Vocaloid Tales: The Nutcracker

Chapter 10: The Lost Ones

                   

The great clockwork man fought relentlessly against its captors as they tried to restrain it.  Every time they tried to lay their hands on it, it violently threw them across the dungeon, leaving more clouds of smoke as they died outright.  Just one blow from its steel arms shattered its foes instantly.

For all of the rage it seemed to display in its actions, however, its face stayed eerily still.  The cold metal plates forming its face possessed no structure to allow it to project emotions, and so it stayed still.  But it cared not, for all that remained of it stayed aware of the Nutcracker's fate.  The one it had lost and failed.  And being separated from its charge only made it more inclined to fight with them.

Nothing could contain the clockwork man.  When it found itself inside of a cage, its steel hands easily bent the thick bars until it could wrench them out and hurl them at its captors.  When they attempted to chain it to a wall, it simply ripped out the chains and leapt from the wall, the loose manacles still jangling along its wrists and ankles.

The only reason it had yet to escape properly was the utter ferocity and endless numbers of mice swearing their loyalty to the Mouse Crown... and the occasional pacification of the one who'd controlled it.

It felt no fear or weariness or anger.  It felt nothing as the beasts banged and pounded on its casing.  It simply had orders ingrained in it since its creation, and it would follow them to the letter.

"Queen Rin, Queen Rin!"

The Mouse Queen stood at the back of the dungeon.  It recognized her at once and it began to charge at her with blinding speed, its powerful leg joints propelling it forward far faster than any mortal creature.

Then all at once its shell shook as if the fiercest lightning coursed through an empty portion of its chest cavity.  Though it sensed no pain, its ability to control its body stopped and the clockwork man collapsed to the floor.  "Hmph... once I've handled the Nutcracker, I'll have to see how to deal with his outbursts... this is the third time I've had to wander down here and shut it off!"

On hearing the name of the one it was meant to protect, it sprang up again, its eyes upon the tiny toy heart she clutched in her paws.  "How IMPERTINENT!  You will stand down!"

This time it managed to take several more steps when the lightning coursed through it, and even as it collapsed it tried to pull itself forward along the floor before finally it lost all control of its arms.  It saw the fear in the Mouse Queen's eyes.

"You and this miserable heart..." she murmured, "It's controlling you less and less each moment... and trying to worm its way into my soul..."

It watched her clutch the toy tightly.  "I'm going to use it to destroy him.  Then you'll understand why depending on him makes you so weak."

The Mouse Queen departed the dungeon, her long tail swishing behind her.

Even though her magic still interfered with its proper operation, it still continuously attempted to move its limbs and fight again.  All the while the remaining mice started to drag it away, wrapping layers of chains around it.  It had no thoughts or feelings, no recollection of any other individual being.

All it remembered was that final wish to preserve itself for eternity, in this metal body free of human flaws, so it would always be able to protect him.

The steady hum of the assembly kept Miku's courage steady.  As long as it was working... as long as everything came together fast enough...

She sat in one of the old workbenches, an assortment of tools and gears surrounding her table... and a small gold heart-shaped case in which she inlaid them.  She felt grateful that Gakupo had taken such exhaustive notes, but she'd never expected that the first toys she'd build would be intended to save lives.