Seconds On The Hourmens' Clocks

Umbra had been furiously treading around the top floor since she left the office, the cold walls not giving any support to her warm heart. Each step she took felt like the final bend of a marathon, using all that she had left to keep herself from falling down.

They’re really gone, she thought. But why, why did he choose to strike now?

Her pacing intensified as the gears in her mind spun even faster, gathering all the fragments of information that had been made available to her.

There must be a reason, something must have caused-

“ULTRA UMBRA WE NEED YOU DOWN HERE NOW,” a voice yelled up from the stairwell, interrupting her thoughts.

She followed the call and raced down the steps, entering the main floor of the Gemini Club.

“The Hourmen are here and roughing people up, like they’re looking for someone specific,” Fuschia explained. “At this rate they’re gonna bring the whole place down.”

Umbra nodded understandingly. “Get as many people as you can out the back exit, I’ll deal with the rest.”

The club had erupted into chaos as people manically ran around, while tall figures draped in red threw patrons around like ragdolls. The lights had not been turned on yet in order to keep the Hourmen at a disadvantage in the unfamiliar room, but that only contributed to the panic painted bright in neon colours.

Umbra stood still at the back door, focusing her orange resonance directly to her brain. Using her shared ability Echo Talk, she spoke right to the mind of her brother.

Get Lucius out of here now! she messaged.

“Quite a night, huh,” a voice called out from the side.

Sitting cross legged at the bar with glasses that reflected the entire rainbow spectrum, and two lit cigarettes held in his bandaged fingers, Grimebank looked as relaxed as if he were lounging on a sandy beach.

“You always find yourself in the center of trouble,” Umbra smirked at him, finding some comfort in his presence.

“Some things never change,” he shrugged. “These boys are making a real mess of your place, go show ‘em who they’re messing with.” He raised an empty glass towards her in a cheerful gesture.

Umbra moved quickly, dancing through the shadows with precise movements. She avoided every beam of neon light that struck the ground, and like a cat burglar with its eye on a precise jewel, chose the shadows as her path forward.

Her apricot glow continued to burn, attentive to the first Hourman in her way. With his back to her, in the midst of picking up a screaming guest off the calico floor, Umbra held position right behind him and stuck her arm into his chest.

“Threshold Breach,” she whispered.

Her arm was completely transparent, the light rays cut right through it like it wasn’t even there. With her ability, she could pass her body through any surface, flicking the transparency on and off like a flashlight.

As she rummaged around in the Hourman’s core completely unbeknownst to him, she found what she was looking for. With her hands right under the sentry’s soul, she flicked her wrist and engulfed it with a burning orange flame.

The Hourman’s entire body immediately erupted, burning a bright neon glow. His attempt at screaming was hindered by his lack of a mouth, so his soul screamed for him instead. The sound cut through the air with an uncanny pitch, like a wounded dog possessed by a demonic presence. All eyes in the club were now on Umbra and the Hourman who had dropped down to his knees, seconds away from falling forward.

Umbra saved him the trouble, kicking the back of his head and watched as his hollow body clattered against the floor.

She grinned with pride at her success, and yelled out at the rest of the intruders. “I forgot how easy you bolt heads were to knock down! Come at me, give me a real challenge!”

The remaining Hourmen all turned their attention away from the figures sprawled around in fear, now set on defeating the girl glowing orange. Their crimson hoods and capes flowed through the stagnant air, their Divinera Blades ready in formation to tear through flesh. The group of guards surrounded Umbra completely, trapping her in the middle of a metallic circle.

Grimebank watched with interest from the bar, ashing his two cigs into the filled glass. “Lovely show tonight, Umbra! You and your brother always know how to throw a party!”

His words barely echoed off her, who was too focused on the threats surrounding her. The Hourmen began to move in closer, tightening the circle more and more.

Steady…steady…wait for the right moment…

Umbra rapidly shifted her entire body back and forth from opaque to transparent, her entire surface glossed and shimmering like a mirror. She rippled like a being caught between realities, glitching between the very fabrics of life.

Now.

She made her move.

In ten seconds, a platinum circle had been formed on the floor from the hollow husks of the Hourmen, all robbed of their souls.

Grimebank stood up from his seat and applauded her performance. “Bravo Bravo! Now how about an encore?”

They both knew more Hourmen would be arriving any moment, but Umbra had already dispelled a large amount of resonance. She would need some time to recuperate.

“Lovely to see you as always Grimebank, but I’m afraid I have to cut this meeting short. For your own sake, you should get out of here too.” Umbra darted to the back door and disappeared into the night.

As the door slammed hard behind her, Grimebank turned towards the hollow husks of the Hourmen, and gave them a deep and gracious bow.

***

Upstairs in the office, Ultra had received Umbra’s message as soon as she had sent it, and understood the gravity of the situation.

“Lucius, we have no time right now. You need to leave.”

“What? What’s happening?” Lucius asked, confused at the sudden change in demeanor. “You were gonna tell me your plan, how we could-”

“There will be ample opportunity later, but at the moment this is more pressing.”

Ultra took down a hung painting of a sapphire landscape, revealing behind it a keypad embedded in the wall. His fingers flew across the keys with rapid precision, a practiced performance. On his left, a bookcase slid open and revealed a chamber filled wall to wall with shelves of precious artifacts, trophies of the twin’s successes.

“Woah,” was all Lucius would muster.

“Come, there’s no time.”

At the back of the secured saferoom, Umbra flipped open a sculpted bust of a man’s head, and pressed the red button hidden in its throat. The grandfather clock positioned against the wall creaked open, revealing its hollow interior.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Each sound reminded the both of them how quickly the seconds were flying by, and how much each and every one counted.

“Step inside, this will bring you out to the street far down the road. When you get out, follow it to its end, you’ll see a massive unfinished concrete building. Head to the roof and we will meet you there as soon as we can. You’ll be safe there,” Ultra ordered, as Lucius to stepped inside.

“But what about you and Umbra, how are you guys gonna get out of here?” Lucius worriedly asked.

“Don’t concern yourself with us, we are more than capable. But a note of caution, if you have a weak stomach this ride may be a little uncomfortable, but that is the most harm it can do. Now go.”

Ultra closed the clock door without waiting for a reply, and powered up the construct with his bright blue resonance. From the inside, Lucius could feel the brilliance of the walls being charged.

This is not gonna feel good, he thought with contempt, and with a gut lurching drop, he descended out of the club.