THE MOMENT
"I knew I was making things up," Damien relaxed as he stared into the empty alleyway. It was lunchtime and he was downtown for a bite to eat. He preferred to stop time as soon as he was clocked out to reach the restaurant within the same minute, and at the moment the city was frozen still. Despite that, he heard an unusual sound as he turned a corner and down the block he saw a flash of movement. Someone glowing with golden energy slid right into the alleyway. He knew it should have been impossible and he quickly dashed to the alley to catch them. He even walked to the end of the path to make sure there wasn't anyone hidden behind the rusty green dumpster. Damien walked out of the alley again now that he knew there was no one there.
"AAH! WATCH IT!" Damien was knocked to the side as a teenage girl shoved past him. She stumbled but managed to stay on her feet; Damien wasn't as lucky. "Sorry!!" she spun around to face him and reached out a hand. "You kind of jumped in my way," she giggled. Damien looked up at her and stood without her help.
"Who are you? There was no one in that alley, where did you come from?" He assumed those answers would also give him insight into how she was able to move without revealing his ability to her. She stood on strange rollerblades that had a sleek, futuristic look to them. The wheels pulsed with golden energy. The rest of her outfit was unusual in that it looked more like a costume than everyday wear. She wore a frilly purple and gold skirt with a matching top and streaks of golden light shimmered in her brown hair.
"Oh, uh," She glanced down at herself, then shook her head. Her outfit disintegrated into white powder and it left behind blue jeans and a t-shirt with a sun icon in front.
"Just Jubilee for now," she said. "I came out of a portal," she pointed at the air next to herself and a black hole opened for just a moment before she dismissed it. "Sorry, there was no one in the alley when I went in; I didn't expect anyone to be there when I came out because of the time stop. That's your doing, right?" she asked.
'Is there an issue?" a new voice spoke up before Damien could answer. He turned to see a lean gentleman in a green suit.
"I knocked him over and stopped to apologize...," Jubilee pointed at Damien. "He's a Muerte," she added. The man gave Damien an appraising look, then nodded at Jubilee.
"Continue your laps, I shall grant him a node," he said.
"kay," Jubilee nodded, then waved at Damien. "Good luck! Sorry again," she said. She skated forward and another portal opened in front of her.
"Power up," the gentleman called after her and Damien caught a flash of golden light as she disappeared again.
"On behalf of my trainee, I apologize for the trouble," he said as he presented a transparent glass card to Damien. He continued talking while Damien's mind tried to catch up. "This is known as a node. It operates like a traditional smartphone, but it will grant you access to the multiverse at large. You are something known as a Unique Soul, I urge you to contact a Mundo at your earliest convenience to learn what that means. The node will assist you in that endeavor. "
"Who are you? Where did you come from?" Damien's mind was still stuck on those questions. Jubilee's answers didn't quite do the job.
"My name is Oz, I came from an alternate Earth to see why Jubilee was taking so long," he said. As he answered, the golden-clad Jubilee skated out of another black hole and into the alley; though, she did wave at Damien as she went by.
"Alternate Earth...?" Damien asked as he glanced down at the node in his hand. Oz did use the word 'multiverse'.
"Yes," Oz nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to work," he said.
"Wait!" Damien stopped him and the gentleman paused as he stepped into a black portal.
"Okay, Let's say I believe you're from an alternate universe. How are you able to move? I stopped time."
"That's information that will be included in Mundo's explanation," Oz said. "However, to give you a basic understanding...," as he explained, Jubilee skated out of the alley again and into another portal. "... your understanding is limited," Oz answered. "Unique Soul #14, La Muerte," he nodded at Damien. "....possesses the ability to control time, as they understand it. In your case, your perceptions are limited to this Earth and its concepts. Personally, I have a wider view; and, Jubilee exists on an entirely different level of understanding."
"What?" Damien chuckled. "That doesn't make any sense. You're telling me time doesn't affect you just because you understand it differently?"
"You are correct," Oz nodded. "That does not make any sense because that's not what I said. "Perhaps a different analogy would be more useful. Consider fire as a tool, like a blacksmith's forge. Fire itself can mold many materials, but it's the blacksmith's understanding and skill that determine what can be crafted. A novice might only know how to heat and shape simple metals, limited by their basic understanding. They might not comprehend the right intensity needed for more complex tasks, like tempering steel or working with rare alloys. Essentially, you do not understand time well enough to stop us." As he finished his answer, Jubilee appeared again and headed straight into the alley.
"Last one here!" Oz called after her, then focused on Damien again.
"'KAY!" she answered with a yell.
"I'll be returning to my duties now, Mundo would love to answer your questions," he said.
"Okay, thank you," Damien nodded. It wasn't that he was out of questions; but, he started focusing harder. He was determined to stop Oz in time. But, the lean man waved and disappeared into a portal. Damien relaxed a moment and turned to look down the alley.
As soon as Jubilee's portal appeared he clenched his fist and tried to force time to catch her. And she stopped! Mid-air as she emerged from the portal she was frozen perfectly still.
"HAH! I DID IT!" Damien cheered. But, his celebration was short-lived as an outburst of giggles erupted from behind him.
"Sorry, couldn't resist," Jubilee giggled as she skated past him again. "Though, you should be aware; people can let themselves get caught to fake it," she at him one final time before disappearing into a portal. "GOOD LUCK!"
The city came to life after she disappeared. Damien's exertions left him worn out and he let time proceed normally as he resumed his route to the restaurant while he started playing with the node.
