The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)

The entrance to the dark woods resembled a “major motion picture horror” as Tina observed. The screeching of nocturnal creatures is dwarfed by the sound of strong winds in the charred remains of old tree barks, branches, and dirt floors smelling of burnt ash and fiery debris. The quartet wandered into the woods with their backpacks filled with food staples, water, and the various items of equipment given to them by their new allies, including light energy projectile weapons.

“I wonder what we can expect in here?” says James.

“We got to expect the unexpected as we have been doing.” adds Tina.

“I wonder why they didn’t come with us.” says Mercedes referring back to Alana and Daryl.

“They took us as far as the outskirts of the dark woods. They have to prepare for the defense of the village,” says Drax. “But it won’t be much of one unless we can find this ‘Dark Star’.”

“We sure have a knack of getting ourselves into some serious situations” says James.

“We were born adventurers” smiles Tina.

“We should focus on the task at hand. Let’s get to the cave at the end of the woods like Alana told us and start there. We should find something. And even if we don’t find this ‘Dark Star’ we might learn more about what it is that causes these ‘jumps’ and where the time stone sends us, is it random or some rhyme or reason to it, after all we could be on a mission of exploration and journeying to expand our horizons too, just so happens we also have to be called on to save the human race on occasion.” James smirks.

“It is not new stuff to me.” Tina adds.

“All of us are. Just how I wanted to start my new career as an ancient relic hunter,” says Mercedes.

The quartet activated their flashlight projectile beacons flashing several beams of hot white light into the dark woods and wandered into the woods to start their quest.

As the foursome approach a small cabin several miles into the trek of the woods, they stop and look at the run-down wooden structure. They could tell that it was obviously made long after the fiery inferno that charred this forest. The wooden walls were decayed with mold and beginning to crumble slightly. There was a small candle whose light is faint and dying in the small clouded and dirty window of the cabin.

“Who do you suppose lives there?” asks Tina.

“Maybe it’s the crazy old man Kowalski. From what Alana tells me, he has got to be over one hundred and two years old by now. He can’t still be alive can he?” asks Mercedes.

“My grandfather lived to be 102, what’s wrong with that?” asks James.

“Oh nothing” Mercedes says sheepishly.

“Come on,” says Drax eyeing the cabin and walking forth steadfastly. “Let’s go.” Suddenly a large figure emerged from a single flash of yellow swirling light that instantly appeared and vanished out of nowhere in the hot white light that is piercing the darkness. The form was a seven foot creature with long pointed ears, a pale complexion, and fangs as it reared its head above them with a sinister roar.

“It’s a vampire,” screams Mercedes.

“No, it’s a beast.” says Drax putting his fists together and swinging at the torso area striking a blow that bent the creature over and knocked it to the ground. Tina ran up to it to grab it’s arm, but it quickly revived itself and swung itself knocking her far into the woods near the cabin, which caused her to hit her head on a tree limb and lie there unconscious. James waved his hands before a tree attracting the limbs causing them to break off and then fly towards them and then boomerang towards the creature’s head knocking it to the ground rendering it unconscious. After that, another similar creature jumped out and swung at James knocking him to the ground. He quickly rose and tried to use his powers again, but they were soon surrounded by four creatures as three more joined their friend. “We are outnumbered!” says Drax. The three moved around ducking blows and barely getting knocked out. James waved his hands trying to summon more broken branches, but as the branches flung towards one of the creatures, it maneuvered itself and dodged them. Two of the creatures grabbed James from behind and subdued him. Mercedes kicked one of the creatures who tried to rush towards her, but is pushed back herself. Drax picked up a branch and struck one of the creatures holding James and as James broke free, he ran off with his colleagues as Drax saw a sudden opening, and in the haste of conflict they ran off further towards the vast unknown expanse of the dark woods away from the creatures that departed off in their various directions, their roars heard in the distance. Tina remained lying unconscious on the dirt floor. A shadowy form stands over her after the creatures have departed, ominously looking down.

Drax, James, and Mercedes ran as fast as they could through the dark woods and made it over a mile across the large tract of land. They stop to catch their breaths at a clearing.

“That was close,” says Mercedes.

“What were those things?” asks James.

“Beasts …” Drax says.

“But they seemed stronger somehow and more advanced like with some weird bumps on their bodies and additional speed, agility, and…” says Mercedes.

“They were definitely more resilient.” says Drax.

“Where is Tina?” asks James.

“She must have been dropped.” says Drax.

“We have to go back for her!” James screams with an overprotective voice as he tried to run back, but Drax grabbed him.

“You don’t even know where they are or how far away or if she is even still alive. You go back there and you will get yourself killed.” Drax lectured James.

“We have to help her.” says James screaming struggling free.

“We can’t!” exclaims Drax.

“What’s that?” asks Mercedes pointing to a glowing series of lights in the distance. The two men turn to look and saw glowing lights representing all colors of the rainbow spectrum, brightly illuminating the dark woods in the distance as a single beacon of light besides their individual flashlights. The beacon glistened brightly as they stand mesmerized by it and approached it slowly like brainwashed zombies following a lure to their subconscious. As they approached, it became clear it is more than a random phenomenon of lights ,but an object that stands several dozen meters high and about half a dozen meters wide. It has a circular shape made of some type of stone metallurgy that they have never seen before. It has several circular layers of platforms each smaller than the last and each almost hovering on top of the other one below it. They are separated by thin line connectors that extend down to a central tower that extended higher and higher, with rings around it like a giant water fountain, growing thinner until it reached its apex and extended outward to encompass another series of circular layers starting with the smallest and connecting to each subsequent layer larger than the last until it has a larger circular layer somewhat smaller than the main one on the bottom series. The top and bottom layers have light bearing circuitry that caused the rainbow lights to increase and dim slowly in turn. The center has a pod that looks like it could fit a person standing upright. Its power aura of rainbow colored lights surrounded the pod and created an image of a person standing in it which faded and recurred again. A slight hum came from the center of the device as it vibrated with lights.

“Wow, it’s amazing,” says Mercedes. “But what is it?” asks Drax.

“I thought you were the expert.” says James with a smirk.

“It looks almost like a teleportation pad… I haven’t seen one in years… from our own time of course,” says Drax.

“They have these in our time?” asks Mercedes.

“It misclassified at the top secret level by the government and only high ranking agents and Temporo, Inc. affiliates have clearance.”

“Like you?” She smirks asking.

“Of course, however, it was unveiled to the public in Chronix Bay in 2012. Weren’t you guys aware of it?”

“No I am not from Chronix Bay,” says Mercedes “and I don’t really own a television set or computer.

“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 asks.

“Yes, but slightly different. The Time Stone is 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?” asks James.

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

“Wait, what about us?” asks Mercedes.

“Just do what I do.” Drax says. He pressed a sequence 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 stops and the spinning also stops. The lights ceased and did not even turn on above them anymore. Drax stepped out with a disappointed grin.

“What happened?” asks James.

“I think it’s broken.”

“You broke it?” asks Mercedes.

“No, the power source is almost depleted and my use finished draining the battery as it is 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 stands 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,” says Tina as she stared at him in the center of the room. Several candles were lit at the far end of the room by the window, and surrounding them were gold artifacts and figurines of many cultures, and there was rickety wooden furniture in the quaint cabin. Tina got up and pushed up the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

“Don’t be alarmed my child,” says the voice of an elderly man. Tina turns 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 Kowalski, physicist and scientist extraordinaire.” He speaks with a confident voice.

“Hi,” says 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 asks.

“We met before… but from your perspective, it has not happened yet. 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 opens 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 am 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 that there are more mysteries in the world yet to be uncovered. I devoted my life to concepts 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 asks.

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

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

“A project of the Machination?” asks 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. It often times develops gaps that can be plugged into with various frequencies like a radio. In ancient times, this grid is 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 says.

“Cool, tell us more OK?” asks 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 multi-headed dragon-like creature that identified herself as the Guardian, and told us that we had 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 is 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 is out of control and soon they were flooding the lab. The only way is 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 of them when they landed in other times. It is 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 is wrong. That is why I could not stand the Machination much longer. They have an inner corruption to destroy what doesn’t agree with their collective wisdom. They steal ideas and salvage technology for their own benefit.”

“Wow,” says Mercedes.

“So what do we do now?” James asks.

“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.” says Drax to James.

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

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

“Kowalski?” she asks.

“Yes, my child. 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 metaphysic kinetic energy and exists in each Time as a focal point. The time stone stores this energy in each time forming a parallax and a continuum which links them. They in turn harmonize the elements in the infinity domain between worlds of our met averse. 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 to cause the other attributes of the time stone’s nature, I have found it to be a source of great urgency and prowess. The Time Stone’s creators were indeed advanced and ominous to say the least….” Kowalski stops suddenly looking at Tina’s dumbfounded expression. “That is the light bearing traversable conduit you use to travel in between Times.”

“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?”

Kowalski broke out in a loud mix of coughing and delirious laughter, “Another time paradox indeed.”

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

“We are the Protectors.” Says Kowalski as the large fly creature stands 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 generally work out? It has been by design. I lead a group of beasts like this young one who 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, says Tina choosing her words carefully, philosophically.

“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 asks.

“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 secrecy to those hidden in time that battle the forces of darkness both destined to rise again, but they were known by one name and one name only, the Retribution. Ultimately, they rested here, but after the great conflict they were forced out and fought alongside the allied forces, but now there are none left, only the evil ones 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.” Kowalski says.

“How?” asks Tina.

“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.” Kowalski 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.” Says Kowalski as the fly man grabbed Tina by the waist with both hands outstretched.

“Whoa, wait!” says Tina.

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

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

“Take this” says Kowalski throwing up a small handheld device with a screen. “Alvin will take you as far as the entrance,” yells Kowalski. Tina caught it and tucked it in her pants. “Good luck,” he yells, 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 stop at a clearing after hiking several miles in and through the dark forest.

“Mr. Drax” yells 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 pulls James by the arm. James is about to collapse on what he thought was a log, but it slithered away when sensing his movement.

“Holy crap, is that like an anaconda or something?” James asks.

“Boa constrictor, good thing you didn’t lay down on that ‘log’” says 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” says Mercedes.

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

“What are you doing now?” asks Mercedes.

James yawned.

“I am getting us a ride” says Drax smiling. Within seconds they hear a sound like a small airplane buzzing nearby with a high pitched hum which 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 is faded with rust covering the once red shining metals and sleek ergonomic design of the chassis.

“A car, looks like a Maserati,” says James.

“Covered in rust” says Mercedes.

“Actually it’s a Lamborghini 5000, very limited edition experimental prototype” says Drax. “It has been hidden in a secret location for I guess several decades, but it could use a wash,” he grimaces 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?” Asks Mercedes shocked at the sight of it.

“It is 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 and if I could just get my wrist remote to work with the proper frequency, I could summon it here for us.” Drax says.

“I thought you said you were cut off from the Machination.” says James.

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

“I’d hire you.” smiles Mercedes.

“You couldn’t afford me, Kid.” He got into the driver’s seat and pressed the dashboard console lighting up several key commands and 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?” asks Mercedes curiously.

“It is holographic.” says 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 pulls 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?” asks Mercedes as she sits beside Drax in the passenger seat and James squeezed into the back nearly falling asleep.

“I am impressed.” Drax says.

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

“It’s called an Elfin Glove.” Drax says as he takes it and put it on his right hand then holding out his gloved hand over the windshield as he stands 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 light, obliterating the burned trees before them and making a clear path for miles ahead.

“Oh my God!” yells Mercedes.

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

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

“We finally have some real firepower here,” says Mercedes.

“And that isn’t all!” says Drax as he pressed a series of commands on the dashboard console appearing with a sliding motion before him revealing several buttons and screens. He pressed one red button and the front of the car split open into three directions the hood rising up before them and above them leaving room for viewing through the windshield, while the sides split sideways each parting to its own way and in the front a silver scorpion ensemble glowing bright orange with fierceness, as the hood of the car continues to rise up and join with the trunk rising upward further to form a curving metal tentacle like the tail of a scorpion.

“Wow!” screams Mercedes. The orange light intensified into the night sky and spiked sideways expanding to form a large projectile as if ready for launch and then it stops as Drax pressed another button.

“That’s just a taste of this baby’s firepower,” he says.

“This car has got weapons?” asks Mercedes.

“This car is the weapon.” replies Drax confidently.

“Amazing.” says Mercedes.

“Let’s go” says Drax as he sits back down, hits the controls of the car and puts both hands on the wheel, riding the vehicle forward with his comrades, and then upward, hovering into the night air, ready for what awaited them in what has been called the cavern of lights above the dark forest.

On the rocky terrain of the mountainside, there stands a fearsome creature amongst the dead blackened trees and stillness of night under the pale moonlight, a hideous roar bellowed through the trees as the lion-faced beast stands perched above the cliffs, his long fangs reeked of blood, his mane long to the tail of his spine, and his dark fur glowing with moisture from his perspiration. He wore a long leather hunter’s coat and fedora-like feathered hat, he held a bayonet, and wore boots that fitted up to his ankles with shining buckles matching that on his belt and tunic underneath the coat, the symbol a familiar one to anyone who matched horns with his brethren, the swirling coat of arms of the Culto de la piedra tiempo.

The giant fly man flew through the air with rapid velocity as he grasped Tina in his arms. “So you don’t say much,” says Tina, as she marveled at the view of the dark forest from the impressive bird’s eye view above, as they passed dead rivers and dry lake beds above the charred remains of the ancient dark forest, and closer and closer came to the mountainside. “I have never seen a forest from a bird’s eye view before… uh I mean fly’s eye view.” she joked. “So Alvin do you have a last name or do I just call you Mr. Alvin Fly,” she says laughingly and the fly creature made a silent unintelligible pitch from his rapid moving jaws and multiple layers of teeth. “Oh well, hopefully we can find this Dark Star. The power it is rumored to have has got to be worth billions.” She smirks as the flight continues uninterrupted and the mountains were in the distance. “We should get off near there,” she pointed. Alvin then navigated past the rocky hills and made their way towards a precipice where they touched ground and where Tina gladly stretched her legs. “Whoa that is fun!” and as she says it, with that Alvin the fly man takes off and flew away from the mountains. “Wait where are you going, don’t just leave me!” she yells as she saw the fly man continue rapidly away until he is out of sight. “Well that’s just fine and dandy,” she pouted sarcastically, with her hands on her hips.

Hovering above the intrepid calamity of the dark forest is the scorpion car with Drax and his dumbfounded cohorts. “There it is,” says Drax pointing up towards the precipice of the cavern in the mountain terrain rapidly approaching before them. “We have to get up there to the cavern of lights,” he says as the blue and red lights twinkling in the cavern before them as they approached got closer and closer. Upon landing slowly on the precipice, a stream of jet emissions unleashed before the vehicle’s underbelly lowering it to the rock face below them, and the lights of the cavern ceased to blink leaving them in complete darkness.

“Wow, I thought this is supposed to be the cavern of lights. So why is it so dark?” asks Mercedes.

“Yeah, it was lit up a moment ago and now it is not.” says James.

“Maybe it’s an illusion,” adds Drax. “Something to lure us here and now it is gone,” he replies, putting on his light beacons from his wrist remote device and illuminating the cavern before them, then marching forward leading the trio behind their bright flood of light.

Down below in the rocky terrain’s foothold near the only body of water surrounding the dark forest, a lone ship rested up against the rocks, a tall brigadier cruiser with metallic underpinnings attached to the wood hull and light diodes all around it, a series of metallic alloy wheels spun slowly in the light wind around the sail posts without sails and the large hull rocked on the rough waves as they crashed against the bow of the ship and the rocky shore around the ship.

“Open sesame my mates, we are preparing for the journey,” says a tall bowlegged man with long black hair and beard, an eye patch and corn pipe, and wearing a worn black eighteenth century naval uniform with gold braiding on it. His wooden teeth were crooked, his breath smelled of rum, and his one good eye was beady and red as he looked at the cabin girl coming up the stairwell from the cabin, a young woman with blonde locks and a sullen grin used to the harsh realities of life on the open seas.

“Aye Sir, we are prepared below. We just need to wait for the Sergeant.”

“Well done, Yulelka, we will wait for the rest to come,” with a high-pitched Scottish accent snarled Captain Rigel Cutlass of the doom ship Gorge Hunter.

“What the hell is all this?” Asks James as the trio wandered through the cavern seeing the walls through the light from Drax’s beacon. The walls depicted drawings of different people, places, animals, and things.

“These seem to be pictographs” says Drax.

“Much like the ones we saw in ancient Egypt” says Mercedes. “They are carefully preserved even this far into the future, how weird?”

“It is weird, but not impossible given the altitude of this cavern. This story is something I have read about before.” Drax points to a series of drawings depicting individuals in a sequence showing several figures hovering above a central one figure possessive of several objects and five dots surrounding the figure shaped like a pentagon.

“This looks like the orbs in the time stone” says James.

“Yes,” says Drax pointing to the figures hovering above and what looks like a sailing ship in midair between them with dots resembling stars and constellations and other symbols resembling writing that Drax studied briefly and understands. “This is an ancient story of a race of beings known as the Pregivers.”

“Pregivers?” asks Mercedes. “How odd, what do they give?”

“The sky gods the Awondel tribe speaks about,” James says.

“Well, the story goes that they are visitors from another galaxy and came here long ago in a ‘white hot light orb’ and gave the gift of life to this world, the gift of law, the gift of peace and war.” Drax read.

“War is a gift?” asks James.

“It’s all about balance,” says Drax. “So the story goes they build a device to transport through time and space, also known as the time stone, but they have many powers at their disposal. They are one of the thirteen races we learned about before, but there is more. They foresaw a time of great trouble for the world and knew there must come a time for their long awaited return.” Drax read continuously.

“What happened to them?” asks Mercedes.

“They just ceased, but foresaw their return in one chosen to carry their infinite power and wisdom onward towards the future, the legendary holder of stones, one of great power and ability who will... Hmm…!” Drax says.

“What?” Mercedes asks.

“The rest of the text is blackened.” He held the beacon to it, but the wall with the rest of the writing and pictures is dark and illegible. “The rest is lost to time, I am afraid.” He says.

“Broad Staffnight called me the holder,” says James shocked.

“You do have incredible powers.” says Mercedes.

“I know. James is the holder of stones. With the rest of the writing erased, we cannot tell his ultimate purpose and destiny and must wait to find out” says Drax.

“Hmm, it’s scary” says James.

“When the time comes, I trust that you will have no fear of what needs to be done.” says Drax.

“Oh my goodness!” yells Tina seeing her cohorts. “I thought that was you. I thought that I would never see you guys again!” she ran over to them from the other side of the cavern.

“Tina!” yells James as they embraced.

Mercedes joined in. “It’s good to see you.”

“We thought you were a goner back there,” says Drax.

“You can’t keep me down.” she replies.

“We missed you.” says Mercedes.

“Thanks, same here. It’s good to be back with my buddies. It was so dark here for a while when I was all alone, but what is this place?”

“Welcome to the cavern of lights,” says Mercedes patting her arm.

“Not much,” says James.

Then suddenly they hear a loud roar from the far end of the cave like thunder.

“What the hell is that?” asks Tina.

“Let’s find out” Drax edged forward leading his entourage into the dark abyss of the cavern of lights.

The noise became louder and louder as the quartet approached the end of the cavern and found a wall.

“Dead end.” says Drax.

“Damn!” says James.

“What now?” Tina asks.

“There is nothing, not even more writing on the wall,” says Mercedes.

“So what do we do now?” asks Tina, as she leaned up against a part of the rock wall in the far end of the cavern. It pressed inward forming a crevice in the rock face that caused her to tumble and fall onto the sandy floor below. “Whoa,” she yells as she landed on the sand and crawled around. Drax leaned over to help her up, but felt her drop disappear slowly into the ground.

“I got that sinking feeling!” says Drax.

“Me too, it’s quicksand!” screams Tina as she crawled around and is pulled down on all fours her face closing into the sand.

“Keep your head up,” says James, as he reaches for her and pulls her head out of the sand , but stumbled onto his knees as he fell into the sinking sand.

“Oh no not you too,” says Mercedes as she wandered around wobbling and waving her hands.

“We need to grab hold of something,” screams Drax.

“There is nothing,” says James.

“Stay calm, panicking only makes it worse,” says Mercedes.

Tina’s face went under the sand again.

“We’re goners,” screams James, sinking deeper into the sand.

“Wait, look…” says Mercedes pointing upward as she remained calm while still sinking slowly. Drax looks up to where she is pointing and saw a series of blinking lights, red, yellow, purple, green blue, orange, indigo, each light from a diode embedded in the rock face above them. “I don’t get it?” says Mercedes.

“Uh, it looks like Morse code or something like it,” says Drax, sinking further as the sand sucked him around his waist.

“Can you interpret them?” asks Mercedes squinting on them.

“I can barely see…” says Drax as he felt his face being submerged into the quicksand. Mercedes squinted up to them as she sank down to her waist.

“I don’t get it.” She cried as she sank down to her face and felt it submerge slowly. The foursome is then completely subsumed by the quicksand in the small rock tunnel and quarry leaving a surface of running sands on the empty cave floor.

Then in a flash of yellowish hazy light emanating in the rock face above, the temporal wormhole appeared and fizzled above the sand. Another Milton Drax stuck his head and body out of the event horizon partially submerged as a light ball covering the bottom half of his body as he wore a uniform that is partially red and partially blue with a golden insignia on his right breast side. He is older with slight wrinkles around his eyes and dark grey tones in his hair line. He reached out to the blinking lights and pressed the red one then the purple one then the blue one and suddenly the quicksand ceased moving and the floor is solid again with the foursome resting sprawled across and laying on the sandy rock floor. With that the second Drax in the temporal wormhole looks down at them and then looks at the rock quarry with the crevice having vanished as the rock face pulls itself back into place leaving it the way it was. He pointed his wrist device, aiming a new silvery device on top of it that he did not have before, at the cave wall above the hidden, button and pressed a trigger mechanism on the device with his other hand. A single white thin projectile of hot white light emanated from the silvery device and struck the rock face causing a small explosion and a hole is created above the hidden button on the rock face. The explosion caused debris to fall onto the floor below and he noticed the foursome started to move around waking. With that he retracted and vanished back from where he extended the light portal.

“Huh?” asks Tina rising up. “What just happened?”

“I don’t know,” says James rising up and helping Tina up.

“I think we died. Is this heaven?” asks Mercedes rising up.

“I don’t think we left the cave” says James.

“Look” says Drax coughing and getting up as he pointed to the cave wall above them as the rubble and debris cleared. They all stared at a new hole created in the rock face and as the smoke cleared, they saw a pictograph in ancient Egyptian form with several men standing and balls of light and animals around them.

“How did this happen?” asks Mercedes.

“I wish I knew” says Drax “but it’s a riddle.”

“What does it say?” asks Mercedes.

“Well, it doesn’t translate well into English, but loosely…’Two sides of old at odds now one, an ancient story boldly, a cosmic dream, a crisis doom, both history and destiny convert upon, you must fight great odds, but the end result, change …something otherworldly.” He sighed finishing.

“That rhymed well, but I think it finishes… great conflict” commented Tina.

“Well I try, but you are skilled too” says Drax.

“She’s brilliant” says James. Tina blushed.

“What does it mean?” asks Mercedes.

“Well… it obviously means something about a great conflict” says Drax.

“Like the one Alana told us about” says Mercedes.

“Maybe” says Drax, “I am worried about this whole thing. How did we survive that quicksand?”

“Maybe we have a guardian angel” says Tina.

“Humph… we should get moving.” Drax says.

“Where?” asks James, “there is no way to go, but back way down the cliff in your hooped-up hyper-maintained up scorpion mobile.”

“This riddle may hold the answer,” says Drax, “two sides at odds meaning conflict… ancient meaning possible eternal… history and destiny … change to something otherworldly, meaning perhaps a symbol of some godly regimen.”

“Eternal conflict, good vs. evil, darkness vs. light…” started Mercedes.

“A ying yang!” yells Tina excitedly.

Then suddenly the panel of inscribed rock before them vanished in a glow of white light. They shielded their eyes as the intensity blinded them and surrounded the entire part of the cavern. A strange humming sound emanated from the wall as the light intensified. After a few seconds, the light and sound ceased and they open their eyes and unshielded them.

“Where are we?” asks Mercedes.

“At least we know now why they call this the cavern of lights” says Tina.

“Wow” says James as they looks about and were now standing in a precipice in an underground cavern, the rock walls spanning miles around glistened with purple lights, and smaller lights representing the various colors of the rainbow spectrum, a series of small cave inlets and openings surrounded the cavern culminating in a large central opening above with some light coming down from the intense light from the bright hot lava flow at the core of the mountain. A narrow suspension bridge made of a metal-reinforced wooden framework stretched across to the other side and a pedestal rested their on a narrow rock platform. Something lit up brightly on the platform.

“What is that?” asks Drax.

“I can barely make it out” says James.

“Let’s go check it out” remarked Tina.