....FINALLY SOME VACATION

[basic_powers]

It's Friday morning, and right now...

The bags are packed, the extra money is in a special pocket, there's no one invading anytime soon, he has no real training, so it's a little unusual for Tyler to be in this house.

It's not the usual routine and it's great, and because in a few minutes the 'family' car pulls up into the garage and Ray will be coming to visit.

"...6:56..." The hard part was not bouncing off the walls while staring down the clock. Ray had to come exactly at 7 am.

.

.

.

.

"Ray! it's 7!!" Tyler called through the open doorway, which had formerly been the broom closet. "Come on!"

Comments

[basic_powers]

"...well. I think I know how and why he got in." Peter says, staring at Ray for a moment. "He's you. A different you, but well, I think I'd know that flailing like a muppet in a paintmixer sort of feeling."

"Something about a hall of mirrors."

[gone_byebye]

"He'd better have a really good reason to be there, then," Ray says. "Is he dead? He's not dead, is he?"

[basic_powers]

"Nope. Scared silly, screaming and expecting something large and full of teeth at any moment, but not dead."

[gone_byebye]

"Okay," says Ray. "In that case, can you get him out? Please? No offense to other me but there's only room for one of us in here."

[basic_powers]

"I think he can hear you, Ray."

And for reference YES HE WANTS OFF THIS DAMN RIDE.

"He's gonna be gone in just a sec..."

Sorry about this Ray. Just gonna nudge you lose and let you snap back.

Don't touch any weird mirrors in the future okay?

It's almost with a popping sensation that Ray ends up back IN HIS OWN BODY OH THANK THE AZTEC MONKEY GODS.

[gone_byebye]

Blink. Blink. Blinkityblinkityblink.

"If there is anyone here right now," he says eventually, staring at his hands and not moving so much as a millimeter otherwise, "I would greatly appreciate a paper bag. I think I need to breathe into it for a while."

[basic_powers]

"Sorry about that." It's human, male and honestly sounding very genial, that hands over a plain paper bag.

[gone_byebye]

"Thanks."

About thirty seconds into the rebreathing he thinks to look up at the person who gave him the bag, and makes the 'er, who are you again?' face.

[basic_powers]

That person just smiles back, he's dressed pretty comfortably, and almost resembles some old movie star...except you can't place just who he resembles.

The star blazoned on his shirt is probably meaning something but damn if Ray can remember what right now.

"You know, I didn't think you'd wander into here."

[gone_byebye]

Ray lowers the bag. "If by 'here' you mean this dimension, it wasn't so much a case of 'wandering' as being towed along in someone else's slipstream," he says. "If you meant the castle proper I was looking for the inhabitants to find out where I was. Where am I, please?"

[basic_powers]

"The Castle Beyond Time and Space. And I actually meant you wandering into the hall of mirrored universes." He's offering out a hand to help Ray onto his face, and looking very apologetic. "I don't live here, just help the owner with his business. I would have arrived sooner, but for some other pressing matter. I'll see about taking you back to where you came from."

[gone_byebye]

"Ah. I'd begun to wonder exactly what I was dealing with." Ray reaches up to take the hand and stumbles to his feet. "Thank you for the assistance, Mr....?"

[basic_powers]

"Time Paradox."

You know...He's the only one in this hallways whose reflection is the same in almost every mirror, should we be worried about that?

"You should just refer to me as Tyler's Paradox, it will be a little easier. This way. You're lucky that there's a portal already set to the proper time."

[gone_byebye]

"Ah. I see." Ray glances at the mirrors. "Purely out of curiosity, you wouldn't happen to be Gallifreyan, would you?"

What? It might explain a few things... or not, but it'd be a start, right?

[basic_powers]

"No, but you could say I work for someone similar to their group."

Now they're out of the hall of mirrored universes and down another lined with portraits. And at a good fast walk towards a library that... well. The librarians of the Library of Congress would probably give up all of their kidneys to get access to someplace like this one.

By the time Ray probably glances back at Paradox...his appearance is slightly different than before. Darker, reddish curly hair, a good, if slightly odd suit, striped slacks and polished black shoes. And from the looks of things he's heading towards a glowing portal framed in a gold(probably not really gold) filigree stand.

[gone_byebye]

Ray nods, but he's busy observing everything in the vicinity more than Paradox. He's distractable that way. "This isn't going to cheese off the Hounds, is it?" he says. "One of them already knows my name for unrelated reasons... oo."

[basic_powers]

"It shouldn't, and they know my scent well enough to know what I am and what I'm doing with certain people. That and I already checked with Bingle." It's a slight touch to the filigree surrounding the portal before Paradox steps away, and by now, he looks like he could be someone right out of a BBC show.

"There, it should drop you just across the street and a few seconds after you left. Just walk right through."

[gone_byebye]

"All right," Ray says, and "thank you."

He could probably ask a lot more questions, but that second mirror there was freaky as all get-out and even he occasionally puts a rein on his curiosity. Besides, he's supposed to be picking up Tyler.

[basic_powers]

"I'll be seeing you later." Paradox calls cheerfully as Ray steps through the portal and arrives just in time to see the last flicker of someone else's slipstream disappear.

And it's good timing too, it gives just enough time to get to the car again before the bell lets out. Soon after the kids start going out the side-door towards the playground while one very soaked through boy exits through the door facing the street and the car.

[gone_byebye]

Somehow? Ray's not really surprised by that.

He's just about had the chance to lean back against the sedan when he stands up straight again. "Tyler?" he calls out. "Gym class?"

[basic_powers]

"Zodon." Tyler replies, squishing his way up to the sedan and opening up the backseat door. "I'll explain in the car."

The emergency towel is right there on the floor, after putting it onto the seat, only then does Tyler get in and shut the door behind him, putting his head between his knees.

[gone_byebye]

"Sounds like we had something of a similar morning," Ray says sympathetically. "Wanna go to the grease pit for lunch?"

[basic_powers]

It's a moment while Tyler processes that statement, because it has to fight past, 'Zodon dropped me in the middle of nowhere raindstorm', 'Had to deal with Angie all day' and 'I had to tell myself from last year to grab onto Zodon for time travel'...


"...YES. And can we have chocolate shakes?"

[gone_byebye]

"I can't see why not," Ray says. "Although don't fill up too much. We're going to Six Flags when we get the chance and the less we have to sponge off the rollercoaster seat after the rides are over, the better."

[basic_powers]

"Total hours to Six Flags, Saint Louis, 4 hours and 20 minutes."

"I think by the time we get there, can have dinner after the roller coaster."