The Time Stone (47 page)

“
The vision I had” said
James under his breath. Drax and the others turned to
him.

“
That’s what started this
whole thing… the great conflict. Celia, what is the great
conflict?” Asked Drax.

“
In the beginning there
was chaos when the gangs and sects of the countries of the old
world order were at constant odds with each other.” She spoke in a
hoarse and melancholy demeanor as the air seemed to permeate in
darkness around them.

“
I am happy to find this
writing” said Jose.

“
There were times of great
tribulation where death, war, famine, and anarchy reigned supreme.
The UCN was the answer and the cure for a peaceful and tolerant
society but it did not last long. The central headquarters were
destroyed by a large-scale nuclear weapon. After that there was
violence again and the elites maintained control in the central
citadels of the various nation states and cities while those on the
outside fended for themselves and were sought out in hordes to be
slaughtered if they posed any risk. The lord of the elites was
rumored to be a beast from another world but it is only
conjecture.” “This philosophy and ideology be wild indeed” said
Cutlass turning about.

“
Who caused the
explosion?” Asked James.

“
That information is not
available.” Said Celia. Celia’s eyes widened as the holographic
form she embodied fizzled slightly.

“
You are the one.” She
said looking at James.

“
Excuse me” he
replied.

“
Your face and form are
programmed in this archive as a memory recall component. The
original progenitor of this program was especially interested in
you, James Timewalker the holder of stones. Every few millennial,
one arises claiming to be the champion gifted one but only one is
the true one. Born of amazing powers and an innate sense of justice
in its pure form, the holder is historically descended from the
pregivers might and destined to once again rejoin with them at the
hour of this world’s most dire needs.”

“
You were saying James is
some kind of chosen one?” Asked Tina.

“
He is some kind of
emissary for the pregivers.” Said Drax.

“
That explains his powers
and his curiosity” said Mercedes.

“
There is more to James
Timewalker, the holder of stones. The person emulated by this form
held a more profound reaction, one of love, a message of peace and
tranquility.” Said Celia.

“
What does that mean?”
Asked James.

“
I am sure we might find
out” said Drax.

“
So much she wanted her
form to be remembered so one day you should find it.” Said Celia.
“She loved you.”

“
Really?” Asked James
rhetorically. He approached and touched the holographic face of a
woman he never met but apparently touched in some form. “All things
are possible in time.” He muttered as his hand passed through her
holographic form. For a brief moment he thought of nothing but
pleasant things as his mind and consciousness inverted inside and
formed a vision of castles and open fields, artisan tapestries
adorning a gilded and ruby red throne room inside, a beautiful
woman resembling the holographic image before him walking in the
garden, a small baby nearby, several monuments devoted to the ‘hero
of time’. “Oh wow” he said to the dismay of his colleagues. He felt
joy, peace, serenity, and love. Then suddenly the room lit up with
a bright red strobe and a loud siren began to flood the
room.

“
Alright” yelled the
hoarse-voiced pirate Cutlass “the blasted noise be
damning.”

“
Where is it coming from?”
Yelled Tina.

They all covered their ears from the
loud sound. Celia vanished into the archives where she originated.
A doorway slid upward making a loud sound. Drax led the way into
the arched entry.

“
Come on.” The six ran
into the entry the door sealing tightly behind them. They stood in
silence and darkness.

“
Intruder alert “yelled an
automaton voice breaking the silence. A pair of red eyes emerged
from the darkness and suddenly the lights came on in a room of
almost identical design to the last but slightly larger with more
equipment and computer consoles scattered about.

“
What is that?” Yelled
James as the form of a large robotic-being emerged, about seven
feet tall with a thin cylindrical head and torso, thin flanking
arms and legs and giant feet stomping the metal boards on the
ground with each step. The cylindrical head had two bulbs like
projectiles sticking out of both sides and bright large eyes
covering almost the entire head with small slits where a nose and
mouth would be.

The face lit up with a
yellow glow as it appeared to speak “intruder alert, intruder
alert.” It walked forward with a lurching stride as it moved its
limbs in various forms. Drax moved back with his arms out over the
others holding his elfin glove on his right hand. Cutlass drew his
sword. James waved his hands and tried to push it back.

“
What the hell is that?”
Screamed Tina.

“
Artificial beings,
Androids” said Drax.

“
An Android!” yelled James
shocked waving his hands at the immense creation. “My powers won’t
work. There must be some life components to that thing.” He
said.

“
I will strike it” said
Cutlass moving towards it with his sword and striking it in the
shoulder causing an electrical surge to flow along the weapon
striking Cutlass. “Great” he uttered sarcastically as he fell back
releasing his sword that fell to the ground. Drax fired his elfin
glove but an orange shielding protected the robot and the energy
from the glove dissipated into the fizzling orange energy
surrounding the robot.

“
We should get out of here
“yelled Tina.

“
Don’t have to tell me
twice” said Mercedes. The six ran back towards the door but
realized they were without egress.

“
We’re trapped” said
Tina.

“
Like rats” James added.
The robot continued forward when suddenly a large form emerged from
the back and ran towards the robot tackling it to the floor. The
six stood in shock as they saw another robot similar in design to
the one that threatened them fighting with its counterpart in a
twirling battle as their energy shields of bright orange light lit
up with each blow. The two wrestled with one another on the ground
until the victor prevailed as one struck a heavy blow with its limp
right arm growing to a large fist with a swirl of a mechanical
attachment and dropping it and striking the other in the eyes
causing its lights to fade. The victorious robot stood and faced
the five wanderers. They stood on guard not knowing what to
expect.

“
Greetings” said the robot
with an illuminatingly positive stance. “I am Robotic Omicron Base
Protector Number 345,561. Welcome to the Base!” The response of the
wanderers to the sudden warm welcome was pleasing and they stood
more at ease as they approached.

“
What was that?” Asked
Tina.

“
There is a security
precaution designed to protect this perimeter. Some are more gung
ho than others.” He said in a humorous tone. “What brings you
here?”

“
I brought them from the
main world below.” Said Jose.

“
That is not possible
because the bridge has been sealed for many centuries.” Replied
ROBP 345,561.

“
There must have been an
opening” said Drax.

“
Intriguing. The odds of
there being a simultaneous leak in the energy bridge between this
installation and the main world below are astronomically complex in
calculation.”

“
We are looking for
something referred to as the ‘dark star’.” Said James.

“
Yeah” added Mercedes “it
is supposed to be some kind of weapon capable of neutralizing
certain forms of energy.

“
That reference is unknown
to me but there is a power that may qualify. Celia access
historical legend database for pre-great conflict era weapon
Project Zeus!”

“
Accessing…” said Celia as her voice emanated from the entire
structure as if omnipresent. “Project Zeus… the theoretical
surmising and creation of
an
antimatter energy weapon of mass destruction that was built with
the hopes that it would never have to be used by a team of
specially sanctioned UCN engineers and scientists led by the
scientist Howard Kowolski whose theories that an advanced race of
aliens called the pregivers found a way to turn energy into solid
form and vice versa in the space-time continuum grid. The device
was believed to be the most powerful weapon ever existing and only
exists on the operation of waves of energy that permeate all
reality. The weapon is theorized to transmute this energy to
overcome any barrier or form whether energy based or corporeal.
Nothing can withstand it.”

“
Wow” said Tina “a true
doomsday machine!”

“
The weapon was built by
funds funneled for an experiment by a shadowy conspiracy
controlling the world’s economic and political arenas from behind
the scenes” Celia continued.

Drax’s eyebrows rose.

“
They were known as the
machination rumored to exist but no evidence of their existence was
conclusively found to exist. This is only a dramatization of
theoretical and legendary events and not fact.” Celia
said.

“
Well,” said Drax humbly,
“we know this is mostly true.”

“
Yes you’re former
comrades may be responsible for all this as you previously
surmised,” added James.

“
There was an experiment
and a slip in the surgery of the practical realization of things.”
Said Drax.

“
What went wrong?” Asked
Mercedes.

“
It was a temporal shift
within two universes happened and intelligent and sophisticated
beasts, both good and evil, were allowed to crossover and escape
into our universe in all of time.” Said Drax.

“
That is what is
responsible for all the stuff we saw?” Asked Tina.

“
Strong possibility”
intimated Drax.

“
I don’t understand…
beasts, other universes” said Cutlass.

“
There are stranger things
in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophies” said
the ROBP.

“
Shakespeare” said Jose
smiling.

“
Impressive” said
Mercedes.

“
This is interesting” said
Drax looking at the metal wall and etched writing similar to that
on the caves they saw prior. “This is similar to the pregivers’
writing. It seems this was their base of operations or ship. It
says ‘the home of the distant travelers, quest for truth, wisdom,
and justice. It’s about a group called the Garnicones. The
Garnicones were a proud race from a star system that destroyed
itself.’ This is kind of like a storybook. ‘The Garnicones were
seeking a companion race to carry on their legacy. They searched
the galaxy far and wide. They landed on a small isolated and
uninhabited system, Tierra.’”

“
Tierra means Earth.” Said
Tina.

“
So the pregivers or sky
watchers of legend are these Garnicones.” Said Mercedes. “What
happened to them?”

“
The text is unclear but
it finishes…’death from above… history and destiny… future is
forsaken’.” Said Drax.

“
Some type of weapon.”
Said James.

“
A time paradox” said
Tina.

“
Where is this weapon
supposed to be?” Asked James.

“
I do not have that
information. There is reference to a Great Weapon but there is no
locational data in my system.” Said the ROBP.

“
Then we are back to
square one” said Drax.

“
Whoa” James jumped back
as he felt a sharp feeling in his head.

“
What is it?” Asked
Tina.

“
It’s another spike like I
felt in the desert. Another vision coming…” he held his head in
pure agonizing pain as he fell to the floor. Drax and Mercedes
leaned downward to help him. “I see…” said James as his mind’s eye
formed a starry sky and under it a metal domed shape obelisk
similar to the one they were in. The structure lifted itself off of
the ground and into the night sky like a rocket ship but hovering
on an empty sheet of clear air particles. He then saw an image of
the interior and two men in a room similar to the one they stood in
exchanging handshakes over a box the size of a watermelon with
cryptic writing etched on it. The box had an image of two hands
embraced in a handshake like symbol with arches and whirls. “Whoa”
he snapped out of it and explained what he saw to his
comrades.

“
That is quite
interesting” said the ROBP as he chuckled with an emotional laugh.
“There is something that fits that resemblance based on the marking
you described.” He points them to a small door under one of the
consoles near where he stood.

“
Blessed be” said Cutlass.
ROBP pressed a button and the small door opened revealing a small
compartment that partially extended to the ground they stood on.
They stood in shock as they saw a box similar to the one James
described in his vision. Drax leaned in and tried to lift it but it
was too heavy. James and the others helped but it would not
budge.