What part of the story is this, where are we... Chapter 12? OK, lemme see. If I copy from MS Office Word instead of Wordpad it might bring in my formatting. Okay yes it does!Â
Part Four
: Sons and Daughters
 Chapter Thirteen
 It was an average day in Avant Gardens. The sound of battle outside the Sentinel Base camp was ingrained in Beck Strongheart's mind. Occasionally a Sentinel jet squadron would streak by overhead and deliver a booming payload. Sometimes a Stromling would wander near the gates, and he would hear a quick pew-pew as the riflemen promply dispatched it.
 It was one of those days where nothing out of the ordinary happend, which was how Beck Strongheart liked it. He could plan his forces' next attack without having to worry about a sudden appearance of Chainsaw Stromlings, or a Spider Boss climbing into the camp - now that was out of the ordinary. Today he could appreciate the world's otherwise sereneness.
 It was a day like this when, in between sending soldiers to train in Survival or fight some Spiderlings, his mind wandered to something else in the Spider caves. Or someone. Her name was Melodie Foxtrot, and Beck would never tell anyone that he loved her. But she seemed to like the Spider Caves more, Beck thought snarkily, because she'd set up camp there, rather than his Base camp.
 What could he do to get her to stay with the rest of the Sentinels, where she would be safe? Safe with him, of course, he appended with a nod. He didn't notice a recruit standing in front of him that moment, and he looked up with a start.
 "Salute, recruit!" Beck instructed, and the minifigure did so, bringing his hand up in front of his black bangs. Beck scrutinized him. He wore some pretty high level Avant Gardens gear, the commander noticed, a Leather Jacket and Flight Suit Leggings, so he was probably one of his experienced soldiers. But he did not recognize this recruit, and Beck knew his recruits. At least he thought he did. Maybe this was not a recruit, but an undercover agent sent from HQ.
 Pursuing that hunch, Beck asked sternly, "Did Exeter send you?"
 The boy looked surprised, but he answered with decorum, "No, sir."
 "Under who are you stationed?"
 "Commander Beck Strongheart, sir." the minifigure said, puzzled, and broke protocol. "Commander, you do recognize me, Intrepid Fusion Eclipse?"
 "No." Beck said. "I do not believe we have met."
 Intrepid turned to the Assembly Engineer he'd met before, who now stood in the safety behind the base camp's rocks, polishing his armor. "You said this was January 2012." Intrepid said accusatorially. "My commander should know me."
 The engineer looked up, shrugged, then returned to his polishing. "I don't know you." he said.
 Intrepid raised his chin in annoyance and stalked away from Strongheart. "I joined the Nexus Force in 2011." He waved a hand in the commander's direction.  "He should know me."
 The engineer, whose name was Strange Odd Shadow, raised his eyebrows but still inspected the reflectance of his shoulderpads. "Perhaps in your time travels, you have unwittingly removed your past self from ever meeting Commander Strongheart."
 Intrepid shook his head. "No way. I just got here yesterday, and that's not enough time for anything to change today."
 Shadow did not say anything of that, and moved on to his helmet, which he took off of his short, hazel coloured hair.
 Intrepid sighed, and turned to go... where? He didn't know. "You're a great help." he muttered.
 "Oh!" Strange Odd Shadow looked up then, and Intrepid turned back to him. "I have figured that if you're an accidental traveler, you must be interested in getting back to your correct time! Well, I have an idea that may help you!"
 "I'm listening." Intrepid said.
 "You should go to Nimbus Station and ask Wenn Wuzzit to send you back to the future! Or the past! Or wherever you come from!" The young man stood up then and stowed his engineer gear away, wearing his street clothes now. "In fact, I'm headed to Nimbus Station as well, so I would accompany you."
 It was a good idea, Intrepid agreed. "Good idea," he said, "but what I really need is a rocket. I left a friend behind on another planet, and I need to get back."
 Shadow, whose eyebrows were still raised, dropped one so the other brow remained raised, giving him a peculiar look. "But you didn't come here in a rocket." he stated.
 Intrepid looked at his left hand, which was closed. With nothing to lose, he opened it, revealing the transdimensional maneuverability device. "I came with this." he said. At Shadow's curious stare, and he considered how to explain it. "It's like a teleportation device, that can take the user anywhere he or she can envision. Even to other dimensions, and other universes."
 "I stand by my first bet that you're from the future, then!"
 "The device sort of is," Intrepid said. "It was given to me by-"
 "You should just use it, then, to go see your friend!" Shadow interrupted. "Unless it is broken."
 "It is brok-"
 "I know someone in Nimbus Station who can fix it!" Shadow kept speaking, then he paused.
 Intrepid wanted to wait for him, since he obviously had much to say, and Intrepid didn't want to interrupt him... or be interrupted. But after a five second staring contest, Intrepid figured, whatever, and asked, "What's his name?"
 "He is called Strange Odd Shadow!"
 "That's you."
 "Obviously!" Shadow added, "If your device is indeed a teleporter, then I can fix it and you can get to where you need to go faster than it would take you in a personal rocket. And I know the public rocket transportation schedule and the next off-world launch is in a week! So, you'd best come with me." He then ran off for the monument path.
 Intrepid looked after him. Strange Odd Shadow did seem an odd character, but Intrepid could agree with his quick calculation. Without a better idea, he elected to follow him.
 He had just passed Klaus Zett's stand when a distant explosion permeated the air.