Breaking Time Read online

  He reached in, grabbed one of the tentacle arms, and pulled the sea monster up. “What the hell were you doing?!” Mastermind demanded.

  “Sorry boss,” he garbled. “That desert planet really dried me out.” His multi-toothed mouth, positioned in the center of his chest, grinned. “But I’m all better now.”

  Mastermind started fuming. He looked Kraken deep in the eyes. Those black, bottomless sea creature eyes. “If you ever betray me again,” he said, “you’ll wish I left you stranded on that desert planet. Do you understand me?”

  Mastermind turned to face the others.

  “That goes for all of you. If anyone ever betrays me – there’s no place safe in this universe you can hide from me!” He sighed, frustrated. “And no one saw where they went?”

  “Sorry boss,” said Shadow.

  He sighed again, calming himself down. He checked his Rolex watch. They didn’t have any more time to waste. Loose end or not. Whatever. It wouldn’t matter now. Chuck and the others may have gotten away – but by now, Mastermind’s message should have reached all the major news networks – and it’d be too late to stop him.

  He looked back at the deceased Luke on the ground. At least this battle wasn’t a total loss. One of them died. And Ray would soon follow. The shape-shifter appeared to have lost control of her power too.

  This little encounter didn’t exactly go as he had planned, but it was a victory nonetheless.

  “Come on,” he said, calmly. “Let’s go. Destiny awaits.”

  Chapter Eleven

  End of Days

  Silence. Absolute darkness. Perfect stillness.

  They might as well be dead.

  “Uncle, where are we?”

  “Give it a second,” said the old man.

  Small lights appeared along the floor and walls. Just like the ones in the corridor when Ray and Dawn first entered the pyramid on the desert world.

  But they were far, far from there.

  These lights weren’t quite as bright as the ones in the other pyramid, either. But it was enough light to see what they were doing. Luke looked down at Dawn. Parts of her body still shape-shifted randomly and uncontrollably, although it seemed to be slowing down. Charlie knelt down next to Ray, lightly tapping his face. No response. Charlie checked for a pulse.

  “He’s still alive. Barely. His temperature’s dropping quickly.” The old man leaned down to pick up Luke’s dying friend. “Help her,” he said, looking at Dawn. “This way.”

  Luke knelt down next to Dawn. He wasn’t sure how to help her. She looked up at him. Her eyes kept shifting into different colors. Her face was still slightly deformed. As were other parts of her body. But the mutations were definitely slowing down. “Can you walk?” he asked her.

  She nodded her head, slowly, bravely. “I think so,” she said. Luke helped her up. She seemed unsteady on her feet. Luke let her lean on him. They walked together. Slowly. One step at a time. But she seemed to be getting better. The random mutations were definitely settling down. Her body started to normalize.

  Charlie carried Ray farther down the corridor. Luke and Dawn dragged behind. “Where are we taking them?”

  “Not far,” said Uncle Charlie. “Just ahead.” He said to Ray, “We’re almost there. Hold on just a little bit longer.”

  Luke tried to be brave. He tried to hide how he felt – scared, alone, worried, horribly defeated. He couldn’t believe it. The other Luke had died – and they just left him there! Dawn, a girl he barely knew, wasn’t doing so great, either.

  And Ray – his best friend, his roommate, practically a brother to him – was he even going to make it?

  How did this all go so terribly wrong?

  Their plan was perfect. Get in, steal the crystal, banish Mastermind and the mutants, and get out. The had powers. They had the element of surprise. They had a plan.

  How did they fail?

  Maybe they weren’t cut out to be super heroes. Maybe the reality of being a hero was a little different than the comic books. But maybe this wasn’t over. Maybe it didn’t have to end like this. Maybe he could still go back in time, and change all this. Somehow.

  If his power had even recharged enough.

  But how far back could he go? Would he be able to go back far enough to warn them their plan to steal Mastermind’s crystal wouldn’t work? Could he go farther back and stop Mastermind from ever arriving on Eden and killing that visitor liaison guy? He wondered… could he go even far enough back, and stop his uncle from even giving him that damn crystal?

  The powers… getting to explore other worlds… it wasn’t worth losing his best friend. It wasn’t worth the life of an innocent girl he barely knew.

  Of course, if he did go back in time and stop all this from happening, it still wouldn’t prevent Mastermind from completing his evil plan. Mastermind would still have his little army of mutants. Only – without Luke and the others – there’d literally be no one to stop them.

  No, they had to pull through this. Somehow. They had to make it. Ray couldn’t die. Dawn couldn’t die.

  They had to survive.

  Luke wasn’t much of a religious man. But in this moment, he prayed. Please God, he said in the silence of his own heart, get them through this somehow. Keep them alive. Help them find a way to save the world. They’re the only ones who even have a chance of stopping Mastermind now.

  And right now, it looked like it was a very, very slim chance.

  Mastermind was already far too powerful for them. But if they somehow got through this, if they found a way to survive this, Luke would take it as a sign they were meant to do this. Their destiny. To stop Mastermind and his mutants. To be heroes. To save the world from other powerful, dangerous super villains like him.

  It was amazing how some things didn’t matter anymore. Twenty-four hours ago, he would’ve worried about losing his stupid part-time minimum wage job. Funny how watching your best friend flirt with death put things into perspective. Or being nice to pushy door salesmen and religious missionaries. He really didn’t want to talk to them. He should’ve just said no. They were probably used to rejection anyway. And speaking of rejection, he loved being an artist. He dreamed of drawing comic books. But he never put himself out there. Not really. Because he was afraid of rejection.

  For too long, Luke had allowed himself to be too passive and just “let” things happen to him. Always waiting for things to get better someday. But they never did. He never submitted his artwork to any publishers. Never applied to any jobs at production studios around town either. He lived in Los Angeles. How much more opportunity could he have? He never approached any girls he was attracted to – he was just afraid of failing, of losing them, of things not working out.

  So he ended up stuck in a dead-end, low-paying job with no girlfriend and a fantasy world of comic books and sci-fi/fantasy movies. Which was fine. He guessed. But he wanted more. Deep down, he knew he was meant for more.

  Walking down this lonely corridor on some unknown planet, probably thousands of lightyears from Earth, helping Dawn limp along as they watched his best friend slowly die in his uncle’s arms… Luke vowed to change himself that moment.

  If they made it out of this alive, he was going to start living his life differently. He’d start living it, period.

  He was determined to be a new man. Stop listening to his fears. Stop believing his self-doubts. It was time to grow up. Time to become something more. Time to become… the hero he always knew he could be, always wanted to be, inside.

  Sure, he was a little afraid. But whenever someone is faced with fear, they have two choices: run and hide, or stand up and grow as a person. And Luke decided to choose the latter. He couldn’t let his friends die. He couldn’t let Mastermind win. He wouldn’t let this story end badly.

  He was determined to become the hero he needed to be.

  If they could only find a way to survive their current problems.

  “Here we are,” said Charlie, leaning Ray dow
n against the wall. A circular door rolled open to the side. Luke looked inside. It was another healing chamber.

  Charlie looked down at Ray, limply and lifelessly slouching to the floor. Charlie could see Ray’s body temperature – what was left of it. They didn’t have much time. The old man picked up Ray, carried him inside, and laid him across the table.

  Lights began scanning from overhead. Dawn watched from the side. Exhausted herself, she leaned against the wall, and slowly sank down to the floor. Her eyes stayed fixed on Ray.

  The holographic doctor appeared. “Beginning repairs.”

  Charlie stayed back, watching anxiously in silence.

  Luke waited by Ray’s side.

  The doctor began working. Used some kind of alien device. Something that made a high pitch noise and flashed different colored lights over Ray’s weak body.

  The hologram moved quickly. Focusing on one area, then another, and another. The doctor kept working.

  And working.

  This took a lot longer than before.

  Luke shook his head. Both he and his uncle healed much faster than this.

  “Come on, Ray…” Luke said.

  Dawn’s random mutations seemed to have stopped completely, at last. Her body finally calmed down. She took a long, deep, slow breath. Naked, she sat on the cold hard floor, arms wrapped around her legs, bundling herself up tightly. She looked up at the medical table, eyes fixed on Ray.

  The holographic doctor used a variety of unfamiliar, high-tech alien tools. He injected something into Ray. Probably an antidote of some kind. He used a hand-held device over the bite wound too, healing that up. More lights and energy beams scanned and strobed from above.

  Ray should’ve been better by now. What was taking so long? It couldn’t be too late to save him.

  No, not like this. They couldn’t be too late.

  Uncle Charlie’s eyes looked red, about to cry.

  “Come on, Ray,” Luke said, still at his side. “Pull through. I need you, man. You can’t die. You’re my best friend.” He forced a smile – so he wouldn’t cry. “Ray, wake up. Wake up. This isn’t your time. It’s not supposed to end like this.”

  “Luke…” Charlie whispered.

  “No, not like this.”

  The hologram continued working on Ray’s body.

  “He can’t be dead,” said Luke.

  Different colored lights focused on different areas of Ray’s body. Over different vital organs. Including his lungs. Ray didn’t appear to be breathing. When did that stop? How long had Ray not been breathing?

  The lights shut off. The holographic doctor looked up at them. “All possible repairs have been completed. Please wait for final diagnostic.”

  A final scan of Ray’s body.

  Luke shook his head. Ray should be better by now. Ray should be breathing.

  “Confirmed,” said the doctor. “No additional repairs possible. Operation terminated.”

  The hologram disappeared.

  Still no life.

  “Ray?” Luke’s voice trembled.

  Still no response.

  “Ray?” Luke asked again, starting to cry.

  He can’t be dead.

  No, not like this. Not like this. Please, God, not like this.

  Charlie took a step back into the shadows, his hand covering his mouth.

  “Ray?” Luke asked one last time.

  Charlie shook his head. The old man was speechless – riddled with guilt, filled with horror, consumed by shame, shocked with disbelief. He couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it. Then he looked around. His face changed to one of concern. “Where’s Dawn?”

  Luke looked at the wall where she had been resting. She wasn’t there.

  Where’d she go?

  “Dawn?” Luke asked, not seeing her anywhere. He ran out into the corridor. “Dawn?”

  He looked down, at the floor.

  “Uncle, come quick!”

  Charlie glanced at Ray’s lifeless body lying across the medical table. And he ran out into the hallway.

  He saw Luke kneeling over Dawn.

  Or what was left of her.

  There was definitely some blonde hair. And human skin. A few random bones too. And lots of blood. Lots of red blood, pooled around the gooey mess of her remains. And a glowing green substance mixed in. Something a janitor would have to mop up – not anything resembling what used to be a human being.

  “Can we get her on the table?” Luke pleaded.

  Charlie stared at the pile of bloody goo. How? With what?

  He opened his mouth to speak, but made no sound. It took him a few seconds to respond. He slowly shook his head.

  Even if there was a way to scoop “her” up… and somehow carry her onto the table… the scanners wouldn’t be able to identify her genome. It didn’t work last time. No way it’d happen this time.

  “I’m sorry,” Charlie whispered, lips trembling. He shook his head. He wanted to say something – a word of encouragement, a word of hope, a word of something. But he couldn’t. No words came out.

  Luke really needed some guidance. What were they supposed to do? What could they do?

  Charlie still shook his head. He couldn’t bear to look at her any longer. He turned away. “Luke,” he said, his back to him, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”

  The old man’s face showed a guilt like no other.

  It was his fault Mastermind existed. His fault his brother and sister-in-law were dead. And now two young innocents were dead too. How many? How many more would suffer and die – because of his mistake?

  “I…”

  “Uncle?”

  The old man shook his head. “I can’t,” he whispered. “I just can’t.” The long dark corridor was in front of him. He started to run.

  “Uncle?”

  He didn’t stop.

  Luke stood up. “Uncle!” he shouted down the corridor.

  His uncle disappeared into the darkness.

  “Uncle!” he called again, louder.

  Now Luke was completely alone.

  Chapter Twelve

  The Cure

  Doctor Troyd and Luke – the mind-controlled one – stepped outside from the baggage claim area. That’s when Luke saw the name of the airport. LaGuardia. They were in New York City.

  How did they get here? His uncle said the only portal back to Earth ended up in Stonehenge. They were nowhere near there.

  “Follow me,” said the doctor.

  “Where we going?” asked Luke.

  “We have an appointment with the President of the United States,” said Doctor Troyd. “But first, I need to pick something up.”

  “The President? Nice…”

  “Just following the plan,” Doctor Troyd said.

  He stepped up to the curb and hailed a taxi. They had no luggage, which the driver thought was a little odd, but he didn’t care. Doctor Troyd told the driver to take them to the Bank of American Savings, New York City Branch.

  It was across town, and in the middle of rush hour, but New York taxi drivers were known for their – well, somewhat “fearless” – driving skills.

  They weaved in and out of traffic, raced ahead, slammed on the brakes at the last possible second, dodged pedestrians, clipped cars and bike messengers … and made it in half the time it would’ve taken any non-New Yorker.

  Troyd paid the man, including tip, and they stepped outside.

  The bank was as impressive as the one in Los Angeles. Massive columns. Marble steps. Enormous grand entrance doors. “This way,” said Doctor Troyd. They went inside.

  Luke had never stepped foot in such a place. He was used to the regular average-joe type of banks on every street corner. The ones that offered “free checking”, provided you had direct deposit or a minimum daily balance – neither of which he ever enjoyed.

  The eccentric scientist stepped up to one of the tellers. “I’m here to pick up an item from safety deposit box number 88332.”

  Luke waited i
n the main lobby hall. Snacked on some fruit left out on a fancy tray. There were a few widescreen televisions there, showing the local news, stock reports, GNN Headlines, and the like.

  Something caught his eye on one of the TVs. Something – or more specifically, someone familiar.

  It was breaking news.

  Luke stepped closer to watch and listen.

  “This footage was taken from a security camera at a private biotech research and development firm in Orange County, California late last night,” said the news anchor.

  Mastermind appeared on the TV screen, standing in front of five petty criminals. He held a syringe loaded with a glowing green chemical. Shadow, the cat girl, stood by his side with a small case of various blood samples. And Doctor Troyd was there too.

  The five criminals lined up in front of the security camera.

  Mastermind injected the first one. A girl.

  She mutated into Slimer – right on camera, right for the whole world to see.

  Luke’s jaw dropped. He had seen the end result – the mutants – but he hadn’t seen their transformation. Until now. On TV.

  The reporter continued, “The man you see here has been identified under the alias of ‘Mastermind’, a bio-terrorist who escaped from LAPD custody a couple hours earlier.”

  The video continued, showing each criminal, one after another, get mutated into their current forms. Slimer was first. Then Rhino-Man. And Arachnus, the spider mutant. Kraken, the sea monster. And finally Venom, the all-too-lethal snake lady. With Shadow, who’d already been transformed, they made a total of six mutants. Mastermind’s mutants.

  “The authenticity of these disturbing images have been confirmed and verified,” the reporter’s voice continued. “The identity of the victims are known, but their names are being withheld out of respect for their families. Mastermind, the terrorist responsible for this horrific crime against humanity, has released a video with his demands.”

  “Hey Doc,” Luke said, calling over toward Doctor Troyd. “You gotta see this.”

  “Here now is the footage we received with Mastermind’s demands.” The news switched to a different pre-recorded video. Mastermind’s face – clear, in focus, and in high-definition – filled television screens simultaneously across America and the world.