Prologue

A man awakens and finds himself lying on the ground surrounded by darkness where the only semblance of light shined down upon him. The 25 year old man covered his eyes shielding them from the lights' glare; he slowly got to his feet and once up he began looking around. Somewhere from within the darkness a familiar woman's voice spoke "What are you doing here Jacob?" He began looking around and he couldn't help but wonder why the voice felt and sounded familiar to him. Footsteps echoed within the darkness as someone slowly stepped out from the darkness and into the light.

Jacob turned around and saw that it was non-other than Mrs. Fredrick, he grinned and chuckled for a moment then said "Of course. It had to be you, huh Mrs. F?" she adjusted her glasses before giving a response "Even when faced with death, you never change." he rubbed his brow and sighed before replying "So, is this supposed to be my hell cause I gotta say I expected more...Color." She was not amused, but she paid no mind to his response as she said "Where, is not the question you should be asking, but instead why? And as for the why; well it's because you have finally given up, and that is why your here."

As he looked at her for moment, his face expressed both frustration and anger, as he said "Gave up? Is that what you think happened; I don't know if you noticed but I just got my ass handed to on a silver platter out there." sensing anger in his tone, hers became more stern and authoritive as she replied "Agent McCloude, you are the only one left who can stop what Harris has done; What Harris is going to do. There is no one else." He turned away for a moment to collect himself, trying not to let the guilt and shame weighing on his mind show.

She knew the turmoil that he was feeling, so she walked closer placing her hand on his shoulder; he turned around as she tried to reassure him. "Jacob, you have tried everything within your power to save them; to save everyone. None of happened is your fault, you shouldn't blame yourself." Jacob turned away as his eyes started to glaze; he tried pushing back the tears as he replied "They were my responsibility, I thought Harris could be trusted and it cost me everything, every...one. Now they're dead because of me."

She responded by saying "Jacob listen to me when I say, all of us make choices that we regret, but it's the choices that we make here and that affects the outcome of who we are." She paused for a moment before continuing "Now you can either give up and let Harris destroy everything else you have left, or keep the promise you made to your friends and stop Harris whatever it takes. The decision is yours?" Jacob wiped his face and cracked his knuckles before turning around, she asked "So, I can assume that you've made your decision then?" he sighed and responded "Just... hurry up before I changed my mind."

She raised her hand to his head and before touching his forehead she said her final goodbyes "Godspeed Agent McCloude." As she touched his forehead, hundreds of memories and images flew by in his mind in an instant except one. In the image showed him 3 artifacts; Rheticus' Compass, Magellan's Astrolabe, and one he did not recognize. In the next moment an explosion of green energy flew at him.