“Each ch-ch-chlorine atom can d-d-d-destroy 100,000 ozone m-m-molecules. So yeah, it’s...bad,” he replies.
“Then we have to turn off these machines.” I look for an instrument panel, a dashboard, or a switch that can turn off the machines. I can’t find anything, and it’s so hot I have to back away.
“Maybe the c-c-controls aren’t in this – in this – in this room,” Robby says.
“Let’s try the next room, then.” I head for the door.
Robby grabs me before I can take three steps. “What’s wr-wr-wrong with you, B-b-brad?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why do you k-k-keep zoning out on us?”
“I keep having really strong memory flashbacks.”
“Well, can y-y-you stop it? You’re really sc-sc-scaring me because y-y-y-you’re the leader and we can’t – we can’t – do this without...you.”
“I’m not doing it on purpose.”
“Well, y-y-you’re timing c-c-couldn’t be worse.”
Megan bounces over to us. “Brad, it’s too hot and humid in here. I get sticky when it’s humid and it’s very uncomfortable. It reminds me of when our dad took us on a holiday to Japan in the summer two – or was it three – no, definitely two summers ago. It was so humid when we went outside I couldn’t even bear to cross my arms. I had to keep my arms out like this the whole time, you know?”
“Yuk, I hate humidity. Remind me not to go to Japan in the summer, okay, Megan?” I say.
“Brad.” Megan says.
“Yes?”
“Don’t go to Japan in summer.”
“Haha – you’re too funny.”
“Can we try the next room, please? It’s way too hot in here,” Georgia says.
I try the door handle to the next room. It’s locked, of course, but before I can call Roach over to dismantle it, there is a loud CLICK. Riding on a hunch, I try the handle again. This time it opens – the door unlocked itself.
“I don’t like this,” I say.
“Come into m-m-my parlour, said the sp-sp-spider to the...fly,” Robby says. He looks even more worried than me.
“Fly – what fly? I can’t see any flies,” Megan says.
“It’s an expression,” I say.
She looks at me blankly.
“It means we may be walking into a trap,” Georgia says.
“Then why didn’t he say that in the first place?”
“Because...oh never mind.”
“Can we go – please? The heat’s making me feel faint,” Georgia says.
Robby grabs my hand to stop me from opening the door.
“None of the other doors opened for us. What if the Mechanical is in there? Y-y-you know, the o-o-one controlling the airship?”
“We still have to go.”
“Not y-y-y-yet we don’t. We n-n-need to get some li-li-liquid nitrogen so we can – so we can – so we can freeze the Mechanical. You k-k-k-know, like we did on th-th-the oil rig.”
“That would be great, but I haven’t seen any liquid nitrogen here, have you?”
“No.” Robby’s shoulders sag in defeat.
“What about some lengths of steel pipe?” I look around the room, but I can’t find any. What I do notice are the black pipes that run from the machines into the walls.
Thinking I can tear away some of those pipes, I go over and grab one. Then immediately jerk back because the pipe is so hot it burns my hand.
“Ow!” I blow on my hand.
“Don’t t-t-t-touch those pipes!” Robby shrieks. “If you p-p-p-pull one out, you w-w-w-will flood the com-com-compartment with atomic chlorine, and it’s extremely toxic!”
“Oops, sorry!”
Chapter Nine
I look at Robby. “So there’s no liquid nitrogen or pipes. Any other ideas on how we can fight this Mechanical?”
He shakes his head.
I wonder if we could pull out one of the metal floor panels...
...and I’m back in my bedroom-come-workshop.
I apply the finishing touches to an intricately made clockwork butterfly and lay it on the bench top beside two dozen more. For the past two weeks, I’ve spent every spare moment making these little toys. I can’t wait to see them come alive when the little energy aliens hop inside them. I’m so excited!
Spidey and Roach have become my playmates at home since my dad goes away so often on business trips. Spidey is playful most of the time, bringing me bolts to throw. At other times he just watches everything I do with those eight little eyes of his. Roach is more affectionate. He snuggles up on my lap while I work and buzzes away like a cat.
I push my chair back and Roach leaps off. I pick up a small toolbox and carefully put the twenty-five clockwork butterflies in it. Each one has been built around a lady’s wristwatch. I had to visit three pawnshops in town to buy and trade for them.
“Well boys, let’s go back to your world and see if those little flying creatures will hop into these butterflies?”
Roach runs in circles, but Spidey jumps off the bench and drops a bolt at my shoe.
I reach for the bolt, but before I can pick up it up, an alien creature suddenly appears and hovers in front of me. It looks a lot like Spidey and Roach, except that it’s a lot bigger. Almost the size of a basketball.
This is new.
“Hello Brad,” the alien says.
“You can talk!” I say.
“Of course.”
“And you know my name!”
“So it would appear,” it says.
“But what are you?”
“I am an Orb,” it says.
“I can see that. You’re from Spidey and Roach’s world, right?”
“I am indeed.”
“But you’re not like them – they can’t talk.”
“No, I’m not like them.”
“So...why are you here then?”
“I have come to give you a warning.”
“Oh?” Suddenly I’m very nervous. This Orb looks scary.
“You must never again go through the portal that connects our worlds.”
“What – no way! You can’t tell me that now, not after I’ve spent two weeks making these butterflies,” I say.
“The portal between our worlds is a wormhole – a freak of nature that opened by accident. It should not exist. If any of the life forms from my world follow you back through the wormhole to your world, they will die, for they cannot survive here long.”
I grab Spidey and show him to the Orb. Spidey goes berserk, trying to get away from it. “You’re wrong, Orb. When Spidey came back with me, he began fading away. But when he saw my clockwork toy, he jumped inside it. Ever since then, he’s been fine.”
“There are millions of life forms on my world. Do you have enough clockwork toys for all of them?” the Orb asks. I think he’s angry.
“No, but –”
“I did not think so. However, there is another, more important reason why you must not go through the portal again. If you do, the Sentinels – the guardians of my world – will almost certainly learn of earth.”
“Why is that bad?” I ask.
“If the Sentinels learn of earth they will most likely decide to destroy it to protect our world – and the rest of the galaxy – from the human race. You humans steal, destroy and kill. Your rich get richer at the expense of your poor. Money is valued higher than life. You fight each other in wars that result in the deaths of millions.”
“Not all people are like that. There are plenty of good people in the world too,” I say. “People who give, save lives, and build the most beautiful things imaginable.”
“What you say is true, Brad. Unfortunately, if the Sentinels learn of you they will most likely focus only on humanity’s dark side. And if they do, they will destroy you. All of you.”
“But –”
“Do not go through the portal again, Brad,” the Orb says as it hovers closer to me.
“But what if some other people find it and
go through?”
“I expect the wormhole will collapse by itself soon. If it does not, I will see what I can do to speed up the process.”
“Oh,” I say. I’m crushed, disappointed beyond words. I was so excited to pop back to the Spidey’s world and show my butterflies to those little creatures. It would have been so awesome if they had come back with me.
The Orb suddenly begins to fade. “I must depart. Remember my words!” ...
...shouting draws me from the memory. I jump to my feet and see that the chairs are trying to force their way into the compartment. Georgia is pushing against the door with all of her might, trying to stop them from getting in.
“Get out of the way, Robby!” Megan shouts. She’s trying to open the door to the next compartment, but Robby won’t let her.
“We don’t k-k-know what’s in there!” he says.
“We’re just going to have to risk it. Now quickly, open the door!” I say.
“Don’t t-t-tell me wh-wh-what to do!” he snaps back.
“Okay. Please open the door?”
There is a loud crash and the other door is smashed open. Georgia is bowled over, landing painfully on her back.
The chairs, backed up by the furniture from the living quarters, come barging into the room.
Ducking a cable sent flashing towards me, I grab Georgia and help her to her feet.
“We’re out of time, Robby!” I shout as I pull Georgia with me and run for the door Robby is shielding with his body.
“We’re going to re-re-regret...this,” Robby says as he opens the door and ducks into the next room.
The rest of us rush in after him.
Chapter Ten
I slam the door shut and lock it. I can do this because Roach hasn’t dismantled the lock this time.
“Wow, get a load of this room! Have you ever seen anything like it, Brad?” Megan asks.
“Wow! No, I haven’t.”
We’re on the flight deck.
It’s a small room that tapers to a point, and has windows on both sides and in the front. But it’s the instrument panels that take my breath away. They’re made of copper and bronze, and are covered with glowing lights, dials and switches. It looks like a Christmas tree. While we watch, some of the switches click open and shut, dials turn, and lights blink on and off.
Two bronze chairs that are disturbingly similar to the ones that chased us through the airship, are bolted to the floor in front of us.
The most noticeable thing about the flight deck, however, is that we are the only people in it.
“There’s no Mechanical,” I say. I feel like I’m sinking into a hole with no bottom.
“What does that mean?” Megan asks.
“It doesn’t make sense, that’s what it means,” I complain. “We’ve been through every room! We should have found it!”
“Maybe there isn’t one. Look at the panel – at the panel – at the panel - it l-l-l-looks like the a-a-airship is piloting...itself. Could the M-m-mechanical be controlling it r-r-remotely?” Robby asks.
“No, the Orb told me that we have to stop the Mechanical on board.”
“Maybe we should go back and try and find it?” Georgia asks.
There’s a BANG as something heavy hits the door. The lock holds, but I doubt it will hold much longer.
“We can’t go back, not with them out there,” I say.
“Maybe we can control the airship ourselves?” Georgia says as she starts pushing promising looking switches. It’s a pointless task, for every button she pushes resets itself.
“Is there a radio here? Maybe we can get in touch with someone and tell them what this airship is doing.” I search the instrument panels for a radio.
“Over here,” Robby says.
Sure enough, there is a two-way radio with a microphone. Robby turns it, but it switches itself off before he can speak. I try to help, but it just keeps switching itself off.
“It’s like e-e-everything here h-h-has got a m-m-m-mind of its own!” Robby complains.
“Maybe the airship does have a mind of its own,” Georgia says.
“What are you trying to say?” I ask her.
“Maybe the airship is the Mechanical.”
I slap my hand to my forehead. “You’re right Georgia! It makes perfect sense. That’s why every single thing on the airship attacks us. The chairs, tables, lockers, hoses and cables aren’t Mechanicals – they are just parts of the Mechanical that is the airship.”
Robby backs slowly away from the console. “You mean we’re st-st-st-standing inside the g-g-g-guts of a Mechanical?”
“Yes.”
“We have to g-g-ground the airship and g-g-g-get out!” he says as he jumps back to the instrument panel. He starts pushing every switch and turns all the dials and knobs.
I pull him back. “You trying to kill us or something?” Luckily for us, no harm is done. The switches and dials just reset themselves.
“Sorry,” he says, his eyes darting about nervously.
“Take a few deep breaths,” I say.
Robby does so and starts to calm down.
“Now think, Robby. How can we destroy this Mechanical? We’re inside it – that’s got to count for something, right?” I ask. The fact is, I’m only acting like I’m not worried. The fact is that I’m just as scared as he is.
“Maybe w-w-we can open the instrument p-p-p-panels and sabotage the...controls?” he says.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
I look for Roach. He’s clinging to the middle of the door and his antennae bounce up and down every time the chairs ram it. I grab him and put him on one of the instrument panels. “Can you open these panels, Roach?”
He doesn’t answer, of course, but goes straight to work. He starts pulling out screws one by one.
Whatever Robby is going to do, we don’t have much time. The chairs outside are making a mess of the door. It is starting to buckle.
“What do you want me to do, Brad?” Georgia asks.
“Give me a hand with the door.” I say. She joins me and gives me a beautiful smile as we work to keep out the chairs.
“We’re going to be all right,” I say.
“Oh, I’m not worried.”
I wish I could say the same.
Chapter Eleven
“Ah, Brad?” Megan calls.
“Yes?”
“The butterflies are going crazy,” she says.
She’s right. The butterflies are flapping about in a frenzy, clearly distressed about something...
...and there I am, back in my bedroom/workshop. Three weeks have passed since the Orb’s visit. Since then I have sat at my desk for hours and hours, looking at the lifeless clockwork butterflies, and sighing with regret. All that effort for nothing. I keep imagining what they’d look like if they were alive, flying round my room. I can’t stand it. I simply have to have them!
I jump up from my chair, put the butterflies into the carry box, and rush to the portal-wormhole. Spidey and Roach race alongside me.
“I’ll be quick,” I say to myself.” I’ll just pop through, show the toy butterflies to the little creatures, and then I’ll hop straight back. I won’t stay long enough for the Sentinels to notice me.”
I take a deep breath and jump into the portal. I pass through the thick gloop inside the wormhole and I come tumbling out the other side. There is no sign of the little alien creatures, so I sprint through the rocky landscape, going to the place I saw them last. I hope they are there, because I have to be quick! Spidey and Roach are just as excited as I am.
I reach the place and shout for joy when I see them flitting happily about. I open the carry box and hold up the clockwork butterflies.
“Come on little guys, look what I made for you,” I say.
The marble sized aliens swarm over to me. To my delight, they immediately join with the clockwork butterflies. One by one, the toy insects come to life and flutter happily around me. I hold out my hands and they land on my fi
ngertips in pairs. They take turns winding each other up. They’re so cute!
I remember I’m supposed to be in a hurry, so I gently guide the butterflies into the carry box. That done, I race back to the portal. I leap through it and I’m back in my dad’s junkyard.
“Made it!” I pump my fist into the air, pleased I didn’t bump into any Sentinels. Looks like I was right about there being no danger if I was quick. The Orb was wrong. Ha!
Days, weeks, and months go by.
I rush home from school every day and play with Spidey, Roach and the butterflies. I even start making more clockwork toys, just in case I decide to risk another quick trip to their world. I love my little friends, but I can’t help wishing I had more of them.
Four months after I brought back the butterflies, the world falls apart. I watch it happen live on the TV in my room.
The International Space Station, which was abandoned by its crew a month ago due a dangerous chemical leak, crashes into Europe. For some unknown reason it does not burn up on re-entry like it should have. Instead, it crashes into Germany with the force of an asteroid. Whole nations are destroyed and hundreds of millions of people die.
An hour later, the news channels report a mysterious nuclear explosion in the Pacific Ocean. Almost immediately, all four hundred-plus volcanoes of the Ring of Fire erupt into life. Massive tidal waves and earthquakes destroy the coasts of North and South America and many others. Island nations like Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Papa New Guinea, sink without a trace.
There are even reports that the hole in the ozone layer above the South Pole is growing larger at a frighteningly fast and unnatural rate.
As I sit in front of the TV watching the world be destroyed, the blood drains from my face and I feel a terrible sinking sensation in my stomach.
The world is under attack – it’s the Sentinels. And it’s under attack because I ignored the Orb and went back to the alien world one more time to get the butterflies.
I sit there, unable to move, and watch news article after article report on the terrible catastrophes.
“This is all my fault – if I’d only listened to the Orb!” I lie on the floor and curl into a ball.
Clockwork Mechanicals - the Complete Trilogy Page 10