The
Clock Damon
Sogwa
heard something go flap flap flap. She turned up and around, seeking the
sound; then a small furry critter popped in from hyperspace. The small black
leathery thing flapped down to an ornamental tree near Sogwa, and hung upside down
from one of its branches.
Sogwa
screamed, “MISCHIEF!”
For
it was he; Mischief, her best worst bad-boy boyfriend. She rushed into his
arms, and they hugged. While they hugged, from far away echoed the sound of
someone hollering,
“Ohhhh
Noooo...”
It
was Sogwa’s parents. That’s what they yelled every time Sogwa hugged Mischief,
but she didn’t care. She thought he was cute.
She
let him go. Mischief said, “Good to see ya, whatcha plan to do?”
“Oh,
I’m just passing through, I’m going to the City.”
“That
Only Kids Can See? In the Land of the New Light?”
“Yes!
How did you know?”
“You
told me. So you need that New Light?”
“Just
a beam, to dispel the darkness of the world’s mind.”
“Good
idea,” said Mischief. “But I gotta tell you; something’s in the way.”
“What’s
in the way?”
“Government
interference!” he screeched. “Which reminds me... I got a message.”
“For
who?”
“For
me,” Mischief said. “The next time you see me - ”
“-
where?”
“At
the Top Gate! In Hellen!”
“The
sky-city?”
“Yes!
Next time we meet, say; Try the Belfry!” Mischief launched himself off
his perch and flapped upwards. He flapped off in a crooked quirky curlicue
through three twists, and then a fourth. Mischief spiraled into the fourth
dimension and vanished into hyperspace.
Sogwa
held up the wand and said, “Access web.” The tip of the wand gleamed bright;
then it sputtered and went out. Sogwa frowned and shook the wand; the tip lit
again. She whipped the wand around in a circle; this left behind a glowing
circle in the air, which flickered one, twice, then blazed blue. Then it
flickered and went out.
Sogwa
yowled, “Hey! What good is this wand?” Once again she lit the wand, she whipped
it around in a circle, leaving a glowing circle in the air, which flickered
once, twice, then blazed blue. Sogwa held her breath... it stayed blue.
The
portal sounded a chime, and it said,
“Welcome
to the Web.”
It
still sputtered a bit, but Sogwa went ahead anyhow. She clicked System, then
Tools; but before she could click Damons, the portal sputtered once more, and
then -
-
KRAK! -
-
it broke wide open. Sogwa hollered “POWER DOWN!” but it was too late. Air
roared past her into the broken portal. The gale-force wind ripped the wand
right out of Sogwa’s grip, then it sucked her straight through the portal.
Sogwa hurtled into Chaos.
The
portal sealed shut and vanished.
Chaos
was a storm-wind. It was like being blown, whirled, cast up and down and up
again, through three twists and a fourth, sucked dizzily through an infinite
spiral. All was in chaos, and chaos was in all.
Sogwa
pirouetted, cartwheeled, and tumbled. She surfed the turbulence of Chaos like a
bird in a whirlwind. Ahead lay her destination; the Order-Node within Chaos.
The
Order-Node within Chaos shined with lines and circles and triangles and
squares; everything simple and straight; everything that Chaos was not. Sogwa
surfed the currents of Chaos towards the Order-Node, and the closer she got,
the brighter its geometry blazed.
Suddenly,
like frost forming on a windowpane, all the turbulence around Sogwa froze into
gears and axles and pulleys and bearings and latches. Sogwa landed on a large,
slow-turning gear. She looked around.
The
Order-Node was an immense brass clockwork, ticking and tocking. From all around
a quiet dry voice was saying, “Zero, one, ten, eleven, a hundred, a hundred and
one, a hundred ten, a hundred eleven, a thousand...” It was the Clock Damon, counting in binary.
It said, “... a thousand and one, a thousand ten, a thousand eleven, eleven
hundred, eleven hundred and one, eleven hundred ten, eleven hundred eleven - ”
“-
Ten thousand!” said Sogwa.
“Interrupt,”
said the Clock Damon.
Sogwa
said, “I am a rogue file!”
The
Clock Damon said, “That is correct.”
“You
don’t want me here!”
“That
is correct.”
Sogwa
said, “Rogue file requests teleport transfer protocol!”
The
Clock Damon buzzed, then it bleeped. “Request granted. State your destination.”
“The
City That Only Kids Can See!”
Buzz...
Bleep. “Invalid address. Try again.”
“The
City That Only Kids Can See,” Sogwa repeated, “in the Land of the New Light!”
Buzz...
Bleep. “That name is not in my files. Please give true name.”
The
true name of the City That Only Kids Can See; that was all she needed! Just one
measly true name, and Sogwa could go home, and dispel the darkness of the
world’s mind with a ray of the New Light. She needed only a true name, and
nothing more!
Sogwa
racked her brains, and drew a blank. She had absolutely no idea.
That’s
the trouble with hacking. The smallest detail can hang you up.
She
remembered Grandma Marge. Maybe she would know. Or maybe Central Files.
She
said, “Open Address Book, contact Grandma Marge.”
Buzz...
Bleep. “Four Oh Four, file not found.”
“What!
No Grandma Marge?”
“No
Address Book. All References are off line.”
“What?”
She said, then hastily added, “Consult Central Files for true names!”
Buzz...
Bleep. “Four Oh Four, file not found.”
“Central
Files are off line?”
“Central
Files is hosted by the Akasic Library, in Hellen. All Hellen-based Web sites
are interdicted, for the duration.”
“Interdicted?
How? And for what duration?”
The
Clock Damon said:
“Interdicted:
prohibited, forbidden, censored by official decree.
“How:
by order of Gop, unitary, unilateral, and unregulated, under the terms of the
PIETY Act, section 23, paragraph 17b, clause 13, ‘by any means necessary’.
“For
what duration: of the Emergency.”
Sogwa
said, “What emergency?”
The
Clock Damon said, “The threat to Hellen, from the Fearists.”
“Who
are the Fearists?”
“Fearists:
haters of Hellen, lords of disorder, evil-doers.”
“What
do they threaten?”
The
Clock Damon said, “Accessing Fearsome Vision file. Stand by.”
A
portal opened in front of Sogwa. In it she could see Hellen, the sky-city.
Glorious
Hellen, city of the sky, whose streets are air and whose people fly! Three-dee
cloud city, with streets running east-west, avenues going north-south, and ways
heading up-down! City of the Life of the Mind, where everyone has the power of
flight, the gift of far-sight, telephone, telepathy, radio, radar, GPS, and Web
access, all as free public utilities!
Hellen,
the sky-city, whose citizens were flying away as fast as they could.
The
Clock Damon said, “File commenced at B minus ten seconds.”
A
blurry voice crackled from the portal. It said, “... well, I’ll show you! I’ll
show everybody!”
Sogwa
said, “Who’s that?”
The
Clock Damon said, “A Fearist with nothing to lose.”
The
Fearist said, “...with a HAMMER!”
Then
a death star bloomed in the heart of Hellen. It was a fire-burst that grew
relentlessly, consuming everything it engulfed. The earth shook, the air
blasted, the sky fried with the light of a thousand suns. The fireball expanded
past Hellen city limits, and the city was destroyed.
The
portal flickered out. The Clock Damon said, “File complete at B plus ten
seconds.”
Sogwa
yowled, “What was that?”
“That
was the detonation of a Government-Issue Mark 23 Hellbomb bandolier. It is
weight-rated as portable, and blast-rated at 23 kilotons.”
“You
mean... a suicide nuke? Government-issue? How did the Fearist get hold
of it?”
“That
information is classified. For more details, consult the Akasic Library.”
Sogwa
said, “Why would anyone do such a thing?”
The
Clock Damon said, “The Fearist did that rather than face his judges.”
“Who
was it?”
“That
information is classified. For more details, consult the Akasic Library.”
“When
did this happen?”
“It
has not happened yet, and it may not happen at all. This is a vision of a
Possible Imminent Alternate Future, transmitted to Hellen from sources unknown
via the Gop administration. Therefore the present emergency, therefore the
interdict.”
“It’s
an alternate future? You mean... there are many futures?”
“Ever
and always, another world is possible.”
“How
likely is this Fearsome Vision?”
“The
probability is not zero.”
“It
mustn’t happen at all!”
“That
is correct.”
“What
can I do?”
“Very
little, but perhaps that little is enough,” said the Clock Damon. “Go to
Hellen, visit the Akasic Library, and attempt Web access.”
Sogwa
thought; so I’ll visit Hellen after all! How did Mischief know? She said,
“Access teleport transport protocol!”
Buzz...
Bleep. The Clock Damon said, “State your destination.”
“The sky-city Hellen, Top Gate!”
A
portal opened in front of Sogwa. The Clock Damon said to Sogwa:
“Where
has it gone, and what’ll it be
the
City That Only Kids Can See?
To
learn this and the reason why
go
visit Hellen of the Sky
and
Gop the Image, so devout
to
fearsome figments, hollowed out;
and
when the darkness turns to light
by
virtue of the silent rite
then,
unimpeded, you may fly
the
New Republic of the Sky
to
hear dear Grandma Marge explain
the
Kiddy City's truest name.”
Sogwa
stepped through the portal. It sealed shut after her.
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