The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)

Time: 1890 A.D., Tennessee

The ranch of Johann McGuire in Central Tennessee has a quaint range-like feel as the wooden fences and hayfield adorned landscape below the deep blue country skies sit next to the rows of various crops.

“I always wanted to be a spy, but cowboys and Indians were never my strong suit,” says Tina, admiring her pink western shirt and white cowgirl hat and boots complete with matching spurs. “But I don’t even have a gun.”

“You don’t need one.” says Drax.

“This is a pretty laid back time,” Mercedes says, turning as she pushed up the sleeves of her white western shirt and matching hat and boots.

“The year is 1890 A.D.” says Drax.

“The heart of the old west, I always loved reading about this era as a kid. Something about it makes me feel like home” says Tina.

“Well, it’s not. Let’s keep our eye on the ball,” says Mercedes. “I hope Celia and Cornelius made it home OK!”

“Yeah, they’re good people,” says Tina.

“Come on, we should get outside to see if they need a hand. We have some time until the time stone recharges.” They walk out. “Hey McGuire,” yells Drax.

“You have some work for us?” Then suddenly Tina is drawn to something. “That is really weird,” she says.

“What?” Mercedes asks.

“I just feel like going over to …” she walks across the ranch and headed out into the open desert.

“Wait Tina” Mercedes yells.

“Let’s go get the car,” says Drax. Drax and Mercedes drive along the desert ground and catch up with Tina who slows down and approaches a wall about a mile from town, the wall appearing to be made of stone, but has a metallic look to it as well. It is greenish, curved, and has holes in a strange sequence that seem otherworldly.

“What did you find, Tina?” Drax asks.

“I think it’s a code. I don’t know what it is, but I am feeling the need to approach it. I wish I could understand. It’s a pretty compelling feeling, if you know what I mean.” She stares deep into the wall. “Maybe this is alien in origin, like the Pregivers again.”

“It could be,” says Drax, getting out and looking at it with her. Mercedes joined them, and stood back as Tina and Drax crouched down studying the design. “I have never seen anything quite like this, not even in the Pregiver caves we were in. Why would it be out in the open like this and what could it mean?” asks Drax.

“This could take ages to study by the top scientific and encryption archeological minds in the field.” Tina says.

“Let me see” says another voice behind them that shocks them and makes them turn in horror.

“Oh my God, who are you?” asks Drax.

“Who are you?” asks the man, a slight middle aged man with glasses, wavy brown hair, and a brown mustache.

“Howard Kowalski?” asks Tina, feeling shocked. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

“How do you know my name?” he asks.

“Uh, we found out about your past from your future,” she brushes it off to the dismay of her companions.

“Hmm, time travelers huh? I would not have believed it too long ago. I have been trying to unlock the secrets of the time stone and this ominous wall since I arrived here a decade ago” he says.

“Arrived from the future?” asks Mercedes.

“Yes, I imagine you came the same way,” he says, nodding.

“Sort of,” she smiles.

“I have been close to unlocking the code to this wall, but every time I get close, I forget. I think I am growing a little senile. What an odd phenomenon.” Kowalski says. He randomly touches his head looking at the sky.

“A little senile?” asks Drax.

“You really were here ten years?” asks Tina.

He nods fast. “Be wary, travelers. There are many beasts about there from another world, another dimension. They are brought by your machination friends, super spy Milton Drax.”

“Yeah, we know that,” says Mercedes sharply.

“There is the worst to come. Energy is the key and then…You see, I have learned that there are natural hotspots of negative energy on the world’s electromagnetic grid, and if there occurs a solar flare on the precipice of the end of the year bigger than any in the history of the world, it could be enough to trigger those spots and cause them to simultaneously rupture, allowing there to be born a conduit directly into the past, the natural effect of what the time stone achieves, but artificially stronger. We must stop it. We must destroy it!” He panics.

“Wait a minute…” says Tina. Then suddenly the roar of the temporal wormhole appears, a bright yellow phase of energy fills the air and a long green reptilian beast emerges, its head gigantic and resembling a fish with amphibious qualities throughout its body. It is as long as an anaconda and hovers out of the portal, dropping to the grassy terrain and landing on two small feet. The beast roars as it stands before the group and the portal fades behind it.

“Great, not another one,” says Tina.

“Any ideas?” asks Mercedes.

“I think we are all out of juice with the blaster,” says Drax, trying to fire his hand weapon but it will not work.

The trio runs back towards the Scorpion as they see Kowalski run off into the distance alone, waving his arms likes a mad man.

“And I lost my time stone. I lost my marbles.” Kowalski says running back to them. The beast ignores him and walks towards the trio.

“Dr. Kowalski, wait!” yells Tina, but he is mentally gone and running around in a frightened panic. The beast walks forward lunging for the trio who huddle together in fear.

“I sure wish James was here,” says Tina.

“You and me both.” says Mercedes.

“Maybe I can get to the cockpit and fire the main weapon…” says Drax but before any of them could move, the temporal wormhole opens and roars again behind them.

“Not another one,” says Tina, frightened. “We’re done for. This time it’s for sure. It was nice knowing you guys.”

The yellow phase of the energetic vortex emits a figure, a tall slender individual with a metallic helmet and a protective shield on the front that glistens in the sunlight like bright gold, wearing a black leathery outfit that shimmered and a belt with a symbol they recognize as belonging to the Culto de La Piedra Tiempo. The warrior jumped in among the trio and the beast as the portal faded, and then reaches for a firearm and fires, emitting a bright red laser beam at the beast, vaporizing its skin and causing it to rear up and yell in great pain. The beast turns to run in the direction of Kowalski who was still running like a lunatic. The beast overtakes Kowalski and bumps him, knocking him to the ground, as it tries to escape. The beast slashes at Kowalski’s back with razor sharp claws on one of its feet, scratching him slightly, and some blood seeps out. Without hesitation, the warrior pulls out the time stone from the belt around his waist ,and holds it out, turning it, emitting the stream of yellow particles opening the vortex once again. It illuminates the beast and Kowalski, sucking them both in as they transform into balls of light and energy. The portal soon fades thereafter and the warrior turns to the trio, who rise to their feet in stunned shock at the heroic act they just witnessed.

“Who are you?” asks Drax.

“And Kowalski is gone?” wonders Tina, “poor dude has been through a lot”.

“Yeah, a little crazy too,” says Mercedes.

“So how do we solve this so we don’t end up like crazy boy over there?” Drax says staring at their mysterious benefactor who stands before them in silence, holstering his weapon back to his belt. The trio turns to face the warrior.

“Leave that to me,” says a woman’s voice as the warrior removes her helmet, revealing a tall voluptuous long legged woman within the black leather skin tight outfit, gloves, and helmet. As she takes off the helmet, she lets her long blonde locks hang down beside her. Her deep brown eyes and plush lips made Drax feel an unbelievable attraction to her.

“Who are you?” Drax asks.

“Tina knows me.” The woman says.

“I do?” asks Tina as Drax and Mercedes turn to her.

“We met in the future.” says the woman.

“That fortune teller we met?” says Tina.

“Right.” she smiles.

“But you look different, and yeah, how have you been?” asks Tina.

“Well, I am not really her. I am her descendant from the year 2055 A.D.”

“Oh yeah, I knew that,” says Tina sarcastically.

“You saved our lives,” utters Mercedes. “You’re amazing.”

“It was nothing. It’s what I do. My name is Alexandra and I am Ezelzelba’s great, great, great, great, great, great granddaughter. I travelled here from what you would call the future,” says the woman.

“What I would call?” asks Tina.

“Our perceptions and definitions of time are different from yours. I am here to help you now,” says Alexandra.

“How?” she asks.

“The alien riddle on the wall.” says Alexandra.

“That’s a riddle?” asks Mercedes.

“I will translate it…” says Alexandra.

“OK” says Drax.

“The last time there is a great wonder in the clouds, the coming of a new horizon dawns, the cornerstone, legendary and secret, the book of time goes on.”

“That’s it?” asks Tina.

“That is it!” Alexandra replies confidently. “I must go now.”

“Wait, there is more you could tell us,” says Mercedes.

“Yeah, why did you help us, who sent you?” asks Drax.

“I cannot answer your inquires. I can only say this: each of us has a purpose in time. When it is to be known, it shall be known. We are all part of one great linen cloth in time.” Alexandra smiles at that last part and put back on her helmet nodding, “in the name of justice I fight,” to them and jumps up in the air and vanishes in a haze of white yellowish light as a vortex appears and consumes her.

“Wow” says Tina.

“She is amazing and beautiful.” says Drax.

“She is Soteria” says Mercedes. “The one who randomly appears and helps people in 2012 and I suspect now all of time.”

“Oh my God,” says Tina.

“Yeah, but we have the answer to the riddle,” says Mercedes. “And look, the time stone is lit up.” They saw it glowing and the five orbs buzzing brightly.

“Did you see the patch on her uniform?” asks Drax.

“Yes, it is dreadfully familiar” says Mercedes. “A colorful curved weapon or bridge symbol with words etched on it.”

“The Culto?” asks Tina rhetorically. “Could they be good guys in the future?”

“Stranger things have happened,” says Drax. “Let’s get out of here buddies.”

“Let’s ride” Mercedes says as they enter the scorpion car and vanish into the hazy vortex that is emitted by the time stone.