3
INT REVISIONS LABS - “Glitches and Bugs”
On the other side of the vault door a man peeks his head out before pushing it open the rest of the way. He is a tall bearded man with dark, mirrored goggles.
JANUS
Welcome, agent. Or should I say ex-agent?
AGENT
What is this place?
JANUS
This is Revisions. My name is Janus. Let me give you a quick tour before we get to business.
AGENT
And what business is that?
JANUS
A job offer. You are in need of one if I’m not mistaken.
AGENT
It depends on the kind of job.
JANUS
You are specialized in armement recovery. I have an assignment for you that would put an end to all atomic weapons.
AGENT
That sounds unbelievable.
JANUS
If you could go back in time and fix everything, what one thing would you do?
AGENT
Kill Hitler probably. Is that what everyone says?
JANUS
Yes, actually. But it is never that easy. We sent several agents to assassinate the Fuhrer and they all failed. Arrive too late and he is too guarded. Arrive too early and someone else fills in his place.
AGENT
You don’t mean you were responsible for those missions all those years ago?
JANUS
That is precisely what I mean. Let me show you. This is our network of past surveillance. By scanning light emissions on a quantum level we can spy on history. These recovered mirrors offer the clearest picture. Our agents call themselves Soothsayers and review all of the data through bionic implants.
A team of cloaked figures raises their heads to ZERO’S arrival showing their glossy, foxfire eyes. The SOOTHSAYERS drift towards him, slowly.
AGENT
That is impossible.
JANUS
It is quite possible. And this chamber contains the portal itself, dubbed the Rabbit Hole.
AGENT
A time portal? No, this is insane.
JANUS
We can debate physics or you can choose to accept this mission.
AGENT
Okay, I’ll bite. What do you need me to do?
JANUS
You have already done it. We simply need you to do it again. The inventor of the very first atomic bomb was German, but you killed him.
AGENT
Who are you talking about? Let me guess, I’ve never heard of him because the mission was successful.
JANUS
You seem to be catching on now. Do you accept? If you say yes, you will have the last remnants of your identity stripped away. You will no longer have a name, or a serial number. From now on you will only be known as the designation ZERO.
The AGENT nods in agreement. JANUS snaps his fingers and the SOOTHSAYERS get to work stripping ZERO of his clothes and burning his wallet before redressing him in period clothing.
JANUS
These are yours for the mission. One pistol, time period appropriate, and twenty silver coins for anything else you might need when you get there. Here is a map of Dr. Schoppenhaur’s location, memorize these coordinates; you won’t see this again. And lastly, you are not to kill anyone. The amount of changes to the timeline caused by a single death are unacceptable. Whoever lives must live, whoever dies must die.
ZERO
I’m ready.
ZERO steps into the large chamber and waits for the portal to engage. A loud rumble signals the Rabbit Hole as a small electrical discharge forms a ball in the center of the room. The portal distorts space and sound when ZERO steps through it.
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