AN: Not enough significant changes to the chapter to justify the wait but I got married and quarantined since my last update. So it's been an interesting past few weeks. In other news, more new chapters inbound. Eventually. Hope you enjoy the revamp.
Harry snorted in idle amusement as he shifted gears in the beat-up muggle truck he'd been riding in since long before the sun began to rise. The stench of gasoline and old cigarettes permeated the rusty vehicle, while empty cans of knock off energy drinks clanked loudly as they rolled across the floor.
"You look like shit mate."
His companion gave Harry a halfhearted glare as the youngest male Weasley gripped the side of the truck with a death grip.
The twenty-five year-old former Auror Captain looked pale as the pair drove across the mountainous terrain, the telltale signs of motion sickness obvious in the man's glassy eyes and sick expression.
"Why the bloody hell are we riding in this death trap rather than fucking apparating to the objective?" moaned Ron Weasley, his hand held tight across his stomach. Sweat cascaded down the side of his face despite the cool air emanating from the up-armored trucks air conditioning system.
Harry let out a brief chuckle, before reaching across and pounding his best friend's chest good-naturedly, "You ain't in the Auror Corps anymore mate. Unlike you amateurs, we actually try to blend into our environment... If it'd make you feel better, I can always conjure up a sign to put up on front."
Harry lifted his hands off the wheel and dramatically spread them as if he was painting a picture, "It could say, 'Apparation license and registration, please. Do you have a permit for that cauldron? I'll have to confiscate that sir.'"
Ron groaned tiredly, as the former Auror massaged his temples gently, lines of sweat streaking down the dirt and grime caked across his face. "Whatever happened to the whiny effing midget I knew back at Hogwarts? At least then I didn't have to deal with this kind of abuse... Sarcastic arsehole."
Harry rolled his eyes as the pair slowly rolled up to the small village where their target was holed up in. The midsummer sun baked the earth as the two carefully drove through the crowded and busy market.
Bright colors and exotic smells surrounded the two as a throng of locals went about their daily business, their eyes sliding past the haggard-looking truck, almost as if it wasn't there.
"You getting anything?" asked Harry intently as he drove the truck at a snail's pace through the town. Notice-me-not charms and suggestion charms were all well in good in avoiding people trouble, but it did nothing for ol' mister IED. Sure the reinforcement magic layered across the undercarriage of their local transport would mean they'd likely survive most blasts. But that didn't mean it would be a pleasant experience.
Quite the opposite actually.
Ron shook his head minutely in negative, as he quietly chanted a complex spell under his breath, his mutterings an odd combination of Gaelic and Latin.
Harry nodded and discretely tabbed his left earlobe, activating the communication charm layered onto the small earring piercing his ear.
"Duchess this is Loki."
The Unspeakable didn't have to wait long for the aristocratic voice of Duchess to respond.
"Loki this is Duchess, what do you need darling?" came the sultry voice of the female member of Sigma Squad quietly in his ear.
"Head in the game Duchess, we're passing phase line manticore time now, how's that cordon looking?"
"Good copy, phase line manticore. Cordon is still in place, magical deterrents are activated," acknowledged the female Unspeakable, before a second voice interrupted the transmission.
"All units, be advised you have a platoon-sized element of local militia moving east to west into the AO. Looks like they got a pair of mounted .50 calibre machine guns. Russian DShK's by the looks of it, how copy?"
Harry grimaced as he turned the truck into an alleyway only a block down from the target building. "Copy all Falcon. Maintain visual and get me a grid for the Americans. This is their war, we'll let them handle it. Any sign of magicals?"
"Negative Loki, I'll keep an eye out, over."
"Roger that Falcon, Loki out," hissed Harry quietly as he parked the truck in the back of some rundown alley. Harry glanced at Ron and gave his fellow comrade a terse nod before they covered themselves in a myriad of disillusionment and notice-me-not charms.
"You ready mate?" asked Harry as he finished layering the last of the charms on his person.
Ron narrowed his eyes and put his fist out to his brother in all but blood.
Harry grinned savagely as he bumped fists with the redhead, "Let's go kill this wanker."
The two Unspeakables moved silently and quickly towards the target building. Their target had apparently been hiding out in this war-torn husk of a city for months. With the muggle war raging on, it was obvious he thought he could disappear in the chaos.
He thought wrong.
The target building was a small rundown affair. Shack would've been a better description of the tiny, unassuming residence. Most people wouldn't have even spared it a second glance. But most of the people in the country were muggles. And Sigma Squad was most assuredly not.
The subtle wards and magic that encompassed the house made it nearly impossible for anyone to find, let alone break into without the owner's knowledge. Against any other foe, it would have been an almost foolproof plan. To hide from the remnants of a war within the confines of another war was clever. Hiding in the midst of a muggle war was a stroke of genius.
It was too bad their target made the mistake of being seen outside their little hidey-hole. All it took was one confirmed sighting and the game was up.
As for the myriad of charms, curses, and wards protecting the residence? Well, Sigma's final member and resident curse breaker were more than up for the job.
"Loki, Rookie," acknowledged the fifth and last member of Sigma as he and Duchess appeared seemingly from nowhere in front of the two Unspeakables.
Ron nonchalantly flipped his middle finger at the new arrivals, a habit he'd picked up hanging with the Aussies, as he moved into position next to the Unspeakables. Harry nodded at the arrival of Templar and the voluptuous Duchess, before motioning at the invisible wards before them and pointing at his watch.
"We got a two-minute window before the wards reset boss," hissed the tall Unspeakable, callsign Templar, as he fingered his wand in anticipation.
Harry nodded carefully, "Breach on my mark."
The four Unspeakables crouched down, hidden, as Harry silently counted down from three.
"Breach."
The wards surrounding the target building flickered briefly into existence before disappearing.
Before the wards could even finish flashing, the Unspeakables were already in motion. Moving with the speed and grace of practiced professionals, the four rapidly made their way to just outside the target building's door. Stacking up on the door, Templar moved out of formation and quickly scanned the door for any hidden booby traps or tripwires. Nodding his approval, Templar moved to the opposite side and prepared to breach.
The thunderous kick that the lanky Unspeakable unleashed would have most assuredly announced their presence to the city at large if it hadn't been for the silencing wards placed around the property. Regardless, for the sole inhabitant of the house, it seemed as if the world had suddenly exploded.
A bone-breaking curse leapt from Harry's wand and crashed into their target's chest as they barreled their way into the small shack. A quick incarcerous charm saw their target rapidly and painfully tied up on the dusty floor.
"Clear right!"
"Clear left!"
"Room clear!
Cold rage filled Harry's vision as he stalked across the room and wrenched the injured man to his feet, kicking his wand away from his person.
"Thought you'd get away from us did you?" he hissed, hate dripping from every word like it was poison. A powerful sucker punch to the gut sent the other wizard crashing to his knees, gasping for air.
"M-mercy. I beg for mer-mercy." croaked the injured wizard. His beard flecked with sweat and blood as he feebly tried to crawl away.
"Walden Macnair you have been sentenced to death," Harry snarled at the whimpering former Death Eater, the stench of blood and urine covering the man, "Agent Váli, carry out his punishment."
Former Auror Captain Ron Weasley growled audibly as he moved in front of his wife's murderer, "With pleasure."
Ron smiled darkly as he pulled out a wicked-looking knife from his robes, "I've been waiting a long time for this you fucking bastard…"
Harry watched stoically as his long time best friend kneeled next to the crying Death Eater and whispered something softly in the man's ear before plunging the blade deep into Macnair's chest.
The redhead was as still as a statue as he stared into the Death Eater's eyes and watched as the man slowly suffocated to death on his own blood.
"It's done."
Harry nodded as he motioned at Templar who was guarding the door, "Let's move out Sigma-"
An earsplitting explosion and a blinding light cut off the veteran Unspeakable suddenly.
Harry roared in agony as he felt his body rise into the air and crash through the thin walls of the rundown shack.
"Death curse!" shouted one of the members of Sigma as they dragged Harry ungracefully across the earth away from the burning building.
"-incoming forces on your location-"
"-vada kedavra!"
"-the Captain's down! Duchess get over-"
"-pparation wards are up! We got hostile magicals!"
"-rap! It's a fucking trap!"
Harry moaned as the world slowly spun in slow motion, his vision in his right eye obscured by the red tinge of blood as bullets and spells flew across the air in deadly fashion.
A jolt of power lurched into his injured body and Harry felt the world suddenly roar back into action.
"Boss, I healed your concussion!" shouted the agonized voice of Duchess as she weaved her wand across Harry's body, "We need to move sir!"
Harry grimaced painfully as he wandlessly summoned his wand to his hand. The pops of small arms fire mixed with the roar of a .50 calibre machine gun as the local forces of the area converged on their location.
"Who's still up?" shouted Harry painfully as he whipped his injured body up from behind his crumbling cover and launched a silent Bombarda at one of the machine gun mounted vehicles. Ducking back behind the relative safety of the wall, the resulting explosion caused a brief pause in the gunfire, before it suddenly and fiercely intensified.
Glancing across his surroundings, Harry's eyes widened as he saw Templar cursing violently as he let loose a flurry of offensive spells towards the enemy, his left arm missing from the elbow down.
"Váli's dead sir…"
Harry felt his world suddenly lurch to a sudden stop for the second time that day.
Ron…
The world turned red.
A torrent of black flames consumed the world.
"Every goddamn time!" groaned Harry as he ducked under a vicious swing from the Horcrux golem, its furniture arm smashing through a series of old forgotten mirrors sending shattered glass everywhere.
"What the hell are you moaning about over there?" came the mocking question of Valkyrie as she gracefully spun around the small projectiles being kicked around by the beast, while simultaneously casting a series of bombardment charms, sending decent chunks of the amalgamation of furniture crashing to the ground.
"I mean all this!" complained the Unspeakable as he quickly transfigured the broken pieces of the creature into a series of massive chains, the magical constructs rapidly wrapping around the golem in an attempt to bring it to the ground.
"Every bloody time I go out, somebody or something wants my head on a platter," bemoaned Harry, "If it's not Death Eaters, it's Unspeakables. If it's not a damned dark lord it's a freaking furniture monster. I swear to Merlin if I see my ex-wife I'm going to off myself! Save her the effing trouble!"
Valkyrie paused mid-battle and glanced at the Unspeakable incredulously, "Someone was married to your annoying ass?"
"Look out!" cursed Harry loudly, his wand slashing across his body.
Valkyrie glanced back up at the towering creature just in time to see a massive fist come hurtling towards her.
The female Unspeakable felt a sharp tug on her navel, the signature feeling of a summoning charm, as it sent her tumbling backward. The room seemed to move in slow motion for the witch as the beast's arm flew past her face by mere inches.
Valkyrie cried out in pain as she slammed directly into her male counterpart, sending the two crashing across the floor.
"Fuck me sideways!" growled Harry as he rolled to his feet, his right arm holding his left shoulder gingerly, "Bloody dislocated my shoulder."
Harry hissed in pain as he jammed his arm in between two broken cabinets and violently wrenched his arm back into place.
"Oh bloody fuckin-" swore Harry profusely as his good arm fumbled with his wand.
The male Unspeakable sighed with relief as he cast a minor numbing charm, the blinding pain quickly transitioning into a dull throb.
Harry glared half-heartedly at his female companion, "Head in the game Valkyrie."
"Magical combat first, witty banter with rookies second..." muttered the time traveler to himself as he dodged out of the way of wayward swing from the furniture titan.
Valkyrie said nothing in reply, her heart hammering in her chest at her near-death experience. If he hadn't summoned her back in time, she would have been nothing more than a bloody smear across the floor. The culmination generations of Ancient and Noble blood wiped out from a magical bit of furniture. Perhaps the most ignoble and ill-fitting potential demise she could have ever imagined.
"You know what? We don't have time for this..." growled Harry as he barely ducked under a flying couch.
Valkyrie's eyes snapped open in shock as she felt magical energy start to pour off her part-time teammate in crushing waves.
Glancing over at her partner, Valkyrie instantly recognized the malevolent purple and black flames that burst out of the other Unspeakable's wand.
Fiendfyre.
The rookie Unspeakable could only watch in awe as the ghostly flames wrapped around her partner like a vengeful beast. The incredible heat of the cursed fire seemingly harmless to the male wizard.
A savage grin graced the wizard's lips as his eyes flashed an ominous yellow. The intoxicating feel of dark magic permeated the very air.
Valkyrie watched silently as Harry raised a lone arm and pointed it in the direction of the massive creature.
The flames encompassing the Unspeakable burst forth violently, the sinister flames seamlessly transforming into an army of dark creatures. A black shimmering mass of dragons, snakes, and all manners of beasts raced across the floor, setting everything they touched ablaze.
A deafening explosion of power shattered the silence as the two forces of dark magic clashed in unholy combat.
The massive beast that had so far been unaffected by her strongest attacks suddenly collapsed to one knee, one of its massive arms waving futilely at the blackened flames.
Harry took another step forward, the suffocating weight of his magical power crashed down on the female Unspeakable, its might constricting her chest so tightly she could barely breathe.
The world burned.
It was the most beautiful thing Valkyrie had ever seen.
Harry flashed a blood-stained grin as the Horcrux monster struggled and failed to rise back to its feet as the ethereal flames slowly burned it to ash.
"!"
The unearthly primal howl of the dying creature shook the entire Room of Requirement suddenly and violently as the Horcrux monster finally succumbed to the black flames.
The stench of dark magic and burning wood accompanied the passing of the monstrous beast, while the hissing sounds of smoldering furniture and collapsing appliances cut through the immediate silence after the creature's piercing death cry.
The time traveler snarled angrily as the remnants of the oily black flames converged in front of the wizard and transformed into the burning form of a shimmering hooded black figure. The manifestation of Fiendfyre towered nearly a meter over the Unspeakable and seemed to gaze contemplatively into Harry's eyes.
Valkyrie watched in awe as her companion stared back into the burning orbs of the fiery demon before him.
The female Unspeakable let loose a shuddering gasp she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, as the embodiment of the darkest of magicks nodded once, seemingly in acceptance, and dispersed into nothingness.
Harry stood still for a moment before collapsing to his knees.
"Ahhh damn…" coughed the Unspeakable, as blood and spittle dribbled from his lips. His eyes slowly shifted from its sickly yellow hue back into its regular emerald green state, "Well that was new..."
"Wh-wha-what the hell was that?" groaned Valkyrie, her chest heaving as she took in deep gasping breaths. The sudden lack of massive magical power pressing down on her allowed her to finally breathe normally again.
Harry winced, his eyes shut as he gasped for air. "No idea... Fiendfyre isn't supposed to do that…"
Valkyrie stared at her companion incredulously, "Yeah, no shit."
She'd never heard of the infamous black magic forming into anything remotely similar to that blackened demon she saw. A horde of magical monsters and beasts yes. A hooded creature, forged from the depths of hellfire? Never.
The male Unspeakable rose carefully from his kneeling position, the signature shakes of magical exhaustion marring his normally graceful movements.
"We need to leave. Now."
Valkyrie nodded in agreement. The two moved in unison waving their wands across the shattered remnants of the third-floor room. Debris of all shapes and sizes shuddered and flew through the air as their magic coursed over the area. Burnt and splintered remains of mundane objects reformed into their original states, whilst those too damaged by the hellfire or of the more magical nature were simply, yet impossibly, vanished from existence.
The room was now back to its original state. Mostly.
The female Unspeakable didn't know how or why there was such potent dark magic hidden in the depths of the Hogwarts castle, or better yet, how the hell her companion knew it was there... But she was determined to get to the bottom of it. Agent Ares. The God of War.
How appropriate.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" asked the cold voice of the Immortal Alchemist Nicholas Flamel, his ancient visage seemingly cut from stone.
Harry suppressed a flinch at the calm, collected voice of the Head Unspeakable.
"There was a…" Harry paused, searching for the right word,"...complication."
Nicholas glared daggers at the time traveler's answer, a sneer flickering briefly across the Immortal's face.
"What sort of 'complication' merits the use of Fiendfyre in a castle full of schoolchildren?" snarled the Head Unspeakable savagely. The oppressive magical presence of the ancient wizard loomed over Harry, it's sheer power felt similar to a weight upon his chest.
Constricting, suffocating, all-encompassing.
Harry returned the gaze of his former/future mentor carefully. His heartbeat a rapid drum inside his chest as beads of sweat formed upon his brow.
"Sir. Voldemort has stumbled upon immortality. As he is now, he cannot be killed via conventional means. His soul has been torn to pieces. "
Nicholas's eyes narrowed into slits, before widening suddenly in realization, "A Horcrux..."
Harry shook his head in the negative, as the temperature in the office seemed to drop. An icy sense of dread that he could feel within his soul. "Horcruxes..."
The time traveler emphasized the plural version of the dreaded dark magic, his voice heavy with the revelation.
The ancient Unspeakable sat still as a statue, his features hard as carved stone as his eyes pierced Harry's own. No indications of his thoughts or feeling were given as time seemed to slow to a crawl.
And as if a switch was suddenly flipped, the oppressive atmosphere that filled the office was gone. Harry nearly gasped for air as the weight on his chest was finally lifted.
Nicholas let loose a deep sigh, his face scrunched up in consternation. "It's the Immortal War all over again..."
Harry raised an interested brow. "Immortal War?"
Nicholas shook his head and waved a dismissive hand at the young Unspeakable. "Ancient history. A minor skirmish between myself and a pair of seemingly immortal Dark Lords. They were of minor talent, but their immortality was a source of extreme annoyance."
The ancient wizard rose from behind his desk and started to pace behind it slowly.
"If Voldemort has discovered a method of immortality, then this so-called Wizarding War has just escalated in its priority," mused the Head Unspeakable, "I had intended to leave the task to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement due to its domestic nature and our lack of jurisdiction but considering the circumstances..."
Harry nodded his agreement, "I've been working with one of the Department's Aurors, there's no way they can handle Voldemort and his followers. From what I can remember, most of the DMLE is corrupt at best, or Death Eaters at worst."
Nicholas gazed contemplatively at the time traveler. "Do you have a plan?"
The younger Unspeakable nodded, "I've been in contact with a trustworthy Auror. We've been working on cleaning out the Department, but there's only the two of us."
The Immortal Alchemist hummed thoughtfully. "Very well. The Department of Mysteries is officially at war with the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort and his followers. Si vis pacem, para bellum."
"I'm assigning you to a squad. I can't afford to have what basically amounts to a rogue agent running amok without adult supervision," continued Nicholas, stroking his beard carefully. "Sigma squad should work nicely…"
Harry winced, " Sigma?"
Nicholas raised a cultured brow, "Is there a problem? Considering your friendly relationship with Agent Valkyrie, I had assumed you would be pleased with the arrangement."
The time traveler shook his head in the negative. "No, there's no problem Boss."
Harry glanced away from the immortal, his eyes glazing over with memories of future's past, "Just some bad memories associated with being a member of Sigma Squad. It won't affect my performance."
The Head Unspeakable nodded once, letting the subject drop, "I'll brief Sigma on your new assignment tonight. Report to the War Room tomorrow morning at 0700 for your in processing. Understood."
Harry straightened slightly. "Yes Sir.
"Good," nodded the ancient alchemist, waving his hands in a clear dismissal.
The time traveler had barely turned around to leave before Nicholas called out to him.
"One more thing…"
Harry cocked his head to the side curiously, "Yeah Boss?"
The stormy gray eyes of the immortal hardened as they pierced Harry's own.
"I understand there were extenuating circumstances surrounding your use of Hellfire on your little jaunt to Hogwarts. However…" paused Nicholas, his magic flaring in its intensity, "Cross the line. And we will have a reckoning. Am I clear?"
The air crackled with power as the two wizards locked eyes.
"Crystal."
Harry groaned as his perimeter wards jolted him awake from his spot at the war room table.
After dealing with Voldemort's Horcrux last night, Harry figured he might as well crash at the Department of Mysteries.
Harry tiredly cast a quick scourgify on the inside of his mouth, as a group of Unspeakables filed into the room.
Sigma Squad, 1978.
Harry didn't know anything about the wizards and witches who preceded his tenure in Sigma.
And considering the current status of his own squad back in his time. He wasn't surprised.
Váli and Falcon were KIA. Templar was medically retired. Hell, he'd been on injured reserve for the past year after he failed the yearly psych eval. Only Duchess remained on active duty, and last he heard, she was talking retirement.
For any of the 1978 crew to still be active Unspeakable Field Operatives thirty years later was as likely as a Chudley Cannons championship run.
Or Vernon Dursley losing weight.
"Welcome to Sigma," came the easy drawl of the hooded Unspeakable in front of him. "My callsign is Atlas and I'm the Captain of our little squad. Sigma squad's primary mission is covert capture and interrogation. Here. Let me introduce you to the team."
Harry leaned tiredly up against the wall as his new squad leader started his introductions. Back in the future, when he himself had been the Captain of Sigma, he had welcomed his rookie members with a no holds barred duel to get a feel for their capabilities. Not only did it give him a chance to assess their respective strengths and weaknesses, but it also established him as the top of the food train. Couldn't let those rookies get cocky now could he?
Needless to say, after destroying one of Voldemort's Horcruxes last night and getting thrown around like a ragdoll, he was glad Atlas was a bit more relaxed in his approach.
Atlas motioned towards the rest of the Unspeakables arranged throughout the room, "The one reading the Daily Prophet is Loki, he's our resident curse breaker. Best in the business, he hasn't let us down yet. You might remember him as the one you punched in the face."
Harry shrugged apologetically at the other Unspeakable, as he assessed the Agent who held the name Loki before him. He was a tall and lanky fellow, while his face, like the rest of Sigma, was obscured by the hidden enchantments signature to the Department of Mysteries.
There weren't many Unspeakables before him that were famous enough to have their callsign retired. And it seemed the previous Loki was no exception. The most recent callsign to be retired that Harry could think of was "The Count," and the Unspeakable in question disappeared years ago, shortly after the end of World War II.
"Next up is Archer, he's our long-range specialist," continued Atlas, nodding at the other Unspeakable, an average-sized male who clung to the shadows.
"You are of course, familiar with our resident rookie, Miss Valkyrie."
Harry grinned at the female Unspeakable, her death glare palpable through her cloak.
"And finally, our indispensable siege wizard, Agent Castle."
Harry cast an impressed glance at the other wizard. Not many had the physical strength and casting speed required to be a siege wizard.
Castle gave Harry a small, respectful nod, as he twirled his wand carelessly between meaty fingers, his biceps bulging from beneath the confines of his cloak.
Ahh. Castle was the one who sucker-punched him in the chest. No wonder the man cracked some of his ribs. The man looked more like a muggle bodybuilder than an Unspeakable agent.
"Sigma," continued Atlas, "This is Agent Ares. He'll be attached to us for the time being. Ares, feel free to introduce yourself."
Harry pushed himself off his spot on the wall and shrugged, "Not much to tell really. I've been on injured reserve for the past year. Prior to that is classified."
The time traveler ignored the incredulous snort coming from Valkyrie, "I specialize in counterinsurgency operations and target elimination. For the most part, I'll primarily be an extra wand in your pocket. Just another member of the squad."
Harry paused, before looking directly at Captain Atlas, "However; I do have the authority to take command of Sigma as my mission dictates. I trust that won't be a problem?"
Atlas nodded his acceptance.
"Are you joking Captain?" came the incredulous question from Loki, his tone hostile, "We just ran a snatch and grab op on this guy a few weeks back. And now we're just going to let him take over the squad?"
Atlas raised a hand, silencing the other Unspeakable, "Easy Loki. Ares is still one of us, despite all the cloak and dagger. The Dragon vouched for him personally."
Loki scoffed but didn't say anymore.
They didn't call Nicholas Flamel the Dragon for no reason.
Atlas waved a hand at Harry nonchalantly, "Now, I understand we've had our little fight a few weeks back…"
Harry groaned inwardly. He knew what was coming.
"But we have a tradition here in Sigma," continued Atlas, "Everybody fights. Nobody quits."
Harry's wand shot out of its holster as the rest of Sigma squad started to circle around him predatorily.
"I believe you owe us a rematch, Ares…"
The time traveler couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity that was his life.
"Sure boys and girls. Why the hell not?"
AN: Feel free to skip, notes will be longer than usual.
Once again, just an updated version of the old chapter as I write a backlog of future chapters. Been writing a lot of Amelia lately so that should be fun for all you Bones fans. I've also been getting complaints that I'm not bashing Dumbledore which I found interesting. I'm sure I'll get the same for not portraying Jealous!Ron.
I'd prefer to just show within my writing and not just tell this but I've been getting enough comments that I feel like I should address it. Harry is an imperfect protagonist without the benefit of perfect memory recall. That means people, events, locations, details of the past for him are all kind of fuzzy. Broad stroke memories of major events, less specificity. That also applies to slang, sayings, and "isms" for lack of a better word.
As a writer, it's easy to go back and edit dialogue in order to ensure perfect adhesion to "time traveler rules." But it just doesn't feel right to me to have my character never slip up. I try to incorporate 'slip-ups' organically, with the protagonist never really realizing they did. I have a fun bit of dialogue talking about how Harry talks "funny" in one of the future chapters that I think is somewhat clever. And also the comments on the conjured zip ties from chapter one. A relatively normal assumption for a late 2000s paramilitary operator to use. Not so much in the 70s. I get it. But it's that unconscious action and organic use that I'm trying to create/practice. Same with insults, sayings, and whatnot. Habits are habits, regardless of where you are in time.
Still. I appreciate the feedback and I've been enjoying working on my weaknesses. It's been therapeutic to write again and at the end of the day, that's all that matters. Stay safe out there. Air Scuba.
Edited 05July2020