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As Wedge took his seat at the head of the conference table, Sandy took a seat to the right of his Dad, while Jason sat next to sandy and Matt on the opposite side. Wedge looked over the group silently for a few moments and sighed before breaking the silence.
"So, Matt, what's on your mind?"
Matt looked at Wedge and thought for a few minutes. "I'm not sure where to begin, but I'd like to start with what I know about Sid. Wedge nodded so Matt continued, "It happened on a raid one day on planet Phrozon. Spike and I came across this creature that appeared to give us so much trouble, we had no idea what it was, but it was similar to what Sid is, only weaker. We had some trouble taking it down as it was their last line of defense." He spent a second or two thinking then continued as he retold a memory of his and Spike's conversations.
"I remember asking Spike just what the hell that thing was. For a brief moment, he thought we had killed Sid. I had to ask who Sid was, so he went on to explain in great detail what he knew of him. Somewhere along the lines, I sort of became disgusted with what I heard about Sid. The more Spike talked about him, the more disgusted I became. Spike sensed my uneasiness with the subject of Sid and asked me something I wasn't prepared to answer."
"How do you feel about cloning yourself? I mean, just imagine, the unstoppable force your clones could mount on anyone and anything." Spike asked as if it were an everyday question.
Matt shook his head to try and wave off any feelings of disgust, which seemed to resurface, as he retold the story. Wedge and Sandy looked at each other and tried to say something, but Matt held up his hand and continued with his story.
"I shot Spike a glare but then returned my gaze to the opposite direction. I had to give the question some thought. Sure, an army of clones of myself, while the idea excited me somewhat, I still felt a little unsure about the whole cloning process. I had read up on it, how mom made sure it was banned and the reasons why, but it was the experiments that got to me. Their experiments had a lot to do with all kinds of testing going on in 'Area 51' of Earth. I won't go into detail about that, but I did give Spike an answer. To say he didn't like it was an understatement. He pretty much went ballistic and tried to force the issue on me, but I firmly stood my ground. Sometime later in the day, Spike apologized for going off on me, something he rarely did. At this time, he went on to explain how he wanted to try and do what Sid was doing. One look into my mind told him I wasn't willing to partake in the experiment. This happened about a year ago."
Matt paused to remember some more and continued, "As of recent, Spike and I paid a visit to Sid to check up on his 'progress' as he claimed he finally made it work. At first we were skeptical, but once we saw the massive ship he had, we became suspicious. A quick mind scan confirmed Sid had indeed cloned something. I wanted to investigate that while Spike distracted Sid, but something else got my attention. That something else happened to be my own twin brother, Eric. He is... different than me. He has emotion boiling free within him, where I don't, but keep them under strict control. I was trained to not show emotion, yet I do slip up from time to time."
"Anyway, Spike explained how Sid modified his ship to suit his very needs, and I think Sid created an army of clones."
Matt had to chuckle at Wedge's expression as his eyes went wide as saucers. He didn't pay too much attention to Jason or Sandy because they were simply keeping a straight face, as if they were absorbing everything he said.
Matt turned his attention back to Wedge and laid out the plan. "Here's what I plan to do; I don't know if Sandy explained about our encounter in the white void, but I also met my older self there and scanned his mind on what happened between Eric and Sid. I have to prevent that at all costs. I also plan on investigating what Sid has going on, on his ship. I'll inform you through my direct link. It's a device that transmits my thoughts into a receiver, which I am going to give you before I go. One last thing would be to give my brother the right locket. He currently has Jason's."
As Matt finished speaking, Wedge slumped in his chair. It was silent for 10 minutes as Wedge sorted out everything Matt told him. Once Wedge gathered his thoughts, he sat up straight in his chair and looked directly at Sandy.
"Son, this time, you're staying put."
Sandy shot up in his chair in protest, "But dad! What if Matt needs help? I refuse to sit by and do nothing but watch!"
"I'm sorry Sandy, not this time."
"I'm still going!"
Wedge sighed to himself, "Why is it everything I say falls on deaf ears?"
Jason chuckled a bit at Wedge's remark, "Ah Wedge, don't be so hard on him, if he wants to help, let him learn on his own."
Sandy started to grin until Matt held up his hand as if to stop Sandy from grinning any further.
"Wedge is right, Sandy, you aren't prepared for this and please don't argue, unless of course you'd like to see what Sid really is like... within my mind."
At first, Sandy wanted to shout, but held himself back and gave it some thought. He frowned and looked at Matt, "Sorry Matt, I guess I wasn't thinking."
Matt sighed and thumbed in Wedge's direction, which caused Sandy to blush a bit then turn his attention to Wedge, "Sorry Dad. I guess I got too excited."
Wedge ruffled his son's hair and smiled, "Just next time, please think before you speak. I couldn't stand to lose you. You are all I have left."
"I know, Dad, I know." Sandy stood up and walked over to give his dad a hug. Once the hug was broken up, he returned to his seat and Wedge turned to look at Matt after wiping a tear from his eye.
Wedge got straight to the point and asked Matt, "So, who are you going to go with?"
Matt wanted to force a wicked grin, but held his serious expression. "Just me. I'll need you on stand by and close. I know your ship is more than enough to handle Sid's. After all, he removed some of the most devastating primary weapons on it."
Wedge glared at Matt for a few moments, "Okay then, be careful. Oh, one more thing, please inform Dr. Chase of your situation and ask for his assistance in any way."
Matt's eyes went wide at the mention of Dr. Chase. "Chase?! So he is the spy Sid was muttering about in his thoughts!"
"WHAT?! Sid knows?!" Wedge shot out of his chair, nearly pulling the screws off the base of the chair.
"More like suspects, but he doesn't know who exactly." Matt quickly replied, trying to calm Wedge.
Wedge breathed a sigh of relief, "Ok, but that doesn't mean we can forget about it."
"Right... ah yes, before I forget, use this device I mentioned earlier." Matt pulled out a small hearing–aid type device, which fits in the ear. "This is the 'direct link'. Handle with care, it's the only one." Matt giggled as he handed the device over to Wedge.
Wedge looked at the device and placed it in his left ear and flipped the tiny switch to 'on' and nodded at Matt.
Matt began a series of simple thought tests and watched Wedge's expression change from calm to surprised then watched him break out laughing.
In between chuckles and trying to catch his breath, Wedge tried to stop Matt from continuing but failed miserably. It took a few more minutes before he could finally catch his breath. "So Matt, how soon do you begin?"
Poor Jason was left out and left with his own thoughts. After hearing Wedge ask the question but before Matt had a chance to speak, Jason stood and nearly shouted, "As soon as frickin' possible! Time is running out, there is no room for error. From what older Matt told me, Sid isn't planning on staying around here conducting scans looking for Wedge. He's gunna go storming off chasing ghosts. Its best you make your move now."
Matt and Wedge nodded at the same time. Sandy appeared sad, but fully supported Matt's decision to not bring him along. Matt then stood and proceeded to walk towards the door stopping as it slid open. He turned around briefly and smiled before exiting the room.
Wedge turned to look at Sandy and Jason then sighed. "I suppose its time. Let's go to the bridge and monitor the situation from there. Oh and Jason, I want to ask you something."
Jason knew this day would come. He was expecting it, not only the plan of Matt's, but the change of the whole plan. Somehow, things were different, it must have been Eric's yearning to get out of that hellhole Sid had him trapped in.
"Jason?" Wedge asked with concern after Jason didn't respond immediately.
"Huh? Oh, you mean the whole situation?"
Wedge stopped right before entering the bridge, "Ah, no, I was wondering how the timeline would be affected should those two defeat Sid and return to the past to prevent Matt's kidnapping?"
To say Jason was unprepared to answer the question was an understatement. His mouth was hanging open, but no words were forming and it looked like as if he was sucking on air. Jason was this way for a few minutes before he snapped out of that trance, "Oh, I uhh, I'm not sure. There is only one person who could have the best possible explanation and she is dead."
Wedge groaned, "Well, just try your best, I have a slim idea on it, but I'm unsure of a few certain things."
Jason was about to speak when a ripple from inside the bridge, interrupting their conversation. Matt had just entered the ripple and left the bridge of The Summoner. Another ripple then formed behind the chair Wedge used in the conference room and older Matt exited from the ripple.
Jason was the first to speak while Wedge was staring at older Matt. "Ah, you again. I suppose you came to answer a question I was struggling with?"
Matt chuckled, "Maybe, maybe not, but I'll try. Uncle Wedge, you asked about if the timeline would change should the past change, the answer is yes. How much? I'm not sure, but it all depends on what exactly is changed. Yes I know you want to know how the preventing of Matt's kidnapping will change time, that, I can't truly say. The time shift might be obvious, depending on how huge it is. I was supposed to prevent the kidnapping of myself, but Ryan went alone, back in time, thinking he had the power to stop the kidnapper. Sadly, he failed to do so and that caused things to be the way they are now. Should the two of those boys go back at the same time, they might actually 'repair' the damage done to time and actually see some change for the better."
Wedge nodded then focused on something else, "What do you mean by 'repair'?
Now it was Matt's turn to focus on his thoughts for a bit. After a few moments, he finally had his answer, "Honestly, mom would know, she has dealt with such things in the past, way before we were born. I think it means that certain things that took place in the 'damaged' time may or may not happen in the 'repaired' time. For example, Eric might actually not become deaf, or he might not meet Jason, but somehow, those two were meant to be together. When I met Eric, he had such strong feelings for Jason and their link was quite obvious, even if they were hundreds of years apart. I can still feel that link in this room with Jason here. Hope this explains everything. I am sure it is still a bit confusing, even though I tried my best."
"Hmmm, I think that'll do." Wedge still wasn't sure on the explanation as he still struggled to remember his training, but couldn't. He eventually gave up and finished what he wanted to say, "Well, folks, time to head to the bridge. Matt, you want to join us?"
"Can't, I'm needed elsewhere, sorry. Gotta run! Oh and hi Sandy." Matt grinned as a ripple formed behind him. He disappeared into the ripple in the next instant and in no time, it dissolved.
Wedge looked at Sandy and Jason then shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the bridge. Jason and Sandy followed and the doors slid shut.
Trish was busy cleaning out the attic when she noticed a familiar feeling coming from a certain pile of albums next to her. She stopped for a moment before picking them up. She blew the dust off them, which caused her to sneeze.
"Bless you," Jerry said as he climbed the attic ladder, startling Trish.
"Sorry about that honey, what's that?
Trish sighed, "Its ok, I was having a moment. It's our family albums. I was having a strange feeling about them so I decided to bring them down and take a look. I know not much has been done in the past few months, but somehow, I felt that today was a good day to go through stuff up here to see what stays and what goes. Besides, do you want to go over these with me?"
Jerry smiled, "Sure." He climbed back down the ladder and Trish handed him the box once Jerry was safely able to remove it from Trish's hands.
Trish walked down the ladder and once she was standing next to Jerry, she folded the ladder and pushed it up into the ceiling. The couple then made their way down the stairs towards the living room. Once they arrived, they sat in the sofa to look at the pictures.
As she opened the first album, several baby pictures appeared on the first page with Trish's name and age under them. There were sounds of "ahhh's" and "ohhh's" as Trish flipped through the first couple of pages till she arrived at a section with group pictures in it. Trish paused and stared at several of the pictures, as if she were trying to re–live a memory.
The silence was getting to Jerry as he awkwardly tried to speak up. He finally broke the silence after one very long minute. "Trish, you ok?"
Trish snapped out of it and shook her head. "I'm not sure. There's something important about this picture that I might have forgotten." Trish removed the protective plastic and took the picture out and flipped it over. There was no date, only the words "time training" was written on the back. Suddenly, Trish remembered something she had forgotten since her first Twins were born.
"Oh my god! I can't believe I had forgotten that very important lesson! Now I regret not attending those sessions as much as I should have." Trish said out loud feeling a bit disgusted with herself for not attending a very important lesson.
Jerry was very lost, as he had no idea what his wife was saying. He wanted to ask but Trish was quick to shake her head before he could speak. "Sorry Jer, its too long a tale to tell. You might fall asleep while I recall my past."
Jerry chuckled at Trish and said nothing. Trish stared at him for a few moments then went back to the task at hand.
Trish spent several moments shifting thoughts around in her mind as she finally put together a plan. She stood up and headed towards the stairs, only to pause and look back at Jerry, "I'll be right back. I'm going to the office to get some things I need." Once Jerry had nodded, she turned and made her way up the stairs towards the office.
Jerry was watching some TV when he saw Trish enter the living room. "What are you up to?"
Trish looked at Jerry with a grin on her face, "I need to call Matt back here. I have an idea that could work, but I'm not sure if it will. I need to mail this letter 300 years in the future to Matt."
Jerry was speechless and was staring at Trish with his mouth opening and closing as if he was sucking air like a fish, but no words were coming from it.
Trish had to chuckle at the sight, "Don't worry, everything will be fine." She said as she Turned and headed out the door to mail the letter. The mailbox was a good 15–minute walk from their house, and Trish had decided to take her time walking to it.
Just as Trish was entering the door, a ripple formed in the opposite end of the living room. Matt exited the ripple and it quickly dissolved. He had a grin on his face as he was holding up a ragged and beat down letter. Trish's eyes went wide, but she somehow expected this to happen.
"So, mom, you called for me?" Matt said with a grin on his face.
"Yes, I forgot to tell you something very important. You need to pass this information to younger Matt and Uncle Wedge."
Matt sighed, "So much for the 'last time I'll be here' comment I made weeks ago. What's up?"
Trish walked towards the couch to sit with Jerry. She patted at the empty spot to her right, "Come here, have a seat and we'll talk."
Jerry let a smile escape from his lips to say hi to his son, "Hi Matt, how's things?"
Matt nodded and made his way towards Trish and sat next to her. "Hi dad, things are ok, I guess. Mom, what is so important, you had to call for me to come here after trying to look over my younger self rescue Eric?"
Trish held up the same picture she was looking at a while ago. "This." Trish waited a few seconds before continuing, "This picture was taken when I was 13. I skipped out of time training class, as I saw no relevance to it helping me in my situation, but I regret not doing so. I'm not going to talk about my regrets, but I wanted to fill in some holes to several questions you had."
Matt had a puzzled expression on his face. "But I never asked..." His voice trailed off as he finally realized what Trish was talking about. "Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting you can read minds."
Trish smiled warmly, "Its ok. Anyway, you wanted to know how changing the past affects the future, right?" Matt nodded, so Trish continued, "I only know bits and pieces of it, but I know for sure that changing the past will affect the future and how it's played out. Now that I think of it, I should have been the one to stop that man from kidnapping you in the hospital. If that didn't happen, none of this mess would have happened, but the current events of this timeline would remain the same. The only real difference would be; you will be here and Eric will have a brother. As for Eric's deafness, I'm not sure how it would affect him, but it might not change that one little detail. I'm also not sure if you would have any memory of what happened in the future. I do know these lockets store all sorts of information while it is around its owner's neck. I am expecting the lockets to somehow 'carry over' the information from this timeline into the new one, should a new one be formed. And finally, yes you will cease to exist once the changes in the past are made. Don't worry, the changes should be for the better. I sorta wish I could get a message to my younger self to start talking to my brother. But that's the least important thing right now. That hospital kidnapping must not succeed in their favor. Once you successfully put a stop to it, hopefully any other kidnapping attempts won't take place. If they do, I'll be waiting." Trish ended with a warm smile.
Matt stood up after a few minutes of sorting out everything Trish had said. He nodded, stepped back a few paces and a ripple formed behind him. Matt was about to enter when Trish stood up. "What no hug?"
Matt blushed slightly, "Sorry mom." He walked towards her and gave her a hug, which she happily returned. Once they let each other go, Matt turned and walked towards the ripple. Trish gave him her "good luck" wishes and "I love you's" the second before he entered the ripple. Jerry also said his goodbyes to which Matt waved back. Once the ripple disappeared, Trish moved back to the couch and sat next to Jerry.
With a loud sigh, Trish rested her head on Jerry's shoulders, "I hope my boys can fix the mess everyone is in."
Jerry nodded in agreement and the two drifted off to sleep after a few moments of silence.
As Wedge sat in his seat, Sandy stood to his right and Jason to his left, a ripple formed and older Matt stepped out.
Wedge raised an eyebrow, "Well, that was fast. I thought you had to go?"
Matt grinned, "Actually, I didn't want to miss this. I don't remember doing the things I am doing now. I do remember facing Eric in a battle on Sid's ship, but after that, it's a different story."
Wedge's eyebrows moved in as he thought things might have been looking better than he thought. When he finally remembered what he wanted to ask Matt, his eyebrows went up, "Matt, where did you go?"
"Mom called for me and I had to go and find out what she wanted." Matt said straightforward, suppressing his little grin.
Wedge nearly fell out of his chair in sheer shock. "She what?!" Wedge almost shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Well..." Matt started, but he was quickly interrupted by Wedge wanting to continue.
"Never mind how, what did she want?"
Matt sighed as he gave his answer some thought. "Mom forgot to tell me how the lockets sorta work and how much of this and my future is affected should the past be changed. All of this could cease to exist and hopefully, the new timeline would be for the better." Matt noticed by the puzzled look on Wedge's face, he was about to ask something so he continued, "I honestly don't know how the locket works. Mom didn't say much as she didn't know a whole lot either. She did say she was expecting them to 'carry over' any information they may have experienced. Their purpose remains unknown."
After hearing all of that, Wedge slumped in his chair, as if he was defeated. For the first time since his wife died, he felt helpless. He wasn't sure how to further help younger Matt, but he knew he had to repeat what older Matt said to younger Matt.
Wedge pressed into his direct link in his left ear and sent a thought to younger Matt. After several minutes of silence he finally responded.
**Sorry it took so long, I had to find a secure spot. I am getting close to the 'dungeon', where Sid keeps his prisoners. Wassup?** Were the very words Wedge heard inside his left ear.
**I thought you might like to know I have an answer for you based on what your mom told older Matt.**
Before Wedge could continue, his thoughts were interrupted by younger Matt, **Huh?**
**Never mind that, she did say you might cease to exist should the past be changed. Oh and something about the lockets could 'carry over' certain events that have happened here and now. That's about it.**
After a long pause, younger Matt's thoughts could be heard once again, **Ok, thanks Uncle Wedge. Uhh, is it ok if I call you Uncle?**
**Yeah, it's ok. I can sense your urgency to carry out the mission, good luck.** Wedge finally sent his last thought to younger Matt as he sensed he was in a hurry by the delayed short response.
Nothing more was said as Wedge waited for a few more minutes. He sighed and looked up at Jason, "Well, Jason, I suppose we have to let things play itself out."
Jason nodded but older Matt seemed to have an idea judging by the sudden widening of his eyes. Wedge noticed this and looked directly at him.
Older Matt couldn't believe he left out a piece of information. "I might have forgotten to tell you that when Sid crash landed on a planet with only Eric, I was there along with you." He said while nodding towards Wedge and continued, "We both witnessed Eric and Sid's death as Eric was being stubborn, wanting to go up against Sid alone. I hope the events don't repeat themselves."
Wedge sighed and stood, "Agreed." He looked towards Sinclair, "Monitor the Vulture, I'm going to ready my shuttle" Wedge said, as he turned to leave for the turbo lift, but Jason stopped him before he entered the now ready turbo lift.
"Hold on, Wedge" Jason said. "Are you sure it's a good idea to go alone?"
Wedge Turned to look at Jason and smiled, "Don't worry about me. I'm the best pilot in the galaxy and those boys will need all the help they can get. I would rather it be me than any of you, as I have more experience dealing with Sid. Sorry gentlemen." Wedge looked around and smiled before entering the turbo lift. He turned around as the doors closed and smiled more with thumbs up.
Jason was about to protest, but was too late as the doors already closed. He was about to open a ripple, but older Matt stopped him and shook his head, "Let him go. He is truly the best there is. I have faith in him."
"But..." Jason protested to older Matt, but stopped short and only shook his head.
Jason let out a loud sigh before looking at his left arm. A message appeared on his arm pad from the council. For a moment, he thought it was a joke based on what he saw, but a second message appeared on his arm pad to confirm the first message. He looked up and sighed, "Of all things, it had to be NOW that the council decides to need my help" Jason said out loud, emphasizing the 'now' based on the current events at hand.
Older Matt looked at Jason and smiled, "Go. I can watch things from here."
"You sure?" Jason asked with concern.
"Yea dude, go. The council needs you to be there, and please trust me, it'll be for the greater good." Older Matt said with a grin.
Jason looked at him puzzled, but nodded, "Okay, if you say so," He said as he pressed several buttons to form a white ripple on his hand pad. He stepped in once it was fully formed and it receded as he disappeared into the ripple.
Sinclair had been watching the whole situation wondering why Matt let Jason go so easily. He decided to ask, "Matt, why did you let him go that easily?"
Matt smiled, "His younger brother needed his help."
Sinclair wasn't sure whether to be shocked or surprised. He simply uttered an "uh huh" and looked on to monitor Wedge's progress as he made his way to the shuttle bay.
Matt decided to stick around and observe from where he was standing. He knew he would be safe there, as no one else he knew was going to stop in. Sandy hadn't said a word the whole time he was watching. He decided to take a seat in Wedge's chair and slumped right in, as if he was bored to death.
Matt silently chuckled and turned his attention to the view screen as he watched Sid's ship.
A white ripple formed and Jason exited to walk into a huge commotion within the council as several guards had trouble restraining Spike and Andy. Several council members were in shock at how powerful Spike and Andy appeared to be. They sat in white seats that were 15 feet above the normal ground level behind a huge plain white wall. It almost looked like a judge's desk in a courtroom. It could seat 15 council members, however there were only 14 council members present. They did not show any fear should Spike and Andy break free. One of the council members noticed Jason's arrival, but ignored him.
Jason, on the other hand, was surprised to see Spike alive. It was quite obvious that it was Andy's doing as he had the ability to heal and bring the dead back to life. Jason knew what he had to do. He quickly formed a ripple and entered it. The council member who ignored him took some interest in his departure and silently informed the council members. The head council member in the center nodded and pressed a few buttons on his left arm pad as if he wanted to send a message. That message was for Jason to return at once. The council needed his help, but they also knew Jason didn't stand a chance against Spike and Andy.
A white ripple appeared and Jason exited it quickly. He looked around for a few moments and found the room he was looking for. He walked over to it and found it to be empty. He thought a bed was supposed to be in there, but it appeared to be missing. He decided to form another ripple, but a noise from upstairs stopped him from doing so. He jogged up the steps as quickly as possible and opened the door. His nose was greeted with the smell of bacon cooking. Puzzled, he walked to the kitchen from the hallway and found a dark blond haired boy making some bacon. The boy appeared slightly shorter than Jason and appeared to be about 12.
Jason made sure his presence was known by making some noise. That noise caused the boy to spin around and form a battle stance, which was immediately withdrawn as he recognized who it was.
"Don't sneak up on me like that" The startled boy said.
"Sorry" Jason muttered, "I was in a hurry. We need to get going, the council chambers are in chaos as it appears Spike and Andy are struggling to get free."
"Ah, so those two were finally captured, eh?" The boy asked with a small grin forming.
"Actually, Spike was supposed to be dead and instructions were left, to not allow him any contact with Andy. Somehow it happened and he is alive. Hard to find good help these days." Jason sighed as he finished his explanations.
"I see. Plenty of time before they manage to break free. The council members may look old, but don't let their appearance misguide you." The boy said with his grin slowly fading.
"Well, a lot has happened that you need to know about. I know you foresaw the future and told me of the events yet to come, but some changes have been made." Jason was about to continue but the boy started to speak.
"Wait! Let me look at your thoughts..." He closed his eyes and began scanning Jason's thoughts on the most recent events that had happened.
The boy had finished his mind scan and opened his eyes with a sigh. "Well, that is a good thing. I really never expected for this to happen. Anyway, care to join me for a small meal? I'm making bacon cheeseburgers." He said with a grin.
Jason wasn't sure what to say. He didn't think it was normal for the boy to be in such a calm mood. He was expecting the boy to jump straight to action, yet that didn't happen. For a moment Jason forgot what he wanted to say, but he finally managed to remember, "I thought I told you to sit tight and remain within the shield I had going downstairs. What if you were discovered?! All hell might break loose and..." Jason was cut off by the boy raising his hand indicating him to stop.
"Well, I expanded the shields and fixed up the house so it looked nicer. Sorry, I was bored, but nothing has happened since. Surprised?" The boy said with a small giggle.
Jason didn't know what to say. He sighed and looked around. His house was cleaner than before and everything that was scattered all over the place was neatly organized. Once his eyes stopped wandering, he looked at the two small lockets on the boy's chest. Wondering how it was possible, he began, "How in the world did you manage to get those two lockets on your chest? You told me long ago that it never worked, so why now?"
The boy chuckled, "The question is not why, but how. I read mom's notes and history, along with Wedge's too. They said it was impossible for it to happen, but I had to force feed it my memories. That locket rejected him a long time ago and it refused to let any one else wear it till now. The lockets are in harmony with each other and all is well. The only thing is; part of mom is in them, the lockets would never allow me to kill him."
Jason knew who the boy was referring to and simply nodded. "Then how do you expect to take him out? I mean if you can't kill then...?" Jason asked and was interrupted when the boy shaking his head cut him off again.
"Well, Spike is easy. It's my twin I am worried about. If I am fast enough, I can stun him, which should knock him out. Sadly, someone else will have to do the job or imprison him for life with a special device I made just for him. It's a device that regulates one's power flow and when it senses a surge of power, it immediately cuts it off and stuns the user. It's almost finished. I'd give it another 45 minutes or so." The boy added with a warm smile.
Jason sighed, "I guess I have no choice but to join you for a snack." Jason said as he sat in the chair at the kitchen table. It was a small round oak table that suited Jason as he lived by himself, up until recently that is when he brought the boy back with him from a rescue mission years ago.
The cheeseburgers were done and the boys ate in silence for 15 minutes before relaxing a bit.
The suspense was killing Jason and he headed to the living room to read one of his favorite books written by several famous authors. The title of the book was 'Memories'. He had quite a collection of them, all the way from the beginning. It passed time quite nicely, once he was focused.
The boy was finished cleaning up in the kitchen and walked into the living room to see Jason's head buried in the book he was reading. "Still reading that?" He asked.
Jason nodded 'yes' and the boy continued, "You know, I bet Eric could have simply jumped in that universe if it exists. Mom's theory of alternate realities along the same time plane sorta made sense when she explained in her notes that their existence was quite possible, but no proof was provided."
Jason's head shot up as fast as lightning, "Hey! Maybe you could take me there and we could get this 'Kyle' to somehow help us?" Jason said with pleading eyes.
The boy laughed, "No, sorry, it's not that simple. I wish it was though."
Jason sighed and continued reading the final chapter of 'Memories' book 14. A few more minutes later, Jason closed the book and placed it on the end table. "I guess its time to go." Jason said as he stood up and approached the boy. He looked into his brown eyes and nodded. The boy nodded in return and simply formed a ghost appearance of himself. He was back in the next second right where he stood, but with the aforementioned device in his hands.
To say Jason was surprised was an understatement. "How did you... ?" Jason shook his head, "Never mind. No time for that." He was about to hit a few buttons on his arm pad, but smoke began to rise from the device the boy was holding. He groaned and sighed, "I guess it needs some more tweaking. It shouldn't take much longer, I hope."
Jason sighed and returned back to his seat. He looked down at the paper on the table and saw an article that was of much interest. He picked it up and began to read. The boy shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the basement to work on the device.
The boy finally came out of the cellar and smiled at Jason, as he looked up to see the boy approach. "I take it its finally finished?"
"Yep!" The boy giggled as he handed the device to Jason for his inspection.
"Looks good to me, does it work?" Jason asked the boy but earned a shrug from him.
"Only one way to find out!" The boy said as he giggled some more.
Jason sighed and was about to hit a few buttons on his arm pad, but a ripple had already formed to Jason's right. "Uhh... never mind that. I forgot you could form them on your own without any device." Jason said as the boy giggled.
Jason shook his head in wonderment as the two walked towards the ripple. Once they disappeared into it, the ripple closed quickly.
One hour had passed as a ripple formed in the very same spot where Jason exited. Jason and the boy emerged from the ripple and the ripple closed quite quickly to prevent anyone else from escaping. The commotion was still going on and more guards kept rushing in to try and diffuse the situation. Jason sighed, then looked at the boy and nodded. The boy quickly darted towards Spike as he broke free from the guards. The second his eyes met the rushing boy they went wide as if he was surprised. The next second was just a blur. Spike hit the floor and the boy quickly darted towards Andy.
Andy had caught on what was happening, but he, too, failed to react to the boy's quickness and went down just as the boy's fist connected to the back of his head. Andy groaned and muttered, "Damn you Ryan..." before passing out. Ryan had somehow managed to get the device on Andy without him knowing it and knocking him out at the same time.
The council members gasped as they watched the events unfold. To say they were surprised to see Ryan was an understatement. One of the older council members stood with a booming voice, "What is the meaning of this?! We all know Ryan is dead!"
After Jason heard those very words, he quickly turned his head and stared at the older council member. If looks could kill, that older member would have been dead. "Oh, but he is alive and well. I made sure of that! Jason said with a smirk on his face. "Trish made sure I was the guardian of her two boys before her disappearance. As much as I didn't want to do it, I had no choice and at some point I felt I had failed in my job. When Andy disappeared and later resurfaced as the leader of the dark council, I thought I was being a bad guardian, but Ryan reassured me I wasn't. When Ryan was kidnapped, I thought all was lost, that is until I heard from an anonymous source. I mounted a rescue and was barely able to come back alive and with Ryan. I had kept him safe and out of anyone's radar until now. Ryan told me that he wanted his presence to be kept a secret, so I made sure it was. I think he expected this to happen and trusted my judgment in such matters. So, here we are, arguing about his existence, while Matt tries to rescue his brother from Sid. For the time being, I am quite sure that will happen and many good things should follow. While we are on the subject, those two should never stand before the council, as Trish herself gave them a mission after their current one." Jason had to catch his breath after his rant to the council member, but held his stare on him.
The council member slumped back down in his chair, the very same chair Ryan was seated in before he was kidnapped. He finally spoke up after a moment or two of silence, "I apologize for the misunderstanding. Somehow, I realized this day would come and it slipped my mind, as I didn't want to believe it would actually happen. The request to not bring Eric and Matt here is granted, only on one condition."
Jason groaned at the mention of 'one condition'.
The council member smiled and stood, "Ryan, I believe this spot is yours." He said as he looked towards Ryan.
Ryan nodded and made his way towards his seat. As he approached it, the council member stood aside and Ryan took his place in the chair. "I agree with Council Member Felix that there should be a condition. That condition is for both boys to fix time and return here afterwards for service. However, based on what Jason told me, that is unlikely to happen, so their job is to set things right and play it out from there. But Mother already said it, so it is pointless."
Felix shot a glare at Ryan, "WHAT?! She's alive?!" He shouted as he nearly fainted.
"No, sadly, but she is fully aware of our situation. To make a long story short, a future version of Matt went back in time and brought her to the White Void, away from harm as Andy was there at the same time. Once they were in the Void, Jason, Andy, this timeline's Matt, Sandy and Spike were all there. I can only assume mom read their minds to get the information she needed. It is how she is, you know that."
Felix looked down after hearing that. "I see." He muttered and looked back up. "So be it."
Ryan nodded in approval, stood up and jumped down to the floor with a soft thud. He walked towards a grinning Jason.
"I suppose this means your job here is done."
Jason sighed, "No, not yet. I've gotta get back to the Summoner. I left older Matt there all alone."
"You did what?!" Ryan exclaimed as his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I thought it was impossible for two to exist at the same time!"
Jason giggled, "Not quite, but in the same room, it will create problems." Jason let his eyes wander for a few moments and noticed again, how Ryan wore two lockets. Ryan noticed this and Jason started, "How do you have two of those?" Before Ryan could answer, Jason continued, "Never mind that, do you know how they work?"
Ryan nodded his head 'yes' and Jason gave him a look that demanded more information.
Ryan chuckled, "Sorry Jason, the locket works in mysterious ways. But I'll tell you this: the 'connection' all depends on the bond their brother or sister shares. In my case, Andy's locket rejected him." Jason tilted his head to the right as if he didn't understand the rejection part. Ryan continued, "By rejected, I mean it just didn't do anything. At some point, Andy became frustrated with it and let me have it, which was a bad mistake on his part. His locket accepts me and allows it to be paired up with mine. I read in mom's notes that it wasn't possible. I guess she was wrong." Ryan ended with a shrug.
Jason let out a 'hmmm' as he thought to himself, 'So the locket's intentions are for the greater good. For that, I am glad. Jeez, and it's self–aware as well.'
Ryan smiled, "I heard that."
"Hey! Didn't your mom tell you to stop spying on people's personal thoughts?!" Jason said jokingly.
"Uhhhhhh, maybe" Ryan joked back as he looked off into the distance as if trying to relive a certain memory.
Jason was about to say something when a ripple formed directly behind him. Jason quickly looked behind him then looked back at Ryan with a 'what the fuck' expression written all over his face. Ryan shrugged and before Jason could do anything, he was pulled into the ripple by some unknown force and the ripple immediately closed before Ryan could react.
Ryan desperately scanned the area locally and found nothing. He tried looking deeper and further, but the pressure was enormous and he couldn't find anything that far out. His first thought was maybe the dark council had kidnapped him, but his thoughts were put to rest as the ripple felt strangely familiar to him. He then fell to his knees and screamed, "JAAASSSSOOONNNNNNN!!!!!" (Hey Dibs, can I stop here? I really want to! –Hammy){you would be a bastard if you did, but hey, some people like bastards}
A faint ripple appeared inside the empty cargo bay. Matt stepped out and quickly closed the ripple then looked around. He had to use his arm pad to close the ripple to not raise suspicion nor let his presence be known on the ship. Once he was satisfied he heard no one coming, he pressed another button on his arm pad and went invisible. He walked thru the bulkhead and scanned the massive hallway for anyone who might be walking by. Once he was sure no one was there, he looked at his arm pad and brought up a layout of the Vulture. He knew where he had to go first, and that was the ship's med bay.
It didn't take long for Matt to find the med bay as he was somewhat familiar with his surroundings. He entered the med bay through the bulkhead instead of the doors, so they didn't slide open and announce his arrival. He noticed the bay was empty and walked towards Chase's office. Once he got there, he noticed that Chase was sitting there taking a nap. Giggling to himself, Matt reached out and gently shook Chase, as he wanted to awaken him. Chase stirred somewhat and mumbled something foreign, but immediately fell back to sleep. Matt sighed and tried a different approach. He took a piece of cloth he had in one of his pockets and walked around to where Chase's head lay. He gently dusted the piece of cloth across his nose, which caused it to twitch some. It was somewhat funny and Matt found himself starting to giggle. Chase began to stir and swat the air, but he fell asleep as if nothing had happened. Matt tried a second approach and pulled out a small water canteen out of a different pocket and after he opened the canteen, he let a few drips fall on Chase's head. Chase started to stir once again, fully aware that something wasn't right and his face somewhat wet. He ran his right hand over his face and suddenly jolted out of his chair and fell on the floor as he lost balance. This was too much for Matt and he started giggling uncontrollably. The giggling fits of laughter caught Chase by surprise and he immediately drew his laser weapon and asked "whose there?" with a shaky voice.
Matt decided to stop playing around and pressed a button as he materialized from invisibility. "I'm sorry Chase, but I had to wake you up. I really didn't want to simply shove you out of the chair. Besides, this was more fun" said the giggling Matt.
Chase was surprised at first. He had noticed a huge change in Matt and he hoped it was for the better. Chase simply nodded, "You could have called out to me. Why were you invisible?"
"Well, I need to free Eric and stop Sid for the most part. But first, Wedge wanted to let you know you are free to return, but I might ask for your assistance, if possible. You and Wedge appear to be best friends and I don't want any personal losses should this situation get out of hand. Time is running out. I intend to blow up this ship. Don't worry, the ship's alarms won't go off until I press a button. From the moment I arrived here, I made sure my boots left invisible detonation devices that are quite powerful enough to cause a distraction, but I need to get in the engine room and leave some there. With explosives set there, it should destroy the ship, but not right away. It'll give us a chance to save as many lives as we can."
Chase was surprised at his plan but nodded and understood. "But what about in here? If I am in here, won't the explosives take out the med bay?"
Matt shook his head 'no', "I made sure to mentally turn it off when I got close to the med bay."
Chase let out a sigh of relief. He looked around the room as if to search for something, then decided to look back at Matt, "Is Sid onto me? I have a sneaky feeling he is. It kinda feels like as if we're being watched, but I know there aren't any video devices in this room. Sid never really cared for watching me much. But it still feels like he is watching."
"Sort of. He suspects something, but can't figure it out. I should get going. The first signal will come from the cargo bay. That'll be your cue to escape. Good luck." Matt said as he began pressing a series of buttons on his arm pad.
He was about to go invisible when Chase stopped him by placing a hand on his arm, "Good luck. Your brother is a few decks down below, in the dungeon. I can only imagine the situation there as I have been there only once. I won't tell you the specifics, but it's a nasty place. Go before someone spots us."
Matt simply nodded and hit a button and he went invisible.
Chase sighed as he returned to his reports he was working on to add a few new events to them before placing it in his pocket.
Matt made his way towards the bulkhead and exited. He brought up the ships layout and scanned for the largest cargo bay on the ship. The cargo bay was two decks above the med bay, right next to the large wing where Sid had the most powerful weapons. There were two wings on that ship and he decided to check the left bay. He pressed another button and he suddenly darted towards the ceiling at amazing speeds and through the bulkhead with ease. Once he arrived at the deck and outside the bay doors, he checked the area out for any sign of movement. It appeared to have two guards standing outside with laser rifles in each hand. Matt knew he had no time to deal with those two. He was about to make his move when heard Wedge's thoughts inside his head, **Matt, you there?**
Matt groaned inwardly as he scrambled quietly to find a place to hide. He didn't go into the cargo bay just yet, but he moved into a secure spot where he could watch things. **Sorry it took so long, I had to find a secure spot. I am getting close to the 'dungeon', where Sid keeps his prisoners. Wassup?** He thought while watching several armed guards walk past his invisible form. He didn't want to tell Wedge his original mission, but he knew he had some time to investigate it.
Wedge's reply was rather fast as he heard his thoughts in his head, **I thought you might like to know I have an answer for you based on what your mom told older Matt.**
Matt got confused, as he wasn't sure what Wedge was talking about. **Huh?** was his thought to Wedge via their direct link.
**Never mind that, she did say you might cease to exist should the past be changed. Oh and something about the lockets could 'carry over' certain events that have happened here and now. That's about it.**
Matt wasn't sure what he meant, but something deep within him told him to trust his feelings and his heart for his intentions were good. Matt liked what he was feeling and wondered if it was the result of his bond with his brother or the lockets themselves. He almost forgot to send a thought to Wedge. **Ok, thanks Uncle Wedge. Uhh, is it ok if I call you Uncle?**
**Yeah, it's ok. I can sense your urgency to carry out the mission, good luck.**
Matt smiled to himself as he stood and walked through the bulkhead leading towards the large cargo bay. Once he was in, he nearly fell to his knees at the sheer sight of what was being held in there. The cargo bay appeared to have thousands of human sized tubes with humans within them.
'Holy shit!' Matt cursed to himself, 'Sid has done it! This can't be good. I'd better destroy this before they come to life, or there will be no one to stop them!' Matt began walking around and planting detonators as he walked through the various stages of tubes. Several of the tubes contained a fully–grown human male teenager while the rest were still being developed. Matt got curious and peered through the window to get a closer look. When he could finally make out the identity of the boy, he took a few steps back and shook his head violently. 'That's impossible! No way! All of them can't be clones of Eric! I'd better check out the other bay while I still can! I'm running low on detonators!' Matt thought to himself as he dashed out of the large cargo bay and headed towards the other side of the ship in record time. It only took a second to get there and another second to realize he wasn't looking at clones of Eric. The clones in the opposite large cargo bay contained cross breeding of human genes. The sight of a mix of Sid and Eric's appearance in the tubes nearly caused Matt to heave. 'Ugh, fuck this! I'm destroying this ship before those things ever see the light of day! Sid's experiments have gone too far. Hang in there bro, I'm coming to get ya!' Matt thought as he walked around leaving detonators. Once he was satisfied there were plenty of detonators left behind, he brought up the ship's layout and mapped his way towards the engine room. It didn't take too long to get there with all the various tools his suit was capable of. It could open ripples, make the user invisible, phase through bulkheads and almost anything else of physical matter, carry several small objects without slowing the user down, and several small weapons of choice. Matt removed the weapons and added a few survival tools he thought might come in handy some day.
Once Matt arrived in the Engine room, he hopped on the core and laid a few detonators there then hopped down and left the remaining detonators. His last stop was the dungeon and he hoped Sid wouldn't be in there. He looked at his arm pad and mapped his way to the dungeon, which was thankfully directly towards the front of the ship, opposite of the engine room on the same deck. Matt jumped to high speed, phasing through the bulkheads and arrived at the dungeon within two seconds. What he saw disgusted him. Several prisoners, young and old, were chained to the walls with their ribs showing and wearing only loincloths. Matt took a big gulp and started walking till he heard some faint screams. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the screams and realized it was Eric. He opened his eyes and darted straight to the locked room with a small window. After he phased through it, he noticed a man was holding a whip high up in the air, ready to strike a blow to Eric's bare and very raw and bleeding back. It appeared as if Eric was on the verge of dying and Matt sensed how close he was to death. Noticing a sword, which lay on the floor, obviously part of the man's torture tools, Matt deciding to pick it up, and lose his invisibility. Matt appeared directly behind the huge hunk of man and grabbed the whip right before he could strike again. When the man couldn't advance the whip, he turned his head around and turned white as a sheet. His eyes went wide as Matt lunged at him with the sword in his hand. The man fell to the ground without uttering a single sound. Matt looked down at the huge body and spat on it. "I could very well make you suffer for the hell of it, but today is your lucky day."
Matt changed his expression and rushed to Eric's side. He didn't want to touch him, but he had to move him somehow and get him off the ship safely. Matt also knew that should Sid become aware of their presence, there would be no escape as his ship had powerful shields that can prevent ripples from forming within. Matt began to wonder if Sid traveled back in time from the distant future and gave such technology to his younger self. It would only make sense if he had survived the fight between him and Eric. Matt shook his head as he heard Eric groan in pain.
"Try not to move bro." Matt said softly while looking into his eyes.
Eric nodded then looked ahead. He saw Matt was wearing two lockets and they were glowing quite bright. So bright, they could be seen through his dark uniform. His eyes went wide, but he couldn't talk. His voice was gone and he knew Matt didn't know sign language. With all the remaining strength he could muster, Eric passed a simple thought to Matt, **Pass me the locket, hurry!**
At first Matt wasn't sure why, but he did. He didn't realize the lockets were glowing so brightly till he took the gold one off and gently lifted Eric and placed it around his neck. The lockets began to glow even brighter as they shared information with their intended users. Eric's injuries were healing at a rapid pace and within seconds, they were nothing more than small scars. Once his injuries were fully healed, the lockets returned to their normal state.
Matt couldn't believe what he saw and on top of that, the new information he had learned. The missing bond had finally been formed and Eric opened his eyes for the first time, not feeling any pain, but instead, having a whole new set of abilities and knowledge. The first thing Eric said when he looked at Matt was 'boom'.
Several explosions rocked the ship, setting off all the alarms and the shielding, which were meant to prevent any further explosions. The shields failed once the explosions crippled the left and right large cargo bays and the engine room at the same time. Matt began to worry about Chase, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. The ship was in total chaos and it didn't bother Eric one bit. He casually stood up and closed his eyes. The second he opened them, he was wearing a white uniform, as was Matt. Eric looked at Matt and nodded. **Time to settle things with Sid. This will be his last time he seeing us.** Eric telepathically told Matt while Eric was checking things on his arm pad. **Oops, I kinda sent the ship on a collision course to planet Phrost. We'll have to take Sid's shuttle to get outta here. He raised the shields and is looking for us. He can sense our presence now.**
Matt began to worry somewhat, but Eric told him not to.
The ship shook violently as the med bay was closer to Matt's point of entry. Chase stood up fast, and pressed a few buttons on his arm pad to form a ripple. He knew of the ship's capabilities and an explosion this small wouldn't raise such shielding to prevent anyone from escaping using ripples. Once the ripple was formed, he entered and left with it, closing rapidly. The second it closed, the explosions in the left and right large cargo bays and engine room went off.
Wedge jumped out of his seat as he saw the Vulture take a hit. "Report!"
Sinclair scanned the ship from his station and looked at Wedge, "It came from inside, Captain!"
Wedge immediately went into command mode, "Red alert! All hands to your battle stations!" Wedge ordered as the red lights went on and the loud speakers reported battle stations. "Order the fleet to prepare to de–cloak and raise shields on my mark!"
Just before Wedge was about to give the order, a ripple formed on the bridge and Wedge immediately drew his laser gun. He then relaxed once he noticed it was Chase stepping out of the ripple.
"Jeez, Chase, don't sneak up on me like that! I could have killed ya!" Wedge said as he put his laser gun back where he drew it.
"Sorry man" Chase said while looking down. He then looked back up at Wedge; "I had to get out of there before the next series of explosions took place."
As if on cue, Wedge and Chase turned to look at the Vulture on the view screen just as three explosions rocked the ship and caused it to be thrown off course from its stationary state.
Wedge continued watching the drifting ship, "Sinclair, report!"
"The Vulture appears to be headed on a collision course towards planet Phrost! That ship is too big for our tractor beams!" Sinclair said as he shifted his attention from his station to the view screen.
"Damn, open a channel to the fleet!"
"Channel open." Said the comm officer.
"This is Captain Bunker, all fleets, de–cloak, raise shields, and follow the Vulture!"
The rumble of the ship awoke Sid from his trance as he sensed something wasn't right. He couldn't believe how fast Eric had healed and was quite surprised Matt was with him. He knew they wouldn't escape just yet and ordered for a status report. The second in command reported the explosion came from the empty cargo bay. Sid darted from his chair, "Scan the area! I want to know who entered from there! I have a feeling I know who it was, but I want confirmed reports!"
"Aye sir!" The second in command said as he hurriedly manned his station and scanned the area. It took a few minutes to do so, which only seemed to increase the tension. Sid was starting to lose his patience., and started walking towards his second in command. He was about to shout, but the Second in command interrupted Sid, "It was Matt, of the Dark council! He is all alone!"
Sid growled, "I don't think he is Dark Council anymore! Fuckin' kids these days! I was warned this might happen and damnit it has!"
Sid walked back to his Chair and sat right when the three explosions rocked the ship. Several sparks erupted over the bridge and several crewmembers were thrown from their seats. Sid groaned in pain as a piece of shrapnel struck his left rib. He pulled it out with ease and yelped in pain. "Damage report!"
"We are adrift! We have no navigation and are on a direct course to impact with planet Phrost! We need to abandon ship!"
Sid growled, "Very well! Abandon ship!" He ordered as he quickly stood and walked towards the turbo lift. Once the doors slid open, he quickly turned around and with his right arm stretched out, a large black claw formed in the shape of a boomerang, only it was sharper than the strongest knife. He growled as he lurched back and gave it a mighty throw. The claw pierced the bulkhead behind the view screen and caused a rupture in the hull. Space was right there and air began sucking out like a powerful vacuum. All the bridge crew was sucked into space and the turbo lift doors closed with Sid wearing an evil grin. 'That'll teach you to be more effective!' Sid thought to himself as the turbo lift stopped on the deck of his favorite shuttle. Sid made his way towards the shuttle as he felt the ship accelerating towards the planet; its gravitational pull becoming greater. Sid made haste to his shuttle and stepped in just as the bay doors were beginning to open. The ship was designed to open all bay doors automatically, should it fall in grave danger to the point where it couldn't escape.
As the bay doors opened, Sid watched in horror as he saw the 20+ small white ships de–cloak along with one massive ship. He growled to himself, "Wedge! I should have known you were behind this!" Little did Sid know, the moment he started its engines, two invisible figures boarded the ship by phasing through the bulkhead. Sid's shuttle took off fast. Once it was in space, he engaged the cloak and his ship went invisible. He hoped Wedge wouldn't notice him, but knowing Wedge, he was probably hot on his tail! Sid was able to maneuver several hundred meters behind his ship, watching it on its collision course with the planet dead ahead. He hated having to start all over, but he was glad he had a little part of Eric's DNA in a small capsule he always carried with him. As Sid was about to adjust his course, the two figures suddenly appeared in the back and Sid chuckled.
"I gotta hand it to you, Matt. You have big balls for coming here in this shuttle along with that little brat of a twin brother of yours. I sense you completely healed, Eric." Sid said as he turned around to face the two boys standing identically next to each other. "This is going to be fun!" Sid quickly formed his razor sharp claws from his fore arms and grabbed them both, one in each hand.
Eric grinned and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the ship suddenly changed course and it was on a direct impact with the planet where the Vulture was headed! Not only that, he disabled the cloak and the ship was seen to all!
"You little fucker! You'll pay for that! DIIIEEEEE!" Sid screamed as he charged towards the two boys.
As Sid charged an explosion from outside rocked the ship. It was Wedge in his shuttle firing upon Sid's shuttle! Matt noticed this and tapped into his direct link, letting Wedge know not to fire any more. He let him know everything was under control and his help wasn't needed, but knowing Wedge, he would be too stubborn to not back off. Matt then fixed his attention on Sid, who was beginning to transform. The ship started gaining speed as they neared the planet. Eric and Matt exchanged looks and nodded then grinned in unison, "Time ta die!"
To be Continued!!!!!!
Author's Notes:
What an exhilarating chapter to write for me and I had FUN! Sure Dibs expected it out sooner, but I provided a chapter with some answers and more questions and mysteries! No, the story is not ending. The action has just begun! Whatever happened to Jason when the ripple 'pulled' him into it? Will Eric have the strength this time to fight Sid alone? Will he allow Matt to help him? Chapter 10 might have all the answers you seek; then again, you never know what else is going to happen next! All comments and hate mail welcome at: xhammertime@gmail.com
I'd like to thank ACfan for giving me permission to use the 'Memories' story reference, as it happened to be one of Jason's favorite stories. I'll get busy with Ch10 as soon as I can!
Editor's Notes:
What twisted tails we weave? I thought this was going to be the final 'answer to all' chapter? I guess not. I am not sure how you manage to keep everything straight, in that mind of yours, but boy does it work. Well done, and cannot wait for the next one. – Some weird editor guy