The Time Stone

by Jeffrey Estrella

  “I was in jail” adds James.

  “Oh right. Well the Machination went to great lengths to cover it up after the first occupant was killed during an exhibition accident. Basically it disassembles matter at the sub molecular level and transfers it through a material stream of sub temporal spatial energy that then takes it through a semi-spatial tear sort of like a vacuum to another place.”

  “Sort of like the Time Stone?” Mercedes asked.

  “Yes but slightly different. The Time Stone was meant for longer trips or short ones but through time and space. The teleportation pad focuses on one aspect of that, the trip through space at short distances.” Drax explains.

  “So what can we do with this?” Asked James.

  “Well, we can set it to take us anywhere within distance of its programmed range, usually one hundred miles or so.” Responded Drax. He steps towards the pedestal and climbs the stairs onto the platform with the pod and he steps into it.

  “Wait, what about us?” Asks Mercedes.

  “Just do what I do.” Drax said. He pressed a series of buttons on the command console inside the pod. A series of keys connected to a small display that blinked on and read out a code sequence in strange symbols. He pressed the main switch, a red button in the center and the pod covered with dead leaves and dirt began to spin around him and the lights converged on it forming around him but then stopped and the spinning also stopped. The lights ceased and did not even turn on above them anymore. Drax stepped out with a disappointed grin.

  “What happened?” Asked James.

  “I think it’s broken.”

  “You broke it?” Asked Mercedes.

  “No, the power source was almost depleted and my use finished draining the battery as it was clearly not enough to fulfill one cycle, let alone three.” “So much for that plan” adds James.

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Inside the cabin, Tina awakens to staring at a large figure with long hollow wings and eyes and face like a fly, curved and hairy black arms and legs with the torso of a well-developed muscular man. The fly creature stood eight feet upright in the cabin wearing animal skin pants and shoes. The creature made a noise like a fly and flapped its wings gently.

  “Oh my God” said Tina as she stared at him in the center of the room. A series of candles were lit in the far end of the room by the window and surrounding them, gold artifacts and figurines of various cultures adorned the walls and falling apart wooden furniture in the quaint cabin environment. Tina got up and pushed up the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

  “Don’t be alarmed my child” said an elderly man. Tina turned and saw a seated man with a long grey beard, mustache, and silky but dirty white long hair, his smile one of innocence as he calmly gripped his walking stick before him. “Hello. I am Howard Kowolski, physicist and scientist extraordinaire.” He spoke with an increasing voice of confidence and ineptness.

  “Hi,” said Tina with a crinkle in her voice as she approached him but keeping her eye on the fly creature behind her as she found herself between the two.

  “I know this must be difficult for you to understand but we are not your enemies. We know all about you Tina Prescott and we know you have travelled a very long distance to be here.”

  “How did you know who I am?” she asked.

  “We met before… but from your perspective, it has not happened yet and from my perspective it was several decades ago.” “Here” Kowalski reached for a piece of paper in an old cabinet, retrieved an even older letter, and handed it to Tina.

  “What is this?” she opened up the yellow decayed piece of paper with barely legible faded writing. She squinted and saw a map of the area, including the dark woods, something she saw called the cavern of lights, and the great island all identified in plain English.

  “You need to get up to the cavern of lights. To fly is the only way. There are a lot of mysterious creatures there.”

  “Why are you giving this to me?”

  “I have thought a lot about various things since we last met …let’s just say I was inspired by our last conversation.”

  “The one I haven’t had yet?”

  “Exactly child, you must begin to think fourth dimensionally about everything. Einstein himself said the greatest experiences we can have experienced in life are the ones with the mysterious and then there are more mysteries in the world yet to be uncovered. I devoted my life to concept of time and finding the time stone. I believe the world may change for the better if not in the future then in the past, after all you have discovered the time stone, a legend in and of itself.”

  “What do you know about the time stone?” she asked.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “Mr. Drax, what exactly does the Time Stone have to do with all these beasts?” Asked Mercedes as the trio walked through the dark woods.

  “Well it’s very complicated but it was part of a very big and very secretive project.”

  “A project of the Machination?” Asked James.

  “Yes. We were trying to harness energy from what is called the Spatial-Temporal EM anion-axis grid. It is kind of an invisible energy surge that surrounds the planet at all times and is basically responsible for keeping things in harmony and it often times develops gaps that can be plugged into with various frequencies like a radio. In ancient times, this grid was personified as the Gods of various cultures and we figured out that it’s more of a living thing and that the planet draws power from it that is directly influenced by the sun.” Drax said.

  “Cool, tell us more OK?” Asked Mercedes.

  “Yeah, you don’t really know the half of it. So anyway we were able to build a device to achieve the energy conversion particles similar to the teleportation mechanism in that pad, like the one we had in our own time and which we believe existed in the past from an advanced civilization, probably the creators of the Time Stone itself. This device punctured a hole in the space-time continuum and let loose the first beast, a multithreaded dragon-like creature that identified herself as the guardian and told us that we have awakened them. These beasts are unfeeling for the most part and attack without provocation. They lack all humanity because they are not human, or at least it is what I thought. Anyway, this hole was actually a conduit, a bridge to another universe, part of a multiverse. The beasts’ hole was never investigated to find out where they originated but their beast universe kept sending more and more until it was out of control and soon they were flooding the lab. The only way was to use the ancient relic we discovered in Brazil representing the ancient Sunstone of the Mesoamerican cultures and the Time Stone itself to send them off into the void but I don’t think we realized the drastic effect it would have on each time they landed in. It was reckless plus I noticed some of the beasts show human qualities like compassion, love, and generosity. They are not all bad. I learned that labeling them as such was wrong. That is why I could not withstand the Machination much longer. They had an inner corruption to destroy what doesn’t agree with their collective wisdom. They steal ideas and salvage technology for their own benefit.”

  “Wow” said Mercedes.

  “So what now?” Asked James.

  “We try to get back to our own time, to 2012 and stop what we know will happen as evidenced by your vision confirming the disasters we saw here assuming the explosion in James’ vision is linked to the Machination experiment. It is a good assumption.” Said Drax to James.

  “Indeed” James and Mercedes nodded in agreement to him.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Tina apprehensively backed away in awe from Kowolski and the fly creature. Separated from her friends, she felt anxious in the surroundings of people who claimed to know her but whom she never met.

  “Kowolski?”

  “Yes, my c
hild. The time stone is something I have been looking into pretty much all my life. I know that you have been using the time stone and what I know is apparently a lot. I have found out a great deal. What I have found is astonishing. Basically the time stone emits quantum kapto metaphasic kinetic energy and exists in each time period as a focal point. The time stone stores this energy in each time forming a parallax and a continuum links them. They in turn harmonize the elements in the infinity domain between worlds of our metaverse. In the wrong hands, you are looking at a very powerful weapon capable of causing a catastrophic chain reaction throughout all of space time. While I still don’t understand the mechanism that this energy uses to open the temporal wormhole or cause its other attributes….” Kowolski stopped suddenly looking at Tina’s dumbfounded expression on her face. “That is the light bearing traversable conduit you use to travel in between time periods.”

  “Ah” she nodded in understanding.

  “I am certain of this: you must be very careful as thought and energy are one in the vortex and once you pass the event horizon, you are reorganized from matter to energy.”

  “You know a lot.”

  “I know I have used it from time to time and seen it in others, including you.”

  “Huh?”

  Kowolski broke out in a horrific mix of loud coughs and delirious laughter. “Another time paradox indeed.”

  “Senile old man” Tina whispered to herself shaking her head. “And we met!?!Who are you guys, really?” Asked Tina looking towards the large winged creature.

  “We are the Protectors.” Said Kowolski as the large fly creature stood at attention without uttering a sound.

  “Huh?”

  “Well, there are those who focus on righting wrongs as they see them. Have you ever wondered why the world appears so random and how events always work out? It has been by design. I lead a group of beasts like this young one who have decided long ago that it is best to do right and act chivalrous and true above all else otherwise there really is no point of living is there?”

  “But sometimes you have to do what may not seem right to overcome something of great necessity” said Tina choosing her words carefully in the philosophical.

  “That is your belief. Not ours. We would rather die than surrender our beliefs in acting righteous and without hesitation even in the face of insurmountable odds.”

  “And this group, they have always existed?” Tina asked.

  “As far back as time and memory can take us! They were cloaked in legend and myth once upon a time, revered as titans of fear and ridicule, changing over time to be more melodramatic, demigods if you will from various cultures across the globe and then remained in secret societies for several centuries. There are plagues and curses by those in the prophetic community linking references to various external sources such as the book of exodus, the I-Ching, the ancient Mayan codex, etc, etc. Organizations hidden in secrecy like the Illuminati, the Council of 12, the Knights Templar, the Armageddon ones, the legends go on and on but none compare in secret to those hidden in time that battle the forces of darkness both destined to rise again. But they remained by one name and one name only, the Retribution. Ultimately, they rested here after the great conflict they were forced out and fought alongside the allied forces but now there are none left, only the evil ones that the central apex who await the slaughter of the Retribution beasts and the rest of humanity.”

  “You seem to want me to believe that there exists a very real group of legendary and mythical entities that seek to save individuals from their worst fears while simultaneously covering up the truth of their existence?”

  “That’s right! For the protection of the world and freedom. “

  “Wow!”

  “So we know you are going after the Dark Star and we will assist you.” Kowolski said.

  “How?” Tina asked.

  “The only way to the cavern of lights is to soar above the clouds. The winds are far too arduous for straight passage up the mountainside.” Kowolski finished his thought and then the fly creature flapped its wings in multiple directions making a faint buzzing sound growing louder and louder as he hovered off of the ground and flew around in spirals above the wooden floor of the small room. “Remember, we live in the present only a short time and dream of what the future has in store for us but we ultimately learn our most eternal and wisest truths not from the future but from our past. Let the past guide you on this journey into it.” Said Kowolski as the fly man grabbed Tina by the waist with both hands outstretched.

  “Whoa, wait” said Tina.

  “There is no time. You must act now or the prophecies will not be complete and all is lost. Go now” said Kowolski as the creature lifted Tina up into the air.

  “What about you?” Screamed Tina as the creature lifted her upward.

  “Take this” said Kowolski throwing up a small handheld device with a screen. “Alvin will take you as far as the entranceway.” Yelled Kowolski. Tina caught it and tucked it in her pants. “Good luck” yelled Kowolski as the fly creature Alvin and Tina flew off out of the smoke stacked chimney of the old cabin and into the night dark forest sky.

  Drax, Mercedes, and James stopped at a clearing after hiking several miles in and through the dark forest.

  “Mr. Drax” yelled Mercedes. “What are we going to do about this dark star? We have no clue where it is or how to find it?”

  “Yeah” chimed in James “we have been walking for hours already. I am so beat; I can fall asleep on this log.”

  “Wait” Drax pulled James by the arm as James was about to collapse on what he thought was a log but it slithered away when sensing their sudden movement.

  “Holy crap, was that like an anaconda or something?” James asked.

  “Boa constrictor, good thing you didn’t lay down on that ‘log’” said Drax as he fiddled with his wrist device trying to reprogram it. “I think there is a way to get to the caves up there quicker. My scans show a heavy energy reading. It could be the location of this Dark Star or something like it. I have been seeing the same recurring light patterns up there and think it may be the source of the power for this ‘dark star’ weapon.”

  “Wow, you are attentive” said Mercedes.

  “It was my job, kid” Drax fiddled with the controls some more until it finally lit up. “Eureka” he yelled “fate smiles upon us” as he moved the small joystick on his wrist device and waited.

  “What are you doing now?” Asked Mercedes.

  James yawned.

  “I am getting us a ride.” Said Drax smiling. Within seconds they heard a sound like a small airplane buzzing nearby and a high pitched hum and it got louder and louder. Within seconds lights emerged from the dark woods and they saw a small vehicle approaching hovering and slowly landing in the clearing beside them after slowly maneuvering towards them, the bottom completely lit and extending to the surrounding parts of the chassis. The car was faded with rust covering the once red shining metals and sleek ergonomic design of the chassis.

  “A car? Looks like a Maserati” Said James.

  “Covered in rust” said Mercedes.

  “Actually it’s a Lamborghini 5000, very limited edition experimental prototype.” Said Drax. “It has been hidden in a secret location for I guess several centuries but it could use a wash” he grimaced looking at the rust and decay, wear and tear of the elements taking its toll on the car’s exterior experience. “At least it still works” he uttered.

  “How did you do this?” Asked Mercedes shocked at the sight of it.

  “It was part of a mission I was on in 2012 and when the Machination R&D department invests in something, it invests. The half-life on the solution for most of our technology is over ten thousand years so I figured this thing must still be around somewhere in this time period and if I could just get my wrist remote to work with the proper frequency, I could summon it here for us.” Drax said.

  “I thought you said you were cut off from the Machination.” Said J
ames.

  “I was but who’s to say they even exist in this time period. I was able to access the old intelligence super mainframe of the Greets RD, I guess I could add computer hacker to my resume” laughed Drax as he opened the doors to the car simultaneously with his wrist remote. “I guess now I will be seeking a new job” said Drax jokingly.

  “I’d hire you” smiled Mercedes.

  “You couldn’t afford me, Kid.” He got into the driver’s seat and pressed the dashboard console lighting up several key commands causing a yellow light window to appear on the windshield as the top slowly disassembled itself piece by piece with a robotic noise and vanished.

  “What’s that?” Asked Mercedes curiously.

  “It’s holographic.” Said Drax reaching over to the glove box and waving his hand over the windshield changing the display to different schematics and maps. The compartment expanded outward and slid up. Drax pulled out a single black glove with wiring around it and bumps and spikes protruding it. He slid it on his left hand. “Oh, fits like a glove” he joked.

  “What is that for? Some kind of metallurgic transformation?” Asked Mercedes as she sat beside Drax in the passenger seat and James squeezed into the back nearly falling asleep.

  “I am impressed.” Drax said.

  “I’m a scientist, remember?” Mercedes smiled. “And this glove?” She picked up a black piece of cloth with metal and diamonds covering it.

  “It’s called a Elfin Glove” Drax said as he took it and put it on his right hand then holding out his gloved hand over the windshield as he stood in the topless vehicle. He squeezed something inside it and the entire palm of his hand lit up with hot white energy and fired a projectile beam of concentrated light particles together in a single blast of a brilliant flash of light simultaneously obliterating the burned trees before them stretching out and making a clear path for miles ahead.

  “Oh my God” yelled Mercedes.

  “Awesome” yelled James wide awake now, “I want one.”

  “That’s what I call a driving glove.” Said Drax. “You’re not the only one with super powers, James.”