I guess you could say this is a companion guide or a prequel for 'Call me Jay'
Flashback (literally)
"Cole, I believe?" The old man questioned.
Cole nodded apprehensively and walked through to the room that looked like a scene from a science fiction movie. He casually brushed his jet black hair from his face.
Taking in the different parts of the room, he raised an eyebrow and smirked. One part was depicted as a dark and ominous street setting, with an obviously fake oil lamp aglow. Another part of the room was set up like a work station, with various chemical components, test tubes and optical devices. One looked like a coroners metal slab with horrific looking tools, meant for surgery of some sort.
His eyes were suddenly drawn to a section of a ship, that seemed to house two crates, one of which was open but empty. The boat very clearly displayed the name 'Demeter'. The prop itself, was built against a backdrop of choppy and stormy seas with an impressive light display behind it signalling lightning strikes.
"I was told this is where the professional photo's are taking place." Cole stared at the room, admiring certain aspects of it. "Ha, bet Jay and Zane would love it in here, so realistic. This must have cost the organisers a pretty penny!"
The old man smiled at his naivety. "Indeed, please come in!"
He walked around the young smartly dressed man, who was only missing one item from his outfit. "You seem to emulate your character remarkably well, Cole. Have you got all of the props required for the photo shoot?"
'I would hate to send you back to that era to find you left something behind.'
Cole reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a six by four inch faux gilt picture frame. He waved it around with a hint of boredom. "So, where do you want me?" He placed his top hat back on.
The old man motioned Cole to a chair, the backdrop of which was an empty picture frame, with a black background. The table in front was draped with a burgundy satin sheet, covering the entire table and most of the floor.
The old man plied Cole with a glass of what looked like wine, before setting up the photo shoot.
He got behind the camera. "Good, good now take a sip of the wine. I want you to look like a charismatic man who would give anything to remain youthful."
Cole looked up in confusion, "Anything?" He replied and sipped the drink as the photographer continued to take pictures. The flash powder created the crackle noise and lit up Cole's face like a bonfire.
"Indeed, a man who doesn't care for life's worries, only for himself and his hedonistic view of life."
Un-beknownst to Cole, was the picture he held firmly would become him, himself. He didn't know it yet though, he had fallen of the chair and had landed in a pile, fast asleep on the floor.
A good few minutes later, he had been loaded into a glass tube and when he finally woke, he was angry. Raging would have been the better description when he realised that he was also restrained in vengestone cuffs.
"Gahh what the! Who are you?" He hissed, watching intently as the old man with a grey moustache walked in front of him.
"No-one of great importance to your new timeline, at least!" He approached Cole and held the picture aloft. "I believe this belongs to you!" He added and placed the picture within the tube.
"You might not like this part!" He laughed to himself and proceeded to squirt paint all over Cole's suit and face. Cole shot him with a look of outright anger and disgust.
He still stared defiantly at the man, who, it would seem, was enjoying squirting artists oil paint at him. "Do you have any idea how much this suit cost? I'll never be able to wear it again. Gahh!"
"Trust me, it'll be the least of your worries, you'll be having far too much fun to worry about that." He replied cryptically. He pulled down the lever and the electrical currents surrounded him, he lay in the tube helpless, eyes wide and for a moment, petrified.
"Trust you! Trust you? I don't even know you or why you're doing this, or whatever the hell you're doing." He glared at the old man, his eyes staring at the lever the man was still holding.
"My friends will come for me." He yelled defiantly.
"Oh I'm planning on it! It makes it all the more entertaining, how easy you are to sway, to coerce." The old man replied and turned the dial to the maximum setting watching as the current master of earth started to vanish from the glass tube.
"Don't worry, you'll all be reunited soon enough!" He smirked and watched as Cole's eyes widened.
The old man, placed his blue pointed wizard hat back on and straightened his robes, before going out to entice another into his photo opportunity. The opportunity to be cast in time forever!
He smiled, he saw another one, smartly dressed, talkative, seemingly playing with electricity without a care in the world. "Perfect! Now for the sales pitch."
I'll try and get the second part up tomorrow, please review.
