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  JOURNEY’S END

  Part 3 of the Mastermind’s Mutants Special Trilogy

  Written By

  Luke Derricks

  Published by

  Transformation Paradise

  www.transformationparadise.com

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved. For sales, licensing, joint ventures, creative collaborations and cross-over events, fan mail, and more, please email [email protected].

  THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION

  Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED

  This story may include mature content and is intended for adults only. The views, opinions, values, morals, ethics, behaviors, themes, ideas, events, attitudes, and consequences (or lack thereof) expressed in this story are for dramatic effect and entertainment purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect those of either the author or the publisher. This is for fantasy entertainment only.

  DISCLAIMERS

  For additional legal disclaimers and information, please visit https://www.transformationparadise.com/disclaimer

  THANKS FOR BEING A FAN

  Thank you for purchasing this book and being a fan. You’re awesome!

  For more great sci-fi, fantasy, and transformation stories, check out TransformationParadise.com.

  Please read Part 2: “Breaking Time”

  before beginning this story.

  available now at

  www.transformationparadise.com

  Brief summary:

  After escaping out of the time loop, Ray reunites with Luke and the others. And Dawn has some exciting news: she can shape-shift! Ray himself has gained a new super power, thanks to the alien technology that trapped him in a time loop. He can now control the forces of gravity at will. That leaves Luke the only one without any super powers – but not for long.

  Meanwhile, Mastermind enslaves five criminals he picked up during his jail breakout. With the help of Doctor Troyd, he successfully transforms each of them into a unique superhuman-animal monster. His small army of anthromorphs – a slime girl, a rhino-man, a humanoid spider, a lizard girl, and a nightmarish combo sea creature mutant, plus the cat girl they transformed earlier – work by his side as Mastermind gets closer and closer to taking over and enslaving the whole world.

  Using the same alien technology that gave Ray his powers, Luke enters his own time loop – and eventually emerges with his life-long dream of being able to intentionally travel through time. But this new power proves far more problematic and complicated than he expected. For one, it seems to weaken over time with use, and more importantly, altering his own timeline causes a new “time double” to co-exist along with him.

  The team of would-be superheroes visit Eden – a futuristic city that’s actually another planet, strangely populated by humans. There they begin to unravel the mystery and secrets behind the pyramids, their superpower-granting technology, and the portal-opening crystals. But soon they come face to face with Mastermind’s mutants – and despite their new powers, are no match for the monsters, and after the spider mutant digs a venomous bite into Ray, they narrowly escape.

  But Luke’s “time double” is now mind-controlled and working for the enemy. Dawn’s new shape-shifting power has begun rapidly deteriorating, eventually turning her into a formless, goopy puddle on the floor. And despite the advanced alien healing technology, Ray ultimately dies on the operating table.

  Chapter One

  The Plan

  Luke – the one not under Mastermind’s control -- stood silently over Ray’s dead body.

  He shook his head. No good. All this advanced alien technology – and they still couldn’t save either of them. Dawn was dead. Ray was dead. This wasn’t fair. This wasn’t right.

  How did this happen?

  “Computer,” Luke called aloud, “try again.”

  Nothing happened.

  “Medical doctor. Please. Save him.”

  Still nothing. Still dark.

  No noise. No lights. Nothing.

  Luke lowered his head. “I’m sorry man.” He looked at Ray. It looked like his friend was sleeping. Not dead. Just sleeping. A very, very deep and long sleep. Without any breathing.

  Who was he kidding? Ray was gone. And it was all his fault. Luke opened up that portal to the desert planet. Luke left it open. Ray never would’ve come here if it wasn’t for him.

  Luke was responsible for Ray’s death.

  Dawn’s too.

  “Computer, can you do anything? He can’t be dead. Not like this. There’s gotta be something you can do. Can you… Can you maybe…”

  Turn back time?

  The medical technology couldn’t do that. But he could.

  Luke was a time traveler now.

  Sure, he always dreamed of being able to do it one day. For fun, for adventure, to explore time and space… ancient cultures and future civilizations. Travel the galaxy in a faster-than-light starship.

  And maybe, well, go back in time, and change some things.

  Save his family.

  Right some wrongs.

  Make a better tomorrow.

  But he couldn’t go back that far. His power was too damn limited. But he could go back a little ways. And fix some things.

  Like Ray. Like Dawn.

  He could change history – and save them.

  But what should he do, exactly? What event needed to change? Should he stop them from trying to confront Mastermind back on Eden? But even if that event was changed, they might still try to fight him later, at a different time and place – with the same results. Maybe they’d be better off without any powers. He could go back in time and prevent them from entering the pyramid on Sekhmet, the desert world.

  No, that’d be no good. Then who would stop Mastermind?

  Maybe… Luke wondered… could he go back far enough, and stop his uncle from blabbing about the crystal, or prevent Mastermind from stealing it?

  No, he couldn’t do that. It was way too far back in time. He had minutes or days – not months or years.

  Luke kicked a machine along the wall.

  Damn technology.

  This was supposed to be the so-called “Temple of the Gods.” A place where people could be made immortal. Given powers. Heal fatal wounds. Given a second chance.

  Hardly worked for Ray or Dawn.

  Maybe he needed to let history play out almost as it did the first time, but get Ray and Dawn here, to this temple, sooner. Maybe if they just had more time, they could both be saved.

  Playing with timelines – and people’s fates – made Luke feel a little bit like a god. His decisions would determine if his friends lived or died.

  Was he ready for that kind of power? Either way, he had it now, and he was going to use it, as best he could.

  He wondered… the ancient gods from Greek and Roman mythology… maybe even the gods even older than that… were they really just humans, like him, who had access to the pyramid?

  Did they get powers from the Altar of Destiny? Did they prolong their lives in the healing chamber? Was that how they became to be gods?

  Perhaps the pyramids in Egypt and other places around the world were built to imitate the alien temples. Did the ancient pharaohs want immortality and supernatural powers too, thinking that if they built their own pyramids, they too would become gods?

  What difference did it make?

  Clearly, those gods were not truly immortal. Otherwise they’d still be around today. And these alien pyramids weren’t all-powerful. They still couldn’t save Ray or Dawn. />
  Even advanced alien technology had its limits.

  “I’ve got to do something,” he said to himself.

  There had to be something he could do.

  He just had to think. Maybe enough time had passed. Maybe his power had recharged some by now.

  Time travel was the answer.

  But when? Where? What should he change?

  Where was his uncle? He really needed some guidance right about now.

  He stepped back out into the hall. He looked down one way, then the other. Endless corridors. This pyramid was massive.

  He placed his hand flat on the wall.

  “Let’s see if this works.”

  The interactive video screen appeared on the wall. Text, symbols, icons, and other options illuminated.

  “Where’s my uncle? Show me Charles Powers.”

  A map appeared. A green dot showed Luke’s current location. A blue dot identified, what Luke assumed, was his uncle’s position. A considerable distance away. Apparently near the edge of the pyramid base, at the exit. Then a red dotted line appeared, guiding Luke with directions from here to there.

  “Thank you,” said Luke. He placed his hand flat against the wall a second time, and the interactive menu screen disappeared.

  Several minutes later, he saw his uncle.

  The pyramid must’ve been low on power. The corridors would light up – dimly – while Luke walked through, but after he left, the lights behind him faded out.

  His uncle used a sixth symbol to get here.

  They were inside a massive pyramid. Apparently a third one – not on the desert world, not on Eden. Where were they, exactly?

  His uncle faced the exit. The door was still closed.

  “Uncle?” Luke hesitated to ask.

  The old man turned his head when he heard Luke’s voice.

  “Have a seat,” was all he said.

  Luke sat down next to him, both facing the closed door.

  A moment of silence.

  “So,” finally Luke asked, “how ya doing?”

  His uncle lightly chuckled. “Super, and you?”

  “Yeah,” said Luke. “Super-duper.”

  “I’m so sorry Luke,” his uncle said.

  “You didn’t know any of this was going to happen.”

  “I should have,” he said.

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to change it.”

  He looked at Luke. “Time travel?”

  Luke nodded.

  “You think you still can?”

  “I hope I can,” he said.

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Charlie. “Even if you change history, Mastermind will find some other way to win. He always wins.” Charlie slammed his fist into the floor. “Why are some men so evil?”

  Luke shrugged. “I dunno. But we can’t let him win. We’ll find a way. I’m going to save Ray and Dawn. We’re going to stop Mastermind. We’re going to save the world.”

  “Like your parents?” Charlie said. “They thought that too. ‘There’s two of us,’ your father told me, ‘and only one of him.’ Your mother could read minds, you know. She knew what he was planning before he even made his first move. And he still found a way… to, well…” He couldn’t say it. “I’ll never forgive him for what he did to them.” He sighed. “And now to your friends too.”

  Luke shook his head. “There’s gotta be a way.”

  “Luke,” Charlie said, “we need to quit while we still can. He already killed the other timeline copy of you. He killed your parents. Dawn and Ray too. If we go up against him now… I just… I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, too.”

  Luke was surprised. “You saying we should give up?”

  Charlie lowered his head.

  Luke couldn’t believe it. “Wasn’t it you who told me, that no matter how bad things get, no matter how dark the situation looks, you always have hope? That the one thing you’ve learned in all your life experience was that there was always hope, there was always a way out – or through – any problem? You told me that. You told me to remember that.”

  Charlie looked back up at Luke. He paused. “You’re… right. I did say that.”

  “Then there’s still hope. We can’t give up. We have to find a way. We can’t quit now. We’re just about to win – as soon as I figure out a way to take him down once and for all!”

  Charlie smiled.

  “God I wish I had a more offensive power,” said Luke.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “My power. Time travel’s cool. But it’s not much good in battle. It’s not like super strength or laser vision or force fields or anything. I can’t blast energy beams or freeze someone in place. Time travel’s more of a… strategy-based power, I guess. You use it for gaining information and insight, for making specific adjustments to key events… but not fighting. Not defending. It’s a planning-type power.”

  “True,” said the old man. “Too bad you can’t just go to the future and borrow some high-tech weapons and force fields instead, huh?”

  Luke perked up. “Yeah, why not? I mean, that’s the one thing Mastermind can’t plan for – things that haven’t been invented yet!”

  Charlie smiled. “So what’s the plan?”

  “Well, I think I need to go to the future, get myself a battle suit or something – like the one I saw at the history museum, back on Eden. I need some kind of armored exo-skeleton, for protection and defense. Shield me from attacks. And then have built-in weapons and lasers or something, that I can attack with. Yeah! It’ll be perfect. Like something Iron Man would wear, with cool gadgets Batman might use, only made entirely out of future technology!”

  “Iron Man?”

  “A comic book character. You mean to tell me you’ve never heard of Iron Man?”

  “Um, hello. Been traveling to alien worlds all this time. I live the comic books.”

  “You’ve at least heard of Batman, right? Superman? Spider-Man?”

  “They have any female super heroes in these comic books of yours?”

  “Yeah, well, sure. Anyway, that’s not the point. I just need to get back to Earth, travel to… I dunno, a hundred years into the future or so, and get my hands on whatever cool weapons and gear they’ve got then. Hmm. Maybe two or three hundred years. Just to be safe.”

  “One question though,” Charlie asked, confused about something. “If you go to Earth’s future… will that be the future with or without Mastermind?”

  “Good question. Probably with Mastermind. The instant I leave the present moment, time will continue on without me, until I reappear in the future. There’ll be no one here to stop him. He’ll go unchecked, undefeated.”

  “Just be careful, Luke. You sure you don’t want to go to Eden’s future instead?”

  “Maybe that’s a better idea. For all I know, two hundred years from now, Earth may be entirely populated with mutant slaves, and all technology and progress has ceased. Won’t be any good weapons for me to take back with me.” Luke paused. “And that’s assuming I can even travel that far into the future. Even with my power fully charged, can I go that far? I really don’t know the actual limits to my power yet.” He thought about it. “But what about here? What planet are we on now?” Maybe this world already had advanced technology he could use.

  “Planet?” Charlie asked.

  “Yeah. We’re inside another pyramid, right?”

  Charlie nodded.

  “Does this planet have advanced technology like Eden? Maybe I don’t have to go anywhere. The less time-traveling I have to do now, the more charged my power will be for whenever I do need it.”

  “We’re not on any planet,” said Charlie.

  “But,” said Luke, looking around.

  Charlie reached up for the control panel by the exit door. He pressed the blue button. The door rolled open to the side. And that’s when Luke saw exactly where they were.

  Stars.

  Countless stars, in every direction, for millions of lightyears, all around, per
fectly clear, and absolutely silent.

  All slowly, and very gradually, moving sideways.

  Well, the stars probably weren’t moving. Most likely the pyramid was moving. Through space.

  “Oh my God,” said Luke.

  “We found this symbol by accident. Your mom wanted to try some astrology symbols for fun. One ended up here.”

  “What’s keeping all the air in?” Luke seemed a little uneasy. “There should be a major vacuum into space right now.”

  “Some kind of force field,” Charlie shrugged. “Here, see?” He got up and pressed against an invisible wall, just beyond where the door used to be. “Can’t move through it. I suppose that’s a good thing.”

  “Does Mastermind know about this symbol?”

  “Doubtful. We didn’t share everything with him. And I don’t think Simeon knows about it. As far as he knows, Eden’s got the only pyramid. Until the one showed up on Sekhmet.”

  “The desert world. That pyramid wasn’t there before.”

  “Right.”

  “So are there aliens flying this thing right now?” Luke stared at the drifting stars. They had to be moving. And someone had to be piloting this giant ship.

  “As far as I can tell,” said Charlie. “there’s no other life-forms anywhere inside. Your father and I explored this pyramid pretty well. It appears to have been abandoned a long time ago.”

  Luke turned to his uncle. “It’s a big ship. There could be sections you didn’t know about,” he said.

  “It’s possible.”

  “How many of these pyramids are there, anyway?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Why?”

  “Well, Simeon believed his planet had the only one. Then another one mysterious shows up on Sekhmet. And then it turns out you knew about this one all along. Look, don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but I’m really getting tired of all your secrets. How many other ships are there? Where else can the crystal go?”

  Charlie smiled. “We only knew the six symbols, I promise. The five from the tablet, plus this one. Simeon mentioned hundreds of others, but they keep that kind of information a secret from outsiders.”