Fragments of Truth

Elara sat alone in her quarters, the faint hum of the Chrono-Guard facility buzzing in the background. The mission had been a success—at least on paper. The relay was destroyed, the timeline stabilized. But the weight of Kai's words lingered.

"The history you're protecting is already a fabrication."

Her mind raced as she replayed the encounter. What did he mean? How could the timeline she'd devoted her life to preserving be false?

A sharp chime broke her thoughts. The holo-interface on her desk flickered to life, displaying Chrono's familiar avatar.

"Dr. Trent, Commander Ryvek has requested your presence in the debriefing room."

Elara sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Let me guess—he wants to ask why I didn't bring back Kai Rynar in cuffs."

"Unlikely," Chrono replied. "However, your report has raised concerns regarding Revisionist intentions."

Elara stood, adjusting her uniform. "Yeah, well, their 'intentions' are starting to look less crazy by the minute."

The debriefing room was stark and utilitarian, its walls lined with holographic displays showing mission data. Commander Ryvek stood at the head of the table, his arms crossed as he reviewed the report.

"Dr. Trent," he said without looking up. "You destabilized the relay and neutralized the drones. Good work."

Elara narrowed her eyes. "I'm sensing a 'but' in there."

Ryvek finally met her gaze. "But you let Kai Rynar escape. Again."

She crossed her arms. "I didn't exactly have time for a full interrogation, Commander. The Basilica was collapsing around me."

Ryvek leaned forward, his tone hardening. "Kai isn't just another Revisionist operative, Elara. He's their leader, and every time he slips through our fingers, the timeline becomes more unstable."

Elara held his gaze. "And what about what he said? That the history we're protecting is already manipulated?"

Ryvek's expression didn't waver. "Revisionist propaganda. They'll say anything to justify their actions."

"But what if it's not?" Elara pressed. "What if we're not the heroes we think we are?"

Ryvek's jaw tightened. "Your job isn't to question the mission. It's to complete it. Dismissed."

Elara didn't argue. She turned and left the room, her frustration boiling just beneath the surface.

Back in her quarters, Elara couldn't shake the feeling that something was being kept from her. She sat at her console, staring at the encrypted mission logs.

"Chrono," she said, her voice low. "Pull up classified data on the Roman timeline. Specifically, the fall of the Western Empire."

"Accessing classified files without authorization is a violation of Chrono-Guard protocol," the AI replied.

"Yeah, and firing energy weapons in ancient Rome is against the natural order of history," Elara shot back. "Just do it."

There was a pause before Chrono responded. "Accessing... Files retrieved."

Holograms filled the air, showing the timeline of the Roman Empire. But as Elara sifted through the data, inconsistencies began to emerge.

"Wait," she muttered, zooming in on a key event. "That's not right."

The timeline showed a subtle alteration—a battle that had been lost instead of won, a ruler deposed years too early. The changes were minor, almost imperceptible, but they created a ripple effect that reshaped the future.

"These aren't natural deviations," she said. "They're interventions."

"Affirmative," Chrono said. "Records indicate multiple adjustments to this era, all authorized by the Chrono-Guard."

Elara's stomach churned. "We've been rewriting history."

"The adjustments were deemed necessary to preserve the integrity of the timeline," Chrono explained.

"Integrity, or control?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Before she could delve deeper, an alarm blared through the facility.

"Alert. Temporal breach detected. Location: 1943 CE. Operation Valkyrie. Unauthorized Revisionist activity confirmed."

Elara stood, her heart racing. Operation Valkyrie—the failed German resistance plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

"Chrono, prep the Time Pod," she said, her voice firm. "We're going to 1943."

"Acknowledged. Mission parameters uploading."

As Elara suited up, her thoughts raced. If Kai and the Revisionists were targeting Operation Valkyrie, it could have catastrophic consequences for World War II—and beyond.

But a new thought gnawed at her mind. If the Revisionists were right about the Chrono-Guard's manipulations, was she still on the right side of history?