In an abandoned Retro Skating and Roller Rink in the Bones of Manhattan


#1

Maverick was clinging to the vestiges of what he had been brought up to believe. As a youth he had trained as a balancer and thought he could expand the philosophy to the whole of time.

His own community of balancers had turned on him, considered him even more dangerous than the servants of Warmonger.
They had imprisoned him for 300 years but not before he had put the seeds into place for a full resistance to flourish in thousands of independent cells across the Earth.

Of all the cells this was his favorite to visit. The training program here was run by Lt. Davenport and produced some of the better temporal resistance members.


#2

But since his release, he increasingly found his attentions drawn back to the penal colony of Refuge. He knew his adopted father, Rogarth, had retired to an area on Refuge called the Goblin Lands.
Using his Time Shredders, Maverick was able to visit Rogarth often. Last visit he saw Rogarth was spending nights bouncing on a party ship and days training local adventurers on a beach. It was an idyllic life for the old warrior, a retirement with respect.
While on this oppressed Earth in the Iron Republic rule Maverick wondered if he’d be better off at the beach.


#3

[Hekeriki and the other TEA team 74 members who traveled with her may now post to this thread even if they didn’t post to the mission. ]

There was a flash of Blue light and Hekeriki and others found themselves standing in front of Maverick.

“Err thats my thing…who the hell are you?” he asked.


#4

Hekeriki: “I’m the great Hekeriki of the Lucky Fate Squad from Refuge 2219 AR. Built a spaceship, with help, that gave the Iron Dumb-Republic a middle finger. I’m not drunk!”

The young gog threw a bottle off in the distance. It didn’t break.

“Bartender gave me ROOT BEAR! Said I was too young! Never going to that dive bar chain again… EVER!”, cried the sober gog.

“Everything all messed up. All I asked for was a little subtle and some asshat from my planet decides air quote Heh, lets go big and release everyone from time prison max by using the AI to murder the guards end air quote - doesn’t anyone on Refuge know how to use a screwdriver instead of a sledgehammer? Noooo!”, blurted out Hekeriki as she pulled at her purple hair atop her head.

“Then there the fact some people went wrong on their time travel free trip… no offense to anyone… just… just… if they have just looked and not touched. ARGH!”

“Anyhow, I’m here to drink soda and stop Mortis Leonin. I’m all out of soda.”, she stares at the empty bottle.


#5

Maverick was amazed by her frenetic energy. Then again the only Olgog he regularly dealt with was Ursana from the Sea-Tac Dome, and she was a laid back bear totem shaman. Maverick said, "Okay so you’re not here to kill me. That’s good. You don’t like the Iron Republic. That’s good.

And did I hear you wanted to take down Mortis Leonin?

If so I would love to hear your plan, because I hate that guy. Ever since he showed up, my son has been M.I.A.

How can we stop him?"


#6

Hekeriki: “I don’t have one!”, laugh the gog nervously.

“Just kidding, ha ha ha… we should really wait for the rest of the gang to show up… so what’s it like…”

Out of nowhere hundreds of root beer bottles flew into Hekeriki position. She should have been knocked out luke warm but she dodge them like she was some boring but cool mad women in a computer game. From the shadows step an old olgog female with a shaved head. She has a small army of candy creatures; Gum drops and lollipops with arms and legs flanked her.

“Get on with it you little tramp!”, shouted the figure.

“W. T. F. are you old hag?”, shouted Hekeriki back.

“I’m the great Zh Ur’sa Dertla and I’ll take no back talking from you!”

“Hekeriki will get on with the mission then you random old nut!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

The lady and her crew left the building and out into the streets.

“The gall of some gogs… oh… where was I? Yes. Training montage, make a time traveling device or two, team up with as many Time Travelers and Shredders (even the ones we hate!), find Mortis Leonin, Time Lock him and dump him into the Life Stream.”

She took out a broken red combat yo-yo.

“Any way you could fix this?”, grin the puppy eye gog.


#7

Maverick looked at the Olgog gal and sighed. "Follow me. "

He led her over to the nearby bar, or what had once been the soda fountain and bar for the Roller Rink. He laid out the combat yo-to and pulled out a box of tools and began to work on it. He spoke to Hekeriki as he worked.

“I don’t think its fair for you to just show up in my home and demand I make you a Time Shredder or two . I know I have a bad reputation in many circles. That doesn’t mean I just want anyone and everyone to change time. Im not nearly that arrogant or uncaring.”

He grew very sad.


#8

Hekeriki: “I hate seeing people sad. Looks like you need to do something fun and stupid that in no way would advance plot if this was sad anime magical girl deconstruction. Let’s go out and have some fun!”


#9

At the mention of fun a bouncy girl of 14 years of age entered ffrom one of the service doors. She had apparently been listening.

She gave Hekeriki and once over with her eyes and said, "The reason Maverick is upset is because like so many manipulators, double agents and criminals you walked in here like this is a location open to everyone when it’s invite only. AND more important than that you asked Maverick to make you a Time Shredder.
Obviously you don’t know but the whole reason he is a criminal and can’t be with his family is because he broke the law and made his first Time Shredder. Got 300 years in prison for it. And served his term.

He ain’t gonna build you or anyone else a Time Shredder,girl. And it’s ignorant, rude and obnoxious to ask.

Maverick some furry girl shows up from no where and you rebuild her weapons for her??? What if she is here as a spy for the Iron Republic? Did you even ask her how she got here? It’s not like we even have a sign that says this way to top secret Resistance base?"

Maverick looked uncomfortable and nodded that he hadn’t even asked about Hekeriki ’ s past.

Madeline shrieked in annoyance, and then turned to Hekeriki ,“okay, so first off how did you find us? And second if you arrived in the blue flash of a Time Shredder who shredded you here if you don’t have an amulet of your own?”

Hekeriki quickly realized by not focusing her attention on having Maverick get her access to a Time Lock she muddled things by asking for a Time Shredder device. Now instead of instant acceptance that Maverick was offering, she would have to both explain her intentions and prove herself to Madeline and Maverick.


#10

Hekeriki: “Fine, let’s not have fun! Could you Maverick and sane female human who’s name I don’t know but I can guess but shouldn’t because it would break reality and the god of run on sentences who’s not here typing and that other guy who’s name starts with a b or n wait thirty seconds?”

Thirty seconds pass…

“Let’s start with the begining minus my life story except for the part I die.”, giggled the gog.

"Mortis Leonin - didn’t know who he was until this one job. Supposed to be a thief with some jewel amulet who needed capture. Easy money… not.”

Pulling up a chair the young gog continues:

“One moment I was at this farm house in the middle of nowhere in the goblin lands of Refuge. Next thing I knew found myself in Dunesphere!”

“Do you guys know what kind of place Dunespheres is? DO YOU?”, frown Hekeriki.


#11

“It is not a nice place for you guys and a walking death trap for people like me. Oh, oh guess the the kicker to this? I’m from 2219 AR and then I wasn’t. Then my head started to hurt ever so slightly – I’ll get back to that."

"Time traveling Leonin want’s to win the Goblin Genocide and erase me from history. Me and a bunch of other mercs gang up on him and take his jewel amulet away. Guess what that was? Twenty forty hindsight easy from behind.”, scoffs Hekeriki.


#12

“Some aliens with guns appear in a blue light saying this jerk oner wants to kill Terror. I total don’t have a crush on him. You can most likely guess who. I mean who picked us up. Not that crush thing that… Anyho my headach gets bigger and they offer food, drink and ask for help to get Mortis. Find him and such. I get nano machines girl and I go on my merry little way to find you because… Time Lock.”

“Why you? Because they don’t have anyone with that skill and I figured since they dropped your name I figured why not?”, sighed Hereriki.

“Which brings me the next point of this monologue: How to find you?”


#13

“Time bandits – err pirates yarr. He is this advert in the back of this comic book.”, the gog shows the two eathers out her purple backpack.

“I don’t remember put this here… uhm… yeah I figure do a job, another job, and get a free trip to see you and get Time Lock to stop this Lion guy. The job went… jail break like at the end of the universe bad and job well done. Lots of us there and I had people who was going to meet you with me but they went crazy with their wish while I used my wish correctly because I…”, stutters the confused gog.

“… trusted them to do something smart but they are running late.”


#14

Hekeriki: “Don’t blame them. Had my fill of that type of fun but paid with a headache. Memories should gone that are back.”

“I didn’t ask you to build a Time Shredder, give me one or whatever.”, she smiled sly.

“I’m asking you, if you don’t murder me, to teach me stuff like Time Lock and making your own Time Shredder so I can drag this walking dead dude into soil and grow some root beer!”

She gave a pause. Taking deep breathes, Hekeriki calmly focuses.

“Sorry. Sorry for the info dump. Want to get that out there before me finds me. Also, I sound crazy.”

“If that means I have to find your son or do another job or move heaven and hell, again – I’ll do it!”

Hekeriki turns to young woman. “Yes. I’m ignorant but smart. Rude and willful. Obnoxious, long winded, bad at first dates… got nothing to spin that into something awesome. But that’s ok because I work for myself and my gang and my people and anyone who’s in trouble. That’s how I and my gang roll!”

“Questions?”, finished the female ologog.


#15

Maverick sighed, tossed her back her combat yoyo saying, “Sorry couldn’t fix it…kinda like my life.”

He walked towards the door labeled Manager’s Office, and kicked it open with Hekeriki and Madeline in tow.
Beyond it was a room with a single wall completely smashed out. By knocking down the office wall and connecting it to the break room they had made a larger barracks. Each wall had bunks, and the center of the room had tables. Wards of all races and all ages worked at the tables on a wide variety of topics.

They flicked in and out in flashes of blue light as they winked off to collect parts, or find blueprints, and then began work in earnest only to flick away again. One negative of living in the bones of the city was that you only had what you could scavange for. But every time a person in the past turned around for an inconsequential part, whether it was a left sock, a pair of keys, or a small trinket made of some useful metal or gem, and found it missing, it was these apprentices. Each working in their own way to help the cause. There was sarcastic Richard, who mocked a pair of siamese wards who were working on a sonic grenade.
There was Scott, the surfer dude, who shouted Bazinga as he time shredded out to collect some copper wire from an abandoned caddy on the side of the road on Route 66 in the 1950s. It was slated for a lifetime of rusting and finally a car crusher, so it wasn’t too bad a change.
The only wards who looked up to notice him go, were Ryder and Crash who were working on a micro-brew kit. The two looked like a renaissance festival and a post apocolapytic fashion show had vomited all over them (much like the rest of Maverick’s wards Hekeriki would surely notice).
Madeline bounded over to her bunk and pulled out a set of comic books.


#16

Maverick placed his huge red hat down on a bunk and pulled out a steel-blue lunchbox. On its side was STAR WARS™, though the paint was faded badly. He flicked open the latches and it rolled open spilling its contents out. It had been so filled by a comic book that it barely closed.
He lifted it up, smiled as he saw the cover with Nazis riding dinosaurs fighting a heroic gunslinger gal who looked like she would take no guff from no man.

“So who told you I knew how to Time Lock?” asked Maverick with a sigh.

Ryder raised his hands, with a slight squeal of metal on metal from his plate armor, “I do.”

“Yes Ryder I know you do,” said Maverick, “I was trying to be diplomatic about it. You know negotiation?”


#17

Hekeriki: “Me? Thought I already told you who. Nano machines my man. Lot’s of odd stuff here.”

The young female picked up a tea cup and threw it towards Maverick. “Catch. It’s tea time. T, E, A… that spells a hot drink. Who do you think would want to protect the time, police it or at least say they do?”, winked Hekeriki.

“Not that I would take anyone at face value because me being from Refuge and all. For all I know they could be out to destroy the universe. Hell, the Iron Republic could be the good guys. Can’t say that with a straight face.”, she laughed.


#18

Maverick said, "Yeah as Ryder so helpfully pointed out while I don’t know how to time lock I do have apprentices who can.

So we get there (wherever there is) and we try to kill Leonin. But how are we going to stop him from ripping us apart with Technomancy? Or his countless humans first oner goons?"


#19

“Though if I did learn how to Time Lock targets it would be helpful for trapping the Four Horsemen, or Tharr or Volphis” said Maverick.

Ryder said , “umm Boss the Four Horsemen just want to keep time the right way. And Tharr, before Armenius left he told me Tharr is dead.”

“Don’t bet on it.” Replied Maverick.


#20

Hekeriki: “Man, this is what it’s like when I do that to people. Be confusing that it…”

sigh

“Maybe in the future or as I like to borrow a term: Yet, your future that you’ve not experience you learn Time Lock. Perhaps it’s in your Yet?”

“Well, we don’t do it alone. First, you gather as many allies as we can including the people you don’t like. I know some people I don’t like that has an army.”, stated the gog plainly.