lost’s mutation cannot destroy. He knows that he can change this-- that he has to change this-- but it’s still a knife in his heart to see her so transformed.

How many times? How many times can I change this? Will Penny always wind up like this no matter what I do? Must one of us always be a monster?

“Where’s Penny?!” Fusionette screams at the Lost “monster”.

“Penelope Yin is gone.”

“No!”

“’Nette--” He doesn’t have time to say much more than that before Fusionette and Faultline charge towards the altered Penny. He’s not surprised by that; he’s also not surprised by the Psychic Wail that sends his two allies tumbling into temporary oblivion.

“The PCM is mine, Clockwork Kid.”

“I know it is, Penny.”

“I am not Penny. Penny is Lost forever now.”

“No, no she’s not. Penelope Yin is standing right in front of me. Altered-- changed-- but not Lost. The girl who found me in my torment and madness is too strong to be Lost like this.”

“I don’t know-- what -- you’re talking-- about?”

“Yes you do, Penny.”

“I’ll destroy you, Clockwork Kid!”

“King, Penny. I’m the Clockwork King. I wanted to deny it. I wanted to change it. But that’s who I am. Who I’m meant to be. I am the Clockwork King!”

“Clockwork King? CK …?” The thing that had been Penelope Yin is confused, now. He knows that it won’t last long. He has to make it count.

“Yes. It’s me, Penny. Your CK. Let me fix this, Penny. Let me fix you. Let me fix time.”

“Fix me. Fix you. Fix time …” It-- she-- stares at him, lost in memory. “CK … You came to save me …”

“I’ll always come to save you, Penny.” He takes off the heavy metal gauntlets that protect his hands and extends them to her. “Let me help you, Penny.”

“Help me, CK. Help-- no!” A blast of pure thought strikes him, sending searing pain through his skull like wildfire. “Penelope Yin is gone!”

“Not while I’m alive!” The pain would have sent another man down to darkness or worse, but he’s not just any man. In his own way, he had been Lost a long time ago … but Penny had found him, she had brought him back from madness and isolation. She had made him a man again.

And for her, he is willing to let go of everything she gave him.

He leaps at the Lost thing that has usurped Penny’s body and soul, fully aware that it has the physical and mental strength to tear him apart, literally and figuratively.

He doesn’t care.

A life without Penny is no life at all.

The Lost howls as it sends forth a blast of pure psionic rage at him.

But just then his fingers brush again the PsychoChronoMetron.

And history … twitches.