Hello. This seemed to be liked, so I'm putting up another one. This'll be either two or three parts, about Danny and Clockwork's first meetings, between the Ultimate Enemy and Masters of All Time. I always thought that it was strange that Danny went right to Clockwork with the ecto-acne problem. I mean, time travel to solve the issue is good out of the box thinking, but it didn't feel like Danny and Clockwork were at a point in their relationship where Danny could ask him for help like that and expect to be helped at the end of TUE. Danny barely knew Clockwork. So this is what I think might have happened in-between.
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Meetings Part 1
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The first time Danny met Clockwork, he was terrified. Clockwork was far, far more powerful than any ghost Danny had ever faced before, with the possible exception of Pariah Dark, and Clockwork had sent not one, but two powerful ghosts from the future after him. Three, if you counted SkulkTech as two ghosts.
They had called Danny evil. More than that, they had believed that he was evil. The ghosts Danny fought often hated him, but they had never called him evil. Ironically, only the humans he protected ever went that far.
Then, the images on those screens... He had gone into hardcore denial mode at once.
He desperately wished that Sam and Tucker hadn't come with him. This was way too dangerous for them to be involved.
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The second time Danny met Clockwork, it was a relief. Seeing the older ghost there, his friends, his family, and teacher, alive, seeing them safe, sparked within him a gratitude so deep, so intense, it was painful. Clockwork could have told Danny anything in that moment, and he would have believed it. Could have asked him to do almost anything, and he would have done it.
If Clockwork had said he was still going to become... that... Danny would have killed himself, then and there. If Clockwork had told him that in return for the lives of his family and friends, Danny would have to serve him, forever, Danny would have done just that.
But Clockwork didn't. Instead, the Master of Time had given him a few words of encouragement, and helped him again, dropping him off before the CAT test even began.
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The third time Danny met Clockwork, it was on purpose. He owed Clockwork. He owed Clockwork massively, owed him a debt that was so impossibly heavy that he knew that he would never, ever be able to repay it, and he hardly knew anything about the older ghost. Not to mention, the last time he had spoken to Clockwork, he had been in so much shock that he hadn't even been able to properly express his gratitude.
So he sought out Clockwork's tower. It was surprisingly easy to find. It was almost like something inside him was leading him towards the tower. Danny uncomfortably rubbed his chest, remembering when he had painfully phased the time medallion into his chest, between his heart and his core. He shivered, but shook his head and continued on.
The doors of the clock tower swung open as Danny touched down in front of them. Clockwork must be expecting him... Which was only to be expected. Clockwork knew everything, after all.
Danny walked in, hesitantly, cautiously. The last time he had been here, he had been attacked, after all. "Hello?" he said, just loud enough to be heard over the ticking of the tower. "Hello?" he repeated a little louder. "Clockwork?"
"Hello, Daniel."
Danny jumped at the voice, jerking his head upwards to track it. Clockwork was there, about two stories up, doing something to one of the gears. He smiled down at Danny, and began drifting down.
"What brings you to Long Now?"
"I- um-" said Danny, still startled, and now a little sheepish. "Long Now?"
"That is the name of this place. My lair. Long Now."
"O-oh," said Danny. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted to- I wanted to say thank you. For helping me before, and for saving Sam and Jazz and Tucker, and my parents, and Mr Lancer. And for giving me a second chance, even though I kept screwing up. And- and I wanted to say if there's ever anything I can do for you- I mean, I know that there probably isn't anything- but if there is- if there is I want to help you. S-so-"
"Daniel."
Danny looked up. He wondered when his eyes had dropped to the floor.
"I will certainly keep your offer in mind." The time ghost's smile widened slightly, and he held out a hand. "Here, take a cookie."
As he flew home, Danny reflected that it was one of the best cookies he had ever tasted.
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The fourth time Danny met Clockwork, it was a surprise. He had been doing homework in the library at school, when suddenly he felt a weight around his neck, and all sound stopped. He looked up, trying to figure out what was wrong, only to see the Clockwork floating on the other side of the table.
His hand inched up to touch the time medallion around his neck. "Um," said Danny. "What's up?"
"Well," said Clockwork, his face serious, "it evolves that your help is needed."
Danny put his homework to the side. Clockwork had his full attention. "Okay," he said, "what can I do?"
Clockwork smiled just a little, and... well, he didn't stand. He hadn't really been sitting to begin with, either. He floated backwards and waved his hand, brassy blue ectoplasm swirling into a portal. He gestured at it, clearly intending for Danny to go first.
Danny called up his rings and shifted into his ghost form. He opted to float around the table rather than through it, and took a deep breath before he went through the portal.
It came out in Clockwork's tower... Long Now. Danny wasn't quite sure what he expected, to be honest. He looked around. This was the part of the tower with all the viewing screens and portals. Most of them were off, swirls of green and static, but one, the one he had come out directly opposite from, was on. He drifted closer to it, trying to make out what was happening.
There was a figure on the screen. It looked like Technus. It looked a lot like Technus, but he hadn't the cloud of floating technological detritus that always accompanied the technology-obsessed ghost. Then there was the location. It looked like Technus was in the middle of a forest, a dense forest, which was weird. Technus didn't even like going into the park. He wasn't really doing anything, either. He was just... Flying.
"The issue," said Clockwork, startling Danny yet again, "is that our friend, Technus, has fallen through a natural portal into pre-Columbian North America."
"Pre-Columbian...?" The term wasn't entirely alien to Danny, so he supposed that if he was a better student, with more time to study, he would know what it meant.
"Before the year 1492. Before Cristopher Columbus reached the Americas."
"Okay. So..."
"So, not only has he been unable to satisfy his technological obsession, his other obsessions have been driving him to torment the locals. He needs to be brought back to this time."
Danny frowned. That was serious, both for Technus and the time line. Apart from whatever Technus was doing, he didn't wish the fate of an unquenchable obsession on anyone. But there was something bothering him. "Not that I don't want to help, but why not just open another portal in front of him?"
"Ah, the root of the matter. I am, unfortunately, bound by certain rules. Rules that I agreed to. You are familiar with the Observant Council."
It wasn't a question, but Danny felt the need to nod regardless. He'd only the one encounter with them, a random run-in while exploring the Zone, but it wasn't one he was keen on repeating. Ever.
"I cannot, therefore, interfere directly. On the other hand, I can tell you that another portal leading to this time will be opening soon, and where."
"Okay," said Danny. "I will be able to get back, though, right?" he asked, suddenly nervous.
"Yes," said Clockwork.
