Section One: Rumor, conjecture and the scientific method
Location: Kings Row
Basis of Investigation: Rumors of a giant Clockwork being routinely built near King's Row Industrial areas.
Section Summary: For many days now I have been paying particular attention to the mechanized entities known as the Clockwork. The idea that their King was touched with madness in spite of it's logical and technical capability was a paradox to me. Even now some of the brightest minds in Paragon City cannot fully understand how or why the Clockworks are able to achieve so much with so little. Garbage scroungers, trash-heap pickers, are what the human and super-human populace routinely call them. These and many other pejorative names.
Yet while the city goes about it's day to day affairs, while the Outcasts threaten local shops and citizens or while the Vahzilok commit acts of atrocity for insanity's sake, the Clockwork army maintains a quiet but steady flow of labor. They work from the rooftops, next to garbage bins, under powerlines and in the back alleys of King's Row, constantly reforming themselves after every superhero attack thins their numbers daily.
As I stood on the top of a building near the Industrial area while contemplating these same thoughts, I silently asked myself..."Why? To what end? Why do the clockworks in Kings Row particularly use thier numbers and persistance to perform seemingly mindless acts?" I decided to find out.
First I checked the local library computer database and the local newspaper archive offices. As I scanned the microfiche or searched the world wide web a continuing theme echoed in every eyewitness account. The Clockworks had and were continuing to build super-mechas. Mechanical creations that could destroy the most powerful hero if they were caught unawares. The name "Paladin" was a commonly referenced nomenclature for the thing.
In one newspaper clipping I found, the author stated that the clockworks would attack anyone who tried to stop them from performing their work and that when superheroes intervened, it would take many minutes of hard presssed fighting while staving off the waves and waves of clockwork soldiers in order to prevent Paladin from rising. Another article surmised that the Paladin creation could occur at any time. It's fickle masters , led by the madness of the King could never be anticipated or studied.
At or about 18:02 hrs on this date I passed by an unusual occurence. A line of clockworks standing in a military formation by an electrical tower not far from the K.R . refinery.
My curiosity was piqued. Why stand in formation? What were they waiting for? 2 minutes later a local hero came and obliterated every clockwork in sight. Of note however was that the junkpile featured prominently nearby disappeared at the same time the clockworks were dispatched.
Taking on an opportunity for study I relaxed my combat vigliance subroutines and waited patiently to see what would happen.
Not long after a friendly (security level 50) heroine named Enfluxia asked me for information on what i was doing there (I was more than happy to provide it) The story intruiged her so that she decided to join and study the clockwork activity there as well.
On or about 18:21 hrs the Clockworks executed (what was in a very short time) a redeployment of stronger clockwork forces in the local area of study.
The Clockworks seemed to be communicating to one another in some way or fashion. As night came and went I tried sending out various forms of wave energy, radio frequencies (both in high-noise and low-noise bandwidths) as well as electromagnetic surges in order to signal the clockworks into beginning the work of construction.
The Clockworks produced a negative reply to the stimuli. They did however rip their own heads off and let their mysterious energy vacate into the atmosphere. (Note: or perhaps a transponder system inside the main housing sent signals out to other clockwork drones and workers. The data is inconclusive)
Another hero named Punchu came and various theories were discussed among the team as we each spread out to oversee, and protect if neccessary the clockwork drones gathered in the three major power generating facilities open to the elements.
Did something need to occur at all three sites for the clockwork to initate their construction phase of paladin? Was it something that needed to be done from the human standpoint or was it all pure coincidence and random? Dissention on the team led some to believe that our hopes in seeing Paladin emerge were vain.
However my observations and logical conclusions served as a bulwark against the doubts and misconceptions arrayed before us. If these clockworks could be trusted to build bigger and better versions of themselves, Dukes and Princes of their race...
then why not ..if given enough time, energy and resources, uncompromised by the struggling new heroes in the area seeking glory and fortune, then why not would they seek to create the ultimate Paladin clockwork?
Section Two: Epiphany and definitive result
After some time (on or about 19:35) Enfluxia made a profound discovery. When she left the area of clockwork activity and returned after scouting ahead for one quarter of a mile, the clockworks had both changed their position, number and type. The facts both clear and agreed upon were as follows:
1: More Clockworks had appeared. Almost DOUBLE their previous number were now present in the area.
2: The clockworks now numbered two squads in two seperate but local locations. (NW and NE of the tower respectively)
3: This event occured in less than a minute, almost instantaneously coinciding with the local hero's departure and return.
This led to the theory that if the three heroes in the team took turns leaving and returning to our established survillance areas that we may find changes in clockwork activity scale and scope. We did so and found immediate results.
At 19:47 hrs as Punchu left his surveillance zone (to return shortly thereafter) he spotted a giant construction site visible from up to a half mile away formed on one of the three major power locations in Kings Row. Various piles of clockwork junk could be seen strewn about the location as well as a veritable army of clockworkers and drones patrolling the concrete.
Section Three: The end of Research, The start of Battle
As we arrived on the scene the air seemed to crackle with anticipation. Until now the clockworks had been indifferent to our observations or dubious at least. Yet now we were seen by them as interlopers and outsiders, privy somehow to the collective achivement of their short and secular lives.
At 19:56 hrs one Clockwork challenged our right to be present and without provocation began a huge battle with us in earnest . Shouts and geared noises surrounded the area from all sides. Enraged that we had dared to destroy what they had sought so desperately to build, they came upon us en-masse. Wave upon wave of clockwork warriors tried to wipe us from existance.
As we fought on, it was clear to us the clockworks were losing ground. However a cry from one of the drones rang out to other clockwork legions near and far saying: "Save the construction! Destroy the heroes!" From then on the conflict turned from a serious offensive into an unstoppable onslaught of metal and gears. But the forces of Paragon were not done yet either. More heroes responded to the call of local TV news and anchor reports concerning the trouble brewing in Kings Row. Before time could inch past a few more seconds, hosts of Paragon City's finest super forces flew, teleported and jumped excitedly into the fray.
Not to be outdone by mere "flesh-skinned" heroes, the clockworks doubled, trippled and redoubled their efforts. Every time a construction site was destroyed another rose to take it's place. Moving at incredible and super-speed the clockworks managed to keep up with the wholesale devastation the superheroes brought to bear. Kept up and almost surpassed them...
And yet the struggle endured on. While in fact only 10 or 15 minutes included the whole scope and breadth of the battle, like so many times before, the perspective of many fighting there was was one of years and decades.
Then at 20:10 hrs the final blow shook the last of the construction. With a great *BOOM* tons of wooden infastructure, metal and clockwork casings fell and broke apart on the cold and unforgiving earth. Heroes from all walks of life gathered there howled, danced and sang in joyful victory. Each had received their recognition and badge from the city as a "Knight Errant". Each has seen the rare and elusive Paladin destroyed before it became a major threat to the local way of life.Our team in particular, Enfluxia, Punchu and myself, had met with our objectives and now departed ways. We left satisfied in the knowledge that it was our collective efforts that helped make this event a reality..
MISSION EPILOGUE:
In the end it's hard to say with conclusive certainty what was fact and what was subjective opinion regarding the clockwork "Paladin". My own databanks have now recorded every second of it's appearence, defense and subsequent downfall. But the questions still remain. What was it exactly that triggered the construction? Was there a set time for it to occur? Can such conditions be reproduced and if so..how?
I believe that in general my theories were correct. That given enough time and energy, any being, however small, rusty or dirt-filled can dream of attaining the greatest heights and achieve them. That any clockwork could one day hope add to the legacy of those who came before them by penning their own chapters into the ongoing saga of their unique and puzzling existances.
Here at the end of my report I can only say two things with absolute certainty:
1: I will always engage and destroy any clockwork that seeks to harm me or any of the innocents placed under my charge.
2: I will *also* always remember and admire the Clockwork will to fight, defend and "die" for what they believed in...
On this fateful day In Kings Row, I remain...
Agent: Black Omicron
(SG:Wyldfire )
(Virtue Server)
Investigative Report: The Clockwork Paladin
Section One: Rumor, conjecture and the scientific method
Location: Kings Row
Basis of Investigation: Rumors of a giant Clockwork being routinely built near King's Row Industrial areas.
Section Summary: For many days now I have been paying particular attention to the mechanized entities known as the Clockwork. The idea that their King was touched with madness in spite of it's logical and technical capability was a paradox to me. Even now some of the brightest minds in Paragon City cannot fully understand how or why the Clockworks are able to achieve so much with so little. Garbage scroungers, trash-heap pickers, are what the human and super-human populace routinely call them. These and many other pejorative names.
Yet while the city goes about it's day to day affairs, while the Outcasts threaten local shops and citizens or while the Vahzilok commit acts of atrocity for insanity's sake, the Clockwork army maintains a quiet but steady flow of labor. They work from the rooftops, next to garbage bins, under powerlines and in the back alleys of King's Row, constantly reforming themselves after every superhero attack thins their numbers daily.
As I stood on the top of a building near the Industrial area while contemplating these same thoughts, I silently asked myself..."Why? To what end? Why do the clockworks in Kings Row particularly use thier numbers and persistance to perform seemingly mindless acts?" I decided to find out.
First I checked the local library computer database and the local newspaper archive offices. As I scanned the microfiche or searched the world wide web a continuing theme echoed in every eyewitness account. The Clockworks had and were continuing to build super-mechas. Mechanical creations that could destroy the most powerful hero if they were caught unawares. The name "Paladin" was a commonly referenced nomenclature for the thing.
In one newspaper clipping I found, the author stated that the clockworks would attack anyone who tried to stop them from performing their work and that when superheroes intervened, it would take many minutes of hard presssed fighting while staving off the waves and waves of clockwork soldiers in order to prevent Paladin from rising. Another article surmised that the Paladin creation could occur at any time. It's fickle masters , led by the madness of the King could never be anticipated or studied.
At or about 18:02 hrs on this date I passed by an unusual occurence. A line of clockworks standing in a military formation by an electrical tower not far from the K.R . refinery.
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/2642/irbc10an.jpg
My curiosity was piqued. Why stand in formation? What were they waiting for? 2 minutes later a local hero came and obliterated every clockwork in sight. Of note however was that the junkpile featured prominently nearby disappeared at the same time the clockworks were dispatched.
Taking on an opportunity for study I relaxed my combat vigliance subroutines and waited patiently to see what would happen.
Not long after a friendly (security level 50) heroine named Enfluxia asked me for information on what i was doing there (I was more than happy to provide it) The story intruiged her so that she decided to join and study the clockwork activity there as well.
On or about 18:21 hrs the Clockworks executed (what was in a very short time) a redeployment of stronger clockwork forces in the local area of study.
http://img427.imageshack.us/img427/6811/ir28bg.jpg
The Clockworks seemed to be communicating to one another in some way or fashion. As night came and went I tried sending out various forms of wave energy, radio frequencies (both in high-noise and low-noise bandwidths) as well as electromagnetic surges in order to signal the clockworks into beginning the work of construction.
The Clockworks produced a negative reply to the stimuli. They did however rip their own heads off and let their mysterious energy vacate into the atmosphere. (Note: or perhaps a transponder system inside the main housing sent signals out to other clockwork drones and workers. The data is inconclusive)
http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/5304/ir34el.jpg
Another hero named Punchu came and various theories were discussed among the team as we each spread out to oversee, and protect if neccessary the clockwork drones gathered in the three major power generating facilities open to the elements.
Did something need to occur at all three sites for the clockwork to initate their construction phase of paladin? Was it something that needed to be done from the human standpoint or was it all pure coincidence and random? Dissention on the team led some to believe that our hopes in seeing Paladin emerge were vain.
However my observations and logical conclusions served as a bulwark against the doubts and misconceptions arrayed before us. If these clockworks could be trusted to build bigger and better versions of themselves, Dukes and Princes of their race...
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/1916/ir42qh.jpg
then why not ..if given enough time, energy and resources, uncompromised by the struggling new heroes in the area seeking glory and fortune, then why not would they seek to create the ultimate Paladin clockwork?
Section Two: Epiphany and definitive result
After some time (on or about 19:35) Enfluxia made a profound discovery. When she left the area of clockwork activity and returned after scouting ahead for one quarter of a mile, the clockworks had both changed their position, number and type. The facts both clear and agreed upon were as follows:
1: More Clockworks had appeared. Almost DOUBLE their previous number were now present in the area.
2: The clockworks now numbered two squads in two seperate but local locations. (NW and NE of the tower respectively)
3: This event occured in less than a minute, almost instantaneously coinciding with the local hero's departure and return.
This led to the theory that if the three heroes in the team took turns leaving and returning to our established survillance areas that we may find changes in clockwork activity scale and scope. We did so and found immediate results.
At 19:47 hrs as Punchu left his surveillance zone (to return shortly thereafter) he spotted a giant construction site visible from up to a half mile away formed on one of the three major power locations in Kings Row. Various piles of clockwork junk could be seen strewn about the location as well as a veritable army of clockworkers and drones patrolling the concrete.
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/7106/ir54yg.jpg
Section Three: The end of Research, The start of Battle
As we arrived on the scene the air seemed to crackle with anticipation. Until now the clockworks had been indifferent to our observations or dubious at least. Yet now we were seen by them as interlopers and outsiders, privy somehow to the collective achivement of their short and secular lives.
At 19:56 hrs one Clockwork challenged our right to be present and without provocation began a huge battle with us in earnest . Shouts and geared noises surrounded the area from all sides. Enraged that we had dared to destroy what they had sought so desperately to build, they came upon us en-masse. Wave upon wave of clockwork warriors tried to wipe us from existance.
As we fought on, it was clear to us the clockworks were losing ground. However a cry from one of the drones rang out to other clockwork legions near and far saying: "Save the construction! Destroy the heroes!" From then on the conflict turned from a serious offensive into an unstoppable onslaught of metal and gears. But the forces of Paragon were not done yet either. More heroes responded to the call of local TV news and anchor reports concerning the trouble brewing in Kings Row. Before time could inch past a few more seconds, hosts of Paragon City's finest super forces flew, teleported and jumped excitedly into the fray.
Not to be outdone by mere "flesh-skinned" heroes, the clockworks doubled, trippled and redoubled their efforts. Every time a construction site was destroyed another rose to take it's place. Moving at incredible and super-speed the clockworks managed to keep up with the wholesale devastation the superheroes brought to bear. Kept up and almost surpassed them...
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/5869/ir63kn.jpg
And yet the struggle endured on. While in fact only 10 or 15 minutes included the whole scope and breadth of the battle, like so many times before, the perspective of many fighting there was was one of years and decades.
Then at 20:10 hrs the final blow shook the last of the construction. With a great *BOOM* tons of wooden infastructure, metal and clockwork casings fell and broke apart on the cold and unforgiving earth. Heroes from all walks of life gathered there howled, danced and sang in joyful victory. Each had received their recognition and badge from the city as a "Knight Errant". Each has seen the rare and elusive Paladin destroyed before it became a major threat to the local way of life.Our team in particular, Enfluxia, Punchu and myself, had met with our objectives and now departed ways. We left satisfied in the knowledge that it was our collective efforts that helped make this event a reality..
MISSION EPILOGUE:
In the end it's hard to say with conclusive certainty what was fact and what was subjective opinion regarding the clockwork "Paladin". My own databanks have now recorded every second of it's appearence, defense and subsequent downfall. But the questions still remain. What was it exactly that triggered the construction? Was there a set time for it to occur? Can such conditions be reproduced and if so..how?
I believe that in general my theories were correct. That given enough time and energy, any being, however small, rusty or dirt-filled can dream of attaining the greatest heights and achieve them. That any clockwork could one day hope add to the legacy of those who came before them by penning their own chapters into the ongoing saga of their unique and puzzling existances.
Here at the end of my report I can only say two things with absolute certainty:
1: I will always engage and destroy any clockwork that seeks to harm me or any of the innocents placed under my charge.
2: I will *also* always remember and admire the Clockwork will to fight, defend and "die" for what they believed in...
On this fateful day In Kings Row, I remain...
Agent: Black Omicron
(SG:Wyldfire )
(Virtue Server)