"Yaaahhhh!" shouted Obake angrily as she was in such a bloodlust that she lost control of rational thought. As the katanas moved closer, Slick watched her calmly before throwing up his right hand as his cane shot out into it and fired an electrical bolt that knocked his attacker backwards and straight onto the floor in severe pain.

Slick lowered his weapon as Molo appeared in the bathroom doorway stunned before he received an annoyed look from the former playboy that caused him to go back in and shut the door and lock it.

"I thought I would've trained you better than this, Keiko," remarked Slick disappointed as he picked up her dropped katanas and placed them on the table and then squatted down in front of her fallen form where Keiko was now breathing heavily with sweat dripping down her face.

"Now do you want to tell me what's going on?" he asked, a little annoyed. Keiko responded by whipping out her tonto blade which was immediately intercepted by Slick who grabbed her wrist.

"Quit wasting my time!" he yelled at her before slamming her hand against the floor causing her to drop it as well. He then stood up and shook his head at her in further disappointment.

"Emotions have no place in the heat of battle. If you can't control yourself internally then you can't do your best work externally and I know I taught you that much," he railed on her. "Maybe you should remember that because it's always the brave ones who must die; the soldiers. I hope you continue to savor the sweetness of your life. You disgust me."

Slick turned to leave for the door with a swish of his duster and was reaching for the doorknob when he heard a weak voice say.

"Please don't leave me, papa," the voice pleaded, very softly through sniffles. Slick sighed heavily and turned to look at the crumpled form of a woman who would one day be his daughter.

"I don't know why he and I put up with you," he complained lightly as he helped her into a chair and then sat opposite her. He then looked at Keiko expectantly to tell him what was going on that would turn her against him.

"Why did you turn Darius into a robot?" asked the defeated woman distantly, not even looking at him. Slick concentrated on her statement and then his eyes drifted over to the slumped over bio-bot and the pieces fell into place.

"Keiko, if I've tried to impart any wisdom on you, then you have to know what my number one rule is when it comes to life," he reminded her, of things he had yet to say to her from his perspective. Keiko looked away ashamed before looking back up at him.

"That friends are a liability, the only you can truly count on is yourself," she quoted. Slick nodded his head.

"Exactly," he replied. "Your feelings for this person just made you make poor decisions that could've gotten you killed. Now look at it from my perspective, I don't know who this Darius person is, but he clearly was a viable applicant to be placed into that…thing. Clearly if I'd been attached to him, then I wouldn't have done that, potentially put someone lesser in his place, and then this mission might not have been successful as a result, all because of some misplaced sense of friendship."

Keiko forced herself to think about what her future father was saying and reluctantly nodded her head at that as she wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Why isn't it so easy to just let go?" she asked. Slick gave her a remorseful look.

"It never is. That's why you can't afford to let them into your heart in the first place. Remember the past, live for today, prepare for tomorrow, fight the future," he quoted, just like his future self always did.

"Who told you those words?" asked Keiko curious as she went and got herself a glass of water and some aspirin.

"A man by the name of Dave and I've never forgotten them. But I need to find out if your father has, which is why I need to know where he is," Slick warned as he stood up. "Now where is he?"

"I don't know," responded Keiko helplessly. "He makes his own rules you know that better than anyone."

FLASH

Slick was about to respond when a bright light washed in from the outside, illuminating the night sky. An angry roar washed over the pounding rain and lightning as Slick walked up to the window and saw the flying Excelsior Stretch Limousine hovering outside. Slick stared at the blackened front window of the vehicle before slamming his hand hard against the glass window of the apartment in a mixture of frustration and fury.

But the limousine made no move to get closer to the glass; instead it just hovered there out of range as Slick's expression boiled over into rage, a rage he had just warned Keiko about.

Slick pointed to his chest and then straight out at the limousine and then turned away from the window and picked up a nearby trashcan and with a yell of rage, flung it into the window where it broke through and flew through the air, but fell short of the limo and plummeted to the ground below.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, OLD MAN!" he roared over the wind, thunder, lightning, and engine sounds. He then stared at the vehicle for several moments, oblivious to the wind and rain pelting him, and then turned from the open window as the limousine spun around in turn and both moved away from each other.

"You're really going to try and kill him?" Keiko demanded, astonished. Slick paused briefly and looked down at her with coldness in his eyes.

"Whatever it takes," he responded. "This is my world, not his, and I'm going to make him remember that."

Then Slick was gone, leaving her alone in the ruined room before Molo slinked out from the restroom and out the door. Keiko stood up and retrieved her katanas before walking over and picking up her computer and rebooting it and then performed a system restore on Dallas XIII, making him forget ever being Darius.

"Goodbye, my friend," she responded, putting the past behind her as her father had instructed her. She then unplugged her laptop as Dallas XIII straightened and rebooted.

"Dallas XIII online, seeking orders," it responded. Obake slung her katana swords and looked the robot straight in the eye.

"We're going to finish our mission and then vacate this temporal zone," she told him and then two headed for the roof where their vehicles were waiting. Molo was already climbing into his as Clyde's limousine hovered overhead, awaiting them. All three boarded their crafts and then the quartet of vehicles raced east.

Below: The Vigilantes had finally met up with Chassey and were now listening to John's explanation of where the older Clyde was headed to next.

"It's clear that the attacking of America was only the first step of Slick's plan. He's done much to weaken this country, but just having this country collapse won't ensure OMAR's control over the world. To do that, he has to ensure that OMAR attacks the United States and takes it over," John began.

"So he's going to contact OMAR and get them to act," said Chase nodding his head. JT shook his head.

"Not quite. It's clear by now that OMAR never intends on attacking the United States ever again. They never attacked by 2019 in the original timeline and that means that as it stands they won't attack now," he continued to reveal. Chase regarded him confused.

"As it stands 'now'?" he asked, perplexed, apparently in denial about the truth right in front of him.

"He's going to Kuwait where he's going to destroy OMAR's HQ and kill all the remaining board members. And then he's coming to finish off America once and for all," JT answered. Chase's jaw dropped at that, as did the rest of the team's.

"We have to go to Kuwait, then," said Sheila standing up. Chase laughed hysterically at that notion.

"We can't just go to Kuwait!" he exclaimed. "Kuwait is a no man's land deathtrap! It's the most heavily fortified location on the planet in this time as well as mine. If we go there, we won't be coming back alive. And even if we did go, why would be going; to protect OMAR? We can't do that!"

"I can't make any of us go, that's a decision we have to make for ourselves, but I'm going. I owe Slick that much at least," said JT as he headed for his car.

"Well, if I take a hard stance against OMAR as president one day, than I may as well start building my platform now," said Sheila running off for her car also before briefly stopping by Dave's Cultsmen. "You guys have done great work for us, and I hope we do find Dave one day, but you'll need to stay here in case anything goes wrong."

"You three stay here also," Houston told the All-Star Trio. "If we don't make it back, defend this country from OMAR along Dorkiel, Borkiel, and Zorkiel."

"Be safe, Aunt Houston," requested Tomey as all three gave a group hug with the former OMAR cyborg before she headed for her tow truck. That left Chase and Chassey standing by each other.

"Have you finally made your choice?" he asked of her. Chassey nodded her head.

"You said before that I'm dying every moment I'm not her," she began. "But you're wrong. No matter what happens to me, I will always be the same person in here and the person that she was, will always be a part of me. So I'm going to do what she would've done and I'm going to go stop my husband from making any more mistakes. I'm not going to fight the future; I'm going to fight for the future."

She ran for her new Clydesdale and then hopped onto the trailer behind it and placed one hand on her Rattler before hopping in her Vertigo that now sported a large CB radio antenna on the back as well as a strange box-like contraption on the front hood. The four vehicles then headed east as Chase watched them go.

"You're all fools," he said of them, even though they couldn't hear him, while the All-Star Trio and Dave's Cultsmen headed off in opposite directions. "The brave are always the first to die, leaving the enemy to eliminate the cowards left behind."

And then a brilliant flash erupted behind him, causing Chase to shield his eyes before a boxy van came to a halt, pockmarked with weapons damage and also smoking as if it had recently been on fire. The door to the van slowly opened and an individual hopped out and walked up to the CIA Agent.

"I have need of your services," the man said. Chase snapped out of his stunned state and looked skeptically at the man.

"And what gives you authority over me, you're already forty years too early for that," he stated smugly as he crossed his arms. The man cracked a smile beneath his beard stubble before looking up at the man with a glint of pure malevolence.

"I'm the head of Echo Base, that gives me that authority," he responded. Chase furrowed his brow uncertain at that statement.

"Echo Base is a myth, the idea that a black ops project could exist outside of time is impossibility," he responded.

"Then scan me and find the answer for yourself," the other man advised. The man did as such and was instantly left with his jaw hanging wide open.

"Let's go, we have a truck to catch," the new arrival told him.

"Does she know you're alive?" Chase asked. The man briefly paused and shook his head.

"No, and I hope she never has to find out either," the man replied and got in his van and soon both vehicles took to the air and vanished in a flash of light.

Columbus: "Boss, you can't be serious!" exclaimed Nick. "We can't take two untested combatants into battle, especially not with knowing where their loyalties really lie! Not at the expense of two of our existing members who would know Kuwait much better than them."

"We have no choice. This new enemy doesn't know Padre Destino and Dusty Earth as well as us and so with our help, they'll be a wildcard in our favor. And it's not like I want to leave the others behind, but the plane to Kuwait can only take four vehicles," Slick responded for clarity, even though he had no need to justify his orders to them. "So we're leaving now because the others already have a head start."

He then headed for the exit along with a reluctant Nick along with Padre and Dusty. They headed out of the OMAR building and onto the airfield where a C-130 was being prepped for takeoff.

"Now you're certain they're headed for Kuwait?" shouted Nick over the roar of the engines of the plane as they boarded in through the rear. It had been a major argument to get Seven and Eight to authorize a plane for them, but OMAR had bylines that authorized the redistribution of defenses to protect their HQ, but Eight decided to use a loophole in that it never said how much redistribution was necessary. And so he had offered only one plane for the Coyotes to use.

"It's the only place left for them to go," he answered as they strapped themselves in. "DC is just not a viable target because if this country fell apart now, it'd be impossible to fully conquer later. But OMAR isn't prepared to ever take that kind of action at any point and so he's headed to Kuwait to make sure that they do."

"Hard to believe we're also heading into a trap at our own home base," said Nick astounded. "You've got to figure they know we'll be going after them."

"Life's never easy," Slick commented and reached for his cowboy hat and then realized he'd given it to Chassey and sighed before closing his eyes and trying to get some sleep before the big day coming up soon.

Canyonlands, Utah: A lone Grubb Dual Loader roared past a series of ruins and then down a hidden canyon in silence. Protruding out of the back were the crushed remains of Bob O's Moon Trekker. It continued on in silence before reaching the end where a large junk pile sat while hovering above it was a flying saucer with countless ends and bits attached to it from contemporary machinery. The garbage hauler came to a skidding halt and the Garbage Man emerged from the vehicle and dumped the load into the growing pile before retrieving the solar panels from the moon trekker and dragged them to a lift that was attached to the saucer above and then rode it into the vehicle. Inside, clanking and hammering was heard and then from the open aperture came the Garbage Man's clothes and hat which floated on top of the junk pile.

Inside his repaired flying saucer, 'Y' the Alien aka the Garbage Man made final preparations to head out. His sensors had detected the movement of the futuristic advanced technologies heading east across the ocean and now that his saucer was finally repaired, he was finally a match for them and he would wipe the Vigilantes and Coyotes out completely.

Finishing his final checks, the alien was prepared to move out when his eyes fell on a lone figure clad in white garb moving down the bottom of the canyon towards him shaking their fists angrily. The alien's eyes narrowed as they focused in on Bob O.'s small form before reaching for the laser cannon controls and targeting in on the astronaut. The alien was about to fire when its eyes drifted to the sensor console and the twelve dots composing the enemy force it would have to deal with. Clenching its jaw, a thought occurred to the alien and it lessened its grip on the cannons while it mulled over the idea for several moments before nodding its head in approval.

'Y' the Alien's Luxo Saucer rocketed above the canyon walls and blasted off towards the western frontier at speeds unreached by humans in 1979 and 2019.

Cleveland: The Clydesdale sat in the still pouring rain with the trailer attached with the Rattler still resting atop it. But then a brilliant flash erupted nearby, bathing the vehicles in bright light, before the flash just as quickly faded. In its place was a robed individual with a hood on, who immediately stepped up onto the trailer and calmly ran their hand over the smooth lines of the Rattler before producing a key and getting into the vehicle and brought it to life.

Another brilliant flash and the car and the individual inside of it vanished.

The Past: R. Chase and the Leader from Echo Base sat on a ledge looking out at Site 4 as the Vigilantes and Coyotes went at it all across the area surrounding it.

"Why are we here?" asked Chase. "I already know what happens; Site 4 is destroyed in a tremendous explosion by two cruise missiles."

"Are you sure?" asked the Leader doubtful. Chase just looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"You of all people should know what happened here!" he exclaimed. The Leader shook his head.

"Just because you think it happened one way doesn't make it true," he responded bluntly. As Chase watched, a flying saucer roared over a nearby hill and began blasting everything in sight as the Vigilantes and Coyotes fired back before a lengthy three way battle erupted and ended when the three groups scattered to the winds as a trio of experimental Lockheed Have Blues carpet bombed the area.

"That's not how it happened!" Chase protested. "I saw these events with my own eyes! This base was destroyed!"

Site 4 was still standing, albeit heavily damaged from artillery shells.

"How…," the CIA Agent began weakly before he collapsed on the ground. "Did you change history?"

"No, I didn't," the Leader responded affirmatively. "Tell me, what year is this?"

Chase scoffed at that. "It's 1977. I arrived a few weeks back and over the next two years will make preparations for Clyde's eventual move."

Chase was absolutely positive of those facts and he stood up more energetic than ever.

"And what if I told you the current year was 1975?" asked the Leader, breaking into Chase's smugness and then watched as the color drained from his face. He quickly pulled out his PDA and looked at the readout of what year it was and his arm dropped limply to its side.

"What…what is going on here?" asked the agent in a hushed tone, completely at a loss. The Leader walked up to him and observed Site 4 below and the Vigilantes fleeing the scene, all of them including the Van, the Clydesdale, the Jefferson, and their respective owners.

"Time is being rewritten on a scale we cannot even begin to comprehend," he began as he looked up at the sky above and wiped the beads of sweat that had collected on his chin. "In a few short hours, Sid Burn will be paid for his work that he has done in the United States, but he'll run out of gasoline and John Torque, who in this reality is not a scientist but a gambler, will lock him in his trunk never to be seen again. In two year's time, Slick Clyde will arrive from the year 2017 and do much of what he did in your reality. But there's much more changes going on that defy explanation. In two year's time, Houston will discover her long lost family in the form of the All-Star Trio, but in the timeline you came from, they're not related at all," the Leader began.

"So nothing's the same?" said R. Chase astonished.

"Some things are, some are not," the Leader answered. "But the past, the present, and the future are now constantly changing, always in flux and never set. At Echo Base, since we were mostly out of synch with time, we could see all of this happening, but you couldn't."

"So you're saying we can't even go back to the others?" Chase demanded, immediately getting up with fury in his eyes. He never knew he'd cared as much for the Vigilantes as he did until just now.

"I didn't say that," said the Leader as his eyes narrowed as he stared at something in the distance. "But we have to leave now."

"Why?" asked Chase concerned. "What's going on?"

Bolts of what looked like lightning coalesced above Site 4 and then a giant vortex erupted from nowhere and began sucking everything and in moments Site 4 was completely gone and soon the surrounding landscape was as well.

"What is that?" shouted Chase over the roar that accompanied the vortex as he struggled for his vehicle.

"It's a tear in the fabric of space and time and this reality is about to be sucked into it, only to be replaced by another," the Leader explained as his vehicle slowly struggled to remain steady in the ensuing maelstrom. "We can see it because of our temporal signatures differ from the one present here, but we need to jump clear of it to another time to avoid the tear's effects."

"So where to now, Echo Base?" asked Chase somewhat hopeful at finally seeing the famed location that his PDA had spoken of as only being a rumor.

"Unfortunately, Echo Base was attacked by a hostile force and I am the only survivor," the Leader responded as he keyed for the jump as his van and Chase's Chrono Stinger were slowly being dragged backwards towards the vortex.

"Attacked by whom?" Chase demanded.

"I'm not at liberty to say right now," the Leader answered quickly. "But follow my jump, we still have much more to see and do."

The Van vanished in a brilliant flash of light and moments later the Chrono Stinger did as well while the vortex continued to consume what was once an entire reality of people, places, and things.

Echo Base: The General was shackled to a chair and was bruised, battered, and bloody as the two individuals who had invaded the base stood in front of him. The base for its part was not in much better straights as it had been heavily damaged in the battle and fires raged everywhere unchecked.

"I'll only ask this one more time, where is it?" demanded the man who had ridden the flame decaled car into the facility.

"You fools; you have no idea the devastation you're unknowingly causing," the General said before he began laughing to himself. "Soon, your quests for money, power, vengeance; whatever you're looking for in life won't matter. Existence is on the verge of total collapse."

"And I don't care," the man responded. "Everything burns at some point and your fire has just run out."

The man held a gun to the general's head.

"At least tell me one thing, what are you really looking for?" gave the General of his last request. The man considered it.

"No," he responded and fired his gun, killing the general instantly. As he did this, another blinding flash blanketed the installation in white as a large vehicle appeared and came to a slow halt. The owner of the vehicle and exited and met with the two others.

"Report," the man ordered.

"Nothing much to report, the Leader is gone and we've gleaned all the information we can out of this place," said the owner of the Stag. "I must admit to being surprised that they didn't see us coming until now."

"It's because they're too focused on the bigger picture and not the smaller details," the new arrival stated as he looked up at a large LCD screen that was cracked and displayed patches of static, but when images did appear they were of a timeline with images of distortions

"So reality is falling apart?" the owner of the Manta asked. The new arrival nodded his head.

"Yes, but it factors heavily into our plans and we still have much more work to do, so let's go," said the new arrival and the trio left back to their vehicles and the ruined Echo Base behind.

Kuwait: The OMAR board members were all present and accounted for including Seven who had been temporarily reinstated along with Eight and Eleven who were coerced into coming by forces still loyal to One and clearly not happy about it. By now the Board Members knew what was coming their way, but all knew that they had an obligation to defend Kuwait or else lose their board member status.

"Are we certain we can get Slick Clyde and his Coyotes will get here in time?" asked Thirteen again.

"It will be close, but our tracking devices indicate that their plane will get here perhaps an hour or so before the OMAR plane that the future team hijacked," said Two. "Although why the future team did not disable the tracking device on their mode of transportation is beyond me."

"It's because they want us to know they're coming. They snuck in once into this place completely under the radar and they clearly feel they can do so again," answered Six. "Which is why we shouldn't be here for the oncoming assault in the first place!"

"I agree," said Eight with Seven also nodding in approval. "We gain nothing from this encounter."

Additional murmurs of approval rippled through the remaining board members and then all turned expectantly to One to offer a ruling on the matter.

"On the contrary, we stand to lose more from this one encounter than any in the history of this company," responded One. "The whole world is watching us now to see what we do. If we run now, then OMAR truly is vulnerable and soon other organizations will start coming for blood. If we fail, then OMAR is no longer ours and will be run by individuals who will never know the founding principles of this company. We must make a stand here and now because death is listening at the door for whoever screams first."

Eight rolled his eyes at that but otherwise said nothing while everyone contemplated what their leader had told them.

They continued contemplating in silence for some time…and then alarms began blaring as the Slick Clyde and the Coyotes were approaching the base and the entire board came to the same conclusion.

The fate of the world would be decided in one hour.