The Time Stone

by Jeffrey Estrella

  “I hope you’re right.” Jonathan added.

  The tower structure of the central complex loomed down as the main citadel glistened in the dusking skies, and the pale moon shown bright blue overhead.

  “The hour is almost at hand. The last time.” Said Broad Staffnight on the balcony overlooking the entire complex.

  “We do not have a lot of time left, Sir” said Janus standing beside Broad. Janus had pale hands and a pale nose like a corpse and spoke with a dark and slurred mannerism. “The moon is full and he period of night balance approaches. We must start the ceremony or forever lose our chance.”

  “Then let it begin” said Broad and the cloaked man began to chant like a Gregorian Monk repeatedly as he walked over to the bannister and lifted his arms up to the moonlit sky, the darkness began to grow and permeate their immediate surroundings as he waived his hands in circle causing blackness of smoke to build before them. “By the rod of Cronos… come forth.”

  “We will find the ‘Eye’ soon. It is being ‘delivered’ as we speak” Broad smiled.

  Having abandoned their van, the quartet led by Milton Drax walked up the stairwell after having entered into the side rear wall of one of the dozen tall front towers of the central complex.

  “How did you know that door was open? It was just a brick wall.” Asked James.

  “I told you…” started Drax.

  “I know… I know you were one of them.” James interrupted. “Let’s just hope they didn’t change the locks.”

  They climbed the stairwell up to a black door with strange symbols on it resembling four lines crossing one another and curving in a circular pattern.

  “What’s this?” Asked Tina.

  “Hold on.” Said Drax who tapped the left side of the door and it revealed a panel that had a series of switches as the cover vanished. “It’s a holographic projection only” said Drax looking at the dumbfounded faces of his new colleagues. Drax flipped two switches and the door opened. “Hurry, we don’t have much time.” Drax ordered as they entered a rooming closet filled with large weaponry and militaristic gear.

  “We should split up to cover more ground” thought Mercedes out loud.

  “No were stronger as a group” said James.

  “Normally, I would agree James,” said Drax “but these are not normal times.” He stood up and cocked a large rifle-like weapon with a glowing orb at the end that hummed when cocked under the groin and grit of his determined stare.

  “Cool” said Tina reaching for a similar weapon.

  “Don’t touch that…” yelled Drax reaching out.

  “What?” Said Tina as she touched the weapon and it began to blink rapidly and make a loud beeping noise.

  Drax reached down and tapped it on a different spot and it stopped. “Phew, you almost blew us up.” He smirked.

  “Oh my” she gasped.

  “Here,” he grabbed a small pistol with a bulging tip and handed it to her. “Always point it away from the good guys. Drax smiled speaking slowly.

  “Mercedes grab this one,” he tossed her a body armor and pistol.

  Then he tossed another one to James. “These weapons are limited editions sort of speaking. Listen carefully then let’s go!” He explained on how to operate them and where to go and they all split up into their respective assigned directions.

  Mercedes kept up the stairwell on her own thinking what she has done to wind up in this situation. She has come a long way from her initial predicament but feels still young and hidden from truths that are apparently beyond her comprehension. “I guess that is what growing up is for?!?” She thought as she clutched the long rifle-like weapon in both her hands with a glowing orb on the end that illuminated the darkened stairwell before her and large black body armor on her torso and extending down to her groin area and up her neck and head. She felt like a football linebacker but also as a thief trying to take what wasn’t hers and insurrect an organization that she did not even know existed until recently. She was new to this life of crime and felt apprehensive as she approached the door to the long-awaited seventieth floor where Drax told her to go. He said it was likely every floor had high security and they had to be prepared so each of them was given a brief tutorial on using the advanced technological weaponry. “Click, Turn, and Spivot…” she remembered his words as the lesson included some basic self-defense. She never imagined being a soldier but was ready for anything and she gritted her teeth as she ascended the stairs. She reached the door on the left side and touched it revealing a panel of control switches that appeared as a holographic visage vanishing before her just as Drax said would happen. “Whoa” she reached out and switched the two switches up just like Drax told her to causing the door to open and a room of bright light to emerge with people standing in the distance on an array of red carpentry and gilded furniture design. She took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

  As she entered, the group in the distance ran towards her. She noticed a group of men in blue jackets with hats and they drew their weapons.

  “Hey freeze” one yelled.

  “Oh crap” she yelled. As they got closer, she aimed her rifle-like weapon and pulled the trigger. The lit orb at the end released a loud humming sound and projectile of light energy separating itself and blasting forth in all directions creating a loud explosion sounding in conjecture with a blinding flash of light. Mercedes turned her face away and when the light faded she saw the men lying on the floor unconscious but with no visible signs of damage to their bodies. A sole woman, Elizabeth Peters, was in the distance, having long blonde hair, wearing a business suit, and holding a large pistol. Mercedes approached and Elizabeth pointed her weapon at her. Mercedes pressed a button on her armor and a flash of light enveloped her and made her appear to disappear. Elizabeth cursed under her breath as she knew it was a cloak of invisibility. “Damn” she uttered. Mercedes ran towards her hidden in realms of light and darkness, and knocked her down disarming her then punching her in the face rendering her unconscious. “Yeah!” She screamed. Then she felt something stealthily approach and before she could turn it pounced on top of her causing her to drop her weapon on the floor a few feet away that revealed itself visibly once out of her possession. She turned and found herself struggling with a mythic creature, the Satyr. He lunged at her with his sharp fangs and long snout and brow as they grasped one another’s hands. “He can see me”.

  “I can see you, beast sepia vision…” he replied snarling and drooling at her. They rolled around on the ground as she desperately tried to resist his might but his superior strength prevailed and crushed her armor like tissue paper causing the light bubble to disintegrate and reveal her frail form on the floor. Satyr flung himself back a few meters partially blinded by the light. Mercedes got up tired and caught her breath then saw Satyr coming back and flying towards her with his clawed hands outstretched before him. She reached for her weapon lying only a few feet from her but she was grabbed by the clawed furry hand of her attacker and struck in the face seeing nothing but unconscious blackness.

  Tina and James walked up the flight of stairs onto the landing for the twentieth floor as instructed by Drax. They were tired and catching their breaths realizing they were desperately out of shape. They held their hand pistols and wore their body armors as instructed.

  “How did we end up here, Tina?” Asked James.

  “Who said we ended up anywhere?” Tina replied.

  “I know, just thinking of how funny life is sometimes” said James.

  Tina smirked. “Here we go buddy” said Tina, “all our hopes now.”

  James nodded in response nervously and Tina flicked the switches on the holographic switch panel causing the doors to open. They ran in screaming at the top of their lungs and waiving their pistols around as a group of uniformed officers approached then with their weapons.

  “It’s do or die time” said Tina firing her pistol in various directions not being able to control it and small red laser projectiles e
manated from the weapon barely striking its intended targets. James tried aiming before he fired but barely was successful in his attempts. The remaining officers approached and one tackled James to the ground and subdued him with restraints on his hands and feet. James tried to use his powers on their weapons and clothing but he was restrained behind his back by the guards before he had the chance. Another grabbed Tina and soon both were on the ground with men piled on top of them restraining them. A large African American man with a tall furry hat and a uniform with numerous adornments and metals, Chief of Police and Temporo Inc.’s security Brent Hightower, approached and gave a stern look to the captured duo, “what brings this treachery?” He asked rhetorically then radioed on his GREETS RD to Broad. “Sir, we have the fugitives.”

  “Bring them here!” Said Broad on the other end in a darker voice than Brent had heard him speak before, “hmm”.

  Jeremy and Jonathan stood outside of the gates and heard the firing of weapons and commotion coming from within the citadel on apparently various floors and turned to one another.

  “Let’s go” said Jonathan leading the duo into the door after activating a holographic switch panel on the left side of the door causing it to open. The armed duo raced inside ready for what awaited them.

  Drax walked up the stairwell stealthily to the thirty-third floor wearing his body armor and held his rifle with one hand as he used his handheld scanner with the other smiling at the glowing green and red light readings on the screen indicating to him the presence of multiple individuals on the other end. He triggered the holographic switchboard and opened the door. Then took out a small box from his belt holster and pressed a latent button on the panel before tossing it through the open door. Within seconds, there was a loud eruption and smoke spewed everywhere. He pressed another button on his armor that triggered a mechanical extension of the armor to his face with a nasal breathing apparatus for artificial oxygen and lit up eyes glowing bright green allowing him to gain instant night vision. He put away his scanner, cocked his weapon, and he ran into the dark room and fired seven key shots in one motion and rapid succession from his rifle-like weapon at the officers within knocking them all down on target. He smirked at the mess on the floor and walked over to a computer panel connected to a giant wall monitor near a series of small ones noticeably spread throughout the entire room as the smoke began to clear. The monitors had images of pathways and screen shots of rooms throughout the entire central complex. He pressed a few buttons on the touch screen console and up came a holographic projection of a series of maps and diagrams, lit up in green and red lights as if poised in the midst dark air above the console. He pressed the button on his armor and the face mask came down. His eyes widened at the display before him as he saw a symbol in the corner, five orbs in circular formation, and the same symbol on those troops that were chasing them and the same one on the Time Stone itself. He quickly took out his scanner and held it over the console accessing the information as he noticed the bar on his scanner move up in downloading mode and when it finished he looked up and heard a loud noise from upstairs. There was a spiral stairwell in the far end of the room and he heard thunder and loud rain and there was a loud voice dark and crinkled Gregorian chanting verses. He put his scanner away and ran towards the stairwell and ascended them to the metal door at the landing on top, the five orbed circular symbol incrusted on the door. He tried to access the holographic switchboard to open the door but could not. “Weird.” He thought as he took out what he referred to as “Plan B”, a small cylinder device from his belt holsters that extended two small sharp projectiles one on either end when pressed. He attached it to the door and it made a metallic sticking noise and remained there. He backed away and within seconds it exploded forcing the door open slightly. He pushed his way through to the other side, outside of the central complex citadel near a large balcony.

  “Hurry up Janus” said Broad looking behind him as the door exploded and began to shake to the entrance of the citadel and suddenly was pushed open. “We have the object in place.” Broad smirked looking at the Time Stone resting in his hand glowing brightly in the darkness. “I knew it would be delivered.” Broad smiled looking at the three captives tied up in the corner, James, Tina, and Mercedes.

  “There is one power of truth!” Replied Janus. “Open the door into time and space, the grandest endeavor of all of fate.”

  Then the door behind them busted open and flew off the balcony knocking both men back.

  “What the hell?” Screamed Broad. The bulbs in the small enclosure erupted and left them in only natural lighting from the moonlit sky. They looked up and saw Drax exit the door and onto the balcony. Drax looked around quickly and saw the two men he recognized as Broad and Janus El Trufio, the cloaked one, they were surrounded by computer consoles and a large ancient-looking alter with symbols on it all on the balcony and a large metallic awning above them as the rain poured a few feet away off the balcony, lightning visages flashing in the background to the sound of rambunctious thunder, even though the blackness of smoke filling the air and a whirl of yellow light suddenly erupt into the night sky rivaling the moonlight in intensity. He saw his new trio of allies, James, Tina, and Mercedes, gagged and restrained on the floor in the corner, their weapons confiscated.

  “You are too late Milton” said Broad snarling. “I have what I needed” he held out his hand and pointed revealing the green emerald device with the glowing five orbs in the center more brighter than he ever saw them. They intensified in the darkness spiking into absolute pure energy while their medium rested in his hand.

  “The Time Stone!” Said Drax. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “We know exactly what we’re doing. We are fulfilling our destiny, what we were created to do. The vortex is operational. Soon we will use it to control the fates of all humanity and rule the world.” He raised his hands up into the air and handed the device to Janus who placed it on the alter. “It is an actual interspatial-temporal flexure, a space-time rift, wormhole, and gate to voyages across space and time, bridge of the Gods, a bunch of names concocted over the eons but all in all it is the truest power in the universe and it is ours.” Said Broad. The glowing vortex above them roared in the rain dropping before it. Drax tried to rush towards his former boss but Brent Hightower emerged from the door onto the balcony surrounded by Jonathan and Jeremy holding their weapons at Drax’s head.

  “Does not move, Sir or you will be shot. Now lower your weapon.” Said Brent Hightower and Drax looked behind him and complied with the command.

  “Yeah, that’s the way we do it old school boy.” Said Jeremy.

  “Hands behind your head and get down on your knees” said Brent. Hightower

  Drax complied.

  Broad shook his head. “How the mighty have fallen?”

  “This isn’t over Broad.” Said Drax.

  “No, old friend. The end is only the beginning. You know which is the better time? The next one.” He snarled looking up at the vortex.

  “It’s time, Master.” Said Janus.

  “Yes” said Broad as he issued a few key strokes to the computer console before him and looked up with his compatriot as a large mechanical mechanism riveted and making a large screeching noise causing the entire balcony to extend upward toward the vortex. Drax knelt mesmerized by its shimmering aura growing closer as did his new team nearby. Brent and his team stood in shock as well. The lightning struck brightly in midair illuminating further the glowing walls of the citadel. The balcony kept extending upward until it was meters away from the event horizon of the vortex and kept going. Then Broad stepped forward and spoke “we will fulfill our destiny” he yelled over the roaring thunder and rain pouring on his face drenching his three piece Armani suit and expensive hairdo as he passed the awning. The rain falling on him and all of them continued. “Time waits for no man”, he said as he was two feet away from the vortex and smiled into its glistening vibrations with a single word, “Time” and h
e vanished as he transformed into a ball of yellow energy vibrating intensity at its core hovering for a brief time of nanoseconds where his face was directly before the flashing vibrations of yellow swirling light roaring in the rain and wind and he closed his eyes and became enthralled in it before being sucked into the vortex. Jeremy and Jonathan’s eyes widened as they saw the improbable, a complete matter-energy configuration right before his very eyes, and a theoretically impossible concept by modern scientific standards being transcended from an ancient artifact. Janus followed and was similarly consumed. Drax saw Brent and his compatriots were dumbfounded by the vortex so he rose up and jumped back and disarmed Brent by pushing up his gun hand and punching him in the face then head-butting Jeremy and performing a roundhouse kick to Jonathan in one swift motion and all three men dropped to the ground. Satyr and Elizabeth ran through the door and up the extended stairwell created by the levitating balcony. They saw the melee and prepared to fight as they approached Drax. Drax grabbed his weapon and turned to his trio of friends and threw himself on them holding them all in a big group hug as the balcony rose up and they were all within two feet of the vortex and vanished transforming into balls of light vibrating at their core and within nanoseconds were sucked in instantaneously into the vortex. The balcony stopped extending at that point and the vortex vanished. The rain fell onto the empty balcony. The Time Stone remained embedded in the large alter. The central five orbed circular symbol within the time stone glistened brightly in the moonlight.

  CHAPTER 68

  Time Period: 2,620 BC, Egypt, 3rd Dynasty, Old Kingdom

  The blue skies over the vast desert terrain in the land of Egypt were intensified by the piercing hot sun over the small encampment covered with camel skin and rawhide. The Pharaohs' court was almost empty on the eve of the sacred holiday of the sun god. In preparation, Silas Sanction was waiting for the deliveries of the sacred fruit to come. He sat in the Queen’s chamber while his apprentice entered the chamber and sat beside him resting a platter of decorations.