Duncan sat at the desk, absently tapping his fingers as he stared at the computer screen, still finding it difficult to accept what the machine was telling him. He considered running the numbers a fourth time, realized it would be a waste of time, and grabbed his helmet. He pressed the intercom button on the wall and punched in the code for Adam’s room. A moment later, a groggy voice said, “Whoizzit?”

“Adam, I need to see you. It’s urgent.” Duncan could hear the slight crack in his own voice.

Adam evidently heard it as well. “Something our “friend” needs to look into?”

“I’m…not sure. Just come.”

A few moments later, the Prince of Eternia tapped on the door to Duncan’s lab, with Orko, the small court magician floating at his side. The door opened silently, and Adam spotted Duncan hunched over the Beam Blaster. He didn’t turn around, but motioned them to come over.

“Do emergencies always have to happen in the middle of the night?” Adam quipped; Duncan made no reply. He continued adjusting the large machine with an uncharacteristic impatience. “Okay, we aren’t in the mood for banter tonight,” Adam thought. “Did you find out what the problem is?” he said, gesturing at the device.

“Yes. I’ve been checking into what went wrong last week with the Beam Blaster.” Duncan frowned at the memory; with a large meteor on a direct course for Eternia, it had fallen to him to devise a way to avert the impending impact. He had quickly created a larger, more powerful version of an earlier invention, the Beam Blaster, for the task. The Blaster was to strike a specific point on the meteor’s surface, igniting an explosion powerful enough to alter the meteor’s trajectory. The plan had worked, but not on the first try.

“So that’s what you’ve been holed up in here for all this time? Was there something fouled up in there?” Adam asked, pointing again at the machine.

“No. The equipment was fine; I’ve checked it completely, three times since this morning alone.”

Adam raised an eyebrow. “What was the trouble, then?

Duncan looked up for the first time, and Adam felt a chill down his spine. There was hint of fear in his friend’s eyes, something he rarely saw. “There were no mechanical failures. The initial readings we took two weeks ago in the shuttle were correct; I triple checked those as well. The calculations I made for the beam were exact.”

“Triple checked, right?” Adam said.

A faint smile crossed Duncan’s lips. “Yes, triple checked. Do either of you know the speed of light, offhand?”

“One hundred eighty thousand miles per second, right?” Adam answered after a moment’s thought.

“So someone actually did pay attention to their science lessons; good. Orko, I notice you didn’t pipe up?”

“Uh, I studied magic back on Trolla.” Orko shrugged. “Who needed science?”

Duncan gave Orko a withering look, then continued. “I used that constant in the calculations. That’s the problem.”

Adam looked puzzled. “But the Beam Blaster is a laser. The beam should move at the speed of light, right?”

“Exactly. Except it didn’t.” The slight hint of fear had crept back onto Duncan’s face.

“That shouldn’t happen, should it?” Orko asked.

“Hardly. That’s why I was so puzzled by this. When I saw the readings after the first shot missed the meteor, they made no sense. I was even more surprised when I compensated and the beam hit the target. Those compensations would only have worked if one of the constants was adjusted.” Duncan turned back to the Beam Blaster, and his shoulder’s sagged slightly. “I’ve spent the last week running experiments and tests; there’s no doubt.” His voice almost left him. “The speed of light has changed.”

Adam shook his head. “Is that possible?”

“Obviously, yes, though I wouldn’t have thought so. The speed of light has decreased by .02345768 percent.”

“Approximately,” Adam said with a slight grin.

“Yes, approximately,” Duncan replied, dead serious.

“That doesn’t sound like much”, Orko observed.

“It’s an incredible change, Orko, because it shouldn’t be happening at all, not outside of certain extreme conditions, like a black hole…”

“Hey, what about a white hole?” Orko interrupted. “We’ve seen one of those before!”

“I very seriously doubt it. Nothing I’ve ever encountered could explain what’s happening. This is bad, Adam, very bad.” The color drained from Duncan’s face ever so slightly, something that sent another chill through the prince’s body.

Orko shrugged again. “Why is it so bad? All we have to do is change the science books, right?”

Duncan sighed, and glared at the hovering Trollan. “Orko, a basic law of physics has just changed without reason,” he said, more than a little exasperation in his voice. “ And it’s not the only one.”

“Something else is out of whack?” Adam asked, his voice deepening noticeably.

“Several things. I discovered some other discrepancies during my tests. Some chemical reactions aren’t coming out quite right, energy outputs are slightly off. Physical properties are changing, and I don’t know why.”

“So the laws of physics are being altered somehow?” The body was still Adam’s, but the voice was now definitely the baritone of He-Man.

“More than that, lad. If what I’m beginning to suspect is right…,” Duncan hesitated, “… I think they’re breaking down.”

Adam stood there for moment, silent. He wasn’t sure what frightened him more, Duncan’s revelation, or the tone in his friend’s voice as he made it. “The laws of physics are breaking down,” he repeated. “What can we do?”

Duncan could manage no more than a shrug. “I’m not sure yet. We need to find out what’s happening and why.”

“Does this mean it’s time to go to the Sorceress?” Orko asked hesitantly.

His only answer was Duncan grabbing the Trollan’s arm as he and Adam bolted out the door.

In the gym, Ror, Teela’s second in command of the Royal Guard, balanced himself on the parallel bars, shifting his weight from one hand to the other, effortlessly maintaining his balance as his legs stretched above him. He pulled them down to his chest, then thrust them up and back, launching himself into the air. He landed lightly on the balls of his feet, but then almost toppled over when the air was split by the loud, insistent buzzing of the intercom system. With his sensitive hearing, the sound was incredibly annoying, almost painful. He grumbled, and trotted over to the far wall, hitting the intercom button while still in mid-stride. “Yes?”

“Clamp Champ, sir?” Ror involuntarily winced at the name; by the Ancients, he hated that moniker. He recognized the voice; it was one of the Royal Guardsmen, Rhyna, a young woman from the outer provinces who had only completed her training a few weeks before. She sounded a little uncertain, and Ror realized his reply had been a bit more than terse. “What is it, Lieutenant?” He tried to keep a level tone; she was already terrified of him (for some reason, he always seemed to intimidate the new recruits) and there was no sense scaring her out of the Guard just because he was annoyed at the com system.

“Uh, Man-at-Arms wants you to join him and He-Man at Grayskull ASAP, sir.”

“Tell him I’ll meet them there.” He started to turn, but then hit the com button again. “Thanks, Lieutenant.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” she replied, seeming a bit surprised at his courtesy. Ror decided he was definitely going to find out what these kids were being told about him during training, and when he did, someone was going to have a real reason to be afraid of him. “KP for the next forty years,” he mumbled to himself as he charged out into the corridor.

He sprinted to his quarters, and almost bowled Ram Man over as he rounded a corner.

“Whoa, sorry, Rammy,” he apologized.

“Hey, no problem. I should watch where you’re going,” Ram Man said, adjusting his ever-present helmet.

Ror cocked an eyebrow, and smiled. “You wanna run that by me again?”

Ram Man shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t help much for me to watch where I’m going, ‘cause I still trip over stuff. So I figure maybe it’ll work better if I watch where everybody else is going.”

“Okay, that actually seems to make a strange sort of sense,” Ror said with a lopsided grin. “And that scares me.” He gave Ram Man a friendly slap on the shoulder, and took off again.

“Take care, Clamp,” Ram Man said, waving.

Ror sighed again at the name. He often found himself wishing he’d never come up with the idea for his weapon. The large device with the clamp on the end that had become his trademark, though often referred to as “that ridiculous toy” by Skeletor, was in fact one of the more advanced weapons in the Guard’s arsenal. In addition the clamp, (which was actually used more often for rescue operations than capturing villains, contrary to popular opinion), it was equipped with a variable intensity laser, a strong tension line, concussion grenades, and a titanium/corodite alloy shell that was practically impervious. He had come up with the basic concept and designs, but it took Man-at-Arms technical wizardry to create the device. When he first presented it to the King and Queen, she joked that his quickly acquired skill with the weapon made him a “clamp champ.” King Randor took an immediate liking to the name, and officially saddled him with it from that point on. Much as he respected and loved Eternia’s rulers, he had never quite been able to forgive them for that. However, since he felt there was nothing he could really do to change things, he did what he usually did: fumed about it for a while, and then focused his energies on his duties.

He bolted into his room, and quickly grabbed his chest armor and the clamp, then headed for the hangar to pick up a battle ram, slipping into his armor as he went. He slid the clamp into the built-in holders on the back, where he could easily reach and retrieve the large but surprisingly light weapon. When he arrived scant moments later at the hangar, Teela was already there waiting.

“Evening, Captain,” he said as he trotted over to her. “You got the call, too?”

“Yes,” she replied. “My father stopped by my quarters and told me to meet him at Grayskull with you. I buzzed your quarters, but you weren’t there. I told Rhyna to find you.”

“I was in the gym,” he explained. “Had to work off some energy.”

Teela smiled. “Don’t you ever run out of steam?”

Ror shrugged. “Curse of a metabolism on overdrive.”

“Better you than me, I suppose,” she said, then gestured over to the battle ram. “I’ve got the ram prepped, so we’d better get moving fast.” Teela turned and motioned for Ror to follow.

“What’s the crisis?” Ror asked.

“I’m not sure”, Teela answered. “But my father said it was important to get to Grayskull as soon as we can.”

Ror detected a hint of worry in her voice. “You think it’s something really bad?”

Teela shook her head. “I think so. I’ve…never seen my father look like that before.”

“Look how?”

Teela stopped and turned to Ror. “He looked nervous, Ror. Almost… frightened.”

Ror stopped dead. “Your father, scared?” He looked down, then met Teela’s eyes. “Anything that can scare Duncan…”

“I know. Which means we’d better not waste any time getting to the castle.”

Teela climbed into the pilot’s seat, and Ror hopped onto the back of the ram; the large ground vehicle roared to life, and the two warriors set a course for Grayskull.

*********************************************************************

Duncan brought the wind raider down in front of Grayskull, and he, Adam, and Orko hopped out. “Teela and Ror should be here any minute, lad,” Duncan said.

“And they’re expecting He-Man. Right.” Adam stepped away from the raider and pulled his word from the sheath on his vest. Raising it above his head, he spoke the words familiar to all present: “By the power of Grayskull!” He was bathed in mystical energies for a moment, then a blinding flash of light hid him from view for an instant. When the light subsided, where Adam had stood was He-Man, holding the power sword before him, his voice echoing, “I have the Power!!!”

As He-Man lowered his sword, he looked past Grayskull, and noticed a number of dark storm clouds forming, an unusual sight during what was normally the dry season. He glanced at Duncan, who nodded. “Atmospheric disturbances on the rise over the past two weeks or so,” he noted.

He-Man was about to ask if there was a connection to their current problems when the wind suddenly increased, accompanied by a low hum. The hum grew louder, sounding like music, and the air a few yards away from them started to shimmer, then almost seemed to turn in on itself. A swirling vortex appeared, and out stepped a diminutive man-creature dressed in robes and a coat, a shock of unruly red hair fanning out atop his head. In his hand was a large devices with numerous keys and buttons, and a spinning apparatus at it’s top.

“Gwildor! What brings you to Grayskull?” He-Man asked, recognizing the small techno-wizard.

“Off-hand, I’d wager the same thing that brings you,” Gwildor replied. “Strange things are happening on Eternia, you know.”

“We noticed,” He-Man said with a wry grin. “Any ideas what’s causing it?”

The Thenurian shook his head. “Not a clue. I was hoping the Sorceress might have some ideas.”

“That’s why we’re here!” Orko chimed in. He floated over, and in a low, conspiratorial tone said, “Did you know the speed of light has changed?”

Gwildor’s thick brow furrowed. “No, but that might explain some things. What other effects have you noticed on the electromagnetic spectrum?”

Orko’s eyes went glazed. “Uh, well, I…I think it’s still there, you know, where it’s supposed to be, sort of…”

Gwildor looked puzzled for a moment, sighed, and then turned from Orko to Duncan. “Perhaps this would be a good time to talk to the Sorceress.”

“I think so,” replied Duncan, shooting another withering look in Orko’s direction. They headed towards the castle, and He-Man couldn’t suppress a grin as he passed Orko. “Who needed science, eh?”

“Phooey,” Orko snorted, then followed the others. As they approached the great jawbridge, the entrance to Grayskull, they paused as Teela and Ror pulled up in the battle ram.

“Sorry we took so long. Overland’s not as fast as air routes,” Teela said as she climbed off the ram. She looked at the clouds, now darker than before. “Don’t usually have something like that brewing this time of year.” She turned to He-Man. “So what’s the emergency?”

“We’re not quite sure yet; that’s why we’re here.” He-Man raised his sword again, and his voice boomed. “By the power of Grayskull, I command the Jawbridge…open!!”

“I love it when he does that,” Orko beamed.

As the jawbridge lowered, Gwildor turned to Ror. “Clamp Champ, my friend, good to see you again!”

Ror glowered at him. “Glad you think so, short stuff.”

“Now, you’re still not holding a grudge over those little adjustments I made to your clamp after all this time?”

Ror stopped, and stooped down until his nose was an inch from Gwildor’s. “Number one, you didn’t ask. Number two, it nearly took my arm with it when it overloaded. And number three, if you ever mess with my equipment again, I’m going to glue your gill slits shut!” Ror rose, and stormed past Gwildor. The Thenurian shook his head and followed. “One little mistake…” he muttered.

The group entered the castle and followed the main corridor to the inner chambers. Teela couldn’t suppress a small smile as she lightly brushed her hand against the wall. When she was younger, she always dreamed of one day entering Grayskull and learning it’s mysterious secrets; now, even though she came her often, she never quite got over the thrill of actually being in the castle, a privilege reserved for few. She also felt something else here, something she could never quite explain, almost an affinity for the place. She thought at times it was because the Sorceress seemed so gracious whenever they came, made her feel so at home. But it somehow seemed to go deeper than that, something she knew she must someday bring up to the Sorceress. Not today, however; her father’s quest seemed quite urgent. “Father, what’s wrong here? You’ve been spending night and day in the lab for a week; does this have something to do with whatever you were working on?”

“Yes, Teela, it does.” He began expalaining his findings, and Gwildor joined in the discussion.

Ror turned to He-Man. “You know what happens when those three start talking science?”

“We won’t be able to understand a word they say for the next hour or so,” He-Man chuckled.

By the time they reached the main chamber, Teela was noticeably alarmed at the revelations. “This isn’t good.”

“It’s disasterous!” Gwildor exclaimed. “I had to modify half a dozen tones just to let the Key bring me here! And it wasn’t a smooth ride, either, let me tell you!”

“You haven’t been messing up reality with that thing again, have you?” Ror asked accusingly.

“Not at all, not at all. The Cosmic Key only allows me to tap into the harmony of the universe. You know that.” Gwildor shook his finger at Ror.

“I know ever time I see that thing, there’s trouble,” Ror retorted.

The banter was suddenly interrupted by the screech of a falcon from overhead. The mighty bird descended to the high throne at the back of the room, and with a shimmer of magic, transformed into the Soceress of Grayskull. “Greetings, my friends. I’m glad you have come.”

Duncan stepped forward. “Then you’re aware of what’s happening?”

“Yes , Duncan, I am. Though I do not know who or what is responsible, I do know there is danger.” She sat down on the throne, and gestured for the group to come closer. “You have noticed certain…anomalies over the past week or so?”

“Physical laws seem to be unstable. Gwildor found the same thing,” Duncan said.

“The laws of physics are weakening, yes, and I believe I know why. Some force is actually draining Eternia of it’s magic.”

He-Man stroked his chin. “From Grayskull?”

She shook her head. “No, He-Man, from the planet itself. Our world’s magical energy is being siphoned off.”

“But how is that affecting the scientific laws?” Duncan asked.

“Science and magic, they’re two parts of the same thing, Duncan, “ Gwildor broke in. “Magic is a force of nature, just like inertia or friction.”

“Gwildor is correct,” the Sorceress continued. “Magic is an element of all things; remove it, and even the laws of physics are affected. They cannot function without it.”

“So if too much magic is drained from Eternia, everything else starts breaking down.” He-Man looked over at Duncan. “You weren’t kidding when you said this was bad.”

“And I’m betting I know who’s responsible,” Teela said through gritted teeth.

“Tall, ornery, and in desperate need of a face?” Ror quipped.

“It may well be Skeletor,” the Sorceress interrupted, “but there are others on Eternia capable of this, as well.”

“So you think it’s not a natural phenomenon?” Duncan asked.

“No, I don’t believe so. There’s a malevolence I sense in this,” she said.

“Oh, it’s malevolent, all right.”

Everyone started at the strange voice from behind them. He-Man whirled around, whipping out his sword. Teela was beside him almost instantly, her battle staff drawn. “Who are you?!! And how did you get into Grayskull?!!” she demanded before He-Man could utter a sound.

The two intruders stepped forward. One was a Thenurian like Gwildor, but a head taller. Though dressed in the traditional robe and coat of his people, he also wore a bandolier packed with numerous weapons. On his back was a scabbard housing a good sized sword. The sleeves of the coat were tight, and the rippling muscles beneath them were visible as he moved. Two noticeable scars marred the left side of his face. Not the normal picture of a peaceful Thenurian, he was obviously a warrior who had seen battle more than once. The other was a tall man wearing a long cloak and hood. He pulled the hood back to reveal long gray hair with small flecks of brown, a face with square yet gentle features, and intense brown eyes. He seemed a bit older than Duncan, but as the robe parted, it was obvious he was as powerfully built as his companion. His voice was strong, but low. Nonetheless, it was commanding, and there was a presence about him as he spoke. “I’m no threat to you, my friends. I have some information you need, and I want to help you deal with this problem.”

“You still haven’t answered me,’ Teela pointed out, her body still tensed.

“My friend is Weldon; my name’s Greystar. As to how we got in, would you believe you left the door open?” He smiled.

Teela wasn’t amused. “No, I wouldn’t.”

“I think you’d better explain yourself right now,” He-Man said, stepping toward the two intruders. His movements weren’t threatening, but he left no doubt that answers were expected.

“He-Man, right?” Greystar asked. He-Man- nodded silently. “We came in through the jawbridge.”

“It closed behind us. Care to try again?” Teela said. She was once more directly beside He-Man.

“It opened for me,” Greystar insisted. “Look, you have nothing to fear from me; I really am one of the good guys. From what I know, the castle can distinguish between good and evil, right?” The two warriors nodded. “If I were evil, the castle’s defenses would have activated, and we’d be running through the woods, screaming like Banshees. The defenses didn’t activate, so we can’t be evil, right?”

Teela glared at him. He-Man was far from convinced, as well.

Greystar sighed. “Look, we don’t have time for this.” He moved forward, but found his path quickly blocked by the assembled heroes. He gestured for the Sorceress to join him. “Sorceress, please, a moment?”

He-Man glanced back at the guardian of Grayskull, and shook his head “no”.

The Sorceress looked at Greystar, and locked onto his eyes. He returned the gaze without a flinch. “Very well,” she said at last.

“Sorceress, is that a good idea?” Teela said, still planted directly in Greystar’s path.

“I sense no danger from him. If he does have information, he may be of help.” She walked down the steps from the throne, and over to the stranger. He motioned for her to place her hand on his head. She did, and closed her eyes just as he did. Her brow furrowed for a moment, then her eyes sprang open. She removed her hand, and stepped back, smiling. “He is a friend,” she stated.

He-Man immediately relaxed and sheathed his sword; Teela, however, kept her staff in one hand and her eyes fixed on Greystar. “Are you sure?” she asked.

“Teela, if the Sorceress says it’s alright, we can trust him,” Duncan assured her.

“Okay,” she responded, obviously still not convinced.

Greystar turned to her. “Please, Teela. There’s a lot at stake here, and I need all of you. Just give me the benefit of the doubt for now.” He seemed sincere to her, but the staff remained in her hand.

“You said you had information,” He-Man prodded.

“Yes, I do. I’ll explain on the way.” He started for the corridor, waving for the others to follow him.

He-Man looked at the Sorceress. “Sorceress…” he began.

“Go with him, He-Man. He needs you. And we need him.”

He-Man gave a quick nod and turned to follow Greystar. The others followed him.

“Um, just where are we going?” Gwildor asked.

Weldon replied, speaking for the first time. “We need to see a snake about some stones.”