The Clock's True Keeper

The bunker's siren wailed, its red emergency lights casting frantic shadows around the room. On the monitors, figures in tactical gear moved methodically through the corridors above, closing in fast.

Margaret grabbed a backpack and began stuffing it with papers, hard drives, and a small, glowing device James couldn't identify. "We don't have much time," she said, her voice sharp with urgency.

James took the device Margaret had given him a little while before, the sleek surface of which was warm against his hand. "What is this?"

"A temporal disruptor," Margaret replied. "It can destabilize the clock's energy field long enough for you to stop ChronoDyne's experiments—but only once. Use it wisely."

James looked at the device, a shiver of dread going over him. "You make it sound like I'm the one who's supposed to fix all this.

"You are," Margaret said, meeting his gaze. "If your grandfather was right, the clock chose your family for a reason. And you're here now, which means it chose you."

James shook his head, his heart pounding. "I don't know anything about fixing timelines or being some kind of. guardian! I'm just trying to survive this mess."

She set her firm hand firmly on his shoulder. "You're capable of a lot more than you realize, and I swear, let's move out."

Out they moved from the bunker and down into a very narrow utility tunnel. The air was damp against the walls, carrying a heavy oil scent with its overlay of mildew. Somewhere above them, boots clattered against metal overhead.

Margaret moved ahead of him, her steps steady and purposeful. She stopped at corners, referring to a small tablet before deciding a way to go. James trailed after her, his fingers clutching the disruptor tightly as he staggered to keep up.

"Where are we going?" he panted.

"There's an emergency access point about a half-mile from here," she explained. "It takes us in to the city's maintenance tunnels. We can get into ChronoDyne Tower that way without being spotted."

"And then what?" Margaret looked back at him. "Then you stop the clock."

Around a curve, the tunnel suddenly swarmed with static and then with a deep, mechanical voice.

"James Bennett. Margaret Ellison. Surrender now, and you will not be harmed."

James's frozen muscles spasmed. The voice came from speakers built into the walls of the tunnel, but its tone was icy and passionless.

"They're trying to intimidate us," Margaret said, pulling James forward. "Keep moving."

But the voice continued, its words striking a nerve. "James, you are out of your depth. The timeline cannot be saved. Join us, and we will ensure your survival."

James hesitated. "They know my name. How do they know my name?"

Margaret didn't back down. "They probably already accessed your biometric data. ChronoDyne has control over all the surveillance networks in this city."

The voice became sterner. "Margaret Ellison, your treachery has been recorded. You can't keep running forever."

Margaret's jaw flexed. "Let them babble. They're trying to delay.

James pushed down his rising panic and followed her. They had barely gone twenty feet when a loud explosion rocked the tunnel, sending chunks of concrete raining down around them. James stumbled, coughing as dust filled the air.

Margaret yanked him to his feet. "They're trying to flush us out. Run!"

The tunnel opened up into a gigantic underground maintenance hub, steel platforms and catwalks suspended above a churning waterway. The space was dimly lit by flickering fluorescent lights casting eerie reflections down on the water below.

Margaret led James across a narrow catwalk, their footsteps echoing loudly in the cavernous space. When they reached the midpoint, a squad of ChronoDyne operatives emerged from the opposite end, their weapons raised.

"Down!" Margaret yelled, yanking James behind a support beam as bullets cut through the air. Sparks flew as rounds impacted the metal framework.

James's chest heaved with anxiety as he gripped the disruptor. "What do we do now?"

Margaret reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device. She pressed the button, and a whine filled the air, then a deafening bang as an explosion hurtled through the catwalk in front of them, sealing their pursuers off.

"Go!" she shouted, pushing James toward a ladder leading down to the waterway.

They climbed down and waded in the waist-deep water, which numbed the legs of James with the freezing current. They could hear yelling and shooting going on above, but the din gave them just enough time.

At last, they came out from a drainage pipe into an alley near ChronoDyne Tower. The sheer structure towered above them with its spiraling design glowing against the night sky.

Margaret turned to James, her expression grim. "This is it. Once we're inside, there's no turning back."

James nodded, his resolve hardening. "What's the plan?"

She handed him a schematic of the tower. "The clock is in the central lab on the 73rd floor. Security will be tight, but you've got the disruptor. It's keyed to the clock's energy signature, so it'll neutralize their containment field."

"And then what?"

Margaret hesitated. "That's up to you. The clock responds to intent. If you can focus on restoring the timeline, it might fix the damage-or it might take you back to the moment this all began."

James's stomach churned. "That's a lot of 'mights.'"

Margaret placed a hand on his shoulder. "I believe in you, James. Your grandfather did too.

Before James could respond to that, a black hovercraft swooped into the alley, its searchlights pinpointing them.

"Go!" Margaret yelled, pushing him towards the tower.

James ran, listening to the cracking gunfire and Margaret's yells fade as he ducked into a side entrance.