Underground Time Sanctum, 2245
The Chronos Core pulsed violently in James' hands as reality itself began to fracture around them. The walls of the Timekeeper's Citadel melted like wet paint, revealing glimpses of other timelines—some where Sophie ruled as a dictator, others where James died in his lab.
Victor grabbed James' shoulder, his cybernetic eye flickering. "The core's unstable! You have 60 seconds to input coordinates before we all get erased!"
Sophie's fingers flew over the holographic keypad. "Where do we go? Past? Future?"
James made his choice. "Neither. We jump sideways—to a timeline where the experiment never happened."
Victor's face paled. "That's suicide! You'll—"
"Forget her? Never." James slammed his palm on the core. "I'll carve her name into my bones if I have to."
The world shattered like glass.
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