The Time Stone (19 page)

“
Yes,” James walked up to
the insert, Tina staying a few feet behind him. James turned to her
and she nodded hesitantly but realizing it was their only shot,
hunched over fearfully for what negative monsters may come. “Here
goes nothing,” James lifted the key and inserted it into the hole
and let go. Within seconds, there was another hot white flash of
light and a metal door appeared suddenly with the familiar gold
symbol of the five orbs. James and Tina were amazed as the door
opened and they entered to find an alter in a small enclosed
room.

CHAPTER 41

Broad Staffnight and his entourage
trekked through the forest.

“
There was no apparent
help at the market.” Said Broad.

“
We did get a map to a
place where treasure hunters go. It has to be it.” Said Mark
Cumberberry who was really the Satyr in disguise.

They trekked forward for hours before
coming across a large structure of stone masonry, brick and mortar,
architectural ziggurat, a step pyramid.

“
That is it!” Broad’s eyes
gleamed.

“
Thank God. I am so beat”
said Elizabeth.

“
Now what?” Asked Chief
Hightower. “What is that?”

“
It’s a temple, Chief,”
explained Broad, “built by the ancient Mayans over five thousand
years ago.” They walked past the trees surrounding the temple and
around to the entrance up a few dozen steps. “Great, more walking.”
Said Elizabeth. “If we find what we are looking for, there will be
no more walking.” Broad grimaced. “Let’s get a move on.”

CHAPTER 42

James and Tina entered the room to
find the alter having archaic writing and high relief sculptures of
lions and dragons and other beasts not completely familiar to them.
There was an insert in the alter for a pentagonal object like that
on the key but larger, and a series of curtains red in color and
ridged curled around the alter, somehow perfectly preserved as if
present for eons. There was writing on a pedestal elevated above
the alter and around the insert.

“
Well, this looks like
it’s too big to fit the key but we don’t have it anymore, so this
must be for something else, right?”

“
I think so, Tina. Can you
make out the writing?”

“
I am getting experienced
in this aren’t I?” She looked at it and read it aloud, “what shines
through walls is not as great, a visible terror, an enormous wake,
you can pass through to enter to your heart’s content, there it is,
the greatest search intent.”

“
So, they were not too
great on lyrics, these Pregivers, huh?” Said James.

“
What could that mean?”
Said Tina. “I only translate; you are good at solving these
riddles. Looks like our homecoming party will be delayed by a bit
too.” She looks away and James thinks.

“
Enter, pass through, not
so great an instance in the walls… that’s it, it’s in the walls.”
He ran passed the alter and squeezed through the tight crevice
between it and the wall to get to the wall behind it and in a blind
leap of faith, he stuck his hand, which passed right through the
wall as if it were liquid and he felt an object and grabbed it
pulling it out. He held it up to Tina, a green emerald pentagonal
shape like the key but slightly larger.

“
Holy cow, James. That is
amazing.” Screamed Tina.

“
Thank you, thank you. I
don’t like to brag.” He hopped over the alter and stood with her
before the insert.

“
That looks big enough to
do the job. Let’s get this over with, buddy.” Tina said and without
another word, James inserted the object into the insert and both
object and alter lit up in hot white causing a hot white flash of
bright light to fill the room and as it cleared the object began to
glow bright green and from it a yellowish haze of light emerged
like a single stream in a vacuum of air, it pressed forward into
the air between James and Tina as they turned with a momentous sigh
and simultaneous “whoa”. The light swirled clockwise rapidly and
then reversed and swarmed back towards the wall twice before
erupting before them in a large circle of light, a portal of light
and then visible of its interior as a pass through to someplace
else, it vibrated shimmering before them in all translucent colors
of the prism and filled the room with a swirling noise soft and
cumbersome as well as light seemingly mood inspiringly tranquil and
calm. James lifted the object out of its insertion and the altar’s
light turned off but the circle of light remained before
them.

“
I think that device
activated this thing, James. The alter may have been some type of
charger.” Said Tina.

“
It looks like it has not
been active in ages. I guess this is what the Protector once
protected” James added.

“
Do you think this is what
the Pregivers’ treasure was?” Asked Tina.

“
Seems logical” said
James.

CHAPTER 43

Broad and his group walked out of the
pod after having squeezed the four of them into the
platform.

“
That was awkward.” Said
Elizabeth. “I never have been nor do I ever want to be again in a
tight closet with three men. No offense guys.”

“
None taken, dear.” Said
Broad.

“
Now what?” Said
Hightower.

“
Well, help us find some
means of egress, Chief. Stop being such a worrywart.”

“
I remind you who is in
command.” Screamed Hightower.

“
Yes, I am. Your unit
belongs to Temporo, Inc. because of the last election so don’t you
forget where your priorities lie, Sir” he yelled and everyone
remained quiet.

“
Look a door” said
Elizabeth.

“
Why don't you try to open
it?” Hightower asked rhetorically. Everyone tried to budge it but
could not open it.

“
Curious markings, I have
seen these five orbs before. I cannot place where.” Said Broad.
“Break it down.” Hightower and Cumberberry armed their side pistols
and began aiming to fire at the door.

BOOM, BOOM. There were loud sounds on
the other side of the door from where James and Tina stood then
pouting.

“
Someone else is here?”
Tina screamed.

“
Another beast?” Asked
James.

“
I don’t know! Who else
knows about this stuff? Let’s go now!” Said Tina.

“
Where?” Asked
James.

Tina beckoned to the circle of light
before them. “It seems like a vortex, one of those portal things
that can take you anywhere in the universe, or something.” Said
Tina.

“
Does it go anywhere?”
Asked James.

“
Beats me, could be a
death trap but there is only one way to find out. Besides anyplace
could be better than here in a few seconds.” Said Tina beckoning to
the repeated pounding on the door.

James smiled and nodded in agreement,
looking at the object in his hand and the five orbs symbol was
emblazoned into it just like in the small one on the key, plus it
was five sided too. “Let’s go!” Said James.

They look into the swirling golden
abyss before them and in awe, hold hands, and step forward towards
it then two tendrils from the swirling mass reach out and grab them
transforming them into golden balls of light energy and sucking
them in. James and Tina felt an energy pulse surround them and
their consciousness merged with the void as if flying through a
long expanse of golden light swirling but also being part of it.
Within moments, they felt their consciousness return to their
normal forms as they were projected out of the vortex and found
themselves in an office. James looked around.

“
This is a corporate
office.” He looked out the window and saw the Central
Tower.

“
We’re back in Chronix
Bay!” They both shouted.

“
Very good, now tell me
what that is.” The beast Satyr stood before them as he was
surrounding a globe with a switch and knob control panel device
revealed underneath it as previously hidden and he approached them
snakingly with both clawed hands open and palms up as he pointed
his long outstretched index finger claw towards the object in
James’ hand.

BOOM, the door bust open in the secret
chamber in Brazil because of an explosion. Broad and his entourage
entered the room with the alter to find no activity and no
one.

“
I knew my explosives
would work” said Mr. Cumberberry.

“
Where are we?” Said
Hightower.

“
We are too late,” said
Broad touching the alter and feeling heat from recent activity and
seeing and deciphering the language on the alter for himself. He
squeezed behind the crevice of the alter and felt his hand through
the wall behind it but found nothing.

“
Wow, how did you do
that?” Said Elizabeth. “What were you seeking?”

“
It’s gone!!!” He yelled
angrily. “We’re too late. It could be anywhere in time or
space.”

CHAPTER 44

In the office in Chronix Bay, James
and Tina ran seeing the Satyr in his true form in Chronix
Bay.

“
What is that thing?”
Asked James.

“
Looks kind of like a
Satyr like in Greek mythology” screamed Tina.

“
He seems pretty non
mythical to me” said James.

“
I will take that
artifact. Give it to me!” Screamed Satyr.

“
What is that?” James
stopped and saw a circular disc like device near the control panel
where Satyr was working. It had a face in the middle and a series
of animal like drawings around it.

Tina saw it and gasped, “it’s the
Aztec Sun Stone.”

“
Damn, you are brilliant.”
Said James.

“
Yes and I will use it to
summon more of my brethren from beyond the void, hand me the
artifact now.” Said Satyr.

“
Never” yelled James
tossing it to Tina and then she ran as he got closer to her she
tossed it back to James and they continued this game of mystic keep
away laughingly until Satyr grabbed Tina by the hair with his
clawed hands and pulled her to the ground and pounced on top of
her. He was going to strike her face with his clawed hands when he
felt some sharp sensation in his back as James had stuck an
envelope opener in his back.

“
Arrgghhhh”, yelled Satyr
in agonizing pain.

Tina tossed the artifact to James and
then both saw a marble inlaid table whose top appeared removable in
the center of the room and knew what they must do. They looked at
one another in conformity as Satyr rose and yelled “I will curse
you both and destroy you!” Shaking his fist as he struggled wildly
grasping for the opener in his back but he could not reach it. He
lunged at the duo running towards them from the open window behind
him and they ran to him, lifted the marble tabletop and James
boosted it up above their heads with a wave of his hands sending it
flying into Satyr as he ran into it knocking him back towards the
window and turned it outside before letting it go outside, James
and Tina following in tow where James held the object out of the
window and let it go as it touched Satyr and a stream of yellow
swirling energy emerged out of the object and the swirling gilded
vortex illuminated the daylight below hovering in midair and Satyr
fell into the vortex, a swirl of light grabbing him and
transforming him into a ball of gold energy and sucking it into the
vortex, which quickly vanished thereafter.

“
Wow, that was close,”
said James.

“
You don’t say” Tina
added.

“
Too bad I had to give up
that device, it was pretty amazing.”

“
Who said we had to give
it up, buddy?” Tina put out her hand and held the object before
them. “It’s called the old five finger discount remember.” She
joked.

“
Well done.” Said James
taking the device. “Now what do we do with this.” Said James as
they looked at the Sunstone.

“
There is an insert in the
back for the object,” said Tina looking around it. “That’s what
Satyr wanted to do. Good thing we stopped him, right
James?”

“
Right.” Said
James.

Then suddenly a man in a suit entered.
“Hello, who are you and what are you two doing in my
office?”

“
Oh hi… that is a good
question.” “Said James.

Yeah, we were just lost.” Said
Tina.

“
I’m Broad Staffnight. CEO
of Temporo, Inc. and who are you?”

“
James
Timewalker.”

“
And Tina
Prescott.”

“
Right,” Broad walked
around to his desk. “I heard about you. You guys are wanted on the
news for questioning by the police, murder was it?” Said Broad
acting innocently.

“
We didn’t do it” said
Tina. Then she looked at James and whispered, “he was the one who
pointed us out at the airport. I remember it.”

“
I know” replied
James.

“
Right,” Broad said
sarcastically and picked up the phone at his desk. Tina and James
looked at one another frightened as Broad dialed. “Yes, Mildred.
Tell security we have them. That’s right, the pair from TV,
delivered right to our doorstep. They say the hand of God works in
mysterious ways.” He smirked. “You know what to do, Sweetheart.
Thanks.” He hung up the phone. “You know we’ve almost given up on
you. We were ready to go look for it ourselves.” Broad walked over
to them from his desk.