The Time Stone

by Jeffrey Estrella

  “I can’t fight this thing” said Drax pulling upward on the steering column as he tried to accelerate faster.

  “I got it” James waved his right hand and struck at the respirator on the creature’s face sending him flying backward and downward into the valley below with a horrific crash.

  The momentum sent the scorpion car flying in the opposite direction with the occupants letting out a pair of terrifying screams. The vehicle flung to the side as Drax gained control of the wheel and maneuvered it about barely missing striking the end of the citadel’s left towers walls. They zoomed forward and around towards the citadel’s main structure but a red light started beeping on the main console as the back was continuing to lag.

  “Uh oh” said Drax.

  “What’s wrong?” Asked Tina.

  “The lateral thrust is off, damaged. I can’t get the car back up.” Drax yelled in response.

  “We can’t make it to the top of the citadel without it?” Asked Mercedes screaming over the roar of the wind.

  “I’m afraid not” Drax yelled back.

  “Keep pushing it to the max” yelled James, “I got it from here” he waved his hands over the back of the vehicle and it slowly began an ascent lifting upward.

  “Cool” said Drax as he steadied the vehicle moving it forward and accelerating. Now with James’ steady hand, the scorpion car was climbing upward past the citadel towers to the balcony just a few feet short of the central apex. Drax started to put the car in neutral as James leveled it from the back end with his powerful hands. “Get the dark star” said Drax.

  Mercedes reached for it as the car approaches three figures resting in the balcony of the citadel’s central apex. “What is this?” Said one of the three figure heads in a French accent.

  “Justice” yelled Tina as they leveled the car right over the balcony several meters away and Mercedes held the curved iron-like rod and fired it. A hot white projectile spiked forward as a ream of energy emanated from the device and bolted towards the citadel fizzling upon contact with the orange light shielding and sending electric shocks throughout the barrier surrounding the entire complex. The barrier then neutralized in a flash of whirling light causing the bolt to strike the citadel itself, brick and mortar, the flashes of electrical light zoomed upward toward the apex and down covering the entire building, and sent it crumbling downward from the apex to the ground below. Drax drove the scorpion car downward and around the citadel spiraling with it as it’s debris came crumbling downward into the valley below and as the car approached the ground with the falling structure, the residual bolt of energy flung itself rapidly away from the falling remains of the citadel as Tina notices it was about to strike them and she turns the Time Stone and opens the vortex, the bolt passes through to another side and the vortex fades.

  “That was close” said Tina looking back. Drax pulled up on the wheel and with James’ powers lending a hand, flung the car forward away from the complex and back to the battlefield starting to dissipate with the victors in hand as the rebels raised their weapons high in the air having overcome, taking the remaining beasts’ prisoner. “We did it” yelled Tina hugging her small crew. Drax smiled as he fist pumped his hand in the air.

  “Looks like it worked out” said Mercedes.

  “At what cost?” Asked James rhetorically but smiling a bit.

  “Yes!!!” Alana yelled to Daryl as she raised her fist in midair smiling towards the scorpion car passing overhead zooming away into the night sky.

  “Looks like the time stone is glowing” said Mercedes.

  “We’re ready to go” said Tina.

  “Do it!” Said Drax.

  Mercedes held out the time stone as the five orbs began to glow brightly and turned it causing the hazing beam of yellow whirling light to emanate and emit the vortex they were growing accustomed to.

  “Where to now?” Screamed Tina.

  “Where the wind takes us!” Said James as the scorpion car approached the vortex, transformed to a ball of yellow electrical energy as it was almost instantaneously sucked in. The gate fizzled a little and split the ball of energy into two sending them in two opposite directions.

  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.
<
br />   “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 i
n 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.

  “Next, madam princess” said a largely shaped sharp tongued man “we have a special surprise, prime and ready for a proper execution. They are those who dared to wallow in the royal rose bushes, trespassers who have admitted quite insanely that they fell from the future.” He moves out of the way as three knights with full helmeted armor and lance push in bound captives Mercedes and James. Their hands tied behind their backs and mouths gagged the duo look fearful at the pointed blades before them and the suspicious new surroundings. James wallows in doubt and self-pity seeing the luxurious looking throne room and then stops dead in his tracks as his fear escaped him when he saw the princess on the throne.

  “Celia” he thought. “It’s her. I would remember that face as long as I live.” The muffled screams of the duo caused the princess to feel sorry for them and ordered them ungagged with a strike of her hand. The guards complied. “Celia!!!” Yelled James.

  She looked at him oddly, “how do you know my name?”

  “We met… sort of. We’re from the future, over a thousand years from now. We know about everything you did or will do.”

  “James, she doesn’t know what you’re talking about” whispered Mercedes.