Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]


Add Reply
Clocks
Topic Started: Aug 13 2008, 02:39 PM (596 Views)
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
This story will NOT deal in any way with time travel. Thought I should say that up front.

_________________________________________________________________________________

The room was dim, but not too dark to see. On the walls there were clocks, 2 for every minute and every hour on the clock. Each stopped at its own hour or minute. In the center of the room a many-faceted crystal flaunted four faces for each clock. Inside this crystal a strange purple glow emanated from a source shrouded in grey smoke. None of the clocks hands moved, in fact the only movement in the room was the shadow-play caused by the slow movement of the smoke in the gem.

A man stood, motionless, staring into the center of the gem. His name was Edward M. Grey. He looked deep into the smoke, as if trying to discern some knowledge from the source of the glow. For some time the room remained thus, than as if by some signal, the man looked up, his gave directed at a certain clock. This clock, for they were of varying size and caliber, was an ancient oak grandfather clock, its pendulum motionless and its hands pointed at the thirteenth minute of the first hour.

Edward walked slowly toward 1:13 reaching out a hand to touch its glass face. He closed his eyes as if experiencing some profound moment of joy or pain, or revelation. He whispered a few words too low to be heard, then after another minute or so walked quickly away, out the door of the room and into the hall-ways beyond…



I have no idea where it's going, and as always any coments, critisism, ideas, whatever else wanted and welcome.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
+Linden
Member Avatar
awesomesauce
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Makes me wonder what this place is.

Maybe whatever clock you touch, it shows you a horrible thing that happened at that moment in time. Maybe the only family member he has was murdered... and now he's going to take justice in his own hands. Oohhhh. :o The giant crystal structure reminds me of a crystal ball. Maybe after a person scrys into the crystal/smoke/purple light they know which clock to touch. A place of such mythic ability needs a guardian.

... okay, I have to stop making stuff up. It's not my story. :P
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
actualy, you got pretty close to some of my origional ideas, and brought some interesting options. I think i'm going to write a bit on it and see where it goes. thanks for the input
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
The next instalment, got some plots started, some suspense and whatnot. Enjoy.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><


Edward paced quickly up the 3 flights of stairs toward ground level, going upward, out of the reach the fears waiting bellow the surface… at the great double door leading out to the ground floor of the complex he was stopped by a guard. In the guard’s hands were two obsidian black longish knives, their surfaces solid but for a constantly moving sheen of color.

The guard expectantly held out his hand. Edward placed a red multi-faceted gem in the guard’s hand, which the guard then placed into a small complicated nitch in the wall. When the crystal was turned the door began to click and hum, the sounds of massive clockworks grinding came from the walls, and latches sprung away from their inside the doors thick interior, and on both its sides. As the door opened Edward could see its true size. Three men could stand on each others shoulders and barely reach the top, while the width of each side was that of a queen bed. The inner sides that met together when closed were large enough to crush a large man. Also the doors interior where it was not solid steel was riddled with a complex labyrinth of latches, gears, cogs, and wicked, barbed spines. In short, it was a door not to be trifled with.

Edward carefully stepped through the massive doorway, stooping down to lift in his hand what looked like it had once been some unlucky bone, it now more resembled a lump of white sharp stones.
“You should have someone clean that up more often, Grimm.” He said in an offhand way “we wouldn’t want someone to slip.” His voice was dry, but sounded like it was masking some other emotions and his eyes were unfocused, suggesting his mind’s absents from this situation.

He walked onward, toward a spiral stairway rising some 5 stories into a room whose walls were made from black glass lased with a network of supporting ribbons of a red metal, resembling the color of blood, or expensive silk. he slowly lowered himself into a chair made from what looked like vines frozen in the perfect form and petrified into jade he sighed, and looked toward a smoky substance hovering in the far side of the octagonal glass tower. He spoke a few words in a language similar to the ancient Arabic tongues then stared expectantly at the smoke. It twitched as if an electric current had run through it then flooded across the room to his chair. He spoke again emphasizing a single word more than the rest “Isaac”. Slowly a face appeared in the misty form, then another charge ran through it, and the face cleared...

It was the pale face of a man, with dark hair hanging down, over shrunken skin and prominent cheek bones which appeared almost ready to break through the pale, stretched skin. The man’s eyes were purest jade laced with Safire blues, unique patterns in the two bright, different colors looked like the cracks that form in dried mud, but for the brilliant colors.
“Why do you wake me in this hour of light young Edward?” The voice rasped and crackled as if no water had touched that shrunken throat for thousands of years. “The sun weakens me. Do you want me to die Edward, is that why you cannot wait till my hours of darkness to destroy my peace?” anger filtered into the mans voice, “Be quick young Edward, my rest is precious, and my wrath is perilous…”

“Forgive me, we haven’t much time my good friend Isaac, trouble is stirring for our likes, and it would be best we were together for the fight, rather than divided for the fall…” Edward’s voice went on as the two conversed, and the sun began it’s decent behind the jagged granite mountains…

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
D awoke with a sigh, looking up at her black ceiling and walls. She quickly got up and dressed for the day, a black and grey loose fitting suit of sorts, more efficient than stylish. She worked as a trainer in the art of unarmed combat usually, and in desperate times, or when the job paid very well, as an assassin. Her true name was Diana, a name she despised passionately, very few were brave enough to call her anything other than D.

She had gotten a call from a man named Edward Grey earlier the day before, asking that she join him at his estate for a job proposition which he said “could barely be refused…” Obviously she was going to go, so she quickly ate a small breakfast of fruit, and went to the escort, who appeared to have been waiting for some time. “I assume you’re sent by Mister Grey?” she greeted him.

“A fair assumption.” He answered evenly proffering an open door to the clockwork carnage, “I’m sure you’re anxious to be away, it’s a big thing he’s asking of you…” He studied her face, “he didn’t tell you then?”
She shook her head quizzically.

“I’ll let him explain in person then, I’m sure he has his reasons…” with that he guided her to the carriage and assumed the controls. It sped quietly forward toward the ‘Black Palace’ under his expert hands. “I’m Grimm” he said as conversational as his rough voice could manage. “Usually I act as a discreet guard in the palace, but today I seem to be ferrying you to and from where you need to be…” his voice trailed off, and they were silent for the rest of the journey. Silence was more
comfortable for both of them than the rough superficial speech of strangers.

Once inside the palace, D was greeted by pale, dark haired man with grey eyes and a prominent nose. “I am Edward.” He said simply. “You must want to hear my proposition; it is the job to change the world quite literally.

“Before I hear about the job Mr. Grey, I’d like to know a little about you, I prefer to work for an employer if I understand their motives…”

“Quite fair.” His velvet voice was still even and polite, which surprised, that little test usually infuriated an employer. “I’ll be blunt. I run a criminal empire from here, and have for nearly 15 years, I deal with the best and worst of society. I quite literally control half of the underworld. The family empire was given to me at the age of 13, as is custom, and my father and his advisors guided me, and taught me. Today, my father is dead, and I am faced with the largest conflict our family has seen for nearly 300years. My honesty is due to the fact that I need you Diana, I need you to help me, now I need to show you something to better explain my predicament.”

He guided her to the large black iron door and discretely began the mechanism, hurrying her through, before the door closed, carrying enough force to crush bones like twigs. And down to the room of clocks, his body guard, Grimm silently shadowing them until the door of the clock-room, where he stopped and took position.
D silently marveled at the room, examining the facetted gem in the center. Closely, but instinctively letting her focus wander over it, staying less than a second on any part. She felt a buzz charging through her limbs, and through the room, and unconsciously felt to make sure her iron ear piercings and necklace were there to ward of magic. “What is this place” she wondered aloud, slipping in her silence.
“A place charged with the forces of magic, as I’m sure you noticed. I use it to channel my gift…” he paused for a second. “I was born with foresight, these clocks can show me any moment of the decided future. I can only see the outcome of the current decisions people, and creatures have made, if a decision changes, so does what I see…” his voice trailed off, then regaining his momentum. “The facet in the center can show every memory of those who have gazed into its center…” he stopped again. “let me tell you what I need you to do, you can now understand why I know to ask for you in particular…forces are in motion that can only be changed by the right person…importantly, you are the right person…I fear I may have said too
much though…let us leave this place, I’ll explain the job.”

They walked out, through the door, and up the stairs, to the Black Glass room with the jade chairs. Their voices whispered late into the night, and for most of the next day, disagreeing, agreeing, and debating points. Finally they ended their conversation over the second dinner of their meeting. “One last thing” D’s eyes were serious, “Never call me Diana again.

“Never” his voice stayed calm, but a laugh seemed to simmer behind his grey storm-cloud eyes…
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Tell me what you think, what you want to know, anything you think is a little unclear. I welcome the input.
Edited by Death's servant, Aug 16 2008, 09:38 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
<><><><><>Observations
<><><><><><><>As D enters the Palace for the first time…
As Edward greeted her D wondered what could be important enough that such a prominent underground figure as Edward Grey would want with her. She internally sneered at his “Job to change the world” bit. Rather than show her knowledge of him she decided to put him to on of her many tests of character. It was simple, she asked him about himself, his answer, would give her some information, whatever it may be. She was slightly surprised by his honesty, but not convinced of his good wishes, nor even did she suspecting that he had any. She listened to his story, though she already knew it, reasoning that the less he knew about her the better, and that he might let something slip that was worth knowing.

As she was guided toward the clock-room she made note of his infamous body guard Grimm shadowing them. Something seemed off about both these strange people, like they were withholding some vital information. Inside the clock-room she couldn’t help but be impressed, but also felt more cautious, an employer that could see the future was never completely honest, people with the gift of foresight were manipulators, expert at making you do what they wanted, gauging your future reactions before you could have them, not people to be trusted, only people to act trusting around. The facet in the center was an unknown factor, his information about it was likely false; she would have to be careful until she found out its use….

On the way away from the clock room she noticed Grimm’s knives hidden in the folds of his long coat, and the form of light body armor under his loose clothes, another sign of possible treachery. As the mounted the stairs toward the black glass observation room she watched Edward, noticing how he seemed to hide something under his long black cloak, how his eyes reacted to different things, how quick his reflexes were, storing the information for later use.

She wondered at his earlier slip, if it had truly been a slip, about “maybe I have said too much…” and quickly decided it was another deception, to manipulate her.
Over their long hours of speaking Edward described the “Job”. Her objective was actually a whole group of tasks which according to Mr. Grey would decide the better or worse of the future for years to come. yeah right… she feigned belief in his stories, holding her own opinions in guarded silence. He said that D needed to “dispose of” a woman who went by the name of Isabel del Luna, her real name, he said, had been lost for years to all but her.

They discussed in detail, the manners in which she should, and should not do this beginning job, trivial details, the pay at the end of the job, and more details important to them, but for the purpose of time not listed in full.

At intervals undefined they would change to a different room to examine maps, blueprints and other mission material, absently D wondered why she was being so thoroughly prepared, and noted the seemingly infinite patience with this tedious preparation that Edward showed. He showed one strange sign of anxiety, an unconscious habit of picking up inanimate objects and ordering them differently, in patterns, seemingly meaningless patterns, but D remembered them, she would take them to some of her contacts and ask if there was any meaning to them. Leave nothing to chance she thought. It may only seem unconscious…
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Comments and critisism are welcome, tell me what you want included in the story, and I'll see if it fits in, I apritiat all and any input, whatever, it's welcome
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
?can you explain how that is?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
+Linden
Member Avatar
awesomesauce
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Probably because Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind too... But that's all I know, I've never read the books.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
hmm....
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
lol, I'ma go write on it a little I think.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
This is the begining of the next chapter. I don't know how long the story will be, but enjoy. comments, critique, whatever else welcome.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Chapter 2
**Isabella**

The job wasn’t hard. All Isabella had to do was fond a good doppelganger and glamour them into looking exactly like her. Edward had been quite clear, no mistakes. He had been clear, the assassin must believe that she had killed Isabella; any mistake would cost her dearly.

Before we continue let us know more about Isabella…..

<>Three months before…..The battlefield……

Isabella de la Luna watched contentedly as her warriors tore threw the ranks of
the battle hardened men with the efficiency like to that if a sword hacking through dried grass; quick, efficient, and utterly without mercy. Men wielding the rarest weapons, from the taboo weapon, the gun, to the ancient Samurai’s Katanas fell harmlessly before the onslaught. The clockwork soldiers were a completely new magic. They were Isabella’s design, her spell work, her armor, and her special flavor of hate.

The clockwork soldier looked like a giant human-thing with four arms, and no eyes, covered in glossy-black armor. Their heads, if they can be called that, were the same black gasoline-spill color play. But they glowed with a violent shade of red, and if they were filled with blood, and illuminated by some macabre source of light. Inside their armor an intricate mass of clockwork gears and cogs spun and whirled, making strange movements of all the apertures. These were Isabella’s greatest invention, one of death, pain, and fear. These were her finest areas of expertise.

Isabella was a sorceress, assassin, and even necromancer whose sole pleasure came from the pain she caused to others. She was the daughter the sadistic leader of a guild of assassins called ‘The Order of the Red Rose’. Isabella de la Luna was not called de la Luna because she liked the sound of the name. She was called Isabella de la Luna or Isabella of the moon, in reverent fear. She had performed more assassinations than many hardened professionals can in a carrier, but she did so by the age of 16. At 20 she was considered the most skilled killer in the world by all who knew of her, who were few, and those so privileged were not at liberty to share their information. At the age of 25 she began work in the deep arts of magic and necromancy, and earned the name ‘Sombra de la Noche’ when she blotted out the sky with a cloud of dust for four days and nights. Her most recent invention, the clockwork soldier, had returned her name to Isabella de la Luna for reasons undefined chief among these, fear.





<>present day

Isabella walked down the street slowly, humming a tune in the minor key of F; she was looking for the right person, that perfect rose among thorns. She looked not at the people entirely though, she watched some movement on a darker plain of sight, looking for something that cannot be said to be seen at all truly. She searched for an aura so to speak, and at that she searched out the darkest she could find. This would be her doppelganger. At last she found a person that would do…this person’s name, as she found presently, was Roxanne’…

***

Roxanne regarded the beautiful woman before her (for Isabella in appearance was beautiful as the moon, which helped win her name for her). She thought on the words of the old fortune teller earlier the day before…

“Before evening next you will be slain by the mistress of the moon….” It was something to that effect, dripping with foreboding.

Roxanne mentally shrugged off these thoughts, a murderer cannot afford the loss of a potential friend…As if by magic no sooner did these thoughts enter her mind than the woman’s expression changed, “You look frightened” she purred, her English heavily accented by some strange tongue. “I think it is fate that brings me here, for I need someone frightened…” her eyes brightened, and she smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. “Come with my, I can help you…Afterwards, I can guarantee you, you will not be frightened again.” The woman smiled encouragingly. Roxanne, bewildered, followed in silence.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked dumbly. Receiving no answer, she persisted, “I warn you woman, I am a murderer, do not toy with me…”

The woman laughed. “You speak to Isabella de la Luna, murder is not a term strong enough for my actions…” with these words she smiled widely, sidestepped into an alley, dragging her victim along with her, and dropped, with her prize, into an open door which she had prepared in advance. Roxanne tried to scream, but found that she could not make a sound, she tried to struggle, but found herself in an iron grip of paralysis. Isabella de la Luna smiled down on her, “Do you think you have felt pain before Roxanne?” she crooned.

Roxanne could not reply, she desperately rolled her eyes (the only muscles over which she had control) and struggled against her drugged paralysis. She wanted to beg for mercy, beg not to be hurt, but all she could do was lie there and wait for the inevitable…

The last thing Roxanne heard before her life ended in hours of silent screams of agony was Isabella’s voce, that voice which had been the last that so many heard before deaths of horror, pain, and fear. That seductress’s voice purring in her ear, in a tone that held such pleasure that in most people it would have been described as other-worldly bliss, “So who did you kill?”…
Edited by Death's servant, Sep 13 2008, 10:50 AM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
** Death's servant
Member Avatar
Reflection
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
They're all good names though. Roxanne is a reference to a song called roxanne (coinsidentaly), which I've only heard in Mulan Rouge. Edward is one of the most comon names in characters of extreme ends of the moral spectrum (good and evil). And Isabella de la Luna just sounds right.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
+Linden
Member Avatar
awesomesauce
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Yes, another awesome villainess! ^_^ Women make the best villians, I swear.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
DealsFor.me - The best sales, coupons, and discounts for you
« Previous Topic · Your Stories · Next Topic »
Add Reply



Skin orginally created by Tariq | Converted by Lewis of the ZetaBoard Theme Zone