NOTE: Sue Evans review of THE MEDUSA STRAIN lead me to writing this short story.
2523-From a small velvet chair on the dark planet of Indulge----She sized the old man up and down. Not that she was thinking of anything other than business as usual, but she had to know her adversaries and allies, the two usually one and the same. This one would be a piece of cake, as the old Earth saying went. Stout, well rounded, a buffoon she thought. No, a teddy bear.
Careful, the woman realized. Her sources among the Norm community told her he was a deadly warrior. Ha! What a laugh. At the very least, he could stab someone in the back. She was able to wrap herself around his kind in her past and she would with him also. Big green outfit with frills and war decorations, a flowing moustache, a belt with a sword...."Ahhh, General Rubowski, is it? So glad to see you finally arrive," she smirked, putting the finishing dripping sarcasm on the word, "Finally. I thought you wouldn't show."
In his pudgy hands he held what she spied as the Crown Jewels. "Oh, I always keep my word, my lady. Always. You remember that, surely, from our last encounter. I was one of the ones who brought you to this hell...helpful planet. And now, you will keep your word?"
"Yes, you want the new bacteriological bug that I...or rather my former astute researchers..."
Rubowski chugged a laugh, "Minions..."
"Mind yourself Rubowski," the short haired lady sniveled, "I could remove you as fast as you will remove this universe of yours filled with telepaths." He tone changed from anger to one of mocking, "How you must have suffered. A whole universe of them, where as I have found a way to rid myself of such nuisances a long time ago. I pity you."
Now it was his turn to be angry, "Just give me what I want and I'll be rid of you!"
"Yes, and the telepaths, too, I'd imagine," she clicked her fingers and two female guards, all in black, bowed and brought forward a small glass box. "Rather large little devils, I'd say but they are bacteria all the same. Stop any telepathic powers from just about anyone."
Rubowski took the box, handing the Crowned Jewels to the female on his right. Rubowski suddenly smiled a kinder face at her. "Glad to see you have what you want," she nodded at him, almost adding, "..teddy bear..." for she decided that was definitely what he was. She doubted he'd have the nerve to use the creatures. "That we all have what we want."
"Not quite," the old man moved his hands together with the glass box. Somehow, it changed, heated up, and vanished altogether, the creatures inside screaming to their end. Rubowski aimed a small pistol at the two guards, the one caught off attention due to the Crowned Jewels in her hand second. He shot both of them with a small burst of light. Both fell to the floor.
"Very cunning." The woman yawned, "But I have prepared for..."
As spoke the figure changed. Rubowski became a small boy dressed in frilly white lace and a silky robe that hardly covered anything above his waste. "Not really cunning. They're not dead. Merely asleep."
"And after they awake, they will be merely not asleep, just dead," the woman smiled, knowing she was beaten, and rose from the chair, "How ingenious. How did you get past my telepathic sonic sensors?"
"What telepathic sonic sensors?"
"You are astute, yourself, aren't you?"
The boy with big brown eyes and long flowing brown hair smiled at her, "I had foreknowledge of when they'd be installed and well, I..."
"Stopped them before they were ever activated, very smart, for one so young..."
As she moved closer, he pointed the stun gun at her, "I'm not as young as you might think, madam..."
"Good to here those words again," she unclasped her hands and spread them out, "So what are you here for? I mean besides destroying the only source of those bugs...wait, I thought you telepaths couldn't kill...?"
"I'm a telepath to be sure and a Time Guardian yes, but I am much more. But I'm a modest fellow."
"So modest one, what is it you want?"
"You...." he pointed the stun gun at her and she backed away. The light caught her anyway and she fell. "Madam President in your own universe...or should I say Commissioner Sleer...or should I say...Servalan?"
Centi, the Time Guardian with a mysterious past, had much knowledge that helped the Time Guardians rid themselves of such problems as inter-universal travellers and time meddlers of the worst sort. The boy, appearing about 12 or 13 with a soft innocent face, wasn't forthcoming about answers to what his own background is. He was forthcoming with answers on how to stop some of the worst time offenders in the annals of history, before and after it. The boy just appeared one day in 2529 at the Hall of Time Guardians and was obviously one himself. None of them, including Peter and Zenon believed his tales but they didn't have to. He helped them and proved his courage time and time again. And his pure motives...well, maybe pure. "Madam President, time to return to your own universe...oh, no. That's right...Blake is supposed to kill you here, in our universe, my universe, oh, I mean the Tomorrow People universe...is it on Sap hideout Indulge, the Insured Colony, or the planet of radiation sickness? What a colorful list of choices you have, dear lady...."
EXTRA NOTE: Centi the Time Guardian should be thought of as being the description of Joseph Gordon Levitt who played in the NEW DARK SHADOWS (and Centi looks most like Daniel from the 1790 storyline), ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD, and many other TV films and movies and is currently on THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN.