Breaking Time

by Luke Derricks

  “We figured that out eons ago. We used our crystal to create gateways to many different worlds. Once we figured out how the crystal worked, we used it to open supply lines all over the galaxy. That is, until the crystal stopped working. Apparently its power was more limited than we realized.”

  “That’s incredible!” said Ray. “And there’s a different symbol for each planet?”

  “Each site, yes,” said Simeon. “You can have more than one gateway per planet, of course. And it’s not limited to planets, either.”

  “Right,” said Luke. “Like that derelict starship.”

  “The what?” asked Simeon.

  “The abandoned starship. That lost all its atmosphere,” said Luke. “The portal that creates a vacuum every time you open it.”

  “Ohh, that one, yes,” said Simeon. “That’s not one of ours.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Dawn.

  “That’s not one of our ships.”

  Ray was almost afraid to ask. “Well, whose is it?”

  Simeon paused for a second, staring blankly. Then he returned to normal. “We don’t know. Perhaps the crystal creators. Perhaps someone else.

  “Okay, I gotta ask,” said Luke. “Are there other alien lifeforms – other intelligent life – out there?”

  “You mean not from Eden or your world?” Simeon asked.

  “Yeah. And speaking of – if you’re not from Earth, how come you’re human? And how come you speak English?”

  They turned down a corridor into a less populated area of the station, still on their way to the simulator room.

  “We speak most languages,” clarified Simeon. “Any time someone visits Eden, we quickly scan them to identify their culture, native language and dialect, species, and so on. My comlink updates and I can speak fluently and easily in your native tongue.”

  “Comlink?” asked Ray.

  Charlie explained, “It’s how they communicate with each other. I think it’s also connected to their version of the Internet or some super computer, too. Some implant in their brains, I think.”

  “As to why we’re both human but come from different worlds, that I don’t know,” said Simeon. “Our crystal hasn’t worked for nearly four millennia. We may have visited your world in the past. I don’t know. We traveled to many worlds.”

  “Wow,” said Luke. “You could be our distant ancestors. Or maybe we’re yours.”

  “Possible,” said Simeon. “This way,” he lead them down another hallway.

  This place was huge.

  “So how many symbols are there? How many places could your people visit before the crystal died?”

  “Hundreds,” said Simeon. “Possibly more. Like I said, they’re programmable.”

  “But you didn’t make the portal to that derelict starship?” asked Luke.

  “I don’t believe so. The ship’s not similar to any of our designs. And we liked to build gateways between more stationary locations, like planets, moons, stars, and outposts.”

  “Oh my God,” said Luke, getting excited. “So it’s a real alien ship!”

  “Seems so,” said Simeon, again, like it was no big deal.

  Ray shook his head. “Aliens? Big gray heads, probes, and all that?”

  “Relax,” said Dawn. “I’m sure they won’t want to probe you.”

  “And why not?” asked Ray. “I’m not good enough for their little alien experiments?”

  They laughed together.

  Luke was intrigued. “We gotta find a way onto that ship. You have any space suits or anything I can borrow?”

  “Now Luke,” said Uncle Charlie, “we can worry about all that another time. Let’s not lose focus why we’re here.”

  “Yeah. After we defeat Mastermind, I’m coming back to check out that space ship.”

  “We’re gonna need a good plan,” said Ray. “Mastermind… He’s… got this power over people… makes you do things, obey him, whatever he wants – and you can’t help it. You want to do as he asks.”

  Dawn nodded solemnly.

  “Yeah, we’ve got powers now. That gives us a fighting chance. But none of us are exactly trained for this sort of thing either,” said Ray. “Even if we do defeat him – then what? Do we lock him up in some sort of super prison for super villains? He obvious escaped jail at least once already.”

  “We’ll think of something,” said Luke.

  “We can’t kill him,” said Dawn. “He’s an evil, evil man. But I’m not about to play God.”

  Ray nodded. “She’s right. If we’re going to try to be heroes, we gotta stick to a moral code. Otherwise we’re no different than the monsters we’re trying to stop.”

  “I know, I know. You guys are right. Maybe we can trick him into killing himself. It happens all the time in the comics and movies.”

  “But Luke,” said Charlie, “this isn’t a comic book or movie. Mastermind won’t capture you and monologue about his master plan while he gives you time to escape. And he’s smart. I don’t think you’re going to make him fall into his own trap.”

  “Exactly why we need a solid plan,” said Ray.

  “Yeah,” said Dawn. “I don’t want to end up his mindless slave… or a mutant.”

  Luke turned to his uncle.

  “Don’t look at me,” said the old man. “I’ll help any way I can, but ‘night vision’ isn’t exactly the most useful power for these sort of things.”

  “Do we even have time to master our new powers?” asked Ray. “I mean, right now, Mastermind and his mutants… what are they doing in that pyramid, anyway?”

  “Getting powers,” Dawn said.

  Luke’s eyes went wide. “You’re right. That has to be it. He brought them all to that room, with the sphere. Oh my God. He’s building an army of super-powered mutants!”

  Dawn sighed. “Not good.”

  Ray shook his head. “Not good at all. We’re already out-numbered. How are we supposed to do this? Can we even do this?”

  Luke thought about it. They were surely in over their heads. Five mutants, all with their own individual super powers, plus Mastermind himself. Verses a time-traveler, a shape-shifter, and a telekinetic. It appeared Luke’s ability to travel through time was fairly limited. So that ruled out the option of preventing any of this from ever happening. Ray could keep several of them at bay at once with his telekinesis, and Dawn could transform into something big and powerful – but six against three?

  Sure, Charlie could join in too. But do what, exactly? What a useless power. Well, not useless when they had to find their way through the dark underground caverns. But pretty useless in battle.

  They needed more people on their side. But there was no time. Right now, as they walked through this giant space station, Mastermind’s mutants were gaining super powers. And then what? Return to Earth, take it over, rule the world? Or was Mastermind recruiting even more mutant monster slaves into his army?

  They had to do something.

  “Look,” he said, “I know the odds are against us. But we have to do something. We have to try.”

  “But will we be enough?” asked Ray.

  “We’ll have to be,” said Luke. “Look, do I think it’s cool we all got powers? Absolutely. Am I loving the idea of being a super hero? You bet. But at the same time, you think I don’t realize what I’m getting into? I mean, we’re putting our lives on the line. We’re all new at this. I’m all too aware of that. None of us are trained in fighting. None of us know the full extent or potential of any of our powers. We’ve never had to face off against a super villain – or any kind of dangerous criminal – before. And none of us are prepared for what might come next. But you know what?”

  “What?” Dawn and Ray asked together.

  “None of that even matters. Life is always full of danger. Life is always full of the unknown. Life often throws you into circumstances and problems that you don’t feel ready for, that you’ve never faced before, that you have no idea how to solve. But that’s okay. Becaus
e we always find a way. We always figure things out. We always come out ahead. We don’t give up and we don’t quit. Because there’s something way more important than our fears, doubts, or limitations – the lives of others. Maybe even the whole world. If we don’t do something – who will? Who can?”

  Dawn applauded. Ray smiled and nodded.

  “You’re right man. You’re absolutely right,” he said.

  Uncle Charlie smiled proudly. “Good to see the old Luke back and alive again.”

  Luke looked at him strangely.

  “I agree,” said Ray. “Ever since your parents… you haven’t quite been the same. You just sorta gave up on everything. Your art, your girlfriend… everything.”

  They were right. Luke didn’t want to admit it, but they were right. After his parents died, he closed up inside. Gave up on his art, stopped trying, detached and distanced himself from his girlfriend… Buried himself even more in movies and books.

  Maybe he was just grieving. Maybe he was just withdrawn. But he wasn’t. He couldn’t grieve. Because until earlier today, he blamed himself for their deaths. He felt guilt, not grief. He felt shame, not sadness.

  But now, suddenly, everything had changed. His parents’ deaths were not his fault. Not really. Even if he hadn’t gone to that cliff – or gone with them on vacation at all – they’d still be dead at Mastermind’s hand.

  Luke didn’t have time for feeling sadness or grief now, though. He jumped straight into anger. Straight at Mastermind. Sure, he claimed this was all about doing the right thing, being a super hero, and all that – but no, the truth was, Mastermind had to pay. Luke wasn’t violent or aggressive. Usually he was a pretty nice guy. But deep down, he knew, Mastermind had to be stopped, one way or another – to prevent any more future victims, and to avenge all the past victims.

  Especially Luke’s mom and dad.

  That’s where he found his strength. That’s where he found his courage. This wasn’t solely about being a hero. Sure, that was totally cool and fun. He did like that aspect too. But really, this was about righting a deeply painful wrong – about hand-delivering justice to a most evil man.

  Dawn and Ray were right. They shouldn’t become killers. Heroes had to follow a strict moral code. Otherwise he’d be no better than the villains he fought. Okay, they’d still be “better” – especially against someone like Mastermind. But it was a slippery slope. With great power came great responsibility, to quote a famous line from Spider-Man. They had to use their powers for good – without crossing over the line between justice and revenge.

  Luke wanted revenge. But he couldn’t allow himself to cross that line. Not today. Not ever.

  They’d have to find some other way to defeat him.

  “And here we are,” finally said Simeon, stopping at a red door marked “Simulation Training Center.” They were at the far end of the station, away from all the commerce and living quarters. Luke still thought “Danger Room” sounded better. But maybe that would’ve been a trademark infringement with Marvel Comics or something.

  Simeon placed his hand against the door. It unlocked and opened. He let them in.

  Mastermind checked his watch, tapping his foot impatiently. He was still in the mirrored chamber, still waiting at the pedestal.

  “Come on already!” he exclaimed. “You stupid bug.” He sighed with unimaginable frustration. “His power better be worth it.”

  “Mine was,” said Shadow with a cat-like grin. And then she disappeared, turning invisible, right before his eyes.

  “Yes, yes,” sighed Mastermind. “Go check on the doctor and our new recruit, would you?”

  “Sure thing, boss,” said Shadow’s feline voice in the empty air. Her cat-like body and reflexes already allowed her to move somewhat stealthily. Now her newfound power made her all the more sneaky and dangerous.

  Mastermind definitely had plans for her.

  “Can I go first?” asked Luke.

  “I don’t see why not,” said Simeon, checking with Charlie.

  “Awesome!” said Luke.

  They stood in a small room. Very small. Practically a closet. But this was just the control center, obviously. There were all kinds of buttons – a whole table full of them – all marked with different colors and labels. A flat wall faced them. Luke assumed a video display or window would appear there. The real simulation room had to be on the other side of that blank wall.

  “We’ll start at Level 1. Try and use your powers. The simulator will collect data on everything you’re doing. Reaction time, energy output, change in temperature, biometrics, everything. At any time you need to stop, just yell ‘stop’.”

  “Right, got it,” said Luke. “So where do I go? What do I do?”

  Simeon said, “The test begins now.”

  Suddenly, the space between Luke and the others rapidly expanded, warping and stretching space, putting what felt like miles between them in mere seconds.

  Luke stood all alone in a completely white space, void of any defining boundaries of any kind. A second later, grass sprung up around his feet and spread outward. Flowers, trees, and other plants sprouted up from the ground, as if growing in hyper real-time. The sun and sky appeared overhead, as if suddenly painted onto some massive canvas high above. Birds appeared and populated the trees. Butterflies fluttered around the flowers. Bees buzzed nearby. And then…

  One of the bees stung him.

  “Ow! That hurt!”

  He really felt that. This was a simulation? Sure felt real! Damn. He rubbed his arm where the bee had stung him. It was sore. It was painful. But he’d live.

  Wait. Maybe this was part of the test. His super power was time travel. Alright. Maybe he can go back in time and stop himself from getting stung.

  He closed his eyes, concentrated, and suddenly everything around him shifted into a red blur of light. He went back in time several seconds. Seven, to be exact. He opened his eyes. Saw himself standing there.

  His seven-seconds-younger self stood there, saw him, and looked surprised. “Um, hi,” he said to his suddenly-appearing self.

  “Hi,” said Luke from seven seconds in the future.

  “What’s going on?” asked slightly-younger Luke.

  “Look out! There’s a bee on your arm,” said the marginally-older Luke. He quickly flicked it off. The bee flew away.

  “Thanks,” said the younger Luke, noticing the bee sting still on the other Luke’s arm.

  “You’re welcome,” said the other Luke. He checked his arm. The bee sting remained. It still hurt. But he looked at his other self’s arm. No big sting. He changed the past.

  So why was he still stung?

  “Okay, stop,” yelled out the still-stung Luke.

  The scene vanished. The room rapidly contracted and compressed. Everything rushed closer back together. Within seconds, he was back in the tiny room with the others. Simeon stood over the controls.

  Both Lukes remained.

  “What the hell happened?” asked older Luke.

  Uncle Charlie looked uneasy. “Um, everyone else sees two of them, right?”

  Dawn and Ray stared and nodded.

  “This is fascinating,” said Simeon. “Somehow, you’ve prevented your own causality loop.”

  Everyone – except the two Lukes – looked to Simeon in total loss.

  “Say whuh?” asked Ray.

  “Causality loop,” said the first, younger Luke.

  “A paradox,” said the second, slightly older Luke.

  The first Luke sighed and began to explain. “It’s like the classic grandfather paradox. Say a time traveler goes back in time and kills his own grandfather before his grandfather had any children. Since the grandfather had no children, the time traveler’s parents were never born, therefore the time traveler was never born – and since he never existed, how could he go back in time to kill his own grandfather?”

  The second Luke looked at his younger duplicate. “But apparently the loop is broken. I changed his history.
See. He didn’t get stung. But look. I still have the bee sting.”

  “So you can’t change your own past?” asked Ray.

  Both Lukes shook their heads.

  “No,” said the first Luke.

  The second Luke said, “Because his past has been changed.”

  “And now there’s two of you,” said Simeon.

  Dawn said, “I guess that confirms we left behind another Luke back in the sphere, too.”

  Ray shook his head. “This is getting too crazy for me.”

  “The only way to avoid duplicating myself,” said the second Luke, “is to not change my own history in any way that prevents me from traveling back onto my original timeline.”

  “Argghhh!” Ray exclaimed.

  The first Luke explained, “He means, he can’t change what caused him to travel back in time in the first place. So like in this example, if he allowed the bee to still sting me, he could’ve returned to his own time and everything would be fine. There’d only be one of us.”

  “I see,” said Dawn, figuring it all out. “Because the first one never got stung, he’d never leave the present moment. Which means, he’d stay here – and when the second one returned from the past, the first one would still be there, and –”

  “Okay, just stop. Seriously. This is giving me a headache,” said Ray.

  Charlie laughed, sympathizing with Ray. “Personally, I like the past where it is. I’d rather learn about it in the present, through archeology and research. More fun that way. Like solving a mystery.”

  Both Lukes shook their heads. “No way,” one said. “Yeah, traveling through time is better,” said the other.

  “Even if it means creating two of you?” asked Simeon.

  “Three,” corrected Dawn.

  Ray shook his head. “Any minute now I’m going to wake up and find this was all a dream.”

  “Maybe we can fix this,” said Simeon. “Luke – one of you – try to go back in time and stop yourself from going back in time to prevent the bee sting. Let’s see if that fixes our problem.”

  The two Lukes looked at each other. They both instantly knew there was only one fair way to decide who got to go.

  They both counted out loud, “One, two, three, go!”