Prologue:
Authors Note: I had to do it, I'm sorry. I was fighting it, but it was eating me up inside and here I go! Please read and review:peace sign:
He took a deep breath. His deep, crimson orbs were half lidded and crestfallen as they analized the table. The slow drone of ticking carried on as it always had, and always would. Forever and eternally.
When he thought of this, a shiver rippled through his cold ectoplasmic body. These clocks would tick on and on as he would, because his clock had run out. He was dead.
"Where would you like to begin?" said the calm, never-changing voice of ClockWork. He did not bother to register his form, because it was always revolving from infant, to adult, to aged.
"At the beginning, of course." he said, his voice as cold and sterile as ClockWork's. When he said nothing else, Clockwork became suspicious.
"Why did you come to me?" he questioned, moving from the table. The ticking continued on, stealing at his sanity.
"Who else could I turn to?"
"What about your Vlad friend? I'm sure he'd be delighted to hear this."
He shook his ghostly mane,"Dead."
Clockwork piveted slowly on his tail,"You-?"
"Oh, Clockwork..." a heavy sigh,"I thought you knew everything. No, of old age. I let the man have that."
"Hmm...rather generous of you."
"I know..."
"What brought you here?" asked Clockwork,"Why did you decide to come here?"
He sighed, his body coming down with a crushed aura,"I was looking at the ruins of Amity Park...I had killed everyone, and discovered Vlad dead. I felt empty and alone...and when I reached up to run a hand through my hair, the band broke. I thought it odd that a hairband could survive twelve years and at first sight, I didn't realize...but it was Sam's headband. The only part they found of any of them... And then..."
There was a long silence in which both ClockWork and his ghostly companion felt trepidation lingering in the still air. The Phantom shifted in his chair, trying to wane the loss of words."Are the...the-"
"Observants?" said the robed infant, his red eyes narrowed and relaxed,"No, they're not going to be involved in this. Go on, you have all the time in the world."
The Phantom looked up, a hint of amusement in his eyes,"We have all the time we need, because this place exsists outside of time...how lovley."
"Yes," said ClockWork,"Let's begin. How did you feel when-"
"No." said the spectre abruptly,"We will not begin that way. We will begin where it began...back in the lab...those twelve years ago..."