by Charlie Wood
“Hi, Tobin!” a voice suddenly shouted.
With a gasp, Strike turned to his right: there was a woman in her early sixties standing at the end of the row of clocks, with a thrilled grin across her face. She was dressed in red, orange, and yellow flowing robes, with long gold earrings that shimmered from the candlelight, a big chunky necklace of blue stones resting on her chest, and a mass of neatly-coifed, curly, grey hair atop her head. She also had several dozen gold bracelets on her wrists, which jingled like bells as she clapped her hands together in excitement.
“Oh my god!” she shouted. “I’ve been waiting for you forever! Look at you—you’re really here! And so handsome!” The woman reached forward and grabbed Strike, pulling him close with both arms and squeezing him, all while swaying him from side to side. “I went back and forth, for decades,” she said. “He’ll be here, he won’t be here. He’ll come see me, he won’t come see me. But—you came! Today, just like I thought you would! Oh, this is just great!”
The woman let go of Strike and walked across the shop. This was clearly the Time Queen, Strike thought to himself, though she wasn’t exactly what he was expecting. Puzzled, he watched as she walked to a little sitting area in the middle of the shop, with two large sitting chairs and a circular table resting in between them.
“Would you like something to drink, Tobin? Some iced tea, maybe? I have peach iced tea, your favorite. You can take off your mask, too, by the way—I already know who you are, Tobin Lloyd.”
Smiling bigger than ever, the Time Queen reached for a pitcher of iced tea on the table and poured the cold drink into two glasses. As Strike cautiously stepped toward her, he took off his mask.
“How did you...?” Tobin watched as the Time Queen hummed a song and neatly arranged a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table. “You knew I was coming?”
“Well, I had a pretty good idea. The past, you see, is easy. I can tell you anything you want to know about the past, because it’s already been decided. The future, though, it can be muddy. It’s always changing, there are different possibilities, and any one decision anybody makes at any moment can set it off in a different path.” The Time Queen brought one of the glasses of iced tea to Tobin. “I’ve been seeing this particular moment since I was ten years old—sometimes you came, sometimes you didn’t. But—lo and behold—here we are. Come, sit down, sit down!”
Knowing he’d rather jump out the window than drink whatever this crazy woman had poured for him, Tobin took the glass and followed her to the sitting area. As he sat down in one of the ancient-looking chairs, she sat down across from him, grinning. She seemed to be getting more excited by the minute.
“Do you want to tell me why you’re here?” she asked. “I already know, but you can tell me, anyway.”
Tobin thought it over. As nutty as this woman seemed, there was a reason he had traveled all the way there. “I hear you know all about the time-stream. As soon as I heard that, I wanted to come, but…”
The Time Queen smirked. “Let me guess: Orion, right? He has never liked me, you know. Never, ever. I bet he told you that I’m crazy.”
“He said that anyone who can see what you can see—anyone who has access to all that information about time, and the future, and the past…No one should have all that in their head at once. That it could…”
“Drive a person crazy?”
Tobin nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“Well, he’s right. It could drive a person crazy. But it could also be a wonderful gift. And that’s how I choose to look at it.”
Tobin glanced down at the table in between the chairs. “I came here...I don’t really have any other choice. I need help with something.”
The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a diagram drawn on a piece of paper. It was a detailed description and blueprint of the Chrono-Key—the blue, translucent pocket watch with the ability to send its holder back through time.
“Do you know what this is?” Tobin asked, showing the Time Queen the drawing of the Chrono-Key.
The Time Queen fell into a state of total euphoria. She took in a deep breath and held the air a moment, with her hand against her heart.
“Do you have it?” she asked. “Do you know where the watch is?” She held out her hand. “Is it real? Can I…?”
Tobin handed her the piece of paper. “I need to hear everything you know about this watch.”
As the Time Queen clutched the diagram against her chest, she swiftly entered a trance-like, hypnotized state. Her body swayed rhythmically, and her breath came out in long, slow exhales. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and when she did, Tobin saw that they were now light purple, and without any pupils.
“Oh my god,” she said. “I’ve been waiting...I can hear the watch, speaking to me. With this, I would be able to see everything. It’s clear. It’s finally clear. My whole life I have—it’s real. The Chrono-Key is real.” She suddenly grew emotional, closing her eyes and crying. “Thank you. Thank you, Tobin.”
Tobin stared back at her, with his eyes wide. “Uh, no problem. Can you tell me about it, though? I know it allows people to travel through time, but...”
“It’s talking. The watch speaks...the same way that I speak. It can see everything. It’s showing me everything. The past, possible futures. It’s so clear. It’s...the watch tells me that it has only been used twice in thousands of years. Once by you, and once by a man named Rigel.”
Tobin’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me about when Rigel used it.”
The Time Queen held the blueprint closer to her and concentrated, her brow furrowing and her mouth pursed. Suddenly, as her fingers released the piece of paper, it began hovering in the air above her.
With the Time Queen’s hands now free, she slowly waved her fingers out toward Tobin. As she moved her hands, they began to emanate colorful wisps of smoke, and soon Tobin could see an image of Rigel—the red-skinned giant—made of smoke and floating in the space in front of the Time Queen.
“Rigel stole the Chrono-Key from you,” the Time Queen said. “Not long ago.”
Tobin watched the dancing wisps of smoke and light; he realized they were showing him images of himself and Rigel, in the pyramid dungeon, two months ago. As Tobin hung from the wall of the pyramid, beaten and bloodied, Rigel reached forward and ripped the Chrono-Key from his neck.
“The red giant used the Chrono-Key to fulfill a powerful dream,” the Time Queen said. “A wish—a wish he shared with the person closest to him in his life.”
Tobin watched as Rigel used the Chrono-Key in the pyramid control room and disappeared. When the red giant reappeared, he was suddenly standing outside of the grocery store where Tobin worked, at the far end of the store’s empty parking lot. It was night. As the red giant gripped the Chrono-Key in his hand, he walked across the asphalt, staring ahead at the entrance to the grocery store.
Inside the store, Tobin could see himself, talking to Orion.
“Rigel went into the past,” the Time Queen said. “But not too far. Only a blink of an eye in the time-stream.”
Tobin watched the images in shock. “That’s me,” he said. “That’s the night I met Orion, almost a year ago. The night all of this started.”
The Time Queen nodded. “You were supposed to meet Orion that night, but Rigel went into the past and changed that.”
Tobin watched the images in light and smoke. Enraged by the sight of Orion in the supermarket, Rigel charged across the parking lot and rammed his massive shoulder into the glass. The walls around the entrance shattered, and Tobin and Orion turned to see the massive, hulking, furious giant standing in front of them.
The Time Queen continued. “Before you could hear Orion’s warning that night and learn about his connection to your father, Rigel attacked Orion, left him to die, and took you with him from the supe
rmarket.”
Tobin watched as Rigel grabbed Orion by the neck and rammed him into the ground. Before Orion could recover, Rigel clutched the terrified Tobin, fired a portal pistol into the air, and escaped with Tobin from the supermarket, through a swirling portal and back to Capricious.
The Time Queen took a deep breath. “A separate timeline was created in which Orion did not meet you ten months ago and train you in your powers. Instead, Rigel took you from the supermarket that night and forced you into the armor of the Daybreaker. By placing you in that armor and helmet, he opened up your mind and body to the infinite possibilities of your power.”
In the smoke and light, Tobin saw the Daybreaker, wearing his armor and sitting in the metal throne in the pyramid in Zanatopia.
“When you were ready, Rigel brought this second version of you back to the present and bestowed upon you the legendary title of the Daybreaker. Then, after teaching you more in the ways of your powers—well, the results of this can be seen on your home world now.”
The smoky image of the Daybreaker changed, morphing into the black-and-purple Dark Nebula surrounding Boston. Tobin watched the dome, dismayed and sick to his stomach.
“So it is me,” the boy said. “The Daybreaker is me. It’s not some illusion, or fake trick. It’s actually me.”
“Yes. A different you from a different timeline, but you nonetheless. Only one event in the Daybreaker’s life has been different from yours. One small difference has created all of this. Instead of being taken from Earth and trained by Orion, he was taken from Earth and trained by Rigel.”
Tobin stared at the Dark Nebula. “So Rigel found me instead of Orion, and this is what happened. This is what I turned into. I’m capable of doing all this.”
“Yes. And so much more.”
Tobin didn’t want to know the answer to his next question, but he knew he had to ask. “He—the Daybreaker—he has chosen to do all of this? Of his own free will? Rigel isn’t making him do this, or hypnotizing him or something?”
The Time Queen shook her head. “No. This is his choice. Because of what Rigel has told him about the universe, he has chosen to work with Rigel and the others. He is leading them in their conquest of Earth. This is how he—how you—has chosen to use his powers.”
Tobin was quiet, watching the smoke and light, with his hands clasped in front of him.
“Is this not the answer you were looking for?” the Time Queen asked.
“It’s what I was looking for. I was just hoping you’d be telling me something different.”
“I can only tell you what I know. And what I know is truth.”
Tobin nodded. “Thank you. I’m gonna go home now. I’ll be needing that diagram.”
Tobin reached forward and plucked the drawing of the Chrono-Key from the air. With his thoughts and the truth overwhelming him, he stood and walked back toward the rows of clocks, towards the exit of the shop. The Time Queen stayed seated.
“Oh, Tobin,” she said with a wide smile. “Would you like to know more? Would you like to know about your future?”
Tobin turned around, his eyes squinting.
“Like I said, the future is unclear,” the Time Queen said. “It’s always unclear, because there are infinite possibilities. It is impossible to be 100% sure. But I can tell you what I see most often when I look into your future.”
Tobin thought it over. He shrugged. It couldn’t be any worse than what he had just heard. “Sure. Why not.”
The Time Queen closed her eyes and entered another trance, swaying side-to-side. “I see...a dead man, appearing as if risen from the grave. I see...a giant, walking the streets of the Earth. And I see you. You are alone...scared...and crying.”
Tobin stared at her, with his eyebrows raised. “Okay. Not exactly ‘you win the lottery and buy the Boston Celtics,’ but okay. Thanks. Thanks for that.”
Tobin turned toward the exit, more eager to leave than ever. Behind him, the Time Queen laughed.
“Oh, Tobin. My handsome, little Tobin. You really are so sweet. I didn’t think you would be so naive.”
Tobin turned around. “Come again?”
“I’ve been waiting over fifty years for this moment,” the Time Queen said. “Did you really think I would just let you leave?”
“Umm…” Tobin thought it over. “Yes?”
The Time Queen laughed again. “That diagram in your hand—that device. I need you to get it for me. What that watch allowed me to do, even from afar...for the first time, I could see clearly. If I held the Chrono-Key, if I could actually hold the device in my hand? Everything has been a jumble, since I was a little girl, but when I spoke to the Chrono-Key—it was like someone had lined everything up for me. Cleanly. Clearly. All the voices and images had been lifted. I had always hoped this is what would happen when you came to me. But I never thought it would ever be this beautiful. I never thought I would feel this...high from it.”
Tobin stepped toward the exit. “Okay, uh, you’re welcome, I guess. But I really should be going. Hope you keep feeling...high. Don’t go driving or anything.”
The Time Queen laughed, loud and hard, flinging her head back.
“Oh, Tobin. You know. You know I can’t let you leave. You’re my only hope of getting the Chrono-Key. Do you understand what I could do if I had that? What I could accomplish? You must stay with me. You must stay with me and help me get the Chrono-Key.”
Tobin looked for another exit. “No, actually. I don’t. I’m leaving now, and I’m going to make sure you never get your hands on the Chrono-Key, ever. I’m going to need it, I’m sure, for whatever happens next.”
“You will need it,” the Time Queen said. “But you won’t have it.” She reached toward one of her cuckoo clocks hanging on the wall. “You won’t have it because I will have it.”
Tobin stepped toward her. He grabbed his bo-staff from his back. “What are you doing? Listen, you need to stop before I—”
“Yes, stand right there,” the Time Queen said, with her hand on the cuckoo clock. “Right where I’ve been seeing you stand since I was ten years old.” She squinted. “Wait a minute. Not quite right.”
Tobin stepped forward, lighting his bo-staff with electricity.
“There you go,” the Time Queen said. As she used her finger to spin the hour hand on the face of the clock, the floor slid open underneath Tobin’s feet. Suddenly, he fell into the floor and disappeared from view.
The Time Queen let out a satisfied sigh. “Nothing quite like building a trap door and then having to wait forty-five years to use it. But boy, was it worth it.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Tobin found himself careening down a twisting, turning, underground metal slide, underneath the Time Queen’s curio shop. The tube went nearly straight down, and Tobin could not stop or control his fall.
“Whooooooaaaaaaaaa!” he shouted, as he tried to brace his hands on the walls speeding by him. “Whoooooooooahh!”
Finally, the boy reached the end of the slide and SPLASHED! into an underground cavern. Getting to his feet and soaking wet, he stood in the knee-high water and looked toward the ceiling. High above him, he could see the hole he just fell through, but it was soon covered by a sliding door.
“Tobin?” the boy heard someone say. “Did you land okay?”
Tobin darted his eyes around the cavern. Up near the ceiling, there was a speaker built into the dirt wall. The Time Queen’s voice was coming from it.
“Are you in the water now?” she asked. “Okay, good. Good, I can see that you are. Now, you just be a good little boy and agree to help me get the Chrono-Key. Then, I will let you out of there, and we can all move on from this unfortunate incident and continue being friends again.”
Tobin sloshed through the water, running his hands along the walls and stomping his feet
, listening for any hollow spots in the ground.
“No, that’s okay,” he said. “I think I’ll just look for a way out of here and go home. Thanks for the iced tea, though.”
The Time Queen laughed. “There is no way out, silly, I’ve made sure of that. And if you won’t get the Key for me, then I will have to kill you. It is one of the futures I’ve seen. Is that the road you want to go down?”