Sofia was sitting in her new office, which she shared with two other junior researchers: Julia and Karin. The two girls were friendly and easy-going, and Sofia was extremely grateful for that. She had actually expected her new workplace to be packed with people in suits, acting all formal and always in a rush. She was therefore surprised to see how friendly and welcoming everyone was being to her. With a sole exception: Martin Hatch, Monarch's spokesperson. She had crossed his path at the reception, and smiled at him. He, however, gave her a look of pure loathe and proceeded without stopping.

Sofia was just telling her new co-workers about the interview she had had three days before with Paul Serene while waiting for instructions about what she should be doing on her first day.

"Paul Serene interviewed you?!" exclaimed Julia, eyes widening.

"Yes…and I didn't even ask him his name when we shook hands!" exclaimed Sofia, still mentally smacking herself.

"Okay, THAT is embarrassing" continued Karin, laughing loudly at her awkwardness.

"I had NO idea that was Mr. Serene! I thought he was just a candidate like me…I mean he is so…" Sofia trailed off, embarrassed.

"…Hot" completed Karin for her "We know". Julia and Karin exchanged a knowing look, and Sofia realized that Paul Serene was many of his own female employees' dream.

"Anyway, I would have hung myself after realizing that was Paul Serene" said Karin.

"Karin!" Julia reprimanded the other.

"Well, I said I would have hung myself. That does not mean Sofia has to…" replied Karin with nonchalance.

"Still, I don't understand why Mr. Serene himself would waste his time interviewing a junior researcher. We were not that lucky, Karin" said Julia.

Their chattering was suddenly interrupted by someone opening the door without knocking, and Martin Hatch entered the office.

"'Morning, ladies" he said in his deep, commanding voice "I expect you to complete our research on the CFR within schedule. There is no time for chatting".

Julia and Karin immediately got to work without another word.

"Now, Miss Amaral. If you'll want to follow me" he said coolly, and turned around to leave.

Julia and Karin gave her nervous glances, but Sofia followed Hatch to the elevators, which brought them down to the 3rd floor. He then wordlessly led her to a room, occupied only by a man standing by a whiteboard. The whiteboard recited "Chronon particles and its applications: an introduction".

Sofia was then introduced to the kind-looking man she had seen many times before on popular scientific magazines and even on TV: Dr. Henry Kim, one of her heroes.

"Dr. Kim! It is an honor to meet you in person. I have read all of your publications!" Sofia said in awe.

"Thank you, my dear. It is a pleasure to meet you and have you as part of my team. Now, if you'll want to take a seat, I will introduce you to our research program" said Dr. Kim, shaking hands with her and smiling widely.

Hatch had already taken a seat, farthest from them, and looked extremely bored.

While Sofia sat, Dr. Kim positioned himself in front of the whiteboard, ready to begin.

"Before you begin, Henry, I would like to remind Miss Amaral that, according to our procedures and appendix D of her contract, she will not be allowed to divulge any of the information she is about to receive and that she will receive in the future, to her family, friends, media or anyone else unless so instructed by her superior, and prior my authorization of Mr. Serene's. Is this clear, Miss Amaral?" said Hatch, fixing his hawk-like gaze upon her. Sofia nodded firmly, but was actually wondering what would be so secret about Monarch that required such strict procedures.

"Now, Sofia" started Dr. Kim, lifting the tension in the room "I am confident you have heard about Meyer-Joyce particles, also known as chronon, as Mr. Serene has provided me with a very detailed dossier about you and your studies. You are, in fact, highly informed if I may say so myself".

Sofia couldn't help but smile broadly.

"What I am about to reveal to you today, however, will sound hard to believe and I therefore ask you to listen carefully, and wait with any questions that will surely arise".

By now, Sofia was very intrigued and adjusted her position in the seat.

"Ok, where do I actually begin?" said Dr. Kim, scratching his bald head.


When Dr. Kim had finished his explanation almost one hour later, Sofia was unsure whether she should laugh or think she was the victim of a joke.

How could she possibly believe that William Joyce, the scientist who had discovered the existence of chronon particles, had created a time-machine which allowed a subject to travel in the past or the future?

How could she believe that a much younger Paul Serene, once the leader of a research program at Riverport University, had decided to test the machine on himself with the help of William's younger and more rebellious brother, Jack, ignoring Dr. Joyce's warnings and provoking a fracture in time which was leading to the end of time and, consequently, of the world?

And now Monarch was trying to save humankind by studying a solution in a chamber located in the very basement of Monarch Tower, which was powered by a device called CFR, the only chamber where time stutters would not affect the normal course of life. The whole program was called Lifeboat Protocol, and only few, selected employees would have access to it when time came, which was also why they were not allowed to freely talk about it with everyone.

"But if I am just a junior researcher who has just been employed, why have I been granted access to the Lifeboat Protocol?" asked Sofia, still very confused.

Dr. Kim opened his mouth to answer, but Martin Hatch was faster "Because Mr. Serene thinks you could prove…very helpful" he said with a strange tone. Was it just her, or did Hatch actually not like her in the least?

"Sofia…may I call you Sofia?" started Dr. Kim, and Sofia nodded with a smile "I will escort you to our laboratory, so you can have a better overview of what we are working on". Hatch took this as his chance to leave, and so he did, giving just a short nod to Dr. Kim.

Sofia then followed Dr. Kim to the 11th floor and then to a large laboratory, where a team of five was busy analyzing square, white boxes with Monarch logo on it.

After quickly saying hi to the rest of the team (Michael, Monica, Spencer, Alfred and Fiona), who was too busy to start a real conversation, Sofia was brought to a white counter with a tall chair.

"This is going to be your working station, mine is right over there" said Dr. Kim, pointing at his own bench to the far left "And over there, you can access the restricted part of the laboratory, where we keep our chronon particles in the containers the others are analyzing at the moment. It is important to monitor these containers regularly, and make sure the density and flow are stable. As you know, we need to collect as many particles as possible from Ground Zero, where they are most commonly found, to guarantee the success of our project. But that is not all it is expected from you".

Sofia listened carefully to Dr. Kim's instructions, and waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"I suppose Paul will want to inform you directly about the rest" he simply said after a moment. He then turned around and walked to the nearest counter, where Spencer had just started using what looked like a metal syringe to extract something from the box in front of him.

"Sir, what should I do now?" Sofia asked, feeling dumb just standing there while the others walked around with their heads bent over their block-notes.

"Why, you may pay Mr. Serene a visit!" Dr. Kim said with a smile.


Sofia was standing outside a door on the 49th floor. The plate on the door read "P. Serene, CEO", but she just couldn't bring her hand to knock.

"Oh for God's sake, what's the matter with you?" Sofia muttered to herself and, after taking a deep breath, finally knocked on the door.

"Come in" said a voice from the inside.

Sofia found herself opening the door with shaking hands, and entered the room. She had expected a large, dark room with wooden floor and bookshelves all around the walls. Paul Serene's office, instead, could not be more different: the sunrays filtered brightly through the tall windows behind the CEO's station, and a simple desk was at the center of the room. A wall was covering the rest of the office to her right.

"Ah, Sofia! Please, come take a seat" Serene said with a wide smile and indicating a leather chair in front of his desk. Sofia hesitantly stepped forward and took her assigned seat.

"So, how are you doing? I hope Dr. Kim is not being too harsh on you?" he asked.

"Oh no, sir! Dr. Kim is actually very nice" Sofia answered quickly.

"That's good to hear" Serene said with a short nod. He then stood up and walked towards the other side of the office. Sofia followed him with her eyes, and was amazed: the rest of the office – was it actually an office? – resembled more an apartment, with wooden stairs leading to the bottom floor, while the upper one led to a comfortable-looking bed. Sofia's heart gave a kick and she realized that she not only was in Paul Serene's office, but was indeed in his own apartment too!

"You may come downstairs, Sofia" said Serene from the bottom of the stairs.

Sofia stood up and walked towards the stairs, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. The view from his room was beautiful!

"Welcome to my humble home" Serene said softly, and leading her to the right, where a small kitchen and a sofa were. He invited her to sit on the comfortable sofa while he proceeded to the kitchen to grab two cups, then activated the coffee machine.

Sofia was so taken aback by the sight of such a powerful man making coffee for himself and his employee, instead of just ordering someone to bring them some, she raised an eyebrow.

Serene then turned around and took a seat in front of her. Sofia must still have a confused expression on her face, because Serene asked her if she was feeling well.

"Oh, yes, I am fine, sir" she replied quickly.

Serene slightly bent his head to one side and smirked "Do you find weird that I have allowed you into my apartment?"

"Well, that is definitely unusual" she answered.

Serene looked at her for a moment before speaking "Not many of my employees have been here. I can daresay very selected few have, actually".

Sofia was starting to feel uncomfortable with Serene's intense gaze fixed upon her. She shifted her position and put both her hands on her legs. Her heart was speeding up.

"Sir…?" she questioned, but realized she didn't know what to ask.

"Sofia..." he said very slowly and quietly, almost whispering "I need your help." His eyes unfocused for a moment, and Sofia froze in place.

His whole being looked different: his eyes bore right into hers but were not really looking at her and his mind seemed absent.

"Mr. Serene, sir?" she said hesitantly, carefully leaning forward to him.

He blinked a couple of times and then continued if nothing had ever happened "Do you know why I have chosen you, Sofia? Why the CEO himself has given up some of his precious time to come to your interview?"

"No, sir. I…" started Sofia, but Serene continued "Because I see great potential in you. You may be my only hope".

His voice sounded almost desperate, and Sofia gave him a questioning look.

The machine behind them beeped, and Serene suddenly stood up to empty its content into the two mugs he had previously prepared.

"Sugar?" he asked, positioning a mug on the table in front of her.

"No, thank you" she said. He had returned to his normal, kind self, but his behavior was definitely confusing her.

Serene took a sip from his mug, and then sat down again.

"I prefer it with sugar. I don't know how people can drink this without" he said, taking a spoon of sugar from the box on the table and stirring his coffee. Sofia blinked several times, and started to wonder what was going on with him: a second before he had seemed far away, almost dangerous, and now he was being all friendly and nice.

"Sir, could you tell me exactly what you meant to say just moments ago?" Sofia asked carefully.

Serene took another slow sip of his coffee. "Ah, that's much better! Now, Sofia, could you remind me what I said, precisely?"

"Uhm, that you…that you need my help…and that I may be your last hope" she said, blushing slightly.

"Ah yes" Serene said, suddenly fixing his eyes upon his hands, almost as if he was seeing them for the first time "I definitely did not choose you just for your pretty face, that's for sure" he smirked at her, and Sofia's heart kicked one more time, her face now as red as a tomato.

Serene didn't appear to notice it, though. "You are a very talented scientist. I have read all of your publications, studied your dossier. You possess the right qualities for the job I will assign you. You will in fact not only be working with the rest of the research team to complete the studies on the CFR and the Lifeboat Protocol, but will have to focus on an equally important project together with me and Dr. Kim."

"What is this project exactly, sir?" Sofia asked while taking a sip of her black coffee, glad that he was finally revealing her the real reason why she had come to his office.

"A cure" he said simply.

"A cure? To what? Sir, I am no doctor" Sofia tried to protest, but Serene continued "I know you are not a doctor. But no doctor can help. Trust me, I know. The cure we need to find is correlated to the chronon, and only highly qualified scientists like you and Dr. Kim can make it. One needs to possess all the possible information and education, together with Monarch's technology, to solve this problem".

Paul then looked at her again, his expression indecipherable. "You will receive an e-mail with all the material you will need to study before starting on the project. Dr. Kim will brief you about the rest".

It sounded like a dismissal, and Sofia stood up, followed shortly after by Serene. He then escorted her to the upper floor and to the door.

"I suppose I will see you soon, Sofia" he said, giving her a kind smile.

"Yes, yes…Good evening, Mr. Serene" she replied, turning to leave.

"Sofia?" Paul called, and she immediately spun around "I know you will succeed".

She smiled at him, and then turned to leave while he closed the door behind them.


She was walking back to her office, deep in thought. Paul Serene needed her and Dr. Kim to find a cure to something related to chronon. She had no idea what he was talking about, but he had sounded desperate. Could this possibly be about him? But he looked perfectly healthy, though she had to admit he had scared her for a second when his eyes had unfocused.

She then repeated the whole scene in her head, trying to include all the possible details: his humble office in contrast with his cozy apartment, his bed neatly made, the pictures on the walls, the small kitchen, the comfortable sofa with the bookshelf on the left-hand side and the newspaper lying on the coffee table. She remembered a door, which didn't match with the colors and style of the rest of the apartment, as if it had been put there by mistake.

She also remembered Mr. Serene's behavior, initially charming as always suddenly shifting into something more sinister.

But she also found herself remembering a specific sentence: "I definitely did not choose you just for your pretty face, that's for sure". She had blushed back then, and blushed once again at that particular memory. Had he just said he found her cute?

She was so concentrated she slammed against Julia's back.

"Hey, watch where you're going, Sofia!"

"I'm sorry! I was just…" Sofia stopped from saying "I was just thinking about Paul Serene, our CEO that just told me I am pretty".

"You've been away for a while. I hope Hatch hasn't given you a hard time like he does with all the others" continued Julia, suddenly turning darker at Hatch's mention. Unlike Serene, that man certainly was not popular among the employees.

"Well, actually I have just been in Paul Serene's office" Sofia said matter-of-factly.

Julia just dropped her jaws and Karin, who had been typing at her pc and sipping coffee, just sputtered it all over her keyboard.

"You've been where?!" shouted Karin, wrapping one arm around the back of her office chair.

"Paul Serene's office. You know, our CEO" replied Sofia in a mocking tone.

"No way! No one has ever been there! I guess only Hatch and Dr. Kim" said Julia, looking at Karin.

Sofia simply shrugged her shoulders and went back to her seat.

"What did he say, then?" asked Julia. Sofia was not sure she could be talking about it, but decided she could trust the two girls.

"He said something about finding a cure".

"Ah, right…" said Julia and Karin at the same time.

"You mean you know about it?" Sofia asked, shocked. She could maybe get a sneak-peak of the infamous cure Serene so desperately wanted.

"Well, yes. We and the rest of the research team have been working on it for a while, but with scarce results. We were supposed to provide a cure for the so-called "chronon syndrome", something you may get by being exposed too much and for too long to chronon radiation" said Julia.

"What are the symptoms?" asked Sofia.

"We are not that sure, actually, because we have never met a subject affected by it. But Paul Serene has, and he says it's scary stuff" answered Karin.

"Is it? He sounded really desperate to find one" continued Sofia, resting her chin on her hand.

"Maybe someone he cares about is affected by it" said Julia, who seemed to be thinking hard.

"Or maybe it's for himself! He is so mysterious!" replied Karin excited "Can you imagine? Paul Serene, the sexy knight in desperate need to be saved by his princess!"

"Get back to Earth, Karin" Julia told her friend, crossing her arms.

Sofia found herself thinking: what if Serene was looking for a cure for someone he cared about? Did he have a girlfriend? She hadn't seen any ring on his finger, so she supposed he was not married. But why was she thinking about this now? Maybe a friend was affected by the syndrome, maybe a family member…

Or maybe himself.

She remembered his unfocused eyes, the suddenly unsafe atmosphere in his living-room, and her eyes widened at the realization. But maybe he was just being weird.

"Something's wrong, Sofia?" asked Julia, poking her arm.

"No, everything's fine" Sofia gave a fake smile.