The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)
Chapter 24

In the tall obelisks centered in the heart of Chronix Bay, modern day technological and architectural marvels of urban city planning in the midst of quaint semi-suburbia, the joint towers, conjoined together in the center and stretching into the sky above the meager underpinnings of residences and commercial districts that lay at the center of town. On the twentieth floor, about two thirds of the way up in the northeast tower, the lights remain on in the midst of darkness. It is June 21st, the summer solstice. In the large conference room, a marble inlaid table rests at the center over Persian rugs, gold and silver decorated coverings hang on the walls, and a large crystal chandelier sways gently overhead. The table is set with gilded water goblets and pitchers, leather notebooks and silver pens shining in the well lit room, and a large monitor on the far end on top of an oak credenza.

The five board members enter the room, and within seconds the monitor flickers on and the lights go down. There is a dark figure in the center of the monitor wearing a dark suit and whose face remains invisible in the dark. Complete silence manifested itself in the meeting room as the five individuals sit at their seats. Broad Staffnight is ready to start the meeting.

“Good evening, my fellow Temporo Inc. board members. We are here for a very important meeting.We have just enough for a quorum and we need to vote on a serious matter tonight that holds no bounds. We are aware of the mysterious happenings in town, people vanishing and unexplained deaths.We must now strike to seek our destiny and make a true impact on the events to come.It is with this reasoning that we decide to enter into a new endeavor….”

“And what is that going to cost us?” Sitting beside him was Elizabeth Peters who asked the question nonchalantly. Elizabeth was Broad’s secretary and student, who habitually questioned her boss and mentor at every turn and offering critiques.

“Liz, my pupil, how quick you forget that we will always have our expenses and risks, but that is why we are here and there is no greater price to pay than that if we do nothing. Mr. Brent Hightower, Chief of Police is here for security”, he beckons to a tall slender man with a slightly muscular built and whimsical mustache wearing a police uniform depicting his high rank. “He has so gratefully chosen to protect us on our extremely dangerous missions not only as a member of our board, but as sergeant at arms for our new assignments. Also, we have Mark Cumberberry, our CFO who is well versed in cryptic archeology and mystic studies who will prove invaluable on our missions.”

“You mean the project is true? We are going to…” Elizabeth started, but is interrupted by her boss and mentor.

“Yes my dear, we are going after the scourge of legend, the mythic artifact of the eons. That is the famous artifact that was wrongfully stolen from us, ‘the eye of the gods’.”

“Why?”

“Because …” he stands shocked that she would ask, “we are faced with a serious dilemma and that only way to deal with it and save our future is to know the past and that which binds it.”

“I see.”

“Dr. Thinga, our chief scientist, will now explain his latest creation with R&D to help us on our journey.”

“Yes,” speaks George Thinga, a small portly man with glasses and a thinning hair line. “We have been improving the collectivization of projection of molecular atomic cohesion, a process that allows for the harnessing of enormous amounts of energy into a localized field. In layman’s terms, we have finally learned after much painstaking research into the field of particle field analysis, that we can emit energy from a single projection point towards a body as a single projectile.”

“In other words, it’s a ray gun.” Broad says with a jubilant laugh. “Sorry, the old science fiction kid in me couldn’t resist.”

“Well, sir. We are not yet at the popular ‘science fiction’ stage with the technology, but we are confident that with further research we can improve it to become more portable. Right now, the Mark Ten is just out of the box as a five foot cylinder with projection coils and tubing to localize the photonic field.“ He gestures to a cutout wooden box behind him with a series of tubing and coils within it.

“When will this device be ready for field work?” Asks police chief Hightower.

“We haven’t field tested it yet” speaks Dr. Thinga. “We are pending results from the experimental lab stage first to see how it reacts with living tissue. Some of the rodent specimens we tested it on were developing unusual side effects.

“Such as…” adds Hightower.

“Well… “Dr. Thinga giggled as he twiddled his thumbs.

“What the good doctor means,” interrupted Broad. “We have our homework to do to make sure that every contingency is covered, but the device is fully functional and ready for further testing.” He nodded and Dr. Thinga nodded emphatically,

“Just you wait until you see what else we have in store.”

“Good work doctor. You may leave, now.”

“Yes, sir” Dr. Thinga walks out of the room pushing his cart full of gadgets and a tubular device while whistling “pop goes the weasel.” He has a slight waddle to his walk that made him seem exceptionally joyous for a highly paid and top ranking technologist and physicist.

“So we shall come to a vote now on our new endeavor” adds Broad.

“We shall commit fully to the project, Broad Staffnight.” A dark crinkled and translucent voice emanated from the monitor at the far end of the table and the shadowed faceless man appeared to speak as many in the midst of their silence. “However, there are problems and we must address them, including the relic that has been lost, the thieves sent to heist it from the museum have disappeared, and the relic is nowhere within our grasp. We must replace it to fulfill this mission.”

“Yes my lordship. It is simply lost again, lost in time.” says Broad.

“Can’t we track it down like the ancient Mayan’s did?” asks Elizabeth.

“That may be our only hope” says the man. The room seemed darker and more ominous when he speaks, thought Broad. “We must replace the relic before the last time.” The man with the cloaked dark face adds.

“Send us to Brazil, my Lordship” Broad says.

“It shall be done.”

“So we have narrowed down the location?” Hightower asks.

“We have narrowed down everything we need to replace it. We shall assemble a small team of four to travel to the deep heart of the rainforest and jungle terrain of the world to seek out humanity’s greatest scourge and the world’s salvation and our future.”

“Finally we will seek out the greatest treasure man has ever known,” Elizabeth’s eyes gleamed with eagerness.

“I want you on my team Liz, but we are seeking the treasure not for monetary worth, but for the promise it brings to control to whomever, wherever, whenever it’s found.” Broad speaks eloquently.

“It should be used for peace, to keep and protect the people.” Hightower adds.

“You will join my team as security only, Chief Hightower.”

“And how are we going to penetrate the tropical rain forests of the Brazilian landscape? The artifact is only rumored to be there in legend.” Asks and commented Hightower with his deep voice.

“Ahem” Mr. Cumberberry stands up slightly, reminding the small group of his presence. He is slender, lanky, balding, and pale-faced, seemingly malnourished. He sits at the edge of the conference table resting his chin on his hands, which are cupped before him with his elbows on the table. Now he rises to speak. He’s wearing a maroon tie and loose fitting suit.His combed-backed hair is silky and gives the impression of a retired type. He lifted his glass and sipped his water before he speaks. He bore a strange heavy inlaid dark brown mole on his left cheek that was very hairy and gave him a disfiguring appearance. “I am very eager to participate in this quest, but the truth is that the item exists and we all know it, but it is gone from its rightful place here in Chronix Bay. Our only hope is to trace the origin of its final resting place before it is found.”

“Won’t we be interfering if we take it before it is ‘found’?” asks Elizabeth.

“I fear not for the fates have spoken and we are facing the last moment where the attempts to fulfill our destiny will be possible. If we do not succeed, then our future will be forsaken.” Mark’s voice crinkled slowly and almost mechanical as it ran down the table with his philosophical diatribe.

“Yes, um” Broad speaks almost impetuously nervous, “Mr. Cumberberry will be the most cherished member of our little entourage of course. We can always go to the Florida office if we have to for completion of the project, but for now we stay the course.” Broad adds slowly choosing his words in a nervous fashion as he squinted at the man’s hideous mole.