The rain had finally stopped, but the night air remained thick with tension. Neon lights reflected off the wet pavement, painting streaks of blue and pink on the deserted streets. Aria kept close behind Elias, her eyes scanning every shadow and corner. She didn't trust him—not yet—but she needed to know more about his connection to Mara and the other disappearances she had never known about.
Elias led her to an abandoned subway entrance, the metal gates rusted and graffiti-covered. He paused, looking around cautiously before sliding open a hidden panel. The gate hissed open, revealing a stairwell descending into darkness.
"Down here," he said, gesturing for her to follow.
Aria hesitated for a moment, weighing her options. She was still armed with her stun device, and she could always jump back into the timestream if things went south. Finally, she followed him, her hand resting on her ChronoLink, ready to activate it at the first sign of trouble.
The stairs led them underground, the distant hum of old subway lines vibrating through the walls. They reached a small room lit by dim emergency lights. Old monitors and abandoned equipment cluttered the space, and the walls were covered with maps, documents, and photos—evidence of someone's long-term investigation.
Elias moved to a console in the corner and began typing. The screens flickered to life, displaying more data than Aria could process at once: timeline patterns, photos of people she didn't recognize, and streams of information about anomalies.
Aria's eyes scanned the walls, stopping on a series of pinned photos. There, among them, was Mara's face. But it wasn't alone. Aria's breath caught as she noticed other faces—people of all ages and backgrounds, some young, others old. There had to be at least fifty of them, all connected by lines drawn with marker, looping back to key dates.
"What is this?" she asked, stepping closer. "These people… who are they?"
Elias looked up from the console, his face shadowed by the dim light. "They're the missing," he said. "People who've disappeared under mysterious circumstances over the past fifteen years. Most of their cases were dismissed as accidents, runaways, or untraceable. But they all have one thing in common: they vanished in the presence of a time anomaly."
Aria felt a chill creep down her spine. "Why didn't I know about this?"
Elias walked over, pointing to the web of photos and dates. "Because the Tribunal controls the narrative. They decide what information goes public. If the disappearances don't fit their version of events, they bury the evidence."
Her mind raced as she studied the timeline. "And you think they're all connected?"
He nodded. "More than that. I believe the Tribunal is behind the disappearances. They're using time travel technology to manipulate events and remove people who pose a threat to their agenda. Your sister, Mara, wasn't their only target."
Aria's hands tightened into fists. The idea that Mara was just one of many, that this was part of a larger pattern of manipulation, made her blood boil. She had spent ten years searching for her sister, thinking it was a singular tragedy. But now, seeing all these faces, she realized Mara was part of something much bigger—and much darker.
"But why?" she demanded, turning to Elias. "Why would they target innocent people?"
Elias's expression hardened. "The Tribunal has been experimenting with time manipulation for decades. They've altered the past to change the future, to maintain control and stay in power. Anyone who discovers their secrets or poses a risk to their timeline becomes a liability."
"Like Mara," Aria whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Exactly. And I suspect she found out something important—something that made her a target." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "But she's not the only one. I think you're in danger too, Aria. The moment you started building the Chronocore, you put yourself on their radar."
Aria's mind raced. "If that's true, then why didn't they stop me earlier? They've had years to shut me down."
Elias's gaze shifted, and he seemed to hesitate, as if choosing his words carefully. "They might have seen value in letting you continue. You're one of the brightest minds of your generation, and the work you've done could be useful to them. But now that you've made your jump and accessed the timestream, they see you as a threat."
A knot of anger and fear twisted in her stomach. "So what's your plan? If you know so much, why haven't you stopped them?"
Elias's expression turned grim. "I'm trying. But the Tribunal is powerful, and they have agents everywhere. If they knew I was talking to you now, we'd both be dead. That's why I've had to work from the shadows, piecing together what I can."
He walked back to the console, pulling up a map that displayed different time anomalies, marked with dates and locations. "The only way to stop them is to gather enough evidence to expose their operations. We need proof that they're responsible for these disappearances—and that they're manipulating timelines for their own benefit."
Aria stared at the screen, the weight of it all pressing down on her. She had come here to save her sister, but it was becoming clear that this was bigger than she ever imagined. She looked back at the wall of photos, her eyes lingering on each face. So many lives lost, altered, or erased. And the Tribunal was at the center of it all.
"How do we do that?" she asked, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions inside her.
Elias turned, his expression serious. "We follow the anomalies. If we can track the Tribunal's movements and find where they're operating next, we can gather the evidence we need. But it's dangerous. They've already shown they're willing to erase anyone who gets too close."
Aria nodded, determination hardening her resolve. "I'm in. But this isn't just about exposing them—this is about getting Mara back."
Elias's eyes softened slightly. "I know. And if she's alive, we'll find her. But we have to move fast. The Tribunal is already hunting us, and the next anomaly is happening soon."
He pulled up a series of coordinates and a date. "We need to get to this location in two hours. It's the site of a major time distortion. If we're lucky, we'll catch them in the act."
Aria's pulse quickened. "And if we're not?"
Elias gave her a grim smile. "Then we make sure they never see us coming."
The hum of machinery filled the small room as Elias began packing equipment into a bag. Aria watched him, the pieces of this new reality clicking into place. She had thought finding Mara would be the end of her journey, but it was only the beginning.
As they prepared to leave, she caught a glimpse of a folder on the console labeled Priority Target Files. Her name was listed at the top, right above Mara's. She swallowed, her eyes hardening. The Tribunal had marked them both. This was personal.
The lights flickered as the distant whir of a drone filled the air. Elias's head snapped up, his eyes flashing with urgency. "They're here."
The walls of the hideout trembled, and the room plunged into darkness.