CHAPTER TEN
--Star Command HQ, the future--
"This is bad."
"Thank you, Tyrone," Dion said, rolling his optics as he paced back and forth. "I hadn't figured that out yet."
"Don't mind him, he's salty," said Melissa, leaning over her friend's shoulder. "What's the stitch?"
It was Tyrone's turn to roll his eyes, exasperated at the red-head's obsession with a TV show that was nearly a thousand years old. "Cop-Tur was the last Time Micron from his wave," he explained. "The next wave isn't scheduled for production for another two years."
"I can't wait two years!" Dion cried. "I need to get Cop-Tur back now!"
"And Megatron," Melissa added.
"Right, of course. Can't forget him."
"Well, to be fair, there isn't really any rush," Tyrone pointed out. "I mean, we're talking over 800 years here, so everything's already happened. You just haven't done it yet. But you can do it anytime. Because you can go back to any point at any point."
"I know how time travel works," Dion said bitterly. "I just can't stand leaving Cop-Tur behind like that. I mean... what are WALL-E and EVE going to say?"
Tyrone slapped his forehead. "Oh, right. I forgot he's their son."
"'Son,'" Melissa repeated, performing air quotes with her fingers. "They're robots, Tyrone. They can't have kids."
"Hey, present company! Besides, show some respect. If it weren't for them, we'd all be fat blobs floating around in space for all eternity."
"Guys, focus!" Dion said. "We need to get me back to the past. Sooner rather than later."
"Cool your jets, Samurai Jack." Melissa tapped a few buttons on Tyrone's keyboard. "Pox, we need you."
In seconds, a blue hologram materialized before the two scientists, taking on the form of a curvaceous woman in a sailor uniform with a full-on beard, fogged spectacles, a cowboy hat, and a toothbrush.
"You guys always pick the worst time," Pox said gruffly.
Tyrone frowned at the holo. "Why do you have a toothbrush?"
"Um, to brush my teeth?" Pox rolled their eyes. "Duh."
"But you're a hologram. You don't need--"
"To brush my teeth? No. I also don't need to wear clothes or have hair or wear glasses or--"
Tyrone waved his hand. "Okay, okay. Forget I said anything. Anyway, we need a time machine."
Pox adjusted their glasses. "I thought you had a time machine."
"Yeah," Dion muttered. "Had."
"He lost Cop-Tur in the past," Melissa explained to the holo. "He needs a way to get back."
"And how would I be of any help?" Pox asked.
"Because you're older than any of us. You've worked for the E.D.C since before Operation Recolonize. You've met the Transformers. You've helped fight against the Troobians. You're a hologuru."
Tyrone rolled his eyes. "Oh, please...."
Pox smirked as they stroked their beard. "That's all very nice of you to say. But what does any of this have to do with me finding a time machine? Do you expect me to call up someone with a flying phone booth?"
"You assisted Doctor Chase in creating the Time Microns," Melissa said. "Do you know of any prototypes he made?"
Pox thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact, he did."
"Great!" Dion said. "Where is it?"
"In a warehouse on the far end of Axiom City. However, while it is operable, there is a catch to it."
Dion's shoulders drooped. "Of course there is...."
"It'll only send you to the same location as where you activate it," Pox went on. "For example, if you want to get back to Paradise City, you have to go to Paradise City now and activate it there."
Dion nodded. "Right, okay. Not too much of an inconvenience. Paradron isn't that far from Earth -- at least, not if I take a Lightyear-class ship."
Tyrone clapped his hands as he rose from his seat. "All right, let's get to Axiom City. Thanks for your help, Pox."
"It's what I'm here for." The hologram then raised a finger. "Oh, before you go... when is it exactly that you're sending Dion to?"
"May of 2015," Melissa said.
"May of 2015?" Pox ran a hand through their beard again. "Interesting."
Tyrone raised an eyebrow. "Why is that interesting?"
"Oh, nothing." Pox smiled, albeit with a touch of grimness. "Just be sure you get to Paradise City before the Carcer incident."
"The Carcer incident?"
"Welp, I'm off to bed. Toodles." With a wave of their hand, Pox dissolved, leaving Dion and the scientists in silence.
TO BE CONTINUED
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