Breaking Time Read online

Of course, they didn’t know that. Yet.

  If only they’d gone to Earth immediately after running into Mastermind and his mutants on the desert planet. This little detour, well-intentioned as it may have been, was going to cost them a lot more than they realized.

  But all that would be revealed in due time.

  Simeon guided them into the entrance of the planet’s pyramid. On Eden, they didn’t call it a pyramid. Everyone knew it as “The Temple” or “The Temple of the Ancients.”

  Who, exactly, those Ancients were was still an unsolved mystery. But this pyramid, this temple, had been around for as far back as their recorded history.

  “Welcome to the Temple of the Ancients,” Simeon said, standing before the large circular door entrance. Two uniformed men, probably guards of some kind, stood watch at the entrance. Simeon had already called ahead. The guards were expecting them.

  Simeon pressed the blue button, opening the front door. Standing behind him, both Lukes stared at the outer pyramid with awe and amazement. The pyramid itself was nestled between two magnificent mountains and a dense forest. What a beautiful planet. What an amazing alien pyramid. What an incredible adventure they were all on.

  Dawn and Ray followed right behind. The entrance to this pyramid looked pretty much the same as the entrance to the last pyramid, on the desert world. This wasn’t quite as exciting for them as it was for the two Lukes, but it was still pretty awesome. Uncle Charlie, of course, had already been here a few times before. But he never lost his sense of awe and wonder.

  That was the key to youth, Charlie felt. Always seeing the world for the first time. And he had lived a very long life. And seen many, many different places – both on Earth, and other worlds.

  They stepped inside.

  Normally, someone would have to place their hand flat on the wall, load up the computer interface, and get directions. But Simeon had been inside this pyramid several times himself, and knew his way around pretty well.

  “This way,” he said, leading them.

  “And you have no idea who built this?” one of the Lukes asked.

  “Well, we have some idea,” said Simeon, guiding them forward. “In the Temple of the Gods, the pedestal has some strange carvings. There appears to be a winged creature, some kind of reptilian being, a humanoid figure with an enlarged head and eyes, and another creature resembling something that might live in the ocean. We believe they represent four different races who may have worked together to build this temple.”

  “Great,” said Ray, rolling his eyes. It was weird enough that one alien race might have built this place. But four working together? He was almost afraid to ask. “Have you met any... aliens… who look like any of them?”

  Simeon shook his head. “Not precisely. One of the builders appears very humanoid, but clearly isn’t human. The others represent animals found on Eden and other planets. But again, still aren’t the same. They may have used their own DNA to help seed our worlds. But we really don’t know.”

  “It’s a mystery,” said Uncle Charlie. “And not all mysteries like to be solved.” He smiled.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked one Luke.

  “Yeah. Is there anything else you’ve been keeping a secret from us, Uncle?” asked the other Luke.

  Ray shook his head. “I still can’t get used to there being two of him.”

  Dawn giggled.

  “Luke,” Charlie said to one. “And Luke,” he said to the other. “I’m an old man. There’s lots of things I know. But I’m not purposefully trying to keep secrets from you.”

  One Luke asked, “But is there anything else, right now, that you might want to share?” The other Luke agreed. “Yeah,” he said.

  Charlie thought about it. He started nodding. “Actually, yes, there is something you should know. I’m a little bit worried about that other crystal Mastermind has. I can’t figure where he might’ve gotten it.”

  Dawn said, “Well, obviously there’s more than one. They have one here on Eden.”

  “An inactive one,” Simeon clarified. “Stopped working several millennia ago.”

  “Right,” said Charlie. “I thought I had the only working one. If Mastermind’s had another one all along – then that might explain how he kept disappearing every so often. But I’m concerned where he might’ve gone. He may already be a lot more powerful than we realize.”

  “Perfect,” said Ray.

  “Well, we can’t worry about that now,” said one Luke. “We gotta focus on the mission at hand. And speaking of, how are we supposed to get back home from England, anyway? I doubt anyone brought their passports.”

  Dawn suddenly stopped to lean against the wall. She looked very tired. “You okay?” Ray asked her.

  She shook her head. She looked really uncomfortable. Like she was about to throw up.

  “Dawn?” Ray asked again. Everyone stopped and turned toward her. She looked really, really sick.

  Her face started changing. The position of her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears started to droop and shift out of place. Then they slowly moved back, and she looked normal again.

  “I don’t feel so good,” Dawn said.

  Charlie checked her pulse. “Your body temperature seems to be running a little high,” he said. He counted her heartbeat against his watch. “Heart rate’s a little fast, too.”

  “Exhaustion from pulling an all-nighter, and all the stress of everything, maybe?” the other Luke suggested.

  “Maybe,” said Charlie.

  “If anything’s wrong with her,” said Simeon, “the healing chamber will repair her.”

  “Right! Good thinking. Let’s get you to the healing chamber,” Ray urged.

  Dawn seemed to gain her balance. She stood on her own two feet. “I’m fine. I’m feeling better now. Probably just too much sun and excitement today. Not enough sleep or food, is all.”

  “Well, still,” said Ray.

  “I’m fine, really.” She seemed to be getting better. “See?” she said, smiling, being strong and brave. “No big deal.”

  Ray didn’t believe her. “Well, we need the quick recharge anyway. Might as well have you all checked out while we’re there. Just to be sure.”

  “Yeah,” said one Luke. “It healed Uncle Charlie from that snake bite.”

  “If you can call that a snake,” Charlie laughed.

  “Here,” said Ray, helping her lean on him. “Let’s go.” Ray supported her the rest of the way.

  A few minutes later, they were at the entrance to the healing chamber. It looked just like the medical lab back in the other pyramid. Almost perfectly identical, even down to the various medical tools and alien devices.

  They laid Dawn down on the table first. The beams of light scanned her. But then it made a strange noise. The kind of beep a computer normally makes when an error has occurred.

  The light beams tried scanning her again. A second later, it made the same error sound.

  “That’s weird,” said Simeon. “Never heard it do that before.”

  It tried scanning her a third time. Same noise.

  A disembodied voice came from above. It spoke in an unfamiliar language. Then it repeated in a second language, and a third, then with a bunch of clicking and crackling sounds – probably a fourth alien language – and a fifth language, filled with high pitch squeals and screeches. It was really loud. Everyone had to cover their ears. Then a sixth alien language, which fortunately, sounded an awful lot like English.

  It said, “Error. Cannot identify genome.”

  Then it continued the same error message in French, Spanish, Latin, Gaelic, Hindi...

  “Can you shut that thing off?” asked Charlie.

  Simeon shook his head, shrugging. “Uh, thank you, cease message. Message received.”

  It finally stopped.

  A Luke sighed. “Much better.”

  “What’s a genome?” asked Ray.

  “A person’s genetic profile,” said the other Luke.

&nb
sp; “It should’ve recognized her,” said Charlie. “Could it be broken? The other chamber had no problem scanning me or Luke.”

  Simeon shook his head. “Should be working properly.”

  “What’s wrong?” asked Dawn.

  Simeon looked really confused. “The scanners can’t identify your species,” he said. “Since it doesn’t know what your optimal biological state should look like, it can’t fix or repair anything.”

  “Could it have something to do with her power?” one of the Lukes asked.

  “Shape-shifting?” Simeon responded. “It shouldn’t. We’ve had several shape-shifters before. The Temple never had a problem with it.”

  “Yeah, but,” reasoned Luke, “all those shape-shifters got their power from the sphere, right? From the, what was it called?”

  “Altar of Destiny,” Charlie said.

  “Right. That.”

  Simeon looked confused again. “She got her power another way?”

  “Mastermind injected me with some weird chemical,” she said, sitting up. “It was supposed to turn me into a mutant.”

  “But you never got the animal blood,” said Ray. “You never got the new DNA to mix with yours.”

  “Let’s test something,” said Simeon. “Someone else try getting scanned.”

  Ray volunteered. He hopped right onto the table. Lights from overhead began scanning him. The process continued without error. The holographic doctor appeared.

  “Definitely not broken,” said Simeon.

  “I’ve completed my diagnostic. Are you ready to be repaired?” asked the holographic doctor.

  Ray got up and off the table. The holographic doctor disappeared. Ray was more concerned for Dawn right now. “Are you sure you’re still feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine. I swear. Just got a little woozy for a minute back there. It’s nothing. I’m all better now.”

  “Promise?” he asked her.

  “I’m positive.”

  “Can’t you just tell the computer she’s human?” asked Charlie. “Let it scan her based on that?”

  Simeon shrugged. “This has never happened before. But we can try.”

  “Okay,” said Dawn. She got back onto the table and laid down.

  The lights started scanning her again. The error message – in every known language throughout the galaxy – began again.

  “Thank you!” Simeon shouted toward the ceiling. “She’s human. Just like the rest of us here. Please use that genome for your diagnostics.”

  It tried scanning her again. And it still made the same error noise. “Unable. Genome incompatible,” the computer voice said.

  “Override,” said Simeon. “Ignore genome.”

  It made that error noise again. “Unable. Genome required for protocol. Unable to identify genome. Specified genome incompatible. Error. Subject not in database. Unable to continue.”

  Simeon muttered under his breath. “Useless alien technology…”

  Dawn sat back up. “So what? It’s fine. So I don’t get an artificial super nap. Big deal. I’m fine. We’re wasting time. Mastermind’s out there and we’re in here arguing with a—”

  Ray helped her down.

  “I’m fine, really,” she said. “Just get me some food and I’ll be back to normal. Probably was just low blood sugar or something.”

  “Alright,” said Ray. “If you’re sure. But if you feel sick or dizzy again—”

  “Stop worrying about me,” she said, smiling, almost laughing. “I’ll be fine. But thank you. You’re really sweet.” She gave him a quick kiss. “Now get on there, get all recharged, and let’s keep moving.”

  Ray sat on the table. Somehow this didn’t feel right. But they had come all this way. And they needed every edge they could get against Mastermind. Poor judgment, slow reaction time, and tired muscles from a lack of sleep would all spell disaster in the heat of battle.

  Wow. Battle. They were actually going to fight. Probably. Not that he wanted to. Not that any of them wanted to. But they had to.

  He laid down on the table.

  After scanning him, the holographic doctor appeared, and offered to “repair” Ray. It healed and strengthened him from the inside out. Rejuvenated and revitalized all his cells and organs. He felt like a new man. Like he just had the best night’s sleep of his life. Almost like his entire body got a tune-up and cleansing. He felt great!

  “Wow,” he said. “This is really cool.”

  “Does this mean you’ll be leaving Eden now?” asked Simeon.

  Charlie nodded. “Seems so. Wish us luck.”

  “I regret that I cannot join you. But you know our laws.”

  “I understand,” said Charlie. He looked to the four of them – Luke, the other Luke, Ray, and Dawn. “Ready?”

  They all were in agreement. They didn’t like it. But they knew what they had to do. They all wished they had more time. To better know how to use their powers. Maybe work out a better plan that didn’t require them fighting a mind-controlling madman and his mutant henchmen.

  God, they felt so unprepared.

  They just wished they were ready enough. They hoped they’d come out ahead. And not end up dead – or worse, mutated slaves of Mastermind.

  But that’s exactly why they had to fight him. So there would be no more mutant slaves. So they could prevent whatever evil he had planned.

  “You know, this reminds me of a quote I once heard,” one of the Lukes said. “All evil needs to triumph in this world is for good people to do nothing.”

  “Edmund Burke,” said the other Luke, crediting the person who first said it.

  Charlie looked at both Lukes. His nephew had a lot of heart. A lot of courage. A strong sense of justice and heroism. Just like his parents. They really wanted to keep Luke sheltered from this life. Charlie wished he could’ve honored that request.

  “I can’t ask any of you to do this,” said Charlie. “Mastermind was my fault.”

  “We’re all involved now,” said Ray. “The minute Mastermind came to our restaurant table and started mind-controlling us, we got involved.”

  Ray and Dawn had a lot of heart and courage, too.

  “Don’t worry about it, Charlie,” said Dawn. “I have a feeling we’re gonna win.” She smiled.

  That feeling was about to be tested.

  And at that very moment, a portal opened at the garden of Eden. Mastermind stepped through, followed by his five mutant slaves: Rhino-Man, Kraken, Venom, Slimer, and Arachnus.

  “What makes you so sure they’re here, boss?” asked Rhino-Man.

  “Call it a hunch.” Mastermind stepped forward. Beautiful nature all around. Butterflies. Flowers. Prettiness everywhere. Now, where was…

  Ethos suddenly appeared. “Welcome!” he said. “Welcome to Eden. I’m Ethos, Visitor Liaison. What brings you here today?”

  And there he was.

  “Venom,” Mastermind said. “Kill him.”

  She struck with unfathomable speed and suddenness. The mutant snake woman dug her long fangs deep into his neck, instantly releasing black poison into his blood.

  It all happened so fast.

  It was as if she came out of nowhere.

  The man’s eyes were filled with both sudden horror and unspeakable pain. “But… why?” were his last words.

  Ethos fell dead to the ground.

  “That ought to get their attention,” said Mastermind.

  Back inside the healing chamber, Simeon suddenly stared off blankly into space. Like he was on pause.

  Everyone looked at him.

  “That weirds me out every time he does that,” Ray said.

  “Yeah,” agreed Dawn.

  He returned his focus to them. The look on his face was inexpressible. Shocked. Terrified. Stunned. “Someone just entered through the gateway – and killed the Visitor Liaison.”

  Ray, Luke, Dawn, the other Luke, and Charlie all looked at each other. They knew exactly who it was.

  “I really wish we had a b
etter plan,” said Ray.

  The two Lukes faced each other. “We do have one element of surprise…” one of them said.

  “I’ve got it!” said the first Luke. “I’ll go back in time – up to five minutes, right? – and warn us Mastermind’s about to come through the portal. Simeon, you can warn the Visitor Liaison from here, right?”

  Simeon nodded.

  “Good. Meanwhile, the rest of us will rush toward the portal. Get the jump on him. Push him back. Or something. Uncle, if we open our own portal on that exact same spot, will it prevent him from re-opening his portal to here?”

  “I… I suppose so,” said the old man. “I’ve never tried it.”

  “Well we’re about to find out!” said that Luke. He closed his eyes, preparing to move through time.

  “Wait!” said Dawn. “Won’t changing your own history create another duplicate?”

  “Um… Maybe?” said that Luke. “It’s a chance we’ll have to take. Every second we wait is one less second we’ll have…”

  “Go!” said Charlie. “Good luck.”

  Luke closed his eyes again. He concentrated. Five minutes. That’s all he could do. But it would have to work. Five minutes. Come on… just five freaking minutes into the past.

  He opened his eyes.

  They were all still there, watching, waiting.

  “Did it work?”

  Charlie sighed and looked down. Ray shook his head.

  “What? I thought I could still do five minutes!”

  “Let me try,” said the other Luke. He closed his eyes. Focused on going as far back in time as he possibly could. It worked – sort of.

  Everything around him shifted into a red blur. Suddenly he found himself in the past… but not quite five minutes in the past.

  “I’ve got it!” said the first Luke. “I’ll go back in time – up to five minutes, right? – and warn us Mastermind’s about to come through the portal. Simeon, you can warn the Visitor Liaison from here, right?”

  Everyone turned to see a third Luke suddenly in their presence.

  “Uh oh,” said that future, third Luke. He closed his eyes and immediately went back to the future. It took a lot of effort. But he made it – barely.

  He reappeared a half a second before his previous self time-traveled backwards. Normally he’d try to arrive the second after he left, to make it like he was never gone.