Chapter 1: All the Cool Kids are Time Jumping
The world split open.
Kerr's gut turned. He tried holding his breath, but it didn't help. He struggled to keep his breakfast down.
The crack in the air puckered and stretched like it was giving birth. Air roared from the hole. His hair whipped around.
Light poured out, making Kerr squint. The LENS on his eyes adjusted by applying a brown tint.
The air in the room changed directions. Kerr felt his hair move again. The new vacuum tugged at him.
And then there was silence—no sound at all.
Kerr had read about this, but never experienced it first-hand. He was seeing an actual Portal. He realized the sides of his mouth ached from his smile. "It's beautiful!" he whispered.
Beside him, Colonel Braun chomped on his cigar. "Yeah, it's something to see the first time, but then you've seen 'em all."
Kerr straightened his face. Across the table, Private Johansson sputtered a laugh. Ignoring him, Kerr looked back to the Portal. His mind took in every detail. He wanted to remember everything.
Shining light played across the room—rays of swooping flashlights.
Kerr willed himself hold his ground. The lights pulled him like a siren call.
He knew better. Entering the Passage now would mean being lost in a sea of time.
Now the lights were fading away.
Kerr could see another world.
He smiled.
The underground structure was a forest of concrete pillars. White lines marked the ground at regular intervals.
Colonel Braun cleared his throat, "Welcome to 1993. The place is New York, New York, in the grand ol' Eyu-nited States of America." He drawled out the last part of the sentence in an accent Kerr couldn't place. He understood the sarcasm. The United States of America had been a grand social experiment in its day.
It was a pity it never worked out.
Kerr was about to step into history. He started to catalog all the major events he could remember from 1993. Questions tumbled out of him, "Who are we meeting? What's the exact date?"
Braun held up a finger and glared at the young scientist.
Kerr snapped his mouth shut.
His eyes shifted to Private Johansson and locked, "Take point."
The private nodded and readied his gun. He moved through the Portal. He bent to a crouch as he walked, keeping his gun at the ready.
On the other side of the Portal, Johansson stopped moving. He made a slow rotation on his heels, eyes scanning. He held up two fingers and waved them forward—all clear.
"Bring it in," said Braun. "Murphy. Hendrikson."
Murphy's movements were urgent. Through the opening, he looked left and right. He squatted behind Johansson, gun at the ready.
Now it was time for Private First Class Hendrikson. He also moved quickly, gliding through the air. His short form made almost no noise when he moved. He sliced past the other two soldiers and disappeared from view.
Braun nodded at Major Blanc. "Ahead and hold."
Major Blanc tucked the silver briefcase under her arm and walked through. Her other hand gripped a pistol with a long silencer, barrel angled downward. Her boots clicked on the pavement. She took up position behind the other soldiers and looked back.
Braun looked at Kerr. "After you, sweetheart."
Kerr gulped.
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