Clockworkers

by Ramsey Isler

  “Have things between us gotten that bad?” Sam said.

  “I’d certainly say so,” Akida said. “After I left that night, Noc Noc visited me at my hotel. He tried to explain things. He tried to tell me that you were a good person. But all I could think about was how you didn’t care about a word I’d said. I thought I meant more to you than that.”

  “I never had anything against you, Aki. You know that. You know I still...I still...”

  “Still what?”

  “You know,” Sam said.

  Akida was silent for a few seconds before he said, “Yes, I do know. But it doesn’t matter. You haven’t changed your mind about your...labor.”

  “No.”

  “So why are you calling?”

  “I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Sam said. “I saw a few news articles online. It seems things are well with you.”

  “Yes,” Akida said. “Business is good. I’ll be back in New York in a few weeks to finalize a new deal.”

  “Good,” Sam said. “Good.”

  There was a long pause in the conversation. They had both run out of the standard pleasantries and were left with no clear path to move the chat forward, and no clear motivation to try.

  “Sam, I hate to cut this short but...duty calls. You know how it is.”

  “Yes,” Sam said. “Same here. Have a good one.”

  “You too.”

  The call ended. The technological magic that had momentarily connected them across thousands of miles had been dispelled. Sam went back to staring out the window.

  Chapter 22

  Sam did eventually get to sleep in her office after working until pure exhaustion forced her into unconsciousness. It was an oddly restful sleep with no nightmares. When she woke up, she found herself in darkness. Faint greenish light from the streetlamps outside helped her eyes adjust. The office was closed. She’d slept for hours.

  She decided to visit the workshop and see how the latest batch of watches were coming along. Sam fully expected to find the elves hard at work, but when she opened the door she found her Kith friends were in the midst of a party.

  The Kith were dancing with fervor, and many of them were drinking cans of fruit juice as fast as frat boys downing beer. Sam paused for a moment to take in the scene fully. When she was sure that the elves hadn’t gone dangerously insane, she stepped into the fray and searched for Piv.

  She found him in the center of the action, dancing a carefree jig while his friends clapped in unison beside him. When he saw Sam he smiled, and ran up to her.

  “Welcome to the festivities!” he said.

  “What’s the celebration for?” Sam asked.

  “It’s a birthday party!”

  “I didn’t know elves had birthdays,” Sam said.

  “Oh we do!” Piv said. “But only once.”

  “Just once?” Sam asked. “So when?”

  Piv laughed. “Our actual birth day, you booby!”

  Sam was still putting the pieces together when the crowd of elves in front of her moved aside so she could see what the fuss was all about. Behind the crowd was another Kith. He was relatively tall for an elf, though still short by human standards. He had a boyish, round face with taut skin devoid of any hint of wrinkles. When he smiled, he gave off the rakish air of a young man with all sorts of mischief on his mind. He was intriguing, to say the least. But Sam had never seen him before. She was just about to reach for her phone and look at her picture database when she realized who this was, and why the Kith had made his appearance such a big event.

  It was Hamilton.

  “He woke up this afternoon,” Piv said just as Sam figured it out. “Isn’t it exciting? It’s been so long since we’ve had a new Kith.”

  Sam couldn’t speak. There were no words in her head for her to say. Her mind was allocating all thought power to the effort required to make sense of what she was seeing.

  The mini version of Hamilton walked up to her and said, “Hallo! My name is Hax.”

  “H...hi,” Sam said. “Hax?”

  “Isn’t it a delightful name?” Piv said. “We all picked it for him. Because he hatched with an ax. Get it?”

  The elves were smiling like manic clowns. Sam tried her best not to frown.

  Hax stood there, looking up into her face with an unyielding smile. He didn’t move. He didn’t say anything more. He just smiled and stared at her until discomfort forced Sam to continue.

  “Uh...how’s it going?” she said.

  Hax tilted his head. “How is what going where?”

  The elves laughed. Sam looked at them. They were giddy like little kids on a sugar rush.

  “Why aren’t you wearing a dress?” Hax asked before Sam could respond to his last question.

  “Why would I wear a dress?” Sam said.

  “You’re a lady, are you not? Ladies should wear dresses.”

  For just a second, Sam heard Hamilton’s tone through Hax’s voice. Memories from months ago brought back the irritation she’d felt when he’d criticized her clothing choices. But this was different. Hax wasn’t serious. He was giggling, as were the overjoyed elves around him.

  “Isn’t he fun?” Piv said.

  “Yeah,” Sam said. “Fun. Have you shown him how to build a watch yet?”

  “Not yet,” Piv said. “He has so many things to learn still. So many things!”

  “Once the party is over it would be a good idea to get him to work,” Sam said as she turned to leave.

  “Maybe I don’t want to,” Hax said.

  Sam turned back to him. “Excuse me?”

  Hax leaned in closer to her. Sam fought the urge to step back from that crazed smile with the pointy canines. “Maybe. I. Don’t. Want. To.”

  “Well,” Sam said. “That’s fine with me. If watches aren’t your thing, go do something else. It’s a free country. But if you want to stay here, you have to do some kind of work to help out.”

  “Stay...here?” Hax said with a thoughtful stroke of his chin. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

  “Oh don’t be a silly billy,” Piv said to him. “You’ll stay with us. We’ll have ever so much fun. Recommence the birthday party!”

  The Kith resumed their revelry in earnest, and soon Hax was surrounded by his friends again. Sam watched them party for a few more minutes before slipping away and heading for the exit. She was almost out when Piv appeared by her side.

  “See?” he said. “He turned out okay.”

  “He doesn’t seem to remember me,” Sam said. “But his personality feels familiar.”

  Piv shrugged. “As I told you, the old memories are a little muddled after the hatching. He does seem to have a few human traits leftover, but I warned you that might happen if you didn’t let him finish hatching. He should be all right in a few days though.”

  “Maybe,” Sam said. “But keep an eye on him. Just in case.”

  “You have nothing to worry about,” Piv said. “He’s a Kith now.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Sam said.

  * * *

  Days passed swiftly, and life went on. With Yusef gone, Sam was pulling double duty and handling a number of Better’s administrative needs while delegating as much as she could to Yusef’s old underlings. It all worked for now, but it was certainly not sustainable. The bags under Sam’s eyes were darkening every day.

  But a window of freedom appeared once Sam had addressed the most pressing issues on Yusef’s old task list. Sam’s schedule briefly downshifted from non-stop action to a normal 9-to-5, and she used the sudden appearance of free time to begin designing the newer, cheaper watch in Better’s repertoire. In her TV interview, she had promised the world a cheaper Better watch, and she planned on delivering.

  She had commandeered one of the conference rooms for the past couple of days and had covered half the available surface area with printouts of her ideas. This morning she was there early, just as the sun was rising and sending warm amber shafts into the offi
ce.

  Jessica sashayed in with a cup of creamy coffee that she placed in front of Sam. “You know,” Jess said, “we have enough money to hire designers to do this.”

  “I know,” Sam said as she scrutinized a 3-foot-square render of one of her ideas.

  “But you don’t care,” Jess said.

  “Correct,” Sam said. “I’m the best qualified person in the world to design Chablon Method watches.”

  “Yes,” Jess said. “But you may not be the best person to design things like watch bands and clasps.”

  “I do just fine. Our sales are proof of that.”

  “Our sales prove you’re a brilliant inventor,” Jessica said. “But when it comes to designing accessories, you’re just a tad above average.”

  Sam grasped the coffee cup Jess left for her and took a sip. “Are you trying to tell me something here, Jess?”

  “Yes,” Jess said. “Time for some new ideas.”

  “Why?”

  “I just got the results from our latest market research report,” Jess said. “We still have generally favorable responses, but opinions on high-end products can change fast. The current Better watch designs aren’t seen as fashionable anymore.”

  “Then I’ll come up with some new ones,” Sam said.

  “Yeah...no. I don’t think that’s going to work out. You spend all of your time in the office, Sam. You’re not out there with the fashionistas and trendsetters. We need expertise for that.”

  Sam took another sip of her coffee. “You already have someone in mind for this, don’t you?”

  “I have a whole design company in mind for this,” Jess said.

  Sam drank a few considerable gulps of her coffee while she pondered Jessica’s words. “Fine. I’ll let your little design company develop something new...with some parameters they need to follow.”

  “Of course,” Jess said. “I’ll get them started tomorrow. New designs will be ready for you to look at in a week.”

  Sam nodded. “Jess...did you put something in this coffee to make me more agreeable?”

  “Just extra cream,” Jess said with a smile.

  * * *

  Jessica’s design firm delivered right on time, and Sam had new designs in a few days. They were beautiful. Sam hated to admit it, but they were beautiful. To make things worse, they were utilizing new fabrication methods and materials that would result in a lighter and less-expensive watch. Everything about this watch exemplified Better’s approach to redefining what watches could be. It would be an important product for Better’s future, but it was going to require a few significant changes at the workshop.

  So Sam went over to visit Piv and his cohorts.

  She’d had some difficulty staying asleep for the past couple of nights, so Sam went down to the workshop earlier than usual. She visited the shop just before sunrise, and most of the Kith were winding down for a good morning sleep when she got there. She found Piv munching on a celery stalk and staring at a wall.

  “Are you okay?” Sam asked him.

  “Just dandy,” Piv said as he munched away and continued staring at the wall.

  “O...kay then,” Sam said. “Can you come over here for a second? I need to show you the next project you’ll be working on.”

  Sam grabbed her tablet and placed it on one of the nearby workstations that had recently been vacated by a sleepy Kith. Piv popped up and looked at the 3D renderings Jessica’s team had devised.

  “We’re going to be releasing an update to the Victoria line,” Sam said as she swiped through the images. “We’ll call it the Victoria II. It has the same core features, but with a new design. It’s slimmer, lighter, and it will feature a new design element. The watch band is partially silver, but it has a stainless steel strip down the middle. The steel is treated with color-shifting dyes. As you move the watch in the light, it changes colors like an iridescent fish scale. It’s a thematic thing, you know? The band changes constantly, just like the watch face. Change and transformation is an important theme for this watch. We’re aiming to make it a good representation of its namesake Queen Victoria. She changed Britain during her reign. Some argue she changed the whole world.”

  “Brilliant ideas,” Piv said. “It will be ever-so-fun to build.”

  “Glad you’re as enthusiastic as I am,” Sam said. “But do you think you guys can get the first batch done in time? I’m thinking of a really aggressive launch date, even for Kith. It would give you guys less than six weeks to complete the first run.”

  “Oh no worries,” Piv said. “We are faster now. Hax has conjured up some new production methods that are absolutely wonderful. Wonderful!”

  “Has he now?” Sam asked.

  “Yes he has,” Piv said. “He’s been very helpful. Very helpful. We can do things so much faster now. Sometimes we find ourselves with no work left to do. We’ve been using the extra time to tinker with other things. Research and what not.”

  “Research, huh?”

  “Yes,” Piv said. “We can always learn new things.”

  “I’m sure. So you think Hax can help you guys change up the equipment and procedures fast enough to get these new watches out on time?”

  Piv nodded. “I suggest you talk with him about the things you need to have done. I have to go now. I promised to help Marshoo knit some new socks, but I’ll send Hax over to chat with you.”

  “Lovely,” Sam muttered. Piv scampered off for his knitting date, leaving Sam to ponder what she was going to say to Hax. She was still deciding whether she should tell him anything at all when he bounded around the corner and greeted her with a smirk and a wave.

  “Hallo,” he said.

  “Hi,” Sam said. “I’m guessing Piv told y—”

  “He told me everything,” Hax said as he grabbed Sam’s tablet and started scrutinizing the designs.

  “Okay then,” Sam said. “So you have all the information you need?”

  Hax swiped through a few more images, then handed the tablet back to Sam. “I do now.”

  “Wonderful,” Sam said. “So what do we need?”

  “Not much,” Hax said. “We have most of the equipment we need already, but many parts will require reconfiguration. And we will need the materials for the fancy color-changing paint. Yes, that will be quite a tough nut to crack. Kith are very sensitive to chemicals. Yes, very sensitive. We can’t use the chemicals most companies would use. But we will work it all out. I have some ideas.”

  Sam considered what kind of ideas the young elf might have. Hamilton had been an accomplished engineer before the...change. Sam wondered if some aspects of his old career may have carried over to Hax and made him the most skilled little tinkerer of them all.

  “We will have it all ready in good time,” Hax continued as Sam pondered this new possibility. “I will have Piv send you a list of the new things we need.”

  “Great,” Sam said. “Anything else?”

  “Yes, actually,” Hax said. “Perhaps this would be a good time to bring up something else that’s required.”

  “Like what?” Sam asked. “You just said we covered all the changes necessary for the new watch.”

  “Yes,” Hax said, “but those changes are for this workshop. We need another workshop.”

  “Another one? For what?”

  “Personal projects,” Hax said.

  Sam chuckled and shook her head. “What in the world are you talking about?”

  “Kith get bored easily,” Hax said. “Very easily. Your watch projects have been fun for the others for a while, but their attention is starting to fizzle. Fizzle! Don’t you love that word?”

  “No.”

  Hax frowned. “Oh. Too bad. Anyhow, we need a space where we can tinker with our own fantastical gadgets and doodads. I’m sure you wouldn’t want such shenanigans going on in this workshop with all the expensive things lying around.”

  “You’re right about that,” Sam said. “But let me get this straight. You’re asking me to let you guys have a
second facility just for your side projects?”

  Hax gave her a sharp nod. “Precisely!”

  “Do you know how hard it is to keep just one factory a secret?” Sam asked.

  “Oh I think I know better than most, girlie.” And there it was again. That ever-so-subtle shift in tone and demeanor that seemed like a glimpse of the old Hamilton showing through. Every time it happened it made Sam’s insides twist like a ball of snakes.

  “I don’t know if we can afford the risk of having you guys in another location,” Sam said. “Plus, it doesn’t sound safe to have hundreds of Kith doing experimental tinkering. Sounds like a good way to blow up the place.”

  “We will all promise that we won’t make anything that blows up the place,” Hax said. “We’re just doing it to have fun.”

  “Your fun could attract attention,” Sam said.

  “The Kith are very good at being unnoticeable,” Hax said. “That’s why almost no one knows we exist.”

  “You’ve been good at being unnoticeable by sticking to your old ways and not doing the kinds of things that would draw attention to you,” Sam said.

  “We will be careful. We will be quiet. Have you ever known the Kith to be otherwise?”

  Sam didn’t answer him. Instead, she crossed her arms and gave him an impassive stare.

  “It’s a fair, reasonable request,” Hax said.

  “I’m sorry,” Sam said, “but my answer is no.”

  This time Hax crossed his arm and glared back at Sam. “No?”

  “No.”

  “Very well,” Hax said. He spun on his heels and stomped out of her sight like a defiant child.

  Sam waited a moment for Hax to reappear, but when he didn’t show up she walked around the corner to investigate. But there was no sign of the petulant elf, or any of the elves. The workshop was deathly quiet.

  Sam left the building and headed home, wondering if she’d made another mistake.

  * * *

  The next day was a hectic one for Sam, but they were all hectic nowadays.

  After a harried lunch consisting of two energy drinks, a sandwich, and a swig of heartburn medication, she sat down to interview Yusef’s potential replacement. He was very experienced, and very polite, but he had little personality or imagination. He could certainly manage Better’s finances adequately, but Sam wasn’t sure he could add anything special to the mix. She didn’t turn him down outright, but neither did she give him much enthusiasm as she escorted him out of the office.