Razors Revealed

Alodrass paced. Her feet traced the same loop on the garage floor, hitting the exact same panels as they fell. She was whispering something to herself but as almost nobody else spoke Aeternis, her ramblings remained her own. Tay tried to calm her but to no avail.
“She’s just a bit nervous about seeing Brian again. It’s been a while.” Lore and Char sighed together and nodded in understanding.
The doors hissed open to what should have been an empty hangar but at the end of the ramp, and with the exact same worry on his face, Brian paced. He had attempted to comb his hair but with the stress of everything that had been going on, that was easier said than done. He brushed the slightly more presentable mop out of his face and tried to smile but the transition from fear to happiness was an awkward one. Alodrass tucked her hands behind her back as she walked down the ramp. From her back pocket she removed a circle of metal. It looked similar to the one hanging around Lore’s neck but the markings differed. Where theirs had a triquetra, hers had a pair of interlocking rings. She held up the symbol and as she did, Brian lifted his wrist. From it, a duplicate hung. Apparently pleased with this, they jumped at each other, locking in a tight embrace.
“Brian.” She smiled. “It’s been too long.” He looked to her confused.
“I admit five weeks is a while but…” She glared at him. “It seemed like an eternity without you.”
“Nice save.” Lore whispered under their breath.
After a hug that lasted longer than anyone had expected, they proceeded to Brian’s office or as it was once known, The Alliance’s Temporal Monitoring and Maintenance lab.
“Ahh, the TATTMMmmm.” Tay emphasised the m’s at the end.
“Really? Is that what this place is actually called?” Alodrass looked almost offended.
“Oh yeah.” Tay smiled and nodded. Everyone but Brian looked confused. “TATTMM sounds similar to Tattamm which is the Aeternis word for something else.” She pointed to her crotch. “They only have the one word and it is very versatile.”
“Right then… We should really think about getting the other Paragons here then.” Lore looked around. “Ok, we should think about inviting the Space couple.”
“I messaged them before we left two thousand and nine. They’ll be here any time.”
“And how do they know where here is?”
“The ticket. They were able to track it before. Use that data and the brief moment it was still attached to the hull when we got here and you’ve got an excellent tracking beacon.” Tay smiled but it didn’t last long as her reclined state caused her to tumble.
“I’ll go put the kettle on then. Alo, you coming?” Brian and Alodrass disappeared into the other room.
“Explains a lot that does.” Lore looked to Tay and Char. “I mean, when we first met he was executed by Crait and then he nearly dies of inhalation on Rexel five to give me that crystal. Paragon of life…”
“On the topic of Paragons, I’ve been meaning to tell you about the other one of us.” Tay started. “The Paragon of the past died when you saved Quatarr but the mantle had to be filled so Time chose their successor. Lore you’re the Paragon of the Present but Mum, you were chosen to be the Paragon of the Past.” Lore felt a slight jolt but it settled quickly.
“And you’re only telling me now why?” Char was somewhere between curiosity and offence.
“Because if she told you any earlier, it would have caused a mess.” Lore thought for a moment. “What does that even mean anyway?”
“Well, I can see ten steps ahead, you can see everything that could possibly happen in the current moment and mum, you can see the past and how it impacts both present and future.”
“So twenty twenty hindsight then?” Char crossed her arms and huffed.
“There are other bonuses but yes, basically.”
“Like what?” Char began slowly relaxing her posture.
“Well, by see into the past, I mean you can look into individual items and peoples pasts. You can see their histories. Just as I can see their future.” By the time Tay finished, Char was placated.
The screens beside them lit up as a large bronze sphere neared The Razor. “This is The Space-ship requesting permission to dock.”
“Now that’s a pun.” Lore fumbled with the controls before Char stepped in and opened the hangar bay. “Thanks.” Brian and Alodrass returned suspiciously lacking in tea. “You not make us one?” Lore pointed between them. “Probably for the best, the Space lot are just docking.” Brian looked sheepishly at Alodrass.
“I’ll go boil some more water then.” He smiled as he retreated alone, leaving a more contented and calm Alodrass.
“And we’ll go meet our guests. This ship’s a nightmare to navigate normally, gods forbid it’s your first time.” Char crossed the room and opened the door. Tay and Lore followed suit, once again leaving Alodrass in a world of her own.
The layout seemed intentionally labyrinthian but none of them could figure out why. The questioning and theorising kept them company as they hit dead end after dead end before making it to the hangar once more. After a quick reunion, they were back to struggling to find their way. Things went much smoother after Char realised that Tay could just follow the future versions of themselves in a strangely self-serving bootstrap paradox. Now back in the office, they were all together.
“Brian, you don’t remember how to raise the conference table do you?” Lore searched through the switches on every panel until Brian returned and stomped on the floor twice in rapid succession. It opened up and from the gap came a table. He placed the tray of mugs down before returning for the teapot and cafetière. The only sound after that was the whirring and buzzing of the surrounding technology until Lore decided it was time. “Ok… Well, Death’s Paragons are rampaging around the universe and killing almost everything. Any ideas on how to stop them.” Lore sat again and as they did, three hands raised into the air. Tay represented Time, Brian, Life and Sukal Space. Lore was about to allow Tay to start but it felt wrong. Brian was to begin. Coming together.