Time After Tyler: Second Leg
Tlyer could hear footsteps approaching him as he stared up at the ceiling in the Hall of Mirrors, still stunned from his last encounter. They sounded familiar, and looked much like Tom Davidson's foot wear. This was all confirmed when Tom started talking at him, as if nothing at all was wrong.
"There you are!" He bent down and helped Tyler to stand up. "I told myself I'd find you here. Come on, you've got work to do."
"I do?" He put a hand to his head, it still felt weird inside of his own head. "Where are we?"
"At the Castle Beyond Time and Space. Neat, huh? I might have my next birthday sleepover here!" Tom lead Tyler around through hallways of tattered, futuristic artifacts, or mint condition, freshly painted classical art.
"Keep you guests away from those mirrors, Tom." Tyler glanced back at the hallway warily.
"Oh, right. You shouldn't touch those."
"...Thanks for the warning."
It was a short walk through all of the hallways before Tyler followed Tom into a gigantic library...where another Tom in a fishing vest stood next to a glowing swirling portals inside of some sort of fancy frame on top of some steps
"It's about time: You're late." The vested Tom mock-scolded.
"No later than you were when you were me."
"There's two of you?" Tyler made no attempt to hide the surprise in his voice.
"Kind of. We're the same Tom Davidson, except from different time periods." Vested-Tom bent down and shook Tyler's hand. "I'm Tom from the near-future. Pleased to 'meet' you."
"Okay..." Tyler shook gingerly, what the heck was going on? "Um, nice vest."
"Okay, I brought him here, now what?" The Tom from Tyler's present looked to his later version.
"He goes through the mirror portal!" Vested Tom grinned.
"Another...Mirror?" He felt panic knocking on the door, and it brought it's friend apprehension along for the stay.
"Relax, this one doesn't do what the other ones did." Future Tom reached and dug around inside a pocket of his vest. "Now Tyler, you've got a really important job: You have to stop Zodon from messing around with time travel."
"Me? Why?" Tyler tried pleading with Tom waving his arms, he did NOT just ask that. Panic was settling it, and it was inviting it's friend Hysteria over for a house party. "Isn't that your department, what with you time travel powers and everything?"
"I can't. Zodon's equpiment might detect me if I try to interfere, and he needs to be taken by surprise." He found what he was looking for and held out a small three-pronged device out to Tyler. "Also, if he knows I'm involved, he'll think he must be on the right track to inventing time travel. If he tries long enough, he'll probably junk up history.
"Look, all you need to do is take this little gizmo and attach it to the back of his chair."
"That's it?" Tyler held out his hand to accept whatever the heck that thing was, and looked at it warily.
"That's what Angie told me." Future Tom crossed his arms smiling smugly.
"Angie built this?" Tyler held the gismo like it was going to explode on him or something. That's what most of Angie's inventions did.
"Yes, some time in the future."
"Are you sure it won't explode or something?"
"Trust me, we want this thing to cause havoc." Then Future Tom turned towards the portal raising his arms and doing something..complicated to it. "I've set the portal to about a year from when you left. Zodon is about to go back to the year when Excelsior School was being built to plant some kind of techno-gadget that will let him past the PS238's security system.
"You'll appear right behind him. just slap that gismo on his chair, and everything will be fine."
"Then I'll get back to my own time? Back to the school library?" Tyler asked apprehensively, something about this did not seem right.
"You have my past and future word on that." The Tom from his present stated smartly as his future version turned around to face them.
"Remember: You'll pop right behind Zodon. He should be too busy to notice you."
"And I just... Stick this on his chair?"
"Yeh, but he's getting ready to travel so you'll have to be quick, ready?" Present Tom added.
"I guess so." Tyler was feeling all kinds of apprehension about this.
"Then walk through the mirror." Future Tom coaxed him along as he reached out his free hand and walked through the swirling mirror portal into another time and place...
"There you are!" He bent down and helped Tyler to stand up. "I told myself I'd find you here. Come on, you've got work to do."
"I do?" He put a hand to his head, it still felt weird inside of his own head. "Where are we?"
"At the Castle Beyond Time and Space. Neat, huh? I might have my next birthday sleepover here!" Tom lead Tyler around through hallways of tattered, futuristic artifacts, or mint condition, freshly painted classical art.
"Keep you guests away from those mirrors, Tom." Tyler glanced back at the hallway warily.
"Oh, right. You shouldn't touch those."
"...Thanks for the warning."
It was a short walk through all of the hallways before Tyler followed Tom into a gigantic library...where another Tom in a fishing vest stood next to a glowing swirling portals inside of some sort of fancy frame on top of some steps
"It's about time: You're late." The vested Tom mock-scolded.
"No later than you were when you were me."
"There's two of you?" Tyler made no attempt to hide the surprise in his voice.
"Kind of. We're the same Tom Davidson, except from different time periods." Vested-Tom bent down and shook Tyler's hand. "I'm Tom from the near-future. Pleased to 'meet' you."
"Okay..." Tyler shook gingerly, what the heck was going on? "Um, nice vest."
"Okay, I brought him here, now what?" The Tom from Tyler's present looked to his later version.
"He goes through the mirror portal!" Vested Tom grinned.
"Another...Mirror?" He felt panic knocking on the door, and it brought it's friend apprehension along for the stay.
"Relax, this one doesn't do what the other ones did." Future Tom reached and dug around inside a pocket of his vest. "Now Tyler, you've got a really important job: You have to stop Zodon from messing around with time travel."
"Me? Why?" Tyler tried pleading with Tom waving his arms, he did NOT just ask that. Panic was settling it, and it was inviting it's friend Hysteria over for a house party. "Isn't that your department, what with you time travel powers and everything?"
"I can't. Zodon's equpiment might detect me if I try to interfere, and he needs to be taken by surprise." He found what he was looking for and held out a small three-pronged device out to Tyler. "Also, if he knows I'm involved, he'll think he must be on the right track to inventing time travel. If he tries long enough, he'll probably junk up history.
"Look, all you need to do is take this little gizmo and attach it to the back of his chair."
"That's it?" Tyler held out his hand to accept whatever the heck that thing was, and looked at it warily.
"That's what Angie told me." Future Tom crossed his arms smiling smugly.
"Angie built this?" Tyler held the gismo like it was going to explode on him or something. That's what most of Angie's inventions did.
"Yes, some time in the future."
"Are you sure it won't explode or something?"
"Trust me, we want this thing to cause havoc." Then Future Tom turned towards the portal raising his arms and doing something..complicated to it. "I've set the portal to about a year from when you left. Zodon is about to go back to the year when Excelsior School was being built to plant some kind of techno-gadget that will let him past the PS238's security system.
"You'll appear right behind him. just slap that gismo on his chair, and everything will be fine."
"Then I'll get back to my own time? Back to the school library?" Tyler asked apprehensively, something about this did not seem right.
"You have my past and future word on that." The Tom from his present stated smartly as his future version turned around to face them.
"Remember: You'll pop right behind Zodon. He should be too busy to notice you."
"And I just... Stick this on his chair?"
"Yeh, but he's getting ready to travel so you'll have to be quick, ready?" Present Tom added.
"I guess so." Tyler was feeling all kinds of apprehension about this.
"Then walk through the mirror." Future Tom coaxed him along as he reached out his free hand and walked through the swirling mirror portal into another time and place...