by The Eurostar
Edulcore Cicciotto:
Ever expect the unexpected, I should say. At this point in my life, I have seen zombies, demons, an angel, a boy from the future, an alien, a being from another dimension, human lizards, a marine serpent, and now I am actually seeing myself from sometime from now. I wonder what could be next.
I look at the thing the other Eurostar has given to me. Then I raise my head and look at myself straight in the eyes. "Could you bring Danny back to his proper time?" I ask.
"No, I can't. But I can take him out of this time, and to a safe place."
"In this case, Euro, I must refuse. Danny is here to stay until we find a way to bring him back to HIS time." The face of the future Eurostar turns angry. "And I must add," I continue, "that if you don't know what my answer would have been, you can't be really me."
Eurostar smiles. "I knew perfectly what your response would have been. I was testing the time continuum, to see if it was altered by the presence of Danny."
"So, what happens now?" I ask.
The other Eurostar turns to a little door. "That door should open, and from behind it should arrive..."
The door actually opens, and from behind it appears an old but healthy man. I have met this man before, in this very room. Dr. Henry Quantos.
"Good evening, gentlemen," says the doctor. I can't help but feel... safe... in the presence of this man. He inspires a confidence even in an awkward situation like this.
"Edulcore Cicciotto, I have seen reports on your exploits. Now you know I was telling the truth when I explained to you about the powers you could have acquired."
"Yeah, Doctor. Actually, I had intended to pay you a visit... if you had not forced us to enter here to retrieve Danny."
"Ah, yes. A complex question. I was forced to have him kidnapped. He is in danger, and at the same time he poses a great danger for our time."
Tobias and Naecken are both speechless. Quantos goes to Danny, takes out a key from a pocket of his lab coat and opens his handcuffs. "You can go. But I ask you to stay. I can find a way to solve this situation."
"A moment, Doctor," I say. "First, please explain to us how you can possibly know so much about the danger Danny poses."
"Well, it is really not easy to explain, even if the presence of this man from the future could help. I have been warned from a friend of mine, Tempus. He is actually an android from the far future who watches over the time continuum, an emissary of the Time Trust."
"Hir," whispers the future Eurostar.
While the revelation leaves all of us even more puzzled than before, I notice that the sirens have stopped their noise. "Finally this nonsense has stopped," says Quantos, looking out the window. "Bobowsky should have called the guards back."
After a minute, a tall, bearded security guard arrives, escorting Nowhereman, Lance and Sonja. M'xy and Velo are nowhere to be seen, so I hope that the other part of the plan is going smoothly.
"How's it going, Doc?" asks the guard.
"Well, Chief, very well. So, do you all agree to try and cure Danny?"
"What should I do?" asks the other Eurostar. We all look at him, eyes wide open. "Hey, I actually do remember this moment," protests Eurostar, jokingly.
"Yes, we need your help, man from the future. What I am going to try is to use the chronal signature of Eurostar to stabilize the vibrational frequency of Danny, adjusting his physiology to the present terrestrial environment."
"But that would cure me from the danger of the poisonous elements of the atmosphere, Doctor! How can this prevent the possible paradoxes I can create?" asks Danny. I never noticed before how smart this boy is.
"It wouldn't," says Quantos. "For that, what you need is an extra dose of superluck. Fortunately I have what we need. Bobowsky, bring here Mr. Glover!"
"Who?" I ask, while Bobowsky leaves the room.
"Oh, he's simply the luckiest man on the planet. I am trying to switch a small aspect of that ability over to Danny. Just what he needs to not alter the continuum. It sounds very complex, but I have the right technology. A little gift from the forty-fifth century."
"Doc, you keep saying 'I will try,'" I say, "but here there is a man who knows how this will end!" I turn toward my older self. "Eurostar, will this operation work?"
He smiles, and raises his shoulders. "I don't know!"
"Why? How could that be possible?"
"Because now Quantos will ask you to leave the room," he tells me.
"Yes, Edulcore. Now you are more of a threat to the time continuum than Danny. Please, leave the room and wait outside."
I can't believe this! But Doc sticks to his own position, so I open the door, and leave. I wonder where I can find M'xy and Velo.