As I sat across from General William Raylor Mellis Sr., his voice filled the dimly lit room, recounting his incredible tale of desperation and hope. He spoke of a time when he was willing to gamble everything, even the boundaries of reality, in pursuit of answers.
It all started when Sigma, his brilliant Quantum Physicist niece, approached him with a radical theory. She claimed that time travel was possible, and she had created a prototype device called the Quantum Chain to prove it. The general was skeptical at first, but Sigma's convincing video demonstrations left him in awe.
In one particular video, Sigma claimed to have changed history in a small but significant way. She claimed to have saved her favorite restaurant, Nana's Pizza Joint, from closing down. The rumors had been swirling for years that its owner, Nana Greene, had shut down the beloved eatery after filing for bankruptcy. Her business took a hit shortly after her cousin, Connor Evanston, and his future wife, Michelle, were exiled from the Lunar plane.
The Hill-Adega family economically blacklisted relatives on both sides of their family, making it hard for any of them to make ends meet. Most of the Evanston-Pyun family left the Lunar plane in protest but the Greene family held out. Nana and her parents were one of the few who didn't buckle under the intense persecution. Nana did much as she could to support herself and take care of her aging parents until one day she couldn't. She became a recluse after filing for bankruptcy last year.
Sigma explained that Nana's business had spiraled into bankruptcy, plunging her into a deep despair. In a heartbreaking twist of fate, Nana took her own life after her parents were denied life saving cancer treatment. But Sigma's intervention altered this tragic outcome. Somehow, she had managed to prevent Nana's restaurant from going under, giving her a chance to build a successful future.
As General Mellis dug deeper into Sigma's work, he realized the profound implications of her discoveries. If time travel was indeed possible, the potential to rewrite history and save lives was unimaginable. The General knew he had to support Sigma's project, no matter the cost. Weeks turned into months as Sigma and her team delved into the complexities of time travel. The General's funds poured into the project, and their efforts intensified.
Finally, the day arrived when Sigma announced her breakthrough. Her theory on time travel was about to become law. Sigma discovered a way to alter history on a larger scale, to right the wrongs and bring about positive change. The possibilities seemed endless, but Sigma's ambitions were tempered by an ethical dilemma. She realized that tampering with the fabric of time came with consequences. Changing one event could unknowingly set off a chain reaction, altering countless lives in unforeseen ways. Sigma was torn between her desire to create a better world and the uncertainty of the far-reaching repercussions.
Zyra, her cousin and the General's daughter, convinced her that the pros far outweighed the cons. Sigma let her cousin lead TTA. The General led a nation that would soon be known as Mankind's Utopia, but his daughter would be the one leading time's law enforcement. Both were equally as important as they were powerful. Sigma, who was affectionately known as Dr. Time herself, just wanted to be recognized as the woman who discovered time travel. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was an honor and recognition of my skills as a detective to be invited into TTA. Little did I know that this assignment would lead me down a path of mystery and intrigue. We were tasked with investigating time anomalies and preventing any disruptions to the space-time continuum. But this mission was unlike any other.
As I delved deeper into the TTA, I discovered that Zyra had curated all the data on each detective. Being a law major at the university gave her a unique perspective on choosing qualified individuals for a job that required a non-perverse sense of justice. Zyra seemed to know more than she let on but her pursuit of true justice set her apart from many studying law. And then I found out about the first TTA group, led by my superior, a detective named Ivon Immanuel.
Ivon was the only survivor of his team after a mission went south a year ago. It was him that approached me with the TTA invite. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until now that my father disappeared on his watch. Rage started to build up. Everything that irked me about what happened on that day. My mother crying, realizing that she was now a widow. Then there was me, angry at life taking my old man away from me. I wanted to blame someone. That someone was now Ivon. I tuned out Ivon expressing his condolences for my loss. I still grieved the disappearance of my father but completely ignored Ivon when he tried sympathizing with my situation, stating that he lost his fiancée, Z'Rhana Kynnor, on the same mission. This wound had yet to heal, and Ivon's presence only reminded me of the pain.
But something didn't sit well with me. Ivon was the sole survivor, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of anger deep within me. He made my mother a widow, and the weight of that responsibility weighed heavily on my heart. I knew it was irrational, but grief has a way of clouding one's judgment.
I kept my anger to myself, but my words towards Ivon were sharp and rude. It was a release, a venting of the frustration I had been feeling for so long. But as I looked into Ivon's eyes, I could see the guilt and sorrow hidden beneath his tough exterior.
The others in the room sat there in silence as they were taken back by my outburst. Ivon broke the silence, believing my anger against him was well deserved. What?! I don't know about you but something about his explanation and perceived empathy felt disingenuous, all the way down to his apology. Though I said I forgave him, deep down inside, I believed the man was a fraud and a murderer.