The Clockwork Man was making the finishing touches to his own body and trying out his new trousers when the Mystan second, the Elder’s protégé, walked into his small workshop. He was a nervous, tall individual, who walked with a bird-like gait and rubbed his hands together when talking. He was also no short of a genius, something which the Clockwork Man had quickly discovered. The deal between him and the Mystans of the settlement was fairly simplistic, they would provide him with the computerised technology he required, he would provide them with a small sample of Elmorium. It was a good deal, for both sides.

“Ehm, Mr Clockwork.” The Mystan, known as Eldri, said as he entered the room. 

“Yes Eldri?” George asked, turning from his mirror just in time for the Mystan to observe the metal of his face apparently closing the damaged rending of its own accord. It was a disconcerting sight, even for the Mystan. 

“With the Elder gone… well, no one here had the skill to finish what you wanted from us, the Complex Matrix, I’m sorry.” 

“I see.” The Clockwork Man said shortly, looking down at the shining Clockwork Spider in the corner of the room. Oddly, the strange creature was his oldest friend, it had been with him through thick and thin, now he was discovering it could never be given the sentience he desired.

“However, we’ve been able to finish the V.I programming, and it should be more than functional from a practical sense. I couldn’t say for certain if it’s going to work on this –ship- you speak of, but it’s probably the most advanced thing to come from Mystique in one hundred years, even before the wars.”

“That… will have to do.” The Clockwork Man said, resting one hand lightly on the spider. “How long will it take?” 

“We can implement it in a few hours, if you’d just allow me to-“ The Clockwork Man stood and walked over to his second desk, where he was working on more explosives. He still had ample supplies of all his other equipment, so that was no worry, but he could finish another two plasma grenades in the time it took the Mystan to implement the A.I feature to his spider. The Mystan took the hint and sat at his original seat, taking a strange squared off piece of tech from his belt and preparing to work it into the advanced circuitry of the spider. The sound of drills and lasers echoed from the small workshop for the next two and a half hours…

It was early morning when the Clockwork Man left the settlement, hopefully not for good, with all his equipment returned to him. The new and improved Clockwork Spider rested on his back, dreaming metal dreams. He envied it; there was no resting for him, not anymore. He strode across the wastes like a man possessed, every so often staring out into the dim sky as if to find the ones he sought. He needed the Elder, he was inherent in his plans, if he was ever to get what he wanted he needed the fully functioning Complex Matrix, but for now what he had would suffice. For the first step of his plan at the very least, and it would be more than enough for him to deal with the interlopers, for he had accurately summarised a faction had made off with the Elder now. The Mystan’s Broken defences had been damaged, but they still had surveillance, they could track every foe who entered their homes. They watched them… saw them off into the night sky.

It took him the better part of the day, even at the running speed he could perpetually maintain, to reach the crash site. The strange alien craft he had discovered immediately on reaching Mystique, the place where he had received the gift of Elmorium. It was here… with the new Spider, that he could reach out into the stars, and re-capture the hope plucked from his fingers.