Chapter 04: TIMELINE RIFT
Axel's mind reeled as he tried to process the situation. His parents didn't recognize his adult self.
"I... I've come from the future," Axel explained, trying to keep his voice steady. "Omicron agents are coming to take the Chrono Code. We have to stop them."
His mother's eyes widened in alarm, while his father's face set in determination.
"Maya, get the device ready for destruction," he said swiftly. "Axel – future Axel – help me barricade the doors.
Axel sprang into action, working with his father to barricade the doors and windows. His mother, Maya, rushed to the lab area, preparing to destroy the Chrono Code device.
As they worked, Axel's father turned to him with a curious expression.
"Future son, what happened... after this night? Did we succeed in protecting the Chrono Code?"
Axel hesitated, unsure how much to reveal.
"You... didn't survive this night," Axel said gently. "Omicron silenced you both. But I've come back to change that."
His father's eyes widened in shock, then filled with determination.
"We must ensure your future self never has to live through that pain again."
Suddenly, loud banging echoed from downstairs – Omicron agents breaking through the barricades.
Maya called out urgently, "The device is ready for destruction... but I sense something odd – a secondary timeline branching off ours!"
Axel's heart racing, he turned to his parents.
"What does that mean?"
His father's face grimaced.
"It means our actions are creating a parallel universe," his father explained hastily. "Where the original timeline continues... with your mother and me still dying at Omicron's hands."
Axel felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
"You mean I've created a new reality... but the old one still exists?"
His mother nodded gravely.
"Yes, Axel. This raises a terrifying possibility: Omicron could still acquire the Chrono Code in the original timeline."
The banging downstairs grew louder – Omicron agents nearly breaking through.
His father grabbed Axel's arm.
"We must destroy the device here and hope it resonates across timelines. Can you help your mother initiate the destruction sequence?"
Axel rushed to his mother's side as she entered final codes.
"Done," she whispered. "Detonation imminent... 5... 4... 3..."
Suddenly, Axel's smartwatch – still synced with Dr. Patel in the original timeline – beeped urgently.
A message flashed on screen:
"AXEL, TIMELINE COLLAPSE IMMINENT. ORIGINAL REALITY OMICRON AGENTS HAVE THE CHRONO CODE..."
Ax CODE...
Axel's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the message.
"No... we failed to stop them in the original timeline!" he exclaimed.
His mother's face fell, detonation sequence still counting down...
"2... 1..."
The lab erupted in a blinding flash of light as the Chrono Code device self-destructed.
When vision returned, Axel found himself back in Dr. Patel's lab – but something felt off.
Dr. Patel's eyes were sunken, her skin pale.
"Axel... welcome back," she whispered. "But we've lost. Omicron has the Chrono Code in the original timeline... and they're using it."
Axel stumbled forward, grasping Dr. Patel's console to steady himself.
"What do you mean they're 'using it'?" he demanded.
Dr. Patel's voice barely rose above a whisper.
"They're altering major historical events," Dr. Patel continued, her eyes filled with dread. "Rewriting the world to suit Omicron's dominance," Dr. Elliot Vaughn continued, his voice low and urgent. "This secondary timeline could mean our actions here create a parallel world – one where Omicron wins."
Axel's mother, Maya, grasped his arm tightly.
"We must destroy the Chrono Code device – in both timelines."
Suddenly, Omicron agents burst into the room, led by a ruthless-looking woman Axel recognized from his future –
"Commander Elara Vex," he whispered to his parents. "She's the one who silenced you..."
Commander Vex sneered at Axel's family.
"Elliot Vaughn, Maya Vaughn – you've hidden the Chrono Code long enough. Hand it over, or die."
Axel stood tall, ready to fight.
"We'll never give it to you.