DUST AND THE SWEEPER

Chapter 2 - Pre-Flight

Down by the town walls at the village's small marketplace, Dust and Blinx enter the short fine wooden shop with a sign of fruits and vegetables. A stand next to it says its wares are on sale, and that it's open. In the middle of their stroll, the duo is met again by Ahrah, flipping into Dust's hand by the hilt.

"Did Grey finish his speech yet," asks the Mithrarin.

Ahrah answers, "He did. It was very poetic compared to what I expected."

They're met inside the store by its only shopkeeper, Mordecai. A cat-like man in a purple robe wearing a green bean hat. Blinx is the first to introduce himself.

"Ey Mordo" waves Blinx.

"Ah, good morning warriors," says Mordecai, wiggling his fingers. "Another day, another quest!"

"Do you happen to have a bandage or a remedy for Blinx here," asks Dust. "There's a huge gash in his arm."

"Oh, yes." Mordecai already begins searching his cabinets for first-aid. "Let me get that for you. Free of charge."

Curious, Blinx asks the Shopkeeper as he comes back around from his desk, "Really? No tips er anythin'?"

"Why of course not, Blinx," he says, wrapping the bandage carefully around his friend's arm. "You've done so much for the village in fact that I wanted to do you boys a favor before I close down."

"Already," wonders Dust aloud. "It's still morning hours."

Mordecai shakes his head, saying, "No, not like that. Close as in later and forever. I'm going to be funding the project to restore the ruined lands from the great war. The one spearheaded by Mayor Bram."

Stunned, Dust's ears shoot right up. He bears a distinct look of a surprise since Mordecai, while a great seller and dollmaker, never seemed the type to be involved in grand endeavors like this. The Mithrarin relaxes in seconds and tells him, "Mordecai, that's fantastic…and a very heavy responsibility. Do you even have the funds for it?"

The Shopkeeper nods, "Yes, I do. I HAVE supported myself over the years through all my wares. And it's thanks to you and Fidget that I've been able to earn more."

"How exactly?"

"Why the Fidget dolls, of course," replies Mordecai with a chuckle.

"What about retirement though," asks the Time Sweeper. "I-I mean, I'm sure it's enough fer the project. But ain't ya got enough for yourself?"

That's where I come in.

Another voice chimes in, belonging to Fale from outside coming in the shop. He straightens his green tunic and removes a strapped bag from his back full of random goods, sitting it on the table for everyone to look into. The young mouse adjusts his open-toed boots after what seemed like hours of wandering since before the break of dawn.

"Oh, hey Fale," says Dust turning to him. "I didn't know you and Mordecai were working together."

"We are. I'm helpin' him get the funds for when the project's ova' so he can settle down." Fale opens the bag even wider to unpack its contents. "There's a lo'a valuable artifacts out 'dere. And since the war's done with, they're easy pickings."

Ahrah, who normally keeps himself reserved for those closest to Dust, speaks up. "Hmm… If possible, you might actually recover parts from when I was forged, since a lot of it has been scattered over the years."

"You'd be fine if I sold 'em, right," asks Fale.

"Of course. There is no use for any of it now. A-aside from…well…no. No, I'm sure it won't be necessary."

"What's not necessary," ponders Dust to the sword.

"I was considering if the other blades of Elysium could be recovered. But, they function in ways I'm not entirely familiar with myself. I don't know if they're even on this planet anymore, considering their absence during the war. However, if you do happen to see one, I find it best to hold onto it. It could mean something for the future. Something dire…"

"I certainly hope not," interjects Mordecai. "If that were the case, it would be, devastating. I'd hate to have to repair any more damages after all. Haha!"

Blinx, now having a fully wrapped bandage over his wounded arm, sits up and flexes it briefly. "Aaah, there we go! That's more like It! Thanks Mordo."

"You are most welcome!"

"Also, ya might wanna check on Dust's hat fer a sec. It looks a little rough."

"Yeah…," says the Mithrarin in a defeated tone. "Sorry about that."

"Oh it's no trouble at all," replies Mordecai, giving Dust a copy of his hat. "Those hats I keep making for you are another reason why my shop is so successful."

"Wha're ya plannin' on doin' now," asks Fale to Blinx. "Gonna try an' relax now that the war's ova'?"

"Not yet pal. First we gotta figure out what that robot was all about," replies Blinx, folding his arms. "Where it came from an' how was it made, cause it sure ain't tech I've seen in these parts." He faces Dust with a smirk. "I'm sorry, but yer ol' friend, Gauss, must've been real nuts if he had that thing in his garage."

"I can't argue with that," Dust says, putting on his new hat. "And y'know it's pronounced, 'Gaius', right?"

"Yeah, I get how to say it an' what I've been sayin' was disrespectin' the dead. I just know he's a murderer."

"Can't really argue with that either," shrugs Dust.

Back at the town square, the large remains of the giant machine from earlier are hastily cluttered together like a small hill. Avgustin, the large dog-like citizen of the village in an adventurous green jacket, pats his hands over the mess, admiring his handy-work. Blinx arrives with Dust walking next to him, and tells him, "First, let's take a look at the evidence. Maybe it really is just magic stuff like ya said earlier."

"Hey pals," announces Avgustin, patting a metal slab from the robot. "I've piled up all sorts'a scraps for ya! Figured you wanted to investigate."

"Actually, that's exactly what we're here to do, Avgustin," says Dust. "We're trying to see where this machine came from and how it was made. It looked and acted way too advanced for Gaius to understand."

"I LOVE a big mystery," says the large Warmblood, who gets closer to Dust with excitement. "What're we looking for? I wanna help."

"Gathering all this material was more than enough, bud," Dust answers as he begins to look around the wreckage for clues. "But if you see anything…I dunno…otherwordly, then say the word."

"Awesome," Avgustin cheers, grabbing onto a hunk of metal and peeking in the deep parts of the robot's remains. Blinx purrs to himself, scratching his chin while trying to figure out the strangely familiar aesthetics of the machine. The color of the material resembles the walls of the Time Factory. The very same place he grew up in. "Funny," he thinks. "All this junk takes me back".

Dust pulls out a full circuit board barely connected to large wires, examining the fragments closely. He faces Blinx and admits to him, "I have no idea what any of these things do."

"They're like your augmentations," Blinx replies, picking up another piece of circuitry. "They make things move. See any symbols or pieces familiar to you like a bomber part or somethin' magical?"

Dust shakes his head. "Not as far as I can tell. Gotta admit, I'm more into breaking things than examining them when it comes to technology."

"Then what's with all that curiosity from before?"

"I had amnesia back then." Dust grabs hold of a steel pipe, putting his back into it. "I'm gonna be asking…a lotta questions…!" He successfully pries out the tube but ends up causing one of the downed turret mounts to fall next to Blinx, almost hitting him! He's quick to hop out the way without using his Sweeper to slow down time, shielding himself from the impact.

"EY," yells the Time Sweeper. "Watch what you're…" Suddenly, his eyes begin to light up, widening as he sees something he hasn't recognized for a very long time. Dust checks on Avgustin's side to see if he's ok, then turns back to his friend, asking him, "Blinx…?"

He gets no reply. Blinx speechlessly brushes off the dirt from the broken metal frame on the back side. On it is an insignia. The very same one the Time Sweepers used at the old Time Factory, shaped like a golden arrow in a clock. That moment, the young cat-sith shrieks with a loud "RREEEEEEEOOOOOOWRRR" and he collapses onto his back, fumbling away from the fragment of the machine! Dust quickly comes to his aid, kneeling to his friend as he calms down from hyperventilating.

"Blinx, what's wrong," asks the Mithrarin. "You're not usually spooked like this."

Blinx takes up the piece with the insignia on it again, silently showing it to Dust who, even to his knowledge, immediately recognizes the markings from his experience with the Sweeper. He equally stands appalled, nearly covering his mouth when he sits up. Ahrah interrupts, "Your insignia…!"

"The same as the one at the Time Factory," continues Blinx, regaining his breath. "An' now that I look at this junk, the more I can see the resemblance."

Avgustin steps from his end to show the duo a panel with odd alien writing on it. Blinx looks at it closely and then at the Warmblood. "Yer lookin' at the handy-work of a Cat-Sith like me."

Minutes pass and the group are on their way to the cells containing the last of the Gaius Remnant, speed-walking down the first hall past the still unconscious and maimed Anti-Moonblood troops inside.

"When the factory got blown up, all the squads that were deployed across time an' space were left stranded or hunted down. I dunno if anyone survived the purge at the main place, but it wouldn't make sense for them to be here an' make weapons for Gaius."

"Oh hey, you said his name right," Dust interjects. "And you've got a point. Especially when the timeline's been reset to stop a certain future from happening. So why would they go back and fix what isn't broken for a world like ours?"

"Right," points Blinx. "This is probably recent. Not somethin' made for General Gianni."

"And you're back to saying it wrong…," says Dust with a sigh.

"Even if it was made in his time, you don't expect it to be around these parts for the bad guys. It's just not in our character. Heck, not even the Tom Tom Gang had this kinda stuff on 'em unless they stole it. So I don't know how they'd be able to pull it off."

"Well I'd be willing to bet if we ask Criteous about the details, he'd either tell us outright or give us a hint."

The two stop at the last gate to the next cell area where Sanjin comes out next to a Warmblood guard.

"A hint is all we need," Blinx nods.

"If you're planning on giving the commander the good cop bad cop treatment, I wouldn't bother," says Sanjin, removing his helmet and rubbing his head. "He's way out of it now."

Dust asks the Moonblood, "How bad?"

"Let's just say he's been muttering Blinx's name nonstop and he thought he came from the Advanced Regions or outer space perhaps."

"The what now," asks the Time Sweeper.

Sanjin puts his helmet back on and tells him, "Advanced Regions. Some area far from Aurora or just about anywhere you've been, Dust. Criteous sure hasn't been there before. But Gaius supposedly did."

"So he could get the robot?"

"So he could get backup."

In the meeting room of the Mayor's Office, Bram spreads out a long scroll of a map detailing the land of Falana as far as it's been explored. Joining Dust, Ahrah, and Blinx are the Elder, Avgustin, and Sanjin to hear about the plan. The mayor is first to explain. "The Advanced Regions as far as we know are somewhere beyond the Elder's point to the far Eastside."

"That is where the Plains of Elysium are," addresses Ahrah.

"Where I've forged you as well," Grey Eyes replies.

"Strange because I sure don't remember there being a place past that area at all," Dust says while scratching his ear. "Not as far as Fidget and I knew."

"Yer planet's big, so I kinda expected it," nods Blinx. "Then again, if this is all new, chances are this only popped up after the timeline got fixed. That's why everyone else but us know a little about it."

"Oooh. So it's like changing the future," says Avgustin with clear excitement.

"That does sound vaguely familiar, Avgustin…," remarks Elder Grey Eyes, stroking his chin.

"You know something about this, Elder," asks Dust.

"Not so much as I'm used to. It's all a blur."

"Sure sounds odd comin' from you, Gramps," Blinx adds. "Makin' me wonder if ya met a Cat-Sith like me at some point in yo' life."

"Perhaps I have. But I cannot recall that. Only the lead to the atrocities committed by Gaius."

"Now that's really weird…" Dust comments. "You've dumped a lotta lore on me before, but this is the first time you don't remember something. Especially over a personal experience."

"Yes, the war has certainly taken it's toll on my memory, has it?"

Blinx adds, "Actually, since the timeline's been changed so much, you must've forgot some of the deets. It happens if there's ever any contradictions or maybe multiple changes happening at once. Who knows? Maybe my folks made it out here before the war an' established a base. But that still doesn't explain why they'd be helpin' the General."

"Maybe they agreed with his stance on the political side against the Moonbloods," suggests Sanjin.

"Perhaps," says Dust with a shrug. "Still, Blinx knows they wouldn't do this even if Gaius made a good argument. Especially when genocide's on the table."

"Lemme put it this way," Blinx says, putting his hands together. "Mr. McEvil had himself an army already. He had plenty of armor an' weapons for his troops for the war, so there's no need to change all that. Instead we get this giant diamond bot comin' from the sky like a manufactured Gundam kept in storage somewhere in case the head honcho failed. Rarely have we ever built robots for anything outside of cleanin' our livin' space an' the portal conveyors. So why now?"

"I-I'm sorry," Avgustin says, scratching his head. "Can you repeat the question? You lost me."

"Basically, I think my boys are being held hostage to build weapons of war."

"How they established an Advanced Region before all that, we don't know," adds Dust. "But we can figure that out when we get there. It's gonna take a long journey to get to the plains then whatever lies beyond. Not unless one of you guys have any better ideas."

"Ohoho, no," answers Bram. "I'm more like you. I just walk it."

"No teleporters?"

"Oh my, no," replies the Elder, shaking his head.

Sanjin also comments, "I don't remember there ever being any passageways either."

Blinx takes a moment to pause when it hits him. The bombers from the fight earlier. One key detail to save time.

"…I have a thought."

The Mithrarin and Time Sweeper step into a large empty hangar space near the edge of town. When the top shutters open, they shine light onto the long thick tarp covering what looks to be a bomber like the ones Gaius' men use. Blinx walks over to it, uncovering the vehicle from the side to reveal what's inside. An upgraded ship with a stealth black and grey pattern, red visor window from the cockpit, and four turret barrels on both jagged wings. The look astounds even Ahrah, who normally isn't phased by such wonders.

Blinx motions his hand toward the cockpit. "Gentlemen, meet the Firebat!"

"Blinx, you've kept a bomber around and didn't say anything," asks Dust, still in awe.

"Sure did! I was gonna surprise ya. It was Haley's idea."

"Her's…?"

"She said she found this baby crashed near the village an' fixed it up as best she could on her off time. She asked me to finish the rest of it since she's busy."

"Didn't know you were a mechanic yourself, bud."

"Course I am. Gotta be if I wanna keep my Sweeper up to specs." He casually removes his tattered gloves and steps to the worktable off to the side. "Dere should be some parts to your suit in the back."

Blinx gets to work making small repairs to his Sweeper while Dust continues to admire the ship's finish. Ahrah even motion's his wielder's hand to get a better view of the underside.

"Efficient," says the blade. "They've completely rebuilt it. This makes traveling much easier, now does it?"

"It does…," Dust replies quietly. "What I'm trying to figure out is, what was my wife doing with one of my best friends…?"

Blinx overhears his friend's remark and casually tells him while unscrewing his Sweeper's clock, "One, I can still hear ya. An' two, I wasn't workin' next to her. I was just asked to complete it one day."

"Oh," the Mithrarin blushes. "Oh… M-my bad."

"Don't get all soft on me now, sportsy. You really care for her. That's more than what Fidget told me about you an' the signals."

"How was I supposed to know Haley was flirting with me when there was a war going on?"

Blinx just rolls his eyes with a smirk when he turns back to his friend. "Pleeeeease. I went an' saved a whole planet once cause I had the hots for a blonde girl, an' she didn't gimme the signs. Love does stuff to ya like that."

Oooooooooooooh…

Someone with a soft young voice mumbles somewhere behind Dust by the entrance, alerting Ahrah who demands a response. Out comes the two youths Corbin, a scrappy young Warmblood rabbit wearing casual clothes, and his sister Colleen, holding her hands together as if she were Mordecai trying to look humble. She is first to respond, "Good morning Dust and Blinx."

"Oh hey, kids," Dust says with a grin.

Ahrah darts, "Do not forget about me!"

"Sup man," says the young boy. "What're you up to?"

"We're just fixin' things up," Blinx replies. "How bout'chu?"

"Just visiting. Thought we'd hang out for once."

"Not sure if you'd really want to considering we're about to go on a rather important mission to do with Blinx here," says Dust with a shake of his head. "Plus, Gianni would burn my hide if he heard we flew you two across Falana."

Corbin shakes his head. "No he won't. He's not here anymore."

"He's not," Dust wonders tilting his ear.

"Remember the prank we pulled on him? He ran away thinking everyone was out to get him."

"Moska and Sarahi take care of us now," adds Colleen.

Dust is taken aback, raising in eyebrows in shock since he and Corbin were responsible. "Huh… I had no idea it was that bad."

"That's what happens when you act on vengeance, you two," snarks Dust's sword.

"Hey, it was just a rash," Corbin retorts.

"Definitely. They wear off," adds Dust with a nod.

"I don't think that's why he's gone," Colleen interrupts. "He said something about Blinx. He thought he was out to kill him."

Blinx darts, "Aw, whaaaaaaaaat? Me? Pssssh!" He waves his hand outward, brushing off the comment as though it were a joke. "I wouldn't hurt a fly!"

As quickly as Blinx speaks about himself, he is bitten by a mosquito, which he promptly smacks from his hand commenting, "Dag, mosquitoes…"

"Wow…," Dust moans. "Um…sorry to hear that kids."

"Sorry," asks Corbin. "No way! We're thrilled to death! He's been a pain in our butt for years!"

"Mainly his," snarks Colleen.

Blinx straightens out the suction end of his Sweeper and starts adjusting some of the wiring to make room for a new attachment to his side when he asks Corbin, "Shouldn't he at least get some credit? I mean, he's the dude who took care o' yas."

The boy simply answers, "Nope. Moska's way better. I mean granted, he's a bit of a wuss sometimes, but I'll take him and Sarahi over Gianni. By the way, you know we're not kids anymore, right?"

"Wait, ya ain't," asks Blinx. "I thought y'all were 12 er somethin'."

"No no, SmoBop was 12. We're 19."

"Definitely sounds like another time discrepancy to me," tells Dust. "Which is why we're about to go on this adventure to solve it."

"Since you two're grown ups, you ever thought about takin' up some gigs," Blinx asks the twins.

Colleen, with sparks in her eyes, is first to reply, "I wanna be a stylist. I feel like I could really help spice up our outfits. Maybe make them like yours, Mr. Blinx. You too Dust. It's so modern."

"That I was not expecting coming from you, but we could really use a fashion expert right now. Mainly Mudpot," Dust says.

"What about you Corbin," Blinx wonders while putting the last piece of his Sweeper together.

"I mean…I thought it was obvious. I wanna be like you two. I wanna go out and do something awesome!"

Dust quickly throws caution telling him, "It'll be dangerous".

"I AM danger," says Corbin with a vivid leer.

"Well let's start'chu off with some basics," Blinx says as he equips his Sweeper, this time as an attachment to his right arm, easily hooking itself on. "If you wanna understand how we do things, ya gotta know some science. Y'know why? Cause it's awesome."

With a press of a button and a swift gesture, the modified Sweeper weapon releases a long blue energy blade of some kind out the cartridge Blinx added onto it. Both Colleen and Corbin's eyes glimmer and their jaws drop, being careful not to get close to the sword while admiring its craftsmanship. Likewise, Ahrah nearly jumps up from the work table he's leaning against, amazed at the Time Sweeper's handy-work. At that moment, Dust finishes replacing the broken pieces of his armor, aligning his chest plates along with his jumpsuit underneath.

"Alright. I think it's time we get to work," says the Mithrarin.

"It's still pretty early," Blinx nods as he deactivates his sword and turns his attention to the young ones. "With any luck, we'll be back by sundown. If anyone asks, especially Ginga', tell 'em it's a man's day out."

"I can't tell whether that's a joke or not," says Colleen.

"It's what you make of it," Dust marks, giggling under his breath.

Both the Time Sweeper and the Mithrarin begin exiting to the Firebat shuttle, which automatically opens its side door for them to climb in. Ahrah is wisped over to Dust's grasp and Blinx unequips his Sweeper, placing it on his back. The three are interrupted when Corbin wants to know, "Hey, think maybe we can hitch a ride with you one day? I mean it's too good to pass up!"

Blinx especially is eager to let the two Warmbloods come aboard, but he understands he and Dust could be in for more than they anticipate. All he can say to them is, "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh, on your next b-day," before shutting the door.

The ship's wingspan carefully lowers down to its sides. Weapons are locked and the highlights are lit. Inside the spacious interior are multiple seats replacing the bomb rack of the bomber's old form, and a computer terminal to the sides and the cockpit controls. Blinx takes the helm while Dust takes a seat next to him.

"Wait," Dust interrupts, "Have you ever flown a shuttle like this before?"

Blinx simply shakes his head and puts his goggles over his eyes, "Nope. But how hard can it be? Fasten your seatbelts."

With the press of a button, the onboard computer announces, "DEPLOYING WEAPONS."

"NONONONO," shouts both Dust and Blinx frantically pressing the same switch! "WEAPONS DISARMED," says the computer again, relieving the duo and the sword. Blinx presses the third switch in front of him colored red, engaging the ignition sequence. The thrusters in the back hatch start to boot up, prompting Colleen and Corbin nearby to stop to the side by the worktables. The large hatch doors at the front of the hangar automatically open, and the Firebat rises upward from the lower thrust. And with a 3 second countdown, the ship takes off, shooting out of the chamber over the cliff in a straight path above the village below! The sheer force of the rockets nearly send the two Warmblood twins into a wall, which humorously makes them shout a bombastic, "YEEEEAH!"

In the town, citizens walking by notice the old bomber jetting overhead, which causes some of the market stands and trees to shake but not break. Haley, wandering towards a nearby fountain with her short brother Matti doesn't even look up to know that the shuttle she was rebuilding is rocketing above her as her long ears harshly wiggle in front of her. Even Matti's wood-like haircut is blown into a flurry, making it resemble more of a palm tree.

"Thanks for stealing my husband, Blinx…," mutters Haley with a sigh, lowering her ears in disappointment. Likewise, Matti utters his usual barbaric growl.

In the Firebat, Dust puts his hand on his chest taking a deep breath while Blinx continues to steer, and he tells the Mithrarin, "See, that wasn't so tough."

"Yeah, that wasn't scary at all," mutters Dust sarcastically. "Haley's totally gonna be mad at us."

"So'll yer sista'," Blinx adds. "She's the one with the feet big enough to kill me fer this. But like I said. We can get this done today!"

"And it'll be worth it to give you closure with your brothers, like you did bringing me home." Dust nearly frowns whilst leaning forward putting his hands together. "I just hope what sounds to be the case isn't true."

"Ya mean the part with 'em workin' for the General's army? Nah. I doubt that. It just ain't in our character. An' frankly, it wouldn't make sense considering we've dealt with powers that wanted to exterminate an entire timeline once. Hate to imagine us workin' to take out an entire species."

"Patience boys," Ahrah calmly says. "We will soon discover the truth. You're already headed in the right direction. All we can do now is wait…and try not to crash."

Blinx lifts his ears and darts at the ancient sword, "Eeeeey, no one's crashin' anything! Besides, we're in clear skies an' this planet ain't got planes an' air traffic laws...I think."

"Well in the meantime, you or Haley add a cooler or something for drinks," asks Dust to his friend.

"What'chu thought I'd let us get dry-mouthed? Course we got somethin'. It's uuuuh…on yo right."

Dust opens a slot next to him by the controls to look into the cooler and Ahrah leans himself more firmly next to his wielder.

"Oh, an' check this out!"

Blinx pulls up a playlist on the screen beside his control stick and clicks one of the tracks. It plays "On My Mama, On My Hood, I Look Fly, I Look Good"

Dust turns to his friend with a curious look on his face, tilting one ear and wrapping his long tail against his stomach.

"What," asks Blinx. "I like Charlie Boy. Classic. Kept some tracks on me since before I even moved here."

"Hm," marks Ahrah. "I prefer orchestra…"