The Time Stone (53 page)

“
Thank you Martin, you did
well.” Said the cloaked man. “Here is the dollar you were
promised.”

“
Wait, it was actually two
dollars.” Martin replied.

“
Get lost” said the other
man as his face transformed into Satyr’s face. Martin ran off in
silent fear.

“
Let’s get them” said
Satyr. “We don’t need the police. We need patience and assistance.”
The cloaked man removed his cloak and shook his head in pain. It
was Broad Staffnight.

“
Are you alright Broad?”
Asked Satyr.

“
Yes, just a little dizzy.
We will find the secret entrance and take back what is ours.” His
eyes enraged with redness and vigor captivated by his clenched
fists in the air.

Tina starts to think about James and
an instant attraction she felt for him she looks up at the moon and
wonders. “Somewhere out there wherever you are, we are looking up
at the stars together. We will be reunited old friend.”

Time Period: 1140 A.D.,
England

James looks up at moon and night stars
as Celia approaches with her knights.

“
I have five of my best
Knights; some were decedents of the Knight Templar society. We’re
ready to go, yet?” Asked Celia as James was tightening his belt
buckle with mace and sword.

“
With a secret society and
some updated quantum physics tech we can do anything,” he smirked
to her confusing look. “Never mind, a clean shower, warm meal, and
new clothes sure feel good” he said changing the subject as he
admired his puffy nobleman white shirt and black pants, a big metal
buckle fastening them.

“
Yeah, after being locked
up in a filthy dungeon for over a day, anything is better” pouted
Mercedes rolling up the sleeves of her dark blue shirt matching her
pants and belt and foil.

“
Sorry, buddy, but we’re
ready for another adventure.” James said.

“
Grand” Mercedes
replied.

Celia wore a more relaxed mode of
dress similar to them. “I feel we must make our way east to the
cave of Shireville, the closest point in the land similar to the
vision James had, prior to day break as the road will be arduous
once the sunlight hits the forenoon.”

“
Who talks like that?’
Asks Mercedes rhetorically.

James gave her a dirty
look.

“
We will take two of my
finest knights,” the five knights fully armored stood beside
her.

“
OK,” said James.
“Knightly gear and dress, check, our wits about us on any
day”,

“
Double check” said
Mercedes. “Pre-giver care package of dark star and time
stone”,

“
Check and check.” Said
James.

“
We’re ready to go” said
Mercedes.

“
Onward.” Said
Celia.

The eight marched onward on horseback
for miles during the intense heat of the daylight sun and they
stopped to rest once before continuing and making their way to the
caverns hovering above the terrain in mountains that were raised
upward by the shifting land masses.

“
Look” said James
dismounting his horse, “herbs just like in my vision” he reached
for some and then kept walking and climbing upward into the
cave.

“
Wait here and keep an eye
on the horse’s, men” said Celia to the guards as she followed James
and Mercedes into the cavern crawling at first then raising up once
settled into the narrow dark paths.

“
I wish that we were less
likely to travel in dark tunnels.” Said James.

“
Take what you can get.”
Said Mercedes. James pulled out his beacon and lit it.

“
Is that future magic
again, James?” Asked Celia.

“
Sort of” said James
leading the way. They approached an opening below a large precipice
inside the cave and a cave wall before them. “Dead-end” said James.
Then suddenly they felt the ground shake and James turned and saw a
large log hauling itself towards them on a series of ropes. James
pushed Celia and Mercedes out of the way and ducked down as the log
passed them and struck the cave wall before them.

“
That was close” said
Mercedes.

“
Look” said Celia pointing
to the log kissing the rock wall and the rock wall had a painting
of a red circle and the log had paintings of red lines that seemed
to be a natural extension like an arrow pointing somewhere. They
followed this and saw upward as the arrow of red touched the walls
and ceilings of the cave going back in a full circle to the wall
before them. “What could that mean?” Asked Celia.

“
A puzzle, all the
universe is connected.” James said simply. Then the moment as he
spoke those words, the log moved forward more and pressed the wall
inward through a hidden button. “Get to the sides quick” screamed
James as he grabbed Mercedes and pushed her to the side and then
complied and hugged the walls as he held Celia for dear life
together from their end facing forward as the floor between them
began to liquefy into quicksand.

“
Oh my God” said Mercedes
“just like in the other cave… how did you know that would happen
again?” She looked at him shocked.

“
Just a hunch. It’s a
pregiver’s cave. Puzzles, booby-traps, hidden treasures
within…”

“
How do we do undo
this?”

“
Those lights up there” he
looked up and pointed to the blinking red yellow blue green orange
indigo and violet colors of buttons blinking in sequence from a
machine etched in the rock wall high above them. “I don’t know the
combination. Oh hell…” he waved his hands and pressed them all with
his powers and they all shut off as the quicksand vanished and
became solid floor again after a moment.

“
It was an illusion” said
Mercedes.

“
An illusion with real
killer potential if I recall” said James.

“
Amazing, “said
Celia.

“
Indeed” he drops the
herbs he picked up from outside there at the end of the dead-end
wall and takes out the time stone as it glows with the five orbs
within it. To the glare of his comrades he turns it and activates
it upright and it glows with the five orbs there and he holds it
over the herbs. A small beam of hazy yellow light emerges and the
vortex appears over the herbs absorbing them and sucking them up
after transforming them to a light ball of yellow
energy.

“
Why did you do that?”
Asked Mercedes.

“
I don’t know. I just felt
it was necessary, based on my vision and Celia’s dream omen.” Said
James. “That might be what you had to do and couldn’t leave the
cave in your dream until it was done. You died because you didn’t
have us to catch you.” James smiled. “I promise I will always be
there to catch you no matter what.” James said.

“
And I you” said Celia.
They kiss touching their lips with a romantic embrace.

“
Oh um guys” said Mercedes
“get a room.” The three leave the cave to rejoin the guardsmen and
horses outside.

Time Period; 2042 A.D., Chronix
Bay

“
What is that noise?” Said
Tina.

“
The police, they are
breaking down the door. Someone tipped them off to our secret
headquarters of rebels.” Reman said looking at her
funny.

“
I didn’t say anything.”
Screamed Tina.

Reman opens a secret compartment under
the steps and everyone is hiding in their respective secret
compartments under the steps and Drax and Tina accompany
them.

“
Can’t you fight back?”
Asked Drax.

“
We are rebels but mostly
scientists and engineers not soldiers and no real weapons exist on
the premises.”

“
Really?” Asked Drax
rhetorically looking up at the laser rifles.

“
Those are historical
toys, decorations, not active weapons.”

“
Great, I got an idea.”
Drax uses his wrist remote and types in a few commands as the
scorpion car’s primary weapon heats up outside after transforming
once again into its full attack mode. Within about a minute as the
pounding on the door gets louder and louder and their breach seems
imminent, the weapon fires an orange beam of energy and blasts a
hole through the warehouse and destroys the complex from the front
end and all life in the upper level.

“
Come on” Reman said as he
leads his people out over the stunned and charred remains of the
officers. They all escape into vans parked outside carefully
concealed to blend into the fabric of the dark city urban streets.
Reman gets into the scorpion car with Drax and Tina and they all
drive away. Reman’s pocket phone beeps.

“
Hello” he answers it.
“What? That’s impossible. Oh thank heavens. That’s terrific news.
Our prayers have been answered. OK, we are evacuating now. I will
see you back at the club” he hung up the phone and pocketed it
again.

“
What is it?” Asked
Tina.

“
They found the herbs.
It’s a miracle. They were in the cave at Shireville, in England.”
He smiled with a sense of relief and exasperated content on his
face. “That was my assistant who was stationed there in the
outskirts of London … Amelia Timewalker.”

“
Huh?” Drax and Tina look
at one another in shock.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“
Well, Master Broad…they
got away again” said Satyr in full form flapping his
wings.

“
Don’t worry old friend,
we will get those two and their friends. We have all the time in
the world.” He presses a button on his watch and he fades in a
bluish dark aura of lightless embrace similar to the beam spot
transport mechanism.

“
Perhaps” said Satyr
standing there in the darkness.

The Scorpion car pulls up to a dock
near the open sea.

“
That’s where we part
company” said Reman. “I love you guys for helping us but we can’t
let outsider’s compromise security anymore. We got a new location
for our lab and research and we need to keep it completely
secret.”

“
We understand” said Drax
as he and Tina remain in the car and Reman exits. “

Thanks Reman for everything” Tina
squinted and kissed him on the cheek.

“
What was that
for?”

“
Good times” she said,
“good times.”

“
Thanks” he nodded. “Oh by
the way, here” said Reman as he pulled out a small box from his
coat and handed it to Drax.

“
What is this? A going
away present?” Asked Drax.

“
It is for you. I don’t
know what it is. I was given it to hold about twenty-eight years
ago and told to hold it for you for someday I would meet you. I
didn’t understand it but here it is anyway.” He walks away towards
the dock and stops and turns. “Thanks for everything.” He waves and
then heads off running and vanishing into the distance near hidden
ships concealed into the night ready to fare out to sea to their
new location.

“
You are going to miss him
aren’t you?” Asked Drax.

“
No” Tina said overlooking
the last of him fade off into the distant darkness.

“
Maybe a little?” Asked
Drax.

“
Right” said Tina. “Do you
think we did the right thing by interfering?” Asked
Tina.

“
We did it before. We
might have changed our own future we interfered with if we didn’t
interfere here further.” Said Drax.

“
Yeah but I hope there are
no serious consequences to our meddling.”

“
Only time will tell” said
Drax smiling.

“
Yeah, maybe we’re meant
to prevent disasters like the great conflict or other things like
the total annihilation of mankind.” Said Tina.

“
Anything is possible?
Saving lives feels good and it’s kind of fun. But we just got to
have faith and believe for all of our futures and our
pasts.”

“
Yeah… what do you suppose
that is? “Asked Tina gesturing at the box.

“
One way to find out” said
Drax opening it and finding to their surprise the time stone inside
with a note, “time waits for no man.”

“
Awesome” said Tina,
“let’s get out of here” and they turn it together and drive into
the vortex vanishing.

Time Period: 1140 A.D.,
England

“
I will miss you, James”
said Celia as the vortex roars open in the throne room. They both
shed a silent tear and end with a final kiss goodbye. Mercedes
looks in sorrow.

“
I will come back. I
promise.” Said James.

“
I know” said Celia as she
rose up and took her seat on the throne next to her knights, her
handmaiden, and Cornelius. She nods with a salutation gesture.
“Thank you for everything, holder of stones.” She spoke with a
renewed sense of pride.

“
Thank you dear princess.”
And without another word James and Mercedes depart in the vortex
sucked in as orbs of light as it slowly fades thereafter. Celia
nods from her chair with a faint smile. “James Timewalker, I will
love you until the end of time!” She remarked.