Luke’s mind raced. The only person who could help them now was their mentor, Zardak—the powerful AI from another dimension who had granted them their powers. If anyone could undo a monster's spell, it was Zardak.
Luke pulled out his power watch, tapping a series of commands into it. “Zardak, I need your help. Something’s happened to Carl and Alex—they’ve been transformed. It’s Captain Clockwork. He’s got them thinking they’re different ages, and they don’t remember who they are.”
There was a brief pause, and then Zardak’s voice echoed through the watch, calm yet urgent. “Luke, I’m aware of the situation. Captain Clockwork’s manipulation of time is powerful, but it is not invincible. You must hold him off while I gather the necessary data to reverse the spell. You’ll need to—”
Before Zardak could finish, the sound of gears grinding filled the gym, and the lights flickered ominously. Luke spun around, heart pounding. Emerging from the shadows was Captain Clockwork, his metallic frame gleaming under the dim light, gears whirring with mechanical precision.
“Going somewhere, Cyber Space Warrior?” Captain Clockwork sneered, his voice dripping with malice. “Trying to call for backup, I see. Pathetic.”
Luke stepped back, gritting his teeth. “You’ve done enough damage, Clockwork. I’m ending this now.”
The villain chuckled, his gears ticking like a living clock. “Ending this? You couldn’t even save your friends. What makes you think you stand a chance against me?”
Without another word, Luke slammed his power watch, transforming in a flash of black energy. His armored suit materialized around him, sleek and lined with glowing digital patterns. He clenched his fists, feeling the familiar surge of power that came with his transformation.
“I’ll make you pay for what you did to Carl and Alex,” Luke growled, charging forward.
The two clashed in a flurry of motion, Luke’s agility and precision on full display. His punches were fast, each one aiming for Captain Clockwork’s weak points. He ducked under swinging gears, parried strikes with his gauntlets, and landed a few solid hits to the villain’s metallic body, sending sparks flying.
But Captain Clockwork was no ordinary opponent. With a simple twist of one of his many gears, he froze time around him, stepping out of the way of Luke’s attacks as though they were moving in slow motion. Each time Luke thought he had the upper hand, Clockwork rewound the moment, fixing any damage Luke inflicted on him.
“You can’t touch me, boy,” Captain Clockwork taunted, effortlessly dodging Luke’s blows as he rewound the fight. “I control time itself. You’re nothing more than a minor inconvenience.”
Luke, though skilled, was growing more desperate. Sweat dripped down his face inside his helmet as he lunged again, this time with a powerful spinning kick aimed at Clockwork’s head. But Clockwork twisted another dial, and suddenly Luke found himself off balance, his foot missing its target entirely.
Captain Clockwork countered with a devastating strike, his fist crashing into Luke’s midsection. The blow sent him flying across the gym, crashing into a set of lockers with a deafening clang. Luke groaned, his vision blurring from the impact. He tried to get up, but his body was too weak to respond.
“Pathetic,” Captain Clockwork sneered, approaching the fallen warrior. “Did you really think you could beat me alone?”
Luke struggled to move, to think, but the fight had taken too much out of him. His suit flickered, sparks flying from his damaged armor. He looked up at Captain Clockwork, his mind racing. I can’t lose here… not like this…
But just as Captain Clockwork prepared to deliver the final blow, Carl, with Alex at his side, huffed toward the action. The old man was still under the spell, his round body weighed down by years that didn’t belong to him, but his eyes had a flicker of concern.
“What’s going on in here?” Carl asked, his voice thick with confusion. He glanced at Luke, who was battered and on the floor, and then at Captain Clockwork, who stood over him with his fist raised.
Captain Clockwork’s smile widened as he turned to Carl. “Ah, perfect timing. I was just about to finish off your friend here.” He lowered his hand and stepped away from Luke, addressing Carl directly. “But I think I’ll let you decide, Carl.”
Carl blinked, his heavy features wrinkling in confusion. “Decide? About what?”
Captain Clockwork chuckled, playing his part perfectly. “I’m offering you a choice, old man. Your ‘friend’ here tried to stop me, but look at him now.” He gestured to Luke, who lay on the ground, groaning in pain. “You can choose his fate. Should I age him up like you, make him a wrinkled old man too? Or perhaps I should de-age him, just like little Alex here. Maybe he’d be better off as an innocent little child.”
Carl frowned, his addled mind struggling to process the gravity of the situation. He glanced between Luke and Alex, his sense of responsibility battling with his warped identity.
Alex, still believing himself to be Carl’s grandson, tugged on Carl’s sleeve. “Grandpa, what’s going on? Is Luke gonna be okay?”
Carl patted Alex’s head absentmindedly, his thoughts clouded. “I… I don’t know, buddy…”
Captain Clockwork’s voice was smooth, tempting. “Come on, Carl. You know he’s no threat to you now. Why not make him a little more manageable? After all, you’re just a grandpa, and he’s getting in the way of your peaceful life.”
Carl hesitated, staring down at Luke, whose eyes were pleading silently. Somewhere, buried deep in his foggy mind, Carl remembered a different life—a life where he and Luke had fought side by side, where they had been friends, teammates, heroes.
But that memory was so distant now, blurred by the years and the weight of his transformation.
“Well, Carl?” Captain Clockwork pressed, his voice laced with anticipation. “What’ll it be? Should I age him up, or turn him into a child?”
Carl swallowed hard, the decision hanging heavy in the air. “I… I just want things to go back to normal,” he muttered.
Captain Clockwork’s grin widened. “Then choose. What’s normal, Carl? What do you want Luke to be?”
Carl’s eyes lingered on Luke, who struggled to rise to his feet. His heart told him something was wrong, that this wasn’t how things were supposed to be. But the spell tugged at his mind, convincing him that everything was fine—that he was just a grandfather, and Luke was an obstacle in the way of his new life.
Captain Clockwork leaned in. “Make it quick. What will he become, Carl?”
Carl closed his eyes, his mind spinning. “Make him…"