The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)
Chapter 78

The light from the sun is intense and bright through the treetops in the cordial greenery of the forest. Having exploded a hole through the fabric of space and time, the silence of the meadows and ambiance of the streams and wildlife were ruptured by the disturbance of a loud explosion and two American wanderers found in the mist of the outskirts of London, England.

“Where are we?” asks Mercedes.

“The middle ages” says James.

“How can you tell?” asks Mercedes.

“The sweetness in the air, the clearness of daybreak, and the signs of feudal labor and old English signs” he laughs pointing to a wooden sign with dark ink in old-world style.

“Where are the others?” asks Mercedes.

“Good question. It’s weird we would be separated in mid jump.”

“What’s that smell?” She says.

“Uh I think it’s us… after being in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, dark woods, out to sea, in moldy caves, and in a lost island, we sure need to take a shower.”

“And get a change of clothes, no doubt.” She pushed her sleeves and tried to straighten out her hair.

“You look fine.” He assured her. “Wherever our friends are, we got the time stone” he says holding it up “but it’s duller than dull.”

“And the dark star,” she says holding it up “also looks kind of drained.

“So the altars were like charging points for them?” asks Mercedes.

“I think they were like safe points. The items are the charging ones and they seem to get their energy from the sun, the stars themselves.” “James says “solar power before its time. The Pregivers sure were crafty.”

“What do we do now?” Mercedes asks.

Then several armed men wearing chain mail popped out from behind the shrubbery and surrounded them, holding lances, spears, and swords. The soldiers heralded their armaments with decorations and have shields with an emblem of a lioness wearing a crown.

“Who goes there?” The leader yells, a tall man with grit and slight wrinkles upon his face.

“We mean you no harm,” yells Mercedes as both she and James raised their arms in the air.

“Come with us!” the lead guard screams as the guards seize the items they carry and escort the duo away from the clearing they landed in and towards the shrubbery of the forest to a trail that they see leads to a tall castle of ancient stone.

“Beautiful” says Mercedes.

“I know” says James, “I saw it before in a vision,” looking up at the grey stonework walls and dark grey caps on the tall towers looming over the woods and nearby town like a leviathan.

Time: 2042 A.D., Chronix Bay

The darkness overlooking the black Earthen terrain under the dark black and red skies reminded Drax and Tina that they were still in the future and that the future refused to change from the monstrosity they just came from.

“We haven’t left, Drax” says Tina. “It seems so… and where are the others?”

“Good question… it’s just us in the old scorpion-mobile. Let’s see” says Drax as he pulls out his handheld scanner. “We are in the 2040s based on the level of radioactive decay in the atmosphere compared to when I last measured it. At a half-life of 6.6798 % I estimate we are further back from where we were, but still in the future, definitely post great conflict still.” Drax opens the car door and sits with one foot outside.

“Wow you are smart” Tina commented.

“It’s a talent” Drax says.

“I wonder if Alana and the others are around.” Tina adds.

“I think she hasn’t even been born yet as its decades earlier.” Drax says.

“Great so we’re stuck here and with no way of knowing where James and Mercedes are with the time stone.” Tina says.

“The time stone exists here too so we can replace it and then we’ll replace our friends. I can configure the scanner to…” Drax started then suddenly they hear the screeching of tires in the distance and sirens blazing. They turns and saw a late twentieth-century police cruiser in full operation with red and blue lights whirling above it as it chased a similar-era civilian vehicle, a faded green Buick, the former chasing the latter around a curve and heading towards the duo.

“Look out!” screams Tina as she grabbed Drax with both hands and pulled him into the scorpion car just as the two vehicles passed alongside them.

“What the hell?” Drax asks.

“That was close” says Tina. “We should go after them.”

“Why? It’s none of our business. We interfered enough in the last Time.” Drax says.

“True.” Tina uttered. “Just instinct, I guess.”

“Come on; let’s figure out what we can about this era.” He sat upright and closed the door then pulled off, driving at ground level. He pressed a button on the console and the car returned to its original form without the soaped up scorpion diodes and formation. They drove around the desolate streets.

“Things seem so much the same, but it’s different somehow” says Tina.

“The citadel you could see for miles around looks abandoned. I guess the Oligarchy isn’t around yet.”

“Good thing” Tina replies.

“Look, this looks like a happy place” she pointed out to a bar and restaurant with a neon sign glowing in the midst of several dull and dark buildings. The sign read, “The Laughing Cow.”

“Sounds decent” says Drax and pulls up parking in front of the place. They entered the place, replaceing a mixed sea of scalawags and miscreants, drunken soldiers wearing old grey uniforms and old commercial mariners from the desecrated waters nearby belching at the frosty concoctions in the glasses before them. The cabaret girls dressed in nylon and burlesque outfits are dancing on the stage in front of them as some sweet talk the locals into slipping into the back room. The rafters above the bar were littered with trap nets and fuming with beacon lights shimmering visages of dark red holographic projections of various scenes, boxing, mixed martial arts fighting, action packed car chases in films, and sultry pornographic content. Drax and Tina look at one another and walk in slowly, each taking a seat at the bar and watching as a man fell off his stool on the other end from having too much to drink.

“What will it be?” asks an approaching slender man with a beard who did not appear fully human as he has a metallic composure to his face and a bright red right eye.

“Um… I’ll have what she’s having” says Drax. The man droid looks at Tina with his bright red eye.

“I’ll have the house special” she says and the man droid walks away.

“What is the house special exactly?” Drax asks.

“We’ll replace out!” she winked.

The duo laughs feverishly amongst themselves not knowing that they were being carefully monitored by two men, one in a dark cloak whose face is covered and another who wore a silver uniform shining brightly in the dim bar lighting.

“That man looks familiar. Who are those two?” asks the cloaked man.

“I think it’s them.”

“It can’t be. This can’t be happening here and now.” “It could be… we never did replace out which Time they vanished into.”

“This could be trouble” says the cloaked man.

“If it is my old comrade and his new beau, I want them eliminated immediately.”

Time: 1140 A.D., England

The interior of the great castle is well lit with many candles and with gilded tapestries hanging from the walls from pillar to tower, including the main throne room where several thrones rested up front, a gallery adorned the backdrop, and there were rows and rows for spectators during the evening performances. At the main throne sits no one and the surrounding thrones were vacant, but one where a lonely young woman sits wearing a long silken blue and white gown. She has long reddish hair and deep seated blue eyes. She sulked in her seat as her oldest friend, adviser, and hand maiden, sits by her side, a paltry women with age beyond her years and extra weight on her waistline, she kept her hands on her lap and frowned at the audience before them, but she has a heart of gold and kindred generosity to her service to the royal court and family.

“Cheer up my lady, the encore is about to commence.”

“Thank you” says the sullen faced girl “I am just not feeling in the mood for such things now.”

“Nonsense, you must keep your appearance gainful and gleeful as your parents would have wanted. You are the heir to all of Roy Tania and carry a great deal of responsibility young princess. You should welcome this change as the greatest thing in your life.” Her tongue lashing is soft yet stern as her high pitched voice focused itself as if addressing the entire room.

“I wish I could. I wish I could.”

“Hush now child, the performance begins.” She slipped her hands to the young princess and straightened her upward and focused, moving her chin and head straight and forward in proper posture, as she is trained to do.

“Welcome ladies and gents. The turning of the tides is about to commence. The journeyers of space and time, welcoming the quiz of rhyme, to open for a new beginning as in the end it starts again,” says the Jester, hopping back and forth with his getup and baton, a crystalline ball atop a silver rod, and pointed hats of all around. “Ha, ha, ha, ha… sing along my boys and girls.”

Time: 2042 A.D., Chronix Bay

“Here are your drinks” says the robotic bartender. “Bottoms up” says Drax as he and Tina toasted to their health when someone ran over and bumped into Drax and made him spill his drink all over the bar.

“What the heck?” He yells getting up and turning to see a young man in a, button twill shirt and dark blue large collared jacket, his hair slightly purple with a cow lick. He is slightly older and elegantly dressed.

“Sorry” he says in a slight British accent as he ran out the door.

“Oh my God” says Tina. “I think I know him.”

“That’s not possible” reminded Drax.

“No, I think that’s….”

“Don’t move” says a voice from the far end. The man with the hood and his compatriot saw two men in uniform with silver linings running up and down their clothes forming a triple V symbol and they wore technologically advanced eye glasses and helmets with spinning red strobe lights and blinkers.

“Freeze, you criminal scum” they say in a monotone voice.

“We weren’t with him” says Tina putting down her glass and rising out of her seat as she referred to the gentleman that just left.

“Seize them” one says and lunged forward. Drax hopped back and performed a roundhouse kick forward knocking the officer back. Tina grabbed a stool and struck the same officer knocking him to the ground. The other pulls out two individual rods and assembled them before their eyes into a weapon that he aimed at Drax. Before he could fire, someone struck him from behind with a pool cue knocking him to the ground. Someone else in turn knocked that man down with a slug of a fist to his face. Another intervened and jumped on top of him. The robotic bartender hopped over the bar and began a series of assaults on the rowdy patrons.

“Looks like a real bar fight” says Drax.

“Been there, done that. We better go” says Tina looking at the first officer dialing a mechanism on his wrist and asking for assistance. Tina ran over and kicked him and then ran out the door with Drax. They made it out to the scorpion car and got in and pull away.

“That was close” says Drax.

“Yeah, but we got some company” says Tina looking in the back seat and seeing the British gentleman who bumped into them earlier taking a nap in the back of the scorpion car.

“He is peaceful now” says Drax.

“He is familiar” says Tina.

“Who is he?”

“My ex-boyfriend Reman Magenco.”