The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)
Chapter 82

A young policeman in uniform is walking down the street monitoring his beat and feeling confident, but yet struggling as one of the first African Americans to make it on the local Police Force. He knew there was a series of gruesome murders plaguing the country side and he was on patrol to monitor for suspicious activity in the old industrial part of town, now mostly abandoned. No one could explain how the victims died, puncture marks in their necks and completely devoid of blood as if something out of a horror movie attacked them and drank their blood. He sees some movement in an abandoned warehouse and goes over to investigate. What he sees is a secret meeting in the abandoned warehouse. As he peers through the window he is shocked that he sees a meeting between three men in black suits and hats who entered after leaving an unmarked black sedan parked outside. He is terrified when he sees them approach, a weird looking creature with long horns on the top of his head, a brown snout like a wildebeest, a pair of giant wings resembling those of a bat, dark long brown hair around his waist and down his backside and he is standing upright like a man on hooves with arched legs like a horse, and a tail like a pterodactyl.

“It’s a Satyr” he whispers as he nearly collapses at the sight of it, but hears a dialogue that shocks him.

“The killings have to stop because they are drawing too much attention to the project,” says one of the men in black as another quickly spoke after him, the three seeming to voice themselves in unison.

“There will be a coming soon so unnecessary attention is unwarranted.”

“We can obtain a substitute for your cravings, Satyr!”

“I have already looked. There is none! It isn’t worth it, guys. I must feed or I will not live to see the coming.” says Satyr.

“Then we will have to employ an alternative” then the three men appearing to speak with one voice, a dark and crinkled voice, a voice of evil emitting a strange shadowy odor of smoke. One removes a device from his jacket pocket and the others stare endlessly into the creature with beady eyes like coal, as if harbingers of a soulless machine needing all their concentration as one to make any movement possible and the movements are mechanical and artificial. The man with the device holds it up, a small silver cube with no markings and a smooth surface. The cube suddenly lights up with no indication of a lighting mechanism as if by the will of the three men staring into it, and its bluish aura appears shocking to Satyr as he curiously eyes it, but then realizes their plan is to subdue him, so he tries to escape by flying away. He doesn’t make it two feet off the ground when he realizes it’s too late and he is caught by a beam of light emanating in the blink of an eye from the device and enveloping itself around him. The threesome acted as one and restored the device to the pocket of the man on the far right and turned as one, as if joined together at their waists. They faced the cop peering in the window, and he jumped back as their pitch black small round eyes bored into him. He swore he saw a shadowy aura surround their lidless eyes if only for a moment. He had noticed their mouths, a small slit with no apparent lips and their nose a small orb with no point or curve.He knew they saw him and tried to run, but there is something about them which stops him from running away.In an instant he turns his head as he hears sirens approaching. When he turns his attention back to the warehouse window, he is amazed to see that they are all gone. He turns, feeling as if he is dreaming, as if he has been in another dimension. “Weird.” he said.

James sits with Tina on the stoop of an apartment complex in the meager community and waits.

“What are we waiting for Tina?” asks James.

“Drax says he needs to get something like a letter or postcard from someone in the post office here. He says he recognized one of the people there and Mercedes went with him because it’s best for us not to travel alone in this environment. I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Yeah” he smirks wryly.

“Tina, I am thinking a lot lately about everything we have been through and what do you think it all means?” asks James.

“You mean like ‘meaning of life’?” Tina asks.

“Yeah” James exclaims in recognition. “Well, I grew up with the notion that we all have a mission to complete in life, a destiny!” “I wish I still believed that. After all the hardship and struggling we have been through, it is hard to believe in anything anymore.”

“I guess you need to have something to believe in sometimes, but it’s not always necessary,” Tina commented.

“I wish I could believe in something… I feel that there is nothing left to believe in,” says James.

“Do you have to?” Tina asks.

“I don’t know … It’s just, how we can think we’re doing the right thing? Are we really helping to make a difference or are we succumbing to every Satyr or other villain that is out there waiting and ready to take advantage. It just seems like it’s not worth it or is there another way?”

“Beats me” says Tina. “It’s like with me. I never had a real family. I lost my parents at a young age. I grew up in a boarding school, being abused all my life and they were the only family I have ever known, but it wasn’t really the same. It is artificial. No one to really care for me you know?”

“Yeah” James frowns looking at his friend.

“Now, being with you, Mercedes, and Milton, I think I am starting to feel like what a family is supposed to be like. You look out for one another above all else and have each other’s backs all the time. I finally know what it means to have a family, a real family.” She smiles.

“That’s good, but destiny-wise, I think that I forgot what it is that I started fighting for.” James says.

“Maybe that’s why we’re here. Maybe I’m here to remind you. We were put on this same path for a reason. It’s bigger than both of us.” Tina says.

“Sometimes, I feel I’m a rebel without any cause,” says James. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not like there is anything left in the world that is worth saving. And I feel so bad for thinking like that.”

“I don’t think you can be bad in any way. You’re too sweet and good. You were blessed with amazing powers and only used them to help those in need,” replies Tina wildly and passionately, as she reached out and gripped his hand. “James, there is hope in the shadows of doubt.”

“You’re getting philosophical on me?” James uttered.

“I can read you know,” she laughs forcing a brief smile from him. “I know love and friendship can be some things worth fighting for, otherwise I am clueless as to what is too.”

“There is this power I have and something is growing within me that I feel sometimes I cannot control or figure out a damn how it…I think it’s trying to break free and I am afraid I won’t be able to stop it or even want to.” James adds.

“Maybe you’re not supposed to or maybe it’s who you are really and what you’re meant to be.” Tina says and smiles.

“You think so?” asks James.

“You know what I think? I think that when you are ready to do what you were meant to do, you will do a great miracle. I know you have the potential to be really great. I know it because just believing in it is enough. After all, knowledge is power.”

He looks at her for a moment and smiles, but then frowns again. “Like I say, I don’t believe in anything anymore. I don’t even believe in myself.” James says, focused on his worries.

“It’s okay if you don’t believe in yourself right now,” she smiles after a long pause, “because I do.”

“Maybe I am wrong….” James says looking at the skies above. “You know which the better time is?” asks James.

“What?” Tina asks.

“The next time” says James. “Let’s go!” They got up and headed out towards the post office at the center of town.

At the post office, Drax nodded to a man with a postal uniform and strange mustache that stretched out like whiskers on a raccoon.

“Thank you,” He says, as he takes the letter from the man, who scurries off.

“What’s that?” asks Mercedes.

“Something from an old friend, when I recognized this friend of mine who works for the postal service, I put it together that it’s no accident we’re here.” Drax says.

“What do you mean?” Mercedes asks.

“Remember when I explained about experiments by the machination with human and beast DNA?” Drax asks.

“Yeah” Mercedes replies.

“Well, the experiments were also with time travel to pre-war periods of isolation. Some operatives from the more successful experiments were sent here when a hole in time erupted by accident. Some of the agency’s original team existed here, even if later went elsewhere, but others were back in the late nineteenth century, 1880 to be exact.” Drax says.

“How do you know that?” Mercedes asks.

“Because they reached out to us by leaving letters for long periods of time in the post office, like this one…” he held the letter up. “In short, we aren’t the only ones in this century who are from the future!”

“Who else could there be?” She asks.

“The other agents, including our old counterpart, Broad Staffnight and the team that disappeared that night from the Magnitude fortress for starters also are trapped in time.”

“The chanting in the citadel that rainy night?” asks Tina rhetorically as she and James walks up to their friends.

“Exactly” says Drax.

“And where there is Broad there is a Satyr?” Mercedes asks.

“Indeed,” says Drax. “They want the time stone and they have killed for it and would stop at nothing to obtain its ultimate power that the ancient peoples of the Yucatan worshipped as the source of divine power and control over the entire world in all of time, the key to time travel.” They walk out of the post office together.

“Did you get what you were after in there?” asks James.

“Yes, this is it.” Drax says.

“Is that all, a lousy letter?” asks Tina.

“Not just any letter” says Mercedes “a message through time.”

“Ooh…saucy” says Tina.

“But Drax, don’t you already know what it is if it is received in the future?” asks Mercedes.

“I was not privy to all of them” says Drax.

“Aren’t we altering history by taking the letter now?” Mercedes asks.

“Maybe, but maybe we are supposed to take it. Causality and fate are complex structures” says Drax.

“So what should we do?” asks James.

“We send our own letter” says Drax.

“Just open it” says Tina eagerly.

“OK.” He tears open the envelope and from within it, he unleashes a piece of paper with strange writing on it in some foreign language he does not recognize. “This is not familiar to me” says Drax.

“What could it be?” asks Mercedes.

James reached out and touched it and felt his mind turns inward and he saw a vision of the entire universe again then an image of a beast, one he has seen before and hated.

“Dear God” says James.

“What is it?” asks Tina, “What did you see?”

“Satyr” says James.

“He could have sent the note?” asks Tina.

“That cannot be” says Drax.

“But it must be true if James has a vision from it!” says Mercedes. A mysterious figure lurks in the background watching them and pops out as they are talking. “Satyr” they say almost simultaneously as he stands before them, his appearance slightly different from what they were accustomed to, as if he is younger in age and with less pronounced hair and wingspan.

“Do I know you?” he asks.

“We’ve met in the future” says James.

“So the experiment has begun sending humans. How pitiful. How I simply despise your kind. And now I see you have obtained my letter meant for our forebears.” James takes out the time stone as Satyr is talking. “The eye of the Gods, it is the greatest treasure of all time.” The winged warrior danced around them, his eyes glistening with hunger. “I must have it. If you are from the future then you must know its pedigree and danger to behold it. There is more to it than even you know. If you care to look back in your inferior human intelligence and think of what it might cause for humanity and your existence” says Satyr with a hideous snarl.

“Let’s just say we’re old friends” says Tina “and he is the legendary holder of stones.”

“Friends with humans, never, I hate humans! It is more like enemies, but the holder, that is something, ha, ha, ha, a powerful being supposedly dedicated to the preservation of humanity against the insolence of evil. How can this mere hobo be the holder” Satyr snarled.

James angrily waved his free hand at a tree branch and it cracked open and went flying towards Satyr.

Satyr hovered up into the air and dodged it. “Impressive” he snarled at them. “What do you want dear holder?”

“We want to go back to our own time unharmed,” says Drax.

“That is not possible. The eye of the gods stays with me.”

“I don’t think so” says James.

“Hey Satyr boy”, says Tina.

“You know he’s not really a Satyr,” says Mercedes.

“Close enough.” shrugged Tina. She then turns to Satyr. “If you hate humans so much, why don’t you just eat me?” She screams. “I bet you don’t even know we have some things common. You don’t know what the future is going to hold and what good exists in loyalty and friendship.” she says.

“What are you yammering about?” Satyr snarled.

“We are meant to form a union and some things will happen that will be bad, but we will be strong together.” Tina argued.

“That is ridiculous. Humans are weak, inferior, imperfect.” Satyr yells.

“We are strong together.” Tina corrected.

“You conquer and destroy for your own personal gain; you don’t care about anyone but yourselves.” Satyr observed.

“You got us all wrong.” Tina says.

“Why should I trust your race?” Satyr inquired.

“Because we are the same race” Tina yells at the top of her lungs.

“What?” He gasped back.

“That’s right. Beasts from your universe were once human. You lived in a human world. Some mega mutant Meta virus or something transformed you all. You are living for hatred and intolerance of your own being!” Tina smirks.

“Satyr, have you ever heard of the legend, the prophecy of the warriors of the rainbow?” asks Drax.

“What?” Satyr asks.

“It is a story from native American legends that at some point in the future there would be great disaster, including greed, corruption, and filth of the earth, sky, and water caused by people and beasts alike. Then there would come out of the darkness those who would change the world for the better, offer cleaner ways of living and doing things, bringing shelter and hope and overcoming poverty, disease, hunger, war, and drought. They would be of every race, religion, color, creed, and lingo, and they would literally save the planet from annihilation, they are the warriors of the rainbow.”

“Yes,” says Mercedes. “We have seen the future and what is in store and it’s not pretty. Things have to start to change with us now and in all of time.”

“That is the way we can hope to truly breathe free” says James.

“You’re words are odd to me, but strangely familiar,” says Satyr calmly. “I do not fully understand, but I see there is hope.” Satyr says.

“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 that in the year 2012, things might work out differently.” Drax says.

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

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

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

“Who are you?” asks Drax angrily.

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

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

“What’s your name, kid?” asks Drax.

“I am not a boy, OK. My name is T Bone, I mean Officer Tyrone Borgegous.”

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

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

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

“A what, man, just keep your hands up and spread ’em.”

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

“Man, I ain’t falling for that one” T-Bone laughs as Satyr came around and came crashing down on top of him sending him face down to the ground. Satyr pounced up and is 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 turns around and sees the full-blooded beast about to land on him with a ferocious grin. Then James screams “No!” and waved his hands unleashing another tree branch towards Satyr striking him in the chest and pushing him back and away.

“You again” says T-Bone getting up.

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

“Damn” says Satyr flying off.

“The four ran over to T Bone.

“Are you OK?” asks Tina.

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

“You’re welcome” says James.

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

“Huh?” asks T-Bone.

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

“That thing, I saw some conversation between him and three dudes in black in a warehouse over on Port Street. I thought it is 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?” asks Tina.

“Sure, but they’re 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 mechanical equipment was collecting dust, and old crates were unused and growing mold, while cobwebs adorned the ceiling and floors. “See, they left.”

“The men in dark suits were pale looking with beady eyes?” asks Drax.

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

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

“No sweat.”

“Hey,” says James looking at the time stone, “It’s glowing again, and 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 70 years. It must read…. “

“Give peace a chance!” screams Tina.

“Love is the way.” says Mercedes.

“We are all one.” says James.

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

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

“Trust me” says Drax looking into his eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Aw, same here buddy” says 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?” asks Drax.

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

“Thanks” replies Drax.

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

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

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