And as Amel shuttered in pain his suit came apart, and a machine slithered out, a gleaming snake. In it’s center was a six inch monitor, across which scrolled the picture words that the scribes would be able to read. Within the creature were several chambers. Some of them held devices to demonstrate the concepts of electricity, others held the ingredients for gun powder, or certain medicines. others held the history of the last world, the world that would come to pass if all the leaders of the One World did not come together and fight the invasion.

Amel exhaled once more, and then lay still. A moment later and both he and Dirk dissipeared, as if they never existed. Some say that when a temporal implosion occurs all those then living go immediately to another reality, without any knowledge of what had occurred. But as Amel Costillos body dissipeared there was a white light blinking, much like a beacon, on his wrist. Temporal coordinates, long ago thought out and carefully calculated were laid in, and like a guided missile he went with the rest of humanity in the shuffle. Though his path was not random.

A slow pulsing came from the elder Costillo’s pocket and a brilliant light shown from it. As the TPE field enveloped him he became very cold, and he began to laugh heartily, and all those around him knew no more. He found himself standing in a vast palace of immense size. The halls were wide enough for twenty men to walk abreast, and he turned, until he found someone walking his way. The man wore a green head mantle of brilliant feathers and was bare from the waste up but carried in his hand a small electronic pad, upon which he was typing with a stylus.

“What is the year?” Julio asked in perfect Nahuatl, the language of all those of that land. The man seemed baffled at Costillos sudden appearance and beaten body, but not alarmed.

“Why, it is the year seven alligator, in the thirteenth sheaf of years since our lord Quetzalcoatl gave his mandate.” Then he smiled at the old man, and moved closer to him so that his eyes could pick out more detail. And those eyes grew wide indeed. ” “What took you so long, father?” And Costillo smiled, for he had feared for his son’s life. There were many facets of their plan that had not been studied to his satisfaction. The two walked into a great hall, along which there were many elaborate statues of the many Gods and Godesses and arrived finally into the bright light of Huitzilopochtli, the sun. As far as the eye could see the Earth was lush and green. The five lakes shown like jewels below them. Craft of verying flew silently among them on their high pirtch, as clean and elegant as the birds. All over the valley there was no sign of pavement, no sign of pollution. Julio Costillo breathed deeply of the clear air, closed his eyes and let the wind buffet his body for several minutes.

“Come, I’ll have a physician attend to those wounds.” Amel said after a short while. Julio waved he suggestion away and said,

“Do you think we did the right thing, after all?”

Amel laughed and replied,

“We better have, there’s no going back now.”

Julio snorted and put an arm around his sons shoulder. “Of time we know nothing, of spirit, I fear, we know even less.” Amel stared sideways at his father a moment and then nodded.

“They are all out there, or will be, at some time. They still live, even if their lives are different. All we’ve done is restored the balance.” He said reasuringly. His father nodded, and shrugged.

“Lets go ask the Priests.” He said. Then after a moments pause, added: “They do bathe now a days don’t they?”