The pair danced back and fourth as flashes of steel separated them. Clanging of their weapons melded seamlessly with the ticking of the massive clockworks.

“In the name of Queen and country, I demand your surrender,” the guard in red called out between labored breaths.

“This is only the eve of what is to follow,” the man in black retorted. His thin black mustache bounced and weaved, punctuating each word. “I can not allow you to stop me.”

The dark clad man leapt backwards onto a giant turning gear. Hesitating, the guard glanced down at the depths of the tower below them before following. The duo leapt from gear to cog to gear again on their way through the bowels of the clock tower. Staying one step ahead, the man in black led the way.

“It is the dawn of a new era,” the mustached man shouted as they neared the bottom. Far above them an explosion echoed through the confined tower. Metal and fire rained down upon the pain. Massive mechanical parts came crashing down as the clock hands flew off.