Time Flux: Welcome to the New World

One on One, No Tricks

Clock steadied his breathing for the shortest of moments. Slowing down his turbo charged heart beats so that he could think more clearly. He lifted his right foot from the ground and forced it through the door, smashing it clean off its hinges and 10 or so yards it came crashing down on the rooms floor.

Hannah was sat, handcuffed to a chair like they all had been. Clock stopped breathing, held his breath deep inside, the pool of blood that was like a carpet around her chair was dark and clotted, she had been sat like this for some time. Clock felt his heart begin to race again, he slowly moved his eyes up to see One, stood behind her with the same dastardly foul grin looking back at him, right into his eyes. He had one hand on her left shoulder and the other behind his back. Clock saw him not as a man, not even as a monster, but something far eviller. He was a new breed of despicable and Clock started to see the deepest of reds.

Clock went to move swiftly towards him, One raised his hand in a halting fashion.

"No no, think about it Mr. Clock"

Clock stopped, thought about it for a split second, why would One be stood here, seemingly unarmed in a room with one exit.

"What's your game? Bastard!" Clock asked loudly

"One moment please" As he placed a finger on his left ear. "Understood"

Clock looked down at Hannah, her eyes bloodshot, blood coming from her mouth. She had been in incredible pain, he could feel it. His eyes searched for more, before settling on her hands. They were covered in blood. One of her hands was missing a fingertip and the end was frayed and swollen. The red in his eyes grew to the point of blindness, his rage was so overwhelming he could break down into tears.

"Listen to me you piece of shit! I am gonna..." Clock is interrupted

"Mr. Clock, I can see I have caused you pain. I wish I could apologise for this, but I can't. It was necessary, and I feel no guilt." One said, still grinning

"I swear to god if you don't shut that fuckin' mouth!"

"But, I am an old-fashioned person. How about a duel?"

"What?"

One came from behind the chair that sat Hannah. He pulled two black objects from his pocket. With a swift simultaneous movement, they telescopically extended into short swords. On the end that usually sat a point, there was a sort of sharp anchor shape. Clock went to run at him as he was preoccupied with the blades. One quickly shifted the one in his right hand above Hannah's head.

"Careful, Mr. Clock, move again without my permission, and you will be able to carry her head in a backpack" One stated "Put the gun on the ground, now"

Clock had forgotten he had the assault rifle still on his back. He begrudgingly put the gun to the floor. One motioned for him to kick it to the side of the room and he did.

"Fantastic, now it's fair" One said

"For what purpose? Asshole"

One threw one of the blades across the floor to Clock. Clock looked at the blade and then to One. He nodded his approval for Clock to pick it up. He lent down and collected the blade.

"Now, I am one of only 2 people who know your identities. Kill me, and your job becomes much easier. I offer you this chance, defeat me in a duel, claim your freedom from here, and from me"

"Big mistake, One"

Clock launched at him decisively sword first, aimed at One's stomach. One dodged as a few threads from his jacket fell to the ground and sank into the blood. One spun his sword in his hand and brought it swiftly across Clocks face, leaving a small cut on his left cheek. Clock jumped back, put his hand to his face and frowned intensively, he launched back in quickly to resume.

Hannah looked up as the two men were locked in a battle of masters. Clock was a one of a kind agent from the future, built and bread to be the perfect fighting machine. But One, he was unknown, they knew not his past or his present. For all they knew he was a phenomenal specimen in his own right. She hoped not, for Clocks sake.

The fight waged on for what felt like hours, but, were only a few seconds. Their movements were so fast, only small blows had been struck. Hannah began to see something very worrying. Clock had small cuts across his arms, face and chest. He had blood all over him. Some not his but a lot of it was. But One, his clothes were damaged, but he showed no sign of physical damage. Clock worryingly had not managed to land a single blow.

"I'll kill you, you fuckin' cunt!" Clock shouted as he lunged

"This will be your last chance, Mr. Clock" One said as he dodged once more.

Clock noticed One jumped back and placed his finger once again to his ear. He smiled and looked back at Clock. Clock, believing that One was now distracted lunged forcefully at him. One moved to the side and allowed Clock to come across his body, He swung his right foot up swiftly and crashed underneath Clocks chin. Clock was dazed, he tried to reach for his weapon, but his body was no longer responding as he wanted it to.

One span his body again and buried his foot into Clocks chest, making his whole form fly backwards and smash into the wall of the cell. Before Clock had the chance to bounce off the wall and fall, he was caught, throat first, by One.

"Know this Mr. Clock, we fought one on one, no tricks. And you lost, so very painfully"

Clock gained some slight clarity and tried to move his body. One, feeling Clock try to move crashed his forehead into the centre of Clocks face, rendering him nearly unconscious. He lifted the blade up in his hand and span it round swiftly.

"Nooooo!" Shouted Hannah

One's attention slightly differed as he plummeted the sword through Clocks left shoulder. The sword went all the way through clocks body and stuck a few inches in the brick wall behind him, pinning him there. One brushed his hands off as if he'd just taken out the trash. Clock let out an agony filled growl and looked at One, eyes full of rage.

"Well, not often I am distracted, that was meant for your heart" One said

"This isn't over... This..." Clock tried to say, as he begins to cough up blood

"No matter, I have had word that my higher ups don't feel this facility is quite as secret as it once was. I was trying to save time for the charges to be set"

"Charges? Explosives!?" Hannah asks

"Precisely, in around, 6 minutes, this entire facility will fill with water and sink, forever, to the bottom of the ocean" One replies

"With us... in it" Clock says

"Oh yes, you are the loose end. This is our final farewell, time travellers, I hope you had a great stay here." He said with a smirk as he turned to walk out of the door

"Hey!!! Hey!" Clock shouts, gargling blood

One stopped in the doorway and turns his head to listen to Clocks last words

"Next time, you die. Do you hear me, I promise you, I will look into your dead fuckin' eyes as the life drains from your sorry fuckin' excuse for an existence, you hear me One!?"

One cackles as he turns and walks away.

Hannah tries to get free but knows it in vain. If she could have escaped, she would still have two little fingertips. She turns to look at Clock. Still staring with his conviction at the door One had now walked out of. They could hear footsteps running down the hallways, the place was being evacuated.

"James, James..." Hannah said, looking at Clock

Clock couldn't bring himself to look her in her green eyes, knowing he had failed his only job. Knowing that he could do nothing about them being captured. Do nothing about her being tortured, being mutilated. And worst of all, he could do nothing to give her some relief, nothing to show her that the person that did these things had gotten his karma, his deserved fate.

Clock looked at the blade protruding from his shoulder and now knew why the blade had been made like this. If he were to try to pull it out, it would tear his insides up as he did it, killing him faster. Clock was stuck. Clock, for the second time in his entire life, was helpless.