For Your Photoreceptors Only/Epilogue

For Your Photoreceptors Only

Epilogue

After MI5 had chased down Noah and his friends through the city streets of Gotz, they headed back to the warehouse to see how QUAD was faring in his battle with Noah's mutant army.

They all gathered outside the warehouse door with their stun cuffed prisoners while Bont took a peek inside. The sight made him queasy. There was blood and chunks of flesh splattered everywhere. It was a massacre. Bont swallowed. Amongst the dead mutant bodies, he saw multiple QUAD droids step into view.

"I see you did pretty well here," Bont commented.

"I won the battle, if that's what you mean," one of the battered QUAD's said. "It is now time for the other me's to travel back and help myself in the battle again."

Bont had an almost confused look on his face. He figured QUAD was spewing more time-travel jargon. He then watched as all but that one QUAD that spoke to him shimmered away.

"So, let me see if I understand this correctly..." Bont said. "You fought in the battle, traveled back in time to join yourself in that same battle, and continued to do that multiple times?"

"Correct, Agent Bont. That is how I was able to seemingly multiply myself."

"If that's the case, then you fought this battle, what, twenty consecutive times?"

"Correct."

Bont shook his head in disbelief. "You are one amazing droid. Q'u was smart to construct you."

"Thank you, Agent Bont," QUAD responded. "I'm sure Q'u would like to hear that as well."

Bont and QUAD exited the building to see their fellow agents waiting. QUAD was broken, dented, scratched, scorched, and covered in blood splatters.

"By da Force!" Gruu exclaimed. "Are you-sa okey-dey?"

"Yes, I am okay. I'm only a droid. I can be easily repaired."

"Now that this mission is officially over," Shasta started, "let's get the hell out of here and back to HQ."

- - - - - - - - - -

The MI5 operatives and their captives made the trip from the industrial planet Khubeaie back to Coruscant. The unconscious Clowe had awakened during the trip. Noah, Klay, Clowe, and Urma Boont were all sent back to a maximum security prison, while Perkins' dead body was properly disposed of by the authorities.

Within days, the agents made their reports regarding the mission and submitted them to M. During that time, Q'u Branch spent time repairing QUAD back to his original pristine state.

Before heading off to a well-deserved vacation, Jace Bont visited Q'u Branch to see how QUAD's repairs were coming along. He was surprised to see that they were essentially completed. Q'u was polishing up the new metal parts.

Bont gave the elderly Human a pat on the back. "Hell of a droid you've created, Q'u. Your genius helped us complete that mission."

"Yes," Q'u responded excitedly. "M mentioned those comments you made in your mission reports. Thank you, Bont. That means a lot to me."

"Hey, you're part of the team, too," Bont said, giving Q'u a strong handshake.

Q'u went back to polishing QUAD and Bont realized how dirty Q'u's hands were... Bont grabbed a towel that was laying on one of the tables and used it to clean the grease from his hand.

As Q'u completed the polish job, he opened up QUAD's lid. "I just want to make a few minor upgrades to the Space/Time Displacer. I'll need to remove it temporarily to make those adjustments."

"Of course," QUAD responded, waiting for Q'u to pull out the device.

Q'u was having a bit of trouble getting it out. "Hm. It appears there was some damage inside here. Probably occurred during your battle with the mutants. It looks like the socket that the Space/Time Displacer slides into was smashed a little. It's too tight of a fit. I'm having trouble pulling it out."

Bont stood on his tip-toes and tried to peek inside.

"Wait," Q'u said. "Let me try this." He stuck a tweezer-like tool inside and attempted to gently pull the socket opening wider. The exact moment the metal began to flex, Q'u got an electric shock that knocked him backward. Sparks flew out of QUAD's lid and he immediately vanished, shimmering away somewhere, somewhen.

Bont quickly helped Q'u to his feet. "You alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. But what happened to QUAD?" They both looked at the now-empty space where QUAD had just been. "That electric shock must have activated the Space/Time Displacer. It sent QUAD through space and time! He could be anywhere!"

"Is there a way to track him somehow?" Bont asked.

"Through space, yes," Q'u answered. "But not through time."

Bont hesitated. "How... How do we get him back?"

Before Q'u could respond, QUAD reappeared again right where he was moments earlier. The droid looked like he had been through another hard-fought battle. And he was missing his left arm!

"QUAD! What happened?!" Q'u gasped.

QUAD stumbled backward, almost as if he was disoriented. "It was terrible! The Republic, it..." He stepped backward and bumped into a table, knocking it over. QUAD then fell backward on top of it, crashing to the floor.

Q'u asked, "What about the Republic? Where did you go? What happened?"

"No," QUAD said, sitting on the floor. "It's too dangerous. You can't have knowledge of the future."

"The future? What happened in the future?" Q'u kneeled down next to his creation. "Just let me plug you in and rewind your recorded memory, see what you saw."

"No. You can't see the terrible things I've witnesses."

"For your photoreceptors only, eh?" Bont quipped.

Suddenly, a whizzing sound could be heard from inside QUAD's head. Then his head started to vibrate.

Bont pulled Q'u back a few steps, unsure of what would happen.

"I'm sorry," QUAD said. Within seconds, there was a muffled exploding sound and QUAD's metal body fell limp.

Q'u and Bont stood for a moment just looking at the droid. Q'u reached out and opened QUAD's lid. Smoke billowed out. Fanning the smoke with his hand, Q'u examined the inner workings of the droid's head.

"What happened to him?" Bont asked.

"He's...dead," Q'u muttered. "His circuits are fried. The memory, the CPU, the photoreceptors, even the Space/Time Displacer. It's all burned up. There's no way I can salvage any of it."

Bont asked, "He killed himself?"

"He must have seen some really terrible things," Q'u stated, taking a step back. "Something he didn't want us to see."

"Something about the Galactic Republic? But that's all. No specifics about the Republic or when."

Bont and Q'u just stood for a moment, looking at QUAD, mourning the loss of their friend. Sadly, Jace Bont would have to make one final mission report to M. It would not have any specifics on why it happened, only the what, where and when. Well, sort of the when.

"I feared that time travel would be too dangerous," Q'u explained. "I thought QUAD had everything under control. Maybe I should cease my research on the subject." Disappointed in himself, Q'u turned and headed out of the lab. "Maybe some facets of science should be left unexplored."

Chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Epilogue