Orion strolled peacefully to the market stand and placed down the evening’s haul: a bouquet, a loaf of bread, and the morning’s newspaper. In a smaller section of the visible side of the newspaper, a section titled “EARTHQUAKE CAME FROM DOVI MOUNTAIN?” stood out, along with a picture of some of the destruction in town. The man looked down at him, his face somewhere between pleased and confused.

“Doesn’t your old man come in the morning?”

“Oh, come on, Terrence. It’s a celebration tonight.”

“It’s been a celebration the past couple of nights, Orion. I’m not turning down the business, but I am worried about the three of you spending too much on celebrating.”

“Don’t you worry about me, sir.” He spread the newspaper open to see his face on the front, with the Clockwork in the background. The header said “THE CLOCKWORK BOY: A VIGILANTE HERO.”

“If you gave me an hour, I could come up with something more flattering than ‘The Clockwork Boy.’”

“Yeah, I hope that’s one that doesn’t stick. Thanks, Terrence.”

“No problem, Orion. Say hi to your dad for me.”

With the haul in hand, Orion turned to the outskirt of the market, where Rami was waiting patiently. The flowers and bread were offloaded to him, and they held hands, walking back to Orion’s house.

“Roses?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. Do you like flowers?”

“Well, I certainly don’t hate them. They are sort of beautiful.”

“But?”

“But also really basic.”

“Oh, come on.”

“No! I really do love them! You’ll figure it out, eventually.”

“Or you could just tell me.”

“But where’s the fun in that?”

They climb the stairs and enter the apartment, where Dad and Sam were already in pajamas and gearing up for bed.

“Well?” Dad asked.

“A little basic,” Orion replied.

“Oh, come on.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Okay, okay,” Rami said, smiling.

“That’s gonna have to be the last of that for now,” Dad said, getting up to move to the kitchen table. “I don’t enjoy worrying you about it at all, but we’re back to square one on having enough money to make ends meet. Plus, you’re out of a job, and now we have another mouth to feed.”

“I really don’t want to be a burden to you, sir,” Rami said. “If you need me to go back, I can—”

“Absolutely not what I was saying at all. I would much rather you be here than wherever your parents would put you. We’ve just got to sit down and talk about the plans for the immediate future.”

“I can go hunting around for a job again,” Orion said. “There’s gotta be something close by that will hire the most popular name in Carmsborough right now.”

“True,” Rami said, “or you could ask the president for money.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“What do you mean?”

“You saved his life and his job and stuff like that. The least he could do is repay you by literally paying you.”

“Unless something drastic happens, the last thing I want to do is sell out. There are morals to uphold here.”

“Well, hate to say it, kiddo, but I think Rami’s right. No harm in getting paid for the job you did.”

“Sure, but that’s a one-off thing. That’s far from a permanent solution. Unless someone’s offering us a million wings, we’re not getting anywhere that way. We might as well be scrapping for change on the side of the road.”

The Clockwork, which for the whole time they’d been home had been completely dormant, perked up at that moment. It startled the three of them, but they turned to see what he was doing. He lifted one of his heavy arms towards the door. Less than five seconds later, there was a knock.

“I got it,” Orion said, already on the move. He braced himself for anything. With this publicity, it was a matter of time before a crazy fan or even crazier enemy found their way to the apartment.

Instead, a man who looked younger than Orion and was dressed in official-looking garb stood at the doorway, carrying a suitcase with the United Nations symbol on it. He adjusted his tie and reached out his hand.

“Hallo, Orion,” the man, overtly German, said. “Or should I say, ‘The Clockwork Boy.’”

“Man, I really don’t want that one to stick. How can I help you, sir?”

“I am an official spokesperson for the New German embassy for the United Nations here in Carmsborough, and I wanted to discuss something we believe you got your hands on when taking down Syndra and his militia. It was a stone of sorts.”

“What about it?”

“That stone has a very large capacity for good. We do not know the full capacity yet, but to put it simply, we believe it has the ability to power all of Europe with free, unlimited energy.”

“Who’s we?”

“Well, the science team for New Germany’s United Nations department, but ‘we’ as in ‘me and them,’ if that makes sense.”

“You’re sure it would have that power?”

“Like I said, we do not know specifics. Only that it has that potential. We have an offer for it if you would like to hear it?”

“Yeah, sure, I guess.”

“The government of New Germany is prepared to pay you over seven million wings for that stone. We also intend to provide you regular updates with the progress on unearthing its power, as well as providing access to this power to Carmsborough.”

“Is it alright if I talk this over real quick with the others?” Orion points back to Rami and his dad, who have their mouths open in shock.

“Of course.” The man smiles. It seems genuine.

Orion turned back to talk to his dad and Rami. “Seven million wings? That can’t be real.”

“We could buy a house and still have enough money for me to never work again,” his dad said.

“And we’re helping all of Europe,” Rami said. “If you don’t do this, you’re insane.”

Orion walked back over to the man, who was waiting patiently. Something about it all seemed off. Maybe it was the way the man smiled. Or the language he used. Or that the Clockwork was still intently watching the two of them.

The feeling was nagging, and yet, Orion went over to the Clockwork and retrieved the stone. “You have a deal, sir.”

The man opened his suitcase and revealed a check for 7.5 million wings, officially signed by the chancellor of New Germany. They made the exchange, and yet, even with the stone officially traded away, something was still nagging him.

“This is very exciting, Mr. Muldane. We will be sure to keep you updated. You should expect a letter semi-regularly about the progress of the research. It was a pleasure doing business with you, Orion.”

With that, the man tipped his hat and walked down the stairs, disappearing into the stairwell. Orion slowly closed the door and turned back to face the rest of the household, now that Sam had come back out to see what all the fuss was about.

“I have a gnawing feeling in my stomach that I just did the wrong thing,” Orion said.

“You also have a seven million wing check that says it felt so right,” Rami said, breaking the bread they’d just bought moments earlier. “After all you’ve been through, I think maybe you can finally relax and celebrate.”

Maybe Rami was right. Maybe it was finally time to celebrate.

Dad, all too excited now that there would never be financial worry again, reached into a cupboard and pulled out an old, expensive-looking wine. “Your mom and I bought this on our honeymoon,” he said, holding it carefully with both hands while reading the label. “Said we’d save it for a special day. But no day seemed special enough until it was too late.”

He grabbed a corkscrew from a drawer and popped open the wine. It hissed and foamed a little, but he kept it contained. “Until now. She would be so proud of you, Orion.”

“I know.”

The dad poured four cups, one with a fraction of what the others had, and dished them out accordingly, with Sam getting the least in hers. “To Orion, the Clockwork Boy. No, the Carmsborough Vigilante.”

“To the Carmsborough Vigilante,” Rami repeats, raising his glass.

“I’m not repeating that,” Sam says, gulping hers down. Their dad laughs and takes a drink of his own.

The Carmsborough Vigilante. For the first time in what felt like a year, Orion smiled, the weight of the world no longer bearing down on him.