Gears and Hearts Part Four: A tale of Viktor as told by Viktor

I suppose you think this will be a little fairy tail set in a Victorian Steampunk fantasy.  However the scientist never gets to tell his story, so this is my chapter.  Besides, Mina is resting right now.  You know her broken hand and all.  

It all begins on a stormy summer night, thunder rumbling in the sky.  My mother told me not to follow my father to his lab, but I did.  Yeah, my little four year old self followed my old man to work.  Before the door closed, I slipped in.  A beautiful girl my age sat on a crate coughing up blood, her brown hair shimmering in the oil lamp’s warm glow.  Her face looked gaunt, her copper eyes meeting mine.  My father looked over in my direction, nearly catching me.  The older woman with gray hair sighed, and smiled sadly.  Her black lace dress matched the little girl’s, mud covering their worn boots.  She scooped up the little girl, silent tears falling from her eyes.  Hisses from the steam machine made me jump, the box I was standing on crashed down.  My father furrowed his eyebrows, his wild dark hair flying around. 

“I apologize.” He uttered through gritted teeth, bowing towards the woman. “Bring her by next week.  Hopefully Mina will make it through this, but remember what I offered you.”  Nodding, the woman shuffled away.  Mina whimpered in her arms, her pale hand grabbing her mother’s dress.  

“I am sorry, father.” I whispered defiantly, rubbing my arm. “I was just curious about what you did.”  The anger faded away, his face softening.  He pulled out a box, and sat down across from me.  Panic ran rapidly through my mind, ultimately fearing the punishment.  Instead, he passed me a rusty wrench, and smiled.  

“I will let you work under me.” He promised warmly, standing to his feet. “If you want to be a scientist I will guide you down the road of science.”  For years we tinkered on many failed projects until one day he stopped working with me.  I was about thirteen when I built my own lab in my family’s basement.  

“Don’t spend hours in the basement.” My mother groaned while holding a hot cake pan. “Why can’t you be normal like the other little boys in the neighborhood?  Oh, well.”   She shrugged, a pleading look in her eyes.  Running down to the basement, gears whirred in the corner.  Lighting the oil lamp, my clutter came to light.  I was going to be just like my father, no better than him.  A blue energy buzzed in my large light bulb, a mouse scurrying on it.  One squeak, he was dead.  A crooked grin danced across my face, a joyous laugh exploding from my lips.  

When I was fifteen, I finally made bullets.  Just needing the gun, I used my skills to make a special gun.  One day, my father was whispering to my mother.  

“Why do you need to deal with those bad men?” She complained audibly, him pinning her against the wall. “You aren’t the same man I married.  I want to leave you.”  His hand wrapped around her neck, strange grunts erupting from her lips.  Her dainty fingers ripped at his leather gloved hands, my breath growing shorter with panic.  Lunging at him, my mother dropped to the ground.  Coughing, she crawled around on her hands and knees.  He shoved me to the worn wooden floor, knocking me out with a club.  

My vision blurred, my head feeling groggy.  My father’s silk coat swung around his aged face staring down at me.  His gray hair hung wildly around his wrinkled face.  His lips pursed together, a bloody knife glistening in his hand.  Fresh blood dripped onto my brown vest, and white dress shirt.  My mother’s trembling hand reached for me, her lips mouthing the word run.  Blood soaked her beautiful white silk dress, blood dripping from the corner of her forehead.  The blade swung down towards me, my sore body rolling out of the way in time.  Scrambling to my feet, my leather brown boots sprinted out of the door.  Hot salty tears fell down my face, fear trembling my body.  I ran until I could run no more, my chest burning from the lack of oxygen.  Looking around, trees towered over me.  A blood red moon bathed the forest opening, an odd old man with a scraggly beard running over to me.  Crystal eyes stared into mine, a sly grin spreading across his thin lips.

“You look like you need a place to stay.” He mused, rubbing his giant chin. “ I have a lab.”  Numbly, my feet followed him to a wooden palace in the woods.  My jaw dropped at the very sight of it.  

“Are you a wizard or something?” I queried, stepping back. “I have to go home.”  Chuckles exploded from his lips, his finger snapping.  Uncertainty mixed poorly with my sadness.  Shaking my head, I turned to run.  An invisible force field knocked me back, a rock digging into my back.  

“Indeed, I am.” He admitted while helping me up. “I can see from your memories that you just witnessed your mother’s murder.  I want to teach you science mixed with magic.  The very kind your father knows.  One day you can go back, but not today.”  Nodding numbly, I followed him into the castle.  Wonder warmed my mind, trees lined the walls.  Blue flames burned in ornate oil lamps on the walls.  Guilt slammed into me, knocking me to my knees.  Sobs wracked my body, anger burning deep inside of me. 

“I could have saved her!” I shouted, burying my head into my palms. “Instead I let her die!”  His knobby hands rubbed my back, his beard itching the back of my neck.  Shaking his head, he pulled me to my feet.  

“I felt your blue electrical energy.” He explained, offering me a dark green rag. “I believe you are the prophecy to take down the evil wizard Gizmo.  Only he and you managed to find the energy, and control it.  I believe you made bullets out of it.”  He guided me to a metal door with rusty rivets, the hinges squealing open.  Equipment hummed, many empty beakers lined the wall.  

“This is all mine to use.” I stammered in pure disbelief. “Thank you so much.”  His eyes glittered with excitement, a toothy grin spreading from cheek to cheek.  Relief washed over me, sudden exhaustion coming over me.  His magic mixed well with my science creating many weapons and magical electricity that powered the castle.    

I was eighteen when he pulled me to the side, a leather bag in his hand.  Confusion twisted my face, tears welling up in my eyes.  He handed me a clear crystal ball.   

“There is a girl named Mina.” He explained urgently, his eyes looking frantically behind him. “Gizmo wants her to power his multiverse time machine.  Protect her at all costs.  You have one day until he finds her.”  Nodding, I ran through the trees into town.  People walked around, peering into the shop windows.  A woman screamed, my boots pounding towards the scream.  My heart stopped beating, the girl Mina, now a woman, laid on the trash.  I knew in my heart that I had to help her, my feelings developing hard at that moment.