The Geekorium

{{% voiceinthedark %}}You are searching for the Torimbalo.{{% /voiceinthedark %}}

“Well I still don’t know what that is,” corrected Rex, “I’m looking for the Ortrix right now.”

Rex continued his clumsy dance through time and space, following the temporally luminous thread of the Ortrix. The Other followed alongside.

On a nondescript planetoid, in a system that no longer existed, the thread unravelled.

Finding where it ended, Rex turned to his companion bewildered.

“This isn’t the Ortrix. This is the time belt!”

Rex went back, way back.

Having watched the Xentash calamity play out in reverse, Rex realised time was as malleable to him as his own form.

He knew interfering with the Xentash would alert Jones to his own ability to bend time, and at that point Jones would never be stopped.

But maybe if he went back to a time before Jones had the Ortrix, he could find a way to unravel it all.

Vworp

The Professor popped out of the time vortex with an ignominious crash. Dusting himself off, he lamented his lack of finesse compared to his colleague and vowed - not for the first time - to start working out when he got back.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he tried to get his bearings. He could make out the faint outlines of the retorts and stands of his chemistry bench, and the flashing green glow in the corner that told him his terminal was ready to log on.

Making his way there, he checked the date on the terminal screen and chuckled to himself. He was only four minutes out from the time he’d been aiming for. Not bad with only the data he’d gathered from the anomaly to work with.

Now to get to work.

The fool!

The Ortrix was gone, slipped further out of his grasp. That idiot Mondex had botched the operation from the outset.

Jones sneered. He should have known not to trust someone who had failed so many times before. But desperate times take desperate means. It had taken six months, and half his fortune to track down the device he’d given Mondex and the imbecile had lost it, killed some time in the past.

When Rex had returned from the casino planet without the Ortrix it took every ounce of composure Jones could muster not to scream at him, or push him out a window. Then to insult him further the oaf couldn’t remember what he’d done with it!

He would have suspected treachery except he knew Havoc was an idiot without a treacherous bone in his body.

So he’d sent Mondex back to collect his prize before Rex could lose it and the moron had failed him. Likely gotten himself killed by a hover-bus. Now he was down a time travel belt, and one all-powerful superweapon.

To make matters worse, he had known of another time-travel belt - secreted away in The bumbling Professor’s lab. To assure his success, he’d blown up the lab and duplicate belt with it, just to ensure no one could stop him. He’d also spent another small fortune on that blasted memory device he’d used on The Professor. Six months wasted. He’d gladly give his fortune over again for the Ortrix, but to come full circle and be no closer to his goal irked him to no small measure.

Some days it just wasn’t worth plotting doom.

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}The Professor was concerned.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}The Professor was concerned.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}When he’d first spied the spacetime anomaly, he knew it was the same one he’d seen six months ago from the other side. Reluctantly, he’d let Rex go, knowing he’d been waiting for this day and itching to get going.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}When he first noticed the spacetime anomaly, he had no way of knowing what danger it could bring from the other side. Happily, he let Rex go, knowing Rex had been waiting for this day and itching to get going.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}He was also curious himself. His memories got hazy after their first encounter with the anomaly, probably something to do with the effect of the tachions or some-such, and there were a lot of questions he couldn’t answer when Rex had come back.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}He was curious about the anomaly, but any threat it posed was yet to be seen. But when Rex failed to check in after the Sheebat game, it raised a lot of questions.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Questions like, where had the Princess gone? Who had brought Rex back? Why had his lab exploded?{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}Questions like, where had Rex gone? How would he find him again? What was causing the spacetime anomaly to move?{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}So he’d let Rex go, knowing that if he didn’t, Rex’s past would be at the mercy of Mondex.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}He wished he hadn’t let Rex go, but knew he would have gone anyway. The Ortrix was too grand a prize to pass up.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Sitting in his back-up lab, he was analysing data taken from the anomaly when Rex strode in with Anrianna by his side. He didn’t look like he’d been battling one of his greatest foes. In fact he looked… rested.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}Maybe the anomaly would provide the answers. He’d just begun to analyse the latest data when Rex strode in with Anrianna by his side. He looked worn out, like he often did after battling a challenging foe.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}And the Princess! How wonderful it was to see she was safe!{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}And the Princess, she looked puzzled, like something was bothering her, but she want sure what.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}“Where have you been my girl?!” he cried as he embraced her.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}“Where have you been my boy!?” he exclaimed as he took Rex’s hand.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}She giggled and squeezed him back, “I’ve… been around.”{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}Rex smiled lazily, “I’ve been around.”{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}The glance she and Rex exchanged, and the unsubtle cheeky smiles they both failed to hide told The Professor it would be better not to ask too many questions.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}The Princess turned her puzzled gaze on Rex, then back The Professor, who gave her a wry smile. They both knew it would be better not to ask too many questions.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}But here they both were, happy and healthy and all was right with the world.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}But Rex was back, tired but alive, and all was right with the world.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Obviously Mondex had posed no problem.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}Obviously Grubner had posed no problem.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}I’m tracking a spacetime anomaly.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}I’m tracking a spacetime anomaly.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}“I’ve never seen anything like it!”{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}“I’ve seen something like this before…”{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}The Professor was excited, lit up like he usually was when exploring something unknown.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}The Professor was agitated, like he usually got when he knew something was about to end badly.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Rex laughed at his old friend’s enthusiasm, “sounds like both of us have plans for the evening!”{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}Rex scowled at the view on his old friend’s screen, “Sounds like I need to cancel my plans for the evening.”{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}He turned and winked at the Princess, who rolled her eyes and turned her head. Rex could still make out the hint of a smile crinkle the corners of her eyes though and he smiled back, even though she wasn’t looking.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}He turned to say something to the Princess and remembered again that she was gone. He still had no idea what had become of her, and The Professor hadn’t seen her either since that fateful night six months ago.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Rex switched off the holo-emersion field and gathered his Corral Specials and his credit chip. Heading out of the hotel, he hailed a hovercab. He handed the driver an address on a card and swiped his credit chip.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}Rex gathered his Corral Specials and the special device The Professor had pushed into his palm. He listened while the Professor explained how it worked and what he would need to do.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}“I need to go here,” he said.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}“Where do I need to go?” he asked.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}