Chapter 12: The Ticking Clock
**[Unit 1138 - 11:25 PM]**
The Chronos Device sat on the workbench, a thing of impossible beauty and palpable menace.
The gyroscopic brass rings seemed to hum with a silent, secret energy that made the air itself vibrate with potential.
The crystalline core at its heart pulsed with a soft, internal light, like a captured star beating with its own alien rhythm.
Alex stared at it, his mind racing faster than his pounding heart, calculating angles and possibilities with the desperate clarity that comes only in moments of absolute crisis.
He couldn't take the whole thing.
It was too big, too heavy, easily weighing over a hundred pounds from the look of the reinforced table supporting it.
And he was certain a man like Deckard would have built in safeguards—a tracker, a dead man's switch, some kind of quantum entanglement alarm that would alert him the second the device was moved even a millimeter.
The entire assembly was probably monitored by sensors he couldn't detect, protected by systems that existed beyond current scientific understanding.
But he didn't need the whole device.
He needed its heart.
He needed its secrets.
He needed the proof that would expose Deckard's crimes to the world.
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*[CrimeSync: Initiating close-range analysis... Target: "Chronos Device."]*
*[Warning: Exotic energy signatures detected. Temporal distortion field active. Proceed with extreme caution.]*
His vision shimmered as CrimeSync fully engaged, transforming his perception into something between human intuition and quantum analysis.
An overlay of translucent blue data scrolled over the device, highlighting its components in a three-dimensional schematic that revealed the intricate relationships between each element.
*[Scanning for power source, data storage, and primary functional component...]*
*[Analyzing electromagnetic field patterns...]*
*[Cross-referencing with theoretical physics databases...]*
The system was lightning fast, dissecting the technology with an inhuman logic that processed information faster than conscious thought.
*[Analysis Complete. Primary components identified:]*
*[The spherical cage is a gyroscopic stabilizer and electromagnetic focusing array designed to contain temporal distortion fields.]*
*[The crystalline structure is the primary emitter and quantum processing core. It also contains a solid-state, quantum data storage unit with theoretical capacity exceeding all known storage technologies.]*
*[Conclusion: The crystal core contains the device's operational schematics, activation protocols, and—most importantly—its recent activation logs with timestamps and target coordinates.]*
*[This is the objective. This is the smoking gun.]*
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The confirmation was absolute, backed by analysis algorithms that had never been wrong.
He needed the crystal.
Everything else was just elaborate housing designed to focus and control the power contained within that pulsing, alien heart.
*[Time Remaining: 10:55... 10:54... 10:53...]*
The countdown was a relentless drumbeat in his head, each second bringing him closer to exposure, capture, and the end of everything he'd worked for.
He moved closer to the device, his flashlight beam tracing the intricate design of the brass cage.
Up close, he could see that every surface was covered in microscopic engravings—equations, symbols, patterns that seemed to shift and change when he wasn't looking directly at them.
It was seamless construction, a perfect, interlocking puzzle box with no obvious way in.
The craftsmanship was beyond anything he'd ever seen, as if the entire assembly had been grown rather than built.
His eyes scanned the base of the device, searching for some kind of access panel or maintenance hatch.
There—almost invisible against the polished brass surface.
A small, touch-sensitive panel, no bigger than his thumbprint, glowing with the faintest trace of blue light.
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He reached out and gently pressed his gloved finger to the panel.
The response was immediate and startling.
The air in front of him shimmered like heat distortion, and a holographic interface bloomed into existence, floating in mid-air with crystalline clarity.
A complex keypad materialized, accompanied by biometric scanners and a demand for multiple layers of authentication.
Retinal scan required. Voiceprint analysis required. DNA sample required. Alphanumeric passcode required. Quantum encryption key required.
It was impenetrable through conventional hacking methods.
Breaking through this level of security would take hours, if not days, and would require resources that didn't exist outside of government black sites.
He didn't have hours. He had minutes.
*[Time Remaining: 09:17... 09:16... 09:15...]*
Physical solution, then.
Brute force where elegance had failed.
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His gaze traced the seams of the brass cage, looking for mechanical weak points that could be exploited.
He found the locking clasps—eight of them arranged in a precise geometric pattern around the device's equator.
They were smooth and seamless, with no keyhole, no visible mechanism, no apparent way to manipulate them manually.
Magnetic. They had to be magnetic locks, held in place by electromagnetic fields rather than mechanical components.
Which meant forcing them with conventional tools was impossible.
The magnetic field strength would be orders of magnitude beyond what a crowbar could overcome.
But it also meant they needed constant power to maintain their grip.
Cut the power, and the locks would release automatically.
His eyes followed the thick, shielded cable that snaked from the base of the device across the floor to the humming power regulator mounted on the far wall.
The regulator was industrial grade, designed to provide clean, stable power to sensitive scientific equipment.
It was the device's lifeline, the umbilical cord that kept the temporal distortion field stable and the magnetic locks engaged.
*[Time Remaining: 07:14... 07:13... 07:12...]*
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His options were narrowing to a single, desperate point of action.
He had to cut the power to the entire assembly.
It was a massive risk, one that could destroy everything he'd worked for.
A sudden power loss could cause a feedback loop in the quantum storage matrix, frying the crystal's data logs and turning his evidence into an expensive paperweight.
The temporal field collapse could trigger some hidden, battery-powered alarm system.
The device could have failsafes designed to prevent exactly this kind of intrusion.
He had no way of knowing what would happen when that cable was severed.
But he looked at the glowing crystal, pulsing with secrets that could bring down a killer who thought himself untouchable.
He looked at the countdown ticking away in his mind's eye, each second bringing him closer to capture and failure.
The choice was already made.
He ran to the wall, pulling his multi-tool from his backpack with hands that were steadier than they had any right to be.
He flipped out the wire cutters, their sharp edges gleaming in the flashlight beam.
The cable was thick—military grade shielding designed to prevent electromagnetic interference.
But it was still just copper and plastic beneath all the protection.
He took one last, steadying breath.
And cut the cable.
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**[Unit 1138 - 11:33 PM]**
The effect was instantaneous and dramatic.
The low hum that had filled the unit died immediately, plunging the room into a silence so complete it felt oppressive.
The green lights on the server bank flickered once, twice, then went dark in sequence.
The holographic interface vanished like a popped soap bubble.
And from the Chronos Device came a deep, mechanical CLUNK that echoed through the room like the sound of a vault door opening.
The sound of eight magnetic locks disengaging simultaneously.
It had worked.
Alex felt a surge of triumph so intense it was almost overwhelming.
His gamble had paid off—the device's security systems had defaulted to an unlocked state rather than sealing permanently without power.
He scrambled back to the device, his flashlight beam dancing wildly as he moved.
He grasped the topmost ring of the brass cage with both hands.
It turned smoothly now, the interlocking pieces sliding apart like a complex puzzle box designed by a master craftsman.
Layer by layer, ring by ring, the cage opened to reveal the treasure within.
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The crystalline core was no longer suspended by humming energy fields and magnetic levitation.
Without power, it rested in a simple cradle lined with what looked like black velvet.
But it still glowed with its own faint, internal light—a soft, ethereal blue that pulsed with hypnotic regularity.
It was strangely beautiful, like a piece of captured lightning frozen in crystal form.
Alex reached in carefully, his gloved fingers closing around the artifact.
It was unnervingly warm to the touch, radiating heat like a living thing.
It vibrated with a low, thrumming energy that seemed to travel up his arm and resonate in his bones.
The sensation was unlike anything he'd ever experienced—part technological, part organic, wholly alien.
It felt alive in a way that defied rational explanation.
*[CrimeSync Warning: Direct contact with exotic matter detected. Temporal field interaction with neural implants. Recommend immediate isolation.]*
He ignored the warning. He was too close to success to let caution slow him down now.
He carefully unplugged the delicate fiber-optic connections that linked the crystal to the device's control systems.
Each cable was thinner than human hair but pulsed with data streams visible even to the naked eye.
He lifted the crystal core out of its cradle.
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It was roughly the size and shape of a large human heart, and the rhythmic pulse of energy was undeniable now that he was holding it directly.
The resemblance was unsettling—as if Deckard had somehow crystallized the beating heart of time itself.
He had the proof.
He had the smoking gun that could expose Deckard's crimes to the world.
He had evidence of technology that shouldn't exist, obtained at tremendous personal risk.
He pulled a thick, static-proof evidence bag from his backpack—the kind used by forensics teams to preserve electronic evidence.
He placed the crystal inside, feeling its warmth even through the protective material.
He secured it deep within the pack, surrounded by padding that would protect it from physical damage.
He got it.
The mission was a success.
But success meant nothing if he didn't survive to use the evidence.
*[Time Remaining: 02:59... 02:58... 02:57...]*
His blood ran cold as he saw the countdown on his phone.
He had spent too much time marveling at his discovery, too many precious seconds admiring the impossible technology.
The security blind spot was about to collapse, and he was still deep inside the facility.
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He slammed the brass cage shut, not bothering to try to relock it.
The damage was done—Deckard would know someone had been here the moment he saw the device.
But hopefully he would assume it was a failed burglary attempt, someone who couldn't get past the security systems.
The crystal's absence wouldn't be immediately obvious from the outside.
Alex sprinted to the door, his backpack feeling impossibly heavy with the weight of stolen impossibility.
He shoved the door up, the metal groaning in protest.
The opening revealed a sliver of dark grey night sky, freedom measured in inches.
He squeezed underneath, his wounded side screaming in protest as the rough concrete scraped against barely healed tissue.
He was out.
He pulled the door back down, the broken lock a glaring sign of his intrusion.
There was nothing he could do about the obvious evidence of forced entry.
He could only hope it would be mistaken for a common burglary, another statistic in Aethelburg's rising crime rate.
He didn't look back.
He ran.
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**[Secure Storage Solutions, Perimeter Fence - 11:37 PM]**
He moved with desperate, silent speed, a shadow flowing between the rows of metal units like a ghost fleeing from its own past.
His training took over—police academy courses in tactical movement, enhanced by CrimeSync's processing of optimal routes through the maze of storage units.
The perimeter fence was ahead, a wall of chain-link and razor wire that separated him from freedom.
The hole he had cut was his only way out, a gap in the facility's defenses that had taken precious minutes to create.
*[Time Remaining: 00:09... 00:08... 00:07...]*
The countdown in his head was a frantic, final shout, the last seconds of borrowed time ticking away like the heartbeat of a dying man.
He ran faster, his lungs burning from the exertion and the cold night air.
His side felt like it was tearing open, but adrenaline numbed the worst of the pain.
*[00:05... 00:04...]*
He reached the fence, diving through the opening he'd cut earlier.
The wires tore at his clothes, sharp metal edges drawing blood from his arms and back.
But he was through.
He was outside the compound, officially clear of the immediate danger zone.
He scrambled to his feet, turning to look back at the facility that had nearly become his tomb.
*[00:03... 00:02... 00:01...]*
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*[CrimeSync: 'Ghost' protocol expired. All systems returning to live feed. Self-erasure from network complete. No trace detected.]*
*[Mission Status: Success. Exfiltration complete. Evidence secured.]*
He was clear.
A wave of adrenaline-fueled relief washed over him, so powerful it almost brought him to his knees.
The chemical rush of survival, of victory against impossible odds, left him dizzy and disoriented.
He had done it.
He had infiltrated a high-security facility, stolen classified technology, and escaped without detection.
He was a burglar now, a criminal who had crossed lines that could never be uncrossed.
But he was also the only person in the world who could stop Elias Deckard.
He didn't run from the facility—that would draw attention from any surveillance systems that might be watching the surrounding area.
Instead, he forced himself into a calm, steady walk, just another late-night pedestrian in an industrial district where such things weren't uncommon.
He melted back into the shadows of the industrial park, becoming invisible among the dark bulk of sleeping warehouses.
Back to his car.
Back to the world of laws and consequences he had left behind when he'd cut that first link in the fence.
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**[Alex's Car, Industrial Park - 11:45 PM]**
He got into the driver's seat, his hands shaking with residual adrenaline, his body drenched in cold sweat despite the mild night air.
Every nerve ending felt hyperactive, every sound amplified to painful intensity.
He was crashing from the chemical high of the mission, his body beginning to process what he'd just accomplished.
He placed the backpack on the passenger seat with reverent care.
Through the thick fabric, he could feel the faint, warm pulse of the crystal—a rhythm that seemed to sync with his own heartbeat.
It was like carrying a piece of a star, something that had been torn from the fabric of spacetime itself.
He had the evidence that could bring down the Clockmaker.
He had the murder weapon that could prove temporal manipulation was not just possible but actively being used to kill innocent people.
He had a piece of impossible technology that could change the world, revolutionize physics, and rewrite humanity's understanding of reality itself.
And he was a suspended cop with no badge, no authority, and no way to bring any of it into the light without confessing to multiple felonies.
He had just stolen a bomb.
And he could already hear the fuse burning silently in the darkness beside him, counting down to an explosion that would either save the world or destroy his life completely.
The hardest part wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
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**DETECTIVE'S LOG: ALEX STONE**
**CASE FILE: 002 - The Clockmaker (Unofficial)**
**STATUS:** Operation successful. Evidence secured. Exfiltration complete.
**KEY EVIDENCE (CRIMESYNC DATA):**
- Asset Secured: One (1) functional prototype of the "Chronos Device" quantum core containing operational data and activation logs.
- Confirmation: The device emits measurable temporal distortion fields. Technology level exceeds current scientific understanding by decades.
- Critical Problem: All evidence was obtained via multiple felonies including breaking and entering, theft of classified technology, and violation of federal statutes. Inadmissible in any official capacity.
- Additional Complication: Suspect will discover the theft within 47 hours. Response unknown but likely to be swift and lethal.
**CURRENT OBJECTIVE:** Analyze the quantum data logs within the device's core. Find a way to use this impossible evidence to expose Elias Deckard without revealing illegal acquisition methods and ending career/life as currently known.
**SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:** Survive the inevitable retaliation.
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**End of Chapter 12**
*"The greatest victories often come at the highest cost, and the most important truths are the hardest ones to tell."*
**To be continued...**