Far Pangaea 72 : HQ

Both of the men turn to see Sophia lingering behind them. Cam puckers and unfolds his arms, "I'll leave you two alone. Don't stay out too long. Ship might sail without you."

"Cam? Don't go too far. Please. I have a request shortly."

"Umm! Okay, I'll just go kick Hordakians while they're down. Burial at sea maybe."

"Thanks." James/Moe shows off rotten teeth through Moe's smile. In turn puckering his own lips for a kiss. Sophia was tempted. Faded fast.

"Sorry. I prefer the real You. You could go back inside that body and come back to life."

"I'm dead Sophia. For now." He steps closer daring her to take him by the hand. She withdraws her fingers.

"I don't want to hurt Moe."

"The Tyrants are thankful for you. They sense your needs Sophia. While more aggressive they still bond with who you are."

"Why do they call them Tyrant Tears?"

"Because they live in water. You do realize you were in the Tempora Grotto with me right? The Tyrants like my Younger self evolved as well." He hisses sucking up saliva, "Sorry. Moe wasn't built for our speech. Doing better than I predicted but I need to let him be himself soon."

"You sound like you're leaving me yet again. Mom always told me there were boys like you. Love 'em and leave 'em. "

"Love? Whoa! We just had sex. Who said we were an item?"

She chuckles blushing, "Shut up! You know what I mean."

"I know. I dig you too. Always have. Don't tell my Younger self though. He might dog you once I'm gone."

"Dog is right. No chasing this tail until he's in his 30's. Besides I chased my own tail when I was stuck inside Xander awhile back. Kind of like you in Moe." She laughs.

"Speaking of dog. Help him find Xander. Stand by me as best as you can tolerate."

"Gotcha. Can I ravage your body in that nutrient bath every now and then?"

"You could. It might be one sided though. Dead lay and all that George Romero stuff."

"Maybe the Tyrants can inhabit your older body. Bring you back to me just for booty calls."

"Only you would think like that."

"Option?" She hints.

"No. Please don't. Trust in me. Okay?"

"Fine. Can I at least come masturbate in front of you once in awhile for inspiration?"

"You are one sick Hotty."

"I know right."

He claims her hand squeezing it. The Tyrants easing from their grasp to avoid harming him. His telepathy thanking them and pleading that they watch over her. The communion agrees.

Real tears fall from both of their eyes. Finally he leans forward and sloppily kisses her knuckles before releasing her trembling hand. Sophia sobbed even harder. Facial features crinkling up.

"Please don't go James."

"I'm always with you. If not a little less adult. Keep me in check Sophia. Make me a better man."

With a telepathic call he gets Cameron's attention. The pilot who observed a thirty foot tall Malcolm dragging bodies into the underground cove heard and reacted. Turning toward them he strolls their way. Seeing Cam's return Sophia pivots. Her ass shaking at James. He had to do it. One more telepathic retreat allowed Moe to reach out and goose Sophia. Yelping at her gifted sensations she turns her cheek to see Moe pointing at Cam while whistling.

Cameron threw his arms to his side, "What can I say? Spanked you once already."

Sophia hid her tears and raced up the hill toward the ship.

"Love your style Kid. So, what's this help I can give you?"

"Risky to be sure but I have a strong hunch this might work."

"I'm listening."

Pointing up at the etched carvings on the walls Moe/ James smiles, "Things are looking up Bro."

It dawned on Cam what the kid was getting at but he wasn't sure how he might achieve his goal. Exhaling loudly Cam pursues the idea.

"Make them dance?"

"Make them climb faster. I'm going to lift my spirit out of Moe and connect with all of my incarnations. Climbing the Corporate ladder so to speak. Each time I jump I'll be in control for a moment. I'll leave myself clues how to get everyone home. I hope you join them. I can change the outcome of the future Cam. Once I reach myself in 2019 before we left I can just make sure none of us are on that flight. We all go back to our old lives."

"What about you? REGION will always have their sights on a crazy Hacker Kid."

"I let them find me Cam. Because I needed to know my birth parents."

"Do you know for certain Ruby's your Mom?"

"Yes."

"Jack your Dad?"

James/Moe hesitates, "I think so. I hope so. So cool right?"

"Yes. But, how can they be your parents if they don't hook up back here in Pangaea? You're missing the link Kid."

"Wow. I guess I never thought that through. I guess I could manipulate their meeting when they're younger. Before the Military."

"Hey hook me up with a young Pamela Anderson while you're at it."

"Will do."

"I'm kidding Moron. Look. Without this crash in Pangaea they never give you life. At least this version. If you really want to survive just let it all play out. If anything go forward in time and be our spy. Leave us all clues. Before we get lost that is."

Moe smiles and rubs his palms together, "Mission accepted. Light up my lives Buddy."

Cam grins and closes his eyes to ignite his inner light. Glowing brightly Cam raises his arms toward the walls above forcing the illusion of climbing stick figures to move again. Before him Moe looks faint as the spirit of James lifts from the primitive. Once hovering above him Moe falls to the rocks as if feeling a weight lifted. Watching the spirit of Elder James rise higher the Primitive waves. James waves back converging with Cam's light. In a flash the spirit merges with the wall art and casually jumps from figure to figure. Faster than even Cam could imagine.

"Leap frog. Or, is that Leap Year?" Cam chuckles luring his light back inside him. More a leap of faith.

Behind on the hill Malcolm and Sophia stand watching. Behind them on the ramp stood Ruby and Younger James. The Youth adjusting to his own younger soul once again.

"So, this is why you told me to meet you out here on the ramp." Ruby pats his shoulder. Her belly glowing the letters BY then blinking another BY. Ruby shook her head. Harpea steps around them to admire the jumping. Awestruck she turns swiftly toward Younger James. Each time the boys eyes lit up as if sensing another jump. So much to learn.

As Cam watched the fireworks he shivered. His head discovers a deeply buried voice calling out to him. Two words were sufficient..."COME HOME." Shaking it off he puffs his cheeks pondering, "What now?"

Within the X'Orr Madigan Ridge sat beside a gravity bed holding Baby Orin. For some odd reason she sang him a lullaby until he drifted off. Adjusting the controls the Baby would be held firm from any harm caused by a lift off. Setting back in a chair she closes her eyes in thought.

"Oh, Obadiah. I wish you knew the situation. Trouble ahead Hubby. I guess you got your wish. You always wanted a baby boy." As she rests Greta Winston excuses herself quietly and takes her leave. Stepping out she discovers the action outside as Elle and Animahni meet her behind Ruby and James.

"What we miss?" Greta whispers.

"Shooting off bottle rockets." James sighs snuggling to Ruby's side. Ruby overlooked his head rubbing her breast. Her son after all.

Greta eases around the group and looks about for Gaicazar. Spotting him on a ridge with a Technoride. Sitting on it sideways watching the light show. Alone in the light as the Vampires sought darkness for safety.

"What just happened?" Elle cocks a brow.

James sighs loudly, "My Elder's spirit is time jumping up the food chain. He's...I'm looking for ways to rescue us. Go me."

"You sound skeptical." Ruby looks down at him.

"Only hundreds of millions of years to wait. We have time. Mom?"

"Yes?" She accepted her role.

"I need to find Xander."

"We will. Let's start by getting our new home upstairs safely. Once we get there that will be our top priority."

"He's not in Pangaea. I would sense him. My telepathy is so much stronger now and I still can't locate him."

"We need to learn just how much stronger that telepathy is. You also need to train yourself not to eavesdrop. Understood Young Man?"

"Awww Mom. Party pooper."

Elle Franklin steps out further to watch the stick figures lighting up bright with each Time jump. Huffing at the imagery she winces, "I don't get it."

James shrugs, "The idea is that our soul is the same each rebirth. Now that my older body is dead my soul is using my other bodies to reach the future in hopes of getting us out again. According to him...me... I did it once before. We just screwed with Time though. So things might get rewritten."

"So I never got to hook up with my childhood crush Dillon?" Ruby ponders.

"She's joking." James chuckles then feels Ruby squeeze the back of his neck.

"What did I say about eavesdropping?"

"Sorry. It just pops into my head. I wasn't trying to. Whoa I just saw you in pigtails smiling at the Kid. So not Jack."

Ruby fidgets, "I wonder how Jack is faring? Maybe we can use the X'Orr to catch up to him."

"Curse Mom. Remember? We need to find out where that spell book vanished to."

"I might have a hunch."

"Merlin? You met Me in the walls? Holy crap. Was I cool?"

Ruby grimaces at his mind reading yet again, making James wince, "Goofy. Nothing new. Just so you know I almost didn't escape his dimension. That island you mentioned was right on target. The rabbit island. Merlin was a good portion of the rabbits. A spell of metamorphosis."

"Awesome. Maybe I can figure out the magic for myself."

"Step at a time. We have much to learn about you." Ruby pats her belly then points at James. Her finger lingering before pointing toward the cavern ceiling as stick figures go out leading to another lighting up brighter. It was magical in itself. Almost like a twinkling set of Christmas tree lights.

Elle looks puzzled, "So, you went through the wall of the Hilton and met Merlin? THE Merlin of like Camelot?"

"I did. Weird situation all I can say. One minute he tells me James is not Jack's kid, the next he freaks out and admits to being terribly wrong." Ruby fills her in.

"Wrong? So Jack is the Daddy. Thank you Merlin Povitch." Elle grins.

"Well, he didn't say Jack was or wasn't. I'm just as confused. There was a guy from REGION I hooked up with a week before our crash. There was the possibility he might be the Father. Merlin squashed that theory though. So, back to square one. Gotta be Jack."

James fidgets, "As much as I would dig calling Jack Dad there might be more to this than we're seeing."

"Meaning what?" Both women chime in.

"The Weaver bug. The one we used to heal Jack. It increased everything about him. But, the bug itself might have properties I wasn't aware of at the time."

Harpea overhears and steps into the conversation, "Weaver bug? What breed was it? There are many. Some deadly. Some designed as a creation mechanism."

"Creation? As in getting me knocked up?" Ruby frowns.

"I do not understand this term knocked up." Harpea tilts her head. Behind Elle Animahni reacts the same.

"Knocked up is a slang term for pregnancy." Elle finishes for both women to grasp.

"Ah!" Harpea narrows her eyes, "A Hive Quadrant."

"Hive Quadrant?" Ruby makes a strange expression, "Don't you dare tell me I'm giving birth to a bunch of bugs. I'm not any goddamn Queen Bee."

Harpea smiles, "You are their Leader correct?"

"Not the same and you know it. Soon as we get this ship up to the surface and settle along side each other I want you to do a full diagnosis of me with your tech."

"Did we not consider that already?"

"Just saying. I can't take all this mystery anymore. I want a complete picture. James did a sonogram on me awhile back. It showed a fetus. Somehow the fetus is generating power that increases my own bodily functions. Thus this golden skin."

"We shall resolve this." Harpea expresses interest through flaring eyes then hearing a report over her uniforms com link with her crew, "We need to leave this place. The engines are being depleted by the Time Core's loss. We have only hours before this becoming our tomb."

Ruby nods her agreement. She just hoped the trust would be there enough for the truth to come along without deceit. It really worried her how much she could trust this Ganthorian. The telepathy James now possessed would come in handy as a lie detector. For now though they needed to get moving before any more surprises concerning Orin Ridge would cripple them in this place.

Ruby looks out over the Grotto's and calls everyone inside. Greta motioning that she was taking the Technoride with Gaicazar to the surface. Ruby wasn't certain that was wise but allowed it. She would rather keep everyone close and safe. Anything could happen just that fast in this world. Their lives were evolving way too fast.

Cameron steps up to the ramp after Malcolm ascends but stops. Rubbing the back of his neck he turns to see Gaicazar and Greta flying away through the cavern system. Following a frenzy of bats. He would give them a head start he thought. At the top of the ramp Ruby leers down.

"You coming or not?"

Cam sighs, "Something I need to do. You guys go on ahead. I'll fly myself up. See you topside Colonel. Good luck. Anything goes wrong I'll get you guys out. Promise."

"Alright. Be safe."

As the ramp retracts Cameron Scott takes a stroll for one last look up the walls to see the glint of Elder James own ascension. Smiling he ignites his ribbed armor of light to surround his body. Hovering off the ground he takes everything in one last time. Off like a comet. Destination uncertain.

From the control Bridge of the X'Orr Ruby sits next to a Ganthorian pilot as he engages the ships engines. Rising gravitationally the ship begins to maneuver the rock formations. It was going to be a long tedious ride. Time for everyone to process things within their own minds.

James Ian Pryce fueled himself in their quiet emotions. Until he heard Ruby's thoughts echoing in his head.

"What did I tell you about reading thoughts?"

The boy grins, "Yeah, Yeah!"

Beside him a strapped in Moe squeals. First flight. James grinned along with the Primitive thinking to himself of the first Chimpanzee in space. NASA would never know.

On the surface where the cavern system began the sand dunes whip about in the breeze of the day. Uncovering a bit more of the hidden pyramid that had become evident as the group entered. None noting the construct in time to ponder about it. The crest pure gold and collecting the rays of the sun. Hieroglyphs becoming visible.

A human figures shadow soars above the dune eying the precipice with curiosity. One with mighty wings. The Dark Angel Cameron had flown aimlessly until he had heard a voice in his head. Something eerie calling him to "Come Home."

Trailing his thoughts back to this pyramid he examines it from the sky. He had no place to go. What better place than this for a man without a home? After careful inspection Cameron the Angel lands on the perch to get a closer look at the hieroglyphs. Interpreting them not so easy.

Palm touching the symbol of a Hawk forcefully hisses wide a doorway within the gold. One that had not felt a gust of air in forever and a day. The draft fluttering his feathers. Darkness intoxicating he enters. The door sealing behind him.

Was he home?