Cybee Cogsworth's Arc

Chapter 1 of 5

Cybee Cogsworth adjusted his brass mechanical arms and stared into the swirling portal before him. His whiskers twitched with anger. Someone had pushed him into the Rabbit Hole months ago, and he would find them. No matter how long it took or how deep he had to dig. The portal shimmered and faded, leaving him alone in the strange twisted landscape. Cybee's metal fingers clenched into fists. He needed a base, somewhere to plan and track his enemy. His large ears perked up as he spotted something half-buried in the dirt nearby. A clock face jutted from the ground, its hands stuck at 3:33. Gears and springs poked through the soil around it like strange flowers. The burrow beneath looked perfect. He dropped to his knees and pulled away chunks of earth. The space inside was small but protected. It would work as his headquarters while he hunted. Cybee climbed down into his new home and spread out on the floor. The ticking of broken gears surrounded him like a heartbeat. He pulled a torn piece of fabric from his coat pocket. The scrap had been in his hand when he fell through the portal. It was his only clue. His mechanical arms whirred softly as he held the fabric up to the dim light filtering through the clock face above. Someone out there knew what they had done to him. And Cybee would make sure they answered for it. Three days passed in the burrow. Cybee studied the fabric scrap until his eyes ached. He needed more information. He needed witnesses. The Rabbit Hole had to have others who saw things, who knew things. He climbed out of his headquarters and walked until he found a town square. A tall metal pole stood at the center, covered in old flyers and gears. Papers flapped in the wind, held in place by copper clips. Cybee pulled a fresh sheet from his coat and wrote in bold letters: LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT A PUSH. REWARD OFFERED. He pinned it to the pole with a gear from his pocket. His message joined dozens of others seeking help in this strange world. Cybee stepped back and looked at his notice. His mechanical hands clicked and whirred at his sides. This was just the beginning. He would search every corner of the Rabbit Hole. He would question every creature he met. The person who pushed him would not stay hidden forever. His large ears rotated, listening to the sounds of the square around him. Somewhere in this twisted place, his enemy was living their life. But not for long. Cybee would hunt them down, and when he found them, they would tell him why. A week passed with no responses to his flyer. Cybee returned to his burrow each night, frustrated and restless. He needed to be ready for when the information finally came. He needed to be strong enough to face whoever had done this to him. During one of his walks through the square, he spotted a merchant selling training equipment. A dummy made of brass gears and copper pipes caught his eye. Its chest was marked with dents from previous strikes. Cybee bought it with the last of his coins and dragged it back to his burrow. He set up the dummy outside the clock burrow entrance. His mechanical arms hummed as he raised them. The first punch landed with a metallic clang that echoed across the empty space. Then another. And another. Sweat dampened his fur as he struck the dummy over and over. His arms were weapons, but he needed to learn how to use them properly. Each hit sent vibrations up through his brass joints. He pictured the face of his enemy with every strike. The person who pushed him would not expect him to fight back. But Cybee would be ready. When the time came, he would stand face to face with them, and they would see what they had created. His training had begun, and his hunt would not end until justice was served.