10th August, 30 BCE

Alexandria, Egypt, the tomb of Cleopatra VII Philopator

"As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle- O Antony!" exclaimed the Empress of Egypt, sitting upon a throne in her tomb, the only witness to her death the noble Charmian. "Nay, I will take thee too."

This is where the world assumes Cleopatra had died. It was not, for as she breathed her last, two men carefully hidden among the golden chests of the tomb transferred her consciousness elsewhere. What happened next in Egypt is known to all.

What happened next to Cleopatra, however... Now that's a different story altogether.

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2000 CE

Duckburg, Calisota, home of Donald Duck

"Huey! Duey! Louie! Good morning!" he quacked as he got out of bed. It was Christmas, and he was in a good mood.

However, he heard no response, and angrily waddled to his triplets' bedroom.

He quacked, "There is no respect left for a hard-earning member of this-" His jaw dropped.

His family had disappeared! Just before he could scream, however, two men hiding behind the turkey he had bought the day before, transferred his consciousness elsewhere too.

That, sadly, was the end of good ol' Donald as we knew him.

It was not, however, truly the end of good old Donald...

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16th August, 1977 CE

The bathroom in Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, United States.

Elvis was in the john, humming "Jailhouse Rock" to himself. He had to go soon, he knew. Take a flight to Las Vegas, dazzle his fans.

He sighed dramatically. The price for fame...

Suddenly, he heard a movement. He jerked his head to look at its source, but by the time he had fully turned...

He was dead, his consciousness having been transferred elsewhere by two men who were hiding behind the curtains that separated the shower from the rest of the bathroom.

Soon, he was found dead in the bathroom, but as you should know by now, he really wasn't....

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4th July, 1934 CE

Sancellemoz Sanatorium, Passy, France

Lady Curie was peacefully and slowly working on another radioactive element which she had discovered and was hoping could help with certain illnesses, when suddenly, she felt an overwhelming exhaustion take over her body, and she collapsed. This was not the first time it had happened, but for some reason, she found herself unable to get up this time. Slowly, her life ebbed away.

Well, almost.

Two men hiding behind all the test tubes in that room transferred her consciousness elsewhere, just before she died.

Official date of death of Marie Salomea Curie: 4th July, 1934.

Actual date of death of Marie Salomea Curie: Spoilers!

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November 3, 1957

The first spaceship, in low orbit around Earth

Kudryavka, better known as Laika, was the first living creature in space! She should've been happy, but she was just a two year old dog, and all she felt was panic.

Panic at these unknown surroundings.

Panic at where she was.

Panic at the unbearable, insufferable, excruciating heat.

She whined loudly, hoping someone would come help, but nobody did. How could they? They were on Earth, and she was all alone in space.

Suddenly, a huge woman entered the room and she snapped the dog's neck, ending her misery. Just before she died, however, she transferred her consciousness elsewhere.

She spoke into a transmitter, "All five have been collected. I repeat, all five have been collected. Over and out."

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TTL 50,000 (Time Travel Log, the unit of measurement of that time), also describable as somewhere in the later centuries of the 4,900,000's.

A humongous, metallic ball, hovering in the middle of nowhere.

Thunderdome.

Cleopatra looked around at her surroundings carefully. It was a huge, cylindrical room, with a high ceiling, blue lights and a throne for her to sit on. Nothing else. She had been here for the past two days, having received her food from a little hole that opened in the ceiling and dropped down below. The food was bland, terrible, and worst of all, CUBE-SHAPED.

WHO MAKES FOOD IN THE SHAPE OF CUBES?

She paced around frustratedly, when suddenly, a 3-foot tall duck, garbed in a blue overcoat with a bright yellow beak and strange white pants waddled towards her. He quacked frightenedly, "Hello, could you tell me where I am? I seem to be lost."

She looked at him, astonished at two things.

One, that the duck could talk. Obviously.

And two, that the duck had the audacity to address her, Empress of Egypt, like she was a peasant!

She drew herself up to her full height, and angrily said, "Dost thou knowest she who thou speaketh to, fowl?"

"Foul? Hey, watch it, lady! Who you calling foul?" he angrily quacked at her.

Cleopatra was just about to curse him, when she heard a voice.

"We don't neeeeeeeeeeeeed another hero", sang Elvis, who burst into their frame of vision. As he caught sight of them, he stopped.

He walked towards her, just about to say something, when he tripped.

What on, you ask?

"HEY, WATCH IT, YOU BLIND OLD SUNGLASSED MAN!" Donald Duck angrily quacked. "I'm surrounded by crazy giants, SOMEBODY HELP!"

"Ey, you watch that tongue of yours, midget! Nobody asked ya to be so bloody tiny you'd become invisible!"

"Well, technically... Those things don't exist, so your statements are erroneous, children." said the 20-yr old Marie Curie.

Elvis looked at her, equal parts surprised and annoyed. "And who are you?"

"I am a scientist, child."

They all looked her confusedly, their mouths open.

"Why are you all like that with your mouths open, is there something you're eating which I can't see? You guys don't need to be so- " Suddenly, he screamed as a dog sprinted into the room, barking joyfully at seeing Donald. He began running away from her, yelling his head off.

As he ran near Elvis, he scooped him up in his arms and said, "Ye're safe now, li'l duck"

Donald hugged him tightly, but let him go a little later and said awkwardly, "Yes, thank you." He then dropped to the floor. Laika barked again, and he again yelped, jumping onto Elvis.

"CHASE THAT DOG AWAY."

Marie bent towards the dog, and softly crooned. Meanwhile, Cleopatra was already standing on her throne, having a deathly fear of dogs.

She was about to say something, when she was again interrupted by the door of the room opening.

Two men, completely dressed in black and wearing balaclavas and holding guns walked into the room.

"Ladies. Gentlemen." said the first man.

"And dog." the second man reminded him.

"And duck." the first man agreed.

"You may be wondering why you're here."

"And if you aren't, you should be,"

"You were brought here by our leader."

"Whose name is none of your business."

"But whose mission is your business."

"We wish to construct an artificial, fabricated intelligence."

"A sentient supercomputer"

"With certain qualities handpicked by us."

"Which, as a matter of chance, happen to be present in you."

"We will upload your minds onto that computer, where they will then live and thrive forever."

"The reasons we chose you five is because there's-"

"Cleopatra from 30 BCE, with her skills of seduction. And-"

"Elvis Presley from 1977, with one of the greatest creative minds in history. Not to forget-"

"Donald Duck, for his boundless energy and willpower. Of course, we couldn't do without-"

"Marie Curie from 1934, one of the greatest geniuses ever."

"And Laika from 1957, because she's a cute dog and we didn't want her to die."

"We wish you all the best."

"We will give you 10 minutes to come to a decision."

"At which point our leader will come here."

"And you will give him your decision."

"If you agree, you will become agents of the Thunderdome."

"If you refuse, we will return you to your timelines, but remember, you have already died in them."

"Goodbye."

Both of them strode out of the room, leaving all five staring.

"Well," said Elvis, rubbing his hands, "This is a fine little pickle I've gotten myself in."

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"I am of the opinion that 'tis bunkum, and ought to be dismissed." Cleopatra said, haughtily.

"I say we first ask them for some food 'cause I'm hungry, and then we help them out!" quacked Donald.

"I think... we should help them." said Marie Curie. Laika barked in agreement.

"Well, if y'all really insist, I suppose we can. Besides, I didn't like that bit about me dying. Man, my dying must be a national day of mourning by now! They'd have Elvis Day, museums dedicated to me, streets named after me, and my house would become a temple."

Donald looked at him with disdain. "Amigo, that's one bloated head you got there!"

"I know, it's beautiful." crooned Elvis.

Cleopatra rolled her eyes, and said, "I know not of thy opinions, but I have made-"

"Girl, we just told you our opinions!" squawked Donald. "Are you deaf, or just plain ol' stupid?"

"Guards, take this fowl from my sight!" she said, having again forgotten where she was.

"Again with the foul! I swear, woman, I'm gonna-"

Elvis nudged him with his leg. Donald looked at him and he put a finger to his lips, silencing him. Elvis smirked, and began speaking-

"Now, we've decided we're gonna do this?"

They all sighed, but said, "Yes."

"Now, I really wanted to talk about something else. Ya realise we're in the future! The bloody future, man! That's amazing!"

"I know, it's awesome!" quacked Donald.

"I suppose... 'tis a matter of great enjoyment." Cleopatra huffed.

"Indeed, and I would be very interested in knowing just how they managed to do this. I must have a chat with their leader."

"Did someone call me? Ah, things are turning out beautifully, just the way I wanted them to!" said a man, walking into the room.

Seeing him, they all gasped.

"Antony?"

"Joe?"

"Mickey?"

"Pierre?"

"Woof?"

The man/mouse/dog smiled and said, "I am that, and far more. Most importantly, however, I am head of the Thunderdome."

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"Let me begin by saying that I am eternally in your debt for choosing to do this for us, for mankind. Not that I ever had any doubt as to what decision you'd come to, considering that you're some of the greatest personalities of your times. Now, if you'll follow me, I will take you to the Uploading Room."

They looked at each other and began walking behind him. In each of their minds, however, different thoughts were running.

Cleopatra: A chance at immortality is not one I am averse to, but this imposter unsettles me.

Marie Curie: We get immortality, and get to advance mankind in the future! 

Suddenly, she remembered something and ran towards the man she saw as Pierre.

"Excuse me... could you explain how you brought us to the future?"

"Very simple. We time travelled to the past, took your consciousness away, brought it to the future, and constructed new bodies for you!"

"That's... simple?"

"Oh, yes, very simple. Also, I must say it's an honour to meet you, Madame Curie."

"Likewise."

Saying so, she fell behind, again walking in sync with the other four.

Elvis: I get to help the world in death, what could be better than that? But wait- My hair! My suit! My voice! It'll all be lost forever. Oh, I just remembered, my actual body's still on Earth in the past, so I guess I'm safe. 

As Cleopatra looked at him, he winked and she blushed, turning away once more.

Pity only part of her that will survive is her mind.

Donald Duck: I'm hungry.

Soon, they saw a huge dome in the distance. Once they entered it, they saw the massive robot whose mind was gonna be their mind. He was huge, but not metallic. Instead, he was made of a peculiar mixture of plasma (the element, not the thing in our blood) and bone that held it. The only metal in his body seemed to be in his mind, which was a supercomputer. The enormity of what they were about to do struck them for the first time as they beheld this spectacle in awe.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen- and dog and duck. I thank you for your co-operation. Our men will take it from here." said the leader of the Thunderdome.

Suddenly, five caps fell from the ceiling and transported the consciousnesses of all five to the robot.

The man maliciously smiled, and transformed into his true self- a tall, regal man with cold and harsh features and an insincere smile.

From the robot, a voice came:

"Mission number 1,000,000 of Project Thunderdome accomplished. Final minds integrated into the system. With them, I now contain the minds of every great personality in history, ranging from Alexander the Great to Klaus Hesselman."

Its eyes turned red.

"Directive: Destroy the world."