The murky rain hiding away any illicit crime one would find among the streets, nothing but our steps and those still capable of being awake at this hour. Hour past midnight what would the anomaly even want at this hour.
For each subtle drop of rain that hits our jackets it morphs seamlessly. My white coat now a large blue jersey named "Jackson" and my pants morphing to be baggier, heavier.
Gerald didn't had much changed. His coat now a tightly fit t-shirt and cargo shorts on the bottom.
New York City was an interesting place for this little monster be in. Large buildings, a crowded center and a bu—
"Hey! Watch it idiot!" a man in a trench coat barely glancing at me replies, yet his voice seems to still hit sharp with his gruffy tone
Then a car horn blares at both of us. I couldn't even notice that we were in a middle of the cross walk. As another car from the other side stops too. I guess the blinking green lights from either side of the pedestrian road is not enough sign for people stop. Not like there's any time to think with everyone pretending to be busier than they really are
[Keep focus tien, can't have you falling behind]
I lift my hand as the device turns into an ordinary nokia 3310 cellphone, pretending to take a call, the last of the transformation to finally get us hidden I say
" just do your thing bethy.."
[affirmative]
[Searching least continuity error]
[done..]
[Inserting you into IRS, DMV, and LinkedIn servers.
Welcome to your new life: Jacob Miller. You just clocked out after twelve hours of spreadsheet hell.]
I glanced at Gerald's direction, seeing as he had already done the same. With knowing looks, we gave each other a nod and headed in separate directions. We don't know if we'll ever manage to see each other again—for now, keeping things in track with the fissure device and communicating with Bethy is our best bet.
The first step… identifying it
Easier said than done when he could be anyone from this whole city. There's no one thing that could identify a time traveler, not unless the time traveler themselves, made the mistake willingly
See, the detailed plan that Gerald had ever so carefully been hiding from me had 3 parts. Identify, Relocate, Exterminate. I've only ever been notified of the plan on identifying the anomaly. And the way we would identify the anomaly; was from the mistakes it had been ever so given us.
The final minute clicked as I was in the perfect place
The final minute clicked as I was in the perfect place. A plaza tucked just off 4th, half-lit by a dying streetlamp, the kind of place meant for bad conversations and worse decisions. Bethy had gone quiet—too quiet.
The sound of the rain on my shoulders started syncing with my breath. One, two, three—
A shadow moved across the puddle by my feet. Not mine. Not Gerald's.
I turned slightly, hand near my pocket. The fissure device hummed like it could feel something I couldn't.
Then the voice came.
"Good evening, Miller…"