The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)

Time: 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 Pharaoh’s court is almost empty on the eve of the sacred holiday of the sun god. In preparation, Silas Sanction is waiting for the deliveries of the sacred fruit to come. He sits in the Queen’s chamber while his apprentice enters the chamber and sits beside him resting a platter of decorations.

“Well I sure am tired after the hike from the west side of the kingdom. The fruit will be here soon.”

“It better be because it will not be tolerated if late, but to be honest that is the least of the worries. Have you heard of the bloodless ones that are without mercy slaughtered?”

“There have been rude awakenings indeed in the farthest reaches of the kingdom. Some say the end of time is afoot, innocents killed without purpose and those that saw the victims were as pale as ashen soot and lifeless without hope. It is said that there is hand in the demons or under earth themselves.” He nodded in acquiescent horror. “Come now we must prepare for the festivities.” He rose to his feet, helped by his staunch comrade as they made their way to the court as the sun began to set. The festivities that night were everything he could have hoped for he thought that night, seated outside of his bed chamber in the side district looking up at the stars. He wondered often of other places beyond that which he called home, more specifically a vision of the perfect place and time beyond all truth.

“You have always has a vivid imagination.” A tall young woman came out of the darkness. “I missed you.”

“You should not speak of such ill-conceived things.” He turns to her. “Come sit and wait with me.”

“I think we need to be honest with ourselves, Saragin, and confront the Superior Chief about our needs.” She says.

“I have always valued your opinions my dearest one, but I cannot make such a request coming from a mere woman, it is simply not done.” He replies.

“You don’t have to tell him it is my idea.” She raised her eyebrows pointing out the obvious. “I mean who would know?”

“I would know” he looks at her with a high degree of sincere recognition and yet admonition.

“Whatever it may be, it is not for us to decide, but the will of Ra as does the dawn that brings us life and sustenance every day. You are the highest priest for the Pharaoh’s court, acolyte and all. Nothing is completely without possibility or…”

“We will speak no more of it, Hashilda…” He started, when suddenly a loud noise from outside disturbing their quiet conversation.

The sound of a thousand camel hooves stampeding simultaneously echoed in the distance. They veered outside and began to step out of their tent in the small circle of tents, when they were confronted by large scale winds and torrential sands being picked up heading in their direction, a glowing yellowish hot white light circling in the distance appeared to move in all directions at once shining like a fire from the bowels of Hell. They ran inside and avoided the sands coming toward them, but remained frightened in still prayer as it passed. Moments later, the sounds of winds and turbulence stops and they veered outside in utter horror as they saw the calm desert as it is once again and in the twilight of the dawning sun stands what is not there before, a young woman with a slightly tan complexion wearing a khaki colored pair of shorts, shirt with her sleeves rolled up her elbows, a sun hat, and small round glasses, her dark brown hair knotted in a ponytail behind her, and holding a brush with her right hand standing in shock herself as to what just transpired. Saragin and his wife Hashilda were in complete disarray in paralysis at the horror of seeing what was to them the impossible, under the dawning day.

The next hour in the central city, small, but growing with the regular nomadic commutes of the peasant class protruding together and individually throughout the markets set up in the local villas under one large square encampment over five thousand meters wide. A skeletal pyramidal structure rested in the center of the entire compound and appeared incomplete, but looming over the compound in the distance like a leviathan. The smell of dry bread and oily meats permeated the air and sounds of loud voices in early Egyptian dialects and the carting of livestock in small cages were heard throughout the square.

“What do you mean? I want two dozen for this.” Speaks one man in Egyptian, but is refuted with a courtesy of the world’s common universal sign of failure to seal a deal, absolute ignorance. The people wore long gowns of different varieties, colors, and trends adorned with gilded and silver decor were some, but others plain and simple, clean were some and others were dirty from neglect and abuse as a result of extreme poverty, representatives of the various classes of status apparent in the combined social circles. Members of the Pharaoh’s court wore a silver pin with a half crescent moon and five stars encrusted representing the dynamic reign of Pharaoh Riana. The rustle continues throughout the morning. Nearby in a small enclosure, Drax sticks his head out into the market arena and whiffs the gentle, but still dry heat air.

“I love hummus” he uttered, “too bad we have to keep a low profile.” He went back inside the tent and sits at a small unstable wooden bench with one on either side of the table before it. Tina, James, and Mercedes sit on the other end and look perplexed over everything that happened. They were wearing dirty brown long gowns similar to those worn by the local people, but even dirtier and fouler smelling than most, having picked them up from a discarded pile of clothes ready to be washed. They held cups made of wood with a hot liquid. A waitress and other persons wandered around the small enclosure keeping a wary eye on the sudden strangers, as the quartet converse quietly, trying to avoid too much attention.

“We couldn’t have stolen cleaner clothes? These reek.” commented Tina.

“Next time we’ll comparison shop,” joked Drax. “We need to figure things out little by little.” he clasped his hands on the table before him. “What do we have so far?” Drax asks.

“Not much.” says James shrugging.

“I’m sorry; I’m treating you guys like you’re trained agents. It’s just what I am used to. We value productivity above all else in my line of work. Time is our most valuable asset. I guess I have to stop thinking like I’m leading a staff meeting for a group of operatives.” He sighed.

“We are grateful for everything you did for us.” Says Mercedes, and James and Tina nodded in acknowledgment. “It just takes time to adapt to new things.”

“Yeah” James replies.

“Where are we anyway?” asks Tina.

“I believe the correct question is when we are?” replies Drax.

“We actually did it, again. The device made us travel through space and time. The Time Stone did it.” says James.

“Again?” asks Drax.

“Everything that happened back in the citadel is so strange. I still don’t get it all.” says Mercedes.

“Me neither.” adds James smiling.

“It’s complicated, but yeah, we went from the outskirts of Chronix Bay in 2012 to Egypt approximately 2020 BC.” Drax says.

“Ancient Egypt, how can you tell the exact time?” asks Tina.

“I check my watch.” Drax joked. “Seriously, the scenery and position of the sun are dead giveaways, but also the symbol on the pyramid structure up there is the same as the pins on many of the socialites in town. It is one of the early dynasties. It’s the dynasty of Pharaoh Riana to be exact. This is where the first people settled along the Nile Delta.” Drax says.

“We went back in time?” asks Tina shaking her head. “Just like when we were in Brazil and wound up in Chronix Bay.” she adds.

“Yes, I suppose” says Drax, “We were moved by virtue of the theory of time displacement, allowing for instantaneous fixation into the alien time stream no different than moving in an airplane to a new time zone, well maybe a little different.”

“You sure know a lot.” says James.

“I am trained to be prepared for everything.” Drax says confidently.

“Then why didn’t you anticipate what happened at the citadel?” asks Tina sarcastically.

“Well, almost everything.” Drax smiles in response as he sipped his tea. “We should get going. We got a lot of recon to do… That’s intelligence talk for getting our homework done. We need to find out more specifics about what happened and where Broad is, and most importantly, where the Time Stone is!”

“Yeah that’s true. They left the time stone on that balcony. I guess it is still there. I guess it will be. These damn past and present tenses.” Tina adds.

“It definitely exists here. Our research found out that little gem has been a part of our world’s history for over thirteen thousand years” Drax says.

“Wow that is pretty old.” says Tina.

“Yeah.” says Drax raising his eyebrows emphatically.