Book 2: A Time Of Awkwardness-Chapter 3: I See Dead People

Emil paces around the peak room, trying to find the way out that Priya used. And many times, he passes over it, his feet stepping on the scattered papers of the files on the floor. Emil, at one time, comes to a complete stop right on top of the secret hatch. Standing there for a moment, he is clueless to the very exit he desires. 

Emil, able to hear the explosions from the battle in the distance, casually walks over to the window. Staring out the open, window Emil looks at the sloped rooftop, seeing that the rooftop has dried from the rainstorm. Emil thinks about climbing back down it.  But, how safe is it with the gamma shield encompassing the old Bessborough hotel once again? Maybe, Emil wonders, that he should test the shield safety. Walking back over to Graham's desk, Emil picks up a pen and goes back over to the open window. Wasting no time, Emil throws the pen out onto the roof with great force. With a throw like a major league outfielder trying to gun a runner out at home plate, the pen flies hard and fast through the air. Emil standing and observing from the window at the pen, in mid-air. At first, Emil thinks that there is no danger. His optimism quickly changes to skepticism. The pen is paused, suspended in the air about three feet from the rooftop. It just stays there suspended for two minutes, then in an instant, the pen is broken down to its tiniest atoms, becoming part of the hotels' structure as the gamma shield repairs the old building. "Shit! Fuck! How in the hell did Preston not end up like the pen? I can't get down that way now!" said Emil. Looking out at the rooftop and then at the explosions in the distance, it suddenly comes to Emil. If the hotel is healing itself with help from the gamma shield, maybe the stairwell is clearing, and he can get out that way. Emil speeds away from the window as if he were the Flash towards the stairwell entrance of the peak room. 

"Do you think that he will wake up soon?" said Keith as he stares at Greg's unconscious body. "He should, after, all he is still breathing!" said Maria. "How hard did you hit him, Maria?" said Grace. "I don't know? I can't measure the power of my punches! But, if I had to say it was a slight bit harder than I hit Emil!" said Maria. A big smile comes over the face of Hannah at the thought of Maria hitting Emil. And Emil lying on the ground in a heap like a sack of garbage. "I would have loved to see that!" said Hannah with a giggle. Over by the crates Axel, or as he now calls himself, The Silver Serpent gives a slow, unenthusiastic clap. "That is wonderful! I see what Keith here is in store for in dating you, a lifetime of physical abuse!" said The Silver Serpent. Maria turns and fires an icy glare at The Silver Serpent. "I only hit assholes who deserve it! Like you!" said Maria. "Oh, I am so scared! Believe, me sweet cheeks, without my new abilities. I could take you!" said The Silver Serpent. Maria stands ready to walk over to The Silver Serpent and knock him the fuck out but restrains herself. "You wouldn't last even one punch, you little prick! You only talk tough because of your powers," said Maria. The Silver Serpent walks closer to the seating area in the lobby. He stops two feet from the couch and says," Why don't we find out? You get one punch, and I won't even use my powers! Come on! Let us see just how tough you are bitch! You are pretty tough sucker-punching poor Greg here! Come on!!!" Maria shifts her head from side to side, letting out an echoing cracking noise. Maria tries very hard not to accept The Silver Serpent's challenge and give in to his taunts. Graham walks up to Maria, knowing that The Silver Serpent is up to something, says," Don't do it! He is just trying to bait you as he did me. He is has something up his sleeve!" The Silver Serpent flashes an arrogant smile and says," Oh Graham, now just because you were too afraid to take me on and got knocked on your ass doesn't mean you should deny sugar tits here a chance to shut me up!... Come on, Maria, give it a shot! Shut me up!" Maria starts to walk towards The Silver Serpent and is quickly stopped by the large right hand of Graham as he places it on her shoulder. " Don't do it!" said Graham. Maria lovingly removes Graham's hand from her shoulder. She knows that he is concerned for her safety, but if she can get one good shot in. then maybe they can all get away from The Silver Serpent. "Don't worry! I've got this Graham I have to try!" Graham watches with great interest as Maria walks over to The Silver Serpent. The Silver Serpent stands with his hands down at his sides. Graham looks for any signs that The Silver Serpent might double-cross Maria and fry her with one of his energy blasts. "I'm watching you, asshole!" said Graham. 'Don't worry, hero! I am a man of my word and giving her one good shot! No powers, just Maria, trying to knock me out!" Maria stands there, her right hand clenched, ready to strike like a sledgehammer. The Silver Serpent noticing this, eggs Maria on even more and says," Oh, are you only good at hitting someone when they are not aware of it! Here, let me close my eyes. That way, I won't see the punch coming." The Silver Serpent closes his eyes tightly and sticks out his chiseled silver chin. It is at this time that Greg wakes up. Maria pulls her right hand up to deliver a stiff, hard uppercut. The punch connects to The Silver Serpents' jaw like a car hitting a concrete wall as every bone in Maria's hand is broken from the impact. She falls to the ground screaming in pain, clutching her right hand. Over at the old front desk, Greg stands up and laughs at Maria's misfortune, knowing that this was poetic justice. " How does that feel bitch? You aren't that tough now!" said Greg. The Silver Serpent looks down at Maria screaming in pain and says," Told you, you wouldn't knock me out! Come with me, Greg. You can help me inspect the weapons. Greg walks over to The Silver Serpent, and the two men give each other five as they walk away towards the weapons crates. Graham rushes over to Maria and helps her up and over to the couch. Grace reaches into her backpack and pulls out a tensor bandage from the first aid kit. Graham promptly wraps up Maria's busted hand. Grace hands her some painkillers that are in the first aid kit to help ease Maria's pain, which she immediately swallows. Graham wants to say I told you so but knows that this is no time to and that he too has been in Maria's shoes. 

Emil reaches the stairwell of the peak room, anticipating that the gamma shield had repaired the damage. As he walks down the stairs from the peak room, Emil stops as the large pieces of concrete and brick block his way out. "Oh, for fuck, sakes! It is going to take forever, waiting for the gamma shield to repair this old fucking pile of bricks!" Emil leans his tall, muscular body against the concrete wall of the stairwell. With his back perfectly placed against a basketball-sized hole in the wall. Emil can feel the nanomites in the gamma energy working their magic and repairing the hole in the wall. Emil turns and carefully watches with great interest as this happens. The nanites move small pieces of concrete back into the hole in the wall. Bit by bit, the concrete dam on the stairwell disappears, and a big grin comes over Emil's face. "Well, maybe I can wait this out!" said Emil as he promptly sits on the stairs watching the nanites finish their repair job. 

Graham looks over at The Silver Serpent and Greg, inspecting the weapons, looking each one of them over. Greg and The Silver Serpent stand there like they have been best friends all their life. To Graham, they reminded him of a bunch of annoying alpha male assholes. If it was one good thing about the plague, a lot of those pricks died. It is not right to wish that kind of fate upon people. While he lifted and kept in shape, Graham always kept a humble look at life and never thought himself above anyone. Graham never beat his chest and bought into that overly macho bullshit. To him, to be a man meant treating people with respect and not afraid to show his emotions. Graham loved some good inappropriate humor and admired an attractive female. But, to Graham, his wife was always beautiful. And he told her every day.  To Graham, a man didn't have to be a certain height, drive a flashy vehicle, or a glamorous job. To Graham watching his great, great, great-nephew with The Silver Serpent reminded him of his brother Victor. Victor had a friend like The Silver Serpent and, his name was Greg as well. How ironic that over a hundred and fifty years later, Graham's own relative would bear that name. The Greg that he knew back in the day was Greg Laing, a backstabbing, two-faced prick. Greg Laing was your typical former high school jock who lived vicariously through his sons' high school glory. It is why Graham was always such good friends with Jack. The two of them shared the same philosophies and interests. Graham supported Jack's dreams and ambitions. He would often give Jack advice on life and love. To Graham, Jack belonged with Delphine. No offense to Samantha, Samantha was great. But, it was Delphine that Jack compared every woman he dated to. That is why Jack wound up with Samantha. Jack saw Delphine's qualities in Samantha. Graham can no longer watch his own blood associate with that human piece of garbage known as The Silver Serpent. Graham turns away and back towards the others huddled around the seating area on the leather couches. Graham wonders what happened to his good friend Jack. Did Jack finally meet his end? If Jack did, now he is at peace. Maybe Jack is at last with Delphine. A smile comes to Graham's face at this thought, and he says," Wherever you are, Jack! Whether you are still alive or dead, know that I will finish what you started. What we started!" 

Jack looks out the small window on the interior backdoor, his Glock handgun held at his side waiting to be fired, in case the Citizens should come near. "So, did you want to tell me finally how in the fuck you are still alive? You know! Just in case we don't survive this because it could legit be the end!" said Jack. Delphine quickly glances over at Jack, now staring at her, and says," Not is now the time! " Delphine looks back out the window. "I happen to think it is a perfect time! Besides, you owe me seeing as how you shot me! " said Jack. Delphine fights the urge to respond but thinks that Jack might be right! With enough damage, Jack could die, and so could she! "Alright! But, if the Citizens come, then we take care of them, and I will finish telling you," said Delphine. "Finally!" exclaims Jack. "Settle down, mister! And quit staring at me!" said Delphine. "Sorry, it is just that I always thought that you were so beautiful!" said Jack. Delphine, uncomfortable by Jack's comment, kind of like when they first knew one another, said, "Thanks!" 

The walls of the old farmhouse quickly turn into the drab grey concrete of her containment cell back in 2022. And Delphine is not sitting on the window bench of the farmhouse. But, sitting on the bed in the containment cell waiting for Jack and their first official date. As Delphine sits patiently waiting for Jack, she can't help but feel a touch nervous. Delphine starts to play with her hair and nervously shuffles her feet. It was a lot like when she and Jack would talk back when they first met. The two of them, Jack and Delphine, always had unspoken feelings for one another. Jack had tried to tell his feeling for Delphine but seemed to stumble over them. Delphine, though coming off as confident. She was also nervous about saying something. It leads to both thinking that the other was not interested. For Delphine, it was one unhappy relationship with the same old muscleheads/ big-talking oil workers. For Jack, it was Samantha. But, now fate has brought the two of them back together. Maybe the fates will find a way to keep them together. That, she doesn't have to die. A knock at the door interrupts Delphine's thoughts, and the door opens to the smiling face of Jack.

Jack walks into the room. Delphine stands up, the tight black dress revealing her beautiful, voluptuous curves. The dress only accentuates the fit body that Delphine always worked hard to have. Her wavy blonde hair hangs perfectly over each one of her shoulders that highlights her bright blue eyes. Jack knows that Delphine is more than stunning looks. He knows of her fun personality, crazy sense of humor, and caring heart. Not to mention her strong work ethic, intelligence, tenacity, and toughness, it makes one perfect package. Who could not love this woman with all those great qualities? Jack stands in the middle of Delphine's containment room and is speechless. He stares, taking in all that is this beautiful creature in front of him. "Wow! You look stunning!" said Jack. Delphine blushes, flashes a shy little smile, and says, "Awe, thank you, Jack! You look so handsome yourself!" "Thanks, but when you are this stunningly good-looking, it takes little effort!" said Jack sarcastically. Delphine laughs out loud and says, "I see you still haven't lost your ability to make jokes out of everything!" "Nope! It's my most redeeming quality! Many people are attracted to me for it," said Jack with another sarcastic tone. "You're too funny, sir!" said Delphine. Delphine walks up to Jack, places her hands on Jack's shoulders, and says," That is not your most redeeming quality! It is your tied for second with your handsome features." said Delphine. "Well, don't keep me in suspense! What is it?" asks Jack. Delphine leans into Jack and whispers in his ear," That you are and have always been a gentleman. That is what makes you super sexy!" Jack now starts to blush at this surprising comment. Jack had never known that Delphine felt this way about him. "And here I thought I had a way with words!" said Jack. Delphine flashes a sexy little smile and says," You're not the only one that is good with words. "Touche'! Shall we go?" said Jack as he holds his arm out for Delphine to take. "Yes, we shall, sir!" said Delphine as she hooks her right arm in Jack's and, the two of them exit the containment room. 

Jack and Delphine walk arm and arm down the long corridor towards where they are, having their date. "Where are we going?" asks Delphine. "Umm, to Paris!" said Jack sarcastically. Delphine reaches across with her left arm and lightly slaps Jack in the chest for his joke. "That's not what I meant! Ugh! Leave it to you to turn something this into a joking," said Delphine. Jack lets out a hearty laugh and says," That's why you like me so much!" "The jury's still out on that one!" said Delphine with a laugh. "Hey, that hurts more than the slap!" laughs Jack. "Seriously, where are we going?" asks Delphine. Jack stops and turns towards Delphine. Jack stands, staring at Delphine, lost for words. If there is one person that can make Jack speechless in even the most common of moments, it has been Delphine. Not even Samantha could do this to Jack. Finally, knowing what he has to say, Jack responds,"  It's a surprise!" "I thought that you said that we were going for dinner?" asks Delphine. "We are! But there is a surprise!" said Jack. "Well, let's not waste another minute! Come on, let's get going. I can't wait to see what the surprise is!" said Delphine. a big smile appears from ear to ear on Jack's face and, he and Delphine continue on their way toward their destination.

Jack and Delphine get to the end of the long hallway of the containment wing. Standing in front of a set of double steel, doors the couple waits for a moment. Then Jack reaches for the crash bar on each door and pushes the doors open to reveal a room filled with an assortment of roses, lilies, and daisies. The flower arrangements surround a small, circular dinner table that itself has two red roses strategically placed in the center of the table. Chilling in a bucket of ice is a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne with two champagne flutes on either side of the ice bucket. The table is beautifully decorated, with a light pink tablecloth. The sound of some soft jazz and soft rock compiled by Jack plays over a small Bluetooth speaker. Jack takes a look at Delphine's face before they enter the room and can see tears welling up. These are not tears of sorrow but tears of joy. Delphine is so completely blown away by Jack's effort and can't help but cry. This moment is the first time that any man has gone to this much effort. In fact, she can't remember any man doing this for her. Most guys saw her and thought because she was beautiful and was a divorced single mother that she was just an easy mark to get laid.  That is not Delphine! A real gentleman seemed to only exist on the big screen. Most guys she dated only wanted to get her into bed. Those guys only showed minimal interest in her girls. That is why those guys never lasted long. She could always see right through them and their lies. But Jack, Jack, was different from other guys. Jack could be counted on with a kind text to wish her a good day, and his humor could always make her laugh. Delphine always suspected that Jack liked her. But she never asked him, likewise, for Jack, who was too shy and scared to say anything. Sure there was casual flirting, but that's as far as it went. Until tonight that is. Tonight is different. Tonight Jack and Delphine finally are where they should have been. If it is only for this brief moment.  Jack takes Delphine by the hand and, the two walk into what was once a large storage facility into an opulent dining hall.

Jack and Delphine walk over to the small, circular dinner table. Jack pulls out the cushioned chair and says," Madam, please be seated!" Delphine laughs and says," Why thank you, sir!" Delphine carefully sits and, Jack lightly pushes her chair close to the table. Jack walks around to the other side of the table. He grabs the bottle of champagne and starts to open the bottle."I never knew that you were such a romantic Jack?" Jack, pushing on the cork of the champagne bottle, says," I can't take all the credit! Most of this idea came from the movies. It pretty much all did!" Like an oil well releasing the black gold from the ground. The champagne shoots out the alcohol as the cork flies across the room. Delphine laughs, and says," And I see you even got the perfectly timed champagne cork opening."  Jack shakes the champagne off his right hand and grabs the flutes off the table. He proceeds to fill the first glass and, as he hands it to Delphine, Jack says," That I totally planned!" Delphine, shakes her head, laughs, and says," You have not changed one bit! Always with the jokes!" "That's what makes me so lovable! Well, that and my nice ass!" Delphine lets out a laugh and says," You are too funny, Jack! But I do agree with you! You do have a nice ass!" Delphine shyly smiles as she leans to the side to get a look at Jack's ass. "Hey, no free peaks!" laughs Jack as he sits down across from Delphine. Delphine reaches across the table with her champagne flute to make a toast. Jack reciprocates, and as the glasses clink, Delphine says," To a night that has been a long time coming! A dream come to life!" Each one of them takes a sip of their champagne, and, as Jack places his glass down on the table, he says," I should have done this a long time ago! I'm sorry, I was just a scared fool!"  A confused look comes over the face of Delphine as she says, "Why were you scared?" "I was frightened because I thought that if I asked that you would get freaked out. That you only thought of me as just a friend. And I didn't want to risk losing that," said Jack. Delphine, overcome with feelings of compassion and love for Jack's honesty, says," I can understand. I am your friend, and I would have understood. Sure I would have been taken back by it. That is a shock at first, but so you know. I was just as scared to tell you that I liked you but was unsure if you felt the same. And a lot of guys can get weird if you say that!" 'I guess we are just a couple of fools then?" said Jack.  Reaching her hand across the table, Delphine places her right hand lovingly on top of Jack's and says," That is the past! All that matters is here and now. We are together now and, we know each other's feelings." Jack is speechless by this touch of honesty and just smiles at Delphine. Graham walks out, carrying two plates containing the contents of their supper. He sets the dinner plates on the table and says, "Bon appetite!" Delphine smiles at Graham and says, "Thanks, Graham!" "It is my pleasure to serve you, madam!" said Graham. Delphine just laughs and, Jack says," Thanks, buddy!" Graham flashes Jack a smile and says as he walks away," It is an honor to do this for you both! I have waited a long time to see this!"  Graham has always said that Jack and Delphine belonged together and, he knew his friend's undying love for this woman. These words helped lighten the mood even more as Jack and Delphine start to eat their dinner. 

The whole dinner was like something out of a dream for Jack and Delphine. An evening filled with laughter and conversation about each other's lives. All the old funny stories and good memories from the main course through the desert as if it were a movie montage complete with "As Time Goes By" playing the whole while. This evening was perfect. To the two of them, it was like it was something out of a dream. You wouldn't think that Jack would be thinking that. But Jack, you see, is an old-fashioned romantic. He may come off as shy and scared, but if time has proven anything, people shed off their fears and become more of the real person they are. Jack stands up, walks over to Delphine, and holds his right hand out, saying," May I have this dance?" "Well, it is about fucking time that you asked!" said Delphine. 

Delphine grabs Jack's hand and rises out of her chair. They walk over to an empty space behind the table. And as Jack takes Delphine in his arms, far off in the corner, Graham watching flips a light switch to reveal some bright white Christmas lights hanging above them like a field of stars. A big smile comes over the face of Delphine, and she says," You remembered that I like Christmas!" "How could I forget! I remember everything you ever told me about you. That, your favorite movies are Dirty Dancing and Hocus Pocus. You love ice cream and your girls. And you love to vacuum, who could forget those things. I remember how your eyes light up and turn a lighter shade of blue, that when you smile. The right corner of your mouth has a slight mischievous curve. That when you get nervous, you play with your hair, and you shift your feet around," said Jack. All this info that Jack has told Delphine makes her feel even more attracted to him. No man that she has ever dated, including her ex-husband, knew this much about her. For someone to know her inside and out is what every woman dreams. Most men won't admit this. But Jack is not an ordinary man. "Wow! No man has ever said that to me before! It is usually, hey, girl! How about we, you know, get together? Or the predictable, oh, you have kids? I love kids! Like that will get them a first-class ticket to my vagina!" said Delphine. "I knew from the moment I saw you that I loved you and, we were meant for one another. Too much? I know it sounds kind of over the top! But that's how I always felt." Jack looks down at the ground, slightly embarrassed. Delphine lifts Jack's face, and looking into his eyes, she says," It isn't! That was very brave of you to say! Not many people can do that. It took a lot of courage." Delphine leans in and kisses Jack on the lips lightly and passionately. As their lips come apart from one another, Delphine says," I love you too! Now there is one thing that is just missing here!" "What is it?" asks Jack. "The music! How are we supposed to dance without music?" said Delphine. Jack looks over at Graham and nods his head to signal for the music. Jack takes Delphine in his arms as Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love" plays over the Bluetooth speaker. They sway back and forth in each other's arms. This evening was now perfect! Jack, nervous and, scared has one more surprise for Delphine. Not sure of how she will react, he is hesitant. But, if it one thing that Jack has learned. It is that his hesitation has cost him so much in his life, especially the lost time with this beautiful girl in his arms. " I have one more surprise for you!" said Jack. A look of curiosity comes over the face of Delphine as she asks, "Oh? What is it?" Jack reaches in his pants pocket and gets down on one knee. Delphine knows what Jack is about to do. And tears of surprise and joy come from her eyes. She is speechless! This not what she or any woman would expect on a first date. But then again, she and Jack have known each other for years. The only question is, why is Jack doing this? Not wanting to ruin the moment, she doesn't ask but lets Jack continue. " Delphine, I know that this our first date ever! And this is the weirdest and most unheard-of thing to happen on a first date. But, I love you, and I want to take care of you for however long you have left. And take care of your girls. I will understand if you say no! Because this is totally crazy! I want to marry you, will you marry me?" Jack pulls a five-carat diamond ring out of his pants pocket, not hard to get ahold of nowadays. Seeing all stores are closed because of the plague, the government emptied all the stores to stop looting. They kept everything from food and clothing to medical supplies, personal hygiene products, and trinkets like jewelry in supply warehouses. All Jack had to do was ask Sanjay to get one of those rings for him, seeing he had the government hookups. Delphine knows that she has waited a lifetime for a man like Jack. And even if their time is brief, Delphine knows that Jack truly loves her and that he will be a man of his word. She doesn't hesitate and says," Yes! Of course, I will!" Jack slips the ring on the ring finger on Delphines' left hand. He stands, and the two passionately kiss. Watching from the corner of the room, Graham smiles. He is happy for his friend. Knowing that Jack will eventually lose yet another woman he loves does concern him. But, this is a happy moment, and Graham sheds a few tears of joy for his friends. This touching moment also brings back old memories of Graham's time with Jessica. And tears of sadness now come out more rapidly. Graham wipes his eyes and thinks to himself that this is not a time for sadness! It is a time for joy. Graham sees Jack wave him over, and he wipes his eyes and walks over to Jack and Delphine. 

"I see you said yes!" said Graham to Delphine. "Yes, she sure did!' said Jack. Delphine presses her body against Jack's, places her head lovingly on his chest, and says," Well, I did not have many options!" Jack just shakes his head and laughs and says," Here I thought I was the comedic one?" "Nope! You have some competition!" said Delphine as Jack leans down and kisses her. "This makes me very happy! When is the big day?" asks Graham. "Right now! Can you marry us?" asks Jack. A surprised look comes over Delphines' face wondering how Graham could do such a task. But, there are not many priests left in this world. As a matter of fact, there aren't any left at all! "For sure! It would be an honor and a pleasure. I was there when you won your Oscar. And I will be here for this!" Jack embraces Graham and says, "Thank you, my friend!" "I always told you that I would be there for you brother!" Knowing that time is of the essence with Delphines' health is on a sensitive clock like Cinderella at midnight, Jack says, "What do you say we get started?" "Of course!" said Graham. Delphine leans up against Jack with a look of utter happiness in her eyes. Jack flashes an equally happy smile back at Delphine. He knows their time will be brief. But at least, Jack will have the love of his life at last. Graham stands in front of his two friends and says," I know there is this whole ceremony to be said, at a wedding. But I am going to skip to the good part! Do you, Jack?  Take Delphine to be your wife? To love forever, through sickness and health, richer or poorer? As long as you both shall live?" Jack doesn't hesitate this time! He has dreamed of this moment forever. "Yes, you bet your ass, I do!" said Jack. Graham turns to Delphine and says," Do you, Delphine? Take Jack this pitiful excuse for a man! But a great friend and I am told is a great lover as your husband? To love forever, through sickness and health, richer or poorer? As long as you both shall live?" Delphine opens her mouth to respond, and before she can give her answer, Delphine falls to the ground.  In an instant, Delphine starts to shake and convulse as the change into a Scavenger is taking place. Her mouth starts to foam, and Delphine's blue eyes change to bloodshot red. The skin on her body starts to become purple. Jack reaches down to steady her convulsions. The beast now, partially in her, grabs Jack and throws him across the room. Jack goes flying into the cement wall, knocking him cold. But the last thing he sees before he blacks out is Sanjay and a group of soldiers and scientists taking Delphine away. Away to be vaporized as per her wishes. 

A team of scientists and soldiers rush Delphine down to the vaporization chamber. They try hard to keep her strapped down to the stretcher as the sudden burst of strength is a trait of the Scavengers. The immense power of just one Scavenger could rip a full-grown adult African elephant in half. The Scavengers live by the pack mentality and look to always increase their numbers. That is why worldwide, the remaining members of humanity have them locked up. But now that the implants that Delphine made have proven successful. The rest of the world has implanted their own. Graham, knowing that his friend Jack will be fine, instead chooses to follow Delphine. Jack is still is unconscious on the floor and should be up and around soon. Graham notices that Delphine is trying to say something, so he moves closer, and she says," Yes! Tell Jack I said yes!" Graham sees that Delphine has a lot of strength in her as she fights the Scavenger venom's changing effect. The team of scientists and soldiers have reached their destination. And they rush the stretcher holding Delphine in the chamber and close the door. In a secondary room, Dr. Sanjay Singh turns on the control panel to fire a lethal dose of gamma to vaporize Delphine before her transformation can take place. Graham approaches one of the scientists, an African scientist in his mid-thirties named Dr.Augustino Washington."Doctor, can you go back to the other room and check on my friend? He took quite a blow when Dr.Deitrich threw him across the room," said Graham. "Of, course! Gentlemen, let us go and look at Mr.Jack."  that Dr.Washington, the two other scientists, and soldiers go and tend to Jack. Graham knows that Jack will be alright. He just wanted to be alone with Dr.Singh. Graham has a solution that could quite possibly save Delphine's life. "Graham! What are you doing here?" asks Sanjay. "Delphine is my friend too! And I think I have a solution on how to save her!" said Graham.  Sanjay looks at Graham with a puzzled stare and says," And what do you have in mind? We have tried everything, Graham!" said Sanjay. "Not everything!" said Graham. It doesn't take long for Sanjay to know what Graham has in mind, and he says, "No, Graham! There is no way I am going to inject some of your blood into Delphine! There is no telling what the side effect could be or if it will even work." " It will! Look, my fathers, DNA, was incorporated into the Lazarus cure. That's the same DNA that flows through me and my blood. This and three other inventions of his contained his DNA!" said Graham. Sanjay looks at Graham. Sanjay knows that there is no arguing with Graham. But, this is much too dangerous and hovers his right hand over the trigger to dispense the vaporizing gamma. "I don't know, Graham? What if it turns Dr.Deitrich into something much worse? What if we create another White Dragon?" said Sanjay. "We won't! Dr.Astor had multiple cure attempts in him. Those all mutated, but his DNA fought it. His body was meant to mutate. A gift from his father, Harold!" said Graham. Sanjay still holds his hand over the button, inching ever so close to pushing the button. "Come on, Sanjay? Delphine and Jack deserve a chance to have a life together!" said Graham. Sanjay looks deep in his heart, and while he knows Delphine from working with her. Sanjay also knows Jack's backstory too! He removes his hand from over the trigger and says to Graham," Okay, Give me your arm." Sanjay pulls a large syringe needle from his lab coat pocket and injects the head of the needle into the vein of Graham's right arm. Very quickly, the syringe fills with Graham's blood. Sanjay removes the needle from Graham's arm and says," Okay, let's go! You hold Delphine's arm so I can inject her!" "Will do! If this works, I will buy you another shiny belt buckle," said Graham. Sanjay laughs and says," And a game of Rummoli." Graham laughs and says," You have a deal!" Sanjay opens the door to the vaporization chamber, and he and Graham enter.

 Graham looks at Delphine, fighting the change, and says," I have a cure!" "No! It's too dangerous! Just tell Jack what I told you to tell him, and tell my girls I love them!" said Delphine. "You tell them yourself! Sanjay!" said Graham as he grabs Delphine's right arm and holds it down. Sanjay quickly presses the needle into Delphine's vein, injecting Graham's blood into her. The blood quickly goes to work, killing off the Scavenger venom. Delphine starts to stabilize, the convulsions stop. The purple skin returns to brownish-pink, and her eyes get their light blue color back. Weak from all the trauma her body has just been through, Delphine passes out. "Did it work?" asks Graham. "Only time will tell! Until we know the full results, she stays here!" says Sanjay. "Agreed!" said Graham.

With Delphine under observation as she lingers in her comatose state, Graham decides to walk down to the infirmary to see how Jack is doing. Graham makes his way through the multiple mazes of corridors in the Prairie Land World Trade Center research installation. Until at last, he reaches the room where Jack is resting and enters.

Jack is sleeping, not even aware of Graham's presence. Graham walks up to Jack and says," Hey, asshole! Wake up!" There is no response from Jack. Graham tries again," Very funny, asshole! Time to get up, I have a surprise for you!" Still, there is no response from Jack. Dr. Augustino Washington enters the room just as Graham is shaking Jack's body, trying to wake him up. "He won't hear you! Jack took quite a blow from that throw. Jack's body took a lot of damage. It could be days until he is awake," said Dr.Augustino Washington. "Thanks, Dr.Washington! Do we know how many exactly?" said Graham. " It could be anywhere from two days to two weeks to a month," said Dr.Augustino Washington. "That seems like a lot! Shouldn't his speed healing have him up and around?" said Graham. " You think it should? But when Delphine threw Jack, she scratched him, injecting Scavenger venom into Jack's bloodstream. That factor makes the healing process take longer," said Dr.Augustino Washington. Graham shakes Dr.Augustino Washington's hand and says," I never realized! Thanks, Doc!" "He will be fine, though! I will tell you when he is awake," said Dr.Augustino Washington. Graham leaves Jack's hospital room and starts to make his way towards his room, knowing that there is nothing that he can do at the moment. Graham also thinks to himself how alike Jack and Delphine are, that they are even both in a coma at the same time. 

"That doesn't explain how you are still around Delphine? They told me you were dead! Explain that?" said Jack. Delphine quickly glances at Jack, wondering if she should tell him the rest or wait. Delphine knows that if she doesn't tell Jack the rest of the story, then he will just keep asking. She turns her head back to looking out the bay window and says," Well, if you must know!" 

Looking out of the bay window of the farmhouse. The farmyard disappears, and suddenly Delphine has transported back to 2022 again. She is in the vaporization chamber, looking out the observation window in the control room. What, she wouldn't give to be in her hammock looking at a sunset in her backyard again. It has been two weeks since Graham's blood cure saved her life. Dr. Sanjay Singh has done multiple tests on her to see if there were side effects or to see if it would last. Graham has visited her many times. Graham gives updates on Jack, who they say will be awake any day now. Delphine can't help but think of what she did to Jack. She really hurt him!  

The door to the room opens, and Dr.Sanjay Singh walks in and says, "We have some good news!" "Don't keep me in suspense! What is it?" said Delphine. "We have all the tests back, and the Scavenger venom has no sign of returning! Your body has successfully healed itself. You can leave," said Dr.Sanjay Singh. "And what of the side-effects of the blood cure?" asks Delphine. Sanjay hesitates for a moment and says," There are a few! Graham's blood gave you his healing abilities, but the Scavenger venom, though irradicated. Did, leave you with the extreme strength of the Scavenger. You also have its agility. And lastly, you also have the immortality that both Jack and Graham have now."  Delphine is speechless. Sure, she can go back to her girls. Delphine stands there, thinking of how she hurt Jack with that strength. What if she hurts him again? As much as she wants to be with him. Delphine knows that the best place for her is back home with her girls. "Can you find Graham? I need to ask you both something," said Delphine.

Just before Sanjay was about to leave the vaporization chamber, Graham walks in and says, "Knock! Knock! A little bird and, I mean, Sanjay said that you were all cleared to leave. How does that feel?" "You must have been reading my mind because I just asked Sanjay to come and find you," said Delphine. "Haha! It's that blood of mine that is now flowing in your veins. It helped me sense that you needed to see me!" said Graham. "Haha! It didn't give me that ability, but a couple of the ones you have," said Delphine. Graham's face now wears a stunned look as he sees the seriousness in Delphine's eyes. "Like what?" said Graham. " That's the reason I wanted to talk to you," said Delphine. Graham is now really concerned, and he says," Is everything alright?" "Yes, and no!" said Delphine. A deafening silence comes over the room as Graham and Sanjay wait for what Delphine has on her mind. These words that Delphine wants to say are hard for her. She would prefer to tell them Jack herself. " I possess the same healing ability that you and Jack have, as well as your gift of immortality," said Delphine. "That's not so bad! If you have concerns, we can help with that," said Graham. "That does concern me a bit! Everyone I know, and that includes my kiddos, will all grow old and die one day. I will have to watch that happen, and it breaks my heart. But I would rather see my daughters grow up and have families of their own than not!" said Delphine. "I feel where you are coming from!  I will have to do the same with my daughter, but at least you will have Jack!" said Graham. Delphine looks down at the ground. What she has to say next is the part that is going to hurt to say and ask. "No, I won't!" said Delphine. Jack looks confused as he is trying to comprehend what Delphine just said. " What do you mean? You told me that you said yes! You are married to Jack now. Is there a problem? Did you not want to marry him?" asks Graham. "It's not that! I love Jack very much and would be very happy to have him in my life. It's the other abilities I now possess. You see, I also have the strength and agility of the Scavengers. And when I threw Jack, I could have killed him! He's still in a coma because of me! And I don't want to hurt him again like that!" said Delphine. "But it is okay to leave him and break his heart again!" said Graham. "I'm not leaving him like that! I need you and Sanjay to tell him that I am dead. That, I was, vaporized." Graham stands silent, not knowing what to say to this. Why would Delphine choose to leave this way? There has to be more of a reason than the throw? Delphine reaches into her pants pocket and pulls out an envelope and hands it to Graham. "Please give this to Jack when he wakes?" said Delphine. Graham shakes his head and says," No! You stay here and tell Jack." Tears well up in Delphine's eyes, unable to keep her emotions in check. " Please, Graham! I need you to do this!" "What you need to do is not run away!" said Graham. "Graham! I cannot! And I can't explain my reasons fully! Please!" said Delphine. Graham can tell that even though Delphine is leaving his best friend, that there is a reason that she cannot explain. "Okay! I'll do it!" said Graham. Delphine hugs Graham and whispers something in his ear. She then turns and hugs Sanjay and says, "It has been an honor to work with you! You take care of yourself." Sanjay kisses Delphine on the cheek and says, "You too! My friend!" Delphine walks out of the room to pack her things and leave.

Tears flow down Delphine's cheeks. She takes her right hand and wipes them from her face, and says, "The next day I packed my stuff in my car and drove home to Manitoba." Jack is speechless at the story he just heard. "It wasn't until years later that I moved out here! When you don't age, people tend to notice. So I needed a little change of scenery." Jack turns toward the backdoor window, unsure of what to say to Delphine. He has so many more questions. Why did she leave? Did she ever think of him? What has she been doing these past one hundred and fifty-five years? Jack knows that Delphine had her reasons but can't help but feel a little angry at the deception. "So, I guess that means that we are still married! And we never did get to consummate the marriage!" said Jack with a laugh. Delphine shakes her head and says, "Always with the jokes!... Men!" Out of the corner of her eye, Delphine makes out the figures of five Citizens coming out of the brush. She loads a round into her pump-action shotgun and says," They're here! It's showtime!" 

Just as the first five Citizens emerge from the brush and into the farmyard, they stop. It is by the voice of Paul still in the bush, saying," Believers! Stop right there!" Without question, the Citizen's stop. You see Paul, is the second in command to Samuel Evans, the leader of the Citizens leader. And in the Citizens, no one questions the word of Samuel. The Citizens follow the orders of Samuel or his deacons' right to the letter, even if it means that will die. "My brothers and sisters! I have received word from our savior Samuel that we are to wait here for a little while. Samuel has a plan, a plan to capture the woman at last. And her companion," said Paul. The Citizens all nod their heads, and in one voice, say," Praise, Samuel! He is the light in the darkness and the truth in our ears! He will soon lead us to glory and bring the prophecy to fulfillment."  The Citizens all turn and stare at Delphine's farmhouse, not moving a muscle. 

"What in the hell are they doing?" asks Jack. Delphine stares right back at the Citizens out the bay window and says, "I don't know? This tactic is new for them! Be ready for anything!" Jack takes a deep breath and says, "I got a bad feeling about this!" Jack loads the chamber of his Glock and stares out the backdoor window at the Citizens waiting for them to attack.

Preston drifts in and out of consciousness, not being able to make out shapes or faces. What Preston can tell is that he is on a stretcher, the kind used in a military field battle. Preston also can make out that he is somewhere in the woods, being taken to an unknown destination. A deep voice, bold in nature, is heard speaking. " Brothers and sisters! We have one of Adam's ribs. The other we will possess soon!" It is at this point that  Preston drifts off to sleep.

The gunfire and explosions from grenades continue to rage on with the World Military Force and the White Dragon's Army. An unknown female lieutenant rushes up to General Jordan and says, "General, this all seems pointless! All we are doing is adding to the White Dragon's army. We need to pull back before we get outnumbered!" General Jordan looking on at the battle from the confines of his jeep, says," We will hold our ground lieutenant. We cannot let them move one inch! If we retreat, the result will be much worse!" The young lieutenant is shocked that the General would be so reckless! She knew that General Jordan was a win at all costs type of person. But this is ridiculous! "General, sir! We won't last much longer!" said the female lieutenant. General Jordan looks down at the female lieutenant and says," Don't worry! I called for reinforcements! All we have to do is hold out as long as possible!" The female lieutenant knows that they could only hold out another thirty minutes at most. But not wanting to argue with the General, for this is an act of insubordination, just nods her head. She heads back down into the battle to try and hold out. She is no coward. She is a strong woman who never gives up! Something that her mother taught her from her mother and her mother before her. 

The annoying collective laughter of Greg and The Silver Serpent echoes through the lobby like nails on a chalkboard. Arrogant in nature, it cuts right to the soul of the rest of the group. There is even an occasional slap on the back or punch to the shoulder. Like a couple of douchebag supreme alpha males that you would see in any walk of life, Greg and The Silver Serpent carry on with their pseudo male bonding. From the confines of the leather lobby chair, Graham watches this. In his era, Graham didn't seem to mind some of the things they did. Sure he did not care for such behavior in extreme cases. But sitting here and watching Greg and The Silver Serpent carry on, Graham can really see what drove his friend Jack batty! Graham shakes his head and says," I can totally see where you were coming from, Jack! It may have taken me one hundred and fifty years, but I can see it now!" Hannah walks up to Graham and says," See what?" Graham had been oblivious to the other's presence, says," Oh, just something that Jack used to say about guys like Greg and Axel there!" "What did he use to say?" asks Hannah. "That the whole alpha male thing was a load of bullshit! He said a man should be judged by the size of his heart. Not by the size of his body. Or what sport he played or what he drove.  That society rewards the stereotypical person and judges the ordinary," said Graham. Hannah looks over at Greg and Axel, observing them, and says," He is right! I have known men for years in my line of work, and I have found that the saddest, kindest, and most passionate. Are the ones that society has deemed, different." Keith walks up and says, "What are we talking about?" "About how Greg and Axel, oh, I mean The Silver Serpent, are just a couple of grade-A douchebags," said Hannah. Keith looks over at Greg and Axel and says," You got that right! They are probably bragging about the size of their gun. To compensate for the lack of size in their dick!" Hannah quickly laughs at this and, with tears in her eyes, says," You are quite right!" "So, what's the plan, Graham? How are we going to get away from the asshole twins?" said Keith. Graham sits silently for a moment and says," We need to separate them. To do that, I will start by telling another Pops Brilliant story. And partway through the story Hannah you will ask for Greg to escort you to the bathroom. In the bathroom on the second floor, I have hidden a set of brass knuckles in the third stall in the toilet tank. Greg will wait in the doorway for you. Once you grab the brass knuckles, distract Greg and hit him square in the jaw knocking him cold. Keith, you and Maria start a fake argument which will bring The Silver Serpent over and grab a gamma pulse rifle and hit him with a blast that should knock him down long enough to let us all get away." By now, all of the group has gathered and listened to Grahams' plan to escape. "I don't like it! Why does Hannah have to be the one that takes out Greg? It should be me! I have boxing experience. Even with the brass knuckles, I don't think she could take down Greg with one punch?" said Maria. Graham shakes his head and says," It's not about size or strength! It's about heart and nerve. Besides, Greg would expect it from you and not from Hannah. Also, I need you for the distraction on The Silver Serpent." Maria realizing the logic in Graham's explanation nods her head in agreement. "But, I don't know how I can hit someone the size of Greg and knock him out with a pair of brass knuckles?" said Hannah. Maria puts her arm around Hannah and says," I'll show you! You just ball up your fist and come straight up at the bottom of the jaw like this!" Maria secretly shows Hannah the actions of the punch on Keiths face. Hannah nervously nods in agreement of how to perform the knockout punch. "Just one more question?" asks Keith. "Yes, what is it?" asks Graham.  "Can we start the story? Because I really want to hear what happened after Karen's death." Graham lets out a hearty laugh and says," Okay! Sit down then, and I will tell the rest!"

Delphine sits patiently watching the small group of Citizens, standing perfectly still at the brush line perimeter. "What are you waiting for?" said Delphine. Jack looks at himself through the window of the backdoor. "It's like they are waiting for some sign to proceed. Or for reinforcements!" said Jack. Delphine's heart and mind start to race at the thought of Jack's words. Could what they are waiting for be really him? They can't be waiting for him? He never comes this far west. That is Paul's job and placement. Delphine shakes her head to get the fearful thoughts out of her head and says," Well, no matter how many they bring, they will walk away with less!" A big grin comes over Jack's face. This is the Delphine that he always knew, the strong and resilient woman who had always fought no matter what the odds. "There's the girl I knew!" said Jack. Delphine turns her gaze away from the window and flashes a flirtatious smile at him. " This is going to be a long wait by the looks of it! How about one of your famous stories Mr.Storyteller?" said Delphine. Jack nods his head like a knight in service of his queen and says, "For, certain, my lady! All of this reminds me of what happened to Pops Brilliant in the spring of 1961. His mother had been shot and killed by the very mole he was looking for in the CBC. In essence, it seemed that the odds were stacking up against Pops."

The flashers from an ambulance, light up the night in front of Agent Regina's two-story red brick house in Old Town. Scores of onlookers stand outside watching as the police keep them back. "What happened here?" yells out a young long-haired man in his twenties. "Yeah! What happened?" yells a middle-aged woman with red hair. An old gray-haired man in his early sixties says," There was a shooting!" "Who was it?" asks the young long-haired man. "I believe it was the person who lived here?" A collective gasp goes out from some of the onlookers who knew Agent Regina. They knew him well and liked him. If only they knew about who he really was, they would not be feeling this sadness for him. Out of the door of Agent Regina's house, two male paramedics wheel out the stretcher carrying Karen's lifeless, bullet-ridden body covered with a sheet. "Can't believe you forgot the bodybag, Steve!" said Trevor, a tall, muscular raven-haired paramedic. "Look! How many times can I apologize for that? I thought we had some in here?!" said Steve, the short, stalky red-haired paramedic. As Trevor and Steve, the paramedics are about to load Karen's body in the back of the ambulance. Karen's hand falls out from under the sheet, revealing her petite wrist. The onlookers are partly relieved at this. They are relieved to know that it is not Agent Regina. But they are still saddened, as they knew Karen too! "Oh, my god! Poor Isaac!" said the red-haired middle-aged woman. Trevor and Steve close the back of the ambulance and drive away to take Karen's body to the hospital morgue.  It is just at this time that Mr.Pervus walks up to the house, looking at the ambulance as it drives away. A small number of tears flow from Mr.Pervus's eyes at the loss of Karen, and worries about how he will tell Pops. Mr.Pervus wipes the tears from his eyes reaches in his inside suit jacket pocket and pulls out his identification. Mr.Pervus shows his government credentials to the random, young patrolman stationed out in front of the house. The young patrolman nods his head and lets Mr.Pervus by without a single question. Mr.Pervus quickly walks up the front walk, up the steps, and into the front door. The whole while, every onlooker wonders who this man was? Perhaps another detective?

Several detectives are standing around looking over the crime scene, dusting for fingerprints, and taking photos. A heavyset middle-aged, balding detective stands over Agent Regina, who is seated on the chesterfield. Agent Regina, aka Tendersnatch, does his best to keep the cover of a grieving boyfriend. Agent Regina sits with his hands covering his face, shedding tears. But these are not tears of sadness, but tears of maniacal happiness. With his face completely covering his facial expression, the detective cannot make out the devious grin on Tendersnatch's face. Slowing down his maniacal laugh, it sounds like he is crying and upset. "Mister Regina, I know it's hard, but can you describe the assailant?" said the heavyset detective. "I didn't get a real good look at the assailant! He was standing in the shadows and couldn't make out his face or even body type," said Agent Regina. "So you are telling me that some strange man walked into your house. He stood in the darkness and waited. Then shot your girlfriend when she walked into the house? What happened doesn't make any sense? What aren't you telling me, Mr.Regina?" said the heavyset detective. "I am telling you everything, and that's the truth! Except for the mystery assailant standing and waiting! He held me at gunpoint when I came home. Then Karen entered the house and surprised him, and that's when he shot her," said Agent Regina. "Then how do you explain the blood on your shirt?" said the heavyset detective. "I told you that's my blood! Karen's son punched me in the nose when I tried to surprise him!" said Agent Regina. "Yes, you told me that! A fourteen-year-old beat you up! And what about the blood on your pants? The same injury?" said the heavyset detective. "No! You genius of a police detective! I knelt by Karen to try and put pressure on the wound, but it was too late! The gunshot wound was instantly fatal! And yes, a fourteen-year-old beat me up! He is quite strong and adept at defending himself!" said Agent Regina, who is now standing face to face with the detective."You have quite the temper, Mr.Regina! I think there was no assailant! I think your girlfriend came over here to break-up with you, and you two had an argument. Not being able to handle the break-up, in a fit of rage, you pulled out a gun and shot her as she was about to leave!" said the heavyset detective. Agent Regina now stands nose to nose with the heavyset detective, his fists clenched, ready to hit him. This urge to hit the detective was not from anger due to sadness. But from the fact that this hippo of a man is ninety percent right. Mr.Pervus standing and watching all of this decides that now is the perfect time to stop the detective's questioning before Agent Regina hits him. " Detective, I am Mr.James Pervus! Mr.Regina works for me! He is an important man in government. And if he said someone broke in here, then I believe him!" said Mr.Pervus. Mr.Pervus pulls his government identification out of his jacket and shows it to the detective. "Now, if you don't believe me! You are more than welcome to call the Prime Minister?" said Mr.Pervus. The heavyset detective, with a slightly defeated look on his face, says," No, it's alright! I believe you!" "Good! Now, if you don't mind leaving so, I can talk to my man here?" said Mr.Pervus. The heavyset detective nods his head and says," Alright! Come on, boys! Let's get out of here! We have all we need!" Very quickly, the small group of police detectives all exit the house, with the heavyset detective leaving last and closing the door behind him.

Mr.Pervus walks up to Agent Regina seated back on the couch, places his weathered right hand on the left shoulder of Agent Regina, and takes a deep sigh. Next, he taps his right hand ever so lightly to convey his sympathy. Agent Regina wonders if Mr.Pervus is on to him and does not buy his story. No! That can't be it! For he is the great, Tendersnatch! His superior intellect is far beyond a pion, such as Mr.Pervus. There is no way that he can see the truth behind the lie. Hell! He even has Pops fooled, and Pops is a genius. But just in case he is wrong, then a suitable backup story must be ready to be told. "Isaac! Isaac! Isaac! We have a problem here!" said Mr.Pervus. Agent Regina, aka, Tendersnatch, places his left hand in between the couch cushions reaching for the hidden Beretta. If Mr.Pervus is on to him, then he must exterminate Mr.Pervus. Two murders in one night in the same place can be hard to explain. Perhaps, Tendersnatch thinks he can just make it look like a suicide. "What is that, sir?" asks Agent Regina. Mr.Pervus takes another deep breath and says," The fact that we have to tell Pops! Now I know that you are upset about Karen's murder. And I just can't ask you to do that after all that you have been through tonight." A small, quick wicked smile comes over the face of Agent Regina. A smile that Mr.Pervus would have seen if he was not standing behind him, consoling him. Agent Regina, aka, Tendersnatch, removes his left hand from the gun in the couch cushions and places it back on his lap. "But someone should tell him! And seeing as how I was dating Karen and I am his partner. It is only right that I do it!" said Agent Regina. "That's very brave of you! Especially at this time. But, I insist on doing it! I will need you with me, though," said Mr.Pervus. "He's not going to take it well!" said Agent Regina. "That's an understatement! Pops was a mess after Rick's death by Harold. And now, Karen! I would hate to be Harold and his syndicate when Pops gets ahold of him. We just need to be there for him and make sure he doesn't do anything rash!" said Mr.Pervus. Agent Regina gets up from the couch, walks around to the back of it, and says," We will be! All of us!" Agent Regina, aka, Tendersnatch, forces some fake tears out of his eyes to add to the drama. Mr.Pervus, not known for being much of a compassionate man, walks up to Agent Regina and embraces him. This act disgusts Tendersnatch, as does all this fake sentiment. He thinks how wonderful it will be once Harold's master plan, is completed, and he no longer has to play this role. The lump in his throat that he sucks back is the vomit of how sick this situation makes him feel. " We are here for you too! If you need anything? Let me know!" said Mr.Pervus. "Thank you! That means a lot!" said Agent Regina. Mr.Pervus hugs Agent Regina even tighter, and it seems to last forever. Finally, after about thirty seconds, Mr.Pervus lets go, and Agent Regina lets a sigh of relief. Regaining his composure as he wipes tears from his eyes, Mr.Pervus taps Agent Regina on the right shoulder and says," We should go now and tell Pops!" Agent Regina says nothing. He just nods his head in agreement and follows Mr.Pervus out of the house. 

Pops moves around doing the twist as the classic Chubby Checker song plays on the radio. Wearing a muscle shirt and matching white boxer shorts, Pops moves his chubby frame around, sliding on his socks and singing. On the counter, the toaster pops up a pair of perfectly browned pieces of bread. Pops moves over to the kitchen counter and removes the toast from the toaster. He grabs the butter knife he had placed on the counter, scoops up a hefty portion of butter. As the music continues to blare out through the house Pops, dances around while buttering his toast.  A scene almost reminiscent of Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Pops dancing without a care in the world.  Little does he know that his perfect day is about to turn into a nightmare. A sudden knock at the door stops Pops' impromptu dance party. He places his buttered toast on a plate he had on the kitchen table. He turns down the radio and walks towards the front door. 

Pops walks towards the front door and opens it to see the faces of Mr.Pervus and Agent Regina. The looks on their faces were a mix of sadness and shock of Pops answering the door in his underwear. They collectively glance at Pops and say, "Can we come in and talk?" Pops moves aside and gestures with his right hand for them to come in. "Sure,"  come right in!" said Pops. Mr.Pervus is a little uncomfortable with having to tell Pops the bad news he bears, and the fact Pops is in his underwear, says," Can you please put on some pants, Pops?" Pops gets a surprised look on his face and says," What? There I am relaxing! It is my relaxing attire! It is you who came to my door while I'm in my gotch! Learn to live with it!" "I know, but this is important! So please can you go and get some clothes on?" said Mr.Pervus. Pops noticing the somber look on Mr.Pervus' face, decides to comply and says," Okay! I will go and put something on! Go, wait in the front room! And I will be right back!" Pops hurries up the stairs as Mr.Pervus, and Agent Regina make their way into the front room.

Pops runs up the stairs and into his room. He grabs a pair of tan-colored trousers that are sitting on his bed along with a blue and white striped button-up shirt. "They come over here and want me to get dressed in my own home! They can't just tell me what they have to like this! How dare they come over while I'm in my underwear! What they have to tell me better be important!" said Pops as he finishes getting dressed and heads back downstairs. 

In the front room, Mr.Pervus and Agent Regina sit silently, waiting for Pops to come back down. Pops enters the room like a bull in a china shop, knocking over a small end table." Fuck! I always run into that thing!" said Pops. Pops quickly walks over to the leather armchair that Agent Regina is sitting in and says, "Hey asshole! That's my chair!" Agent Regina doesn't argue with him, as the news about to be layed on Pops will put him in an even worse mood than he is already in! Pops jumps into his leather armchair and says," Okay, Pervert! What is so important that you had to disturb my private time?" Mr.Pervus sits quietly, not knowing what to say as an uncomfortable silence ensues. "What is it? Come on! Spit it out instead of sitting here like a couple of weirdos! And you, Vagina!  You couldn't at least change your clothes. You better not get blood on my mothers' couch!" said Pops as he notices the dried blood on Agent Regina's clothes. Mr.Pervus leans forward, takes a deep breath, and says," There is no easy way to say this, Pops. But I have some bad news!" The expression on Pops' face turns from irritated to concern as he realizes that Karen is not here and nowhere around. If she is not here, then she would have been with Agent Regina. "Where is my mom? Did something happen to her?" said Pops. "Pops there, was an incident tonight! Karen went over to check on Agent Regina. And she walked in on Harold or a disciple of his wanting to send you a message. I guess he wanted to kill Agent Regina here! But when Karen walked in, he had a better target and killed her instead. I'm so sorry, Pops!" Agent Regina walks over to Pops and tries to give him the same fake sentimental hug he gave Mr.Pervus. "I'm so sorry, Pops! I am here for you! I promise we will get them!" A well of emotion builds up inside Pops and, like a volcano, explodes. Hardly able to contain his emotion and the frustration he feels, Pops pushes Agent Regina away from him. "Get away from me! You are lying! This is not a funny prank!" said Pops. "It's no joke, Pops! We are telling the truth!" said Mr.Pervus. Agent Regina attempts to try and hug an upset Pops again, but he is greeted, with a hard kick to his testicles.  Agent Regina falls to the ground like a stone. For the second time tonight, he has been assaulted, in this house. "Get the fuck out, asshole! It's because of you that she is dead! Both of you get out now!" exclaimed Pops. "Pops, wait! I know that you are upset. Don't take it out on Agent Regina," said Mr.Pervus. Pops walks up to Mr.Pervus.  With a face as red as a tomato from the anger, he is feeling. Pops calmly says, "I said, both of you get out!" Pops walks over to the entrance to the front room, points towards the front door, and says," Get the fuck out now!!!!!"  Agent Regina slowly pulls himself off the ground and not wanting to argue with an upset Pops, walks towards the front door without a word said. Mr.Pervus slowly gets up from the couch and walks towards the front door, and before he walks out, he says," You shouldn't be left alone! Someone needs to stay with you. You are a kid, after all!" "I have been looking after myself since I was a toddler! So, don't give me that crap! Now please leave before I say something to you I will regret, Pervert!" said Pops. Mr.Pervus knowing that what Pops said to be true slowly exits and closes the door behind him.

Outside at the end of the front walkway Agent Regina waits for Mr.Pervus. "Shouldn't someone stay here? Pops, shouldn't be left alone with how upset he is, and also in case Harold tries something?" said Agent Regina. Mr.Pervus taps Agent Regina on the shoulder and says," You are a good man, Isaac! You care a lot for Pops. I can see that! Don't worry I will have someone come and watch him."  The two men head toward the black 1936 Cord 810 Beverly Sedan. A young blonde-haired agent opens the back door for them, and Mr.Pervus climbs in the back. As he is about to get in, Agent Regina nods his head at the young agent. The young agent reciprocates and nods back at Agent Regina. Or as he knows him, Tendersnatch. Agent Regina climbs in, and the young agent closes the back door. The young agent gets in the driver's seat and starts the car. As the engine turns on, the sound of Glen Miller's In The Mood plays over the radio. The young agent turns down the radio a bit. "You don't have to turn that off, agent! Let it play! I think we could all use some happy music right now!" said Mr.Pervus. The young agent complies with Mr.Pervus' request and turns the radio up. As the car drives away, the music can be heard by the neighbors. 

Lamps go flying through the air and crashing against the wall lying on the floor in pieces. Pops then makes his way into the kitchen, opens the kitchen cupboards, and starts pulling plates out and smashing them on the floor. One by one, Pops opens each cupboard and flinging whatever is in them across the room. Pops makes his way to the table where his plate of toast sits. He takes and throws the plate against the wall, toast, and all.  This act was a sure sign that Pops has reached his limit with Harold. There was no way that Pops would ever disrespect toast. He always found it more sacred than the church. According to Pops, it was a piece of heaven. Pops makes his way around the house, throwing whatever items he could find. He empties drawers, closets, and shelves. In no time, the whole house had looked like a hurricane had blown through it.  The only room that had not been touched by Pops' rage is the theatre room in the basement. Pops, still moving like a raging bull, makes his way downstairs into the theatre room. He picks up the film projector and tosses it to the floor. He then makes a beeline to the bookshelf where canisters of film reels sit. One by one, Pops tosses them across the room till finally, the shelf is empty. With the rage expelling all his energy, Pops collapses to his knees on the shag carpet and lets out a scream reminiscent of Al Pacino at the end of Godfather 3. Pops buries his face in his hands as the tears of sadness overcome his body. The film projector lying on the floor on its side is not broken. It keeps rewinding and replaying the same clip of film against the wall. Pops catches this. Pops wipes his eyes, now red from the tears and sniffles. He now watches the projector do this act for about two minutes. "Holyshit! I can fix this!" exclaims Pops. Pops walks over to the projector and shuts it off so it does not start a fire, and places it back on its stand. He then runs up the stairs to his room and begins to sift through the scattered journals on the floor. If Agent Regina, aka Tendersnatch, were there, he would be in heaven by finally being able to get ahold of all of Pops' journals. One by one, Pops opens each journal and throws them in a pile to his left. Pops is looking for a certain journal. "Where in the fuck are you?" yells Pops. After looking through six journals, Pops stops as he gets partway through the seventh. "Eureka! I found you!" Pops grabs an errant pen lying on the floor and starts to write in the journal with great ferocity as if his life depended on it. 

Mr.Pervus reaches for a mahogany-colored wooden box in between him and Agent Regina in the backseat. He opens the cover to reveal a phone. A phone in a car was unheard of in the 1960s. But this was the CBC! They had access to untold technology that humanity would not see for years or even ever. "I never knew we had those?" said Agent Regina, who wonders what other gadgets the CBC has. Between them and Pops, it is no wonder that Harold wants Pops' journals and moles in the CBC. "Oh, we have had these for years! But only senior personnel get to use them," said Mr.Pervus. Agent Regina nods his head and says, "I see!" Mr.Pervus holds up his right index finger and says," Just one minute!... Olympus, this is Mr.P. I need you to connect me with Jolly Green Giant! Thank you! I will hold! Jolly Green, this is Mr.P! I need you in Toronto by the morning, it's urgent! It's serious! Your services are needed immediately! Great! See you soon!" Mr.Pervus hangs up the phone and closes the wooden box. " Who was that? Who is coming?" asks Agent Regina. "You'll find out tomorrow, but for now, I am taking you back to the Royal York to get some rest. You will have Agents posted outside your hotel suite. I think we all could use some rest! " said Mr.Pervus. "What about Pops? I think we should be dealing with that!" said Agent Regina. "It will keep until morning when our guest arrives! You know better than I that it is better to leave Pops to himself when he is upset, or you will make it worse!" said Mr.Pervus. "I think it is already worse!' said Agent Regina. "Yes, it is, and our third-party can help with that! So, just go and get some rest, that's an order!" said Mr.Pervus. Agent Regina nods his head Mr.Pervus leans forward and said to the driver," The Royal York Agent!" The young agent nods his head to comply and says, "Yes, sir Mr.Pervus." Being close to the Royal York Hotel, it doesn't take long for them to get there. The car comes to a stop in front of the entrance, and Agent Regina exits. "Now go get some sleep! I will see you in the morning, at around 9 am. "Yes, I will see you then!" said Agent Regina as he closes the car door. The black 1936 Cord 810 Beverly Sedan pulls out into traffic and quickly disappears from sight as Agent Regina, aka, Tendersnatch looks on. It has been a long night! But a successful one, he says to himself. Although the only thing he wonders is who in the fuck is coming here? Whoever he is, he will deal with him accordingly. Tendersnatch walks into the hotel entrance on his way up to his room and some rest to deal with whatever tomorrow has in store for him.

The elevator doors open to the seventh floor of the Royal York Hotel. The chameleon Tendersnatch steps out into the hallway, not even saying thank you to the elevator operator. "Have a good night, sir!" says the grey-haired African-Canadian man who operates the elevator. Tendersnatch does not even acknowledge that kind gesture as well. To Tendersnatch, everyone is beneath him! From the flea to humanity Tendersnatch, see's himself as superior to them. The only person he has respect for is Harold. Harold is someone on even keel with him. Even above Tendersnatch in some things. That is what keeps Tendersnatch working for Harold. They both share the same contempt for the world. And it is what brought Tendersnatch in the employ of Harold. Harold found him and others that share the same arrogance and heartless nature to shape the world in his image. Tendersnatch walks back down to room 707. Outside of the room, two CBC agents sit. They are well known to Tendersnatch, two more plants from Harold's organization since the cleanse had started. They just nod at Tendersnatch, for they know that they are not even worthy to speak to the great Tendersnatch. To speak to Tendersnatch without his permission would surely end in a savage beating. And god help you if he tortured you with sexual devices. Everyone in Harold's syndicate and the intelligence community knew that Tendersnatch did this. That is all that the intelligence community knew about Tendersnatch. The rest was all theory. One theory that they had correct was that pain gave Tendersnatch a sexual release. Tendersnatch opens the door to his suite and enters. 

As soon as the doors close, a familiar voice is, heard behind him in the darkness. The voice of Harold, who says, "Hello, Richard! I see that everything is going well!" "My god! Will, you quit popping up like that, Harold!" said Tendersnatch. "You speak to me like that? How dare you! I should have your tongue cut out! But then where would I find another as good as you?" said Harold. "Apologies, sir! I am a little on edge!" said Tendersnatch. Harold walks out of the darkness, revealing his toned muscular frame and wavy blonde hair. The three-piece grey suit Harold wears only accentuates his features even more. Harold places his left hand on Tendersnatch's left shoulder and says, " It's alright! If anyone else spoke to me with disrespect, that person would be killed. Why are you one edge my most loyal friend?" said Harold. "Pervus called someone on the way here and wouldn't tell me who it was. Someone who said was going to help us deal with Pops. And the state he is in right now." said Tendersnatch. Harold closely examines Tendersnatch's face and can see a touch of fear in his eyes. An expression that was unusual to see in Tendersnatch's eyes. There was nothing that scared Tendersnatch, it was Tendersnatch that people were scared of!  He was the boogeyman in the intelligence community. "I can see that you are worried! Don't worry! Whoever this person that Mr.Pervus called is, I have full confidence that you will deal with, you always have," said Harold. Tendersnatch makes his way into the main sitting room of the suite and turns only the light on by the bar. He pours two glasses of brandy and gives one to Harold. "I know, but I just have this feeling that this is something that will cause us trouble," said Tendersnatch. Harold swirls the brandy in his glass, takes a sip, and says," You are overthinking this! There is no one in the CBC, not even my baby brother, that can match our intelligence!" said Harold. "You're right! How foolish of me! This peon will be, dealt, with! " said Tendersnatch. Harold knew just how to deal with Tendersnatch. He knew that Tendersnatch's ego was the way to motivate him. "So I take it, my baby brother dealt with the news like we expected?" said Harold. "Exactly like we knew he would. And except for the phone call Pervus did what you said he would," said Tendersnatch. "Excellent! Now you will volunteer to take care of Pops as his guardian and have access to those journals. Who knows, he might have even created something in those journals after all of this that we can use," said Harold. "We can only hope!" said Tendersnatch as he smirks arrogantly and then chuckles. 

Mr.Pervus stands on the train platform that resides at site 'B" the cathedral. He is just in time as the Lightspeed train slowly hovers over the v-shaped rail and gingerly lowers itself onto it. The doors to the train open and out steps the large, muscular frame of Agent Greene. He is wearing a three-piece brown suit and carrying a matching trilby in his right hand. Agent Greene catches the view of Mr.Pervus, not that he could miss him. Other than a handful of construction workers, Mr.Pervus is the only person on the train platform. He walks towards Mr.Pervus, and the two men share a hearty handshake. Over the loudspeaker, the song "Big Bad John" plays. Almost like an entrance song for Agent Greene. "Hello, sir!" "Hello, Agent Greene! It is good to see you!" said Mr.Pervus. "It's good to see you too! So, you sounded pretty serious on the phone yesterday evening! Do you want to fill me in on why you sent for me?" said  Agent Greene in his deep baritone voice. "Sure, let's walk, and I will fill you in as we do!" said Mr.Pervus. Agent Greene nods his head, and the two men start walking towards the escalator that leads to Mr.Pervus's temporary office. "I'm afraid we have a serious situation, Lorne!" said Mr.Pervus. Agent Greene knew this was serious as Mr.Pervus rarely called any agent by his first name. "What happened?" asks Agent Greene. " Karen Brilliant was shot and killed last night at the home of Agent Regina. They have been seeing one another for a little while now. She went over to check up on him after Pops popped him in the nose when he surprised him," said Mr.Pervus. Agent Greene is speechless. He knew Karen well from all the time he worked with Pops and is still close friends with the Brilliants. "I knew she was dating him. Pops told me! I just can't believe it! I mean, I believe that Pops hit Agent Regina. But this is just shocking! Poor Pops! He must be a wreck!" said Agent Greene. "Oh, he is! Pops kicked us out, and according to some agents, I left outside his house Pops, destroyed the place," said Mr.Pervus. "Well, did you send anyone to check on him recently to see if he is alright? You know how he was when his father died," said Agent Greene. "Yes, it was after the agents said that they didn't hear anything. One of the agents went up to the door and knocked. Pops opened it and told him fuck off, you queerbox! That he and dickless in the car can go and jerk each other off and stay away from the house. That he wouldn't let them in even if they had toast!" said Mr.Pervus. "This is serious! The insults are expected from Pops. But to refuse toast is unusual for Pops! We better get over there quick!" said Agent Greene. By this time, Agent Greene and Mr.Pervus have reached the office door of Mr.Pervus. Mr. Pervus reaches for the door handle and says as he turns it," We will! We just have one quick meeting before we do!" said Mr.Pervus. Mr.Pervus opens the door to his office to reveal the site of Agent Regina, waiting for both him and Agent Greene. Agent Regina, aka, Tendersnatch's face drops at the site of Agent Greene. He should have expected it to be Agent Greene, but nonetheless, this is a shock. Agent Regina stands up from the red leather chair he is sitting in and says, "Welcome back, Agent Greene! It's good to see you!" Agent Greene and Mr.Pervus enter the office and close the door.

Agent Regina walks up and shakes Agent Greene's hand boldly and heartily. But he does not show any exuberance, to not arouse suspicion in Agent Greene or Mr.Pervus. "It's good to see you too, Agent Regina! I am so sorry for your loss! I can't imagine what you are going through. Karen was a good woman," said Agent Greene. "Yes, she was! She was the best! I don't know if I will find anyone like her again!" said Agent Regina. Agent Greene notices in this particular comment that Agent Regina has made something off about his body language. And the nervousness in Agent Regina's voice, not the kind you would expect in a grieving boyfriend. Agent Greene tightens his grip on Agent Regina's hand momentarily, just looking in Agent Regina's eyes for a clue of deceit. After about thirty awkward seconds of shaking, hands Agent Greene releases Agent Regina from his vice-like grip. "Shall we be seated, gentlemen?" said Mr.Pervus. Agent's Greene and Regina nod their heads, and each has a seat in the red leather chairs at the foot of the desk. "Should I fill Agent Greene in on the situation?" asks Agent Regina. "No, I already did! But I am sure he has a few questions?" said Mr.Pervus. "Only a couple! First, do we know who did this?" asks Agent Greene. "It was Harold's top man Tendersnatch. He knows that we are zeroing in on all his moles in the CBC  and on his identity," said Agent Regina. "So, this was a message to back off? His mission must be important to Harold to do this?" said Agent Greene. "Yes, it seems so! Just like when he killed Rick Brilliant," said Agent Regina. "Yes,  it seems just like that!" said Agent Greene. "Any other questions?" asks Agent Regina. "No! I think we should get over to Pops' and check up on him!" said Agent Greene. "Sounds good! Let's get going then!" said Agent Regina. The three men get up from their chairs. Agent Greene reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a roll of bills big enough to choke a horse. He peels off a twenty, hands it to Agent Regina, and says," I need you to do something for me. I need you to go down to Yonge and Dundas and go to Temple's Bakery. They have this freshly made pumpernickel. Buy some and meet us at Pops' okay?" Agent Regina looks a bit confused by this request and asks, "Why?" "Because Pops love pumpernickel toast and this place has the best bread. It might help calm him!" said Agent Greene. "Sounds good! I will head there right now and meet you there!" said Agent Regina. "See you there!" said Agent Greene. Agent Regina walks towards the door, opens it takes a quick glance at Agent Greene. He sizes up his new nemesis and leaves to go and get the bread. "That's a good idea, Lorne!" said Mr.Pervus. "He will be there a while! That place is always busy. And it takes a while to make that bread," said Agent Greene. "Why did you send him then?" asks Mr.Pervus. "Rick Brilliant wasn't a warning kill by Harold. It was Harold wanting to get back at the man who abandoned him. I was there!" said Agent Greene. "What are you saying?" asks Mr.Pervus. "I think Agent Regina is not who seems to be! We better get to Pops before he does!" said Agent Greene. "And before Pops does something rash!" said Mr.Pervus.

Deep in the basement theatre room of the Brilliant house, Pops finishes tightening the bolts on the film projector he destroyed. Scattered on the floor of the theatre room are parts from numerous appliances from around the house. Electrical cables stretch across the carpet leading to the main fuse panel.  Pops steps back with his hands on his hips and says," Done! Now, if my calculations are right. I only need one more thing to make this work!... Fuel!" Pops starts to walk towards the modified film projector that now looks like a pieced together science project. His foot strikes what remains of the toaster. Pops stops and picks it up and says," I'm so sorry old friend! But you had to be sacrificed in the name of science." A few tears flow from Pops' eyes as he places the ripped apart toaster on the ground. He walks over to the projector. Pops grabs a syringe and sticks the needle into the vein of his right arm. The blood flows from the tube connected to the syringe and projector. On a makeshift keyboard from an old typewriter, Pops types in date and place. As the blood flow reaches the machine, the machine powers on. The room illuminates with a bright white light. A gauge on the side of the device shows full, and Pops removes the syringe from his arm. This machine runs on human blood to achieve its function. Where the film reels are situated on the projector move faster and faster at the film screen. There is no film on the reels. Where the film sits is now encased in a clear hard textured plastic. Inside this plastic, electricity from the main fuse panel circulates faster and faster. As it reaches max speed, a green light illuminates at the back of the projector to signal it is ready for its final function. Pops flips a small black toggle switch beside the green light, and some of the blood mixes into the electricity. Out of the projection lens, a beam of blue energy shoots out. Soon the projection screen has vanished behind what could only be described, as a rip in the space-time continuum. Pops walks towards the blueish-silver hole in the universe and enters, disappearing. The rip in the field of time closes, and the projector shuts down. A countdown clock reading thirty minutes starts to tick away on the right side of the projector. 

On the other side of time, a hole in the fabric of reality opens up twenty years in the past. The year is 1941, and the month is February. The setting is a secret CBC lab. The secret CBC lab of Pops' father, the late Rick Brilliant. As Pops exits the time hole, he catches a quick glimpse of what he is here for sitting against the wall to his right. That being the large cloning tube that contains the young Harold, no more than six years old. The cloning tube contains a green gelatinous liquid surrounding Harold. Covering the young Harolds' face is a mask to help him breathe and a feeding tube. "There you are, you dirty son of a bitch! I thought this was going to be harder. That I would have to fight off guards and evade cameras," said Pops. Pops walks over to the computer life support system by the cloning tube and starts to log-in. "Hmm, what would your code be dad?  Let's try mom's name? Nope! Hmmm, maybe your name?... Nope! Dammit! What is it?" exclaims Pops. Suddenly the feel of a hand on his left shoulder startles Pops and the sound of an all to familiar voice he hasn't heard in a long time. "What are you doing, son?" said Rick Brilliant. Pops, not knowing what to do, just sits there! What should he say? What should he do? He finally decides that he needs to tell him the truth about what has happened because of his genetic meddling. As Pops opens his mouth to speak, he inadvertently lets out the loudest, smelliest fart known to man. Rick Brilliant covers his face with his lab coat and starts to choke. Fighting the feeling to faint, Rick makes his way over to the large orange button and presses it turning on the ventilation system. As the air clears and Rick no longer can faint from the smell. Pops watching all this go down laughs the whole while. And now that Rick can speak with him, Pops still can't help but laugh. "Okay young man! You have some explaining to do! Why are you here? You don't belong in this time!" said Rick. A shocked look comes over the face of Pops as he says," How do you know I'm not from this time?" "Well, the rip in the space-time continuum was a dead giveaway when I entered. Now, son, you do not belong here! You could change things for the worst or even get stuck back here!" said Rick. "Wait! Do you know who I am?" said Pops. "Of course, I do! You're my son!" said Rick. Pops stands there with a look of complete shock. And for the first time in his life is utterly speechless. " I can see the cat has your tongue, my son! And you are wondering how in the fuck do I know who you are?" said Rick. "The thought had crossed my mind! It is not possible that you could know?" said Pops. " Well, the fact that you look, my father is one, and the other is thanks to some tech left behind by some friends from beyond the stars," said Rick. "What kind of tech?" asks Pops. "The kind that does the exact same thing that you just did! That kind!" said Rick. Pops looks even more confused. Have the alien race that helped the CBC and Canada become a world superpower discovered time travel? And if they did, then how come Pervert never told him about it? "I never knew about this, and I have been working at the CBC since I was a toddler!" exclaims Pops. "It is because we have kept that machine a complete secret from everyone but top staff! If we ever had a mole in the agency or an agent was tortured for information, the results would be catastrophic. That is why no agent knows about it, and only a few agents have ever been allowed to use it!" said Rick. "So, it is obvious that you were one to use it! What did they send you back to change?" asks Pops. " Nothing, we are not allowed to change anything!" said Rick. "Why? Isn't that whole purpose of having a time machine in a secret spy agency?" asks Pops. "At first, it was but, mistakes were made, and they had to be corrected. You see, sometimes the solution becomes worse than the problem. The machine was decommissioned for clearance by all but the top five staff. And then it was used for, mainly observational purposes," said Rick. "And that's how you know who I am?" said Pops. "Yes! Otherwise, I would think you were just some kid who looks like my dear old dad!" said Rick. "When was the last time that you came forward in time?" said Pops. "Oh, it has been a while! I would say eight years. You see, the machine requires the human lifeforce to power it. To shoots you through time, and that is the other reason it is dangerous to use. The further back or forward it goes, the more blood it needs," said Rick. Pops is in awe! That is exactly how his machine runs! How could he have designed the exact kind of time machine that the CBC secretly had? "How did you get back if you didn't know about the CBC's time machine?" asks Rick. "I built my own! And, ironically, it is powered the same as the one you described," said Pops. Rick walks up to Pops, puts his hand on Pops' shoulders, and says," Destroy it! For the love of God! Destroy it! It does nothing but creates problems, and no person should know their destiny." Pops can tell Rick knows something about the future that he is not telling him. Is it the fact that Rick dies at the hands of his own son, or is it something darker much further down the line? He would love to ask, but time is ticking away, and the machine will re-engage and open the time portal to his time soon. "I will, but first, I have to end something! Tell me, what's the code to Harold's cloning tube?" said Pops. "I can't give that to you, son!" said Rick. "Why? He is evil and needs to be killed, here and now like he should have been!" said Pops. Rick shakes his head from side to side and says," I just can't do that!" "Look, I don't have much time! Tell me! He needs to die! He, killed mom, you, and is a plague on humanity!" said Pops. "I know, but you see. I have seen the future, and without Harold, there is a much darker outcome. Although evil, he has a part to play in future events that can save humanity," said Rick. 

Agent Greene and Mr.Pervus walk into the destruction of the Brilliant house that Pops had caused. "Well, isn't this lovely! I think we are going to need a big cleaning crew to fix all of this mess!" said Agent Greene. "I couldn't agree more!... Pops its Pervert! I have a friend here to see you, Hoss!" said Mr.Pervus. "Where do you think he is?" said Agent Greene. Agent Greene's question is answered in less than a minute when a power surge dims the lights. Following the power surge comes a bright bluish-silver light from the basement. "I am going to say that Pops is in the basement!" said Agent Greene. "Oh, no! What did he do?" said Mr.Pervus. Very quickly, Mr.Pervus and Agent Greene make their way towards the basement door and down the wooden steps in a hurry.

As they get to the bottom of the steps, they can't help but be mesmerized by the tear in the hole of time. The two men stare at the time hole and then at the machine and then at each other. "Oh shit! He didn't!" said Mr.Pervus. "What is it?" asks Agent Greene.  "Pops created a time machine!" said Mr.Pervus. "A what? A time machine! Wait, how do you know what it is? And where is Pops?" asks Agent Greene. "The real question is when is Pops?" said Mr.Pervus.

"Wait, wait, wait! Are you telling me that back in his younger days, Prime Minister Pops Brilliant made a time machine? Oh, Jack, you haven't lost your touch with spinning a good story! Not as funny as you usually make them, but still good," said Delphine. "This is no tall tale and work of fiction!  What I am telling you is God's honest truth!" said Jack. "Yeah, sure, and the sky isn't orange, and my ex was good in bed!" said Delphine. "You saw the plague, almost wipe out humanity, Scavengers and the White Dragon, but you don't believe that there is a, I mean was a time machine! Oh, come on, Delphine!" said Jack. Delphine has always been one to pay attention to detail, notices Jack's correction, and says," Is there a time machine?" Jack, trying to change the subject and finish the story, says," NO! You are right! I made that up to add drama to my tale," said Jack. Delphine can tell by the look in Jack's eyes that he is lying to her and by the slight crackling in Jack's voice. She walks away from her perch in the window seat and over to Jack. She looks Jack straight in the eyes and says," You're lying! That's why you were in Saskatoon! You think it's there in the city somewhere!" "I should finish the story before we get company!" said Jack referring to the Citizens' imminent attack. Delphine shakes her head in disbelief and says as she walks back over to the window bench," Okay! But you are not getting off that easy. After this s all over, you are telling me the whole truth as any good husband would!" 

As Mr.Pervus and Agent Greene wait to see if Pops returns, Pops still tries to convince his father to destroy Harold. " Come on! You need to let me end this! Harold has to be stopped here!" said Pops. "For the hundredth time, Pops, I cannot let you do that!" said Rick. "Oh, why do you keep telling me no? And don't tell me because he has a destiny or the whole, worse future crap because you were going to destroy him. You even left instructions to have it done after you left the CBC!" said Pops. " You know about that? Well, I can see that you are really well informed. But that is a lie! I have told Pervus to have Harold exterminated. But I know they won't! So, I have made a deal with a Soviet doctor to take Harold. He's a good man, and maybe Harold will grow up a good man!" said Rick. Pops is shocked by this new information. Harold was thrown away and abandoned and not stolen! That's why he is pissed off and jealous. " That's why he is so angry?" said Pops. "Yes! But that does not explain the evil in him! That is just natural!" said Rick. It is at this moment that the time hole fully opens again, and Rick says," Your ride home is here, son! You better get going!" Pops knowing that his father is not going to budge on the whole Harold issue moves away from the cloning pod and toward the time hole. As he walks by Rick, Pops gives him a shot to the balls for old times' sake. Rick doesn't fall on the floor but instead braces himself against a metal lab table. "Good shot, son! I should have expected that!" said Rick. "You're just lucky it was that and not a fart bomb as well!" said Pops. "Yeah, I will just stick with the shot to the balls, thanks!" said Rick. "Are you sure? Most people kind of get the double whammy! It's kind of my thing!" said Pops. "I'm positive! You better get going!" said Rick. Pops nods his head and says, "One more thing! If you were going to give me the code! What was it?" "Well, it was toast is king!" said Rick. Pops grins mischievously and says," Yeaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!" Pops smiles at Rick as a single tear comes from his eyes. Pops now knows where he got his love of toast from. Here he thought Rick hated toast. Guess there was a lot of Rick in him. Pops waves at Rick, who struggles to keep himself up, and waves back at Pops. Pops steps into the time hole and disappears, as does the time hole. 

Pops steps out of the time hole back into his own basement in 1961 with Mr.Pervus and Agent Greene waiting. The time machine shuts down, and Pops seeing his old friend Agent Greene smiles and says, "Hoss! You came to see me! Pervert, you old dick licker! You are just full of surprises!" " How are you, Pops?" asks Agent Greene. "I'm better than what I was," said Pops. "Yes, we saw upstairs! Where did you go, Pops?" asks Agent Greene. Pops slaps Agent Greene on the back and says," I was seeing dead people!" Mr.Pervus walks over to Pops and says," Pops, you have to destroy this time machine! It is too dangerous to have!" "No worries, Pervert! I will! As long as you destroy yours!" said Pops. Mr.Pervus is shocked by the knowledge that Pops has of the CBC's time machine. "Oh, don't deny it! My dear old dad told me about it!" said Pops. "You saw your dad?" said Agent Greene. Pops plops himself down in his leather recliner and says, "Yeah, he told me everything when I went back to kill Harold in the test tube! And I do mean everything!" Mr.Pervus knows that Pops is talking about the fake theft of Harold. He does not say anything, just stands there and waits for the next words from Pops' mouth. Pops looks around and says, "This place is fucking mess! But before I clean it. I need toast! That trip took a lot out of me, and you can't clean without having toast first!" Pops hops out of his chair and heads up the stairs. Agent Greene and Mr.Pervus are shocked by the quick mourning period of Pops. It has to be some kind of record or just Pops repressing his feelings. The two men follow Pops up the stairs. 

Mr.Pervus and Agent Greene track Pops down in the kitchen, where they hear Pops exclaim, "Fuck! That's right! I used the toaster to help make the time machine! Now, where am I going to get toast from?" Agent Greene walks up to Pops and says," Pops, we really need to destroy that machine before Agent Regina gets here!" A stunned look comes over Pops' face at the words from Agent Greene. Why would he want Agent Regina not to know? But, Pops can see the concern of his old friends' eyes and says," Why? is there something I don't know about, Vagina?" "More than you know! Oh, you mean Agent Regina, not the, never mind!" Pops lets out a loud hearty laugh as he knows where Agent Regina's dirty mind was going. "We think that he may be one of Harold's agents! Maybe even Tendersnatch!" said Mr.Pervus. "Tendersnatch! That dirty crotch gobbler! Well, if it is him, then we need to stop him!" "You see, that is why we need to get rid of that machine! In the hands of Harold, he could cause even more havoc!" said Mr.Pervus. Out of his pants pocket, Pops pulls out a remote control, pushes a single red button on it, and says," No problem!" a loud explosion rings out from the basement along with some smoke and dust. Agent Greene and Mr.Pervus shake their heads at Pops, who says, "What? It's a self destruct button! I'm no idiot, you know!" Now I'm the only one who knows how to build it!" "You didn't write it down in one of your journals, Pops?"  asks Agent Greene. "Yuppers!" said Pops. "We need you to put those journals in safekeeping!" said Mr.Pervus. "Where?" asks Pops. "You need to find a place and tell no one but maybe Agent Greene here or someone else you trust. But those things now are to be kept hidden!" said Mr.Pervus. "What about Vagina? What are we going to do about him?" said Pops. " Once we find out that he is Tendersnatch, then we have put in the cryo prison," said Mr.Pervus. 

Outside of the kitchen entrance Agent Regina, aka, Tendersnatch, has been listening to this whole conversation. He quietly makes his way out of the Brilliant house and starts walking toward down the street toward his car. It is a good thing that Mr.Pervus sent the agents watching the house home, or he would have been seen entering and leaving. Score one more for the great Tendersnatch! He says to himself," Time machine, hey! Well, where ever you hide those journals. I will find them! But, first, I have to throw them off my scent! They want Tendersnatch! I will give them their Tendersnatch!" Tendersnatch gets in his 1957 white and gold Plymouth Fury and drives away with the pumpernickel bread in the seat beside him.

"That's it? What happened next?" said Keith. Maria slaps Keith on the back of his right shoulder and says," For starters, he lets Graham finish the story!" Graham looks over at Greg and The Silver Serpent, still inventorying the weapons crates. He then looks at Hannah, nods his head.    Hannah knows now that the time has come to put Graham's plan of escape into action. "Hannah raises her petite frame from off the couch, and says," Can we continue later? I really have to pee!" "But of course!" said Graham. "Oh, man, I wanted to know what happens next!" exclaims Keith. Maria smacks Keith across the back of the head and whispers to him," Dumbass! It's the plan!" "Oh yeah!" said Keith. Hannah leaves the group and walks over to Greg and The Silver Serpent.

Greg and The Silver Serpent notice Hannah approaching, and Greg says, "What in the hell do you want slut?" "I have to pee!" said Hannah. " Yeah, so! How does that concern us?" said Greg. "Well, unless you want me to do it right here in the lobby. Then I need to use the washroom!" said Hannah. "GO! Why are you asking us?" said The Silver Serpent. "Umm! Common courtesy! Plus, I thought you would want Greg to take me so I wouldn't try and escape! Man, you are really bad at this whole villain thing! You were much smarter in your old form," said Hannah. "Watch it! Greg, take her upstairs to the bathroom!" Greg rolls his eyes and says," Come on! Let's go!" Greg ad Hannah make their way towards the stairwell, and as they pass the group, Hannah winks at Graham, who nods his head. A signal to get ready to start the next phase of the plan. Grace watches as Greg and Hannah disappear up the stairs towards the second-floor mezzanine. 

All of his patience has paid off. The nanites have cleared the peak room stairwell. Emil quickly runs towards the west stairwell, which is fixed as well. He hurries down the flights of stairs like an Olympic track star. On the eighth floor, Emil stops. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the glow of Priya's gamma lantern. Emil leaves the stairwell and makes his way towards the lights glow. 

Seated in the old leather chair that is like new now thanks to the nanites. Priya having always been a fast reader since childhood, is at the end of the twenty-first and final Pops Brilliant Journal. She lifts her head from the journal and says," I don't believe it! That's why we are here! A time machine!" Standing in her blindspot is Emil. He surprises Priya by saying, " Thank you for finding those! There's one other thing you can believe!" Priya jumps from her chair and attempts to run toward the open hidden passageway. Emil stops her. He grabs Priya and throws her to the bed, and wraps his hands around her throat. " I am really going to enjoy this!" says Emil as Priya loses consciousness. Emil check Priya's pulse, and noticing that she is still alive, says," Good! Now to finish what I started!" Emil, already sporting an erection from the excitement he felt from choking out Priya, slips out of his pants like a snake shedding his skin. Then like the slimy low life he is, Emil removes Priya's pants and underwear. This sorry excuse of a man penetrates Priya's womanly entrance without her permission. Emil violates Priya sporting a sick, demented grin. Then as he did to Hannah, Emil removes his penis from Priya's vagina and flips her over, exposing her backside. "This is my favorite part! If you survive, you are going to be sore!" says Emil arrogantly. Emil takes and shoves his erection up Priya's anus and says," Oh yes! That's what I like!" 

Out in the tree-line, Paul and the Citizens are kneeling and praying. Not even the sounds of the ever-approaching footsteps can break their concentration. Till finally, the feel of a large, left hand gripping Paul's shoulder and a voice saying," Your prayers have been answered brother! Tonight our journey ends! Commence the attack!" Paul looks up to see the face of Samuel grinning at him, and Paul says," Praise Samuel! Lead us to victory!"