"Class 2 Time Anomaly detected on Planet Ardolis."
The female voice of the Great Clock computer sounded off, hopefully getting the attention of and warning one of the caretakers. The voice rang through the many chambers and halls of the clock, eventually reaching the senior caretaker himself. Orvus, occupied with a group of Zoni, turned around in alarm. Another time anomaly had shown up. This was the fifth one this week. And it was only Tuesday. The senior Zoni sighed. He was currently in the middle of discussing the status of the Zoni dimension due to all the time anomalies with subjects who had just recently traveled there. Everything was sounding fine, but he still had much to discuss in this meeting. It looked like it was up to his son once more to take care of this anomaly.
"Oh dear," Orvus said, looking in the direction of the chamber that held Planet Ardolis. Sector Three. It wasn't very far. He then signaled his son. "XJ-0461, could you handle that time anomaly, please? I'm a bit held up at the moment."
Several moments later, XJ-0461 floated out of the orientation room at the call of his father. Still cloaked in a bright green light, XJ-0461 stood at about the same size as his father, perhaps a bit smaller if looking at the specifics. Two long antennae stuck out of his head, each forming a small sphere at the tip. His arms and legs had become slightly longer, but his simple feet and three fingered hands remained. And the short mysterious streamers sprouting from his back had blossomed into long, elegant ribbons that flowed gracefully when he moved. He spoke in a deeper monotone voice that would still seem high pitched to someone outside the clock. "Yes, father, I will take care of it. Sigmund! I will be back! Please pause it!"
"Got it!" Sigmund yelled back, pausing a cartoon about a magical Fongoid child.
With a nod and Chronoscepter in hand, XJ-0461 began floating towards his intended destination, but Orvus stopped him. "Remember, Ardolis is in Sec-"
"It is in Sector Three and it is the one closest to the northeast window. I know, father. I have studied the Great Clock inside and out," XJ-0461 said with a matter-of-fact voice.
"Erm, yes," the elder Zoni said with a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "Forgive me. I suppose that I am still getting used to you being so grown up. It seemed only a few days ago I was holding you in my arms as a newborn. And now look at you, you're almost as big as I am."
XJ-0461 gave an embarrassed chuckle as he saw the group of Zoni staring at him as Orvus talked about him being a child. The young Zoni adjusted his Chronoscepter, "Yes, well, I must grow up if I am to rule as leader of the Zoni one day. But, for now, I must go and fix the anomaly on Ardolis before it moves up to a Class Three anomaly."
"Ah, of course. I'm sure you'll be able to take care of it easily. You did grow up to be quite the intelligent Zoni, after all!" Orvus said, moving XJ-0461 along. The green Zoni floated onward towards Sector Three of the clock as his father gave a small wave. "Go and make me proud!"
XJ-0461 moved along the many glass bridges and platforms of the clock as Orvus went back to his meeting with the Zoni from the Zoni dimension. Even though he had been smiling at first, XJ-0461 frowned and slumped ever so slightly as he made his way towards Sector Three. Another day, another time anomaly.
For the many years XJ-0461 had been living, ever since he was trusted with his own Chronoscepter, he had been dealing with anomaly after irregularity after anything that had to do with the disruption of time. When he was six years old, he had to admit, repairing possible rifts in time and practically saving planets from being ripped apart by the rifts was exciting and satisfying at first. However, as he became older, he realized how much he was tired of doing it. It was always the same: activate the anomaly detector, use the Chronoscepter to repair the rift done. Wash, rinse, repeat. He knew that it was his duty as a Zoni and a prince to take responsibility for time rifts and anomalies, as he was a keeper of time and caretaker of the clock, but when he was doing the same thing every week of every month of every year, he couldn't help but be sick of it.
It was so sickening that XJ-0461 had been brought to the point of desperation and almost feeling like he was in a rut. He had lived in the Great Clock his entire life, and he enjoyed roaming the facility and interacting with the many Zoni and spending time with his best friend, Sigmund, but he still was like he was trapped in a box. A box make of time energy and gears and cogs and chambers. And it felt like it was getting smaller each day. XJ-0461 longed for the day that he could, eventually, travel outside the clock.
XJ-0461 had been told many times by his father that he had to wait until he was older to leave the clock. And he didn't even guarantee that he could leave, it was always "maybe when you're older". XJ-0461 was a very polite and patient Zoni, but he always felt frustrated when Orvus refused to let him leave the clock. All he wanted to know was what it was like out in the universe. What it looked like, what the sun was like when it shined on him, what the wind was like when it blew through a meadow, what it was like to be outdoors. It had been something XJ-0461 had dreamed of since he was a growing child. And he swore that, someday, he would see what the outside universe was like.
In the meantime, however, he would have to just suck it up and repair the time anomaly on Ardolis.
XJ-0461, after traversing the ridiculous amount of bridges and chambers, quickly made his way to the Sector Three Planet Room. It was a large circular room full of what looked like miniature versions of real life planets. A model of each planet in all three galaxies, Polaris, Solana and Bogon, was needed in case any planet was effected by uncontrollable time rifts. It was not that hard to get rid of the anomalies, though, at least not for XJ-0461. And luckily for him, it seemed like only a small rift had opened up on Ardolis, so he should have been able to make quick work of this.
The young Zoni floated over to the gross looking green planet that sat over by the northeast window, just like he remembered. He fixed his grip on his Chronoscepter and stuck out his small feet, landing safely on the pad connected to the mechanism that held the planet. The clock's computer's female voice rang through the room as it detected XJ-0461's presence on the pad.
"Quantum Restoration Initiated."
"Temporal Rift inbound in three...two...one..."
A small ding rang over the computer's voice, and pillars of light appeared in several places across Ardolis. There was nothing major to worry about, just some level one and level two anomalies. XJ-0461 gripped his Chronoscepter and shot a blue beam from out of its core. It pulsated as the beam met with broken anomalies and repaired the damage they had done. Small pillars of yellow light crawled all over Ardolis, but they were no match for the Chronoscepter's beam and XJ-0461's repairing speed. Barely any Seekers, nasty little things that would break the anomalies that were already fixed, were able to spawn in before XJ-0461 turned the planet up and down and left and right and upside down and right side up and cleaned up all of the rifts. The green planet glowed a healthy blue before it settled back down onto its normal disgusting green. The computer's voice sounded again.
"Temporal normality restored to Planet Ardolis."
"Too easy," XJ-0461 said, floating off of the pad and twirling his Chronoscepter. He then paused for a moment and sighed, dropping his shoulders a bit, "And it is still not as exciting as it used to be."
XJ-0461 slowly left the Polaris Planet Room and began his trek back to the orientation room. As he went, he had this look of disappointment on his face. To think that repairing time across the universe would become so easy and boring to him. As he thought before, it used to be fun and rewarding when he was younger, but now that repairing time anomalies was something he did on a regular basis, he simply could not get excited for it anymore. In fact, whenever the clock's computer alerted the caretakers of a time anomaly detection, he was filled with dread. He knew that he sounded pathetic by complaining about how dull fixing the anomalies had become, but he wanted to speak his mind. And his mind said that life at the clock had become boring.
As XJ-0461 made his way through the ticking labyrinth, his eyes were caught by something moving outside of the clock. He looked up and gazed out into the deep purple abyss of space and saw a cluster of asteroids quickly make their way through the endless void. Even though he wasn't even a solid being, XJ-0461 could feel the outside universe being reflected in his big eyes. Something about that big abyss that he had been looking into since he was a child filled him with strong amounts of curiosity and wonder. XJ-0461's eyes shifted down towards his Chronoscepter. He frowned and gripped the handle tighter. It wasn't that he hated being here in the Great Clock, he just wanted a peek of what was outside of it. Just a simple five minutes on any planet would be acceptable.
"I...I cannot keep this to myself any longer," XJ-0461 quietly said to himself. He meant it, as well. There were days where he just wanted to go up to his father and simply request to leave the clock for awhile, but he could never gather up the confidence to do it. But, now that he was truly reflecting on how much this place had dulled down his potential-filled life, he really believed that he was capable of doing it this time. Besides, his father was a kind and compassionate Zoni who did his best to understand his son. Maybe today was the day he was going to receive his father's permission to leave. Even if it was only for a little bit.
XJ-0461 took a moment to let out a breath that he didn't even need to take before taking off towards the orientation room. He zipped through the rest of Sector Three and followed the easy path back to where he had been before. Only twenty minutes had passed by, but it seemed like things had changed when he was gone in Sector Three. The group of Zoni Orvus had been talking to were nowhere to be seen, along with Orvus himself. XJ-0461 looked around as he hovered towards the orientation room. When he went inside, he was a bit surprised to see that Sigmund was now absent from the room, and the cartoon they had been watching earlier was no long on the large screen. Instead the screen was completely blank, and the only person in there now was Orvus, who looked like he was just passing through. XJ-0461 found himself quickly stopping him before he could leave the room.
"Wait!"
"Hm? Oh, hello XJ-0461. Excellent work handling those anomalies on Ardolis. The computer told me that the planet's temporal balance is back to normal," Orvus said with a smile.
The young Zoni nodded and placed his Chronoscepter against the wall. He kept facing the wall for a moment before he turned back around. Alright, here went nothing. Chin up, confidence high, and don't forget to breath (even though he didn't need to).
"Father, I must speak with you about something," XJ-0461 said, attempting to keep his confidence up. He was not surprised, however, when Orvus simply went along with him.
"Oh? Well, let us here it. Oh-come, come, let's sit down first," the elder Zoni said, guiding his son over to the antique couch that sat almost awkwardly in the middle of the orientation room. Orvus settled down onto the red plush surface which XJ-0461 simply hovered above it, unable to actually make contact with it. "So, what is on your mind?"
"Father, I believe that it is time to..." XJ-0461 paused for a moment. Maybe he shouldn't start off with asking him. Perhaps building up to the question would help? Maybe? "I believe it is time to discuss my maturity and abilities."
"Mm, yes, you have grown quite a lot," the elder Zoni said with a nod. "You have a strong mind and you are very responsible. Not to mention that you handle time anomalies so well that you would make a younger Orvus's head spin."
"Yes, well, I am happy that you think so highly of me when it comes to my abilities and intelligence. And...a-and, umm..."
XJ-0461 trailed off, losing his train of thought. Despite wanting to ask his father about going outside the clock for years, he had never envisioned how a proper conversation leading up to it would go. So far, it was going...great? Good? Adequate? He wasn't quite sure. XJ-0461 folded his arms and tapped his chin. There had to be a way to really build up to the question so he had a higher probability of being granted permission to leave the Clock. The Zoni guessed that he had been quiet and thinking for a bit too long, because Orvus put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a bit of a concerned look.
"What is it, XJ-0461?" He asked with a softer voice.
XJ-0461 sighed. He supposed that this would be the best time to just up and ask. What was the worst that could happen besides saying 'no'?
"Father, I think...no, I know. Father, I know. I know what I want to do," he said, turning fully towards his father, who looked a bit surprised at his son's sudden energy. XJ-0461 simply went for it and let it out, "I would like to travel outside the Great Clock!"
A silence hung in the air as XJ-0461's words echoed throughout the orientation room. Orvus sat very still and his face, almost in a scary way, showed no emotion whatsoever. XJ-0461 was taken aback by this, as he had never seen his father so...still before. The young Zoni was greatly startled as Orvus let out what sounded like a tense laugh. He smiled at his son, which unsettled XJ-0461.
"Now why would you want to do that? 'Travel outside the clock', there is no need! We have everything we need right here in this facility. There's no need for any traveling!"
"It is not a matter of needing something outside of the clock," XJ-0461 tried to explain. Orvus's smile began to fade. "I simply want to see what it is like. I would like to do a bit of exploring outside of the clock-"
"No no no, you will not be doing any of that. You are much too young," Orvus said, shaking his head.
"What?" The younger Zoni straightened up as he felt himself becoming frustrated. "But you just said it yourself that I have matured and become very responsible! I believe that I can handle-"
"You do not know what's out there, son. You won't be able to handle the terrors that the universe can throw at people."
"How do you know that if you simply do not give me a chance. I believe that if you let me leave the clock, I can prove to you that I can-"
Orvus, who had been becoming more and more tense as the conversation went on, shot up from the couch and looked angrily at his son. "Now you listen here, XJ-0461! The outside universe is too dangerous for you and I will not have you risking your life because you're curious about what it's like on other planets! You are staying put in this clock and you will not be leaving under any circumstances!" The silence that had hung in the air returned, this time Orvus's angry voice echoed through the room. XJ-0461's eyes were wide and he felt his body being pushed away from his father. Orvus had never yelled at him like that before. He hadn't even seen his father this angry before. He almost felt...scared. Orvus realized this as well and his eyes too went wide. He let out a small breath before speaking in a softer and more gentle voice. "I...I am so sorry. I-I did not mean to..."
"N-No...it is my fault," XJ-0461 said, his voice a bit strained. "I should not have kept bothering you with the idea of me leaving the clock. I am sorry, father."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Orvus said, lowering himself a bit. "I...shouldn't have yelled like that. Anger is never the answer to a quarrel."
A moment of tension hung between the two Zoni, both of them feeling terrible about how they handled the situation. Orvus spoke up so he could break the tension between them.
"Listen, why don't you go find Sigmund? I sent him off to wind some time cleaners outside of Sector Two. He might get stuck on one of the Time Pad puzzles without help."
XJ-0461 sat there for a moment, bothered by the fact that Orvus had completely dismissed their conversation about him going outside the clock. But he didn't want to anger his father again, so he obeyed the elder Zoni's request and floated off the couch, grabbed his Chronoscapter and went towards the exit. But Orvus's voice stopped him before he could leave.
"XJ-0461," the elder Zoni said, looking a bit sad and almost disappointed. "I really am sorry about that."
"I am too, father," XJ-0461 said with a nod before floating out of the room.
Orvus sighed and shook his head after his son left the room. He never thought he would see the day where he yelled at his son with pure anger and frustration. He didn't mean to, he really didn't, but his son bringing on the idea of leaving the clock was just something he didn't want to discuss. XJ-0461 was a very fragile being, and if he let the clock and something happened to him, it would be over. Orvus would no longer be a father. Another failure at having a successful offspring. He had failed so many of them, he wasn't prepared to fail again after all XJ-0461 had done throughout his life. He had come so far.
But, even when he was a child, XJ-0461 did seem like the curious type, so it should have come as no surprise that he wanted to see what it was like outside the clock so badly. A memory flashed before Orvus's eyes as he simply floated there alone.
Curious about the huge place he was in, the young Zoni crawled over to the edge of the platform and looked down, letting out excited giggles as he saw all the Zoni and chambers in the lower levels of the clock. He reached his arm down and began sliding off the ledge, Orvus saw this and quickly grabbed his son before he could fall off. He held XJ-0461 in his arms and gave a sigh of relief.
"Whoa there! Be careful, my son," he said, putting the young one back down on the platform, away from the edge. "The Great Clock is a very, very big facility. I do not want you getting lost in here. So please stay where daddy can see you-"
Orvus had glanced away for a moment to check the distance he was from the edge, but when he had looked back, XJ-0461 was already a few feet away from him, giggling as he switched between crawling and floating. The elder Zoni smiled and went over to his son, picking him up in his arms again. He chuckled.
"You are quite the little explorer, aren't you?"
"Dada," XJ-0461 squeaked, putting a hand on Orvus's face.
He chuckled again and put the child over his shoulder and floated away. A tiny frown came on to his face. "Let us hope that you outgrow that."
After all of these years, despite Orvus's hopes, XJ-0461 was still eager to go exploring. He didn't outgrow it one bit. He understood his son's craving for adventure and traveling to other planets, he as himself had once been quite the explorer himself, but he learned that sometimes the universe can have a cruel sense of humor. Orvus loved his son, he really did, and he really wished that he had handled the argument with XJ-0461 better, but he simply couldn't let him leave the clock. It was for his own good and safety. Some risks were simply not worth taking.
XJ-0461 however, as he lazily floated towards Sector Two, was thinking the exact opposite as his father. He believed that he had every right to leave the clock. He wasn't going to be abandoning his father or his race of his duties of the throne, he just wanted to see what it was like. But his father was so against it that it was almost concerning. XJ-0461 wondered if there was some sort of reason that Orvus didn't want him to go outside the clock. But what would it be? Perhaps, after he was done helping Sigmund, he could go back and ask his father about...
"The outside universe is too dangerous for you and I will not have you risking your life because you're curious about what it's like on other planets! You are staying put in this clock and you will not be leaving under any circumstances!"
XJ-0461 stopped in his nonexistent tracks. The look of his angered father still haunted his mind. Never had he seen Orvus so angry or raise his voice so loud. If XJ-0461 had a physical heart, it would have been beating a mile a minute after his father yelled at him. And even though he had apologized, he still felt shook up by it. Maybe he should reconsider talking to his father about leaving the clock again, as it was very obvious that Orvus was still strongly against it. Very strongly against it.
The young Zoni sighed as his dreams had become crushed again. He was never going to get out of this place. This thought hung in his mind as he spotted Sigmind, who was fiddling with the large computer screen he kept with him, and floated over to him. Sigmund was looking interested in something on his screen but it disappeared when XJ-0461 came over to him. He pushed his screen aside and offered a usual friendly greeting.
"Oh, hey there, XJ-0461. Sorry that I wasn't in the orientation room, Orvus sent me to do a little chore."
"I know, he told me," XJ-0461 said, sadness clearly being in his voice. The young Zoni scolded himself for letting that happen. And he felt worse as Sigmund quickly picked up on it.
"Is something wrong? You're looking a little blue...well, metaphorically. I haven't actually seen you be any color besides green."
"I am fine, I just...got into an argument with my father."
"You what?! You got into an argument with Orvus?! Wh-what-why-how-this has never happened before! Did you do something? Did he do something? D-Did I do something?!" The red robot stumbled on his words, freaking out a little bit. Orvus was never one to get into an argument, so this was definitely shocking news to him.
XJ-0461 attempted to calm his friend down, "No, no, it was completely my fault. I tried to talk to him about letting me outside the clock."
"You want to leave the clock? How come? I thought you liked it here."
"Well, 'leave the clock' is not exactly how I would put it. You see, Sigmund, I umm...I want to...how do I put this in nice terms..."
XJ-0461 looked like he was struggling to put his explanation together. Sigmund was his best friend, he should have been able to really tell him how he felt, but he was still having trouble. Fortunately, though, Sigmund seemed ready to give him that little push he needed. The red robot hovered a bit closer to his friend and put his hands together.
"It's okay, XJ-0461, you can tell me anything. Just let it out! I'm a great listener, after all."
The young Zoni felt his shoulders drop as he sighed. He spoke in a weak voice, "Sigmund, I...I just cannot but feel...trapped here. It bothers me that I am unable to leave or at least peek at the outside universe."
"Well, at least the clock is pretty big. There's lots of roaming and exploring that you could do here."
"The clock becomes much less big when you realize that what is outside it is much larger," XJ-0461 said, folding his arms, looking a bit ashamed about what he just said.
Sigmund gave him a sympathetic look, "You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"
"I have," XJ-0461 said with a nod. He looked at his Chronoscepter and sighed as he stroked the handle. "It is not that I want to leave and abandon my position as the heir to the Great Clock. I simply want to know for myself what it is like outside of it. I want to know what a breeze is, what the light of the sun looks like, what crystal clear water waves sound like. I know that my father said that I am still too young and that he wants to keep me safe, but he has been saying that for many years. I want to say that I am ready, but I know that he...he just will not listen."
Sigmund looked at his friend with pity and sadness. The little Zoni had more on his mind than Sigmund thought he did. And by the sound of it, he had felt this way for a very long time. He understood what it was like to feel trapped. Planet Viceron...he remembered his days on that planet well. Seeing XJ-0461 look this sad and desperate just to get out of the clock for a little bit really got to the robot. Sigmund had been watching over and bonding with the young prince ever since the Zoni was able to let out little babbling noises. Their friendship meant a lot to him. And what kind of friend would he be if he didn't help XJ-0461 when he needed it most? Not a very good one in his book.
The red robot looked around, seeing if anyone, especially Orvus, was nearby. But his sight and his scanners showed that Orvus was in a farther part of the clock. This was good. Sigmund pulled his computer screen closer and began tapping on it, pulling up something that he had been observing earlier. If he could just get XJ-0461 there on time...this just might just work. But they were going to have to be quick and sneaky about this. Otherwise they might get into big trouble. The red robot looked at his friend with hopeful eyes.
"XJ-0461, I think I might be able to help you."
"Help me?" XJ-0461 said, tilting his head. "How are you going to do that?"
"Well, we might have to break some rules, but if we do this right, you'll be able to see a real planet with your very own eyes," Sigmund said with a smile. He turned his screen around and motioned XJ-0461 closer so he could see an image of a brownish planet located in the Solana Galaxy. "Ever heard of Planet Veldin?"
Tbh, did not expect this chapter to be this long. But I'm really glad that I got to fit in what I did. And the next chapter is going to be a really good one. Because a familiar character will be making their first appearance in the story!
And, I just wanted to let you guys know, Airbax on Deviantart actually created fanart of Zoni Clank. So if you want to see it, go to her Deviantart and look for it in her gallery. It'll be easy to recognize because it's really, really green. And it's awesome. And check out her other art, too, it's really good.
Anyway, thank you all for your support of this fic. I really do appreciate it.
Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster!
This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, signing off!