THE MOMENT
"You want to know about Tim?" Mundo asked to make sure she'd heard the question correctly. The green-haired girl knew next to nothing about the old man and she wondered why Turbo came to her. He found her in the school library reading on her own and sat down next to her. She'd only taken Tim's class once to see what it was like; but, she didn't find time travel interesting.
"Well, I want to know more about Muertes," Turbo shrugged. "He's the strongest one I can think of, so I wondered what you knew about him." Mundo shook her head.
"I can't tell you much," she said. During the one class she took, Tim spent a lot of time talking about his own history; and, he had a lot of it. "He's not the kindly old grandfather everybody thinks he is. He likes talking about a time long gone. Kings and emperors sought his allegiance, and queens and princesses begged for his hand in marriage," Mundo said.
"Begged?" Turbo chuckled. "The old guy that wears black socks with sandals and shorts?" Mundo giggled but she nodded.
"What do you want to learn about Muertes exactly?" Mundo asked. Turbo shrugged.
"Not sure," he said. He glanced around the quiet library. There were other students around; but, far enough that their conversation wasn't bothering anyone. Still, he leaned closer and placed a node on the table in front of her. She tilted her head as soon as she laid eyes on it.
"Muerte... A.I.?" she asked. She saw a golden aura of an hour glass around the the node; but, she knew it couldn't be a person. An A.I. was the only thing that made sense, and she wasn't new to the idea. She'd met some A.I.s herself. Turbo nodded.
"Say hi, Chronos," Turbo said.
"Good afternoon," a smooth, masculine voice came from the node.
"Hello, Chronos," Mundo said.
"Chronos prefers to be an integrated A.I. instead of having his own body," Turbo shrugged. "I'm just learning what I can about Muertes to make sure I can give him a comfortable environment."
"I can give you general stuff you probably already know. But, if you want real insights, you have a few options. Tim is the easiest to corner into a conversation, but all you'll get is stories of the old days. And then there's Billy. Know him?" Mundo asked. Turbo shook his head.
"He's the Muerte from Ballisea's Court. So, S-infinite tier like her. He's more powerful than Tim, but also pretty impossible to find," Mundo said.
"Thanks," Turbo grinned. He retrieved Chronos from the table but Mundo continued.
"And then there's Janet," she said.
"Janet?" Turbo repeated the name when it sounded familiar. He'd never met her, but did hear Riot mention her name. "Dara's cat?" he asked. Mundo nodded.
"She's easy to talk to and at least as talented at controlling time as Tim. She hides her tier, but she's up there." Turbo chuckled.
"Great. I'll start there," he said. Mundo looked into his eyes and gently shook her head.
"Tim would be more useful," she said.
"Huh? Why?" This time Mundo glanced around to check their privacy. They were still relatively isolated, but she still leaned in close to his ear.
"According to Dara, not a single thing Janet says can be trusted."