The Time Stone (50 page)

CHAPTER 78

Time Period: 1140 A.D.,
England

The light from the sun was intense and
bright through the treetops in the landscapes and cordial greenery
of the forest. Having exploded a hole through the fabric of space
and time, the silence of the meadows and slight ambience 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?” Asked
Mercedes.

“
The middle ages” said
James.

“
How can you tell?” Asked
Mercedes.

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

“
Where are the others?”
Asked Mercedes.

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

“
What’s that smell?” She
said.

“
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
said holding it up “but it’s duller than dull.”

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

“
Alters as we noticed them
were like charging points whenever we saw them?” Asked
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 said.
“Solar power before its time. The pregivers sure were
crafty.”

“
What do we do now?”
Mercedes asked.

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

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

“
We mean you no harm”
yelled 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 up the roads
to a tall castle of ancient stone work and artisan.

“
Beautiful” said
Mercedes.

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

Time Period; 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”
said Tina. “It seems so… and where are the others?”

“
Good question… it’s just
us in the old scorpion-mobile. Let’s see” said 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 opened the car door and sat with one
foot outside.

“
Wow you are smart” Tina
commented.

“
It’s a talent” Drax
said.

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

“
I think she hasn’t even
been born yet. It’s almost one hundred years earlier.” Drax
said.

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

“
The time stone exists
here too so we can find it and then we’ll find our friends. I can
configure the scanner to…” Drax started then suddenly they heard
the screeching of tires in the distance and sirens blazing. They
turned 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 headed towards the
duo.

“
Look out” screamed 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?” Said
Drax.

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

“
Why? It’s none of our
business. We interfered enough in the last time period.” Drax
said.

“
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.” Said Tina.

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

“
Good thing” Tina
replied.

“
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” said Drax
and pulled up parking in front of the place. They exited and
entered the place finding 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 preparing a gingery dance on the
stage before them as some sweet talk the locals into something more
to make their occasional ends meet. 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 looked at one
another and walked in slowly each taking a seat at the bar watching
as one man fell off his stool on the other end from having too much
to drink.

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

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

“
I’ll have the house
special” she said and the man droid walked away.

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

“
We’ll find out” she
winked.

The duo laughed feverishly amongst
themselves unbeknownst to them that they were being carefully
monitored by two men, one in a dark cloak whose face was covered
and another who wore a silver uniform shining brightly in the dim
bar lighting.

“
That man looks familiar.
Who are those two?” Said 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 find out
which time period they vanished into.”

“
This could be trouble”
said the cloaked man.

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

Time Period: 1140 A.D.,
England

The interior of the great castle was
well lit with chandeliers and adorned with red carpentry and gilded
tapestries hanging from the chambers’ 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
sat no one and the surrounding pieces were vacant but one where a
lonely young woman sat wearing a long silk-laden linen flowing gown
made with white and lapis lazuli colors. She had short reddish hair
and deep seated blue eyes. She sulked in the seat as her oldest
friend, adviser, and hand maiden sat by her side, a paltry women
with age beyond her years and a sullen amount of weight on her
waistline, she kept her hands on her lap and frowned at the
audiences before them but had 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” said 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 was harsh 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 postured positioning as she was
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.” Said 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 Period; 2042 A.D., Chronix
Bay

“
Here are your drinks”
said the robotic bartender. “Bottoms up” said 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 yelled
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 colicky. He was slightly older and elegantly dressed.

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

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

“
That’s not possible”
reminded Drax.

“
No, I think
that’s….”

“
Don’t move” said 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 responded in a monotone voice.

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

“
Seize them” one said 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 pulled 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” said Drax.

“
Been there, done that. We
better go” said 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 pulled away.

“
That was close” said
Drax.

“
Yeah but we got some
company” said 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” said
Drax.

“
He is familiar” said
Tina.

“
Who is he?”

“
My ex-boyfriend Reman
Magenco.”

CHAPTER 79

Time Period: 1140 A.D.,
England

“
Well that concludes our
show.” Said the jester bowing out and cart wheeling away. “Phew, I
am so glad they did not throw rotten fruit at me this time.” He
said to himself walking away. The young twenty-one year old
princess yawned with a restrained enthusiasm.