Hale resumed his seat on the floor, legs straight, back against the wall. He looked around, wondering what they should say, who should say it, and if they should saying anything at all.

Andrea resisted the impulse to sarcastically ask if Hale had gotten his answer. Instead she opted to look at Juno. She hadn't said much...

Hale looked closely at Kira, waiting for an "okay" or "no".

Kira had looked around the room for about twenty seconds before she spotted Hale staring at her. She nodded slowly.

"Yes to your unspoken question, Andrea," Hale said. "I did get that answer." He stopped there, messing with them by not telling what it was.

Nick gave a confused expression while Andrea suddenly grinned. "Well, good for you..."

"She's the lucky one. I mean, look at me. I am the very model of a modern 1st Lieutenant," he said, blatantly joking.

["I am the very model of a modern major general!" Classic.]

[Oh, and soup's on, and a play comes after, so I might not be on later. Sorry.]

[I have to go for today, as well...]

Nick hadn't caught on completely, but he was getting an idea.

Andrea chuckled as Kira looked at Hale in a fake expression of hurt.

"Oh, stop that. Everyone knows you're the sexy one," Hale said, faux-dismissive.

Kira dropped the act instantly, opting for a smile before taking a seat, leaning back, and trying to get a little sleep.

Renko had stood to let Kira have a seat, and found a spot opposite Hale in the room to sit.

To Andrea, Renko asked, "What is that suit made of and how does it *Ahem* conform while still being rock solid?"

"It's not a substance from Earth; I haven't been told exactly what it is, but I know that it's somewhat 'alive'." She used air quotes for the word. "The other question is something for my bosses, because I honestly don't know the force behind it."

"That's...strange. Everything I have is human, and mostly rationally explained," he said, a little awed.

"I know." Andrea turned to look at Renko. "That device on your wrist...controls time, right?"

Renko smiled. "Yeah, that is a little unexplained and not rational. At the very least, it orignated on Earth. What powers it, is the orange... energy inside. Yeah, not sure if it's the actual crystal, or somehow fluid. Anyway, that's called E-99, or element 99, and is harmlessly radioactive. So far. What makes it interesting is its unique ability to manipulate time. How, I don't know, but it does. It can also create energy bursts, and just, well, create energy. It recharges over a long time, but I'd like to find a power station soon... Anyway, the actual device is called the Time Manipulation Device," he said, only just realising how long he talked for.

"Sorry. Yeah, it controls time," he said, embarassed. He tossed a coin from his pocket it in front of all of them. He activated Age, and the coin started to rust. Curling around the edges a bit, rust started flaking from it. Then, in a matter of moments, all that was left was a pile of rust.

Andrea stared at the coin as if it had proposed marriage to her. "That's..." She couldn't find words to describe what she saw.

Nick and Kira had the same reaction.

Hale undid his glove for the first time since arriving on this new Earth. He stuck his hand out and away from his body. "Hey, Captain, can you send things back in time as well? If you can, I'd like to see what that aging thing looks like on flesh," Hale said, a little excited.

Renko was taken aback. "Well, yes, there's Renew, but..." He looked around for support.

"You want to use it on yourself?" Kira asked Hale. Then to Renko: "Would that be possible? And would it be a good idea?"

Hale shrugged. After putting a gun to his head less than an hour ago, or was it more?, you'd think this was harmless in comparison.

Renko said, "Yes. Then no. Yes, in that the TMD affects both organic and inorganic matter. No, in that it's not a good idea. Not a bad one, per se, given that I've tried this before. Plants. I have come across plants before, aged them until they were brown and dead, then Renewed them into their healthy green state."

"But you haven't tried it on humans? Enemies?"

"Enemies... No. I never saw the need for bringing people who want to kill me back to life," Renko said ironically. "But, in theory it would work. Renew brings everything back to how it was before, through Time."

"Wait..." Andrea said. "Wouldn't that make them babies or something?"

"I meant aging them," Kira said.

To Andrea: "Eventually. Though that's kind of creepy. I control how long it's used and how much it Renews."

To Kira: "Oh, that. Of course, I have. It makes them old, then they die, then they turn into skeletons, then dust."

[Have you played Singularity? I liked it...]

"I see," said Andrea blandly.

Kira nodded in understanding, but said nothing.

[Nope. I want to. So, if you see me doing anything wrong, tell me, and I'll fix it.]

Hale moved his hand. "Still waiting," he said.

Renko pursed his lips. He raised his left arm, hesitating one final time.

(Well, in the game Renew turns enemies into things called placental reverts...they aren't pretty. Hale would probably die if Renko does it.)

[No. Revert turns things into Reverts. Reference this: http://singularity.wikia.com/wiki/TMD .]

[OMG! You know more than I do! And I played the game... though I didn't finish it yet to be honest.]

[I saw it on TVTropes, looked it up on Wikipedia, and have been checking its wiki constantly. Also, if any of them have anymore objections, they should voice them to Renko.]

Kira, Andrea and Nick fell silent. Well, Nick was silent to begin with...

"No objections here," Andrea said.

• Forums are not to be used to post stories.
• All forum posts must be suitable for teens.
• The owner and moderators of this forum are solely responsible for the content posted within this area.
• All forum abuse must be reported to the moderators.