**EXT. CITY SQUARE - DAY**
Valentine, Thorne, and Elara materialize in the middle of a crowded city square, causing pedestrians to scatter in alarm. The Chronos Tower looms in the distance, its spires piercing the sky.
By the temporal continuum... what have they done?
Valentine looks around, disoriented. The city looks different - more advanced, more sterile. Holographic advertisements dominate the skyline.
Mia, where are we? What's the date?
Temporal displacement successful. You've been moved to an alternate timeline. Current date: October 12, 2097. Ten years in your future.
Elara stares at the city in horror.
This is what happens when they activate the key without stabilizing the anchor points. A fractured timeline.