Happy Easter! As my gift to you, I give you my longest chapter for the Figurines yet! Enjoy ;)
The man's voice echoed in his mind as clearly as if he were right next to him: "Clockwork warned us for a reason."
"Clockwork?" Sam and Tucker asked in unison.
Urgently he repeated the man's exact words. "Clockwork is in contact with these people. He'll know more than anyone else."
Sam now watched him skeptically. "Danny…you've met Clockwork. He's not one to pour out information to you just because you asked. He might not tell you anything."
"I have to try," Danny insisted. "I have to help that girl." He began to stride over to the open doorway, but glanced over his shoulder as he reached it. "Are you coming or not?"
Sam let out a low sigh. "Yes, I'm coming." She snatched up Tucker's hand and dragged him after her as she followed Danny down to the lab.
His parents and Jazz being at a science convention in Florida, the house was empty. The trio navigated it without problem, and stepped into the laboratory. The tables were cluttered with beakers, various machine parts, and unfinished inventions. Danny crossed the teal tile floor and sifted through the box of completed weapons before handing a Fenton Wrist-Ray to each of his friends.
"Just in case," he added when Sam stared at him.
He pressed a hand to the Fenton Scanner, which read his palm and declared, "Access Granted." The portal opened slowly, spilling lime-green light over the three of them.
Again, he reached for his chilly core, grasping it tightly, feeling its reassuring pulse inside of him. The icy rings appeared once more, racing up and down his form until his alter-ego stood in his place. Danny's glow added to the dazzling brightness as he opened his eyes, which had turned from blue to illuminating green.
Taking hold of his two friends' hands, he leaped into the swirling Ghost Zone. The familiar weightless feeling spread over him as he flew, almost cancelling out the bogginess. He used the safest path through the dimension, and soon enough a large clock tower with gears of all sizes hovering around it came into view. As they touched down on the small patch of ground, the doors creaked open with no more than a quiet groan.
"He's expecting us," Danny whispered. However much he'd known it would happen before he'd set off, it still unnerved him to see it come true.
He led his partners down a dusty hallway that was filled to the brim with clocks of all sorts, and of which was only lit by torches with iris-purple flames and his own ghost aura. It was a tight fit for three, but it wasn't an issue when he simply turned intangible and floated above the two humans.
At last they came upon a dead end. Tucker complained bitterly that they should go back until Danny managed to locate a trapdoor in the ceiling. Wrapping his fingers around Sam and Tucker's, he hauled them up and gently pushed open the door in the hopes they could make a quiet entrance.
No such luck. The trapdoor flew backwards with a decent crash, making the three wince. In poking his head through the opening, he noticed a strange scene unfolding.
It was the Viewing Room, no doubt, but it wasn't empty as he'd expected. A shadowed figure in a purple cloak was heatedly snapping something at a pair of white-and-gold robed eye ghosts with green clawed hands. The cloaked ghost's words had been cut off by the sound, and they were now staring at him.
A blue face with red eyes and a simple black scar smiled at him through the darkness cast by his hood. "Come in, Daniel. We were just finishing up."
One of the eye ghosts tried to protest, but was silenced by a glare from the cloaked ghost, despite the fact that he had changed into a child. It was obvious that he held great authority. Then he began to speak again, but it wasn't in words Danny knew…though he found he could understand.
"I've given you my final word on the matter. If Orion has a problem he can talk to me himself. Now, I have better things to do than argue with a pair of messengers."
"Clockwork-" an eye ghost began.
"No. I must converse with the Ghost Child now. Care to observe the door?" Clockwork interrupted with an air of an angry person who had missed the new episode of his favorite television show. The eye ghosts glanced at each other before fading into nothingness, leaving behind empty space.
Clockwork turned to Danny, smiling softly. "Now then. Come in, Daniel, and bring your friends."
"Uh, what were the Observants bothering you for?" Danny questioned as he pulled his companions into the Viewing Room. "And who's Orion?"
This only deepened the Time Master's grin. "So you understood. I thought you might."
Sam shot him a quizzical look. "Those weird noises they were making…you knew what they were saying?"
He frowned. "I did, I guess. I mean, I knew it wasn't English, but I could still identify the words." He noted Clockwork's curious gaze. "Why?"
"Lingwa, the language of the ghosts," the time ghost explained. "It's been around for centuries. Spirits naturally speak and comprehend it: sometimes subconsciously, like you. It is possible for humans to learn it, but it is a complicated tongue." His red, pupil-less eyes met Danny's green. "But that is not what you came here to discuss."
"No," Danny agreed, focusing on Clockwork's staff instead. He described, in as much detail as possible, his dreams and vision, emphasizing the points where the ghost's own name was mentioned. When he had finished, the Time Master's face was expressionless.
A moment passed in silence before Sam finally said, "Well?"
Clockwork just blinked slowly. "There is nothing to tell," he spoke at last.
"There's everything to tell!" Danny cried out. "That mansion has something to do with this girl! I know it does!" He stopped, panting, before facing the time ghost and whispering, "If you don't inform me now, I'll just learn it later."
Clockwork sighed in defeat. "Better you hear it from me than anyone else." He stared into a time window. "But I refuse to tell you everything."
The halfa didn't answer, knowing some information was better than blind speculation.
On Clockwork's command, the largest time window began to portray an image of none other than the ghostly residence. "Since the beginning of human existence, this has been there. It is about as important as my clock tower; without it, there would be nothing. Mortals could not exist, and for that matter, neither could ghosts. It is impossible to know what is inside those doors and return to speculate on it. No curious being who entered has ever returned."
The boys looked awestruck, but Sam piped up quietly, "Besides you."
"I have never been there," the time ghost corrected. "I have simply observed through my time windows, keeping watch to make sure nothing happens to destroy it…I daresay there are some ghosts who would jump at the chance." He floated in silence, watching the castle for a moment, before saying, "I can tell you nothing more, other than it is extremely important and that you mustn't try to uncover its mysteries."
Sam appeared satisfied, but Danny wasn't through. "How does this have anything to do with the girl?" he asked persistently. "Is she one of the ghosts who went in and never came out?"
Clockwork didn't answer, but waved his hand over the time window instead, and the eerie mansion vanished, leaving behind swirling green nothingness.
"She is, isn't she!" the ghost boy snapped heatedly.
"You must leave now, Daniel," the Time Master replied, ignoring his question. "The Observants will be frustrated that I told you anything at all. I warn you once more: do not go seeking answers. It will only lead to trouble."
The depth of those electric green eyes was smothered by anger. Without another word he snatched up his friends' wrists and vanished through the trapdoor's hole, slamming the wood down behind him.
Clockwork didn't even jump as the two Observants reappeared instantaneously. "You really need to learn to knock, you know."
"That was foolish, Clockwork!" the first scolded. "You've only peaked his curiosity! He will stop at nothing to save Prilla, and that is a risk we cannot take!" He crossed his arms with the figure of a parent disciplining a reckless child.
The time ghost was not fazed. "It is his destiny to get mixed up with her father's affairs," he responded. "Maybe one day you'll see that I know what I'm doing."
The second Observant clenched its fists. "This is serious. The boy could destroy all of humanity!"
Clockwork blinked at him. "I have forewarned them to Daniel's arrival. They are prepared. All is as it should be." With that, the Time Master turned away, a clear sign of dismissal. Clearly annoyed, the two Observants glanced at each other before mumbling something inaudible and vaporizing once more.
"All is as it should be…" he muttered. He only wished he could convince himself.
Uh oh, Clockwork's doubtful...that can't be good.
I find I really enjoy writing his character. He's so mysterious, yet wise and slightly funny at the same time. LOVE HIM!
Anyway, I just started writing the next chapter, so no idea when that will be finished. Plus, the first half of my major testing for this year is this week, the other half being the end of April. I will try my best to update as much as possible between them, but I can't promise anything. I have LOTS of studying to do...just thought I'd take the day off for a holiday.
Again, I'm sorry for the cliffies. They're the best way to end chapters for me, and they make you want to keep reading!
Happy Easter, y'all! I hope you have a great one.
~Cherry
