A ONE-WAY TICKET

Startled by the familiar voice, Max whipped around. In the dim light, he spotted Logan tucked behind an engine of some sort. He was sitting against a pipe that was emitting a thick cloud of steam.

“Whoever you are, I know you’re there,” Logan said.

“Ernie, turn it off,” Max said.

Ernie shut down the IPA, and the world became solid once again.

Max rushed to Logan, whose side was bleeding. He forced a smile, then winced. “Now how did I know that was going to be you?”

“What happened?” Max asked.

Logan snorted and then coughed. “Clocks.”

Max looked at the wound in Logan’s side. His jacket was drenched with blood, and his skin was pale. “We have to get you out of here.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Logan said.

“Don’t say that.”

Logan smiled as he reached up to pat Max on the cheek. “We’re all going to meet our maker one day,” he said, coughing again. “How did you miscreants get your hands on an IPA, anyway?”

Max looked back at Ernie. “Strange gave it to him.”

“Strange?” Logan asked, frowning.

“Yeah, he said it was a Christmas present,” Ernie said.

“That’s some—” Logan coughed. “That’s quite a gift.”

“He said it wasn’t illegal.”

Logan smiled, but it faded too quickly. He closed his eyes.

“Come on,” Max said to the others. “Help me get him up.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Logan said.

“If we were using an IPA, how did you know we were here?” Natalia asked.

“I have a handy little device that can see through them,” Logan said. “Apparently Von Strife does, too. That’s the only way his machines could have spotted us.”

“Wait,” Max said. “If he can see through the IPA, then why didn’t he stop us?”

Logan sighed before resting his head against the wall. “There’s the million-dollar question.”

“Maybe he didn’t think we were a threat,” Natalia said.

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Logan said. He licked his dry lips.

“Does anyone have water?” Max asked.

Ernie uncapped his water bottle and handed it to Max, who helped Logan take a sip.

“I can help him,” Brooke said.

“Maybe not,” Logan said with a grimace. “They got me good.”

“You have to let her try.”

Logan struggled to push his rucksack toward Max.

“What’s that?” Max asked.

“The explosives.”

“And you want us to set them?”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

“What about Von Strife?” Natalia asked.

“I haven’t seen him.” Logan turned to Ernie. “We didn’t see Hale or Strange, either, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t here.”

Ernie nodded.

“Are you going to let Brooke take a look at that?” Max said.

Logan sighed. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“It depends.”

“If you follow my orders without question, I’ll let her give it a go.”

Max hesitated, his eyes narrowed. “No tricks.”

“Fine.”

Max extended his hand.

Logan took Max’s hand to accept the deal. Logan instructed Max and Harley on how to set the bombs that would blow up the Paragon Engine. When he was convinced they could do it without blowing themselves up instead, he sent them off and asked Natalia and Ernie to go stand watch. Raven hung back with Brooke as she tried to heal Logan.

“That’s amazing,” Natalia said. She was standing with Max, Harley, and Ernie on a causeway that overlooked the Paragon Engine. The machine’s core shimmered with waves of energy as scientists and clockworks scuttled about like ants at a picnic.

“I’m going down,” Max said, backing onto the ladder that led to the floor below.

Harley was next, then Natalia, with Ernie taking up the rear. Once they were all on the ground, the Griffins made their way through the network of activity until they came to the base of the Paragon Engine.

“Is that the Brimstone Key?” Natalia asked, pointing to a large cylinder made of meteoric iron. It acted as the bridge between the engine and the main power conduit from the fusion generator.

“I think so,” Harley said after a brief glance. He set his pack down and went to work, pulling out the adhesive putty before setting three bombs on the ground.

“What about Von Strife?” Ernie asked.

“I haven’t seen him,” Max said as Harley handed him a bomb.

“Maybe he went through already.”

“If he did, he kind of forgot his army,” Harley said before standing up with a bomb in his hand.

“Either that or Natalia was right,” Max said. “Maybe he’s just looking for his daughter.”

Harley stuck the bomb onto the Paragon Engine. Then he punched a code before turning the dial, while Max did the same with his bomb.

“What if he took Hale and Strange with him?” Ernie asked. “If we destroy the Paragon Engine, we’ll never see them again.”

“We don’t even know if he’s gone through,” Harley said as he prepared the last bomb. “Besides, this way Von Strife won’t be able to send any more changelings away.”

Ernie grabbed Harley’s wrist. Harley tried to pull away, but he couldn’t. “I’m not going to let you kill them,” Ernie said. “Not this time.”

“Listen to me,” Max said. “You’re not the only one who cares about them. We all do, but if we don’t shut it down now, Von Strife will never stop.”

“I’ll stop him,” Ernie said.

“How?”

“I don’t know, I just will.”

Max placed his hand on Ernie’s shoulder. “It may not seem like it, but saying good-bye to Robert was hard on all of us,” Max said. “I have nightmares about what happened, but we did the right thing…. And we’re doing the right thing now.”

“What about Hale?” Ernie asked, looking defeated.

“Let’s hope Von Strife is the only one who went through,” Max said. “Either way, we’re going to save a lot of lives.”

Ernie shut his eyes, lowering his head as he let go of Harley’s wrist. Then the IPA flashed, and the phase-adjusted world faded away. They were now visible to all the clockwork soldiers around them.

“What’s going on?” Ernie asked. He was shaking the IPA as though that would make it work again.

It didn’t.

Max activated the gauntlet, unleashing a stream of energy at the nearest clockwork, scorching its iron hide. The mechanical soldier fell back, but another took its place. A clockwork with four arms ran at Harley, who managed to duck out of the way, but the machine turned around to take another swipe.

It closed in on Harley, and Max leaped. He caught the clockwork in the chest with his gauntlet, and a blue light erupted as the clock’s protective casing crumbled. It staggered and fell to the floor. Then its eyes faded.

The sound of gears turning echoed throughout the chamber. The surface of the Paragon Engine shimmered before revealing a field of stars that shined brightly in the night sky. Max could feel the hair on his head and arms rise as he watched Ernie unhinge one of the clockwork’s arms with a screwdriver he had found.

Ernie was a blur of motion. The clockwork had no idea what was happening until it was too late. It lost one arm and then the next. Ernie dismantled one of its knee joints, sending the clockwork tumbling to the ground.

Natalia screamed as one of the clockworks closed in on her. Max tried to help, but he felt something tug at him. He looked up at the Paragon Engine to see a strong wind rip Ernie’s helmet from his head. It tumbled through the portal and disappeared with a flash. One of the clockworks was sucked through, a moment later, Ernie followed.

“No!” Max fought against the pull of the Paragon Engine, but he was losing ground. Natalia cried out before she was sucked in. Harley reached out to grab her ankle, but in the process he lost his grip.

When Harley disappeared, Max lost his will to fight. He closed his eyes, and then he was gone.