Official Description: Bella is a scientist in 1942. In 2010, Edward suffers from a traumatic past. A chance event allows their paths to cross, but decisions they have not yet made threaten to tear them apart. AH
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I first came upon this story after reading one of Derdriu’s other stories, “And with Thee Fade Away.” I was so captivating by the writing that I immediately jumped into the next AH WIP, “Clockwork.”
I was not disappointed.
Clockwork takes a different view of the Twilight characters that we know so well. Derdriu doesn’t drag it out and brings the action and suspense right from the first chapter. What I really like about this is that it’s not a typically Twilight fic romance. I love the science fiction/suspense angle, with just a hint of a budding romance between Edward and Bella.
In the first chapter, Bella finds a mysterious pocket watch on her way to Skagg Field for top secret work with neutrons. She holds onto it until she can figure out what to do with it. That pocket watch ends up irrefutably changing her life when she is thrust sixty-eight years into the future after being chased off the roof of Skagg Field by a mysterious figure.
She wakes up in the year 2010, by a very startled Edward Cullen. They both think the other is crazy. Bella is understandably confused. She has enough on her mind, having somehow magically been transported sixty-eight years into the future. Edward can’t believe his eyes that a woman just popped out of thin air in front of him. He questions is own sanity until he spies something in her possession.
Bella immediately realizes that things are vastly different than it was in 1942.
Oh, and the US is still at war with Germany.
Yep, WWII never ended.
Still with me?
Let me tell you a little about Derdriu’s take on our favorite couple.
Bella is a progressive woman. She’s a scientist in 1942, an era were most women were expected to be homemakers or if they had to work, to be a secretary or receptionist. She wants more than that, even to the point of practically being disowned by her mother. Then, for no apparent scientific reason, she is thrust sixty-eight years into the future. She is understandably upset and confused.
Edward Cullen is an enigma. He is very hesitant to open to Bella, afraid that by doing so that it will disrupt the natural order of the universe. His past also makes him very suspicious of people, especially anyone in the government due to his past. However, he is curious of how Bella came into possession of the pocket watch he invented…in the future.
All of these elements of the story intrigue me. The science that is talked about in the story is not above the average person to make it hard to follow, but is interesting enough for the sci-fi junkie to enjoy. Then there’s the budding affection between Edward and Bella. With only six chapters written thus far, Edward and Bella are just getting to know one another, despite the impossibility of how they met. In the last chapter, ‘Dark Matter,’ the reader really begins to see a progression in their friendship as Edward starts to act protective of Bella. She is not quite sure what to make of it.
I encourage everyone to give this fic a shot. Tired of the same ol’ E/B Twilight match-up? Give “Clockwork” a read. It won’t be a waste of your time.
“Time conquers everything.”
I didn’t read And With the Fade Away, but it’s at the top of my TBR list after being sucked in to Clockwork. This fic is seriously not like anything else out there. Like Burntcore said, it’s intriguing. It’s a mystery. It’s compelling drama. This should seriously be a movie.
Bella had no idea how close behind her the shadowed man was. All she knew was that he had fired a gun. She didn’t even take the risk of stopping to kick off her cumbersome shoes. She simply bolted toward the door at the top of the staircase, recalling too late that it only led to the roof. Madly shoving her way through the heavy metal door, Bella emerged into the night air and realized there was no escape.
She was in the dark on the roof of the five-story office, and someone with a gun was chasing her. How had that happened? Before Bella had the time to ask herself questions like “why me?” and “why now?” her pursuer appeared through the doorway. It was too dark for Bella to make out his face, but knowing his identity would not have done her much good anyway.
Bella was only able to retreat to the very edge of the roof in utter terror before the man had raised his handgun again. She cried out for help. She screamed, “Please, no!”
He fired. Pain shot through Bella’s leg as her balance gave out completely. She stumbled ungracefully, falling back from the impact of the bullet. She fell over the edge of the roof, feeling her stomach drop as she plummeted toward the ground.
Like Burntcore said, I love that this Bella stands up for herself and doesn’t just take what’s been dealt to her lying down. I love that this Edward is so realistic–a scientist who can’t make reason of what’s literally dropped into his life. I love that their relationship is progressing.
“This is where they meet tonight,” said Edward, gesturing toward the church.
“I’m frightened,” she said, without thought or hesitation. For the first time, she felt the full weight of the divide between her home and Edward’s.
Edward suddenly pulled her around to face him and met her eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Bella.”
For a moment, she felt something deep in her chest warm with trust. She found this unexpected, since very little about Edward seemed trustworthy.
But, in any case, Edward swiftly cooled this feeling.
“Of course I can’t let anyone hurt you,” he said, pulling his green eyes away. “Imagine the paradoxes if you died while displaced in time.”
Bella frowned and made no effort to mask the automatic slouch of her shoulders. “Yes. You mustn’t let paradoxes happen.”
What does the future (or the past) hold in store for these two? While the fate of the world seems to rest in their hands, I hope that they get married and have little scientist babies, but I don’t know what I think will happen in this story. What I do know is that this fic is well-written and totally original, and I highly recommend it.
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