The Time Stone

by Jeffrey Estrella

  “Oh my God!” She took off running away from them unknowingly alongside the man and woman. “How did they find me?” She thought as they caught up with the trio and surrounded them forcing them to a standstill. The six men circled around the trio who saw the menacing look in their captor’s eyes that forced them back to back.

  “Who are you?” Asked Tina abruptly.

  “Now is not the time,” said James.

  “What do they want?” Asked Mercedes rhetorically in a panic.

  “I think we got what they’re after” said James beckoning to the box.

  “No, I do” Mercedes replied motioning to her purse.

  “We got to do something” said Tina. The lead man pulled out a dagger and held it closer to them.

  “Give us the Time Stone!” Said the lead man.

  “What?” Said Mercedes.

  James and Tina looked at one another and Tina smirked, “you want it? You got it!” She tossed the box up in the air and the top flung open with the time stone flying out of the box and every pair of eyes was fixated on it. Mercedes was shocked to see another one. The six men lost their circular formation and scrambled to pursue the relic, including the man with the dagger. Tina pushed her way through the crowd knocking down two of the men with round house kicks. Mercedes lunged at one of the masked men and punched him in the face dropping him to the ground. As the others began to retaliate, James flung his right hand up and curled his fingers repeatedly summoning a branch from a nearby tree causing it to break off and flung to his hand landing directly into it and then with his free hand making the same repeating motion summoning and grabbing with his invisible reach the culto warriors’ shining baggy black attire and propelled them towards him and then swung his left hand out with his right hand knocked them out with the tree branch and pushing them back onto the floor. Then he and Mercedes ran through the opening created by the melee and James ran across the gauntlet of culto warriors lying on the floor, dropped the branch, and caught the time stone. The trio kept running together as the six men regained their composure and took off after them. The trio got into an empty cargo van nearby that James noticed had the doors unlocked. He entered the driver’s seat and before he could say anything he saw Tina had boarded the passenger seat and the new young woman who they befriended in the heat of battle was between them in the back of the van leaning forward on both seats.

  “We better get out of here” she said pointing through the front window at the small army of culto warriors approaching them.

  “Punch it” yelled Tina grabbing the time stone from him and holding it in her lap.

  “No keys” James yelled and then as the culto warriors began jumping onto the hood and pouncing on the doors, he spread his arms, and the doors locked shut and then he clasped his hands together and the car started and then he rubbed them together and it went forward knocking the culto warriors onto the pavement behind them.

  “Whew, that was close” yelled Mercedes as the van sped across the streets zigzagging every step of the way.

  “Try focusing, James” said Tina “narrow and steady.”

  James closed his eyes and imagined the road before him curving slightly and maintained a narrow and steady path as she advised him. The van narrowed out and maintained a steady path smoothly.

  “Awesome, how do you do that?” Asked Mercedes dumbfounded.

  “Long story,” replied Tina. “This is funny how your powers are growing; they seem to be getting stronger, James. But it is still confusing how they only work on objects not people.”

  “Yeah, it’s like I can’t affect living things.” Said James pointing to a dog on the street out of the window as they passed by and nothing happened.

  “What are you guys talking about? Inquired Mercedes.

  “Oh just, even longer story.” Said Tina. “My name is Tina Prescott by the way. This is James Timewalker. That was impressive how you handled yourself back there.”

  “Thanks, I’m Mercedes Gonzalez. I can’t believe they found me here. I thought all those guys were dead but I didn’t expect to see them here.”

  “Friends of yours?” Asked Tina.

  “I ran into them before and it wasn’t friendly. You?”

  “We have as well.”

  “Wow, I noticed the green rock. Is that what they referred to as the time stone?”

  “We think so, it’s an ancient legend worshipped by the ancient Aztecs or something.” Tina holds it up, the five orbs glistening brightly within it.

  “That is uncanny. I have one too.” She pulls it out of her purse and compares it up close to the one in Tina’s hands, the five orbs within both glistening brightly, and as soon as they touched, a bright flash of hot white light at the center of a yellowish haze struck their eyes, the points of a starry image nearly blinded them as both stones disappeared and reappeared merging into one.

  “Wow!” Screamed Mercedes and Tina almost simultaneously.

  “That never happened before!” Exclaimed Tina.

  “We never had seen two in close proximity before,” said James. The single time stone remained within the hands of Mercedes and Tina. Mercedes let go and said “amazing!” The van drove forward with them in it as far as it could from the capture of the daring culto.

  CHAPTER 66

  The sunny skies and winds submit to the air and blueness of the ocean overlooked by the loft of the corporal towers hotel in the neighborhood of Wealthier Excelsior, Florida. Milton Drax stood on the veranda of the hotel suite where he stayed courtesy of his company and he sipped a margarita mix drink. He held his glass firmly as he veered over the distance and smirked.

  “Beautiful view” said a voice behind him echoing far ahead. Drax turned around and saw the stunning form of Elizabeth Peters, her long flowing blonde hair and voluptuous figure mesmerized him as she stood near a table with an umbrella. She uncrossed her arms and approached. “What are you doing here?” She asked inquisitively and rhetorically.

  “I work here don’t I?” He asked impetuously as he approached her and put his drink down on the table.

  “After what you did in Turkey, I am surprised to see you here and that you have the guts to show your face. But it is also quite … fortuitous.”

  “How so?” Drax asked.

  “Because we won’t have to go out and find you.” She snapped her fingers and out of the hotel room behind the backdrop of swinging curtains in the breeze, came three culto warriors who stood before her holding their daggers out at Drax. Two armed guards also came out and grabbed Drax by the arms and twisted them behind his back as one applied a pair of handcuffs to his wrists.

  “What is this?” He exclaimed.

  “Poetic justice, perfect harmony for a traitor.” She laughed as she turned around and marched out followed by the two guards escorting Drax into the room and out of the hotel, the three culto warriors following them with their daggers pointed outward fixated on Drax as they marched.

  In the darkness of a large-scale office room, the floors, walls, and ceilings lit up with red, pink, and purple lighting slightly illuminating the black opaqueness of the room. A group stood in the center with a large conference room table and chairs surrounding it, a large gilded throne like seat occupied the far end. Broad Staffnight, Elizabeth Peters, Mark Cumberberry, and Chief of Police Brent Hightower stood near a man with a large black hood with silver emblems of stars and moons and curves around it, his face completely concealed and his clothing like the armor of a medieval knight, purely in black, and hard and metallic. They stood in the room surrounded by dark figures in the distance and a with a monitor on the far end of the table opposite the throne and a visage of the dark figure that guided them and their predecessors in all prior meetings since the founding of the company three hundred years ago.

  “I have not lived so long without knowing the risks involved in the actions I recommend. We must remember the scourge of the last time is upon us and we are quite frankly running out of time. Your chances to find the rel
ic are growing slim and you must find it before it is too late.” His hoarse crinkled voice made shockwaves throughout the room shivering the spines of many as he pointed around them on the small screen and revealed the dark figures surrounding them.

  “We cannot act alone anymore” said Broad.

  “We were never alone…The mighty culto de la piedra tiempo.” He pointed as they came forward and all stood at attention, dozens of them in synchronistic formation. “They are the proud servants having served and ready to lead the fight against those, only known as the five chosen ones in the course of time, those who would threaten our mission, our purpose … our destiny!”

  “So we would do it” said Broad and the others stood quiet. The visage on the screen nodded and then faded out. Then two guards entered with their prisoner, Milton Drax in chains. He wore a blue jumpsuit and full leg and arm restraints.

  “Unhand me” he screamed.

  “Well, well, well” said Broad. “My old protégé has fallen deep indeed.” He crossed his arms as he smiled to Elizabeth and said “good job.”

  Mark quickly transformed to his true form and snarled wildly readying to charge his foe.

  “Calm yourself Satyr.” Said Broad. Drax jumped back in the arms of his captors.

  “You?” He said angrily.

  “Well, Drax, now what do we do? We can’t use you anymore but can’t free you. This pains me to see you like this as I was hoping to groom you for my position.”

  “I could never be as cold as you.” Drax replied. “I see you even have Janus El Trufio by your side” beckoning to the man in the cloak, “you could groom each other.” The man in the hood turned his head slightly still concealing his face, and his hood vibrated glowing orange and white in a sudden sequence of colors.

  “Our friend wishes that we do whatever is necessary” said Broad.

  “Justice will prevail. Law and order always win, even over ultimate evil like you.” Said Drax determined.

  “Just tell us where the time stone is and we will spare your execution” said Elizabeth.

  “That green rock? You will never find it. I saw the harm you can bring and won’t help you succeed at it.” Said Drax.

  “You don’t get it, you are done, you’re career, and your life with Temporo, Inc., your dreams, your life in general as you knows it.” Broad said.

  “We’ll see about that,” said Drax.

  “Damn you Milton, you leave and you are through with us. We will never rest until you are disbarred, convicted, and living in a shelter.” Broad screamed at him pointing.

  “Your connections may have helped you ruin others and maybe you’ll succeed in doing the same to me but… I know things about you…” Drax’s eyes were as clear and thoroughly determinative as ever as he glazed at his former mentor proudly uttering those words. “You use people for your own personal motives; you are an abuser and a malcontent.”

  “You’re wrong. We aren’t the ones who abuse people. It is about pursuing the highest ideology of success and control. The true power.” Said Broad.

  “Is that that you will tell those two homeless kids you set up back in Chronix Bay and the countless others who became pawns in your perverted cosmic game of chess … you are gonna get yours Broad!” Drax pointed to him with a stern look.

  “Well,” Broad angered but calmed down briefly “I have taught you well but I have not taught you all that I know. Take him out of my sight.” He lifted his hand up and turned as the guards dragged Drax out of the room.

  “This isn’t over Broad. Not by a long shot. This is not over.” He yelled and was heard through the hall and heavy doors slamming shut as they escorted him outside.

  “Too bad this will be the last time we see one another, old friend.” Broad muttered as he looked at the empty screen before them and saw five figures standing, darkness became them, and they stared into him menacingly. “The five chosen ones??? It can’t be.” He frowned looking into the darkness thinking of his own mortality and dooming past and fate, despair.

  “You know we need that time stone. That is the third we lost. There are no others.” Elizabeth spoke sternly to her boss.

  “That we know of, my dear,” Broad looked straight with a determined grin.

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  In the deep, dark dungeon basement of Central Prison in the middle of Seneca Falls, Florida, Drax sits in a solitary jail cell thinking about his life and his failures, his successes, and his dilemma. He knew he was going to be killed in prison because he knew too much about Broad Staffnight’s operations and the true purpose of Temporo, Inc., and he welcomed death. He felt he had nothing else to live for as he slumped his head between his legs and slightly wept. All his knowledge of the law and experience couldn’t save him from the conspiracy of a thousand corrupt officials, prosecutors, and judges bought off and becoming pawns in the system owned by his former employers who work and deliver beforehand scripts for trials and discovery, and waiting to rubber stamp his conviction and order of execution regardless of the facts or the rules. He fell asleep thinking tomorrow would be his last day on Earth and forever certain of what destiny truly had in store for him as pure and utter oblivion. In the dungeon, Drax sits and wonders with his face cupped in his hands. His hands then slumped into his legs as he knew that Temporo, Inc. was with a fevered revered out machination that had its own private police force, could buy justice, and could buy government politics. He knew they could set up anyone in town and frame others. He knew it because he had done it before himself as he was one of them and he also knew of their vast resources.

  The next morning, Drax was taken up to the decks of a loading area for trucks and cargo vans. He was being prepared with the usual chains and restraints to be placed in a transport wagon to head on a long trek to a prison in the far northern part of the state. He covered his eyes in the light, having grown accustomed to the darkness of the dungeon below and in an instant he saw an image, a silhouette of a man, a shadow protruding in the corner of his eye like a nemesis watching and waiting for him to reach some point in his life.

  “Huh?” He shook his head and figured he was going crazy. They begin to escort him to the back of the van when suddenly the door swings open from the back swung from the inside and strikes one of the guards in the face rendering him unconscious as he drops to the ground. The other guard and Drax were suddenly stunned in shock and as the guard reaches for his sidearm he was quickly struck and subdued in the blink of an eye as Drax saw nothing but a blur of red and yellow light. Then the light faded behind him and he felt someone materialized behind him, large hands gripped his and with one reflex action touch ripped the restraints right off his wrists and legs as they unlocked themselves and flew off of Drax’s wrists and ankles striking the ground meters away from him. “What the hell?” Said Drax as he turned around to acknowledge his benefactor but there was no one there. Drax looked around surrounded by the empty hangar and looked again at the unconscious forms of the guards and knew he was now a fugitive. It didn't matter what or who set him free but it was a miraculous intervention. He had to act on his own to get as far away from here as possible. He picked up the revolvers from the floor near the guards. He shut the back doors to the transport wagon and entered the wagon that had the keys ready inside. He started the engine and drove out of the already opened hangar door as he knew where he needed to go, where he stashed his emergency sleeping bag with the relic that Elizabeth and Broad prized as the time stone.

  A few kilometers away from the hangar base, James, Tina, and Mercedes are continuing forward in their stolen cargo van. They ride forward along many miles and stretches of road not heading in any particular direction but trying to get as far out of town as possible. They each think in the silence that became the tense nature of their lives now, pondering about the whimsical realities of life and time as well as the hidden purposes of men, the stretches of where their individual destinies lay and
what time had in store for them. Then they approached a tall building, with tall towers on either side, turrets surrounding them, and flags fluttering in different shapes and colors, faded with weathering and wear and tear holes over the decades, as its red brick surroundings formed a miles long complex that protruded above ominously to passersby long from any signs of civilization. A long stretch of brick road made its way around the perimeter. The backdrop of the Amnesty woods, known to locals as a haunted complication, resided around it and behind it; shrubbery growing into the brick structure as nature slowly took over the signs of manmade architecture unkempt and unmaintained as well as around the large lawn before it and surrounding arched portal. The van slowly came up to the long road leading up to the front door.