The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)
Chapter 14

The process in the courthouse is long and arduous most of the time consumed by relentless waiting. James appears before the court where he is forced into taking a quick plea deal to lesser charges without dispute at the advice of his very nervous court-appointed legal advisor.He still didn’t understand completely what he is actually being charged with and the entire time in court felt like a blur. He is advised that it is a complicated matter and best swept under the rug. He felt cheated and abused as he is on the street: in one instance a homeless yet free young man in his mid-thirties and now a prisoner and property of the criminal justice system being criminalized, shackled, and sent into a lead cage of those termed outcasts and outlaws, as Officer Hennessy told him when he is brought to the court “punk losers of society.”He felt lower than ever in his life.The officer is not that much older than him, but has a steady job, career, family, and roof over her head.He has absolutely nothing, has accomplished nothing, and felt that he is exactly that, nothing.He regretted his choices in life not caring about his life and his future when he was younger.He began to care now, but he wondered “is it too late for me?” He is dragged out of the courtroom in chains and brought to a ring of jail cells in the basement of the courthouse to carry out the beginning of his sentence.He sits in a jail cell as the guards left him alone for the time being.Somberly, he shakes his head and cupped his face in his hands and is about to sigh when he heard a weeping sound coming from nearby.He looks over to his left to see he is not alone after all, but he is with another prisoner who he has seen before.

“Tina” James whispered softly and quietly.

“Huh?” She looks over slumped down on the floor of her cell, her wrists and ankles shackled as his were and she is weeping profusely.

“James, why… I‘m confused.” They stared at one another thinking it odd the guards would put them side by side.

“I don’t know …” he shakes his head.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

“Do I look alright?” She shrugged showing her bindings. She is wearing a grey sweatshirt and sweatpants.“I didn’t even know why they grabbed me. This is insane.”

“Come on. I can tell that you know why. ”

“OK, I’m a hooker. Are you happy now?” She snapped crying.

“I know,” he says frowning then decided to quickly change the subject.

“I saw you put up quite a fight with the guards on the courthouse steps. It is very impressive.” He smirks.

“Thanks” she laughs slightly wiping her face with her bare hands. “I guess I can be pretty rough when I need to be. My dad used to be a boxer.”

“What did they give you?” James asks her the question curiously.

“Seven years. And, you?” She asks.

“More or less but I think it is a case of mistaken identity.” He shrugged then slumped down to the floor in his cell and saw her eye to eye.

“Yeah that’s what they all say.” Tina smiles with a sense of resilience.

“Prosecutor says something about murdering some guard. It can’t be us.” Tina adds. “At least I thought it is crazy. I didn’t kill anybody!” Tina exclaims.

“Murder, I didn’t murder anyone either.” James says shocked. “This is my first time in the system.”

“I have been arrested so many more times during the past few years. It is more than I can count on one hand” says Tina coolly.

Tina May Prescott spent time with her old acquaintance and new cellmate listening to his tale of woe and explaining that they were not as far apart in life circumstances as they would imagine. She explained how she wound up in jail this time. Tina has always needed money fast and found it by turning to a life of crime. She knew that she would need to come up with more money fast to avoid losing her pimp and becoming completely destitute and homeless. She is afraid of dying alone on the streets due to lack of nutrition, stable employment, or adequate resources. The days and nights that followed were especially long and hard. Tina sits on a small stoop and rested for a moment. Each breath is a simple sense of sweet relief and recognition of life in the harshest of circumstances in the inner city, but also carried with it the innate fear that it could inevitably be her last. She regrets the sad life that she has grown accustomed to in Chronix Bay. A loud noise crackled across the darkening sky and rain drops began to fall in a massive storm. She sits with her head slumping between her legs and groaned incessantly. Then, she is approached by someone who appeared to be a perfect John, tall and well-dressed even in the slums of the inner city of Chronix Bay. She approached the man who turns out to be an undercover police officer. Tina explained that she was arrested for prostitution, but is now being accused of some murder she knows nothing about.

“That’s awful” commented James.

“Its life” Tina shrugged slowly pulling up her sleeves and shaking her head. “It sure is super-hot in here.”

“Yeah, I see you changed attire since we last saw one another out on the street.” He hinted at her sweat suit having replaced her scantily clothes.

“Yeah, courtesy of the CBPD,” she smirks adjusting her shackled wrists in the tight compartment of her jail cell. “This is no different for me, dude. I’m just tired of the bull crap, but…” she paused in the middle of her sentence looking at James suddenly stopping all motions and stare directly in front of him as if in a trance.

“Hmm” he suddenly froze as he eyed the bars before him in still shock.

“James, are you OK?” Tina asks abruptly, but received no response.

James’s mind raced, swirling before his vision. Lights of every color immersed into a spiraling vortex, tunneling forward and hitting an empty darkness sending him back against the wall in shock hitting his head.

“Wow!” In a brief moment, he saw several visions. One is a vision of a car hovering in midair in a city he has never seen before and two passengers in the car, Tina in the passenger seat and he is in the driver seat, both wearing unusual fluorescent and multi-colored clothing made up of a shining metallic fabric, a green pentagon-shaped emerald in between them shining brightly, like a precious stone. There is an explosion, and the car vaporizes.He could feel the heat from the inferno, the smell of burning metal as he shivered, as though someone was walking over his grave.

The sound of voices emanated into and out of his cranium, “Why did we end up here?” … “An android!” … “Sometimes you have to go your own way.” … “In the name of Justice, I fight!” … “Knowledge is the power.” … “The key to salvation is….”…

He snapped back in shock and saw the jail cell bars once again in front of him after having experienced his mental trip through a massive void of thought and several voices emanating almost at once.

“That is freaking amazing!” He speaks slowly.

“What was? James, you scared me. For a minute you were moving your lips without talking and your eyes looks bugged out man.” Tina adds fiercely looking at him.