Will: where have you been?
Me: procrastinating
Will: shame on you
Me: I know T^T . Wanna hug? :3
Will: *looks at me weird* No (walks away)
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES
The loud clank of metal screeching together stormed into the horizon line, as if it was claiming the ground where it stood theirs. Its ghastly black shadow cast eerily onto the shadowhunters and the clockwork creatures, which almost simultaneously paused and tried to make out what the thing was that was several stories taller and bigger than them. It was a huge mechanical creature, with long spidery legs that crushed deep into the cobblestones streets. Hard and big sheets of rusted metal held together by massive bolts covered the creatures that creaked when it moved. Chimney like rods poked out of the cracks of the machine that puffed black smoke whenever one of the legs moved. You could tell that clockwork machinery was making the thing move. The head or the front held hollow, red, robotic eyes covered by a pane of curved glass. The mouth was the whole diameter of the mouth, and when it opened it gave an ear splintering screech, rows of sharp teeth which were really chainsaws spinning in motion showed. Will could smell the oil and rust this far away from the beast. He looked at Juliette and called her whore in French before formulating another idea in his mind.
Tessa, Jem, and Cecily rushed over to Will who were both equally traumatized by the gigantic clockwork creature. Tessa stood willingly by the boys' side while she tried the clean the gunk out of her hair by the hydra demon. Jem was drawing a healing rune of Cecily's arm; somehow she managed to get a massive and deep cut near her elbow. Jem looked at Will in anticipation, and then looking at the monster trampling the streets with its screeches.
Dammit Will He hissed to himself. Think of something! Anything is good than just standing here and doing nothing! The hydra demon seemed to drain his focus out of him, he suddenly felt numb and he couldn't think. Was it possible to grow numb by just staring at the thing? Cecily looked at her brother in impatience, catching glimpses of the monster and the monster. She wiggled out Jem's grip on her arm and went to side with her brother.
She looked at the monster and squinted at the details of it. Cecily was looking at the body itself and how it worked. Some shadowhunters had already begun trying to take it down, but failed by miscalculating the thickness of the metal sheets that covered the monster. Their seraph blades bounced harmlessly bounced off as the monster shook them away. When the monster turned to its side, she caught a glance of a small door. It was hidden between one of the spider legs. A plan flashed in front of her.
"Do you see that door right there?" Cecily pointed to the door and made Will really look.
"Since we can't penetrate through the monster, we will have to get inside and destroy it from there." She reasoned. "You, me, Tessa and Jem can scale up the legs, get in and disable it."
Will stayed silent for a moment. "How can we scale up the legs if it's that tall? It will surely see us and shake us off easily."
"I think I can help you." A voice said, Will turned to see Henry standing beside him. His ginger hair was wildly thrown around, his goggles hung from his neck, dirt was smudged onto his shadowhunter gear. He stared at the monster and smiled triumphantly at Cecily, Tessa, Jem and Will.
"Adding to Miss. Herondale's excellent plan." He smiled towards Cecily. "I have an invention –"
"As always Henry." Will mumbled as Henry cleared his throat and moved on.
"-that will help with the process of taking this infernal beast down." He reached into his satchel and pulled two black cables, very long in size, coiled up as he handed one to Will. "you just throw them up and it will snag onto the surface, and to note this, very tightly. You attached the belt on and click the switch to spring yourself up."
Tessa blinked in surprise. "That's brilliant! But are you sure that they will work?"
"I used them already." He said proudly. "When a group of automatons corned me and Charlotte, I used one of my cables to tie my darling Charlotte and snag her up a building so she wouldn't be in any danger! I took those infernal devices like a man!"
Will clenched the coil around his fingers. He ran over the plan in his mind before explaining it again to his team. He looked at the clockwork creature that stormed through, crashing down buildings, sinking in the cobblestone streets, terrorizing everything in its path. The shadowhunters who were trying to climb off the beast looked like ants climbing up a tree. Jem, Tessa, Cecily looked at each other in a mixture of angst and confidence. They were going into the belly of the beast, and had a higher chance of dying. This was something that neither of them had prepared for.
They jogged toward the creature; a sinking feeling overcame them as they approached the monster. It's dark shadow cast onto them, tiny bits of rust, dust fell onto them while the creak of metal slamming together invaded their ears. The body shook and vibrated every time it moved. Will looked over to Jem who was yelling something at him, but he couldn't make out the words. Tessa, Will and Cecily separated from Jem and Henry as they began to make a huge loop with the belt to stand on. Tessa and Henry threw the snare as high up as they could and close enough to the door between the legs of the spider like creature. When it latched on, leaving a satisfying sound. They hopped onto the looped belt and nodded to each other. They tugged the rope as they shot up. The legs moved slowly, but enough for the ride to sway. Will maneuvered the cable wire to sway away from hitting the leg. Henry and Jem were doing just fine; you could even see a smirk on Henry's face as if he was enjoying it. The leg jolted downwards and the cable did too, then Cecily saw that the leg was going back up and was going to hit them.
"Will! Pull back!" She screamed as Will kicked the leg to make the cable swerve upwards. Just in time, the leg missed them and returned to its original spot. They swung back as Will pulled out his blade and drove it in as they almost slammed into the leg and it stopped them. They all sighed in relief as they began to scale upwards. When they approached at the top of the leg, they jumped on and steadied themselves against the body of the mechanical monster. Will unlatched the cable as they saw, to his relief, that Henry and Jem had made it, they were across from one another. They proceeded to the door as Jem drew his stele and busted the door open. They quickly went inside, before something could happen.
Will swayed suddenly to the right as the dim lights flickered inside. The whole place was moving violently. He steadied himself as her took a good look around him. Inside, the walls and ground were metal, rusted badly and screeched whenever the creature moved or they moved. There were three different hallways, very narrow and had pipes running along the sides of the walls. There were a few light bulbs that provided a little lighted area. The air smelled foul, it smelled like oil and rust mixed together. There must be a way into the control system; one of these hallways must lead us through it Will thought.
"Let's go to the middle hallway!" He yelled as he ran forward, Jem caught his shoulder. "But how do you know where to go?"
"It's not like we can just split up, this thing is huge and we can't afford to lose anybody. If this one doesn't lead us to the control room then we take another one." Will responded as Jem nodded. He led them though the poorly lit hallway. It was hard running though it without bumping into the walls because it was so narrow. Steam from the pipes puffed out and made it hard to see. Tessa ripped her sleeve in order to cover her mouth from the foul steam that was really gray smoke, and it burned her eyes too. The team kept on running as they reached another room. It was a medium sized room, pipes out lining the walls and huge gears and cogs tracing everywhere. In the middle was a huge bronze tank and beneath it was a large hole. Something was splashing inside the tank and drips of it were falling down onto the floor, and it sizzled where it fell.
"Yanluo poison." Jem whispered in a horrified tone, he reencountered memories of his share with the poison and his parents. How did they ever get a gallon of Yanluo poison? Jem looked at the tank with great detail and saw a large bar hovering very close the tank. The tank was balancing on a rod that wasn't secured properly. He then knew that at some time the tank would tip over and splash over fellow shadowhunters. Nevertheless, he knew that he had to disable the device. He took his snare that was dangling from his belt and threw it the gears that made the large bar move.
"Jem!" Will yelled. "We almost left you!" He looked at Jem and the snare, and then Jem again. "What are you doing?"
"That" Jem pointed to the tank. "Is filled with Yanluo poison. I have to wreck the thing apart before it hits the town below." He yanked the gear as hard as he could but nothing moved.
"Jem-" He started, looking at his Parabatai's face. His eyes were reddening and determination written all over his face.
"I have to Will, I have to." He demanded as he yanked harder. The gears kept on spinning, no matter how Jem tried to yank it out of place.
"I know, let me help." Will said as he took the rope and helped Jem tug the gear out. Finally, they managed to rip the gear off. The metal bar swung down, no longer moving.
Jem smiled. "Thanks Will." He nodded as both boys darted to the continued hallway.
And then, a sickening splorsh sound brought their attention back to the tank.
Jem turned around to see something emerging from the tank. Its dirt colored bony structure was covered with the poison slime; its head was eerily un human with teeth flashing out. Its red pupils were swimming in the whites of the eyes, its tongue flickered.
"No." Jem gasped. "A yanluo demon."
In a split second the demon crawled out of the tank and saw the toy boys standing at the entrance of the hallway. It flashed its teeth at them as it began to dart forward. Will barred his teeth when he knew that he couldn't fight it upfront without getting the poison on him. His hand landed on the cable as he used it to his own advantage, he threw the cable like a whip and had the snare at the end attach it itself on one of its ribs. He yanked it as the bone sprung out of the body, the demon screeched as it darted forward. Will took the cable back as he grabbed Jem's wrist and led him speeding down the hallway.
Luckily, since the demon was wounded he was slower. Will and Jem managed to reach the control room where the team was trying to figure out how to shut the machine down. Will turned around and locked the door behind him. Tessa looked up and ran to hug Jem. Jem could feel her racing heartbeat against his chest.
"We thought we had lost you." Tessa said breathily as she pulled away.
Henry looked toward Will. "It seems that the only way to disarm the creature is destroying the legs first and then shutting down the main control system."
"Everyone, I want you to pull down every lever around this room and destroy it using the unlocking rune with your steles. Once everyone has done that, I will disarm the main control system." Henry explained.
"How are we going to get out?" Cecily asked.
Tessa looked up, there was an entrance to the top of the monster, and then she looked at the cables. "We can use the top entrance and zip line our way out using the cables with our tool belts before the thing destroys itself."
Everyone nodded as they started to get to work. Cecily shut down the lever closest to her and used the unlocking rune to destroy it even further. Sure enough, the lever sputtered and the bar fell apart from its holder. She could hear one of the legs shake and fall, the whole room flipped slightly down as everyone continued to work.
A loud thump and scratch erupted from the door. Will looked in complete disgust as the demon beyond the door. He swore as he saw one of its claws sheer though the door and burst open. Everyone screamed as the demon flashed its menacing teeth and lunged itself toward Will. Will used the cable and struck it across the chest. Jem used the other cable and positioned it to its leg and yanked on it, the leg was ripped off partially but the demon still screamed.
The demon turned around to see Cecily's terrified eyes looking at it. It hissed as it lunged itself across the room towards her as she screamed, Jem's eyes widened as it bared its teeth and threw its head to plunge it's teeth into her neck. His heart stopped as, without thinking, threw the cable to its head and yanked it off, using all of his strength. The head tumbled down as it rolled toward the wall and hit its face toward it. Cecily was hunched over and a tear of blood seamed down her face, her eyes were closed as she hit the floor.
"CECILY!" Will screamed as he ran to her side. He checked her pulse to make sure that she was still alive. Her heartbeat was slow and her breathing was barely audible. He checked her head, he hair mangled and coated with blood. To Will's dismay, she got a severe concussion. Will checked to see if the creature had bitten her. God, if that thing bit you… he said in panic.
Jem went over and checked to see if the Yanluo demon had bitten her. His heart was racing too, seeing Cecily so broken up like this. His hands were trembling as he checked to see any bite marks. He looked over to Will and he was trembling badly, his eyes were reddening and he was rambling to himself, his voice tight as if he was about to cry. He drew a strength and healing rune on her, but it wouldn't stop the bleeding. Her eyes didn't open up.
"Will, Jem, Tessa, I and Tessa have disarmed the last of the levers and I am going to disarm the main control. After I do that, we need to get out of here fast using Tessa's plan." Henry said slowly. "Then after that, Will will take Cecily to the institute."
Will said nothing as he picked his sister up and carried her piggy back style. Tessa climbed up towards the entrance using a ladder and thrust it open. She climbed on as she helped Will and Jem up. She nodded towards Henry as he shut the main control down and scurried onto the ladder and up the top of the creature. A machine dying sound came on as the monster began to shake uncontrollably as huge sparks erupted from inside. Will gave Henry the cable as he threw it to a monument close by. He untied the belt around Will's waist as he used it to loop it around the cable to make a swing. Will went first, then Tessa, Jem and Henry. They fortunately hit the ground just in time before the monster could strike the ground and burst into flames.
"Good job everybody." Henry said as everyone nodded. Will kept quiet as he looked in worry at his little sister, her breathing became more eradicated.
"Will, she's going to be fine." Jem assured him. "She's got a strong heart and spirit." And then, he suddenly felt dizzy and nauseated at the same time. His knees buckled and Tessa caught him by the arm before he could fall.
"Jem, are you alright?" Tessa asked frantically.
"I-It's just the illness." Jem stuttered, Tessa put his arm around her shoulder and motioned towards Will to begin walking towards the institute, leaving Henry to be ambushed by his wife that was screaming and rejoicing at the sight of her husband.
.oO0Oo.
"NO, I WILL STAY HERE WITH MY SISTER! I REFUSE TO LEAVE THIS ROOM, I just can't-"
Sophie and Cyril held back a thrashing Will as they tried to drag him out of the room. Brother Enoch was here to check if Cecily had ingested the poison and if she obtained the same illness as Jem. Will watched in worry as Cecily groaned in her sleep as sweat covered her forehead. He looked at Brother Enoch and pled-
William Herondale, you know this. Your sister cannot heal while you are distracting her and my healing. Brother Enoch said through his mind. Cyril and Sophie pulled Will out of the room, dodging his leg and fist attacks at them. Once they got him out, someone locked the door before he could barge in again.
Jem was watching, half awake. Someone already fed him yin fen and laid him down to rest. His eyelids were drooping as he looked at Cecily to his left. Brother Enoch raised his hand and a golden light emanated from his palm, probably scanning to see if the poison was running through her veins. He watched through minutes through long minutes as Brother Enoch started to wrap up his inspection. Before he could go outside and inform the grief-struck brother, he started to heal Cecily's wounds. He could tell when he was finished when Cecily sighed in comfort and she didn't look so mangy. Jem heard the door close behind him as he saw her eyes flicker open. Her thick eyelashes batted as the hue of her soft, blue eyes stared at the ceiling, and then to Jem on her side.
They stared at each other for quite a while. Cecily breaking the silence first.
"What happened to you?" She said in a mellow voice, her lips barely moving.
"Illness." He responded, his throat dry and his lips cracked.
"Oh" She said back, and then pausing for a brief moment to breathe in a big amount of air. "Am I like you now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do I have the poison in me?" She asked. "I won't cry or get mad, tell me."
"I don't know." Jem said. "Brother Enoch just left."
Her eyes faltered, she averted her gaze off of Jem and onto the floor. He tried to read any expression of fear or sadness, but it was just complete calmness. He wondered if it was because of Brother Enoch's healing.
"Jem" She started slowly
"Yes?"
"You were the one who saved me right?" She asked, her steady gaze on him. Her blue eyes full with curiosity and innocence.
He nodded in response. A breath taking smile appeared on her porcelain like face. "Thank you" She whispered.
"Jem?" She asked again.
"Hmm?" Sleep was taking him under, but he managed to fight it.
"Why did you save me?" She said in a small voice, mainly because sleep was taking her too.
He pondered for a moment before saying anything. "Because Will would consider suicide over losing you." And then he smiled. "And you are my friend."
"Oh." She said again, only this time Jem could've sworn that there was hint of disappointment in her voice. He watched as she curled in fetal position as she took one look at Jem before falling asleep.
Before Jem could fall asleep, a thought popped in his mind. What would he do if Cecily passed away? He didn't have time to answer though, his eyelids closed and his breathing evened as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep. The thought of Cecily dying appeared in his dreams and his heart panged in pain as he took that as the answer to his question.
As Will said, yep, I've been procrastinating. Sorry about the wait :( :) I'm really hoping to finish this story before the release of Clockwork Princess! (AHHHHH YESSSSS) I'm aiming for my whole story to be finished before march begins, but I still have a lot to write! Anyways I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! :) :) :) :3
Will: on second thought, I could use that hug-
Me: slams into him and falls to the floor.
Sophie walks in…and then Sophie walks out.