As I stepped off the train brushing my graying hair from my face, I suddenly realized I didn’t know where I was going, or even stranger who the hell I was. Stepping aside I watched as semi well dressed people moved off the train. Sitting down on a nearby wooden bench I thought that it was a lovely antique, I’d sure hate to harm it. Huh? Where had that come from? The bench was practically brand new; there was nothing antique about it. Looking around I saw that all the people were wearing clothes that were well over several hundreds of years old. Again thoughts like that! What in the hell was going on?

A movement nearby caught my attention, a strange almost fluid moving ugh, I could only describe him as a green and slimy blob. Long thin arms and leg with a body that looked like someone had dropped a pile of ... something. Then there was the other thing no one else seemed to notice him.

“Please don’t speak; you are suffering the effects of the time dilation. When time was slowed and you moved back through it, your mind was, you might say stalled and therefore will take a bit to “catch up”. I estimate you should be fine in a few hours. The only thing is we don’t have a scheduled traveler at this period in time, most strange.” The odd looking being said to me then he pulled a strange looking tube device and pointed it at my wrist.

“Bio-chip detected, analyzing, identification confirmed, Alavis Tendril leading time councilor, unable to transverse time due to Chronos disease, at present no known effective cure. Warning councilor has high chronotons present in system, a purge is necessary to preserve his life.” A strange voice spoke from the tube device. The creature pointed the device at me again and an eerie light emitted from it bathing me.

“There sir,” the creature said, “that will help, we have discovered an abbreviated cure here just yesterday, you should be well soon.”

Shaking my head I had to admit my head was a tiny bit clearer and I did at least know that my name was Alavis. Then it hit me what kind of a name was Alavis; Christ like this day couldn’t get any weirder.

“Alright sir, follow me and I’ll get you some place you can rest and recover.” The creature said as it slowly walked away. Sighing I got up to follow it, keeping an eye on everything and everyone, though I wasn’t sure why I had a feeling I was in great danger. We walked for about five minutes then we were in front of an ancient looking hotel (again with the old terms).

The strange creature told me what to say, I figured it couldn’t hurt and was surprised when they had a room reserved for me, nice! Going up I again had a feeling of almost impending doom as I walked up the stairs to my room.

Laying down I was out almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, that’s when the terror began. The dreams were unlike anything I could remember having (which at the moment wasn’t much). I saw people lined up against a wall cut down by an energy weapon; I saw thousands of people wiped out in seconds. I swear I could hear the screams of each as they died. Jerking awake it seemed I had half of my memory back. Looking around I saw that I was in a safe house, though I didn’t see the agent I had before. Reaching out to the plain looking lamp I thumbed the base ‘til a communicator appeared.

“Agent,” I said into it, “I have need of you, please appear.”

A mere ten seconds later the same creature from before appeared, “Yes councilor? I am hoping that the cure we gave you is working though, it has to be administered each time, as the disease will reappear but for now it is gone.”

“You obviously know who I am, I am enacting a priority omega 1, the ministry was attacked, and I was put in a capsule, and sent here, I am the only member left. I therefore require your help to put right what has happened.” I told the creature.

Bowing the creature stated, “We will do all that we can sir, we cannot allow the ministry to be used against us or your people. There are 100 of my people here and I can have 1000 more in two of your hours. Please advise us as to what we need to do to rectify this situation.”

“Advise all the agents here that several of the interlopers were able to follow me before I shut all circuits from the ministry and the planet down. Beware as they are ruthless and will stop at nothing to kill me or them.” I told the creature.

Nodding, I guess it was its head, the vision went out; damn I still had too many holes in my memory! Though I knew what events had happened in my time I still couldn’t see the faces all that clear, this was bad. If I couldn’t spot the enemy I might as well walk out in the street and let them shoot me. From the little I’d heard as I was starting to fade I also knew that the men that had come after me weren’t expecting to return.

Sighing, I knew they were out to kill me; my bio-signature was the only thing keeping the bastards from accessing the time dilator. Problem was they could use it whether or not I was dead or not.

Looking out the window I tried to will my self to see the faces of all those that were involved, damn it! The time traveling effects were still clouding my mind, had I the time before I left I could have also slowed my mind to a point that it wouldn’t have to “catch up” or back as the younger time agents said.

Walking to the night stand I again thumbed the edge of the table and another hidden drawer opened. It was a good thing agents had installed these keyed to time personal DNA. Pulling a small energy weapon that looked like a small letter opener I slipped it into my pocket and walked out. I wasn’t about to just sit here and be an easy target when they came for me. Walking down the long hallway I stopped at the stairway watching as a man walked up the stairs, odd I thought the man was awfully quiet for this time period. That’s when I saw that he had on shockries a type of noise and shock absorbing shoe from my time, backing up I waited.

I almost could see the man’s name in my mind but was still a little too fuzzy yet. I watched as he moved past, his moves more like a military member than just a common citizen, adjusting the weapon I stunned him before moving out. Removing his shoes I stunned him again, leaning down I pressed the weapon to his forehead.

“I want to know why!” I growled in his ear, his panic stricken eyes darting everywhere.

“As if it matters,” came his raspy and forced reply, “you’ll be dead soon and then it won’t matter.”

“No, you’re dead, I know that you can only inhabit the bodies of your ancestors without the stabilizers, when I kill this one you and your entire family are gone, talk!” I said as I pressed the weapon now against his throat.

“You can fuck yourself big shot!” he said then tried to spit at me.

“Too bad, wrong answer! Good bye!” Firing the weapon I watched the body flare then turn to ash.

Back in the Time council chamber five people gasp, screamed, then faded, the leader cursed, if he lost too many they’d never win.

Looking down the hall way I thought I heard a sound and rolled out of the way as an energy blast scored the floor where I had been. “I’ve got him pinned down in the ancient Fairmont Hotel on the seventh floor!” I heard my pursuer say this wasn’t good I knew there were more than just four of them I had seen at least ten step into the auxiliary time capsule.

Yelling down the hall I told the man, “Your partner has already been lost as has been his family, continue and yours are next!”

“As if old man, I know you have Chronos disease you’ll be dead soon,” my assailant yelled back at me.

“You’d be surprised what you can find if you just look,” I told the man who now wore a shocked look on his face when he looked up from the device on his wrist.

“You should be dead! There’s no way you could have survived this long unless...” the man said.

Smiling, I shot at the man when he stuck his head out a little too far. Throwing himself back against the wall he screamed when my blast caught his arm which went numb. “You bastard! I’ll kill you slowly when I get you!”

“As if, you’re already feeling the numbness spreading up your arm. Soon it will spread up and down your torso; give up before you force me to end you and your line!” I shouted a reply to him. Looking around this wasn’t that good I was a little too far from the emergency escape. A moment later I heard several energy weapons, and then the man was screaming; looking out I saw several of the agents had stunned the hell out of the man.

Walking to the man I pointed my weapon at his face, growling I demanded to know why they had attacked the ministry.

“Like you’d ever care!” The man spit out at me, “The council never cares for the common man!” The man was almost shrieking.

“What are you talking about?” I asked him a little shocked that the man thought so low of the council.

“As if you don’t know! Go ahead! Kill me! It will help to stop the endless suffering of my family, the suffering they have gone through for the last 200 years thanks to the council!” He said his accusations beginning to sting a bit.

“I have never heard of this I lead the council...” I started.

“Ha! As if you’d care about what happens to the common man! You who have all that you want, safe behind your walls!” The man started to spit at me again. The agents had walked up and were starting to take him away. Stopping the head agent I told him to tend the man’s wounds but keep him secured away.

Walking out I made it down to the bottom floor before I saw two more men enter the front door heading for the stairs. Smiling I walked out the front door knowing that they’d have a much harder time finding me now. Almost all my memory had returned so I was heading to a more secure location. I should find another Time Dilator there unless they had broken the codes back at the council chamber. Walking in the store front I saw that the old man was busy so I walked to the back wall and pressed three spots on it. Opening slowly I saw that the capsule was still undisturbed. Clicking on the power unit I closed the wall and stepped into the capsule. I started to review all the records. It appeared that the death of the first agent had eliminated five people of my time.