"I suppose I can't tell you to not go on the mission with us, now. I was going to, but by then we saw..." Blake came up behind Kendall, who was leaning on a lamp post, her breathing ragged.

The police sirens drowned her head. They asked Kendall a thousand questions, but she only knew the answer to one -- her killer is the same as the murderer of the Bloombury deaths.

Blake put in his hand on Kendall's shoulder, her back still turned to him. At first, she was pale all over and sad. Now? She was fuming. No more crying. Never. Kendall quickly turned on to Blake, her face now red with anger. "No way. I will kill him--I will slit his throat."

"We will make sure that you will land his death blow."

"It's not enough. What if he gets away? Or what if he is shot dead by one of us? Then I can never get to exact the punishment he deserves." The words tasted bitter on her tongue. She added, full of resolve, "Don't make me just another sniper, Blake. You've seen my talent while in the arena. I can fight hand-to-hand. Someone else can snipe for all I care. I have to be with him face to face, and I have to kill him. He'll be there because he knows I'm coming, so I can't miss this opportunity."

Blake's face was grim. "I can't do that, Kendall. You should know better than anyone else that we need a dead shot sniper like you. And you were hesitating that time when they attacked Jacob. Sniping and hand-to-hand combat both involve killing, but they're vastly different. Plus, we need someone to watch over Wren..."

"Oh, save me your bullcrap. If you're going to think I'm weak and can't handle it, say it. Just admit that that's the reason!"

Blake was pained. "Kendall... that's not the reason. I never thought of you like that, it's just that... I don't want you to get hurt."

"No one wants to get hurt, or wants our comrades to get hurt."

Blake raked his hand through his hair in frustration. "Must I really spell it out? How I feel?"

Kendall's face burned. She was dying to know. However, killing the murderer was what she prioritized. "That doesn't answer anything."

"You aren't just a comrade, Kendall."

"Your enemy?"

"No. Your answer is... vastly different. Anyways, I don't want to risk you getting caught. You know how valuable you are."

"So that's what I'm here for? My... value?"

Blake's jaw dropped. All the words were coming out wrong. "No, that's not what I meant! Oh god, I..."

The hourglass timed out. Kendall ended up in the same place she was in 2017 before she travelled to 2016.

Kendall immediately pushed herself off the seat. This place was different...

"Who are you? Intruder!" A woman shrieked, dropping the box of files she was holding. She fished out pepper spray from her bag, and Kendall looked away. She could still feel dried tears on her cheek.

"Who are you? Where's Madame Tessa?"

"This is my shop, so I do the bidding." That woman hollered, turning and aiming at Kendall's eyes. If it weren't for the realisation that Tessa was dead, she would have laughed at this woman's comedic attempt to fight her. Kendall stood up immediately.

"Your shop?"

"Yes, for my antiques. I bought it three months ago, even though everyone said it would be haunted because someone died in here, mysteriously. They haven't caught the culprit. Now that I come to think about it, the name Madame Tessa sounds familiar--oh yes! She's the one that owned this place before I did."

Kendall nodded, slowly reaching out and turning the pepper spray to the floor. The woman was babbling, and before she knew it, the pepper spray was out of her hands, all credited to Kendall's enhanced abilities. The woman's mouth was a huge 'O'. "I'll take this, now." Kendall said quietly, leaving the shop, and the woman who kept demanding to know how Kendall managed to get into the shop.

She needed a break from all this 2016 stuff. She thought she would save Blake, that's all. How did she end up in such an adventure? She went to Blake's house, where she thought she could find solace.

The door was locked, so Kendall eased herself up the creepers, finding her way up the tree to the second floor. There it was--the bedroom she woke up in that day after all those dreams and hallucinations, thanks to the poison. She sat on the bed, reflecting on the drastic turn of events over the past few days. Time was faster in 2016, with most of her time spent there, as compared to in 2017, which was reality. She must be reaching equilibrium faster than she expected to.

Jacob entered, his face grim. "Finally, you came. Didn't think to mourn at all, huh?" He folded his arms, one of which still holding a glass of liquor.

She frowned to herself, eyes on the carpet. "I hadn't had time to catch up at all."

"Well, for starters, his parents are selling the house." Jacob muttered, taking a seat next to Kendall.

"They just don't care, huh?"

"Be lucky that they even bothered to make any move, at all." He told her. "So... my guess is that you're trying to go back to 2016 to save him? Oh, so that's the real reason as to why you came." He massaged his head a little. "Whoa, you're really messing my mind up. So you're in 2017 with me now, but you also were with me last year in 2016?"

Kendall laughed sourly. Careful, she reminded herself, see? You're messing up the order of time with this hourglass. If it doesn't get resolved, Jacob could end up dead, along with everyone else you know--

"Will you... will you save him?"

Kendall thought for a while, before asking him to lend her the glass of liquor. She finished it in one shot, which semi-amazed Jacob. "I'm trying to." She fiddled for her hourglass necklace, then stood up to leave. When all this was over, she could hang out here more often. Now is not the time. She ran her hands over his tiny desk, wondering if after all of this, would there be a picture of them? The picture frame was empty, and... for a weird reason, Kendall wished to see a future of them together. It'll be over soon.

She smiled warmly to Jacob, who was still grim. Jacob turned away, shaking his head sadly. "You don't get it. In this world, 2017, my Laura's gone."

"What? Dead?"

"I don't know. She's a controller of time, so maybe she's in another timeframe. Truth is, I haven't seen her in two months. I'm starting to think that she's dead." He pressed his fingers to his forehead, perplexed. "I miss her. At first, it was just a casual fling, and I thought she meant nothing, but now... I think I love her. But I can't find her, so I can't tell her that."

Kendall nodded, understanding the pain he must feel.

"Point is, when you go back to 2016, go cherish Blake. And don't give me that bullshit about how you don't like him. I may be slower than you guys here--" He pointed to his head. "But I'm not slow here." He pointed to his eyes. "I can see it. And... help me put in a word okay? Tell the 2016 me to be nice to Laura, and tell Laura to never let me go."

With that, she left to flip the hourglass

-----------------------------

2016

"We never got to finish our conversation." Blake said, as they geared up for the huge mission. Earlier, he had reported to the Chairman's office to get the fact files and details for the mission. He only just joined the team, but he finished as fast as them. They reported to him, only leaving Kendall to take her place slightly behind him.

Kendall was curious as to what he meant back there, at Tessa's house. She had been thinking about it continuously, especially when she was in his house. The emptiness there chilled her, giving her even more reason to want to kill the murderer. She had to save Blake.

"Okay. I'm locking in on the precise location of Hostage McKara. We need to be fast--the killer has one objective only, and will not spare a thought about sparing her life, if he knows that we have no intention to pay the ransom. We will use the cover of night and be stealthy, due to the lack of manpower, so everyone, turn on your silencers and be quiet. We will flood in from all directions, whenever I give the signals. We have approximately 3 rooms to clear until we reach her. She's held in a karaoke room, which is soundproof--an advantage for us."

A karaoke room? Oh god, what sinister things are they doing to her there?

"Everyone is to stay in their positions until they get orders from me. Are we clear?" He turned to Kendall, obviously directing this specifically to her.

"Sir, yes sir!" The team chimed, with Kendall wearing a wary look. They entered the helicopter, sending them to their destination. Once they were dropped off, they rappelled down and got into their respective positions.

Wren joined Kendall on the top floor. They lie on the floor, stomach-first. They propped their weapons on the ledge, and nodded to acknowledge one another. Wren was missing a limb, but she was still the team's best shot, originally. Now that Kendall was here, Wren faced competition.

"A young lady like you shouldn't go knocking on death's door like this." Wren smirked.

"Really, Wren? Didn't you serve here since you were my age?" Kendall challenged, closing one eye, the other looking into the zoom. She aligned the red dot in the centre with the head of each target. The enemies were pacing around, talking to one another. They were laughing, obviously unaware that today would be their last day alive.

Wren grinned. "You're a tough nut to crack, First Sergeant Bloombury."

Downstairs, Blake crouched low, holding the map. With his other finger, he traced their route. Jacob was shining a torchlight to illuminate the path.

"Questions?" Blake asked.

Blake instructed, "Siobhan and Nicholas, follow me. We're going around."

"That's a smart move." Nicholas couldn't help but admit as they went around to the back. They would come from the other door behind the enemies, catching them off-guard.

"Plant the breach-and-charge." Blake said, and Siobhan nodded. The breach-and-charge was to explode the door down and killing the enemies near to it. "Kendall, you first." He said into his earpiece. He still wasn't used to calling people by their rank and hadn't memorised them all. For now, this would have to suffice. Kendall and Wren took their shots. It was a headshot, killing two off. They aimed for the next two. By now, the enemy sensed the snipers, and were yelling something. "Hey!" They yelled, searching for their attackers, who were nowhere in sight. Kendall and Wren hid well. Next, Blake told the other group to enter via the earpiece.

"Roger."

Jacob opened the door from the other end and threw a grenade. "Frag and clear!" He echoed. Both sides opened fire at each other. Kendall downed a couple more people. By now, they were close to her team, and she had to be extra careful not to kill the wrong person.

The door from the side busted and Blake burst in with his team. Opening fire from three sides caught the enemies in a tight spot, and they finished them off quickly. "Next room!" Hollered Blake. Taking the signal, Kendall instructed Wren and the two climbed to the next floor to reach the next attackers, who sensed movement and started aiming. "Jacob, go on ahead with me." Blake said again, as the rest finished up.

Kendall adjusted her zoom, focusing on the glass panels. "This isn't right." She used her science knowledge on this. Wren was about to fire. "Cease!" She called out to Wren. "The glass is bulletproof. And alarm-triggered. Let's go round to another building to get a better angle."

"It's risky. We could face other enemies." Warned Wren.

"I can do hand-to-hand combat. I'll go take them out, then you join me later."

"You're going alone?" Her lips were pursed. Kendall guessed that she was conflicted--it's good for her if Kendall dies in the mission, and Wren not being responsible, since Kendall didn't follow orders, but bad if Kendall succeeds and gains extra credit. Finally, she sighed. "I'll go figure a way out. Let me just tell the rest--"

"No." Kendall told her, and was thankful that Wren let her go. Quickly, Kendall climbed the stairs down, pointing the gun as she turned. She was using this excuse to get to the murderer himself. She was jumping straight to the third and final room. She wanted to kill him--

As she half-crouched, half-navigated her way to the final room, she met a few foes. Three armed gunmen came at her and fired their shots. Kendall acted immediately, getting down and rolling out of harm's way. She rolled behind a big garbage bin, not minding the stench. What was holding her back? Blake was right, after all. She would hesitate.

Up on the roof, with her sniper, she could pretend that she was just picking off ants, or that this was some other game. There, you didn't feel like you were actually in the midst of a bloodbath. Here, the fear of actually ending her life hit her. Bound to her and holding her back were the ethics and morals -- not to kill.

They were close now, and firing continuously. She closed her eyes. They all fired at the same time, which was the wrong move. Judging from the ricochet, they used the same weapon. They probably got brand new guns, so had the same number of bullets. This meant that they would reload at the same time. She waited and waited for them to reload. They didn't-- did she misjudge it?

They wound up next to her, stunned. However, their guns were out of bullets. 1, 2. She finished two off with her sniper. However, sniper rifles were bad for hand-to-hand combat. They took a while to reload. This cost her a lot. By then, the guy was done and hit her at the collarbone area. Kendall winced, rolling back behind a cover. The man emptied his bullets. She emerged over from the top and scrambled into the pile of trash. In the midst of that, she managed a shot to his heart. She climbed out, fleeing from the scene.

She had analysed the plan they were given. However, a part of the architecture was wrong. There was a gaping hole at the bottom, which only meant that it was the escape route for the killer. She only realised this when she was up on the building with Wren. Thinking of the map, she found her way through the escape route. At the top, the escape shaft, she met her problem. She hadn't had time to think this through properly.

"Blake. Status update." She called out, curious to know where they were. She hoped that they were near the final room so they could help her, but not in it, so that the enemy would be hers to kill.

"We're almost there. Why do you need one, can't you just see from the rooftop... Oh. Dang it, Kendall!" He exclaimed, realizing that she was planning to do hand-to-hand combat. Kendall turned the earpiece off, along with her tracker. It was only extra disturbance. By turning off her tracker, she was recorded as dead--no pulse. They wouldn't know if she was alive or dead.

She banged the shaft hard. She didn't mean to get through, she just wanted them to know that she's outside. "It's me, Kendall!" She yelled as loud as she could. "It's only me, and the rest of the team is outside. Think about it, only the Alphas were dispatched, and the missing one is me. Open the door and--" With that, the door opened.

Kendall kicked the guy who opened it to the floor. He fired at her, but missed by an inch, only catching the side of her shirt. Thank god for her vest to protect her from some damage. Another, who was waiting on the other side fired too. She swung out and tripped him, then put him in a headlock and turned her wrist violently, snapping his neck. At this, another shot. He had a machine gun, and emptied the bullets in her direction. She fell to the ground immediately, rolling to avoid his aim. Then, she took a knife on the floor and finished him off. With another bullet, she killed a fourth one, closest to a man on the couch.

Now, it was just her, the man on the couch and a girl. It was obvious how this went. The man on the couch was smoking a cigar, and it fell to the floor. The knife Kendall had thrown was originally bloody, and now in her opponent's heart. No emotion. She reminded herself, pulling the knife out forcefully. She dropped the gun, pointing the knife to the man's neck.

The man lifted his hands off Joyce, who was shivering wildly. She wasn't wearing anything, and now that she was no longer in his arms, she reached for something to cover her. Kendall motioned for her to use the carpet, pitying the poor girl. She was crying out. The man on the couch had his shirt unbuttoned, and was leaning back, relaxing.

"The escape shaft. For an enhanced, you are probably the smartest of them all. How could you tell that the small shift in the marble pillar had to be an escape shaft? It was only a miniscule detail, concealed by probably the best architect."

She held the knife closer to him, drawing blood. She glared up at him. "Maybe it's my family's ability."

"Yes. I spent years collecting these abilities, remember?" He said. At this, he swung over and pulled Kendall's ponytail, forcing her to slam onto the ground. This blow knocked the wind out of her chest, as she pulled her up by the neck and dropped her once more. "I'm enhanced, and better than you."

Kendall grimaced, rolling over, but he stepped on her. A blood-piercing scream cut through the air and she heard her own bones crack. Something must have snapped.

"I can dig your intestines out, for all I care. You shouldn't have entered alone."

Kendall reached for the blade, but he stepped on her hand. She expected that move, and pulled him down to, using his leg. He stumbled and fell onto the ground. She pinned him over, wincing from the mobility. She shouldn't be exerting herself like this. She was already losing a lot of blood. Kendall fired a bullet, but he shifted. The bullet rebounded off the bulletproof suit he must be wearing inside, but still caused damaged to his chest area, for he yelled.

"Bitch!" He flung her roughly, causing her to slam onto the wall. Slowly, he got up and walked over to her, pinning her.

"Get your filthy hands off me. You killed my dad, Tessa, Blake and--"

He tried crushing her wrists, but Kendall kicked out. She kneed him, then escaped and got the gun. She pinned him down, aiming the gun to his head. With the other hand, she broke the leg of the chair and pierced his legs, trapping him. He yelled, and it turned into a bloodthirsty snarl.

"Sadly, you got two out of three wrong."

Kendall fired once to the ceiling, showing to him that it was loaded. She wanted to strike fear in him. "You're a monster, killing the enhanced for your own pleasure."

He tried to flash her a knowing grin, still pained from his injuries. "I couldn't do it alone."

"Yeah. You deceive people to do it, then you kill them."

"Well, some do it knowingly, haven't you noticed? They liked it. They want it. Sad to say, Tessa's and Blake's deaths had nothing to do with me. My subordinate merely reported that she did it, without needing my orders. In fact, that person's my little favourite-- the one that ruined your whole family. And he or she is living right under your nose..." He laughed.

"Well, go to hell. Die and rot there, for all I care. You are not using this to stall for time."

Suddenly, he twisted, even though it made the chair stab his legs further. And... he morphed into her dad. Her dad was sitting upright, pained.

"Help me, Kendall." His lip quivered. She reached out to him, delirious.

"Oh my god! What have I done?"

"Hold this for me." He grimaced, putting on a body suit for her. "Save yourself. It's for your protection..."

Kendall snapped awake. It was another hallucination, brought on by the poison she got from the last time when Jacob was attacked. It's true then, the poison hasn't left her system.

"ENOUGH!" She yelled, fighting the hallucinations off. She wrestled him and impaled him further, pushing the gun to his head until it left a mark. And she fired.

He was dead and she felt so satisfied. That satisfaction was short-lived, though. His accomplice was still alive, and it was a mole, someone who she trusted and was with her constantly. She sat back, holding her hand to her wound to stifle the flow of blood. Who was it? He/she needs to be dealt with... it's still dangerous.

Instead of feeling her skin, she felt something hard. Earlier, she had a hallucination that her dad put on a body suit for her. Now, she stared down and realised what it was.

In reality, the killer hadn't put on something to protect her, but to kill her. Tick tock, tick tock. It's numbers flashed red and counted down continuously. She wanted to laugh bitterly. Was her life always fated to be related to time? Time travel, time warp, and now...? What she was wearing was a:

Time bomb.