Tales of the Admins

[Garrett Jax]

"Another Ion Storm approaching," said Garrett. These Ion Storms were occurring with greater frequency and duration of late. Every one of the A.D.M.I.N.S. were concerned about this. These storms were threatening the very fabric of space and time.

Garrett got up to grab some coffee. It was going to be another late night trying to figure out how to solve this crises. A little 'Admin fuel' would get him through till morning.

As Garrett approached the coffee pot, he noticed a fairly large sized cockroach scurry across the floor making it's way for the cabinet which held the coffee grounds. Garrett stomped on the cockroach before it reached its destination.

*SQUISH*

He grabbed a napkin from off the counter and wiped the sticky mess from off his shoe, trying to keep from gagging. Lousy Moderators are supposed to keep this place clean, he thought angrily. There was going to be a swift kick for the next Mod he ran across. Slackers...

The Ion Storm finally reached the Temple of the Damned. The Temple rocked violently, knocking Garrett to the floor. He banged his head hard on impact, sparks dancing in his eyes. Dazed and confused, Garrett got up slowly, rubbing the pain away from the back of his head. That was the most violent Ion Storm he ever encountered. His vision quickly returned to him and the first thing he noticed was that everything was dark. The power must have gone out with emergency lighting kicking in. He waited for a few moments for the main power to return, but nothing happened.

Growling to himself about the damned Ion Storms, Garrett walked over to a light switch and flicked it on. Light filled the room and the first thing he noticed was thousands of cockroaches scurrying away for cover.

What the heck?!?

Before he could think of all the many horrors he would inflict on the entire Moderator team, his thoughts were immediately brought to a halt at what he next witnessed. The place looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in years. Cabinet doors were half off their hinges. The floors and walls were filthy, covered in some sort of grime. The whole place felt abandoned. Garrett shuddered. The Temple, cold and uninviting, no longer felt like home. It was a very strange feeling.

What happened here?

Before he could find any answers and old voice yelled out at him from behind.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Garrett turned around to see an old man with a frightened look staring at him. In his hand, he pointed a wooden cane at him, menacingly. He had to be upwards of seventy or eighty years old, he figured. Regardless, it was somebody that could tell him what was going on around here.

He took a step toward the old man. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The old man stepped back, raising his cane even higher as if expecting Garrett to strike. "Stay away from me," he cried. "I'm an Admin. Don't make me hurt you."

An Admin? Garrett was even more confused. "Who are you?" he asked, a little softer this time.

The old man seemed to respond better to the softer tone. "My name is Freeroamer," he replied "[Admin]Freeroamer to you. Now, you will tell me who you are and what you are doing here?"

Freeroamer?!? Impossible, thought Garrett. Freeroamer was a kid, not this old man hobbling in front of him. Oh no. A sickening thought suddenly occurred to him.

"What year is this, [Admin]Freeroamer?" he asked. How the hell did he become an Admin? Garrett was fearful of the answer to either question.

"The year?" asked Freeroamer, looking confused at the question. He counted on frail fingers for a time. "Why, the year is 880. Now, young man, I've answered your questions. Answer mine. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Garrett stood in disbelief and shock. 880? How could that be?

The Ion Storm!

It must have ripped a hole in the fabric of space and hurtled him forward in time. He looked again at the old man claiming to be Freeroamer. Wouldn't hurt to answer his questions, he figured. It would be nice to know how this place fell apart so badly.

Garrett offered his hand in greeting. "I'm [Admin]Garrett Jax," he said, respectfully. "Its been a long time, Freeroamer."

The old man's jaw dropped. He squinted his eyes and leaned closer toward Garrett. "Garrett Jax?" he asked uncertainly. "How can that be? You should be dead by now, yet you look the same as when you left?"

"I think an Ion Storm hurtled me through the future and brought me here?" Garrett said. There were a hundred questions that Garrett wanted to ask the old man. There were so many, he didn't even know where to begin.

Suddenly, Freeroamer's face paled. "You shouldn't be here, Garrett." He rocked back and forth, anxious and unsettled. "She will not be pleased to see you."

Garrett looked confused. "Who are you talking about?, he asked. "Who won't be pleased to see me?"

Freeroamer looked panicked. "Nope. She will not be pleased."

Garrett grabbed the old man by his shoulders to try and get his attention.

"Freeroamer. Who?"

The old man's eyes finally settled on Garrett's. With a whisper, he said the name that sent shivers down his spine.

"Karlotta."

End of Part One

---