A/N: Well this is earlier than I expected! …Anyways, yes it's short, but the second part is the only important part, and I didn't want to go any further than that, and then the first part is just filler! Not filler-ish, like I've done before, this is just plain filler. I needed something to be there, so there it is. Anyways, next chapter is up… When I can get it up. (Thanks Science teacher for giving me 3 different assignments and a project due Monday.) B(
April 28, 2939
Sive's POV
Tech was staring in mild shock at the time machine Claire had in her lab. It vaguely resembled the arch we used to get there, only it was rusted, broken in half, and lots of parts were missing.
"This... Is..." Tech began.
"I-think-it-was-once-an-upgraded-version-of-the-arch-we-built-with-Chroniker," Claire stated. "But-time-definitely-took-its-toll-on-this-thing."
"Well... Let's start with the parts we need," Tech said, getting over his shock. I was shocked, too, but for a different reason; we had seen almost the same machine a few hours ago in perfect working order, but now it was falling to pieces and rusting away. "What's missing, and what needs to be replaced?"
Claire proceeded to prattle off a long list of parts, most of which I couldn't identify, so I stopped listening and started to inspect the machine for myself. It was pretty messed up, but there was only piece I couldn't recognize from the one Tech, Claire, and Chroniker had just built; the plug was a design I had never seen before. I knew there were different types all over the world, but I had never heard of anything like that one.
"I-see-you've-already-found-one-problem," Claire said as she zipped over to me. Tech followed and examined the plug. "That-plug-isn't-compatible-with-our-electricity-current-anymore-and-trying-to-replace-it-with-a-current-one-could-end-up-killing-the-power-circulation-to-the-machine."
"So that's why I'm here," I said.
"Exactly," Claire replied. "We-can-get-a-bunch-of-the-parts-we-need-at-stores-around-here-but-we'll-have-to-totally-rebuild-some-of-them-and-I-was-thinking-we-could-get-Psycho's-help-with-that-he-can-build-almost-anything-if-I-tell-him-how-so-he'll-be-a-big-help."
"Rev would probably come in handy here, too," Tech stated. "He watches me work all the time, and helps sometimes, too, so he'll know what he's doing. I'll go upstairs and grab them. Be right back."
Tech left, and it was just Claire and I left. It didn't take very long for Lexi to walk in with one of the twins, though.
"How's it going?" Mei asked.
"Well-with-all-of-the-extra-help-we'll-probably-have-it-done-in-less-than-a-week," Claire stated.
"You guys left before I could tell you something important," Lexi stated. "After you guys got there and saved me, Celeste said something that's got Wolfe and Ace a little worried. Not that either one is showing it..."
"What did she say?" I asked.
"She said that since we're all together now, she needed to come up with a 'new plan.' We're not sure what she's got in mind, but it can't be anything good."
"Hmm..." Claire mumbled, obviously trying to think of what Celeste was planning.
"Wolfe wants you guys to check in with him later," Lexi said. "I'm going back upstairs. If you guys need anything, just yell. I'll hear you."
Lexi walked out, but Mei stayed behind. She looked like she wanted to ask us something, but was nervous about it.
"Mei-is-something-wrong?" Claire asked concernedly.
"Well... It's just..." Mei couldn't seem to find her words. "...With this time machine, will we be able to keep Celeste from making anyone else fade?"
"That's the general idea," I replied.
"Why-do-you-ask?" Claire asked.
"It's just... I was so scared when I thought I was going to fade, and I ended up feeling like that all the time for days. I don't want to have to go through that again... No one should have to go through that."
"Mei-have-you-told-Donny-about-this?" Claire asked.
"No, but he said that he could feel that I was anxious, even though we were far apart."
I could tell by the look Claire gave me that meant that Mei wasn't just scared; she was terrified. I was able to infer that she was the type who told her twin brother everything, so this was probably a big deal.
"Don't worry, Mei," Claire said slowly and deliberately. "So long as we're around, she isn't going to do that to anyone ever again."
Poor Mei, I thought as she left the room. She's just a kid; barely old enough to be doing a job like this. She's been through so much... I hope we can keep that promise.
xoxoxoxox
May 2, 2775
Black Velvet's POV
It was a dark, stormy day; a kind of day I would have liked if the lightning didn't hurt my eyes. I was hiding out in a windowless room of my base. After my first encounter with the Loonatics, my zeppelin was destroyed, and I had to find a new base of operations. At that time, I was hiding in plain sight; I had bought an old apartment building under an assumed name, and did extensive renovations. It served my needs well.
I was still brooding over my recent loss against the Loonatics. Now that the bio-converter had been moved to an undisclosed, safe location, I had to come up with an entirely new scheme. My old one revolved almost entirely around getting the converter, and now that it was gone, I had to come up with something new.
Suddenly, a strange static sound filled the room. I thought it was some of my equipment malfunctioning, but I knew the cause came from somewhere else when a bright, white light filled the room. I personally made sure there was nothing that lit up anywhere in the building. It made my head hurt and my eyes burn, and I ducked under my cloak to avoid it.
When the sound faded, I peeked out from under my cloak to check and see if the light was gone, and I fully came out from under my cloak when I realized it was. It was pitch black in the room again, but I could see in the dark. At least one of the two people that appeared in the room evidently couldn't, though.
"It's dark in here," the one dressed like a lemon with blue highlights complained in an annoying voice that grated against my ears. "Can I turn on a flashlight?"
"No, Ceci!" the other one snapped at her. She was wearing a cloak, so I couldn't see her.
"But how are we going to find her if we can't see where we're going?" the annoying one, Ceci, asked.
"I can see in the dark, you moron!" the other one snapped. I had no idea who she was, but I liked her already. "I've already told you this multiple times!"
I decided it was time to figure out who these two were, so I walked to a place where the one who could see in the dark could see me and asked, "Can I help you?"
Ceci screamed and dove behind the other one, who at first took a defensive stance, then relaxed when she realized who I was. "Actually, you can. And we can help you."
"With what, exactly?" I asked. Ceci peeked around her friend and wildly looked around, even though she couldn't see anything.
"We know you're after the bio-converter," the cloaked one stated. "We can help you get it. In turn, we'd like your help with something."
"How do you think you can help me get it?" I asked skeptically. "No one other than the government knows where it is now."
"We could go back to a time when we know where it is..." the cloaked one began slyly.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"My name is Celeste. I'm your descendant from around 160 years into the future. And this is my... Accomplice, Ceci. She has a time machine."
Celeste pulled Ceci out from behind her, and pulled one of her arms out in front of her so I could see it. It had an advanced looking gauntlet on it. Then, Celeste took the hood of her cloak off.
I was a bit shocked at this, but I believed her; there was definitely some family resemblance.
"So my... Disfigurement, passed on through the family?" I asked.
"No, it didn't," Celeste stated. "I was disfigured through a freak accident. The fact that it was in almost the exact same way as you is purely coincidence. I have almost the same powers as you, too."
"Interesting..." I said. "So, what did you have in mind?"
A/N: Next chapter has an interesting twist! Something to look forward to for… Probably Monday or Tuesday, because I can guarantee I won't have enough time to get the next chapter up this weekend. R&R!