Later Is Now

Chapter 3

Big Time

By Nick Maro

Eight Years Ago:

Studying the statues for what seemed to be the one thousandth time, Jetta scratched her head. She'd been researching them for a little over a year now and they still perplexed her. She set her coffee down and yawned. "I don't know what to tell ya, Pheebs, they certainly don't look like they were carved. They look more like they were poured out of the Earth. There's no chisel marks or anything." She picked up one of the Infernac journals again and studied the sketches that were inside. "Someone found them before we had, but left the clues in this weird writin'. I just wish we could find a cipher for the alphabet."

Rapture took the journal from Jetta and set it back on the pile of books next to the statues. "Go home, Sheila. You're tired and you're getting obsessed with the research again. We agreed after Phyllis' wedding that you'd take it easier here." She sat next to her friend and rubbed her back gently. "You also have an album to finish with The Misfits."

"Yeah, I know. I just fuckin' hate mysteries like this, y'know." Jetta finished her coffee and stood up. "Right, I'm takin' off then. Gotta call Phyllis in the mornin' and see if she's finally able to take that leave of absence." She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Can't believe we start the tour next year, I'm just glad that no one announced a release date for it or for the album." She draped her jacket over her shoulder and began to leave. "You're comin' by our place for Thanksgivin', yeah?"

"Oh you know I won't miss a free meal." Rapture began stacking the journals in order and turning the lights off in the study. "Take the weekend off and call me on Monday. I'll let you know if we find anything in the meantime." She followed Jetta out of the room and to the front door. She waved as Jetta nodded and left the mansion.

Getting into her car, Jetta tried her best to clear her mind and relax. She knew that her friend was right, but she also hated to leave a mystery unsolved. She'd always been that way ever since she was a child. Turning on the radio Jetta did her best to distract herself. The song she was listening to was interrupted by a call on her phone. She pressed the receive button on her steering wheel. "Hey Phyllis, I was goin' to call you tonight after I finished dinner. What's up?"

"I was just calling to see if you were free this weekend. I was hoping to work on the album some more this weekend. We're so close to completing it."

"Y'know, I was thinking about it that today. I'm free to record. Maybe it'll help me get my mind offa things."

"Is everything okay?" Pizzazz didn't hide the concern in her voice.

Letting out a short laugh Jetta smiled. "Oh everythin's peachy, I've just been distracted by this mystery the Guard is workin' on. It's easier to show you than explainin' over the phone. Hey, I'm almost home, let Rox and me know when you want us at the studio, 'kay?"

"I was thinking of recording around noon tomorrow. Connie and Tech said the studio will be free then. See you then. Later." Pizzazz hung up on her end as Jetta pulled into the driveway and parked next to Roxy's car.

Getting out of her vehicle, Jetta heard grunts followed by a yelp coming from their backyard. She went through the gate and found Roxy training with Yukio on the lawn. The two women looked as if they'd been practicing for a while. She closed the gate quietly and watched her girlfriend spar with their friend. Yukio had been training Roxy in hand to hand martial arts for a little more than a year. She was impressed with how far Roxy had achieved in her training.

Dodging out of the way of the punch, Roxy rotated behind Yukio while grabbing her arm. She pinned the arm behind the Japanese woman's back while sliding her legs between Yukio's legs and pulling her down. Yukio rolled with the maneuver broke out of the wristlock. She came up behind Roxy and slapped her hard on the butt with a giggle. "I win, Rox, but good try."

Rubbing her behind, Roxy smirked. "I'm getting better, I know I am, but I need to rest. Can we call it a day, Sensei?" She turned to face Yukio and bowed then ran up to Jetta when she spotted her by the gate. She hugged Jetta tight and kissed her gently. "What are you doing home? I thought you'd still be studying those weird statues."

"Pheebs sent me home and told me to come back Monday." Jetta handed Roxy her towel. "She said I was obsessin' again."

"Ha! You got sent home by your boss!" Roxy smiled as she patted the sweat from her brow and face. She sniffed inside her uniform and made a face. "And I need a shower and to wash this gi." She kissed Jetta again and went inside their home.

Jetta watched Yukio pat herself dry. "Stayin' for dinner?"

Nodding as she finished wiping the sweat from her face, Yukio opened the sliding door. "Yeah, I'm staying the weekend if you don't mind. I'm taking a few weeks off from the dojo and I like to meditate here. The Gabor Estate is nice and all, but it doesn't have the feel I need to focus." She stopped before entering the guest bedroom bathroom.

"Stay as long as you want. Rox and I will be at the studio almost all weekend anyway." Jetta leaned against the doorframe. "You're also welcome to move in. We discussed this the other night and figured since you're here so much why not just make it official. I know Rox would love to have you here. She doesn't like bein' alone, but won't admit it."

"I'll think about it. Rory and Phyllis say that I can live there as long as I want, however, I get the feeling that they want more alone time now that they're married. I do feel a bit in the way." Yukio's face went slightly red. "I did walk into the house and heard them. I left before they knew I was there and before I could see anything." She tossed her towel into the hamper and smiled. "You know, I'll do it. I'll move in with you both. Plus, I'm closer to the Arashikage Dojo from here, too." She gave a tiny bow, closed the bathroom door and began her shower.

Seven Years Ago:

The tour for their new album Shock and Awe was currently in its third week. The Misfits co-headlined the tour with The Holograms, Suzaku and the recently reunited Stingers. Each night the opening act switched between the three bands with The Misfits closing out the show. The whole tour felt like old times for each band. The Misfits played as if they hadn't missed a day together. The tour felt more like a giant family reunion than anything else.

Jetta and Rapture were able to continue their research into Infernac remotely and through video conferences. They tried to dedicate at least one hour a day to what was going on with Astral at the Xanthos Estate. Jetta had recently learned how to successfully teleport as well. This way she was able to retrieve journals from the Eldritch Guard when she needed to. She did discover that the cost of travelling long distances this way did drain her for the rest of the day. Knowing this limitation, she only teleported when it was absolutely necessary and on days that she didn't have to perform.

Following their friends' examples, Jerrica and Pizzazz both set time each day to conduct business with their companies. It was mostly report reviews and only a handful of conference calls were needed. Pizzazz was confident in Yuji's ability to run Gabor Industries, but she wanted to handle Misfits Music decisions personally. Jerrica had finally listened to her friends and family to hire a chief operations officer to manage things when she could not. It was one of the best decisions of her life. She was finally able to spend time with her five year old daughter, Jacqui. It also allowed her to manage The Holograms properly.

Roxy sat at the back of the tour bus where she mindlessly strummed her guitar. She was watched the landscape streak by in a blur as she leaned against the window. She smiled when Stormer sat next to her. "It feels so good to be back on the road! The wanderlust in me just builds up so much."

"You should tour with me next year, Mary. I'm putting together a new backing band for my next album. I'd love to have to you contribute on a few songs." Roxy set her guitar down and leaned back on the seat. "That is if you have the time. I know you're busy with school."

"Going on tour is definitely out of the question, but I can play on a couple of tracks." Stormer relaxed on the seat and sipped her water. "After I graduated last month, I needed the break. I plan on working toward a doctorate. I just needed a little break so I don't get too burned out." A tiny smile crossed her lips as she sat in thought. "Who would've thought that our lives would take these turns? Sheila is some kind of sorcerer or wizard, Phyllis is this amazing businesswoman, I'm studying for a doctorate and you're a genuine rock star."

Putting her arm around Stormer's shoulders, Roxy chuckled. "We're all still rock stars. The one thing I've learned from this tour so far is that The Misfits aren't dead. We just have our lives that we're living. I think the biggest mistake we made before is that we made being a band our lives. It was all we did. We did burn ourselves out by constantly performing. We needed to get real lives." She giggled when Stormer did.

"Just for the record, I'm a bloody mage. Not a wizard or a sorcerer," Jetta said as she sat on the other side of Stormer. "But you're both right that it does feel bloody wonderful to be on the road again. I've been loggin' way too many hours into me research. Hopefully Pheebs and I can find some leads while on this tour. There are a few arcane bookstores on the tour path I want to visit. They're run by a few mages who aren't a part of the Guard, but on good terms with us."

Stormer leaned against Roxy and relaxed as she listened to Jetta talk. She slowly began to drift to sleep as the bus sped to its next destination.

Taking advantage of their day off, Jetta decided to wander Chicago for awhile. There was a mystical store that she had been meaning to visit while in town. She'd been talking with the owners for a short time now. It seemed that one of the books the Eldritch Guard had been searching for may have been found. The photos that one of the owners had sent her looked promising, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too soon.

Jetta soon found herself standing before a nondescript building in one of Chicago's older neighborhoods. She could feel the arcane energies coming from the area. Powerful wards and protection spells had been put into place for several city blocks. Whatever was contained inside this building had immense power. Removing her sunglasses, she entered the store. A light wind chime jingled as the door opened. She recognized the sound as a protection spell.

"Welcome to Vendredi's Antiques and Curiosities," came a woman's voice from somewhere in the store. Jetta couldn't quite figure out how close or far the voice was. A woman with thick, curly red hair finally appeared from behind a shelving unit. She gave Jetta a wide smile and held out her hand. "It's about time we met face to face, Ms. Burns. I'm glad you found our sanctuary so easily."

Shaking the enthusiastic store owner's hand, Jetta could feel the flow of the eldritch energies in her. She was indeed a powerful mage. "I think at this point you can call me Sheila, Micki." She slowly looked around the cluttered, yet organized store. "This place is bloody amazin'. I could feel the energies as soon as I entered the city." She followed Micki into the back where even more books and trinkets could be found. Somewhere, below her feet, Jetta felt a reservoir of massive energies. Something or many things were being stored there.

Micki glanced over her shoulder and smirked. "I told you before that my friends and I have Chicago under our protection. My cousin and our allies are out right now, so it's just me in the shop." She stopped in front of an ancient desk and opened a drawer. "I believe this is one of the books you've been searching for." The book was bound in ancient, worn leather. Burned into the cover were the glyphs she had only seen in the caverns.

"Bloody hell, this is definitely one of them." Jetta slowly turned the book over in her hands and traced a finger along the alien lettering. She looked up at the redhead with wide eyes. "Are you sure you don't want any payment for it? You have no idea how valuable this book is worth to the Eldritch Guard."

"That's exactly why I want you to have it. You need it and I have no use for it. I read through it a little bit and whatever these," she paused to find the correct word, "creatures are, you need this book. But like I said many times before, we're here to help you if you need it." Micki covered Jetta's hands with hers as she pushed the book toward her. "Something is beginning to stir deep in the Earth. Something is awakening and you'll need all the help you can get."

Jetta ran her finger along the spine of the book before placing it into the satchel at her side. "Thank you."

Micki waved off The Misfits' words and smiled. "Jack, Ryan, Rashid and I will continue looking anymore books and leads. We may not be a part of the Eldritch Guard, but you have our help." She lowered her voice and leaned in slightly. "We're all going to need it if what I've read is right." A chill went down Jetta's spine at Micki's words.

Sweat dripped from Pizzazz's face and into her mouth as she played her guitar like a woman possessed. Each show they played felt as if it was the first she had ever played. The passion to perform was the rush she had missed since going into semi-retirement. She fed off of the cheers from the crowd to play her best. She glanced over at Roxy who matched her energy. A smile slid across her face as she saw Stormer launch into the final guitar solo that caused the audience to erupt into a thunderous reaction.

Keeping up with her half sister's playing, Pizzazz extended the final song a bit longer. The adrenaline surge hit her as the song began to wrap up. She turned to the other members of the band and held up a single finger. "One more!" she yelled and The Misfits all agreed. The audience began to chant that they wanted one more song. Pizzazz let her guitar hang from its strap and smirked. "I'll bet you'd love for us to just play all night, wouldn't you?" Once again, the crowd reacted with cheers and chants of all night long. She glanced off stage and spotted the stadium manager shaking his head no. "Uh oh, looks like the manager here wants us to stop." She hung her head down and laughed as the audience booed the stadium manager.

Pizzazz held up her hand to quiet the stadium down a bit. "Let me handle this." She ran off stage and grabbed a towel from a stagehand and smiled at the stadium manager. "Hey, we'll pay for another half hour. This crowd won't be satisfied for one last song."

The manager frowned and looked at her and then around her at the audience. He finally closed his eyes and nodded. "A half hour, then I'm killing the power to your equipment. No need to pay, this has been one of the best shows here this year. We've already made more money than we expected, but I do have city regulations to abide by."

"Thank you so much!" Running back out to the stage, Pizzazz let the other Misfits they had thirty more minutes. She gave Jetta her cue, who immediately began the drum intro. Pizzazz grabbed the microphone and grinned like a child. "Sing along if you know the words. This is a classic by the great Joan Jett." She tore into the opening guitar riff of Good Music by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. The stadium echoed with the voices of the audience members as they sang along. At one point, Pizzazz stopped singing and just played the guitar as they sang for her.

The Misfits closed out the show with a medley of their classic songs. Roxy grabbed her microphone and thanked the audience. "Thank you, Cleveland!"

"Rox? We're in Chicago." Stormer looked at her friend and giggled.

"We are? Shit!" Roxy yelled before running off stage.

Six Years Ago:

Studying the Infernac book that Jetta had acquired in Chicago, Rapture ran her finger along the spine slowly. The lettering along the spine glowed in a faint red lightning pattern. "That's just really weird," she whispered in awe. She looked up at Astral who was studying another Infernac book that was recently discovered in the basement library of the Xanthos Estate. By sheer dumb luck, an acolyte had discovered a hidden, sealed room in the basement. The wards and seals on the library doorway had been given a cloaking spell to hide its existence. The library housed some of the most powerful and dangerous books that Astral and Rapture had ever seen.

Astral ran her finger along the spine of the book she held causing the lettering to glow a light green in color. She opened the book and flipped a few pages. "I wish we could find a cipher for this language. I just know that it will give us a greater insight into those statues in the cave." She set the book down and sighed. "Everything in my gut is telling me that these two books we have here are key. But I also have a feeling these aren't the only two." She looked up at the shelves of the smaller, private library. "Maybe they're hidden in here. Richard did love his puzzles and riddles."

Picking up her tablet, Rapture began walking along the shelves and started cataloging the books again. "My father definitely did enjoy them. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole estate is full secrets. I just wish he would've left us a goddamn clue." She looked up at her old friend and flashed a concerned look at her. "One of the subjects that I noticed that isn't here is about the Elder Ones. There seems to be no documentation about them. At least, nothing we've found so far. No wonder why he had to travel the Nexus for information. Maybe we shou-"

"Don't you dare finish that thought! There is no way you or I are going into the Nexus realms to search for answers!" Astral shot to her feet and placed her hands on Rapture's upper arms with fear in her eyes. "You saw how Richard looked when he came back. He was the shell of a man." She let go of her upper arms and looked away, slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry, I know you were there. It's just he was so much more powerful and stronger than either of us."

Setting the tablet down on a shelf, Rapture gave Astral a smile. "Hey, don't be sorry. He scared the ever loving shit outta me, too. I was just thinking out loud again like an idiot." She leaned against the bookcase and sighed. "I know the rule about saying it out loud and manifesting it into reality. I wasn't thinking." She looked up when Devon entered the room.

"Whoa. I was not expecting this when Maeve told me about this library." Devon walked around the room slowly and carefully. He ran a finger along one of the shelves and looked at his fingers. "Did you dust already?"

"No, that was one of the strangest things when we first entered. There wasn't any dust. It looked like it had just been cleaned seconds before we entered. Phoebe suggested that Richard had a spell in place that prevented it from getting dirty. I have never seen a room protected like this before. I can't even detect any of the wards on the room. It's almost as if it's been cloaked and hidden from all of reality." Astral shut the door to the room and watched it vanish as it was closed. "Even though we're in the room, it still hides itself from us. It scares me to know that this might not be the only room like this." She opened the door again and let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding.

"I've limited access to this room to only the inner command circle of the Guard. I placed a new ward on this section of the basement for only us." Astral waved her hand casually and a faint web of amber lines appeared outside the doorway. "I just don't trust the acolytes and students to be in here. Hell, I don't trust some of the teachers, either."

Devon nodded as he listened and looked around again. "Marla is going to be in heaven in here. I know that she'll finally feel useful. She's been complaining to me that she's been feeling like she hasn't been that helpful or useful in the field with us." He began looking at the books along the opposite wall and pulled a book out. His eyes went wide when he read the title. "Holy shit, this book is only a legend." He flipped a few pages then stopped before putting it back in its place.

The three mages turned when they heard the sharp gasp from the doorway. Marla and Jetta both stood just inside the room with their eyes wide. "Bloody hell," was all Jetta could get out. She looked at the small pile of book on the table and studied the titles. "Are these in any cataloged order?"

Rapture shook her head no. "Not from what Maeve and I could tell. I just started making a list of titles today." She held up her tablet and shrugged. "This is Richard we are talking about, the Man of a Thousand Mysteries and Riddles." She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and smiled at her friends. "Now that we're all here, let's get to work."

"Do you think the other libraries in the mansion have secret entrances to other libraries?" Marla walked up next to her husband and crouched down to study the lower shelves. She spotted a book that seemed out of place to her. "Finding the Inner Circle," she read softly out loud, mostly to herself. She gently and carefully started to pull the book out when she felt a soft shifting of the air behind her. Standing up quickly, Marla turned around and watched the bookcases begin to shift in their place. The room widened and a long aisle appeared before the five astonished mages. "That answers that. "

Staring down the new aisle, Astral covered her mouth. "This is it! This is the Library of Alexandria!" She turned around to find the others staring at her confused. "Okay, this isn't the Library of Alexandria that you know from history. This is the Depository of Forbidden Knowledge. The true Library! How the fuck did Richard find it and anchor it to the Estate?"

"The better question is why did he anchor it?"

Astral opened her mouth to answer, but closed it when she couldn't answer the question. She walked a short way down the main aisle and looked down the smaller stacks of books. "Sheila is right. Why did he do this? And when did he do it?"

Marla sat hunched over the desk and typed in the title of another book. She flipped through it a few pages then typed in a summary of the contents. She sat back and cracked her back then sent a bit of magick through her body to relieve her aches and pains. "I'm just glad that the Depository isn't this huge other dimension. It seems as if it just extends to the size of the Xanthos Estate property only." Picking up the next book, she looked across the table at Jetta, who had her head propped up by the palm of her hand. "Any luck on finding more information about Infernac?"

Closing the book and rubbing her eyes, Jetta sighed loudly. "No. And I'm havin' no luck findin' a goddamn cipher so I can figure out this stupid language!" She stood and paced a little while feeling Marla's eyes on her. "Sorry, it's just been stressful tryin' to figure this out. I mean, I can't even translate these bloody things with the most advanced translation spells. It's almost as if they're not from this world."

"Maybe they're not," Marla suggested while standing up. "What exactly is Infernac to begin with? Is it a place? A people? Is it from our plane of existence? Just what is it?" Her questions caused Jetta to stop pacing and pick up the book again.

Jetta chanted softly and gestured at the book then dropped the book as a brilliant light came from the cover. "Fuckin' hell! What the fuck was that?" She blinked a few times and looked up at Marla. She was also rubbing the spots from her vision. "What the fuck did Ingrid's mother discover?"

Moaning as she rolled over in bed, Roxy sniffled hard and tried to clear her sinuses. Jetta sat up on her side of the bed and coughed hard before blowing her nose into a tissue. "My head feels like it has twenty pounds of snot in a five pound bag. This might be the worst flu I've ever had." She sat up and groaned as she held her head. "I'm going to make some more tea. Want any?"

Jetta nodded as she stood and followed Roxy down the stairs into the kitchen. "I feel so bad that we're missin' Craig and Aja's weddin'." She sipped her tea and sat on the couch in the living room. "I hope they like the gift we sent them." She pulled the blanket over Roxy as she cuddled herself against Jetta's side. "I forgot to ask, did you talk to Phyllis about your tour for next year? And have you come up with a tour name?"

"Yes to both," Roxy said as she turned the television down, "since I'm not going to be promoting a new album, I'm just doing cover songs. I decided to call it the Covering Their Tracks tour." She gave her girlfriend a proud smile and sniffled again. "Pretty clever, huh?"

Laughing then covering her mouth after a coughing attack hit, Jetta kissed Roxy's forehead. "You just love your terrible puns, don't you, Luv?" Roxy giggled and snuggled closer to Jetta.

They both looked up as the side door opened and Yukio came in carrying two bags. "I left the wedding reception early to take care of my two best roommates. And I bring you both homemade soup that I made at Phyllis'. It's full of secret healing herbs and spices from Japan." She pressed the back of her hand to each of their foreheads. "Well, you both don't feel as hot as you did this morning, so that's a good sign." She stood back and looked at the two women. "You just both look like shit is all."

Roxy crawled out from under the blanket and grabbed the bags from her friend. "Thank you for the soup. You didn't have to leave early on our account." She poured some of the soup into a pot and began to heat it up on the stove. Tapping two pills into her palm, she chewed on the aspirin as she waited for the soup to heat up.

"I don't know how you can chew aspirin like that."

"Habit I picked up when I was a kid on the streets of Philly. No idea why I started." Roxy poured a bowl of soup for her and Jetta. "Did you want some, Yukio?"

"Oh, no thank you. I had plenty to eat at the reception. Which reminds me," she ran outside and came back in a few moments later carrying two triangle shaped containers. "I did leave right after the cake cutting and was able to get you both a piece. That cake was huge! I don't think Craig or Aja was expecting it to be that big. I'm pretty sure that you'll have them both trying to give you pieces for the next few days."

Jetta set her bowl of soup down and put the containers in the fridge. "Thanks for thinkin' of us." She went back into the living room and sat in the recliner with her food. "This is excellent, by the way. It's exactly what I was needin', too." She picked up one of the Infernac tomes and flipped through it. "Nope, my brain is still not clear enough to figure this bloody thing out."

On her way to the couch, Roxy kissed the top of Jetta's head. "I told you a million times already, just leave it alone for now. It's waited for fuck knows how many years, it can wait a little while longer to get solved." She finished her bowl of soup and placed the empty bowl on the side table next to her. "Maeve and Pheebs both told you to take it easy. Even Devon told you to rest up and he never speaks up. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy and all, just a little vanilla in my eyes."

Smirking as she finished her soup, Jetta handed the bowl to Yukio who cleaned up after her two roommates. "Oh he and Marla are good people. They're very straight laced and magick minded. I've been spendin' a lot of time in the Depository with Marla and got to know her better. Adventurous is not how I'd describe either one. They're both best suited as teachers and researchers. She was tellin' me about they were both a part of the original Tolliver affair as young mages. It fucked both of them up pretty good." She pulled a blanket over herself and shrugged.

"Well, I need a shower to wash this icky feeling off of me." Roxy stood and stretched before offering her hand to her girlfriend. "Wanna join me?" Jetta shook her head no. "I'll be out soon and then we can finally watch that movie." She poked her head into the kitchen. "Hey, I'm getting in the shower. Don't turn on the dish washer yet. I love this house, but I hate the water pressure." Yukio nodded and Roxy rushed up the stairs feeling a little better.

Taking a break from dancing at the wedding reception, Roxy sat down at the wedding party table and kicked her heels off. She let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled at Stormer and Chip. "It's about damn time you both got married!" She turned to Aja and her new husband Craig Phillips. "I'm sorry that me and Sheila couldn't have been at your wedding. We were both knocked on our asses by that flu bug that was going around."

"It's quite alright, Roxy, we both loved the gift you both sent." Craig smiled as he sipped his drink. "But you did miss seeing Aja getting sloppy drunk at the end. I think Clash or Techrat has a video of it. She was trying to fight one of the ice sculptures." He let out a grunt when Aja elbowed him under the table.

"I didn't send that to either of you?" Kimber smiled when Jetta and Roxy both shook their heads. She pulled out her phone and quickly sent the video to the two women, then put her phone away before Aja could grab it. "There you go!"

Aja leaned in closely to Kimber's ear and whispered loud enough for Roxy and Jetta to hear. "Maybe I should tell them about your date with Keith."

Making a face, Roxy sat back in her seat," Ew. You willing went out with a guy named Keith? Ew."

Jetta shuddered in her seat and made the same face. "Ew, Benton, just ew."

"Did I just hear the name Keith? Ew." Stormer made a dry heaving sound then glared at Aja. "Why did you say that? It's my wedding day!"

"Sorry, Mary, Kimber is just being a pain again." Aja giggled when Kimber stuck her tongue out. "So, Chip, it's great that the Autobots let you and Mary use their grand hall for your wedding reception. I didn't know that you were held in such high regard with them."

Chip lightly wiped his mouth with his napkin and tried not to blush. "I go way back with the Autobots. I was there basically from the beginning. Spike told me almost right away after finding out about them. We've known each other since the first grade." He turned to the man next to him and grinned. "We've always looked out for one another."

"Hey, if I didn't tell Chip about giant sentient robots, he would've run me over with his wheelchair. The guy was a damn menace on four wheels." Spike smirked as he put his arm around his best friend. "Now he has robot legs and can just simply kick me through a wall." He then turned to the blonde woman sitting next to him. "In fact, it was Chip who introduced me to Carly. I'm forever grateful for him for doing that." He took his wife's hand in his and kissed the back of it, making her blush slightly.

Sitting on a bench outside of the Grand Hall, Kimber watched the lights of Autobot City. She made a mental note to visit the City more often. She jumped a little when someone hugged her tight from behind. Turning around she let out a shriek of joy and jumped up. "Hitomi! You fucking made it!" She hugged her old friend tight and spun the Japanese woman around a little. "You look amazing! Is Koji with you?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Hitomi shook her head. "No, we split up. The divorce is final and everything. He and I just grew apart and were never a good fit." She gave Kimber another tight hug again. "I'm just so happy to see you! I can't believe a year has passed since we were last on tour." She began to walk toward the Great Hall while pulling the redhead singer of Suzaku with her. "Ken and Eiji are here also, along with someone who you won't believe. Trust me, my brother surprised the hell outta me with this."

The guests for the reception had really thinned out since Kimber went outside for some fresh air. She spotted her two close friends from Suzaku immediately. They were talking with Stormer and the rest of The Misfits. There was woman standing next to Ken who she hadn't seen in nearly four years. A smile quickly spread across her lips as she walked up. "Ayumi, it's so wonderful to see you! How have you been?"

Turning to the sound of Kimber's voice, Ayumi's face lit up with a giant smile. The blind Japanese woman quickly moved, hugged Kimber and kissed her cheek. "I missed you so much, Kimber," she said in her soft-spoken voice, "I am really happy that you're here. When Ken said that Mary was getting married and that we were invited, I couldn't wait to get here. I'm just sorry that we missed the ceremony and most of the reception."

"Wait, you said we when speaking about Ken telling you about the invite. I'm confused."

"We're dating, Kim. I finally worked up the courage to ask Ayumi out after the tour." Ken gave Kimber a big hug and smiled proud of himself. "In fact, we're living together. I'm finally settling down."

"Not only that but Ken and I are opening our own comic slash hobby shop in Osaka," Eiji said while putting an arm around his best friend's shoulders. "This is something we've been talking about for years. I mean, we're still in Suzaku and all, but we need to do something with our time while the band is on hiatus."

Kimber felt herself smile with relief. "I'm really happy for all of you. And I'm really happy that the band isn't finished. I love performing, especially with you three. How long are you staying in the States?"

"I plan on moving back for good. I need to the change of after the divorce." Hitomi shrugged. "I feel weird asking Phyllis if I can move in with her and Rory. So I was wondering if I could move in with you, Kim. It would just be until I can find my own place."

"I'd have to talk it over with Jerrica. I'm still at the Starlight Mansion. I've begun taking over the foster child duties from her in between tours. Rio, Jacqui and Jerrica moved their own wing of the house, while the remaining Starlight Girls and I have the other side. Most of the older girls moved out a while back. Ashley and Deidre have stayed behind to help out. I'm really glad that they did." Kimber leaned against a pillar and sighed happily. "I really don't see a problem with it."

"Ken, Ayumi and I are staying for about a week. I figured that me and Ken needed a vacation before we actually open a store." Eiji took a sip of his and drink smiled. "Because who knows when we'll be able to do anything after we get things going there."

Kimber was about to reply when Stormer came up and cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to talk to my best friend privately for a minute." She led Kimber away from the members of Suzaku and into a side room. She let out a weary breath and hugged the redhead tight. She rested her head on Kimber's shoulder and smiled. "I'm so goddamn tired right now. It's one of the happiest days of my life, but I just want to take a nap."

Letting out a light giggle, Kimber pushed Stormer away and sat down on a couch. She pulled the blue haired Misfit down to sit next to her. "You just know that you'll fall asleep for eight hours if you close your eyes. You do that all the time when we would watch a movie late at night. You'd say you're just closing your eyes for a moment and then start snoring." She gave Stormer a smirk when she started laughing.

They both looked up when the other members of The Misfits came into the room. Pizzazz sat on the other side of her half sister. "I told you you'd need to get away from the insanity of your wedding. Now you know why I did it. So what did you want to see us?"

Stormer stood and let out a tired groan as she turned to her closest friends and wiped the happy tears from her eyes. "I just wanted to say that I love you all so much. We all may not be blood related, but I think of you each as my sister. We've been through so much together and I couldn't ask for better people to go through life with." She let a knowing smile slide across her lips and turned when the door opened. She hugged and kissed Chip quickly before taking his hand in hers. "And Chip and I have an announcement. We decided that we're going to adopt as soon as possible. We both want a family."

Each of The Misfits and Kimber cheered and hugged Chip and Stormer tight. They each congratulated the newlywed couple before rejoining the reception.

Roxy followed Jetta through the cave system while staying as close as possible. She had finally decided that she wanted to see the statues that Jetta had become obsessed with. Yukio had joined the two women on their spelunking trip out of concern of their safety. Roxy looked around in both awe and nervousness. She had never actually been inside a cavern system before. It was colder than she expected. "How much further, Shelia? I think I've discovered a new phobia. I know that we're in a wide tunnel, but I'm still feeling a bit claustrophobic here."

Pointing the way with her powerful flashlight, Jetta nodded her head in the direction of where the site was at. "Just a tad further, Luv. This place gives me the creeps as well. I feel like there are eyes on me." She helped Roxy up a small incline then offered her hand to Yukio who waved it off. Taking a couple more steps she paused and pulled out her tablet. She looked around in confusion. 'I don't get it. I know we mapped this area correctly, but I'm not seeing the split off. There's no sign of a cave in or anythin'." She placed her hands on her hips and looked around again in annoyance.

"May I see the tablet?" Jetta handed the tablet to Yukio after studying it quickly again. "How many times have you been here?"

"This is actually my first time seein' them in person. I've only studied the statues in photos. I was supposed to check them out when Phoebe found them, but life got in the way as always."

Yukio nodded as she listened as she pointed on the map and at a citation note. "Phoebe left a note here that we need to get the climbing gear out. There's some hidden hand and footholds that we need to climb. There is a tunnel about twenty feet up that we'll have to get to." She shined her flashlight up illuminating the second passage. Sighing in mostly in annoyance with herself, Jetta found the handhold that were disguised with loose rubble. "Let me go first, I've done a lot of spelunking in Japan." Yukio climbed up the face of the wall before Jetta or Roxy could say anything.

Taking the Japanese woman's hand as she neared the top, Roxy looked down the short drop and swallowed. "If anything, this little trip is helping me get over my fear of heights and enclosed spaces." She smiled down at Jetta and tried to hide the nervousness in her voice. "Gee, hon, you should do know how to take me on the best dates." She rolled on her back and stared up at the cave ceiling while trying to calm herself down.

"You're completely safe, Rox," Jetta whispered in her ear softly. "I'm here and Yukio is here." She kissed the white haired woman's cheek and helped her to her feet. "Acccordin' to the map, it's just down this tunnel. We're almost there then we can get back to the hotel and take a hot both. Sound good, yeah?" She smiled when Roxy slowly nodded. Taking her hand, she slowly moved forward with Yukio following close behind. Within the next few moments the tunnel opened to a massive domed cavern. Each woman looked around in amazement.

The cavern itself was about a hundred feet across that went into a dome that reached at least another hundred feet over head. Their footsteps echoed as they slowly moved around. In the center of the cavern were the three statues that Jetta had only seen photos of. Each one was roughly three feet tall. She ran a hand slowly down the creature that looked to be made of molten metal then quickly pulled her hand away when she felt a magickal charge.

Roxy ran to her side and gave a concerned look. 'What is it?"

"I don't know. I felt….somethin' when I touched it." Jetta gave Roxy a slightly scared smile. "Coulda been nothin'. Let's take the photos and get the bloody hell outta here." She turned to Yukio. "You're right, somethin' isn't right here and whatever it is, they don't want us here."

Roxy hugged herself as she felt a chill go down her spine as Jetta took new photos of the statues. She could feel the unseen eyes on the back of her neck as waited. All she wanted was to get out of there and get back to the safety of her hotel room. She paced slowly near the mouth of the exit and stumbled over a small pile of rocks. While catching herself, she spotted an all too familiar tome that was uncovered by the rock pile. She picked it up and dusted it off. She instantly recognized the glyphs on the cover and raced over to Jetta. "I think I just found something of interest."

Upon seeing the tome that Roxy held out, Jetta felt the combination of excitement and fear when she first saw the other two matching tomes. The ancient tome bore the same glyphs of what she had begun to call the Infernac Chronicles. This was the third volume. A feeling of dread washed over her as she took the tome and opened the cover. Once again she discovered it was written in a language that was lost to time. She ran her finger along the spine and soft white sparks raced along the lettering. She looked up at her friends and tried to wet her now dry mouth. "Let's get the fuck outta here."

TO BE CONTINUED IN "TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS"

CHAPTER 4 OF LATER IS NOW