The Time Stone (56 page)

“
What does this letter
say?” Drax handed him the envelope and Satyr clutched it and the
letter in his clawed large hand.

“
Kill those of evil’s
bane.” Read Satyr.

“
We need to send another
message, one that spreads the lessons of peace we are desperate to
bring to the future so in the year 2012, things might work out
differently.” Drax said.

“
I will do so.” He nods.
“You have my word.”

“
Wait a minute, freeze
right there, hold it” said the policeman from the warehouse. “I
recognize that freak of nature, drop yourself” said the officer
holding a gun towards Satyr.

Satyr snarled and flew up towards the
officer causing him to drop his gun and rose up far away into the
distance.

“
Who are you?” Asked Drax
angrily.

“
Don’t even try it” said
the officer reaching for his gun again and holding it towards the
four.

“
OK, just be cool” said
James as the four raised their arms in surrender.

“
What’s your name, kid?”
Asked Drax.

“
I ain’t a boy, OK. My
name is T Bone, I mean Officer Tyrone Borgegous.”

“
We are friends, not your
enemies” said Drax coming closer.

“
Don’t try it or I will
shoot” he smirked as they noticed a pair of furry ears behind his
head.

“
You’re like all the
others here, a human-beast hybrid.” Drax said.

“
A what? Man, just keep
your hands up and spread ‘em.”

“
OK, but what the heck is
that?” Screamed Tina.

“
Man, I ain’t falling for
that one” T-Bone laughed as Satyr came around and came crashing
down on top of him sending him face down to the ground. Satyr
pounced up and was about to come crashing down on T Bone’s back
with Satyr’s clawed hands and feet dealing a fatal blow to the
officer as he turned around and saw the full-blooded beast about to
land on him with a ferocious grin. Then James screamed “no” and
waved his hands unleashing another tree branch towards Satyr
striking him in the chest and pushing him back and away.

“
You again” said T-Bone
getting up.

“
There is no need to kill
him” said James.

“
Damn” said Satyr flying
off.

“
The four ran over to T
Bone.

“
Are you OK?” Asked
Tina.

“
Yeah, thanks, you save my
life somehow…I don’t believe in magic but I believe in miracles and
that was God’s work man.”

“
You’re welcome.” Said
James.

“
Look T-Bone,” said Drax
“we are looking to have a letter sent for some odd 70 years from
now.”

“
Huh?” Questioned
T-Bone.

“
How did you know about
Satyr, anyway?” Asked Drax.

“
That thing. I saw some
conversation between him and three dudes in black in a warehouse
over on Port Street. I thought it was the weirdest thing. We all
grew up around here with deformities but nothing like that. These
guys were straight out of some old scare flick.”

“
Can you show us?” Asked
Tina.

“
Sure but their gone now.
Come on.” T-Bone maintained a sincere grit as he saw they were
determined and so he led the four to the abandoned warehouse. They
all looked in and saw a vacant space where operating equipment was
collecting dust and old crates were unused and growing mold and
cobwebs adorned the ceiling and floors. “See they left.”

“
The men in dark suits
were pale, looking like squinty with beady eyes?” Questioned
Drax.

“
Yes, that’s them like
three twins combined and stuck together like, whatchamacallit,
Siamese. How did you know?”

“
Long story” said Drax.
“Thanks for your help.”

“
No sweat.”

“
Hey” said James looking
at the time stone, “its glowing again, we can jump.”

“
Great, we have to go now
T-Bone but we need you to help us with something as we cannot be
sure Satyr will keep his word.”

“
I wouldn’t trust that
fool as far as we could throw him” T-Bone chuckled.

“
The message can be
written in any form you like as long as it is left with the post
office for 80 years. It must read…. “

“
Give peace a chance”
screamed Tina.

“
Love is the way” said
Mercedes.

“
We are all one” said
James.

“
No,” said Drax, “it must
read… whatever you want it to read, T-Bone! Make it a good one for
the future.” Smiled Drax, “as long as it says my name Milton Drax,
understand that? And remember the best part of humanity is
overcoming our intolerances.”

“
Sure, I can do that but
why?” asked T-Bone.

“
Trust me” said Drax
looking into his eyes.

“
That’s real… I will take
care of it. You got my word on it, brother.” T-Bone
said.

“
Well, we are all chosen
for greatness.” Said Drax.

“
We need to find out what
we are here for and protect this time stone above all. We can make
a difference.” Said James.

“
Didn’t you always want
that?” asked Tina.

“
Yeah, let’s go out there
and do what we do and find a way to beat the bad guys.” Said
Mercedes.

“
If I can use the powers I
have been given to continue to do well, it is worth it.” James
added.

“
Let’s go kick some
machination butt and beat them to the punch.” Added
Tina.

“
They set us up to cover
up their own faults. We got to stop them.” Said
Mercedes.

“
Yeah” said Drax nodding
in response with a smile, “we will….”

“
You know you guys always
seem to make me feel better.” Said James.

“
Aw, same here buddy.”
Said Tina. “In the end the most disappointing thing about time is
that there is never enough of it. So that is why we have to cherish
the time we have together with the ones we love.”

“
You got our back in this
time, right T-Bone?” asked Drax.

“
You got it” said T-Bone
nodding. “I still don’t understand all this but it’s all
good.”

“
Thanks.” Replied
Drax.

“
Come on guys” he walked
with his friends and James held the time stone out and twisted it
causing the vortex to roar open.

“
Wow, that is bodacious
boffa man” said T-Bone shocked. Drax pressed a button on his wrist
remote and with a moment, the scorpion car had arrived driving
itself through the air above them and landing stealthy in the field
before them. T-Bone was speechless. The four waved goodbye and saw
as T-Bone waved with a cocky smile. The four walked into the car
and drove forward as it morphed into combined balls of light and
was sucked into the vortex. T-Bone began to walk away shaking his
head in disbelief as he did not realize he was being watched by a
man on a nearby hill, the old man from the mansion frail and meek
standing having seen the entire ordeal and nodding his head with a
coy and villainous smile.

CHAPTER 83

Time Period: 1962 A.D., Washington,
District of Columbia

“
Time is the
most-strongest force we know in the universe and we are bound
within it like the sands in an hourglass.” Said Professor Charles
Heater to his small class of ten students in the after school
session of District Mall University on the outskirts of the
nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.

“
Prof sure is a bore” said
a young woman in the front row in a multi-colored sweatshirt and
baggy jeans “yeah” said another man with an afro and tank top. “I
can’t wait until tonight’s bash; we are gonna rock the roof off to
the place.” “You said it.”

That night, the dance club Hallar Fame
was loud and filled with many young people dancing around in
various forms of movement as exotic as their dress, colorful, loud,
and vibrant. James, Tina, Mercedes, and Drax squeezed into the
crowd feeling awkwardly out of place.

“
I guess we’re somewhere
in the sixties. Not exactly 2012.” Said Drax.

“
Is that intuition from
your wrist device or just an educated guess?” Asked
James,

“
A little bit of both”
Drax replied surmising. Then suddenly in the midst of the hectic
dancing, a group of men in dark clothes that appeared to shine and
red sashes jumped in and began to assault the crowd pushing through
just as a loud band called Rocket Partyers began to announce their
songs and play their smashing musical hits.

“
Mother of God, it’s The
Culto” said Mercedes as the foursome noticed the melee.

Drax ran over to one who appeared to
lead the others with his directions and finger pointing and Drax
threw a punching knocking him back against a wall. Another came at
Drax and began to swing. Drax ducked and swung at that warrior in
his belly.

James ran up to one and waved his
hands and initiated a psychic force that hung the warrior upside
down in midair by his belt. Then he saw another running towards
them and he held the time stone out and turned it and unleashed the
vortex and toss both warriors into it with his powers as he waved
his hands again summoning them by their clothes with his psychic
energy field.

One of the culto warriors held up his
wrist bearing a metal barrel that emitted a hot red laser beam. The
warrior fired several shots at James who skillfully deflected them
all by waiving his arms about. The shots flew off away from James
and fizzled off in the open air.

Drax ran and grabbed the warrior by
the chest tackling him down to the ground. Tina and Mercedes ran
over and grabbed him as a loose laser beam flew off past them and
struck a pedestrian in a nearby building.

The vortex roared open on stage and
spit them out onto the band to their dismay but they continued on
with the music with great vigor as their euphoria from their use of
narcotics has made them feel the enjoyment of the oddities
occurring before them.

“
Yeah, rock on” yelled one
of the band members. Tina felt one culto warrior grab both her arms
and tried to pull her down. She kicked up with her right leg and
hit him in the face. Mercedes ran against another pair of warriors
and saw a dancer pole that she grabbed a hold of and swung herself
around in full force and kicked them both with her feet spread in
midair knocking them down. The partyers began to ran nervously
while others stood in awe surmising if this was part of the club’s
performance. The four time jumpers converged back together and one
of the warriors approached them as the crowds gathered in fear and
awe, music continued playing loudly methods of rock n’ roll in the
background.

“
Hand over the piedra
tiempo and you will be made to live free” he said with a Spanish
accent.

“
Don’t give it to him,
James” said Drax.

“
No but maybe you can give
it to me” said Broad Staffnight coming out of the back room and
approaching them surrounded by culto warriors.

“
Broad!” Said
Drax.

“
My old colleague.” Said
Broad. “I missed our witty repartee.”

“
How did you get
here?”

“
Never mind that now. I
will take the time stone and you will not be harmed. Trust me,” he
smirked.

“
So the culto work for
you” said Mercedes.

“
Just hand it over, I
don’t have a lot of time…” Broad joked.

“
You betrayed me” said
Drax.

“
I don’t know what you’re
talking about.” Said Broad.

A storm cloud started to gather with a
loud disturbance outside and in an instant a flash of lightning
swirled into the dance club and struck the center of the room.
Everyone was blinded temporarily in an instant of hot white light
and Drax yelled “run.”

Outside of the club, the police had
arrived and were checking everyone as there was a call about a loud
fight and some intruders. The police entered with full riot gear
ready against the crowd storming out of the club. Drax and his
comrades held themselves low in the back room of the club waiting
for the smoke to clear, with the help of a friend they never met,
Tyrelia Borgegous, T-Bone’s younger sister who worked there and
smiled as she recognized them as her brother had explained his
encounter with the time jumpers in great detail. She smiled as she
waved goodbye to the crew of four surrounded and escorted by a
group of Black men in leather jackets and Berettas. “We always
fight against hatred from men like those” one proclaimed. They hid
with the crew for a while. The police arrested the culto warriors
and several of the partygoers who were involved in possessing
controlled substances. Broad was also amongst those hauled away in
handcuffs.

“
This is a mistake. I am
not the one you are looking for. I don’t know these people. I am a
businessman, not a drug addict.”

“
Sure, buddy” said an
overweight officer with a heavy Irish accent. Broad spotted the
foursome coming out of the club as he was being put into the back
of the waiting police car and he broke away slightly.