The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)

Time: 2013, A.D., Chronix Bay

On a beach in the Cayman Islands, the waves crashed onto the rocks as the winds blew, bringing in a mix of fresh sand and salt water vaporized in the air, giving the ideal sense of comfort and relaxation for Drax, Tina, and Mercedes who lay in swimsuits on beach chairs tanning under the golden sun.

“Isn’t it something?” asks Drax. “Just like that it’s over, after everything we have been through.

“It sure seems weird how things were,” says Mercedes.

“Yeah,” says Tina, “Satyr is back in his universe for now hoping to inform other beasts that we are the all the same after all. We averted a disaster, saved the future, and the time stone is back in one piece.”

“Where is it?” asks Mercedes curiously.

“Being examined by experts in the field, it’s all top secret now.” Drax replies.

“Satyr wasn’t so bad,” says Tina.

“Time heals all wounds. That is good teaming up with Satyr. He is not such a bad guy or beast or whatever,” says Mercedes.

“We cleared our names,” says Tina smiling.

“We saved the future of the world,” says Mercedes.

“And I have my job, with a huge promotion, in another company that is working with law enforcement to investigate Temporo, Inc.’s illicit dealings.” said Drax.

“How did you do that?” asks Tina.

“I called a friend at the Pentagon who made a few calls within intelligence circles. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” says Drax.

“Looks like it will be a crippling blow to the machination,” says Mercedes.

“Right, for now we got rid of Broad and stopped the great experiment or great weapon from destroying the world. But who knows what else there might be in store for the future? Only time will tell!” laughed Drax.

“What now for the great Milton Drax?” Mercedes asks.

“Well the government is taking control of Temporo Inc.’s holdings, and a new agency is being formed. It is sort of top secret right now, but they want me to head it up or at least a part of it. They are very interested in discovering more about the thirteen races like the Pregivers and the Garnicones, and their amazing empire and abilities and the holder legend. You wouldn’t believe the amazing things they are finding with connections to these beings and various strange occurrences throughout the globe all throughout history. It is a very high government interest. The project is called ‘Union.’” They all smile at once.

“Nice!” says Tina.

“And where I go, you two go. I need people I can trust.”

“That’s the new adventure for us,” smiles Mercedes.

“Yeah,” says Tina. They all smile but then Tina frowns, “We did a lot of good, but at what sacrifice.” She sat thinking of James. “We each have to vow to be true to ourselves and each other, to continue to fight to make things right, so James’s sacrifices weren’t in vain” says Tina.

“That’s true,” says Drax.

“Where did he go?” asks Mercedes.

“He ascended. He shed his physical form to exist as pure energy in another dimension of being, but I think he will always be with us, watching over. In a way he really is in a better place. I want to believe he was with us there that night we took down the uni-orb,” says Drax.

“He was,” says Tina wiping away a tear.

“Look, we’ve all got a bond the four of us forged that is stronger than family and friendship combined. We are a team and we will be reunited,” says Drax forcefully as they look at one another and then look up into the sunlit sky sensing the future is secure.

Tina looks up into the bright sunlit sky and remembered an old limerick she heard once as a child, ’There once was a young lady named Bright, who traveled much faster than light. She started one day in a relative way and returned on the previous night!’ She smiles thinking everything would be alright as they would see James again, after all, time is on their side. Then suddenly the temporal wormhole’s glowing yellow phase appears and Tina vanishes in an instant, absorbed directly into it.

It is another time, another place and the voices of the past, the present, and the future echo together, singing out with one harmonious frequency. They combine into a melodious hum, millions of individual emotions, thoughts, and speaking tones from all over creation, both man and beast, spinning around mixing together. To Tina, it sounds like the loud roar above a high school lunch room that she had previously grown accustomed to throughout her primary education. She thinks to herself, “This can’t be real. What form of reality is so strange?” She tries to move around but cannot move a muscle. Her mind is free to ponder the infinite possibilities of her new surroundings, but she is not physically able to explore it beyond the stillness of the brown and black cloud of sludge around her, as thick as pudding and almost existing independent of the known universe as it undulated around her body. It was as if the infinite sounds and melody they became were manifest as visual light projectiles of darkness, and she was frozen within that sludge from the moment she first jumped in until the minute she eventually jumps out. She wonders how she is supposed to activate the time stone that is nowhere to be found, as she cannot locate it or even move. Then suddenly the answer comes to her as she moves forward mentally, her mind racing towards a tunnel as the brown and black lights surround her twirling like a vortex. “How odd,” she thinks to herself as she sees a bright white light approach at the end of the dark tunnel. As she approaches it faster and faster she stops and feels an impact, then sees a familiar face in a void of pure white light. “James,” she screams in her mind with a large mentally-projected smile as she is unable to move her lips or her face. She senses an enormously joyous feeling in her heart. Her mind reached out to speak what her vocal cords could not. “How is this possible?” I thought you died or ascended or whatever?”

“I am always with you,” James’ voice penetrated Tina’s mind, as she gazed upon his face and form, well dressed in a white suit and top hat. His mouth did not move but she heard his voice come to her clearly. “There is a time of great trouble ahead for you.”

“I’m kind of used to that, you know?” Tina smiles in her mind.

“There is repentance to be had and redemption to be forsaken, the era of the Last Time will be embraced and doom will befall everyone for the failure of some or… one.” James uttered in a monotone and philosophical manner and with conviction.

“That’s odd, I thought it would be the other way around,” Tina joked but stops herself from laughing, “what’s going on James? What happened to you exactly?”

“It will be your greatest journey. Our quest together was only the beginning. We each have our destinies to embrace. I am a warning to all… Do not fail to find the light of truth or all will be lost. Start where we finished.” James’ voice appears to echo along the great chasm of space and time as if distant though appearing right in front of her as he sounded more sophisticated. His body suddenly begins to fade away as the light unfolds before Tina and soon the roaring vortex of the temporal wormhole appears in front of her. She transforms into a ball of light and is sucked in, vanishing instantly. Tina soon awakens in her beach chair with Mercedes and Drax beside her.

“What happened?” asked Mercedes worried. “You were only gone for like a second.”

“Where did you go?” asked Drax curiously.

“James” says Tina. “James is alive and… he just dropped a big one on me.” Tina grimaces as she looks at them with a stone cold glare of doom in her eyes.