p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThrobbing, bouncing, beating pain surged through me as I started to wake up, expecting to find myself laying down. I'd completely forgotten what happened before I blacked out, believing for a moment that I'd gone to bed, until I opened my eyes and found myself in a completely unfamiliar room—not to mention I was sat in some chair. Large, towering, full bookshelves lined all of the walls, complete with one of those rolling ladders I remembered riding when I was a little kid. In front of me was a grandiose fireplace, decorated with gold and white, only further cementing I was somewhere I likely shouldn't have been. It took me a second to focus, but when I did, hatred started to overtake my confusion. Sat right in front of me was a woman, sat completely tall and proper; not a single strand of her white hair was out of place, and there wasn't a wrinkle or dust particle on her ornate, purple uniform. Lila was sat right beside me, staring at the woman behind the desk intently./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina Hargreeves… meet my mother." My eyes went wide as I shifted to stare at the girl on my left. Five had said she was part of the Commission, but he never mentioned she was the daughter of the very bane of his existence. At least, I assumed this was her. The description certainly fit. "Mother, this is Mina… my girlfriend."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'm sorry, what?" I questioned, not willing to fall right back into that title./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThough I wanted to focus my anger on Lila, I couldn't draw myself away from the woman in front of me. Here she was, sat right within arm's reach… The Handler. The woman who had caused my family, specifically my own blood, so much trouble. She, on the other hand, appeared to want nothing to do with me, despite the fact I remember Five mentioning she'd offered for me to work for them with him at some point. Instead, she leaned forward against her desk and glared at the woman that apparently was her daughter./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Are you kidding me?" she grunted, annoyed. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You said I could hire my own team," Lila attempted to reason. Her own team for what, exactly?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yes, but I didn't mean her, for God's sake." I held my angry gaze as the Handler momentarily looked to me. "If you don't see the problem with hiring you-know-who's sister—and his emtwin /emsister, at that—then you're not ready for that badge." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Only now did I notice the gold badge pinned to Lila's sweater that read 'Head of Security'. That was new. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIn the vain of looking around, I glanced down to my watch, and noticed I was past the time we had to leave. For a moment, I panicked, but I quickly remembered this place was filled with briefcases that I could use to take me back to before time had run out, and all this would be solved. I just had to figure out how to get to them…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'm sorry, but I really need to get going," I sighed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Shut up!" The power behind their voices caused me to flinch./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I can't do this job if you don't trust my instincts," Lila argued./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sweetheart, your vagina needs glasses. She is not worth it." Lila's eyes widened in horror as her mother casually sat back in her chair. I didn't really know what to do with that information, instead just allowing my brain to go blank for a moment./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mum! Oh, my God. This may shock you, but not everyone here likes you." The Handler's expression shifted to blind defiance./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sounds ridiculous, but go on," she urged. I couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not, but my instincts were pointing me closer to 'no'./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You need fresh blood loyal to us and not the old regime. I've seen Mina in the field. She is so much better trained than some of the assholes here. Why waste that when we can use it?" I rolled my eyes, completely unwilling to go with this plan. "She'll be my personal responsibility."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSomething in the Handler's expression changed, and she leaned forward, picking up the rotary phone on her desk and dialing some number. She whispered something into the receiver that I couldn't quite hear, and once the deed was done, she opened a metal tin to reveal a neat line of cigarettes, removing one and lighting it with no regard for anyone else in the room./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You know, your brother Five and I… we have quite… a colorful history." The tone of her voice told me everything I needed to know about that statement. Disgusted, I gagged a little, trying to put that thought as far from my mind as it could go. Why the hell did she think I needed that information? "I highly doubt your any less of a loose cannon than he is, but I'm willing to look past all that if you really want a job with us."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI couldn't help but let out a bitter fit of laughter, staring her dead in the eyes as it died down and I started to speak./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Are you out of your mind?" I spat. "You took advantage of my lonely and vulnerable brother and turned him into a killer, you've sent multiple assassins after not only him, but my entire family, and now I know about…" I gestured to her, unwilling to address anything head-on. "…whatever that was. Needless to say, you've terrorized my family, and I don't take too kindly to that. So, give me one good reason I should join the Commission."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanA chill ran through me as the Handler smirked. Effortlessly, she reached over and picked up the phone again, dialing that same set of numbers and waiting the appropriate time before she handed it over to me and forced me to listen./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"emPlease! Why are you doing this to me?" /ema woman begged, her terror evident even over the phone. "emI don't understand… P-Please, I haven't done anything wro—" /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe Handler placed her finger over the receiver's hold to hang up the call and laced her fingers together, waiting for me to make my move. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I don't understand." I eyed the woman with one brow raised. "Was that supposed to mean something to me? Not to sound too much like my brother, but why am I supposed to show concern for your hostage?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe Handler's smile never faltered as she delivered the fatal blow./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Because right now, I've got two agents with their guns trained on your biological mother… just moments before she is to give birth to you" She leaned back in her chair, as though this was just a casual activity to her. "Of course, I only told them to shoot after the first baby is born, meaning that your poor, little brother would be cut off at the source, and cease to exist completely."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI panicked. I had no choice but to agree, and although I didn't want her to finish that sentence, I waited until she was finished to instinctually answer./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Fine!" I caved, my heart racing. "Fine, I'll work for you all, just… please, don't hurt Five, and emdon't /emshoot our mother." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI hated the way the Handler smirked. She knew she had won, yet again, and I'd handed that to her, the exact way she expected it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That I can work with." She turned her attention back to Lila. "Run her through orientation, fill out her starter paperwork. But… if she ruffles even one feather, you will kill her yourself. Understood?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Thanks, Mum." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Lila was beaming with pride, as though she'd done something right. There was nothing right about this, but I'd do what I had to in order to keep my brother safe. That wasn't negotiable. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"All right, well, let's get going. It's a big place, and you've got an orientation to get to." Unwillingly, I stood up from my chair and followed Lila out the door, eyeing the Handler with contempt one last time before I left the room./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNo way in hell was I going to let her win this. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Now, like I said, it's a really big place. Do not get lost." I didn't bother to take note of anything she was showing me, not letting myself believe that I would be here for long. There had to be some way to slip out and not put Five, or any of my other siblings, at risk. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Or what? You'll kill me?" I taunted./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, you still mad about that, you big baby?" she shot back, not even missing a beat. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, I love being drugged and kidnapped and having my twin brother's entire existence threatened." I watched Lila's excited expression falter for a second, and strangely, I felt a little style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Okay, well, let's make sure you're the best agent possible, and no one has to worry about who kills who, okay?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI couldn't do this. The closer we got to the bottom of the stairs, the more real this all got, and Lila calling me an agent, which I knew was code for assassin, was the final straw. I grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, keeping us out of the view of anyone that passed by./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Wait, Lila, I need to get out of here," I hissed, no longer messing around and letting myself go with this./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Relax."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, I do not have time for this now."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We have all the time in the world." Her efforts to calm me down did absolutely nothing of the sort. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Without waiting for me to be in a more stable mindset, she pulled away and marched down the hall to our left, filled with determination. I, on the other hand, was not willing to give up my position./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Lila, you know me," I tried to reason. "You know I can't kill people for no reason. That's not who I am, nor is it who I want to be."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You're not killing them for no reason," she immediately countered. "You're helping to preserve the timeline." I huffed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yeah, okay, I know that's what you people think you're doing, but to me, it's just plain murder. I'm not willing to do that just because you and your mother say so. If I'm forced to stay here, there must be something else I can do." Something different fell over Lila's face as we stopped in front of a room—it was almost a desperate sort of look./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, please," she begged, keeping her voice low. "I need you to do this, and you need to do this for Five. I know I haven't been great, and I don't expect you to still love me, but am I allowed to call in one last favor?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWere it not for Five's life being on the line, I likely wouldn't have agreed. There was something else in there, something causing conflict, but I wasn't willing to give it the time of day./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Fine, Lila. Jesus." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"She smiled at me, then grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room with a certain excitement. The blue walls were covered in posters, ranging from kill exercises to the chain-of-command in the Commission. A few of the desks were filled with people much more eager than I was, and a woman stood leaning against a larger desk, her attention trained to the door in case anyone else came in./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Dropping off a new recruit," Lila announced, causing her to make our presence known./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Welcome to orientation," the woman greeted, handing me a small folder filled with different sheets of paper, all coated in information. "Open your welcome package and grab a seat. All questions will be answered at the end of the film." I turned back to Lila, still feeling that sense of urgency./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"How long is this?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sit your ass down," the woman leading orientation barked. Reluctantly, I slid into a desk on my right and decided to humor all this for a while./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'm really sorry about all this Mina, but hopefully, you'll adjust after a while."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBefore she turned to leave, she leaned down and pressed her lips against mine. Against my better judgement, I leaned into it, and as she walked out of the room, I had to fight down a stupid little smile attempting to form on my face. What the hell was happening to me?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce all light had been shut out of the room, a projector in the back whirred to life, and the orientation video began to play. An animated briefcase smiled widely and waved at all of us, making me feel as though I was being patronized. Did they realize most of us in here look to be in our mid-twenties or early thirties? /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem"Oh, hi there! I'm Mr. Briefcase. If you're watching this presentation, that means you've made the best decision of the rest of your life. You've decided to join the Commission." /emI tried to hide my scoff, unsure of who exactly would buy that bullshit. em"Over the next 90 minutes, I'm gonna do my best to show you around this old place. You and I are gonna have some fun together." /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI sighed, glancing momentarily over at the clock. I still had to sit through 89 more minutes of this shit. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem"Here at the Commission, you'll find a wide array of exciting career opportunities just waiting to be discovered. Which department will be right for you? Analyst: keeping us informed. Operations: keeping us safe. Hi-yah! Infinite Switch Board Operator: the key to everything we do here. In these rooms, we monitor the entire timeline and report and anomalies we see along the way, keeping the correct timeline at all times."/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"My interest was officially piqued. The ementire /emtimeline? That meant I could see any point in time that I wanted. Either my family had left me, and I needed to find a way to get back to 2019, or they stayed here, and now we had to find a way to stop the doomsday. Both of those options required foresight that board could provide. I just had to find one of the rooms and get there without anyone noticing me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHopeful, I glanced over at the woman monitoring our orientation, finding her fast asleep and snoring; that at least took the first obstacle down. Without paying much mind to the rest of the people in here, I slid out from behind my desk and crouched low, keeping from disturbing them as I snuck out of the room successfully. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina Hargreeves… meet my mother." My eyes went wide as I shifted to stare at the girl on my left. Five had said she was part of the Commission, but he never mentioned she was the daughter of the very bane of his existence. At least, I assumed this was her. The description certainly fit. "Mother, this is Mina… my girlfriend."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'm sorry, what?" I questioned, not willing to fall right back into that title./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThough I wanted to focus my anger on Lila, I couldn't draw myself away from the woman in front of me. Here she was, sat right within arm's reach… The Handler. The woman who had caused my family, specifically my own blood, so much trouble. She, on the other hand, appeared to want nothing to do with me, despite the fact I remember Five mentioning she'd offered for me to work for them with him at some point. Instead, she leaned forward against her desk and glared at the woman that apparently was her daughter./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Are you kidding me?" she grunted, annoyed. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You said I could hire my own team," Lila attempted to reason. Her own team for what, exactly?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yes, but I didn't mean her, for God's sake." I held my angry gaze as the Handler momentarily looked to me. "If you don't see the problem with hiring you-know-who's sister—and his emtwin /emsister, at that—then you're not ready for that badge." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Only now did I notice the gold badge pinned to Lila's sweater that read 'Head of Security'. That was new. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIn the vain of looking around, I glanced down to my watch, and noticed I was past the time we had to leave. For a moment, I panicked, but I quickly remembered this place was filled with briefcases that I could use to take me back to before time had run out, and all this would be solved. I just had to figure out how to get to them…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'm sorry, but I really need to get going," I sighed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Shut up!" The power behind their voices caused me to flinch./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I can't do this job if you don't trust my instincts," Lila argued./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sweetheart, your vagina needs glasses. She is not worth it." Lila's eyes widened in horror as her mother casually sat back in her chair. I didn't really know what to do with that information, instead just allowing my brain to go blank for a moment./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mum! Oh, my God. This may shock you, but not everyone here likes you." The Handler's expression shifted to blind defiance./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sounds ridiculous, but go on," she urged. I couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not, but my instincts were pointing me closer to 'no'./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You need fresh blood loyal to us and not the old regime. I've seen Mina in the field. She is so much better trained than some of the assholes here. Why waste that when we can use it?" I rolled my eyes, completely unwilling to go with this plan. "She'll be my personal responsibility."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSomething in the Handler's expression changed, and she leaned forward, picking up the rotary phone on her desk and dialing some number. She whispered something into the receiver that I couldn't quite hear, and once the deed was done, she opened a metal tin to reveal a neat line of cigarettes, removing one and lighting it with no regard for anyone else in the room./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You know, your brother Five and I… we have quite… a colorful history." The tone of her voice told me everything I needed to know about that statement. Disgusted, I gagged a little, trying to put that thought as far from my mind as it could go. Why the hell did she think I needed that information? "I highly doubt your any less of a loose cannon than he is, but I'm willing to look past all that if you really want a job with us."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI couldn't help but let out a bitter fit of laughter, staring her dead in the eyes as it died down and I started to speak./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Are you out of your mind?" I spat. "You took advantage of my lonely and vulnerable brother and turned him into a killer, you've sent multiple assassins after not only him, but my entire family, and now I know about…" I gestured to her, unwilling to address anything head-on. "…whatever that was. Needless to say, you've terrorized my family, and I don't take too kindly to that. So, give me one good reason I should join the Commission."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanA chill ran through me as the Handler smirked. Effortlessly, she reached over and picked up the phone again, dialing that same set of numbers and waiting the appropriate time before she handed it over to me and forced me to listen./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"emPlease! Why are you doing this to me?" /ema woman begged, her terror evident even over the phone. "emI don't understand… P-Please, I haven't done anything wro—" /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe Handler placed her finger over the receiver's hold to hang up the call and laced her fingers together, waiting for me to make my move. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I don't understand." I eyed the woman with one brow raised. "Was that supposed to mean something to me? Not to sound too much like my brother, but why am I supposed to show concern for your hostage?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe Handler's smile never faltered as she delivered the fatal blow./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Because right now, I've got two agents with their guns trained on your biological mother… just moments before she is to give birth to you" She leaned back in her chair, as though this was just a casual activity to her. "Of course, I only told them to shoot after the first baby is born, meaning that your poor, little brother would be cut off at the source, and cease to exist completely."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI panicked. I had no choice but to agree, and although I didn't want her to finish that sentence, I waited until she was finished to instinctually answer./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Fine!" I caved, my heart racing. "Fine, I'll work for you all, just… please, don't hurt Five, and emdon't /emshoot our mother." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI hated the way the Handler smirked. She knew she had won, yet again, and I'd handed that to her, the exact way she expected it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That I can work with." She turned her attention back to Lila. "Run her through orientation, fill out her starter paperwork. But… if she ruffles even one feather, you will kill her yourself. Understood?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Thanks, Mum." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Lila was beaming with pride, as though she'd done something right. There was nothing right about this, but I'd do what I had to in order to keep my brother safe. That wasn't negotiable. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"All right, well, let's get going. It's a big place, and you've got an orientation to get to." Unwillingly, I stood up from my chair and followed Lila out the door, eyeing the Handler with contempt one last time before I left the room./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNo way in hell was I going to let her win this. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Now, like I said, it's a really big place. Do not get lost." I didn't bother to take note of anything she was showing me, not letting myself believe that I would be here for long. There had to be some way to slip out and not put Five, or any of my other siblings, at risk. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Or what? You'll kill me?" I taunted./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, you still mad about that, you big baby?" she shot back, not even missing a beat. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, I love being drugged and kidnapped and having my twin brother's entire existence threatened." I watched Lila's excited expression falter for a second, and strangely, I felt a little style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Okay, well, let's make sure you're the best agent possible, and no one has to worry about who kills who, okay?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI couldn't do this. The closer we got to the bottom of the stairs, the more real this all got, and Lila calling me an agent, which I knew was code for assassin, was the final straw. I grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, keeping us out of the view of anyone that passed by./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Wait, Lila, I need to get out of here," I hissed, no longer messing around and letting myself go with this./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Relax."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, I do not have time for this now."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We have all the time in the world." Her efforts to calm me down did absolutely nothing of the sort. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Without waiting for me to be in a more stable mindset, she pulled away and marched down the hall to our left, filled with determination. I, on the other hand, was not willing to give up my position./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Lila, you know me," I tried to reason. "You know I can't kill people for no reason. That's not who I am, nor is it who I want to be."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You're not killing them for no reason," she immediately countered. "You're helping to preserve the timeline." I huffed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yeah, okay, I know that's what you people think you're doing, but to me, it's just plain murder. I'm not willing to do that just because you and your mother say so. If I'm forced to stay here, there must be something else I can do." Something different fell over Lila's face as we stopped in front of a room—it was almost a desperate sort of look./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, please," she begged, keeping her voice low. "I need you to do this, and you need to do this for Five. I know I haven't been great, and I don't expect you to still love me, but am I allowed to call in one last favor?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWere it not for Five's life being on the line, I likely wouldn't have agreed. There was something else in there, something causing conflict, but I wasn't willing to give it the time of day./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Fine, Lila. Jesus." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"She smiled at me, then grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room with a certain excitement. The blue walls were covered in posters, ranging from kill exercises to the chain-of-command in the Commission. A few of the desks were filled with people much more eager than I was, and a woman stood leaning against a larger desk, her attention trained to the door in case anyone else came in./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Dropping off a new recruit," Lila announced, causing her to make our presence known./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Welcome to orientation," the woman greeted, handing me a small folder filled with different sheets of paper, all coated in information. "Open your welcome package and grab a seat. All questions will be answered at the end of the film." I turned back to Lila, still feeling that sense of urgency./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"How long is this?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sit your ass down," the woman leading orientation barked. Reluctantly, I slid into a desk on my right and decided to humor all this for a while./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'm really sorry about all this Mina, but hopefully, you'll adjust after a while."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBefore she turned to leave, she leaned down and pressed her lips against mine. Against my better judgement, I leaned into it, and as she walked out of the room, I had to fight down a stupid little smile attempting to form on my face. What the hell was happening to me?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce all light had been shut out of the room, a projector in the back whirred to life, and the orientation video began to play. An animated briefcase smiled widely and waved at all of us, making me feel as though I was being patronized. Did they realize most of us in here look to be in our mid-twenties or early thirties? /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem"Oh, hi there! I'm Mr. Briefcase. If you're watching this presentation, that means you've made the best decision of the rest of your life. You've decided to join the Commission." /emI tried to hide my scoff, unsure of who exactly would buy that bullshit. em"Over the next 90 minutes, I'm gonna do my best to show you around this old place. You and I are gonna have some fun together." /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI sighed, glancing momentarily over at the clock. I still had to sit through 89 more minutes of this shit. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem"Here at the Commission, you'll find a wide array of exciting career opportunities just waiting to be discovered. Which department will be right for you? Analyst: keeping us informed. Operations: keeping us safe. Hi-yah! Infinite Switch Board Operator: the key to everything we do here. In these rooms, we monitor the entire timeline and report and anomalies we see along the way, keeping the correct timeline at all times."/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"My interest was officially piqued. The ementire /emtimeline? That meant I could see any point in time that I wanted. Either my family had left me, and I needed to find a way to get back to 2019, or they stayed here, and now we had to find a way to stop the doomsday. Both of those options required foresight that board could provide. I just had to find one of the rooms and get there without anyone noticing me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHopeful, I glanced over at the woman monitoring our orientation, finding her fast asleep and snoring; that at least took the first obstacle down. Without paying much mind to the rest of the people in here, I slid out from behind my desk and crouched low, keeping from disturbing them as I snuck out of the room successfully. /span/p
