Time Heals (Ryder 10)

Story
The Time Cycle flies through the air, flying through a time portal. The American soldiers in Afghanistan all aim up at it, when it closes. One of the soldiers, Staff Sergeant Nike, lowers his weapon first.

Nike: Stand down! It’s gone. Whatever it was.

The soldiers stand down and move on, as Eon appears on the rooftop where Ryder had landed.

Eon: What an interesting development. He led me straight to the source of the deadliest time energy in this dimension.

Eon disappears, as a green flash occurs, catching the soldiers attention again.

Nike: Oh, now what?!

Clockwork stands at the edge of town, facing the field outside the gate.

Clockwork: Okay. Time to reverse the damage that I did.

Skurd: And about time. It only took your father dying, again, to do so.

Clockwork looks displeased by that, as he fires a time ray from his chest, turning to spread it all across the field.

Clockwork: There? Satisfied? He’ll die just like he’s supposed to, and the future will be alright.

Skurd: Yes, yes. That does sound rather nice. Now please take us back to our time before…

Nike: Halt!

Clockwork looks around, seeing himself surrounded by soldiers, all of them pointing their automatic rifles at him. Clockwork sighs in frustration, as he holds his hands up in the air, as he reverts.

Nike: What the ‘ell?! A person?!

Ryder: Eh, hello, Da, I mean Staff Sergeant Smith.

Nike: How do you know my name?

Ryder: I’m, uh, my name’s Ryder. I’ve been sent by the, uh, Plumbers to capture a fugitive in this area.

Nike: Plumbers, huh? So, that Paradox guy really was telling the truth.

Skurd: Paradox sure does get around.

Nike: What the?!

The soldiers raise their guns again, as Skurd comes back onto Ryder’s shoulder.

Nike: A talking booger?!

Skurd: You as well? Why can’t you earthlings have any form of manners and consider for a moment that that terminology is extremely rude!

Nike: I don’t give a sh*t on what you’re saying, booger. Now, you two better come with me then, if you’re going be stupid enough to get your arse shot off.

Nike leads his soldiers off, as Ryder follows after him.

Skurd: You do realize that this is probably going to cause even more destruction to the space-time continuum?

Ryder: We know for a fact that Eon comes back here after following us, and does something to the continuum that causes that event. The best way to move around here is in the soldiers’ care, where they know every nook and cranny here.

Nike leads them to a building, as a soldier pulls a rug off the floor, revealing the trap door. Nike pulls it up, opening the pathway.

Nike: Since you’re the paranormal expert, I figured you would know, what this is.

They go down the stairwell, entering an ancient chamber. Glowing at the other end of the room is a purple pendant, on a pedestal.

Nike: It isn’t giving off any kind of reading that our sensors can detect. But that light has to have a source.

Skurd: Is that it? It doesn’t seem very terrifying. I’m not sensing anything malicious from it.

Ryder: Yeah.

Ryder steps forward, walking towards the pendant. He reaches his hand out towards it, his hand bathed in the light. The flash of a dark red energy face goes through Ryder’s eyes, as he falls back, landing on his back.

Ryder: Chaos Lord?!

Nike: What you spouting about now?!

Ryder: Chaos Lord is a monster, made of pure energy. It almost destroyed me and the other versions of myself after kidnapping all of us. It used Eon as a puppet for it to fight.

Eon: Used me as a puppet, you say? I am anything but.

The soldiers all turn, Eon standing in the doorway. The soldiers open fire, as Eon holds his hand up, stopping the bullets in time. Eon walks forward, blasting a soldier with a time ray, turning him to dust.

Nike: Now what?!

Ryder: The one we’re here to help against. Why do you want to free the Chaos Lord? It was a ninja Eon that it controlled.

Eon: This, “Chaos Lord” as you refer to it, is in actuality a part of the Fell One, cut off from the main body during the first Time War. And yet, the power that it contains is enough to allow me to rule this timeline as the undisputed ruler. I can create a dimension suitable for the Fell One to come back to.

Skurd: What’s the Fell One?

Ryder: Beats me. Just know one thing. He can’t get to this pendant!

Ryder slaps down the Omnitrix, transforming into Rustcharge. Rustcharge holds his arm up, firing a blue laser from it, breaking away the rust on the arm. Eon blocks it with his time ray, as he begins walking forward. Nike and the other soldiers open fire, Eon blocking them. Rustcharge stampedes forward, as Eon blasts him with a time ray. Rustcharge’s rust builds up on its body, as he slows down exponentially. Rustcharge swings a large and heavy fist at Eon, Eon sidestepping it pretty easily.

Eon: It seems like this form gets heavier when rust accumulates onto it.

Eon punches through Rustcharge’s head, breaking the rust. Rustcharge spins around and punches at Eon, who teleports away to dodge.

Skurd: Didn’t you see that coming?

Nike: Ryder! Behind you!

Rustcharge stomps around to look behind him, as Eon is right next to the pendant.

Eon: Fateful servant of the Fell One, I wish to harness your power! Give me the gift to make this realm suitable for our Lord and Master!

Eon touches the pendant, as dark red energy seeps out of it, infusing itself into him. He radiates the evil aura, as he teleports away. Rustcharge reverts, as Ryder takes off running out of the building. Nike looks back, spotting the pendant, no longer glowing. End Scene

Wildvine pulls himself up onto a roof top. Eon is on another rooftop, as the dark energy from the Chaos Lord sweeps the area. Soldiers are on the retreat, as Wildvine throws several seed bombs at Eon, them being deflected by the Chaos Aura.

Eon: Oh, how pathetic of you to even attempt to fight me. Don’t you realize that I now have complete control over time!

The dark energy forms back up, forming into Risen griffins. The griffins fly through the air, dive-bombing Wildvine, scratching at him with their talons. Wildvine’s shoulder is torn through, as he regenerates.

Wildvine: Oh, not these things again!

Skurd: Look out!

Skurd accesses the Omnitrix, creating a crystal barrier around Wildvine. A wave of chaos time energy hits the crystal, it being blocked. Eon scoffs at this, as the crystal barrier lowers down, forming a crystal covering around Wildvine.

Wildvine: Thanks, Skurd. We’re at a huge disadvantage here. Keep that crystal wall up!

Skurd: Oh, you are so unreliable.

Wildvine stretches his arms out, grabbing onto a griffin, pulling himself onto it. He uses his root legs to squeeze it, directing it to fly after the other griffin. Wildvine throws seed bombs at the other griffin, them exploding and destroying them. Wildvine crashes the one he’s riding into another, destroying them both. He hops off, landing out into the field on the outskirts of town. Wildvine reverts, as Skurd forms the crystal barrier around him again, a time ray reflecting off it.

Eon: Oh, how foolish of you, Ryder! You’ve now isolated yourself from the village, and your forces.

Ryder: Uh, come again?

Skurd: You just landed on the outside of that field, where you reactivated all those IEDs.

Ryder: No problem. We can just fly over it.

Nike: Hey, Ryder!

Ryder and Skurd look out, as Nike runs out towards them across the field.

Ryder: No! Staff Sergeant! Get back! Skurd, let me out!

Skurd begins to lower the barrier, when a time ray is fired at him, Skurd forced to raise it back up. Eon continues to fire, as Skurd maintains the barrier.

Ryder: No! Let me out!

Skurd: With that barrage of attacks?! You wouldn’t last a moment!

Ryder: I don’t care! Dad! Fall back!

Nike: Dad?

Nike takes a step, an IED exploding. Smoke rises from the spot, as Ryder activates and slaps down the Omnitrix, transforming into XLR8.

XLR8: Lower it, now!

Skurd: I’ll lift it off the legs, but I don’t want to risk taking those attacks.

XLR8: We’ll be too top heavy! Plus, he won’t hit us!

The crystal barrier rises off XLR8’s legs, as he dashes through the field, triggering the IEDs to explode. XLR8 leaves the explosions in the dust, as he arrives at Nike, who’s gravely injured. Skurd expands the crystal barrier over the two of them, as Eon continues to fire time rays.

Eon: Pesky crystal!

XLR8: Staff Sergeant, hang in there!

Nike: (Smiles) I think we both know that this is it for me. You called me dad.

XLR8: Uh, yeah. I,

Nike: (Groans) Say no more, Jonathan. Here. The pendant. Seal it back in.

Nike forces the pendant in XLR8’s hand, black speech echoing as Ryder holds it. Nike lets out a pensive sigh, as he closes his eyes, not moving.

XLR8: DAD!

XLR8 reverts, as Ryder cradles Nike’s dead body. Risen Generals in heavy armor materialize around the crystal, striking and cracking it with their lances.

Skurd: Ryder! I know that chastising you because you tried to stop your father’s death was always in vain is pointless, but I need you focused again so you can fight them!

Diagon: ''That monster just killed your father. No alien form you have can stop him, except me. You know that my power can completely destroy them. And isn’t that what you’ve been after all this time? Revenge? Let us complete our path of vengeance, and kill them all!''

Ryder: Destroy, them all.

Skurd: Oh, don’t tell me that you’re going to use Diagoneir.

Ryder: No. Something far worse.

Ryder activates the Omnitrix, twitching it to show Diagoneir’s hologram. He slaps it down, transforming into Diagoneir. Diagoneir holds the pendant up, tapping it to his chest. Dark red energy is released from it, as Diagoneir transforms into his Altered Form, the form of Diagon’s octopus startling Eon as it encompasses the terrain.

Eon: What is this?! No John willingly takes on such evil and darkness!

Diagoneir/Diagon: I’m not any ordinary John. I am Ryder, motorcycle extraordinaire.

Eon: Grr. Come to me, Chaos Lord! Instill upon me your power so I may vanquish your only threat!

Eon erupts into energy, as he explodes, releasing Chaos Lord, which is an energy form in the shape of a butterfly, with a demonic face in the energy. It expands to match the size of Altered Diagoneir, being even.

Chaos Lord: A John Smith variation, huh? You will make a wonderful sacrifice, in order to allow myself to rejoin with my main body.

Diagoneir: Oh, really? You’ve already tried to do that!

Skurd: Uh, remember that happens in the future from now. This may very well be the event that causes that event to occur.

Diagoneir: So, I’m creating the event that unites the Johns together. That’s silly.

Chaos Lord fires a chaos mana blast, hitting Diagoneir hard. Diagoneir’s eyes glow red, as he fires a laser at Chaos Lord, going straight through it. It hits the city behind, desolating it. Chaos Lord expands its body, forming into a dome around Diagoneir. Diagoneir releases storm clouds, acid rain scattering around. The terrain is ruined, as Chaos Lord is washed away, scattering all over the place. Chaos Lord reforms, cackling.

Chaos Lord: You are pathetic, Jonathan. You can’t hope to defeat me.

Diagon: Don’t count on it.

Diagoneir extends several tentacles, wrapping around Chaos Lord, grabbing it. Chaos Lord groans, startled by the attack.

Chaos Lord: No! You shouldn’t be able to touch me!

Diagon: Inform the Fell One that he is nowhere near as strong as Diagon the Conqueror.

A wormhole opens up, as Chaos Lord screams, being sucked into it. Chaos Lord is gone, leaving Diagoneir there alone.

Diagon: Now, there is only one inter dimensional being to rule this dimension!

Skurd: Yeah, just one problem. I’m here.

Skurd is sitting on the Omnitrix, as his body becomes Upgrade, spreading out along Diagoneir’s head. Diagoneir cackles, as energy sparks on the Upgrade body, electrocuting it. Skurd screams, as Diagon motions a tentacle upward.

Diagon: You have canceled out my powers too many times already. But in this form, I overpower anything that you can do.

Skurd: Oh, really? How about, this?

Skurd twists the Omnitrix, and hits it, reverting Ryder. Ryder stands on the ground in the field, overlooking the destroyed city, ashamed.

Ryder: I really messed up.

Skurd: Yes, you did.

Ryder: Can’t you be a little more supportive?!

Skurd: Not really.

Paradox: Well, I’m glad this debacle is finally resolved.

Paradox appears from a blue wormhole, a Time Cycle coming out with him.

Paradox: I hope you’ve learned your lesson.

Ryder: Yeah. I get the message. Bad stuff happens all the time, and messing with time doesn’t mean fixing it. I swear I won’t mess with the timeline again.

Paradox: Good. In the meanwhile, here’s your bike back. I hope it gets you to wherever you’re going next.

Characters

 * Ryder
 * Skurd
 * Nike
 * Soldiers
 * Paradox

Villains

 * Eon
 * Chaos Lord
 * Diagon

By Ryder

 * Clockwork
 * Rustcharge
 * Wildvine
 * XLR8
 * Diagoneir (regular and Altered form)

By Skurd

 * Diamondhead (crsytal cage)
 * Upgrade (head)

Trivia

 * This episode ends the events of the Time War in this dimension.
 * Ryder resetting the IEDs is the reason his father died.
 * The dark energy flashing through Ryder's head when he goes to touch it is based off The Lord of the Rings, where Sauron appeared to Gandalf as he tried to touch the ring.
 * Diagon is revealed to be stronger than the Chaos Lord, who has a mere fraction of the Fell One's power.
 * This episode reveals how Chaos Lord was sealed away in the Lanes Between.
 * Ryder swears off interfering with the timeline. In the chronology, this is his last time time traveling before turning 18.