Chapter 1
A woman stood a few metres before him. A different woman. Slightly shorter, but with a more distinct figure. Her hair was jet black, held together in a bun, and she was clad in a sleek black gown that matched her watchful eyes.
Jet.
It was long since he had met her, and he wished that it could have been longer still. But there they were now, face to face, locked in an exchange of gazes. He had been dreading this very moment.
"What are you doing here, Jet?" Steel said cautiously. She smiled at him with amusement.
"I have been assigned."
"With me?"
"With you."
Steel gave her a sideways glance, obviously uncomfortable.
"Why?"
"Why what?
"Why have you been assigned? Where is Sapphire?"
"Sapphire? She's been reassigned, with Copper," Jet said matter-of-factly.
"Why?" he repeated.
"Well, I don't know. You don't expect Them to tell me, do you?"
Steel could not accept the new arrangement. Sapphire was the perfect business associate, and he was so used to always being assigned with her, that he could not imagine working with anyone else without a good reason. Least expectedly, Jet. They last worked together ages ago. But the Authority had decided, and so he had realised, that they were incompatible. Thus, they had never been assigned together again, and for the better.
Until now.
They watched each other for another minute as Steel regarded his new partner. Jet clearly loved Steel, and Steel had loved her. But their feelings had gotten in the way of their professionality and their goal. Although he no longer harboured such feelings for her, he knew it would be difficult to forget them. Whatever the case, he had to do his best to keep their past behind him if anything was to be accomplished. Having kept that in mind, he finally reverted his gaze to their surroundings.
It was late in the evening, and the sun had just disappeared behind the horizon. They were standing in the middle of a lane between two rows of terrace houses. There was no one out and about, only indistinct chatter could be heard from inside the buildings. Steel decided not to be the first to show his cards. "What information were you given?"
"The irregularity is located at house 15B. Someone or something has been removed from Time. Maybe both."
"That is all?"
"I wish it isn't."
Good. She had been given no more privileged information then his own. "And our job would be to... to bring back that someone or something, from whatever had removed them..." He stopped when he realized that Jet was smiling.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," she shook her head. "I just can't wait to show you my new ability. I can undo events in Time."
Steel raised his eyebrows. "You mean, take time back?"
"No, not in that sense. That's Sapphire's territory. Mine is much more limited. I can replay recent events and pick out the ones to undo. But only one event at a time, and very minor ones."
"I was not made aware of this."
Jet sneered. "That's because you hardly keep in touch with anyone." She teleported to his immediate back and tenderly caressed his shoulders. "Not even me, anymore."
Steel glared at her uncomfortably, and she let go. "Do you want a live demonstration?" she offered.
"No."
"Oh, come on, Steel."
Steel shot her another glare, which had no effect on her whatsoever. They continued down the lane, when a teenage boy sprinted across their path. He wore a blue cap, white shirt and black jeans, and seemed as if he was anxious to catch a bus. There was a middle aged woman standing on the pavement opposite him. She was dressed in long floral robes and was holding a map. She called out for the boy to stop, and said to him in a thick accent, "I'm not from around here, could you show me the way to Bushby Drive?"
Despite looking frenzied and exhausted, the boy nodded and replied her.
Jet suddenly held out five fingers, making a 'stop' hand signal. The boy and woman froze in their positions.
[Undo event where boy meets woman, at seven-forteen PM] Jet thought, only for Steel to hear. The world faded out, and faded into clarity again within seconds. Steel watched in amazement as the same teenaged boy sprinted past them for the second time. The woman was standing at the same spot, analysing her map, but did not call upon the boy for directions this time round. The boy continued down the pavement, running.
Steel stared after him in awe. He turned to Jet, and to his surprise, found her pale and slightly breathless.
"Jet?"
"I'm fine," she answered, the colour quickly returning to her face.
"Whatever you have done certainly drained your energy. That power must used to the minimum," Steel said sternly.
Jet nodded, then her lips formed a smile.
"But surely that was a commendable demonstration."
"Indeed."
The duo finally arrived at the gates of 15B. The house turned out to be the biggest of them all, and looked just like a mansion. It seemed ordinary enough from the outside, the well-tended garden and freshly polished windows confirmed its recent inhabitance. Steel rang the doorbell, but there came no answer.
"Is anyone inside?" Steel asked Jet.
"I don't know that any more than you do ," Jet gave him a puzzled look. It was then he remembered that she did not possess probing abilities similar to Sapphire's. He was certainly going to miss those.
Steel palmed the bolt of the front door, unlocked its inner mechanism with a flick of the wrist, and they stepped inside. The interior was huge, kept clean and tidy, and was decorated with soft furnishings. Several photographs were placed at the display table. They took some time to study them, most of which were of a young couple.
"They're possibly in their late teens or early twenties. There are no pictures of their parents, or any other family members," Jet observed. "Strange for only two people to be living in a house this large."
"And yet they look too young to be married," Steel said as he held up a framed photo of the couple kissing each other.
"That shouldn't be a reason not to live together," Jet remarked, moving on down the hallway. Steel set the picture back on the table and caught up with her.
[Let's split up, shall we? You check the other side] Jet sent him telepathically.
[No. We should stick together for now, split up later, ] he sent back. They made a thorough exploration of the kitchen, which had nothing extraordinary, then entered the study. The bubblegum pink colour scheme indicated that it belonged to the girl. "Look out for any old objects," Steel reminded her.
Jet flipped through documents on the shelf, while Steel examined the items on the desk. He came across a big checkered notebook and on the first page read "Diary". He read the first entry, which was dated a year ago, aloud.
"I've just moved in with Jonah. It feels good to be here. It's only been the first day and I don't want to go back. Ever. His parents don't know, of course. No one does. It had better stay that way."
Steel flipped to the last entry, which was dated just a day before, and droned on in an uninterested manner.
"I know it. What I've been dreading is about to happen. They are coming to send me back. I'm going to take Jonah with me. I love him so much, and I'm not leaving him. He is meant for me, and no matter what we have to be together."
He flipped through the pages carelessly, commenting, "New house, new inhabitants... nothing old, nothing sinister in particular... Nothing but a love lovesick couple."
Jet listened with amusement at his comment. "But a secretive lovesick couple that has disappeared?"
"We don't know they're the ones who disappeared yet," Steel said cautiously. He headed out of the room, and Jet followed.
After covering the first floor, they made their way up the stairs. They checked the bedrooms, one by one, but there was nothing much to see in them as most of them were empty.
"Whatever it is had better show itself," Steel muttered as he peered into a bathroom. "It would make this job a lot easier."
Jet stopped abruptly, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Look, Steel." He turned to look in the direction she was facing.
There was a giant hole in the wall of the master bedroom!
Immediately, they motioned towards the hole, but were careful not to pass through it. Going straight into investigation mode, Steel asked, "When was this made?"
"Why do you keep forgetting, Steel? I don't know!" Jet exclaimed lightly.
Steel realised his mistake again, but shrugged it off. "The edges look clean. Too clean. This section of the wall could not have been removed physically..." he deduced as he stroked the smooth edges of the hole. "It's almost as if... as if it was never built. Never there..."
He stepped through the hole carefully and paced as he scanned the bedroom. Jet watched him adoringly. She was fond of the way he paced whenever he was in the middle of some incredible thought process.
Struck by a realisation, Steel stopped short in his tracks. "Like it had never existed! It's been removed from Time!" He stepped out of the bedroom again, and told Jet, "The only question is how."
Jet smiled. "And I might just be able to work that out. But I need time."
Steel made his way down the corridor as he replied her, "Take all the time in the world. I'll be downstairs." He then switched to telepathic communication, [ Don't undo anything without my order.]
Jet saw him disappear down the stairs, and frowned.
[Steel.]
Steel heard Jet calling him back upstairs. He returned to the hole in the wall where Jet was standing, and stared at her blankly.
[Do you not trust me?] she suddenly suggested.
[In what way?]
Jet thought for a moment. [The things you tell me, it's almost as if I've never operated before.]
Steel disliked having to deal with personal matters while on assignments. But as this assignment was an exception, he pardoned her and sought to clear things up.
[It's true that you have not operated with me in a long time. But I trust you completely. Why should you think otherwise?]
[I don't know. Maybe because I'm not Sapphire?]
At the mention of Sapphire, he decided to end the conversation immediately.
[Unfamiliar, yes. Uncomfortable, maybe. But untrusting, no. Now get on with what you have to do.]