The year is 2487.

Elara Trent stood in the cavernous halls of the Time Monitoring Command, the nerve center of the Chrono-Guard. Holographic projections filled the air, glowing threads representing Earth's timeline. One of the threads—a brilliant red streak—pulsed like a bleeding wound. It wasn't natural. It was sabotage.

"Tell me this is a drill," Elara said, crossing her arms as she addressed Commander Ryvek.

The grizzled man shook his head. His face was lined from years of working in the temporal field, and his voice carried the weight of someone who'd seen too much. "No drill. We've confirmed a breach. Someone implanted a nanovirus in Romulus Augustus—last emperor of the Western Roman Empire. It's accelerating his decline, triggering the collapse of the empire decades earlier than it should've happened."

Elara raised an eyebrow, her skepticism obvious. "You're telling me someone went back in time just to speed up something that was going to happen anyway? The empire was on its last legs."

"It's not about the empire, Dr. Trent," Ryvek replied. "It's about what comes after. The Dark Ages. If the fall happens prematurely, Europe's power dynamics change entirely. Civilizations rise and fall in new patterns. The present we know could cease to exist."

Elara turned her gaze back to the hologram. She wasn't a soldier; she was a historian. She'd spent her life studying the ancient world, not meddling in it. And yet, here she was, standing in the heart of a facility built to do just that.

"Why me?" she asked after a pause.

"Because you know the era better than anyone," Ryvek said. "And because you don't trust this system. We need someone who'll question orders if they're wrong. That's you."

Elara bit back a retort. He wasn't wrong—her skepticism of the Chrono-Guard's operations was well-known. But this wasn't the time to debate ethics.

"Fine. What's the mission?"

Ryvek gestured to the glowing timeline. "You'll infiltrate 476 CE, Rome. Locate and neutralize the source of the disruption. Intel suggests Revisionist operatives are using advanced tech disguised as artifacts to influence key figures. You'll be accompanied by Chrono."

"Of course," Elara muttered. Chrono—the sentient AI that served as the team's guide and guardian in the field. It was precise, efficient, and disturbingly omniscient.

"Suit up," Ryvek ordered. "You leave in ten minutes."

The Time Pod hummed with energy as Elara climbed inside. It was a sleek, silver capsule lined with controls and displays. Chrono's interface appeared on the main console, its voice smooth and calm.

"Mission parameters uploaded. Destination: Rome, 476 CE. Temporal stability at 72%. Proceed with caution."

Elara strapped herself in, her fingers tightening around the control panel. "Chrono, tell me something."

"Yes, Dr. Trent?"

"Do you ever question why we're doing this? Playing gods with history?"

There was a pause before the AI replied. "My purpose is to protect the timeline as defined by the Chrono-Guard. Questions of morality are irrelevant to my function."

"Of course they are," Elara muttered. The pod vibrated as the temporal engines powered up, the swirling vortex of the time stream enveloping the capsule.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and decay as the pod materialized in the outskirts of Rome. Elara stepped out, her boots crunching against the dry, cracked ground. The city's silhouette loomed in the distance—its once-mighty walls crumbling, its streets teeming with chaos.

"Chrono, status update," Elara said, adjusting the cloaking device on her wrist.

"You've arrived in the late autumn of 476 CE. The Western Roman Empire is in its final days. Romulus Augustus has been deposed, but the nanovirus is accelerating his decline, influencing key military decisions."

Elara scanned her surroundings. The ruins of a villa lay nearby, its walls scorched from a recent fire. But something caught her eye—glowing drones hovering in the distance, their movements precise and unnatural.

"That's not Roman," she whispered.

"Correct," Chrono confirmed. "Those drones are of Revisionist origin. Their technology is cloaked from the locals, but their presence is destabilizing the timeline."

Elara pulled out her temporal scanner, the device lighting up with signals. "Looks like they've set up a base near the Forum. Great. Right in the heart of the city."

As she moved through the outskirts, blending into the chaos of fleeing citizens and desperate soldiers, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Rome was a city on the brink of collapse, its people clinging to the remnants of a dying empire. But amidst the chaos, the Revisionists were playing their game, pulling strings that could unravel everything.

"Chrono, keep scanning for anomalies," she said, her voice low.

"Understood, Dr. Trent. Be advised: Revisionist operatives are armed with advanced weaponry. Engage only if necessary."

Elara smirked. "Don't worry. I don't plan on dying in the past."

But as she approached the Forum, the sound of distant explosions echoed through the city. The Revisionists weren't just hiding—they were making a statement.

"Looks like history isn't the only thing under attack," she muttered, gripping her weapon tighter.

The mission had just begun, and already, the timeline was fracturing.

The Forum was a shadow of its former glory. Once the heart of Roman civilization, it now lay in ruin—columns toppled, fires raging, and desperate citizens scavenging for survival. Elara moved through the chaos, her cloak device masking her modern clothing and equipment.

The scanner in her hand beeped softly, the signal growing stronger as she neared the central plaza. A group of Roman soldiers stumbled past her, their armor dented, their faces pale with exhaustion. They paid her no attention, their focus on a distant skirmish.

But Elara wasn't interested in the Romans. Her target was ahead, a shimmering distortion in the air barely visible to the naked eye.

"Chrono, confirm anomaly location," she whispered.

"Anomaly detected beneath the Forum Basilica. Revisionist activity confirmed. Proceed with caution."

Elara ducked behind a fallen pillar, watching as two drones hovered nearby. Their sleek, metallic frames glinted unnaturally in the firelight. She frowned. The Revisionists weren't trying to hide their presence anymore.

"This doesn't make sense," she muttered. "Why would they risk exposing themselves?"

"Unknown," Chrono replied. "Possible hypothesis: they are accelerating their timeline to force a confrontation."

Elara tightened her grip on her pulse disruptor—a small, compact weapon designed to disable Revisionist tech without causing collateral damage. "Well, they're about to get one."

She slipped through the shadows, keeping low and silent. The drones hovered in place, scanning the area with faint blue lights. Elara waited for the right moment, then raised her disruptor.

With a soft hum, the weapon discharged, sending a pulse of energy rippling through the air. The first drone sparked violently before crashing to the ground, its frame crumpling like paper.

The second drone spun toward her, its sensors glowing red. It emitted a sharp, mechanical screech before firing a volley of energy bolts. Elara dove behind a column, the bolts sizzling against the ancient stone.

"Chrono, I could use some advice here!" she shouted.

"Deploying countermeasures," the AI replied.

A small orb ejected from her wrist-mounted device, rolling toward the drone before exploding in a burst of electromagnetic energy. The drone seized mid-air, its circuits fried, and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

Elara exhaled sharply, her heart pounding. "Well, that's one way to do it."

"Threat neutralized," Chrono confirmed. "However, additional hostiles are likely nearby. Recommend proceeding quickly."

Elara hurried toward the Basilica, her scanner leading her to a hidden entrance beneath the structure. A narrow staircase descended into the earth, the air growing colder with each step. The walls were lined with ancient carvings, their meanings lost to time.

As she reached the bottom, the sound of voices echoed through the chamber. She pressed herself against the wall, peering around the corner.

The room was a mix of ancient and futuristic—a forgotten Roman vault filled with Revisionist tech. Holographic displays floated in the air, projecting data Elara couldn't decipher. Three figures stood at the center, dressed in sleek black uniforms that shimmered unnaturally in the dim light.