The sun rose over Philadelphia just as Cory rose from his bed, wide awake from his 12 hour sleep. It had been nearly 4 years since he first arrived in the past, but due to time distortion Cory had only been there for a few months. The world around him seemed like a blur, but every moment was regular speed. It was a peculiar way of living, but Cory got used to it after a while.
Throughout the years, Cory had begun to follow a few of the most well known founding fathers, particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin. They all barely tolerated the annoying kid, but they respected him a little because he seemed to have some sort of psychic powers. He seemed to know a few events before they happened and even predicted the outcome of the war.
Jefferson was extremely smart, but also seemed to have low self esteem. If he wasn't recognized for his actions he seeped into a deep depression. He was credited as the neatest writer in all of America, which Cory disagreed to because he existed.
This contrasted well with Madison's arrogant personality. He always saw himself as correct, and often yelled at people for their incompetence, no matter how small the mistake. Despite this, he was nearly as brilliant as Jefferson and made a mean apple pie.
Though they were both smart, nothing compared to the brilliancy that was Benjamin Franklin. Oftentimes Cory would watch him invent small devices in under 5 minutes. He spoke little, but whatever came from his mouth was nearly poetry. Cory often just followed him around, learning about what went on in his mind.
Now, you may think that since Cory was around these brilliant people, he learned a lot and was a completely different person. On the contrary, he barely listened to what any of them said as he thought he was smarter than them. This was coupled with him knowing a few details on the future, which reinforced this belief. Cory was a lost cause, his character development during the Xerath chronicles was long gone.
Cory was living in a small house loaned to him by Benjamin Franklin due to pity alone. He slept in a small (still bigger than his room in DC) room with a bed and some books. He hadn't touched the books at all and used them mostly as pedestals for his items.
He walked to his window and threw open the curtains, marveling at the magnificent view of the city of philadelphia. Franklin said they would be flying a kite today and that Cory might be able to hold the string! Cory was ecstatic, this world was boring and he needed to have some sort of entertainment. He was a needy man, that Cory.
He walked out into the hallway, which was filled with clocks and other machinery all over the floor. Cory didn't know what any of it did but he knew that Franklin would often just grab parts and stick them together seemingly at random. Cory could do that, of course, if he wanted to. He continued to walk to the kitchen, where Franklin sat tinkering with some sort of compass.
"Hi," Cory said simply.
Franklin nodded to him and went back to his device. For some reason, Franklin didn't have a refrigerator, so Cory had limited options to eat. He eventually got some fruits for breakfast which were not enough. Somehow he had lost no weight, which was understandable because of his diet of stale bread back in his own time. He missed that bread, it seemed like it had been years since he had last eaten that bread. In reality it had been -286 years since he had last had it, but who's counting really?
"Um, when are we going to fly kites?"
Franklin looked up, "we will soon leave, though it may take many days to get to the location."
Cory sighed loudly, "where are we going?"
"New York."
"Oh no, Italians live there!" Cory shouted.
"I understand little of your fear of Italians, but I can assure you that none live there, you will be 'safe' from them."
"Oh, good!" Cory said, getting excited again.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Franklin got up and walked outside. Cory began to follow him as they got onto a carriage outside. Franklin started up a coal engine and the carriage began to move quickly (in comparison to the horse drawn carriages) to the northeast.
The two travelled many days through the nature of the northeast, occasionally stopping to eat and drink at various water sources. Cory complained the entire way there, but luckily Franklin used his brilliant mind to shut the kid up many times, eventually fitting him with a mechanical device that kept his jaw shut.
Soon enough, Cory could see the city of New York on the horizon. Many buildings were within the city, but few were larger than two stories.
"Where are the twin towers?" Cory asked, even stupid for his own time.
Franklin looked at him confused, "whatever do you mean?"
Cory rolled his eyes and ignored him, they probably just moved the towers to another city because they were too tall. They didn't go into the city, instead opting to go to the countryside and wait on a nearby hill. Franklin sat in the grass holding his kite.
Cory was confused by this, "what are we doing?"
"We are waiting for the thunderstorm that is approaching," Franklin said, pointing to the dark clouds to the south.
"It isn't even going to rain!" Cory predicted. Franklin just sat and watched the clouds.
20 minutes later it began to rain, Cory was wrong but didn't admit it. Franklin began to tie a key to the string of the kite, handing it over to Cory.
"Now, all I need you to do, boy, is fly this kite in the air and watch it."
Cory eagerly grabbed the kite as Franklin pulled out a strange canister that looked like a battery. The kite flew high in the strong winds, but Cory's strength device on his arm allowed him to hold onto it tight. Thunder shook the ground and flashes of lightning were seen across the fields and forests. Suddenly, one struck the key and Franklin instantly held the battery to Cory's hand as the electricity flowed through Cory, filling up the battery.
Cory screamed as the electricity burned him, and let go of the kite, it flying away to another world unknown to our own. Presumably. The electrical energy seemed to become one with Cory as he felt himself leaving his own body to a separate consciousness. In reality Cory just passed out for a few minutes because his heart stopped.
"Wh-what happened?" Cory asked as he came back.
"You were dead for a few minutes," Franklin said as he leaned over the boy.
Cory gasped in shock, "I… was…. Dead?" Cory asked, not knowing he could die. Every time before he had been saved by a magical coincidence. The monastery warriors ceasing their attack due to his katana, the chaos emerald saving him from Dr. Eggman many times, a single word saving Cory from the Floridian vampires, the list goes on. But finally, he had succumbed to death.
"Not actually dead, your heart just stopped."
"Oh, nevermind then, who cares about my heart?"
Franklin ignored him and walked over to another hill, not saying anything. Cory followed him through the hills of New York, still in shock from the lightning. Franklin walked up to the hill and pushed on it, revealing a camouflage door hidden in the side of it. Cobwebs covered the walls and dust floated in the air as the two entered the bunker, going down steel stairs into a large cavern filled with technology. Franklin's secret base.
Franklin walked up to one of the terminals and inserted the battery into a slot in the wall. Instantly the entire room lit up and devices turned on. At the far end of the room, a large statue seemed to come to life, smoke floating from the torch in its hand. It was the statue of liberty. The statue of liberty was actually invented by Benjamin Franklin as a giant mech to beat the british, but it wasn't needed as it would be overkill. It now sits below New York until it is repurposed as a lighthouse many years in the future.
Cory gasped in awe as he stared at the symbol of American pride. Cory soluted the statue, showing his respect for the enormous symbol for liberty and justice for all. The head of the statue lights up as it begins to move slowly, an elevator coming down to pick up the two.
"Um I thought Albert Einstein invented light bulbs?" Cory asked, clearly misinformed and talking about Thomas Edison.
"Who? I have not heard of this man, also how do you know the name of the light bulb? I have not released them to the public yet."
"Um, lucky guess?"
"Fair enough, they are light and they do indeed look like bulbs. I plan on releasing the light bulb under a different name after I fake my own death, maybe Tesla or something? I am unsure as of now."
Cory nodded as they approached the elevator. Franklin pulled a lever on the side and the gate shut behind them. Gears cranked as the elevator began to move upward toward the head of the statue. Cory began to feel nauseous due to the immense height of the statue. He walked back toward the edge of the elevator and stared forward, terrified. On the contrary, Franklin leaned over the edge, looking down over his large bunker.
As the elevator reached the top, the face of lady liberty slowly slid up to allow access to the top. Inside, many controls were laid out to control the mech.
"So what are we doing in here?" Cory asked.
"The world is not ready for technology of this kind, what once would be called witchcraft is now called science. The future needs to know about this, but the present cannot. Cory, you will by far outlive me. Please. If the time comes, you must reignite the flame and power this statue. But be warned, it cannot fall into the wrong hands. There are people out there who wish to destroy this nation once and for all. They may be closer to you than you know, but they are still threats nonetheless. I will die someday. There is no escaping that. I will never have children, I know that. Cory, you must be my future. Many people may be rooting for you, make them proud. I definitely will. Cory Baxter, will you take on my legacy?"
"Uh, sure," Cory said, not listening.
Large hangar doors revealed the night sky above them, opening to make way for the mech. The floor below the mech began to rise, bringing it to the surface. Slowly, the city of New York appeared before them as well as the countryside around them. The Statue stood atop liberty island, guarding the coast of the United States, an endless sea ahead of them.
Suddenly, the lights went out in the mech and the entire thing powered down, leaving but a statue behind.
"Hm, must have run out of power. Oh well, I will replace it some other time. Come on, boy, let us go back home," Franklin said, opening a hatch to the bottom of the statue.
Cory followed, wondering why it ran out of power.
His answer was far below, within Franklin's bunker. A man approached the battery and extended his arm to the battery Cory had powered. Using a device on his arm, he was able to absorb the power the battery contained. He drew his arm away as the entire room turned dark. Slowly, a ball of electricity appeared before him out of the device on his arm, lighting up his face.
"Finally, I have discovered pure lightning energy. Yes! Uncorrupted by the pollution of the world. Well... mostly. Still a success… heh… hehehe... heehheheheheheh!" He cried as he walked out of the bunker, illuminated by the moonlight. He was dressed in a dressed up with a tie. His black hair was combed to the side. The device on his arm seemed to be lodged into his skin. He raised his arm to the sky and a bubble surrounded him, causing him to fly away. Jason Stickler, Cory's eternal rival, was back and more powerful than ever.