Captain Clockwork’s grin stretched wide as Carl made his decision. “Make him a little boy, like Alex,” Carl had whispered, and the villain couldn’t have been more pleased.
“Oh, this is too perfect,” Captain Clockwork cackled, raising his arm, the gears on his body whirring faster and faster as golden energy crackled from his fingers. “First your brilliant ‘tech genius’ becomes a fat old grandpa, then your fearless leader becomes a helpless little child… and now, Luke, it’s your turn to see just how far you’ve fallen.”
Luke, struggling to rise from the ground, felt the golden energy swirling around him. His body tensed, instinctively trying to fight it, but deep down, he knew it was too late. The spell had already taken hold.
“You think you’re so tough, don’t you, Luke?” Captain Clockwork sneered, watching as Luke’s eyes widened in fear. “The mighty Black Cyber Space Warrior, always so clever and calm. Well, let’s see how clever you are when you’re five years old again!”
Luke gasped as the first wave of the spell hit him. His body tingled, then started to shift. His armor, once powerful and sleek, seemed to melt away, dissolving into wisps of energy. His limbs began to shrink, his hands pulling back into his sleeves, fingers becoming pudgy and soft. His boots loosened, the once sturdy combat-ready shoes now too big for his rapidly shrinking feet.
“N-no!” Luke shouted, his voice already sounding higher, more childlike. He tried to grab at his watch, to call Zardak for help, but his fingers fumbled. The strength he once relied on was slipping away. His heart pounded in his chest, fear gripping him as his body continued to regress.
Captain Clockwork chuckled, stepping closer. “Oh, don’t fight it, Luke. You’ve already lost. And besides, it’s so much more fun to watch you squirm. Look at you, shrinking right out of your armor, helpless as a baby.”
Luke’s vision swam as the world around him seemed to expand. He stumbled back, his legs growing shorter, his body getting smaller by the second. The once comfortable grip of his armor felt like an oversized costume, his clothes hanging loose on his body. His chest flattened, his once lean muscles softening and disappearing, leaving him small, weak, and vulnerable.
“I-I can’t… stop it…” Luke muttered, his words slurring as the spell rewired his mind. The memories of his battles, his training, his friendships—they all started to blur, fading like dreams. He grabbed at his head, trying to hold onto the last fragments of who he was, but they were slipping through his fingers.
Captain Clockwork’s laughter echoed in the gym. “Poor little Luke. Does it hurt, feeling all that power drain away? How does it feel to lose everything that made you a warrior?”
Luke’s heart raced as his transformation continued. His hair, once short and dark, grew longer, softer, falling around his face in childish wisps. His legs wobbled as his pants sagged, his once strong, agile body now tiny and clumsy. His eyes grew wider, rounder, filled with confusion and fear. His vision became blurry, tears welling up as the last of his teenage self disappeared into the body of a 5-year-old boy.
Captain Clockwork bent down, leaning close to Luke, his metallic face twisted into a mocking smile. “What’s wrong, Luke? You look scared. Feeling a little too small for this fight?”
Luke blinked up at him, tears spilling over as his mind continued to regress. His thoughts, once sharp and strategic, now felt foggy, filled with nothing but childish confusion. “I-I don’t wanna… be little…” he mumbled, his voice now that of a small child’s, soft and shaky.
“Oh, but you are little now,” Captain Clockwork teased, his voice dripping with cruel amusement. “In fact, you’re smaller than ever! Five years old—barely old enough to read, much less save the world.”
Luke looked down at his tiny hands, now chubby and soft, his fingers too small to grasp the world he once controlled. He let out a soft whimper, his lower lip trembling as the weight of his transformation hit him fully. He had been a powerful warrior, confident and capable, but now… now he was just a little boy.
“I don’t… remember…” Luke whispered, his eyes wide and glassy as his mind continued to regress. He looked up at Carl, now a fat, aging man, and then at Alex, a carefree 8-year-old. “Grandpa?”
Carl’s heart ached as he looked down at Luke, seeing the helpless child in front of him. His mind, still fogged by the spell, struggled to understand what had just happened. “Luke… I didn’t mean for this…” Carl mumbled, guilt creeping into his voice. “I… I thought it was for the best…”
Captain Clockwork clapped his hands together in mock celebration. “Oh, this is priceless! Look at you all! The Cyber Space Warriors, reduced to a fat old grandpa and two helpless little boys.” He sneered down at Luke, who was now sniffling, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his oversized shirt. “What a pitiful team. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be this easy.”
Luke, now a small, frightened child, clung to Carl’s leg, looking up at him with wide, teary eyes. “Grandpa… can we go home? I’m scared…”
Carl, still under the spell, bent down and patted Luke’s head gently. “Yeah, buddy… we’ll go home soon. Don’t worry.”
Captain Clockwork watched the scene unfold with satisfaction, savoring every moment. “You’ve all been defeated, utterly and completely,” he said, his voice dripping with glee. “And now, you’ll spend the rest of your lives like this—too old, too young, and too broken to ever fight again.”
As he prepared to leave, Captain Clockwork gave one last mocking glance to Carl. “Enjoy your time with your ‘grandkids,’ old man. They’re not much use to you now, but at least they’ll be quiet.”
With that, Captain Clockwork vanished, his laughter echoing in the empty gym, leaving Carl, Alex, and Luke to stand there in the aftermath of their complete defeat.
Luke, now nothing more than a scared 5-year-old, buried his face in Carl’s side, sniffling softly. He no longer remembered being a warrior, a teammate, or a hero. All that remained was the mind of a child, lost and confused, clinging to the only thing he could understand—his “grandpa.”
And Carl, under the weight of both the spell and his own guilt, could only hold them close, wondering if they would ever be able to return to the lives they had lost.