The upward force of launching the two of them into the air weighed hard on Orion, and his leg, despite being in a pretty solid cast, ached a little. He tried not to think about it, and instead focused on the mission ahead: planting a bomb in the middle of a building in the middle of a populated area, and making sure that said population was safe.

The Clockwork apparently knew where they were headed, because Orion did not. They flew low, but still above the tallest buildings in the Housing District, towards the rising sun on the east.

As they approached and he saw the building they were targeting, he was beginning to have doubts all over again. Doubts they could keep everyone safe. Doubts about actually going inside the building. Doubts about the mission as a whole.

It was a ten-story radio station building. The very one he’d been listening to on the morning of the unveiling of the Clockwork.

There were plenty of armed men stationed outside the building. He wasn’t sure what they had repurposed it into, but his best guess was that the bulk of the communications around Carmsborough that Syndra was sending were based out of this very spot. A control hub of sorts.

A few of the men on the ground pointed them out, and the game was on. Bullets were already flying before they’d even started their descent. The Clockwork apparently decided against going down to deal with them, because he hovered somewhere near the middle of the building above an egress window. Orion carefully climbed down, landing a little harder than he would have liked, but approached the window. The Clockwork smashed it in, allowing him access inside.

The current floor was completely dark, aside from a few lights that didn’t seem to have switches. He reached through the window and back over to the Clockwork, opened his storage compartment, and grabbed out the bomb he was supposed to place in the middle of the building.

He carefully trudged across the floor of the building and placed it in what seemed like the center, counting how long it took him to get there. It wasn’t perfectly square, so there was a little bit of trying to guess, but in the end, he found a suitable spot.

Thirty seconds from this spot to the window. He hoped that was enough time.

Then, as he had been instructed, he flipped a lever on the top, which revealed a red button, and after waiting a beat, pressed it. The first of twenty beeps sounded off, and a digital clock appeared displaying that number. Twenty seconds to get out and back onto the Clockwork.

He wasted no time trying to make it back before the bomb went off. With fifteen seconds left, he had made it a third of the way, but his leg was on fire. As long as he didn’t cause any genuine damage to his leg, he wasn’t going to worry about it for the moment. Keeping his life took precedence over his leg.

Ten seconds. Two-thirds of the way there. He was going to make it to the window, but hopefully the actual mounting and flying away didn’t take too long.

At fifteen seconds, he latched onto the Clockwork with one arm and his good leg, and then got the last two limbs on. The Clockwork zoomed forward a bit, nearly touching the building on the other side, and turned as the radio station exploded in a large fireball.

The damage was extensive, but true to Ike’s word, hadn’t gone much further than the building itself. Nearly five of the ten stories had been decimated, which meant that the top two that hadn’t been touched fell gracelessly to the three still intact below, causing a wave of dust and debris that flooded the street. The men on the ground were coughing and yelling, but Orion and the Clockwork didn’t stick around long enough to see it through.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The rest of the street, aside from the debris, was safe, and so they were on to the next stage of their mission: drawing Syndra out. Orion had spent around an hour the previous night trying to decide the best way to do it, and ultimately settled on the ultimate location: the same place where it had all started, the town square outside of the capitol building.

It was only partially populated, and half of the group in it were Syndra goons. He and the Clockwork set down gently on the bricks, and all eyes were on them.

“Hands in the air!” one man yelled shakily, as the rest of Syndra’s men pushed the civilians back and out of the square. “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!”

“I think we both know you won’t do anything to the Clockwork,” Orion said. Still, the man stood his ground, gun pointed.

Once the civilian population had been pushed back, so did most of the other men. None of them had actually opened fire yet, which meant good news for his plan, but it was still a tense showdown he found he did not want to be a part of.

It didn’t take long to see exactly why they were all waiting. A limousine could be seen heading their way from the capitol building, and it took its sweet time making the trip.

This had to have been Syndra. Orion was sure of it.

After a few minutes, the limo arrived at the square. Four armed men stepped out first, guns pointed, and carefully opened one final door. Sure enough, Syndra stepped out, a smile on his face.

“If it isn’t the boy that has caused me an immense amount of trouble,” he said, stepping closer than Orion figured he would. “And the Clockwork he stole from me.”

“We both know the Clockwork was never going to be yours,” Orion said.

“Sure, but I needed the technology, and I still was never given access. And that’s your fault as much as it is the Gearmaster’s. You see, child, you’re the only thing standing in between me and saving all of Carmsborough and the rest of the world.”

“We’ve graduated from just Europe? I’m the only thing standing between war with Europe and the destruction of our country.”

“That’s patently untrue, child. We are at the cusp of another world war, and it won’t be my fault. There are whispers, young man. Our pre-modern nation isn’t anywhere near as caught up as we need to be. And I wish that was all, but it isn’t.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“War, child! A multi-world war! Not between nations, but between planets! Between realities! We are coming dangerously close to the end of our world, and we need powerful leadership who will do what it takes to save us!”

“You’re delusional. The two biggest threats to the world are you and the Nazis.”

“You’re not understanding. Yes, the Nazis are a big problem, but that would be a small, easy-to-solve issue. Especially with the Clockwork. But we must save all of humanity from what is coming.”

“You’ve committed atrocities! You’ve killed people! Displaced them! Is your plan to remove everyone from Carmsborough so you can have it for yourself?”

“Humanity must adapt, child. And the first place we can do that is here, in Carmsborough. There is change underneath the surface of our country, and I am the only one willing to make sure we get there.”

“I hope you know you’re not making any sense. At all. And that’s exactly why I need to get you out of your power-hungry position. You’re a danger to all of us.”

“I’m the only one keeping us from danger. And with the Syndra Stone and the Clockwork, I will be able to completely eradicate the danger.”

“Ah, yes, the Syndra Stone. Not only are you insane, but incredibly narcissistic. Naming it after yourself.”

“I really didn’t, actually. We found it years after I formed my company, Syndra Co. The logo was already emblazoned on it.”

“That doesn’t excuse the things you’ve done, or the things you’re trying to do. You’re a menace, and there will be no more discussion. You’re finished, Syndra.”

“Oh, yeah? You’re not the only one stalling for time, kid.”

A whistling sound filled the air, and a moment later, standing in front of Syndra, was another Clockwork. It was slightly taller, slightly wider, and a lot angrier.

The Clockwork 2.0.