After The End

Clockworks

The bell rung, as if signifying the transition in environment as Corvus stepped through the shop door. Cold, dark steel and flecking rust smoothly gave way to warm, polished wood and plastered walls. With another soft tinkle from the doorbell, the door sealed itself shut behind Corvus, shutting out the harsh hubbub of the outside world and leaving behind a comfortable silence that was broken by the sound of synchronised ticking.

A strange place, this shop was, what with its whimsical painted carvings and curious puffing contraptions made from bronzed metal sitting side-by-side on the oaken countertop. Tiny decorative figures stare down at Corvus from the wall-clocks as the man made his way through a maze of timekeepers to the figure crouched over a table.

“Jerome?” asked Corvus.

The figure looked up from the intricate innards of a chronograph, showing himself to be a young man with a messy head of brown hair and rectangular wire-rimmed glasses. “Corvus!” he said, his youthful face showing surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Actually, Jerome, I wanted to ask you for a favor. I want some new tech for a… job. I think I want to try some bounty hunting.”

Jerome’s expression darkened. “I thought I said I’m retired.”

“Did I say I needed your services?” asked Corvus.

“Considering who you are, why else would you be here?”

“No no no, it’s not like that,” Corvus said as he tried to laugh off Jerome’s dangerous glare. “I’m not asking you to train me or help me do a job, I’d just like some information on getting my hands on some… gear. To be specific, one of those eyepatch scanner things I’ve been hearing of.”

“I’m just a simple watchmaker, Corv,” said Jerome, turning back to his work. “I know nothing, all right?”

Corvus winced at his nickname, but ignored it and placed his arms on the table so he could lean forward for effect. “Come on, don’t be like that. We both know you’re at least a bit more than just a ‘simple watchmaker’, and it’s not like I’m asking you to actually do something. I just want to know a couple details- namely, where and how I can get an eyepatch.”

Jerome allowed a soft chuckle escape his lips. “Even if I tell you, it wouldn’t help. Those things are a secret for a reason.” He brings the watch up to the light, inspecting the cogs. “Why don’t you just get a cloth one?” he suggests. “I heard those things are coming back into fashion.”

“Because a cloth one will just get in the way of my perfect vision, without even the courtesy of providing a readout on the assassin 5 meters away.” Corvus walks over to the wall and watches one of the clocks as its hands move. “Besides, I think a cybernetic patch would look more…”

“...Epic, right?” Jerome responds with a sigh. He looks up from his work to see his friend turn his head towards him.

“Exactly.”

Jerome replaced the watch, then pulled off his spectacles and polished the glass on his shirt, shaking his head in a resigned manner as he did so. “You don’t have anyone else to turn to, do you?” he asked rhetorically. “Knowing you, you won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Before Corvus can defend himself, Jerome raised his head. A subtle change came over him, hardening his boyish features and replacing the carefree glint in his eyes with something more dangerous.

A small crystal detached itself from one of the countertop contraptions with a tiny clink sound’ and slowly floated up and towards the men, bobbing gently as made its way to Jerome’s waiting hand. There, it hovered above his open palm and began spinning slowly, generating a glow as it did so. Jerome waited patiently until he determined the crystal’s brightness was sufficient, then removed his palm to leave the gem suspended in midair.

“I take it that no one can eavesdrop on us now?” asked Corvus nonchalantly.

“If I knew you were coming, I would’ve done it sooner,” said Jerome. “It overlays our conversation with another set of dialogue that is more innocent, since for us to suddenly go silent would raise suspicions.” He placed his spectacles on his workbench and folded his arms, leaning back in his chair so he could stare at Corvus straight in the eye without having to stand up.

“Since you’re so intent on getting into trouble, I’ll let you be,” he said. “There’s a secret entrance to the black market hideout inside the 45th National Bank. Assuming you get inside, you should be able to find one of those eyepatches there, or at least find out where you can get one.” Jerome grinned knowingly. “Videotape the whole thing so I can watch you fail spectacularly, all right?”

Corvus grinned back. “I would, but you never told me where to get a good camera I could stick onto my clothes so no one could see it. Tell you what, I’ll tell you how many mistakes I make, and what the biggest one is, deal?”

“Deal,” laughed Jerome, proffering a hand to shake. A few moments later, Corvus exited the shop, pulled up his hood, and walked down the street towards the bank.