Time's Gravity Part 1
By Brian Kelly

For Agent Profiles, please refer here.


In the months following their teammates' journey to the past, the remaining members of MASK 2 and the Foxes continued their fighting. But without a solid leader, their battles resulted in stalemate after stalemate. MASK 2 got no closer to capturing Foxes and the Foxes continued without success to try to make a new time portal.

Meanwhile, MASK 2 agents Michael Rainwolf and Enzo Castaldi continued their research into making their own time travel system. However, tensions were mounting within both teams. Both of them had only once chance of survival and that was reunion with their lost members.

One night six months after the original time warp, the Foxes would even the time race into a dead heat...


A military base sat in the middle of the desert. It housed only a few buildings, but those buildings contained several years worth of scientific research. The guards knew their jobs meant much to national security. However, one of those guards decided to check his watch.

"Just five minutes until my shift's over." he said. "Then I can go home and watch a nice rerun of 'Nash Bridges'."

"I hear it's the one where Bettina becomes a bounty hunter." said his partner.

They heard a light sound behind them and turned around. "Who goes there?" said the guard.

They saw the Fox known as Crossbones. He raised his hands above his shoulders and said "Chi, on!" A pair of energy balls collected in his hands and he threw them at the two guards, knocking them out. Crossbones' partner, Skull, jumped off a nearby crate.

"Did ya see that?" asked Crossbones. "Two at once!"

"Great." said Skull. "Now, let's keep going."

They walked over to the door of the closest building and were confronted by a new enemy, a computerized lock.

"I believe this is your department." said Crossbones.

"Right." said Skull. He reached out his hand and said "Hacker, on!" His mask's visor glowed and he started wiggling his fingers. Suddenly, the lock buzzed and the door opened. "Easy as pi sqaured." said Skull.

The two Foxes entered the building and immediately headed up the stairs. "Y'know, we might actually pull this off." said Crossbones.

"Isn't that what you said about defeating that wrestler that put you in the hospital for two weeks?" asked Skull.

Hey, fighters don't know much about predictions." said Crossbones. "But we do know about fighting." He kicked open an office door just after saying that.

The two miscreants entered the room and headed for the desk next to the window. In the dark, they didn't notice MASK 2 agents Chris Bush and Kenny Harrison moving to guard the door.

"That's them." said Skull as he pointed to a folder on the desk.

Crossbones picked them up and said "We got 'em!"

"And we got you!" said Chris as he turned on the lights.

"Out of the way, Bush!" said Crossbones. "I came all this way, and I'm not in the mood for a fight."

"And what if we refuse?" asked Kenny. "You're roughly the same size as Chris, but I'm aboot twice the size of your friend."

"This is what happens if you refuse." said Crossbones as he tossed the folder to Skull. He then put his hands together and said "Chi, on!"

As the energy ball in Crossbones' hands grew, Chris grabbed a rock off the desk next to him and said "Breaker, on!" An energy wave flowed into his glove and destabilized the rock's molecular structure. He threw the rock at the same time Crossbones threw the energy ball. The two collided and created a small explosion.

"Uh, Chris, that was a geode." said Kenny.

"Our situation has not improved." said Skull.

"You can expect more of the same if you keep trying stuff like that." said Chris. "So why don't you surrender?"

Just then, a harpoon shattered the window behind Skull and Crossbones and imbedded itself in the wall. The cable attached to the harpoon led to a small helicopter hovering just outside the base's perimeter. "Your escape is at hand." said the pilot, a Fox called Blades.

"I'd like to stay and chat, but my ride's here." said Skull as he grabbed onto the cable and climbed out the window.

"Later later." said Crossbones as he followed.

The pair of villains continued to move along the cable. "You got the folder?" asked Skull.

"I thought you had it!" said Crossbones.

"No, after you gave it to me, I put it back on the desk for you to pick up." said Skull.

"Hurry up, you guys!" yelled Blades. "The guards have Stinger missiles!"

Chris and Kenny looked out the window as the two Foxes made their escape. "Y'know, considering the year Liam's having, he's probably in a bad mood." said Chris.

"Yeah, let's call him." said Kenny. He picked up his communicator and said "Liam, this is Kenny! We got bandits trying to escape!"

"I see 'em!" said agent Liam O'Grady. "I'm on me way!"

As Blades hovered in his helicopter, the Rabbit, Liam approached in his helicopter, the Ferret. He began firing his nose guns under the Rabbit. As he planned, Blades climbed a little. Liam kept up this move until the cable hung too high for Skull and Crossbones to climb.

"Blades, fly lower!" said Skull into his communicator. "I can't climb this thing!"

"No way!" shouted Blades.

"After all this, finally a victory." said Chris.

"I'll second that." said Kenny.

Little did either team realize, another Fox, Melissa Cale, had shown up. She watched the action using her Insider mask. "So, they've finally blown it big time." she said. "Looks like I'll have to get involved."

She threw her Lincoln Navigator, the War Eagle, into gear and drove towards the action. When she reached the fence, she pushed the button on the dashboard and the vehicle started to change. The rear end became a pair of legs. The front end separated into a pair of arms with guns attached. The rear cabin separated into a missile launcher and a radar screen.

"Uh oh, we've got company." said Kenny.

"We've got to get in there and help." said Chris.

"Without our vehicles and virtually unarmed?" said Kenny. "Don't think we're going to be much help."

The War Eagle tore through the fence and pointed its right arm at the Ferret. It then fired a shot and took out the small copter's rotor blade.

"Mayday, mayday! I've lost a rotor blade! I'm goin' down!" yelled Liam as the Ferret dropped from the night sky.

"On second thought, we gotta help!" said Kenny.

"We just might make it out there in time." said Chris as they started for the stairs.

The War Eagle's left arm fired a laser and cut the cable that connected the Rabbit to the building. Skull and Crossbones screamed as they swung into a part of the fence that was still up.

"Let's get out of here!" yelled Crossbones. He and Skull ran for the gap in the fence. The War Eagle changed back into a truck and drove towards the two of them. Skull and Crossbones jumped into Crossbones' van, the Beluga. The Rabbit helicopter landed on its launch platform and the two combined into a Volkswagen Golf. The two vehicles drove off.

Chris and Kenny ran out of the building to see that the battle was over. "Aw, shoot! We're too late!" said Chris.

"The least we can do is make sure Liam's okay." said Kenny.

The two agents ran to the crashed Ferret. Liam had pulled himself from the wreckage and was walking around.

"Liam, y'alright?" asked Kenny.

"No, I'm not alright!" snapped Liam. "They got away! We almost had them too!"

Liam was still in a bad mood when they returned to headquarters. Despite the vehicle's damage, Liam was able to change the Ferret back into its civilian form, a Saturn coupe. Chris pulled in behind him in his F-150 pickup, the Roc.

"We would've had 'em if that Cale woman hadn't shown up!" said Liam.

"Man, I've never seen him this ticked before." said Chris.

"He's probably tired from fighting all the time." said Kenny. "It's down to us since Mike and Enzo are working on the project."

"He's probably worried about Max too." said Chris. "If they were any closer, they'd be brothers."

"Guys, I appreciate your concern, but it's just that we had it all sown up." said Liam. "Then Cale comes along and single-handedly ruins it all. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone."

"Let him go." said Kenny. "He needs it."

"Maybe I can cheer him up." said Michael Rainwolf. "We made some incredible progress tonight."

"Yes?" said Liam.

"Liam, I can guarantee Max will be back within two months." said Michael.

"Really? Can you be sure?" asked Liam.

"Right now, it's just a theory." said Michael. "I call it Time's Gravity."

"Tell me about it." said Liam.

"It's like this." said Michael who then started talking about it.

Enzo Castaldi walked out of the lab and wiped off his hands on his jumpsuit. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Bad news." said Kenny. "Liam broke the Ferret."

"Two months, huh?" said Chris. "Not too long."

"Si, we work fast because we care." said Enzo. "The Foxes don't care about each other."

Little did he know, one Fox was worried about his lost teammates. He went by the name Gearbox and was particularly concerned about his sister, who was known as Flash. On this night, like many earlier ones, he sat on the roof of his Winnebago, the Monster, and moped. His teammate, Rocks, walked over.

"Will you get over it!" said Rocks. "You're no help to this team when you're like this!"

"I don't care about that right now." said Gearbox. "My only concern is my sister."

"She's a strong girl. She can handle herself." said Rocks. "Now, snap out of it!"

Just then, the Rabbit, Beluga, and War Eagle drove into the garage.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." said Gearbox. He jumped off the Monster and walked towards the vehicles as their occupants climbed out.

"Hey, Gearbox, guess who we ran into." said Crossbones.

"I see." said Gearbox as he grabbed Cale and forced her against the side of the War Eagle. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here!"

"Now, is that any way to talk to the person who can bring your sister back?" asked Cale.

Gearbox released her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"While Blades, Skull, and Crossbones were infiltrating that base, I was over near MASK headquarters." she said.

"You know where MASK headquarters is and you didn't tell us?" said Rocks.

"Let her finish." said Skull.

"It turns out the reason you've only encountered the Texan, the Canadian, and the Irishman is because the Italian and the Indian are working on something big." explained Cale.

"Which is?" asked Gearbox.

"They are working on a time transport." said Cale. "Luckily, the Italian had his mask on when he looked at the plans tonight. Me and Insider got the needed info."

"In short, we can have our own time transport ready quickly." said Blades.

"Just tell us what we need." said Skull.

"First of all, you'll need a vehicle to modify for the transport." said Cale.

"Great, I'll head to the junkyard and scrounge up a car." said Rocks.

"We're gonna need a bigger vehicle than that." said Cale.

Two months later, MASK 2 had finished their time transport, which was based off a Freightliner auto transporter. Enzo had left for the city to pick up one last component. Liam walked around ripe with anticipation. Michael performed one last check on the transport.

Chris practiced his katas. He had chenged from street clothes to a jumpsuit.

Kenny ate breakfast while he waited. He had changed out of his jumpsuit and into street clothes.

"I'm startin' to get worried." said Liam. "What if something happened to him?"

"Relax." said Michael. "Once Enzo gets back, we'll be ready to go."

"You got a name for that thing?" asked Liam of the device Michael was working on.

"Under Chris's insistance, I've decided to call it the 'oscillation overthruster'." said Michael.

At that moment, Enzo came driving in on his motor scooter. He got off and handed a small box to Michael. "I believe this is what you wanted." he said.

"Thank you." said Michael as he took the box. He opened it and took out an emerald. He inserted the jem into the "overthruster" and closed the clamps.

"Next time I get a rock like that, it'll be attached to a wedding ring." said Enzo. "Of course, I'll need a fiancee to go with it."

"Everything appears to be ready." said Michael. "Liam, get the soda. Chris, Kenny, come here."

Chris stopped doing his katas and Kenny put away his plate and the two walked over to Michael. Liam walked over with a six-pack of soda in glass bottles. Everyone took a bottle and opened it.

"To Enzo Castaldi, the best mechanic to come out of Italy." said Michael.

"Grazi! To Michael Rainwolf, the best scientist to come out of Oklahoma." said Enzo.

"And to Kenny Harrison, the man who's going to drive this sucker into the past and get me cousin." said Liam.

"Right!" said Chris.

The five men finished their sodas and Michael pulled the last bottle out of the holder. "Kenny." he said. "As the driver of this vehicle, it is your duty to name it."

"Thank you." said Kenny as he took the bottle and walked to the rear of the truck. "Considering what we're using this thing for, and in honor of my mask Noah..." he said "I hereby dub this vehicle...'The Ark'!" He then smashed the bottle against the corner of the truck.

Kenny climbed into the cab as Michael walked over with a broom and dustpan. "Recycling." he explained as he swept up the broken glass. "Hey, Chris." he said. "Why don't you bring your new truck?"

"You got it." said Chris. He walked over to a Jeep Commanche pickup, got in, and drove it into the back of the Ark. Liam and Enzo got into the Ferret and Michael got into a Dodge Charger Shelby sport coupe. All three engines were started and they were soon off.

Elsewhere, the Foxes were sitting on a runway a few miles away. Crossbones had changed from his jumpsuit into a kung-fu uniform. Skull had changed from his jumpsuit into 80s street clothes and was working on an old DC-3 Dakota.

"How much longer?" asked Rocks.

"Not long." said Skull. "There, it's done."

"Great, let's get Flash." said Gearbox.

"Patience." said Cale. "We'll get her back soon."

"This is Blades." said their cowardly pilot over the radio. "All clear. You may take off."

"Rocks, you're flying." said Cale. "Skull and Crossbones, go with him. Take your new cars, too."

Skull got into a blue Isuzu Impulse and Crossbones climbed into brown and black customized van. They drove the two vehicles into the back of the plane. Rocks got in after them. Within minutes, they were off.

"We are currently cruising at an altitude of 2000 feet and will be heading to an altitude of 1986 soon." joked Rocks.

"Uh, thanks." said Skull nervously.

"Relax, you've seen the time transport work before." said Crossbones.

"It's not that. I'm afraid of flying." said Skull. Rocks suddenly looked shocked.

"According to my research, this place was completely devoid of people twenty years ago." said Michael as he surveyed the area he had designated for the test.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" asked Liam.

"Completely sure." said Michael. "Now, shut up."

The others had a good laugh. "Anybody within visual range?" asked Enzo.

"Don't see anybody." said Kenny as he looked out from the top of a ridge.

"Nobody this way either." said Chris as he looked the other way. "Wait! There's a plane up there!"

"That's a DC-3 Dakota." said Enzo. "Too old for commercial use."

"That's not a normal smuggler's route or a commercial flight path." said Liam. "I wonder who it is."

"We're nearing the test spot." said Rocks. "Prepare for warp." He pushed a button on the control panel. Small electrodes emerged from the fuselage and started to glow blue. Suddenly, the plane vanished in a flash of light.

"What the..? It disappeared!" said Chris.

"It went through time!" said Michael. "It showed up on the Probe's sensors!"

"The Foxes!" said Kenny as he slid down the hill. "We gotta hurry."

"Right!" said Michael. "Give them room! Commencing test!"

Kenny and Chris jumped into the Ark. The Probe and Ferret backed up a little.

"See ya later." said Kenny as he pushed a button on the dash. "Or should I say 'sooner'?" Electrodes popped out of the Ark's body and started to glow green. There was an electrical discharge and the truck disappeared in a flash of light.

Michael checked his instruments. "Yes! It worked!" he yelled.


Future MASK agent Wei Chang held his head in agony as he sat behind the wheel of his monster truck, the Avalanche. Past MASK agent Jacques LaFleur pulled alongside in his monster truck, the Volcano. (Note:"Future" refers to agents from 2006 and "Past" refers to agents from 1986.)

"You alright, mon ami?" asked Jacques.

"That's the last time I let Max talk me into going to a Twisted Sister concert." said Wei. "They sat me right next to the speaker."

"You'll be fine once we take care of a few targets." said Jacques.

"Bruce, can I have a word with you?" asked past agent Alex Sector.

"What seems to be bothering you?" asked Bruce Sato.

"It's about my vehicle." said Alex as he ponted to a dark green motorcycle. "It's small."

"I call it the 'Grasshopper'." said Bruce.

"Chill, Alex." said future agent Max O'Grady. "I'm sure Bruce did his best."

"Easy for you to say, yours is bigger." said Alex as he looked at the trailer connected to the Rhino.

"Yeah, but yours has an engine." said Max.

"Hey, Bruce, I thought we weren't building this until next year." said past agent Buddie Hawks as he looked at a red tow truck.

"We had to make it now." said Bruce. "The situation with the Foxes made it necessary. It's called 'Wildcat'."

"Hey, are we going to perform these tests?" asked Max.

"Of course." said Bruce. "Everybody get to your vehicles. Max, be prepared to get to your trailer, the 'Piggyback'."

"Actually, Bruce, Jeremy let us name our own vehicles." said Wei.

"It's okay." said Max. "'Piggyback' is a good name."

Buddie got into the Wildcat, Max and Bruce got into the Rhino, and Alex reluctantly got on the Grasshopper. They, along with Wei and Jacques, started their engines and pulled out.

"We should be spotting the targets soon." said Bruce. "Look for Yugos."

"I see them." said Alex as he spotted six of the small cars. "Initiate conversions." He pushed a button on the panel of the Grasshopper and the bike transformed. The sides folded up to expose wings and the nose opened up to reveal a laser blaster. Alex stood on the panels and held a control unit in his hand.

The other agents followed suit. The Avalanche's bed swung up and the fenders opened up to reveal a pair of lasers. The nose angled down to reveal missiles.

The Volcano's body split in the middle and opened up to reveal a laser turret. The sunroof opened to reveal a pair of laser cannons and the exhausts became mortars. Blades extended from the wheels.

The Wildcat's body elevated and a pair of cannons extended from the headlights. The rails on the sides of the bed swung out to become blades. Another laser cannon swung out of the rear boom.

The Rhino's smokestacks lowered to become cannons and the grill extended forward to become a ram. The sleeper cab extended rearwards to reveal a missile launcher. Max opened the door and Bruce stopped.

"Wait until I get in the box." said Max. He ran to the back of the flatbed trailer and climbed into a container crate on the back. Within seconds, the sides opened up and revealed a small helicopter. The tail boom folded back and the rotor blades opened up and started spinning.

"Now, let's take care of those targets." said Alex.

"Just a second." said Bruce as he pushed a button on his remote control. Suddenly, the Yugos' cabins rose up to reveal laser blasters and their front fenders extended sideways to reveal more lasers.

"What gives?" asked Max.

"They were supposed to be a prototype for a new mini-tank, but they didn't have enough firepower." said Bruce. "I turned their weapons into harmless lasers and let them be targets. You may destroy them."

"Good to hear that." said Wei. He then fired his lasers at the car and caused the cabin to drop. He then ran over the car with one of his huge tires.

Buddie fired a couple of shots from his cannons and immobilized his target, then sliced into it with one of his blades. Alex steered around the laser fire of his target and fired back, destroying the thing. In the heat of training, no one noticed the DC-3 Dakota suddenly appear in a flash of light and fly south.

"We're here." said Rocks. "Prepare for landing."

The plane touched down in the desert not to far away. The Impulse and van drove out shortly after.

"We'll start searching for Foxes or VENOM agents immediately." said Skull. "When will you be back?"

"Soon or never." said Rocks. "Whichever comes last." He then took off again.

Skull wouldn't have had to search far. Just south of the MASK training field, VENOM agents Floyd Malloy and Lester Sludge and Fox Marcus Gilford had parked their vehicles. Malloy watched the agents train from the top of a ridge.

"They don't even know we're here." he said.

"Good, wait until they stop shooting." said Gilford. "We'll get them when they're taking a break."

"Lemme get this straight." said Sludge. "I push this button and the ATV changes into a tank or something."

"Exactly!" said Gilford. "Why did they rush you through training? You were supposed to join VENOM next year!"

"Hey, this whole agents from the future thing has everyone on edge." said Sludge. "Even MASK brought out some new toys."

"Gilford! They just took out the last car." said Malloy as he slid down the hill. "I think we should strike now!"

"Yes, we should." said Gilford. "Get to your vehicles."

Gilford got on his bus, the Tigershark. Sludge climbed onto his ATV, the Iguana. Malloy climbed on his motorcycle, the Vampire.

"Quickly." said Gilford. "I don't want to lose the element of surprise."

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared and the Ark stood in their midst.

"Where did he come from?" said Malloy.

"The future!" said Gilford. "Where do you think he came from?"

"Oh man, this is not good." said Chris.

"Get to your truck." said Kenny. "We'll show 'em."

"Transform vehicles." said Gilford. He pushed a button on the Tigershark's dash. The bus' roof split and folded open and the control unit slid forward. The rear roof slid back and widened. The mid roof elevated and a cannon extended.

The Iguana's body rose and folded. The front section opened up and a sawblade folded out with two cannons.

The Vampire's side pods opened up and a pair of missile launchers were revealed. The tops of the pods elevated to become vertical stabilizers. The front folded down to reveal a laser cannon.

The Ark's ramp opened and Chris drove out in his pickup. The ramp closed and the truck turned to face its attackers.

"Check this out!" said Kenny. He hit the transformation button and transformed the truck. The wheels folded down and stabilizer fins popped out of the body. The cab elevated, pivoted forward, and revealed two laser blasters. A torpedo rack extended from the roof. Unfortunately, the truck had become stuck in the middle of the desert.

"Uh oh." said Kenny. "Shoulda checked the instructions."

"Don't worry, I got you." said Chris as he parked the pickup under a tree and hit the button. Two legs extended from the bottom of the truck and lifted it into the air. The front end and roof folded down and a pair of laser blasters swung out from under the hood. A pair of missile launchers elevated from the bed. Unfortunately, he too made a slight mistake. He had parked under a branch, which he hit head-first when the truck changed form. He was knocked unconcious.

"Oh no, it looks like we're goners!" said Kenny. 

TO BE CONTINUED

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