Author's Note: I got to the point where I couldn't enjoy writing anymore for the last 4 years. The guilt of not finishing this story made it too hard to enjoy writing anything else. I started writing a My Hero Academia longfic and couldn't bring myself to post it until I finished Famous Last Words. I've always wanted to. The writer's block just stretched on and on and I didn't know how to finish it. Well, 7 years since I started, I think it's finally time to finish this story. I plan to post this chapter and 2 more. I know in an earlier note I mentioned an epilogue and a possible sequel. I still want to post the epilogue, but I'm not sure if I'm going to write the story I had planned as book 3 as it's been so long. I mostly just want to wrap this up well. Thank you to any returning readers. You're angels!
If I Had A Heart
Toby was one of the last to be teleported into the battle. When he arrived, it looked like hell. Not knowing what the situation was like inside, Laughing Jack had left him in the snow outside the entrance to the main hall before quickly teleporting himself back inside. Before him was a sea of charred corpses, still smoking and twitching. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be spiders.
He thought back to something Laughing Jack had said earlier. That Toby knew the villain they were about to face. It didn't make any sense. He'd said not to let his feelings get in the way of the fight. It didn't matter, it couldn't. He needed to focus on finding Melanie and helping her. It looked like the others had already done most of the hard work in clearing the path through the castle. The tricky part would be finding her in such a sprawling place. This spider chick really knew how to pick a lair.
When he got to the main entrance, he found that the massive stone doors had been blown off the building somehow. The scene was chaos. Rubble and guts littered every inch of the floor. The few areas that weren't covered in debris had uneven, broken floor that he had to step across with great care.
He was in a large room with a throne and broken mirror at the back. There were sounds of fighting coming from the left and the right. There was no time to overthink it. He picked a random direction and headed to the right as quickly as he could.
As Toby rounded the corner, he entered the ruins of a partially enclosed courtyard. The floor here was almost impossible to traverse. It was blown to pieces, with scorch marks everywhere. And... wait, what the fuck was that sound?
He ducked down behind a chunk of concrete and peered into the dark corner under a tall ledge. There was something with long claws like scythes crouched down on the floor. It was eating something, judging by the wet tearing sounds Toby was hearing. He clapped a hand over his mouth and scrambled backwards when he saw that familiar yellow hoodie on the body that had become dinner. There was another body, with not much left but bones and clothes right next to the first. No. No no... I just got here. How are things already this bad? Tim... Brian... what the fuck happened here?
His hand landed on a loose tile which clattered as it came loose from its uneven placement.
The creature turned slowly to look at Toby. Its glowing red eyes were emotionless as it locked onto its third course. The thing looked like it could have been a cousin of the Rake. Another ceiling crawler? He'd never seen one do this before. He picked himself up and ran deeper into the building, throwing a look over his shoulder to see if he would be able to outrun it. The creature was lurching after him with great effort. Its four limbs were spindly, and unable to support its horribly bloated body. It gave one last strained lurch before spewing foul liquid on the ground and collapsing in the puddle, unable to drag itself further.
God damn it... how did this happen? Toby lifted his goggles to wipe tears from his eyes. He had to find the others. Someone... anyone.
A lilting voice caught his attention. It was rough but... familiar. She was singing.
"Melanie?" He cried out, sprinting through the hallways after the sound. He was so sure... it must have been her. It sounded like her voice was coming through a pipe, or a can. Like a warped record.
He came careening into a room and was genuinely confused by what he encountered. It was a workshop, filled with gears and other parts. The floors were covered with grease splatters and drips. But even more shocking, was the source of the singing he had heard.
It was a clockwork girl. She had hair with pink, gold, and silver chunks of metal, and an eye with a clock face in it. She was in horrible disrepair. But through all the grime, she looked like...
"...Melanie? Why... why do you sound like her..." he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Melanie, Melanie, Moira, Moira. You know," she said, clicking her heels so that she was wheeling around him in circles. "I'm getting real sick of hearing about her. I know you made me, well, not YOU you, the other you, from my own timeline, he made me in her image. Had a crush on her and then killed her because he was just too obsessed! But then he, you, couldn't stop thinking about her. So, the genius Toby Rodgers built the amazing Clockwork. He loved her... until that fucking bitch ripped his heart out!"
She continued to wheel around him at dizzying speeds, speaking in an elated yet manic tone. "I was so happy when I heard that she was going to come to this timeline, that she'd figured out a way. All she had to do was cause enough discord to drag this Melanie just close enough to the dark side that their paths would converge enough for her to manifest here. I was excited, because I knew I would see you again my dear! But she, oh, that witch... she was going to kill you. But don't you worry your pretty little head," she said, patting him with her crumpled metal hand. "I'm going to kill her first. No one will ever lay a hand on you, my love."
Clockwork stood in front of him, hands clasped, and batting her metallic eyelashes at him.
That was... a lot to process. "Uh, listen, uh-"
"-Clockwork," she reminded him.
"Listen, Clockwork, you, you must have had some strong feelings for the Toby in your own d-dimension, but I don't k-know you. I just went to ask my own Melanie's father for his blessing to marry Melanie since I know, I know there's a solid chance we're both going to go down out there. No hard feelings, but... ah, I just really need to find her right now. She's in trouble, and she needs me." He took a tentative step, assessing his exit path out of the room. Unless he wanted to go back the way he came, he would have to go past the obsessed robot to get to the other exit.
Her expression soured. "I see you, murdered, before my eyes, by the woman who was to become my cruel mistress. She forced me to serve her for YEARS! And all that time, my only hope was that one day, in another life, we might be reunited. And when I finally see my sweet love again... what does he say? She needs me. SHE NEEDS ME!" she screamed, getting right up in his face. Toby looked around for a weapon, anything, but suddenly Clockwork had lifted him off the ground by his neck. "I'm getting... really... really... sick... of hearing about, fucking Melanie," she growled. "Fine. Fine. It's clear you don't want me. I don't want you either then. So I guess my last hoorah is going to be getting that bitch where it hurts. Fuck you, Toby Rodgers," she hissed in his ear.
Toby had no ability to feel pain, but he heard the sound of something sliding into his chest. "What... the fuck," he choked out, kicking the robot. She winced, but kept her grip. He kicked her harder this time until she fell back on the floor, fuming. He stumbled forward, grabbing a large piece of rebar from one of the workbenches.
"Baby... baby what are you doing with that?" she asked, feigning innocence.
Toby spat a hefty mouthful of blood at her feet. "I have a few screws loose, but you? You're psycho. Give up and let me pass, or you'll regret it."
She grinned and lunged for his feet, only to have the rebar come crashing down on her metal hands. Clockwork cried out in shock.
"You've already wasted enough of my time. I'm going to find my girlfriend. I love her, and she needs me there with her. I don't know what the other me from your timeline was like, but you clearly don't know what love is. Stay down. I'm leaving."
Clockwork wailed and lunged after him. This time, he didn't have to hit her. With a great clatter, her right leg came apart. Screws and nuts went everywhere. She desperately tried to scoop up handfuls of herself as more and more joints came undone.
"I wish your life could have gone differently. I really do. But I have to protect what's left of mine," Toby said as he shut the door on her.
"Please," he heard her moan from the other side of the door. "Please don't leave me. I love you! You're mine! You can't do this to me!" she shrieked. She wasn't getting any closer though. Good.
Toby drew in a shaky breath, and discovered that it was much more of an effort than it should've been. He was vaguely aware that there was still something shoved in his chest, but he didn't want to know what it was. I just need to keep going. I can't slow down, or this will catch up to me. If I can just keep moving... can't think about what she said. She's crazy. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Melanie... Moira... Melanie...
The Rake accepted that he had been too late. EJ was slipping. He'd had the powers of the void once, but whatever the spider queen had done to him had weakened him too much for him to move, let alone fight. The ceiling lurker sat back on his haunches, observing his housemate. If nothing else, at least there would be a witness to his demise.
EJ took a ragged breath and slumped lower. He'd been bleeding profusely, but now there was almost nothing left coming out.
"So," The Rake said. "How do you think this all ends?"
"Ends?" EJ asked in a rasping voice.
"Do you think we win? Or will we all perish?"
The grey-skinned boy laughed. It was a hollow, rattling laugh. "Yes," he said with a weak grin. He took in another shaky breath and closed his eyes. The Rake did not see him take another. When a few more minutes had passed, and it was clear that his companion was dead, the ceiling lurker stood and climbed to the ground floor.
