The Bureau of Time

by Brett Michael Orr

  “You’re next,” he growled, his face an inch from hers.

  “You don’t scare me,” she gasped, but even she didn’t believe that.

  More Adjusters teleported into existence, bright flashes of light exploding across the open area where Cassie had once trained with Drill Sergeant Mathers and the recruits. She watched, horrified, as Blackforest Unit stumbled back toward the base.

  Captain Clay bellowed “FALL BACK!”, but as the ex-marines retreated, they didn’t see the Adjusters appear from behind them.

  Blood gushed from their throats and all five men fell dead. Clay’s body was the last to drop, his rust-colored beard staining crimson with his fading life.

  Cassie gave a horrified scream, bile rising in the back of her throat. She tried to turn away, fighting the urge to throw up, but Marissa grabbed her arm and hauled her forward. Cassie looked away from the dead bodies as the army entered the underground base.

  It was dark inside, with only pale-green emergency lighting in the ceiling. More soldiers swarmed down the corridors to defend their home, their base, their country. Tallon was now armed with a rifle, but it was Marissa who advanced first, flicking her hair behind her back.

  “I’ll take care of it,” she purred. She flicked her hand casually, and a wave of pure Temporal Energy scorched from her hands, opening a gaping void in the universe. The soldiers could not escape her powers – they died where they stood, bloody holes punched straight through their chests.

  “Nicely done,” Tallon nodded. “One sector down, eight more to go.”

  Cassie dropped her weight, suddenly breaking free of her captors’ grasp; she only made it ten feet before two Adjusters took hold of her again, their long fingers digging through her clothes and into her skin.

  “Stop that!” Tallon snarled, cuffing her on the back of the neck. He leaned closer to her, his breath reeking of something foul. “Zero wants you alive, but he said nothing about a few bruises.”

  He touched a clenched fist to her bruised jaw and smirked. She was helpless to do anything except stumble along, forced to watch as the Adjusters decimated the Bureau of Time.

  The Temporal Operations division was already empty.

  Blood coated the walls, and bodies lay in crumpled heaps on the ground. Experienced men and women, all soldiers, some of the toughest people that Cassie had ever known, cut down by the surprise attack. Just like the White Tower facilities we found. They never stood a chance.

  Ryan woke just as the attackers took the third sector, the hospital. The roar of Tallon’s gun ended the life of a young nurse in green scrubs, shot dead from behind as she ran screaming for help.

  Cassie glanced sideways at Ryan. His eyes darted everywhere, clearly thinking of a way to escape. They passed a tray of medical equipment, and she seized her chance. She thrust her elbow straight into Tallon’s groin; he let go with a startled curse, and Cassie seized a scalpel, flicking it around like a miniature sword.

  She cut something or someone – she heard a scream and saw blood – then Ryan was there, fighting hand-to-hand with the Adjusters. He hadn’t been handcuffed, leaving him free to seize a rifle from a fallen soldier. He opened fire, the gunshots deafening Cassie in the close confines of the hallway.

  Her ears rang and lights flickered overhead. The world was broken down into still-frames of monsters and traitors, arcs of inky black blood frozen in the air, golden bullet casings raining down onto the ground—

  She wasn’t sure how, but they had broken free, and they were running, their feet pounding on the ground. There were less bodies here, but there had been a struggle nonetheless – they were in the dorms. Bloodstained mattresses sagged with the weight of their owners – Cassie looked away, afraid of whom she might see.

  They were close to Sector 9 now, and she felt a surge of Temporal Energy from Zero, burning brighter than any signature she had ever felt before – her Affinity, and her powers, were active once more.

  “We have to get out of here,” Cassie gasped. She pointed at the overhead EXIT signs. Staying down here is a death sentence.

  A dark shape emerged from the inky blackness, and Ryan brought his rifle around, ready to shoot.

  “Stop!” Cassie cried, grabbing his arm. “It’s Natalie.”

  Agent Hunt stumbled forward, her face pale beneath the ghostly light.

  “Oh god, Cassie you’re okay!” she said, wrapping her arms around Cassie. She hugged the older woman back, her body shaking with an uneasy mixture of shock and relief. “I thought you were—it’s horrible, there’s so much blood—”

  “We have to keep moving,” Ryan interrupted.

  Natalie pulled back, wiping her nose, makeup smeared across her face. “I know. The back exit to the training grounds is still clear I think, but we—”

  She never finished the sentence.

  There was a powerful burst of T.E., accompanied by an explosion of light like the sun itself had descended from the heavens into the base. Cassie stumbled back, raising her arms to shield herself. She heard a sputtering gasp and Natalie’s body went rigid, a knife protruding through her chest. Her white blouse turned red, and her eyes rolled back in her head.

  Cassie screamed, reaching for her Affinity, determined to reverse time; then Marissa slammed into her and pinned her against the wall, holding the bloodied knife against her throat.

  “Five seconds, that’s what they say, isn’t it?” the woman snarled, shifting position to crush Cassie’s windpipe. Over her shoulder, Ryan was fighting two Adjusters, silver knives whipping through the darkness.

  “Five. Four. Three,” Marissa breathed, leering at Cassie. She struggled, tried to free herself, but she couldn’t breathe. She reached for her Affinity, but Marissa pressed even harder, and her body started shutting down, prioritizing where to send the last remaining breath of oxygen. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Natalie’s body, the agent who had been so kind and helpful to her, the woman who had always been there to help her…

  “Two. One. Gone – for – ever,” the Russian purred, releasing her grip.

  Cassie collapsed to her knees, her lungs burning as she gasped for air.

  There was another burst of energy, and Tallon teleported beside Marissa.

  “They’re tricky little brats, I’ll give them that,” Tallon growled, holding his left hand limply – Cassie had cut him with her scalpel, but she must have dropped the weapon a few corridors back. She took several deep breaths, her windpipe burning. We have to get out of here. They’re going to kill us.

  “Open it up,” Marissa commanded.

  Cassie lifted her head, peering through the semi-darkness. Ryan was against the opposite wall, two Adjusters holding him in place; his face was bloodied and bruised, and one of the monsters had taken his rifle.

  Two more Adjusters approached the door to Zero’s cell. The guards had long since been killed or abandoned their posts, but Cassie knew there would still be five more soldiers on the inside, ready to defend the base and the captive until the dying end.

  “Don’t do this,” Cassie croaked, “don’t release him, you don’t know what he’s capable of!”

  “Of course we do, sweetheart,” Marissa drawled. “That’s why we’re freeing him.”

  The cell door cranked open, pylons retracting into the wall. Tallon pulled a metal canister from his belt and hurled it through the opening gap, smoke billowing out of the container. Cassie heard the soldiers shout in surprise, and then came the distinctly wet sounds of a knife slicing through flesh, followed by silence.

  Glass broke with a shattering peal.

  The Adjuster called Zero stepped through the open door, his abnormally wide mouth stretched into a wicked grin. He left behind five guards sprawled face-first on the ground, their clothes stained red. Tallon unlocked Zero’s anti-Temporal handcuffs, letting the shackles fall to the ground.

  “I must say,” Zero said, sauntering toward them, “it’s rather nice to stretch out after my little stay in there.”


  The monster threw his hands wide, and Cassie felt invisible wires around her shoulders, throwing her back into the wall. Ryan yelled, struggling against the Adjusters, but his efforts only earned him a swift punch to the stomach.

  Marissa took her place beside Zero, purring with pride and malice.

  “Why are you doing this?” Cassie cried, trying to wiggle free of the invisible grip. Buy time, she thought, they’re going to kill us all, so just buy a little time, that’s all we need. Time to figure out how to escape. Oh god we’re not going to escape. We’re going to die down here.

  “Zero gives our people hope,” Marissa said, cocking her head sideways. “He is trying to save your world, but you are too blind to see that.”

  “Save us? He’s murdered people! The Adjusters have hunted Timewalkers, they’ve killed children! They are monsters!”

  “Do not speak of things you know nothing about!” Zero roared, spittle flying from his thin lips. He took a step forward, T.E. rippling off his body. “You are ignorant, pathetic wretches! No matter what name they hide under, the Bureau of Time or White Tower, they are a cancerous organization that must be destroyed out before they condemn your world like they did mine!”

  “We can talk about this!” Ryan shouted, his lip swollen and red. “The Director will—”

  “NO!” Zero bellowed, his face contorted in rage. “There will be no discussion, there will be no negotiation! I was created to atone for humanity’s mistakes, and I will do that however I see fit!”

  With the final word, a powerful wave of energy tore free of Zero’s body, blasting through the walls with enough force to shatter the tiles. Jagged shards of ceramic slashed across Cassie’s face and arms, and the ceiling rumbled dangerously.

  “I want to thank you,” Zero said, with a mock bow. Concrete dust and loose tiles rained down around him, but he kept his eyeless gaze on Cassie. “You helped me into the heart of the Bureau of Time. I am afraid, however—” a ponderous groan filled the air, “—that I can only repay your assistance with mercy. A swift death is far more than you deserve, and far less than I had intended.”

  Cassie strained against the invisible shackles, drawing on her Temporal powers, trying to break free; Zero nodded once at Marissa, and the Russian girl moved, a wicked grin carved on her face. She raised her hands, preparing to use her dark Timewalking powers…and then the ceiling imploded.

  Chunks of concrete and broken lengths of rebar rained into the room; a cloud of dust and insulation fibers billowed into the air. The invisible tethers released and Cassie hit the ground, coughing as dust filled her lungs.

  Zero and his two subordinates had become separated by the rubble, with Ryan stranded somewhere to Cassie’s left – he shouted her name; then there was the frantic sounds of fighting. She tried to yell back, but her shout turned into a choked cough. She scrambled away from the ruins, tripping over debris.

  Her Affinity spiked sharply, then fell flat – the others had teleported away. She ran for a hundred feet then drew up short, hands on her knees.

  How could the Bureau have been so blind? Zero – that bastard – he warned us, he said he’d attack the Bureau. And Tallon…how could he betray us, after all that’s he done, fighting Adjusters and saving Timewalkers? Why now?

  There was another rumbling boom from somewhere deep inside the facility. Several seconds passed. There was nothing but the dark, the distant screams, the roar of gunfire, and the bursts of Temporal Energy that accompanied teleporting Adjusters.

  Cassie started forward, blindly groping the left-hand wall.

  She didn’t recognize what part of the base she was in. She was alone, and afraid. She wished Shaun was there to help her, but he was long gone, and even Ryan had been separated from her. Is he alive? she wondered. She didn’t know which of them she was thinking about – both were in equal amounts of danger.

  She rounded a corner, and a halo of light exploded directly in front of her. A snarling Adjuster lunged from the collapsing wormhole, naked steel gleaming in its hand. She acted instantly, Shifting time by three seconds.

  When the world reformed, she stepped sideways, slamming her entire body into the incoming Adjuster. The monster roared in surprise, dropping its knife – she seized the blade and whipped it around, black ichor spurting out of the creature’s shins. The Adjuster hit the ground, its limbs thrashing, trying to trip her.

  She let out a furious yell that contained all of her anger, her fear, her grief, and plunged the knife into the monster’s chest.

  The Adjuster twitched and lay still, inky blood pooling across the cold tiles. She pulled the blade free, four inches of bloodied steel, and watched with cold satisfaction as a swirling void consumed the assassin until there was nothing left but a black stain.

  Cassie pushed herself upright and staggered forward, following overhead signs toward the rear entrance that linked the gym and showers with the training yard. Two more Adjusters tried to attack her, and she killed each of them by Shifting time, plunging her knife into the monsters’ backs, waiting just long enough to see them disappear before pushing through the base.

  The whole facility was shaking now and she quickened her pace. Tiles cracked off the walls, and whole sections collapsed in a shower of concrete, forcing her to double-back through Sector 6 – Science and Research.

  A thick layer of smoke had gathered in the labs. Fires burned unchecked, fueled by paperwork and beakers of strange chemicals and materials. The usual army of scientists and assistants were nowhere to be found, but Cassie saw more signs of Adjuster activity – bright patches of blood, abandoned knives, spent bullet casings lining the floor. Her Affinity spiked every few seconds, gradually becoming a high-pitched whine in the back of her skull. She stumbled through Sector 6, holding her breath against the smoke. She awkwardly climbed over an upturned desk blocking her way and squeezed through a half-closed door, back into the open corridors.

  Cassie broke into a sprint. The ground buckled beneath her; the ceiling crumbled behind her – the whole facility was collapsing. She hurtled around a corner and glimpsed the exit three hundred yards away, already open.

  The floor rippled and she tripped. In a blur of motion, the ceiling and the ground were reversed, and the earth opened up to swallow the base. Then she was on her feet again, heart racing, blood pounding in her ears. The distance was closing between her and freedom, but she didn’t have time, she wouldn’t make it—

  Cassie pushed herself, feeding on Temporal Energy itself to propel her forward. She Shifted the world around her just enough to fend off the dangerous chunks of concrete and the steel beams.

  She squeezed through the doorway and rolled onto the asphalt; she spun around to see the entrance collapse underneath the rubble, the entire hillside imploding, trees cracking and splintering.

  A sinkhole opened in the hills, swallowing Brightwood Ranch.

  Cassie took a ragged breath, then another.

  She stood and wiped a hand across her face. Her hand came back covered in blood – both crimson and black.

  Then came the shouting. Carefully, she made her way through the woods, leaves and twigs cracking beneath her feet, a thin layer of snow shaking free overhead. Her Affinity flared, detecting Zero and dozens of other Adjusters – she grimaced, praying that none of the creatures noticed her Temporal signature.

  She crested a hill, crawling through a low bush. Snow and ash wormed in between her fingers, chilling her.

  A handful of Adjusters were leading a group of hostages toward a much larger gathering; all of the captives were on their knees with their hands behind their heads. It was too distant to make out everyone’s faces, but Cassie clearly saw Ryan, Amita and several Directors on the ground, knives held across their throats. Her hands shook, and she had to stop herself from running down the hill.

  Shaun’s voice in her mind: There’s nothing we can do. Walk away. The Bureau brought this on themselves. It’s not our fight.

  Shut up, Shaun.

  Zero p
aced back and forth in front of the hostages, his voice booming across the Ranch. From Cassie’s elevated position, she could see the fence lying in complete ruin, no longer capable of defending the facility. More Adjusters teleported into existence, scarlet sashes around their arms. Marissa walked between the ranks, her fingers trailing across the cheeks of several male operators – she lingered longest by Ryan, and fresh anger rose up inside Cassie.

  “You are all guilty of the same crime!” Zero bellowed. “Guilty of existing. You are abominations to the universe, unholy anomalies that should never have existed. You are a threat to billions of innocent people in this world!”

  Cassie crouched lower in the scrub, her eyes fixed on Ryan. The soldier was struggling to remain still, requiring two Adjusters to hold him in place. Marissa moved on, watching Zero with pure reverence. Tallon stood behind the gathering, directing several of the Adjusters around.

  Cassie’s eyes returned to Ryan, to the only person in the Bureau she still trusted.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” she whispered, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her. More Adjusters arrived in incandescent explosions, these new arrivals carrying silver briefcases that radiated their own Temporal signatures.

  “I am the Balancer!” Zero roared. “I am the first of my kind, the leader of the Resistance, and I will not allow you to destroy this world as you destroyed my own!”

  He’s crazy. He’s actually insane. And he’s going to kill everyone down there.

  “Get it over with, you sick bastard!”

  Cassie flinched. Ryan’s voice. She lurched forward, half-hidden in the brush. Her eyes were glued to Zero as he sauntered over to Ryan, crouching down in front of him. Their conversation was loud enough to carry up to Cassie’s hiding spot.

  “What did you say?” Zero’s voice was icy.

  Be quiet, don’t talk back, she prayed.

  “I said, get it over with! If you’re going to kill us, just do it already!” Ryan snarled, straining against the hands holding him back. On the outside of the gathering, the Adjusters ignored the commotion, opening the silver briefcases and withdrawing a smooth cylindrical device from each.