'Patient A in the other room is stable. But Patient B has lost some blood due to injuries she might have sustained before falling...'

Kazuki sat on the lounge chair on the left of the hospital suite, blankly staring at the steaming cup of coffee the staff served her just a few moments earlier.

She saw smoke coming from next door, the Honda residence, just as she was leaving the house. As a favor, the Ferrari sisters were asked to watch over the Honda residence as its elderly caretakers were on vacation for the summer. As Kazuki entered the front yard, she found casualties over the wreckage of the unfinished shed. Both of them had foreign features. One was a woman, perhaps in her late twenties to early thirties. She was tall, pale, with long, wavy red hair. The other seemed much younger, in her teens, short brown hair, with old scratch-like scars along the right jaw line. Both of them were seriously injured that Kazuki called emergency.

She was related to neither of them. But she found herself in Patient B's room, waiting for her to stabilize. Patient B was still unconscious, probes attached and strapped to her.

Dr. Yoshida, the attending physician, said to wait for twenty-four hours.

Kazuki looked outside the window. The evening had fallen. She needed to go home. She looked across the room, on the bed where Patient B lay and sighed.

'Are you sure it was a loud crash? Impact like that could have killed them.'

She did not see it, but she heard and felt it, the loud, deafening crash. It came first before she heard the shed fall over. She wanted to be realistic, but she could not find in her thoughts to be just as so. And the strange scent in the air when she found them… It smelled somewhat of forged steelwork and burnt meat.

A younger version of her would tell her to leave it to the authorities and go home. But she found herself sitting, waiting, and curious. She was beginning to be like her sisters.

The door suddenly opened. A hospital staff in uniform wheeled a three-tiered cart with labeled bags. She smiled at Kazuki, greeting her, and pushed to the side table next to Patient B. "SENN, Sacha," she read on the third and fourth bags on the bottom shelf of the cart. She placed the bags on the rack under the side table.

Sacha Senn, Kazuki echoed in her head. The sound of the name is foreign. She once had a German classmate with the same last name.

"We were only able to release their things after clearance," the staff informed Kazuki. "Sacha Senn and Ida Mazza."

"I see." Kazuki signed papers earlier. The new hospital had strict rules regarding patients' personal belongings. That its concerned personnel were only allowed to touch patient's identification and clothes. Should they need anything else, they will issue a waiver. Sacha's and Ida's clothes were stained with blood that the hospital needed to alert authorities and issue waivers to further search their belongings. She hated paperwork, but rules are rules.

"One dark gray and white turtleneck sweater, a shirt, undergarments, leather gloves, and ripped jeans," the staff declared as she took a clear bag with a pile of clothes on the top shelf of the cart and placed it on the side table. "Boots are in the other bag. Wears too much clothes for someone used to very cold climate." Then, she bent down and pulled a zipped plastic case out from the middle cart shelf. "Ferrari-san," she called, approaching Kazuki, and placed the plastic case on the table in front of Kazuki.

The case contained a metal armlet, one black earcuff, one white earcuff, a large steel electronic wristwatch, a leg knife holster with a black stick.

"Her bag is there, next to the boots," the staff said, pointing to the rack under the side table. "Security searched through it and found a case with a few ID's, cash, a steel disc, and a silicon case with a few pairs of SR round black-rimmed glasses." Then, she chuckled. "I honestly thought it was a joke. But she has expensive taste."

Kazuki unzipped the plastic case. There are other reasons to be curious about the patient's personal belongings aside from the extra pairs of glasses. But the staff did have a point. Who needs extra pairs of expensive glasses? Kazuki browsed through the contents of the plastic case and took out the watch. On the screen, there was a dimmed display of a grid with uneven figures moving at random, tracing the gridlines. It reminded her of one of Hozuki's unconventional watches. Kazuki looked at the back. It was the same brand. She wondered if it worked the same way as some of the brand's models have been known to be quite complicated to operate and to read. She directed the face to her, lightly shifting it upward and downward twice. The display lit, the uneven figures unscrambling and quickly settling in the middle of the grid, displaying the time and date. Kazuki's eyes widened as she held her breath.

The time is nine hours off.

Same month, one day late, and the year on the date is 2060.

2060?

No damages were on the watch except a few scratches on the rim and on the screen. It did not seem damaged enough to affect the mechanism inside.

How could they have missed this? Kazuki thought.

"Would you like to have food brought in?"

Kazuki suddenly snapped from thought. "No thanks," she quipped. "I'm fine."

"Okay, then. Do call if you need anything." The staff bowed courteously and wheeled the cart to the door. As she stopped and opened the door, Hazuki and Hozuki were outside, just about to knock. She greeted them with a smile.

The two bowed courteously back at the staff, holding the door for her as she exited.

Kazuki caught a glimpse of her sisters and quickly pocketed the watch.

"Kaa-nee, we brought food," Hozuki said, walking with two bags of food. She placed the bag on the table and sat next to Kazuki.

"That's… a lot," Kazuki remarked, looking at the bags. "Thank you." These two are beyond words, she thought. They brought in food as if she was going on a camping trip.

Hazuki looked about the hospital suite. "This room is a little too big, don't you think?" she expressed. She approached the spare bed at the other end of the room and sat onto it, swinging her legs. "I volunteered to bring you clothes," she said, taking off the knapsack she was carrying. "You'll need them."

Kazuki sighed. "Tell me the truth," she said, frowning. "I can't go home yet."

"No," Hazuki and Hozuki chorused.

"At least, Dr. Yoshida should've told me," Kazuki sighed again. Not going home… Anything but that.

"I'm no genius, Kakkii," Hazuki said. "But we all heard and felt that crash. If anyone can survive that, it's a miracle."

Hozuki stood at the side of the hospital bed, looking at the unconscious Sacha Senn. "I can stay in your place if you want," she offered.

"You can't fit in Kakkii's clothes, Hocchi," Hazuki remarked. "You won't fill all the spaces."

"Hey!" Kazuki shot back.

Hazuki laughed.

"Where's the other patient?" Hozuki asked.

"In the next room," Kazuki answered. "She's fine now."

Hazuki stood and sat on the side of the hospital bed. She stared quietly at Sacha before turning to Kazuki. "Maybe this is just me," she said. "But… haven't I seen her before?"

"You sure know a lot of people, Hazu-nee," Kazuki said, finally standing up and joining her sisters. Then, she sat on the chair next to the hospital bed, staring at Sacha. She remembered how she found them. Sacha and Ida are strangers, and there was no point in knowing what went on beforehand. But for some reason, Kazuki felt the unusual need to know how and why.

'Whoever did this to her didn't want her to live…'

Noticing the bruises on Sacha's hand, Kazuki reached and moved her wrist for a closer look.

Sacha suddenly stirred.

- 1000100.1001110.1000001 -

Gottfrei was established by resistance factions with a common goal: shaping the future by controlling time, space, and resources. Funded by powerful and affluent sponsors, it was able to spread seeds of its influence within some members of its enemy organizations, particularly Hirstad and the Piéton Garde, causing shuffling, redeployment, and mass dismissal. A significant number of the dismissed staff was immediately recruited by Gottfrei.

Gottfrei Intelligence believed in the existence of a confidential file and a prototype of the pertus band hidden in Hirstad. The pertus band is an armlet used by the Piéton Garde and a selected number of Gottfrei soldiers in crossing time and space. The name of the prototype has remained unknown, but it served as one of the reasons for the need for the Piéton Garde.

Members of Gottfrei believed that stealing a file and eliminating its scientists was the key to their success. Without the file and without its researchers and developers, the Piéton Garde would not exist. And the technology of the pertus band would be theirs to keep.

Hence, the deployment of Georges Thayer, once a high-ranking member of the Piéton Garde and now, one of Gottfrei's strongest soldiers.

The Piéton Garde was able to interfere with the completion of this plan. But what the deployed guards found was unexpected.

There was no file.

There was no team.

It was just one person.

It was a teenager in ripped jeans with coffee and grease stains.

Sanja thought about writing a song about it... at least, right after they find a way out.

Georges was able to arrive ahead of them, killing the two other guards they were supposed to meet at the rendezvous point, a great distance away from where they are. He had changed since the last time Sanja and Rade encountered him during a different assignment. He was faster, stronger, bigger… It was evident that he had undergone bionic enhancement. Not even ten guards could stop him.

"The girl," Georges repeated.

"Girl is ours," Rade said. "Go home." He was kneeling on the ice floor, holding his side. Like Sanja, he was too weak from injuries to stop Georges.

Sanja stood a few steps away from Rade. Right now, she wished Hirstad put exceptions on bionic augmentation. Georges had destroyed all of their pertus bands. And there was no way to go forward or back… unless they kill him. She prayed and prepared herself for the worst.

Suddenly, she felt a light grip on her shoulder.

"I've a plan," Sacha whispered. She had broken the barrier Rade had contained her.

"We can't risk you," Sanja said. "You're needed alive."

Sacha pulled the black handle out of her right leg. "We'll live," she said. "I promise…" She walked past Sanja and stood next to Rade. She swung the handle downward, its blade piercing through the cold air. She tipped the blade on the ice.

"Your sword won't kill me," Georges said.

"Maybe," Sacha said.

Georges charged at Sacha. Sacha started to run, dragging the blade across the ice and leaped, stopping Georges midway. The two struggled on the ice.

"We should help," Rade said, slowly standing up.

Sanja watched Sacha move, standing by in case she would need help. Sacha was quick enough to defend herself and counter Georges' attempts, but injuries had slowed and restricted her movement. Then, Sanja noticed the ice floor. There was a crack. "JT10," she said. "I think we need to step back."

- 1000100.1001110.1000001 -

Georges' movement was quick, responsive, and calculative, like any bionic soldier. Other than his head, all his body parts have either been enhanced or replaced with robotics. He had no emotion, only the drive to carry out directives.

Sacha could only rely on her speed at this point. But her injuries from the explosion at Lab C3-A have slowed her down.

The Sumbriva are trained for survival. She was not to fail that purpose.

Anyone selected to join the Sumbriva is unique by definition. They needed to be gifted, strong, and adaptable. They were to be trained and developed into "heralds of research and development…"

Sacha's parents excelled in their chosen fields but openly resented the idea of sending Sacha and her other siblings to the Fromm-Hasse Institute, an international training center for gifted individuals. Living in an era at the brink of an international crisis, joining special institutes and academies became mandatory in Switzerland, once drafted. Sacha and her family often moved from one canton to another because of this. But when Sacha's parents died in an accident, despite objections from remaining relatives, Sacha and her siblings were sent to Fromm-Hasse.

Two years after joining Fromm-Hasse, Sacha's siblings were sent to other schools for further studies in their chosen fields. Sacha remained in Fromm-Hasse for another year until Dr. Heinrich Staub, a close friend of her parents recommended her into Hirstad.

Hirstad accepted her for another purpose, not merely because she was qualified. The world was coming to a crisis, and Hirstad was preparing for it. With twenty-nine others subjects, Dr. Staub and his team formed Project: Sumbriva, a program engineered for a covert group of different members of Hirstad's staff readily trained for combat and survival. Sacha has been continuously training and conditioning under the program shortly after her entry to Hirstad and even after Dr. Staub's retirement.

She was once against the idea. But Dr. Staub encouraged her to stay in the program.

Somehow, he was right.

Sacha managed to shield herself from Georges' robotic arm with her blade. But Georges' threw her back, causing her to slip along the ice. Stopping, she crouched and lowered her blade. Her mother's legacy, it was not to be used for ruthless bloodshed.

Georges stared back at her, again preparing to attack.

Sacha lifted her blade and prepared.

Georges charged at her again.

Now, Sacha thought. She thrust her blade into the thin spot of ice before her and pulled it up, leaping back just before Georges could land a strike against her.

Georges' hand broke through the ice. But the cold water quickly froze, trapping his robotic arm. He struggled, but the ice had him.

Sacha lifted her blade and cut off Georges' robotic arm, destroying the pertus band built on it. Then, she retracted her blade and struck Georges between the eyes with the handle.

Georges fell unconscious to the ice floor.

Sacha stepped away. She removed her glasses and threw them at Georges before walking off.

After a few seconds, the glasses emitted a faint beep and detonated, plunging Georges below the ice.

- 1000100.1001110.1000001 -

"What the…? You just destroyed our ticket out of here!" Rade angrily shouted at Sacha as she approached them.

"It's useless," Sacha said. She walked past Rade, gathering her things and carrying her bag over her shoulder. "We're off-grid."

"What's your plan now?" Sanja asked.

Sacha pulled back her left sleeve and powered her armlet on. The armlet's two monitors and control pads lit up. She looked up then tilted her head to the monitor. She tapped on the pad and aimed her armlet upward. She pressed the trigger switch on the side of her armlet, flinching as a wave shot through. "I'll tell you when it's ready," she said.

The space before them began to distort, spinning, dissolving until a dark whirlpool began to form.

"I thought you said you didn't have the prototype," Sanja said.

"This isn't the prototype," Sacha said. "I told you I already destroyed it."

Sanja suddenly began hearing sounds of motors from the background.

"C72, it's E626," a voice suddenly spoke into her communicator.

Sanja froze. It was Eloise Lupine's voice. She pressed her fingers against the communicator. It was impossible.

"C72..." Rade called, as if observing Sanja.

"JT10, it's E626," Sanja said. "She's here."

"What? How?"

"Listen," Lupine spoke from the other end. "You must leave before Gottfrei's backup gets there. They're coming."

"Where are you?" Sanja asked.

"I'm nearing your coordinates. I'll distract them. Get the target and do as she says."

Sanja glanced at Sacha. Lupine must be joking.

"It's ready," Sacha declared, taking off her coat, scarf, and cap, eyes fixed on the hole before her.

The dark whirlpool had set.

"C72, you and the target need to leave," Rade ordered Sanja. His tone was serious. "I need to help E626. She can't handle them alone. We'll follow soon."

"But..." Sanja began to protest. She has never worked without Rade. Ever. But he was right. She and Rade were a step away from accomplishing their task in Airolo.

"We need to guard the hole until it closes," Rade said. "If we don't, they'll follow you."

Sanja nodded reluctantly. Then, she turned to Sacha.

"We've done a lot," Rade said to Sacha, smiling. "Promise me you'll live."

"I promise," Sacha said. "Follow soon." She turned to Sanja. "It will hurt a bit," she warned. "But we'll get there." Then, she leaped into the hole.

Sanja followed, gravitating into the dark hole.

- 1000100.1001110.1000001 -

The year is 2064.

As Ida Mazza, she was to assume a different character. She was used to this but not alone. It will be her first time alone.

It did not hurt a bit. It hurt a whole lot.

What was that armlet for?

On the hospital bed, she sifted through her bag. Across time, the Piéton Garde has stationary people to assist the guards on missions. She has never been into displacement before, much worse, alone. Her partner has been her older brother. She was going to adjust to life in a foreign place and in a different time alone. She wondered who to approach, searching through her things for an answer.

The door suddenly opened. Dr. Yoshida, the attending physician, entered. She was beautiful, tall, slender, dark hair tied into a bun. She looked back and smiled. "Welcome to Kyoto," she greeted.

Ida wanted to say something. But she did not know where to start.

"Pettigrew told me to expect you, just in case," Dr. Yoshida said.

Ida opened her mouth. Pettigrew happened to be the current head of the Piéton Garde. Dr. Yoshida is E624, one of the contact points in Kyoto, as they had been briefed. The unfortunate turn of events caused her and Sacha to be thrown off-grid. How did Dr. Yoshida know they were going to end up here in Kyoto?

"I was part of the Piéton Garde until I decided to stay here," Dr. Yoshida said. "I realized I will be more of help as an assistant, more than a guard." She opened the refrigerator at the right end of the room and took out a cold can, then placing it on the table next to Ida. "Please," she offered.

Ida took the can. It was a specialized formula for guards who have just arrived on their supposed destination and time. It was meant to revitalize them quickly. She opened the can and took a sip. She hated the aftertaste, but she needed it.

"I arranged a job for you while you're here," Dr. Yoshida explained. "You'll be staying here for a while, I was told."

"Sacha needs to stay here until full circle," Ida said. "I don't know why Pettigrew and Lupine are very serious about it."

"Lupine," Dr. Yoshida uttered, sighing. "She's always been focused." She chuckled. "But she is right. Sacha Senn is a very interesting subject."

"Eh? You think so?"

Dr. Yoshida nodded. "I ordered the displacement," she said. "It was necessary."

Ida frowned at this. Pettigrew did not need to hide it from them. It was apparent that distrust among the Piéton Garde was growing. "But... why?" she asked.

"Sacha Senn needs to outlive 2060," Dr. Yoshida answered.

"I don't understand."

"Sacha Senn died in 2060, a few months after your deployment," Dr. Yoshida explained. "She needs to outlive 2060 in order to change the future. It's all I can tell you for now." She glanced at the view outside and turned to Ida.

Any disruption in the continuum can change the course of events, no matter how relevant or irrelevant any instance may be, Ida recalled Pettigrew's words. From what she had seen before ending up where she is, she knew what Sacha was capable of. Maybe it was why Lupine was so serious about it.

"She's already awake," Dr. Yoshida said, breaking the silence. "You can visit her tomorrow. For now, try to rest. I'll take care of everything."

- 1000100.1001110.1000001 -

Sacha slipped her glasses on and looked about.

Kazuki observed Sacha discreetly. She did not look at all like someone dangerous. She looked like someone from a book she never finished reading. Her sisters seemed to be at ease, despite meeting her just now.

"Sacha Senn, 20 years of age, female, brown hair, gray eyes," Hazuki read from Sacha's ID. Then, she glanced at Sacha, laughing. "One, you don't look 20. And... you look like a character from a novel."

"Don't remind me," Sacha said in an uneasy tone, head tilted. "I get that a lot."

Kazuki sighed. At least, she was not the only one to think of it. And it did not help at all that Sacha had a stitched cut on her forehead.

"What were you doing at the other house?" Hozuki asked. "We heard a loud crash."

"Just an experiment," Sacha answered, smiling at Hozuki. "Sorry about that."

"You're an inventor?"

"I'm a researcher," Sacha said.

"Wow!" Hozuki beamed. "Then, you can help me?"

"Well... that depends," Sacha answered again. "But I'll help in any way I can." She paused, looking about again. "I owe you for taking me here."

"Kakkii found you," Hazuki said. "She watched over you."

Kazuki looked back, Sacha's gray eyes meeting hers. They seemed to look right through her that it felt uncomfortable. "Be careful next time," she said, somewhat dismissively, with a straight face.

"I will," Sacha said calmly. "Thank you."

Kazuki turned from Sacha's stare. "There's something I need to ask you," she said. "We'll talk after this." She stood from her chair. "I'll go out for a while. I need some air." Then, she walked away.

Sacha watched Kazuki as she left by the door. "A little... firm, isn't she?" she remarked. "Reminds me of work."

"She's single if you're asking," Hazuki said.

"Eh?" Sacha gave Hazuki a puzzled look.