Time Orb, by Libra

Chapter 2
Time Orb, Part 2

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Chapter Description: By Libra

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The next use of the Time Orb came up only a week later on a Friday afternoon. Shawn’s normal routine never changed over the years as he made his way to his friend’s house.

“Heard about the big party?” Shawn said as he took his place on the other side of Norman’s desk.

“Who hasn’t.” Norman said sarcastically. Norman thought how he heard Amy’s best friend Cindy was throwing a party while her parents are away.

“You got an invite?” Norman asked already knowing the answer.

“Tony invited me. You should come too. Here is your big chance to meet some girls.” Shawn said with a excited voice.

“Or get my head pounded in. Me and you are bound to be some of the youngest teens there.” Norman thought bitterly as he recalled how much taller some of older kids were.

“Not if we use...” Shawn said then was irrupted.

“Let me guess. The T.O. again.” Norman said glancing quickly at his desk drawer.

“You did fix the last bug in it didn’t you?” Shawn asked, his voice losing its happiness.

“Yeah, Turned out it was just a bad battery. Caused a power surge which made us continue to get younger.” Norman said almost as unconcerned as he could.

“Excellent then. Since neither of us can drive yet, Tony’s going to give us a ride there. Don’t worry man. Just stay away from any of Brad’s friends and you will be ok. Besides they are not going to cause any trouble there.” Shawn explained as if Norman had just agreed.

“Look Shawn. There is a lot about this orb I don’t understand. If we keep doing this both of us or one of us could wind up in diapers or worse.” Norman said hoping his warning this time might have some effect.

“Granted I had some close calls, but I returned to normal every time. If I ever get stuck as a baby or a old man just make sure I get a pretty babysitter or nurse. ” Shawn joked.

“You NEVER take anything seriously. Follow me.” Norman said with his anger rising. Norman just had to show him how dangerous it could be.

Quietly and without a word Shawn followed Norman downstairs and all the way to the basement room. Norman gave him a signal to move forward only after he switched off a baby monitor.

“Norman? What are you going to show me?” Shawn said with a little fear in his voice.

“My mom.” Norman said stepping back from the doorway.

Shawn stepped forward and saw a baby girl in just a diaper sleeping in a playpen. The sound of Norman’s voice had awaken her in the usually dark quiet environment.

“Hey Mrs Pits.” Shawn said in a whisper, bending down to her level.

The baby girl only stared in a curious way that told Shawn she didn’t know him.

“She’s been like that for months now. She’s growing at the normal rate of any baby, but her adult mind isn’t there at the moment and there is a chance that she will have to grow up all over again.” Norman said as tears threatened to leave his eyes.

“Oh wow. I’m sorry I didn’t take you seriously. Is there any chance for her?” Shawn said in a tone that was truthful for once.

“My dad is next door working on it. I hardly see him anymore. Maggie’s been doing all the housework and cooking our meals. She always takes my dad’s plate to his lab next door. I even tried to restore her to normal myself, but failed. Only thing that might help is using the device. The more I use it with you the more I am learning.” Norman confessed in a whispered tone.

The baby girl in the playpen was getting upset and her face screwed up as she started to bawl. The wet diaper she had was making her very cold despite the heated basement.

Quickly Norman switched on the baby monitor and ran with Shawn upstairs back to his room. They had just shut the basement door when the lab door unlocked and opened.

“All this time and you never told me.” Shawn said puffing as he entered Norman’s room again.

“There was nothing you could do.” Norman said coldly.

“Besides being a unwilling test subject I could have offered my moral support.” Shawn said quickly.

“You’re right. I should have told you sooner, but my dad just wanted to keep this a family secret.” Norman said, looking ashamed with himself.

“Water under the bridge.” Shawn said after a second or two of thought. “So what bugs have you not worked out yet.” Shawn added quietly.

“Main bug I’ve been trying to fix is the unstableness of the power. You know as well as I do that the smallest power spike or drop can have a horrible result.” Norman said taking his own computer seat.

“So it takes up all the power in the battery if it gets used a lot. ” Shawn said trying to grasp the problem.

“Kinda, but you got the basic problem. The signal of the beam that tells the cells to revert to certain age might send the wrong information.” Norman said to simplify things.

“Check. Don’t overuse.” Shawn said more to himself as a mental note.

“One good thing I’ve been able to do is put some safety commands to prevent the device from going completely nuts if there is power flux. Just some age limits so no one reverts back to nothing or ages to dust.” Norman said as his emotions were back to calm levels.

“Ok, So tell me everything. I might be able to throw some ideas your way or at least think it over.” Shawn said leaning over to show he wanted to help out as much as possible.

For the next hour Norman told him everything he knew. From how the device worked to all the problems he fixed. After Norman exhausted the details of the orb Shawn slipped in the party again to the conversation.

“Well the more field testing we do, the more idea I can get of how to master it and work out all the problems.” Norman said in a tone of consideration.

“In the name of science and a little bit of fun. I will willingly suffer any ill effects of the device.” Shawn said in a serious voice without a hint humor in it.

“I accept your offer and thanks.” Norman said seriously. Trying his best to keep his face from smiling.

“Thank me later when your life is back to normal. ” Shawn said now leaning back in his seat.

“So lets discuss the party.” Norman said to Shawn’s slightly surprised face.

Norman had just slipped on his new larger shoes he had picked out earlier that day when Tony’s van horn sounded just outside. Norman told his dad he was going out with some friends and would be back later before he used the device on himself and Shawn. This measure of safety was almost pointless because his dad never opened the door to the lab, but talked in a loud voice through it.

“Shawn wasn’t kidding when he said you look older with those clothes.” Tony said in a joking tone as he climbed in the back. Shawn was in the only other seat in the van right next to Tony.

“It’s the shoes. They make me look a little taller.” Norman said weakly.

“So boys, are you ready to get some fine young ladies numbers?” Tony said as he checked his dread locks in the rear view mirror.

“Oh yeah.” Shawn said in almost a shout.

“What’s your type Norman? I keep a eye out for you and maybe hook you up.” Tony said turning his head slightly to get a better look at him.

“If it’s female its his type.” Shawn said before going into loud laughter.

“Then it should be a good night for all of us.” Tony said in between laughs.

Even Norman joined in the amusement by mentioning Shawn’s type.

“Your still hung over about Amy? Man, don’t let Brad find out. He will kill you if he even thinks you looked at her.” Tony said after hearing Norman’s strike back at Shawn.

Conversation turned to music and movies after different girls were discussed. Finally they were there.

“Just meet me back here when the party dies down.” Tony said before getting out and locking the van up after his friends got out.

“We’ll do.” Shawn said with a grin and made his way just behind Tony up to the house.

Norman ran up to walk side by side with Shawn.

“Just relax and avoid you know who. Besides you’re a few years older now. Little taller and little bigger.” Shawn said trying to give some courage to Norman.

“Yeah, but I’m sure Brad and his friends are still bigger than both of us.” Norman said as they reached the front door.

“First mission is test the aging effect of the orb and our second mission is to be teens.” Shawn said as they finally caught up with Tony at the door.

“First party?” Tony asked as he saw Shawn saying something to Norman.

“First one with girls.” Shawn said ringing the doorbell.

Tony only grinned and looked forward to the door as it opened.

A cute and slightly nerd-like girl named Sharon greeted them at the door. Tony gave a quick introduction for Sharon before he joined the crowd of people inside within seconds.

Norman and Shawn fell back to put their coats in the closet by the front door.

“I just hope the device doesn’t screw up again. I don’t like the idea of turning into a old man.” Shawn confessed quietly as he put his coat on a hanger.

“Don’t worry. Even if it does I bought it along me tonight. It’s here in my coat pocket.” Norman said in a quiet whisper and pointed to his inside pocket before taking his coat off.

“Good idea.” Shawn said as he turned and joined the crowd of noisy teens.

Norman had a good as time as Shawn did. It seemed that Sharon had taken a likely to him and Norman thought she was cute. There were talking happily as they discussed latest computer upgrades they got for their own computer.

Neither Shawn nor Norman had noticed that Brad Johnson and his friends had arrived. It’s seemed Brad never went anywhere without at least two of his football buddies. This made it easier for the football star to pick on the smaller kids. No one was ever crazy enough to say no to him or fight him. The worst thing Brad would do to unsuspecting kids was tripping them in the cafeteria and causing their food to land in their face or body.

Brad always thought himself as the greatest prankster of all time. He even thought it was just a bit of laugh as he tossed down two new looking coats to put up his coat in the closet. A strange thump sound made him look down. A plastic looking ball no bigger than a baseball had rolled out of the pocket.

Brad’s friends were busy making their own to the food table to notice that Brad was still at the closet door.

As fast as lightning Brad picked it up. After a quick study of it he thought it was some kind of digital camera and this alone gave him a evil idea.

It was only minutes after Brad found the device before he was in the upstairs bathroom. He had decided to fill up the camera with nude shots of himself. He decided to make them close-ups of his crotch.

Brad just clicked the button and aimed the round cam at himself on his closed zipper. Next shot the zipper would be opened.

Besides a creepy feeling that his skin was crawling Brad saw no flash or heard a beep to acknowledge a picture had been taken. Looking at the digital display he saw the number 16 in between two buttons shaped like arrows. Pressing the arrows a few times he took it down to 10 before trying again. Still nothing happened to give any sign that it had even worked.

“Piece of junk.” Brad said to himself before putting the device on the bathroom counter. A bath towel prevented it from rolling off.

Brad was nearly done using the bathroom when he noticed something strange about his clothes. The sweater he had been wearing felt heavy and everything piece of his clothes felt baggy now.

Looking in the mirror he received a shock. A much younger and fresher looking face was staring back at him. Brad’s pants and boxers fell at that moment and he saw to his utter disgust that his dick had gotten a lot smaller than just a few minutes ago.

“What the hell?” Brad said aloud and was taken back at the sound of his own voice.

“I’m turning into a little kid.” Brad silently realized as he looked at his reflection. A half naked 10-year-old boy stared back at him in the bathroom mirror. He had to crane back his neck to see the image.

Looking down at the round device Brad realized with a grin what had made him younger.

Setting the device back to his own age of 17 years-old he pocketed the orb in his pocket. Soon the old brad was back and now fully dress.

‘Time to have some fun.’ Brad thought to himself as he opened the door and made his way downstairs.

‘With this I can do anything I want.’ Brad thought as he went down the steps, feeling the device in his hand, yet careful not to touch any of the buttons.

Dreams and fantasies of turning rival footballs players into kids and getting revenge on anyone who even slightly bugged him raced through his mind.

When Brad reached the bottom of the steps he saw his first victim. An overweight girl whose name escaped him at the moment.

‘Lets make her a little easier on the eye. She had at the very least been a cute little girl once.’ Brad thought as he adjusted the device.

Brad fired the device and no one noticed his actions. Brad moved away grinning, knowing that in a few minutes the effects would begin to work.

Brad moved around now firing at certain girls that had called him immature or turned him down on a date before he became a football star. His choice of their new ages were all under the pre-teen level.

Brad looked back at the crowd as he reached the very end of the room. The fat girl had excused herself to the bathroom and hadn’t come out yet.

Other girls were just now trying to readjust their clothes. Straps and pants were starting to slip down.

Brad made his way back around the teen groups and took even more shots. Now aiming for all the other teen boys who made higher grades than he did.

Brad was just about to fire the device at little nerdy Norman when Amy stepped in front of him.

“Hey Brad, been looking for me?” Amy said sweetly thinking her boyfriend had been searching for her all this time.

“Yeah.” Brad said trying to put the round device back in his pocket. Amy had put her arms around his neck and was very close to his own body.

“What’s that?” Amy said then stepping back to look at his hand.

“Just a camera I got.” Brad said, finally putting in his pocket.

“Few pictures of the good times huh?” Amy said, a little surprised by Brad’s behavior. For once he wasn’t giving her his full attention.

“Something’s on your mind?” Amy asked as she looked where he was looking.

“I’ll show you later. I think it’s time for me to go home.” Brad said in a dismissive tone.

“Fine. I think I will leave too.” Amy said, a little angry by Brad’s tone.

Brad had just followed Amy out begging not to be angry with him when some of the teenage girls noticed something was wrong with their bodies and not just their clothes.

Screams and crying were the first sounds everyone heard at first. The shock of seeing friends and other high school students suddenly become younger caused a panic. Norman just managed to pull Sharon out of the way as a group teen made a dash for the door. A girl in the back of the group tripped over her now oversized pants.

Chairs and tables hit the floor as teens panicked and ran for every exit. Some of the teens thought a fire had broken out and ran with their classmates. The glass door in the back of the house shattered to pieces as a teen boy was pushed through it by other teens.

People were slipping and sliding on spilled drinks and food as they rushed out. Tony and Shawn could be seen back against the wall looking for the source of trouble.

“Where’s the fire?” Tony said keeping his head for the moment.

“I Don’t think it is a fire.” Shawn said, seeing a little girl in teen clothing now crying her eyes out in the middle of the empty room.

“Where did all these kids come from?” Tony asked now seeing kids who looked like they were playing dress up.

“I think we should get out of here. I don’t think we should stay any longer.” Shawn said, making his way toward the front door. Only Sharon and Norman were left by the exit now.

“Oh my god. Those kids were teens.” Tony said as he watched a boy lose a few more years as he passed the corner.

“Come on.” Shawn said, pushing Tony toward the door.

Norman barely had enough sense to grab his coat before they were out the door.

“Did you see Norman? People were getting younger in there.” Tony asked with such disbelief that he needed someone else to confirm it.

Norman was too busy searching his pockets in vain and hoping against all his fears that he was wrong.

The remaining teens were scattering to their cars while former teens, now half naked children, begged for their friends not to leave them behind. Only a few children managed to get a ride out of there.

Norman jumped into Tony’s van under the random sounds of cars banging into each other trying to get out of the driveway first.

“Think it was in the punch?” Tony asked as he drove over the lawn and on to the road as a blue car followed him out. Tony was busy checking himself in the mirror to see if any changes were happening.

“I didn’t see anyone do anything to the punch bowl.” Sharon said from the back of van. She had jumped in the back with the boys because her friend that had bought her already left just seconds before she was outside.

Tony and Shawn looked surprised to see Sharon in the back. Norman had thought they knew she had followed him out.

“It was like something of a horror movie. I don’t think it was a prank or someone slipping some drugs in our drinks.” Tony said making a sharp right onto side road.

In the distance cop cars and fire trucks were racing down the road toward the house. Someone must have dialed 911 with their cell phone. An ambulance raced by Tony’s van as he turned on the main road.

“I think it’s best for us to get back home. Maybe the cops will have everything sorted out in the morning.” Tony said with little hope in his voice.

The other three teens fully agreed. Much of the trip was in silence with random movements of Tony or Sharon checking their reflection.

Finally Tony drop Norman and Shawn at Norman’s house after he dropped Sharon at her home.

“What happened back there? Did the device go nuts or something?” Shawn asked as they entered the living room, eyeing Norman’s coat.

“No, the time orb is gone. Someone stole it and used it at the party.” Norman said quickly while thinking back to anyone who might have it.

“Who?” Shawn asked.

“I don’t know. I left it in my coat so it had be someone who was near the closet just before all the trouble started.” Norman explained.

“Whoever has it knows exactly how to work it and what it does. Those teens that were hit were all certain ages or less by the time the effects were finished..” Shawn said and remember how one of girls were crying her eyes out.

“The police is involved now. They will track down whoever it is.” Shawn said hopefully.

Norman gave his friend a look of pity and said nothing.

“What?” Shawn asked innocently.

“Whoever has the device can make themselves any age they want or other people any age they want them to be. Even if the person is discovered it’s most likely that he or she will age them into an infant or a old person.” Norman explained.

Shawn cussed loudly and paced the room a bit.

“Ok, it had to be someone who came after us or left after we arrived. Did you notice anyone behind us or see anyone leave?” Norman said after thinking it through.

“I saw Brad and Amy leave, but neither of them had a coat on. They went straight out the door.“ Shawn said, still thinking hard for any other clues he saw.

“Only two new people I saw enter the room was Paul and Tim. Two of Brad’s football buddies. They normally wear coats.” added Norman hopeful that his mind would give an answer.

“If it’s in one of the football players hands then we are screwed. Something like that in one of those guys hands...” Shawn said more to himself than Norman.

“I think we just have to wait and see. I’m going to work on a way to make another device or finding the original itself. When Monday comes and we’re both at school do you think you can get the info on who was at the party that night?” Norman asked and looked eagerly at Shawn.

“Well, it won’t be easy, but I think I can at least do that.” Shawn said, now stopped dead in his pace.

“If he or she did that to his own classmates I wonder what he will do to the teachers.” Norman said as if it was a riddle to solve. Shawn looked at him for a second and figured Norman was trying to see a pattern.

“I’m going to bounce out of here and go home to watch the news for any leads.” Shawn said before making his way toward the door.

After a goodbye and good luck Norman was back in his room working furiously on a way to beat the time orb.

Meanwhile.

Brad was driving himself home. After a few angry words with girlfriend she had drove off before he could told her about the strange ball-like device. Questions were in raging in his mind on who made it and why. Did a guy like him just stumble across it like he did? Brad was wondering so much he hardly noticed he was home already.

To his dislike he saw his dad’s new girlfriend car sitting outside.

Slipping the device in his pocket he got out of his car and went inside. A cheerful hi from his dad’s girlfriend Lulu and a hey from his dad was the first thing he heard after hearing the tv.

Brad only walked past them ignoring them as usual.

“He will grow out of it.” was all Brad heard before he shut his room door.

A few minutes later a knock came at Brad’s door.

“Yeah?” Brad asked almost unconcerned.

Lulu came in, smiling as normal.

“Hey Brad.” She said as she entered the room.

“What do you want?” Brad said with some hostile tone.

“Look. Like it or not, me and your father are in love. I may become your new step mom. I thought we could at very least get along. ” Lulu said, getting straight to the point.

“Yeah, whatever.” Brad replied unconcerned by what she had to say and now played with the orb device in his hands.

“I know I am only half his age and it must be weird for you to see a girl nearly your age going out with your dad. ” Lulu said, just now seeing what Brad was playing with.

“Some kind of camera?” Lulu asked now slightly distracted from the main topic of the conversation.

“Yeah, here let me take your picture.” Brad said before holding the device up to his right and pretending to snap a shot.

 

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