Part 70: The Terminal

2 weeks had passed since the two teams of heroes had boarded the mysterious time traveling train known as the ChronoLiner. It was currently en route towards Zandia. Sure they were taking a month to travel to small country, but there was an important reason for this and that reason was a whole month of intensive training to prepare them for the fight of their lives. In the Sands of Time, the time in the real world remained unchanged, not even by a nanosecond. Therefore, they would reach Zandia at the same time they'd left, and under the cover of darkness since they'd departed at night.

Currently, Draco and Mortuary, the heroes most familiar with the time train were walking through the ChronoLiner, reminiscing about their last adventure involving it. "This place brings back memories, doesn't it?" said Draco. They stood in the training area.

"Sure does," replied Mortuary. He remembered a few training sessions he had with an old friend from a different universe.

"Traveling to different worlds, fighting the Horrors…" Draco sighed. "Do you think Warren is doing OK right now?"

Mortuary thought for a second, "Knowing him, yeah. He's probably getting drunk right about now back on his world." Both he and Draco shared a laugh at this.

"Hai, it does sound like him," the Dragon Knight chuckled. "I just hope he's happy with his Titans."

"He told us he got Raven pregnant!" said Mortuary, stifling another laugh. "I'd say he's MUCH more than just happy."

"Well, he helped us save all the worlds. He deserves a chance at a family," Draco rationalized.

"True, especially after everything he told us about his life," added the Knight of Ares.

"I can't take it anymore!" wailed Bruiser as he sat down in his seat, clutching his head. Falconer was seated next to him and reading a book he'd retrieved from the library.

"What's the problem now?" asked the Red Wolves' tech expert.

"We've been on this train for two weeks, Andrew! Two weeks!" Bruiser exclaimed. "I think I'm getting cabin fever!"

Falconer quirked and eyebrow, "Cabin fever, Billy? Honestly, there's a lot to do in this train. How can you have cabin fever?"

"Look, all I'm saying is that I need to get off this train for a few hours," said Bruiser. He then asked, "By the way, where are the others?"

"I am the Queen of DDR!" Renia boasted as she finished playing on the DDR machine, with the highest score ever.

"Oh, yeah, right," Wyvern scoffed. "I bet I can get a higher score."

"Just try it," Renia challenged as she hopped off, "Let's see what you got."

"Sure, why not," said Wyvern as she climbed onto the platform and pressed the Start button. She chose her difficulty level and soon the music played. She watched as the arrows scrolled down the screen and began to dance, pressing her feet on the buttons under her.

After two weeks, both Cassandra/Wyvern and Renia the Crystal Alchemist had become close friends. Both shared their magical skills and even practiced together. Though Renia magic was based around her latent ability as a Homunculus to generate crystals and her alchemy, Wyvern's magic was based around the elements. So, in training, they had created very effective combos. Of course, they had a bit of a rivalry going on.

"Hey, girls," said Terra as she walked over. "How's it going?"

"Oh, hi, Terra!" Renia smiled.

"Hey, Terra," Wyvern greeted as she continued to dance. She never took her eyes off the screen as her feet moved to the music. Her points were climbing every second.

"Wow, you're getting good with that," Terra observed. Wyvern beamed and Renia scowled. Yes, Renia and Wyvern had a rivalry that was focused on Terra. To them, Terra was like a big sister and they wanted her to themselves.

"So, where's Beast Boy?" asked Renia.

"Watching movies in the theatre car," Terra sighed, "With Cyborg."

"And you're not there because…?" Renia questioned.

"They say it's a best friend thing," Terra shrugged. "Anyway, that looks like fun. Can I try?"

"Sure," Wyvern said, "I'm already done." The score on the screen had beaten Renia's. "Hah! High Score!"

Renia growled.

"Well, let's see if I can beat that next," said Terra as she climbed onto the platform. "OK, here I go." She pressed the Start button and started playing.

The two younger girls watched as Terra's steps were flawless. It would appear that combat practice helped with the geomancer's dexterity. The two girls, one a sorceress and the other an alchemist, were entranced by Terra's dancing.

When Terra was done, she posed and watched her score flash. "Still got it!"

"That was great, Terra!" said Wyvern excitedly. "Just like the old days."

"You know, come to mention it, you guys don't talk much about what happened in the past," Renia pointed out. Both Terra and Wyvern sighed sadly.

"Let's just say we broke apart under bad circumstances," said Wyvern. "It was…lonely when it happened."

"Wanna talk about it?" asked Renia. "I mean, if you want to."

"I guess it's time we do talk about this," said Terra with her arms crossed.

Snow Blood was in the hallway and looking out the window. Though she wasn't showing it, she was tired of only seeing sand and rocky mountains as well as a multicolored sky for two weeks. It may have looked beautiful when she had first laid eyes on it but it was getting a little old.

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked Jinx who was walking by when she saw the Red Wolf.

"Oh, nothing," Snow Blood denied, shaking her head.

Jinx looked out the window and sighed, "I can't believe it's been two weeks since we've been on this train. I mean, I've lost track of time."

"Tell me about it," replied Snow Blood. "Billy is growing very anxious. He wants to get off this train."

"Well, Draco did set it for a month, so I don't see it stopping till we reach Zandia."

Snow Blood groaned. Two weeks. In the last two weeks she hadn't spoken to Mortuary much and had tried to avoid talking to him and even when they did speak it was always a harsh argument, reflecting what had happened that caused them all to split up. The wounds from their breakup were still fresh. "Great…"

"So, anyway, I was headed for the dining car for some tea. You wanna come with?" Jinx invited.

"Sure, why not. Maybe we can talk."

"I'm always up to a little girl talk," Jinx smiled.

"Good," Snow Blood smiled. "I need to have some with someone else besides Wyvern. She's a good friend, but I like talking to other people too."

"You and me both," Jinx smiled, remembering her old teammates Mammoth and Gizmo. "I mean, I like my friends but sometimes it feels nice to talk with other people."

"Tell me about it."

"Hello, you two," said Ant as he approached Mortuary and Draco, who'd just finished sparring.

"Oh, hey, Ant," said Draco.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Mortuary.

"Well, we're running low on supplies, mostly food and water, so we need to make a stop to stock up," informed Ant.

"Stock up, like in another dimension?" Draco blinked. Ant chuckled.

"No, I mean at the King's Terminal," answered Ant.

"King's Terminal?" Mortuary blinked.

"King's Terminal?" Draco echoed.

"Oh, I never told you guys about it, did I?" said Ant. "Well, time trains like this usually stop at a special terminal. The King's Terminal is one of those places. It's basically a train station but there's a lot to do there."

"Well, Billy has been complaining that he wants to get off the Liner," said Mortuary. "A little stop would stop his whining and give our ears a rest."

"Really?"

"Yep, and I'm afraid that if he spends another day here he'll kill someone." Mortuary nodded. "He doesn't have the strongest control on his temper."

"OK," Draco said to Ant, "Well, let's stop at the King's Terminal then."

Ant saluted, "OK, captain!" He then walked over to the teleporter and at his command was beamed up to the cockpit.

Minutes later, Ant's voice was coming through the PA system. "OK, all passengers of the ChronoLiner. I sure hope that you've enjoyed your ride. Now, I am happy to inform you all that we'll be stopping for a few hours to stock up on supplies, so, if you wish, you can go out and venture when we stop. Next stop, the King's Terminal."

"Well, let's see what this King's Terminal looks like," said Mortuary.

The King's Terminal looked like a modern railway station. It was the only building that had been sighted in the mass of the Sands of Time. Various trains which were similar to the ChronoLiner were parked on different tracks within red and white structures that looked like mechanical dragon heads. The ChronoLiner slowed down and then stopped at one of the platforms. The doors then slid open, allowing the passengers to exit.

"Sweet freedom!" shouted Bruiser as he ran out of the train and kissed the floor. "Finally."

"Billy," Andrew sighed in embarrassment, "You're making a spectacle of yourself."

"Wow," said Cyborg as he admired the station. "This is incredible. Who knew something like this existed in this place."

"You'd be surprised, Cyborg," said Ant.

"Sugoi," Draco was awed. "So, this is the King's Terminal?"

"Yep," Ant said, "Follow me." He then said to Andie, "Oh, and Andie, go get the supplies, OK?"

"Roger!" Andie saluted before skipping off in a different direction.

The collective group of heroes could see a lot of people walking around the terminal and were really surprised. They hadn't seen anyone else since boarding the train and now had discovered that humans also came here. Of course, there were also the strangest looking creatures walking around with them.

"What are they?" Renia asked curiously as a blue being resembling an armadillo or ankylosaurus walked past.

"They are called Imagin," Ant answered. "You can call them the people of the sand. They really don't have their own home dimension, but sometimes try to make one."

"How?" asked Cyborg.

"By connecting a time to a world that they had came from," Ant answered. "Recently, a bunch of rogue Imagin led by a guy named Kai tried to change a world and turn it into their ideal one."

"Nani?!" Draco gaped. "Ant-san! Shouldn't we have known about this sooner?"

"It's okay," Ant smiled. "Two time trains called the DenLiner and ZeroLiner have gone to deal with them and since that world hasn't become a sandy wasteland yet, I'd say they're doing okay.

"Then why are there Imagin hanging out here?" asked Jinx.

"The Imagin here are content with the life they live here, visiting other times, riding the trains, and granting a wish or two if they want a new body."

"So they're like the hobos of the trains of time?" asked Bruiser. He didn't notice several Imagin sending him glares as they heard his statement.

"So is there anything to do here?" asked Jinx.

"You bet," Ant nodded. "There are facilities all over the place for activities."

"Oh," Jinx blinked before she began to smile.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" asked Snow Blood with crossed arms and immediately Ant tossed the teens pamphlets.

"If you have any questions, read those. They provide all the information you will need," Ant said. "Right now, I need to meet the Station Manager. Bye."

The teens folded the pamphlets open. The pamphlets had a map and explained to them what they could find in the terminal and were surprised.

The King's Terminal housed a movie theatre, a mall with hundreds of stores, restaurants, an arcade, a hotel and even a souvenir shop.

"OK, so, what's the plan?" asked Mortuary. "Split up or something?"

"Well, we got a few hours to kill," said Draco, checking his watch. "OK, in 6 hours we meet up back at the platform, OK?"

Jinx, who was holding Brimstone by a leash, suggested, "Maybe we should find a place to take Brimstone here. I mean, I wanna do some shopping and I doubt we can do any with a dog with us the whole time."

Draco squatted down to Brimstone's eye level, "I supposed you're right." He scratched Brimstone between the horns. "Alright, let's go."

And with that, they went their separate ways.

Draco was exploring the terminal. The others had gone off to do their own thing. When looking around he saw a strangely familiar figure. He wore a black muscle shirt under a black leather jacket and black pants. He wore fingerless leather gloves, studs on the knuckles. On his feet he wore heavily strapped combat boots. He had stark white hair that went down to his shoulders and wore sunglasses over his eyes. He had a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. Upon further expectation, he was also carrying various weapons. He had a katana strapped to his left side and a gun holstered to his right side. He also had a large claymore strapped to his back, as well as a guitar case, which struck Draco as odd considering he looked like he was going to war.

Draco then realized who this was. "Warren? Warren!" he shouted.

The man, Warren, looked at Draco with a quizzical look. It was a rather familiar sounding voice but it had an extra edge to it. But, he could still recall the voice and its owner. Looking up, he saw a young man with short and spiky/messy black hair with red streaks in it. Despite that, he recognized the goggles and the green eyes. "Draco! Long time no see!" he replied.

"Warren, how did you get here?" Draco said as he approached his old friend.

"Ant called me and told me he was buying the drinks, next thing I know, I'm trapped in a place I don't know…" Warren answered. 'Then again, this wouldn't be the first time.'

"Well, Ant-san told me that this is the King's Terminal where time trains like the ChronoLiner stock up and get their fuel. I brought the others too," said Draco.

"Others?" He then heard barking and a familiar demon dog pounced onto Warren, licking the man's face. "He's gotten big…" groaned Warren. He managed to get Brimstone off of him and stood back up.

"Yes, he has. And when I mean others, I meant Cyborg, Beast Boy, Mortuary, Terra, Jinx and the Red Wolves."

"Red Wolves? Mort's old team?" asked Warren.

"Hai!"

"Damn, what are the odds of meeting up with you all here?" said Warren. Both he and Draco heard someone running towards them. The former teammates looked and saw Jinx running towards them.

"Sorry, he got loose!" Jinx apologized. "Hey, who's this?"

"She looks just like the Jinx from my world…" said Warren. He nudged Draco's arm, "Lucky devil."

Jinx looked at Warren confused and quirked an eyebrow, "Say what?"

"Jinxy-chan, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. Warren Smith, also known as Kamen Rider Wraith."

"Nice to meet ya," said Warren.

Jinx looked at Warren and her eyes widened in realization, "You're THAT Warren? Ryuki talks about you a lot. He told me about how you saved his life from the Yoma."

"Oh yeah, the Yoma…" Warren hesitated. Yoma were far from being his favorite demonic creatures. "By the way, how's Ryan doing?"

"Last I heard, he and Ember became famous rock stars," answered Draco.

"Good for them. So, how's everything in your universe?"

"Well, right now we're on our way to take care of the Orphenoch King," said Draco.

"And Occultus," added Jinx.

Warren realised, "Ah, taking the fight straight to them."

"This might also be a chance to stabilize Ryuki's condition," said Jinx.

"Jinxy-chan…" muttered Draco.

"The King's power might help you, baby. You're…" began Jinx.

"I know…" said Draco.

Ant looked out to the Sands of Time in which he saw a cross between a dragon and a castle with a bull headed train and white and red bullet train tackling something together.

"I see you've found those people," a man with a slight English accent told him.

"The DenLiner and ZeroLiner?" Ant asked as he turned to find a gentleman wearing a black dress suit with a slight gold trim. His silver hair was braided and the braid was slung over his shoulder. His eyes were covered by a pair of black shades as well.

"Yes, the crew of the DenLiner were on a case and requested assistance from an outside source." The man told him. "You may call me the Owner."

"Train?" Ant questioned. Each train had a different Owner.

"LegendLiner."

"Antonitis Fenton McCrown of the ChronoLiner."

"Thought it was the Time Ghost's"

"He gave it to me during a crisis."

"Hmm?" The Owner told him quirking an eyebrow.

"Horrors."

"Pests."

"Do tell."

Just then a young man walked in with a black British girl following him. He had stylized hair that he seemed to keep at least an inch long and consistently flat. He also had soft very intelligent eyes as well. He wore a brown tweed suit and sneakers. The girl with him had stylized hair and soft brown concerned eyes as she looked to her companion.

"Doctor?" the girl asked.

The Doctor ignored her as he grabbed the Owner with a very grim face.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here, Owner?" the Doctor asked him.

"Getting supplies," the Owner of the Legend Liner responded calmly.

"Where were you?" the Doctor demanded.

"None of your business, Doctor. I have my own fights to attend to."

"Break it up, you two," Ant told them as he got in the middle. "I know that you have problems to work out with each other but this isn't the time to be fighting."

"He abandoned us during the war," the Doctor accused.

"The Daleks are one group that you've been able to fight against, Doctor," the Owner told him. "Besides I'm making preparations yet."

"What?" The Doctor asked coldly. "Conspiring with the Daleks this time?"

"I don't need to tell you," the Owner told him as he walked away.

"What are you standing here for?" the Doctor asked Ant.

"Mech battle outside," Ant told him with some amount of drool.

The Doctor looked outside and noticed the trains.

"DenLiner and ZeroLiner?"

"Yep."

"Let's watch then."

Mortuary walked around the terminal as the unexpected return of his team started to bug him again. He was happy to see them again, but frustration was actually centered on one person: Ashleigh. She was the only girl in the world that he had actually loved. He knew why she was mad. Mortuary had broken up with her without giving her a reason. It was a reason he never wanted to admit.

As he continued his walk he came across a park with a fountain on the center. The thought of a park in the middle of a terminal kinda weirded him out but he's seen too many weird things to let it bother him too much anyway. To his surprise he spotted Snow Blood sitting on one of the benches with a gloomy look about her. Mort decided this would be the perfect moment to talk to her. These two weeks of silence were driving him insane.

Mortuary walked up to her. Catching her attention, he asked. "Mind if I sit here?"

She simply shrugged and he sat. There was a long moment of silence until Snow Blood decided to break it. "How are you holding up?" she asked him.

"I'm alright. You?"

"Good," she replied. "Anything you needed to ask me? I'm guessing there's something you want to talk to me about since you keep following me around."

Mortuary sighed. "Well for one thing I wouldn't mind knowing why you're avoiding me."

She let out a small chuckle. "Do you really have to ask? I mean, you left us without giving any reason and you left me wondering if I went wrong somewhere between us."

"I had a reason," he defended himself

"Yeah, but apparently none of us were good enough to know it." She stood up and began to walk away. "Whatever, if you weren't gonna tell us then you're not gonna tell us now."

Mortuary stood up and hung his head sadly. "I was scared," he admitted.

Snow Blood turned to face him. "Scared of what?" she asked

"Occultus. I was scared because out of anyone of the villains we came across I would never be able to beat him. So I felt that since I lost to him that night I decided to fight him alone, that I wasn't good enough to lead this team, or to be with you. That's why I left." His voice was trembling when he talked about it.

Snow Blood could tell that it took a lot out of him to say it. She walked to him and pulled him into an embrace.

He started to tear up. "I'm sorry, Ash. I'm so sorry. I wanted to be the best for you but I couldn't and I don't know if I can now."

She stroked his hair. "Of course you can. You're Craig Smith, you're unbreakable. I fell for you for a reason. You taught me what it meant to never give in and never give up. You taught us all that."

He pulled himself away so he was eye to eye with her "So this means we're cool then?" he asked smiling.

She smiled back "We'll work on it, we've got two more weeks." After a short moment of silence she pulled him into a deep kiss that's been way overdue.

"So feel like taking a walk?" he asked after reluctantly ending the kkss

She nodded. After they walked for a while she took a look at him and asked, "So, why the long hair?

He just laughed and they continued to walk.

Renia had witnessed the entire thing. Tears fell from her eyes. She wiped away her tears before she felt her legs again and ran off. She hadn't memorized the layout of the station, but didn't really care. She just wanted to be someplace where she could be alone and far away from Mortuary and Snow Blood. As she was running, she accidentally bumped into Terra who was with Beast Boy and Wyvern.

"Ren, what's wrong?" Terra asked worriedly when she noticed that the young Homunculus was crying.

"Terra…it looks like I do have a heart," Renia sniffled. "Because…I can…feel it...breaking." She sobbed.

To Be Continued…