The parade of time goes airborne.

Deep in the Ghost Zone, in a tower built of clock pieces and gears, the master of time floated before a large, circular screen. The image in its depths was of a green-haired teenager surrounded by the eerie glow of the ghost world, but the teen himself was not a ghost.

Clockwork sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Another Archetype had wandered in.

The time master was of mixed opinions regarding the Archetypes. As a whole, they fulfilled their roles well, but tended to have an unpredictable effect on the worlds they entered. Some were all but uncontrollable. Some reminded him a little too much of the Observants. Clockwork could never decide which were worse: the chaotic ones, or the boring ones.

Judging by the way the boy on the screen was darting around like a squirrel on Speed, he was one of the former.

Clockwork twirled his staff, opening a portal into the Zone. The best way to deal with Archetypes was to send them back where they came from - preferably, before they damaged anything. Mere seconds later, the time master materialized directly in front of the intruder.

The boy appeared startled, but recovered quickly. "Hello!" he said with a disarming grin. "Hope I'm not trespassing - I don't actually know where I am."

Clockwork raised an eyebrow. "This is the Ghost Zone, Archetype."

The boy froze for a second. "Huh. It's not everyday someone just knows what I am."

Clockwork smiled. "I know everything."

The Archetype gave him a measuring glance. "Right. And you are . . . ?"

"I am Clockwork, the master of time."

"For real?"

The ghost nodded solemnly. "For real."

"Why isn't our Time that cool?" the Archetype muttered.

Clockwork concealed a smile. That last part was obviously not meant for his ears, but was heard nonetheless.

"So. The Ghost Zone, huh? Looks like fun."

Clockwork frowned. "I am afraid you cannot stay here. Your kind bring trouble wherever they go. As the protector of the time stream, I cannot allow it."

The Archetype stared. "That's a bit harsh."

"Nevertheless, I must ask you to leave."

"Wait, you're kicking me out? Of an entire dimension? You can do that?" The Archetype's pitch rose with each question.

"I can."

". . . Is that a law?" A smirk hovered around the boy's lips.

Clockwork gave him a look. "I take it you have ways around such things."

"Guilty as charged." The Archetype tossed him a two-fingered salute. "Concept of Anarchy and all that."

"Of course." Clockwork folded his arms. "It couldn't have been one of the boring ones."

Anarchy laughed. "Nah, they don't travel much." His expression sobered. "In all seriousness, though, I'm not here to cause trouble. I've never been to a ghost dimension - I just want to do a little exploring." The Archetype grinned, eyes shining.

Against his will, the time master found himself swayed by those eyes. It had been years since he had seen such curiosity and honest excitement. Clockwork sighed. The boy's intention appeared to be sincere; the issue lay in whether he could maintain it. "If you stay, you will follow my directives."

Anarchy hesitated, then nodded decisively. "Agreed."

"Good. In that case, there are a few things about this dimension you should know."

~o0o~

Back in his citadel, Clockwork shook his head as the Archetype flew off. As soon as he had agreed to let the boy stay, the number of possible futures had increased exponentially. It would not be inaccurate to say that the future was now, in a way, infinite. He had mused occasionally that time was like a parade, one he had always viewed from above. Now, it was as if that parade had gained the power of flight.

Considering how gravity tended to malfunction around this particular Archetype, perhaps the metaphor was apt.

~o0o~

"Hey, Havoc?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you make me glow in the dark?"

". . . What?

So yes, I'm doing another of these. Because Anarchy. Anarchy everywhere.