Chapter 2: Quantum Leap
"Hello? Where am I? Did I survive that explosion? Dear God… am I…"
Dr. Breen found himself in a place of pure nothingness. All he could see was darkness. Suddenly, a voice boomed from the endless void.
"No, you are not dead," said the mysterious voice. "Not now."
"Who are you," asked Dr. Breen. "Is this the Combine home-world? I demand to know where I am at once!"
A group of cloaked figures emerged from the darkness, their faces obscured by the shadows.
"We are the time keepers. We observe the events of the universe as well as bring balance and order to where we see fit."
"Is this a joke? You cant be serious," Dr. Breen retorted.
"We have seen what you have done on Earth, and we are not pleased at all with your actions," said one of the mysterious figures. Another one jumped in. "Throughout the past decade, we have watched you in your obsidian tower. You sat there indifferent to the struggles of your fellow brethren. You have forsaken your race, and for that, you must be punished… severely."
"Well, what was I suppose to do? I had to agree to the surrender in order to save myself along with everyone else on the planet! Any other sane man would have done the same!"
"But at what cost, Dr. Breen? At what cost?"
"At what cost? I already told you the Combine forces would have destroyed Earth otherwise. What else would I have possibly lost?"
"Your soul! Your humanity!"
"My soul? My -- this is the biggest load of crock I've --"
"Silence! Now, according to our latest records, it seems as though that in order to save yourself, you single-handedly sacrificed your planet to the Combine forces. You would rather save your pathetic self out of cowardice than save the lives of billions?"
"Okay, fine! I doomed my planet! I'm not proud of it, but when your own life is at stake, it's rather difficult to think soundly!"
"We are sorry, but that is no excuse for your actions. However, we will offer you an alternative to execution if you are willing to accept."
Dr. Breen sighed and regained his composure. "Fine. Yes, I'll accept."
"Very well. Dr. Wallace Breen, for your sentence, you shall go back in time and right the wrongs of the past. In order to correct your own mistakes, you will correct the mistakes of others… in the past."
Dr. Breen just stood there stupefied. "What?"
"Your sentence shall begin immediately. However, in order to aid you with your time-changing shenanigans, we will provide you an assistant.
Another person appeared from the shadows. This time, a boy in a baseball cap.
"Hi, I'm Alex," the boy shouted.
"This is Alex," said one of the mysterious figures. "He will guide you through your trials in time."
"This boy," said Dr. Breen. "This is my assistant? You're saying this adolescence is going to be my guide during my so-called adventures through time?"
"Yes, that is correct. Is there anything else you would like to know," asked one of the cloaked figures.
"Yes," replied Dr. Breen. "Are you sure I'm not in hell right now?"
"Yes, but if you would like to go there, we would be more than willing to take you there… extremely painfully."
"No, no." Dr. Breen sighed heavily. "This is just peachy."
"Very well, then. Dr. Breen, Alex, prepare for your first mission through time and space!"
Dr. Breen and Alex are soon enveloped in an aura of lightning and scientific wonder.
"Oh boy! This is going to be fun," said Alex with glee.
"I can only imagine," Dr. Breen mumbled as he rolled his eyes.
The lightning aura surrounding the doctor and the boy grew brighter until finally…
*ZAP*
They were gone -- on their way through their first adventure in time.
