Chapter Text
Time is an odd thing. It seems to wax and wane, stretch and then come snapping back like an elastic band.
For years, humanity has spoken about time travel. A hushed murmur becomes a normal conversation, and even as we discuss it, we laugh it off in the end. After all, how would one even time travel, and why would they want to? The past is a perilous place, and one simple mistake could change the future you return to. We’ve decided it’s too dangerous, too complex to be tinkered with. The conversation returns to a whisper to silence, as if it had never been there before.
Until, of course, our entire species is threatened. Then the whispers explode with our desire to survive, and whispers become conservation become blueprints.
Those blueprints somehow lead to a Moroccan man falling from the sky over a hundred feet above the ground of Miami Beach, screaming his lungs out.
---
Cypher opened the trunk of his old KIA, tilting his head to make sure his earbuds didn’t fall out. So far, his dark brown hair had been managing to pin them down, but him trying to pick up an entire backup pack of Pepsi had shaken them. He heard a soft sigh come from the other side of the line. “Look, Cypher, I can only tell you that you’re in the finals for this thing. I don’t know if you got it or not. Hell, even if I did, some contract would probably keep me from telling you. You just... I don't know."
“No, no, that’s great! I was just, er, wondering if I could talk to Dimitri? Since he’s in charge and all, maybe he’ll have the answers? I mean, of course he would, he’s in charge,” he laughed nervously, almost dropping the package as he stumbled on a bump in his driveway. A quick step to the left and then the right kept him from falling dead over, though his exhaustion was urging him to simply. Perish. On the ground. Right now. Wow, he should stop pulling all-nighters.
“...alright. I’ll put you on hold," they said begrudgingly.
“Perfect! Yep, perfect-” He grunted as he nudged the front door open, red and green lighting hitting his face immediately. Ow. He squinted, shaking his head to try and get the spots out of his eyes, only for his left earbud to fall out and the festivities going on inside to blast his ears with Christmas music. Of course it got ten times the worse the moment people were around. “Oh, fantastic. Where’s my niece?”
He looked around the party, trying not to cringe at all the ugly sweaters, alcohol stains, and loud laughter. This was not exactly how he thought this Christmas would go. He was expecting a quiet, warm day of sleeping on the couch while Neon watched the Christmas Dragon, or something like that. The only thing he got wrong in the equation was his socially skilled sister.
Of course, Fade had invited everyone, and then those people invited everyone, and so on. His ranch-style home was filled to the brim with guests, and he didn’t even know half of them. Hell, he didn't know more than ten of them; most were probably some of Fade's clients.
Three small children ran past him, but none of them had the shock blonde and blue hair Neon did. For stars sake, if her hair was gonna be dyed, it might as well make her easy to see too. Guess fate hated him today. He sighed out loud, trying to heft the package onto one arm so he could actually hear. “Aaaand none of you are my niece… has anyone seen Neon?”
A few guests who were paying attention shook their heads. Others just eyed him then looked away, clearly deciding that the man struggling with their drinks was of no importance.
Ignoring the urge to snap at them to help him, he went with his second-best option: call his niece until she appeared. “Sorry for the noise, everyone. NEON!”
The crowd parted for a tiny child in a red jumpsuit to come charging forward, her mouth stretching into a big grin. A fluffy white snowman beanie sat over her head- that explained the hair, or lack thereof. She stood to attention in front of him in an adorable salute, crowing out proudly, “reporting for duty!”
Cypher leaned down, passing her the Pepsi pack, which of course she had no trouble carrying. It paid to have a niece who was strong enough to do at least ten pull-ups. Really made him question why he couldn't have inherited muscles, though. He shook the thought off. “Your mission is a dangerous one. Those need to be brought to the kitchen right away to feed the hungry guest monsters. Can you do it?”
“Yes sir, uncle Cypher! Also, Mommy was looking for you,” Neon chirped, before darting away with the package. The crowd of strangers closed around her again. Oh. Lovely. Fade was looking for him. He was either in trouble, or he was a tie breaker.
As he squeezed through guests, searching for his sister, a few people clapped him on the back and complimented him. “Great party Cypher!” “Thanks for hosting, man.” “These drinks are great!” "Your bathroom sure does smell nice."
“Thank you, of course, thank you, why would you tell me that,” he said to every single one, hoping his grimace looked somewhat like a smile. Oh, how he loved social interactions. They were so fun and not awkward at all. Once he got into the dining room, he was actually able to push his hanging earbud back in. The waiting music was still going strong, to the funky beats of something by Bach. Great. That was fine. Now where was-?
“CYPHER!” He turned to see her coming at him, two things in hand. His fake smile turned into a real one, the corners of his eyes crinkling up.
“Fade, hello. Everything going well?” He asked, flicking hair out of his face so he could see her clearly.
She held up the two packages, which appeared to be festive napkins. “We’ve run out of both Christmas napkins and normal ones, and need new ones fast. I’ve got two options; ‘I’m here for the booze’ or ‘lush as a leprechaun's beard.’ Thoughts?”
“Mmm… let’s go with the leprechauns,” he said, noting the amount of crumpled Christmas napkins in the trash. What a waste. If he wasn't tired, he'd start trying to move some stuff to the recycling bin- he wasn't a biology teacher for his hatred of global warming.
“Yeah, probably for the best with all the kiddos here,” Fade laughed, a sweet sound. It was then that her eyes traveled to the white wires hanging from his ears, and her eyebrow raised, “Cypher…”
“I know! I know. But I got the call, Fade. It’s just me and another guy. This is happening right now. I could get it,” he said, doing his best to not bounce in excitement despite his sister's annoyance.
Fade sighed, pinching her nose bridge. “I am going to punch you in the face. Gently. With respect. But still in the face.”
“I’ve been dreaming of this job since I left Iraq, Fade! You both- you know that!” He caught himself quickly, but it didn’t stop the shiver of hurt that went over both of them. He had lost Nora while he was in Iraq. Fade had lost Jordon while she was at home. It had been a while, sure, but the pain of losing your partner wasn't something that went away easily.
Cypher wondered if either of them ever stopped blaming themselves for the other’s pain. He knew he hadn’t, and seeing how his sister chewed her lip- a tell he had picked up on years ago- she probably hadn't either. But he also knew that he would do anything to keep her and Neon safe, so he just gave her a sympathetic smile. They were in it together. She smiled back.
It was Fade who broke the silence with a sigh, “well. Neon’s dream is to watch the soccer game with you," a nod to the crowded living room, "look at her.”
He turned to see his niece on the couch, staring at him. She stuck out her tongue playfully, to which he wiggled his fingers at her like a magical wizard in her shows. She grasped her chest, pretending to be struck by lightning before falling out of view onto the couch to play dead. Fade snorted affectionately.
“Okay. Tell you what. Let me just-” and then the wait music started to slow down. His eyes rushed to find something to do, something to get him outside. They landed on the bin. On second thought, he could recycle later. “Oh my gosh, uh, let me take out the trash! Aha.”
“BE BACK IN FIVE!” Fade called after him as he slung the stinking bag of wasted napkins over his shoulder and rushed out the door to the blissful silence of the night. Just as he closed the door behind him, the music stopped, and he was met with a crisp voice that was far too nerve-wracking to feel real.
“Cypher? Is that you?”
“Yes! Hi Dimitri, it is me, Cypher la Amira," he said with a slight laugh as he tried not to bounce on his toes. Brown hands sprinkled with lighter splotches opened up the trash bin, moving on their own as their owner shook with excitement.
“So. You said that you wanted to know the final results, right? A bit impatient, but impatience does get things done in this field,” Dimitri said coolly, and Cypher could hear papers being ripped in half. He gulped. Hopefully that wasn't his resume, essay, all the documents that took way too long to get from insurance... that had been a nightmare. He shook his head- he needed to be in the moment right now.
“Yep! I think you said they’d be out today, but if I need to wait, I don't mind,” he chuckled nervously, dropping the bag into the plastic can as quietly as he could. Oh, why were there so many empties at the bottom. Hopefully his phone didn't pick that up.
Dimitri sniffed haughtily, “remind me again, Cypher. What do you do for a job?”
“I teach high school biology, but before that, I ran missions in Iraq as a marine. Search and rescue, intel gathering, all the fun stuff. That was when I found out that forensics was my true calling,” he said, reading the words from the script he had put together in his head the night before. Poor Fade had to listen to him murmuring to himself for hours.
“So you’ve only ever done science work in… a high school? A public high school? You understand that this job is very much based on experience, right?” Dimitri asked, already sounding annoyed, and Cypher’s gut ceased up instantly.
“No! I mean, yes! I understand it’s based on experience. For science work, yes, only in a high school, but I also led missions in Iraq as I said before, and have seen and helped with a few labs there. I have a lot of experience in leadership to top all that off,” he said, trying to keep his voice from rising in pitch. He was so calm. So cool. He was the guy Dimitri wanted, he just needed to prove that.
“Does that translate, though?” Dimitri continued his barrage of questions, and Cypher felt his hopes rise a bit. He could work with that. He could do this.
“It sure comes in handy teaching high schoolers,” he laughed, praying he would hear at least a little chuckle.
“Cypher.” His laughter stopped. “We appreciate that you came to us, but as I said, experience is everything.”
His heart dropped to the street.
“Wait… no…” he tried to think of words. Anything, anything he could say to get him out of this. Just one sentence that could turn back time, fix things, let him say all the right words. But none came up.
“So, I’m sad to say that… Well, we found a better fit. I’m sorry. Good luck.”
Click. Dimitri was gone, and had taken all his hopes with him.
He stood there for a while, frozen. The wind didn't even bother trying to wrap him in a brisk hug, the frogs seemed to silence themselves. He was alone. He had failed. All of those classes, all of those meetings, the money he had paid and the late nights he had spent studying - all of it had gone to nothing. Because there was someone better than him, just like there always was.
“Of course you’re not the guy, Cypher. Why the hell would anyone want you?” He muttered to himself before slamming the trash lid shut and ripping out his earbuds. A dark creature reared its ugly head in his chest, screeching animalistically for revenge. That something in him wanted to kick the can, smash his earbuds, and scream until his throat was raw. Scream until the world knows every inch of his pain.
But he didn’t.
But fuck did he want to as a nasty, familiar voice arose in the back of his mind. A man must always dominate in his household. Your anger should be seen by those around you. Why are you being such a pussy, Amir?
“Get the fuck out of my head, you are thousands of miles away,” he murmured to himself as he stomped back to his house, trying to imagine his fury leaving his body with every step. Showing any sort of negative emotion wasn't worth it if he wanted it.
Only if you get rid of that fucking pin- He grabbed the doorknob, twisted it and let the flood of voices inside drown it out. For once, people were good.
The moment he opened the door, it was like a sense of calm washed over him. But not the good kind, the drifting kind. The voices inside covered up the sounds in his head, and yet… and yet. Cypher could still feel him. Could still feel that horrible presence in the back of his head, that creature that had crept back into its lair. It wasn't asleep yet, hadn't crept fully back into its cavern for good.
“Uncle Cypher!!”
And it was gone.
In a trance, he made his way towards the couch, sinking into the cushions between Fade and Neon. If only they could swallow him whole, wrap him with the love that he had hoped for from the wind. He let out a sigh before looking up at the screen. It was Qatar against Peru, with only a few minutes left on the clock in a tie. 2-2. An old student of his had been Peruvian- he silently rooted for them, hoping that somewhere, they were cheering with their friends.
A warm bundle snuggled into his side, begging for attention. He chuckled softly, pulling Neon in and wrapping an arm around her. With a happy noise, she burrowed into his ribs, warming up his entire torso with the pure love that radiated from her. Fade clicked her tongue twice, and their dog Prowler came trotting over from his usual seat and jumped up onto the couch, tail wagging. He went for his normal spot, stretching out and placing his head on Cypher’s thigh. Neon reached over and booped him with a tiny giggle.
“Alright, you little nightmare, scoot over,” Fade laughed, scooping up the Kangal Shepherd like he was a baby. Thank god he was still a pup, and that Fade was strong as hell. He wriggled a bit, but she managed to sit down and flop her head on Cypher’s shoulder before letting him go. With a huff, Prowler stretched out across Fade as well, planting his butt between her legs and his head back in its normal spot. A drool-soaked leg was worth it.
They all sat watching the soccer match for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company, when Neon spoke up.
“Uncle Cypher, do you know who Selman Waksman is?” Neon asked, tilting her head to stare up at him. He almost melted from the pure adoration that came from her dark brown eyes, filled with a curiosity he had learned over the years only kids have. Adults were far too boring.
“Yes, yes, I do. He discovered the cure for smallpox, didn’t he?” He asked, purposefully getting it wrong. Cypher knew how much she loved showing off her knowledge, especially stuff that had to do with science. A simple mistake was all she needed to latch on.
Neon giggled at his mistake, the bright buns in her hair bouncing as she shook her head. “Haha, no! He found the vaccine for tuberculosis. Do you know where he found it?”
“Where?” Now this he didn’t know.
“In the dirt with worms and poop!” Neon laughed loudly at that, and Fade huffed affectionately. Cypher squeezed her a bit, a warm smile spreading across his face. Her grin went back to the game, then to Prowler, who was trying to nibble her fingers. He was given another boop for his heinous crimes.
His gaze went from his niece to the screen, where a goalie was firing a kick across the field. Oh, that was good footwork from the midfielder. A sudden thought popped up in his mind, and he looked down at his niece, who was being licked all across her hand by Prowler.
“You see those people up there?” He asked, gently squeezing Neon to get her attention. Her gaze went up to the TV and she nodded. “Those people are the best in the whole world. Do you know what it takes to be the best?”
She shook her head, her gaze now traveling to him. There it was- the light of wonder. It would always almost take his breath away, how bright it shined in her eyes. She was going to go places, he knew it.
“You have to- you have to tell yourself this,” he said, leaning in so their foreheads were almost touching, “I will do what nobody else is willing to do. That’s how you become the best. Okay?”
“Just like how you are at science!” She chirped, and Cypher felt something in his chest break and mend at the same time.
“Yeah,” he laughed sadly, leaning in closer to press his lips to her forehead, “just like I am at science.”
Fade’s arm gently wrapped around his midsection, and Prowler reached up to lick his chin a few times. They both knew, somehow. Actually- it wasn't like he came back in celebration, so of course they knew. His smile dropped a bit.
Neon, seeming to sense a change, cuddled even further into him and spoke up, “everything is going to be okay, Uncle. I promise.”
His sister let out a soft ‘aww’ and Cypher’s chest went warm and fuzzy. He chuckled, “thank you, chickpea. Though I’m pretty sure I’m the one who’s supposed to say that to you.”
The three stayed cuddled for a while, simply basking in each other’s presence, when there was a sudden breakaway in the game. The goalie had punted the ball again, and a midfielder had done a perfect header to keep it going, landing right in front of the Peru striker- who was far away from the Qatar midfielders.
“Oh my gosh, wait,” Fade breathed, perking up. It appeared her hatred of Qatar's discriminatory laws had her rooting for Peru as well. The intense cheering from the TV caught the attention of others, and soon everyone was crowding around the couch, watching the striker charge towards the goal and past the defenders. Someone started cheering, and soon everyone was joining in, Christmas music long gone behind the whoops and claps from the people in his house.
Cypher’s eyes widened. This could be the first World Cup Peru would ever win, if-
And then the screen glitched, static covering it and freezing the game right before the striker kicked. Oh- that was weird. The WiFi was pretty good. Probably just too many people on the same channel, or something to do with the bandwidth. Everyone went silent in confusion, murmurs slowly growing. A few people groaned in disappointment. One guy started to swear, but was silenced by a sharp glare from Fade.
Prowler suddenly growled, the hair on the back of his neck shooting up. Neon squeaked, reaching out to try and pet them down. Cypher’s brow furrowed. Prowler never did that, not unless there was actual danger. The only time he did that was when Fade was being tailed at night, or when Cypher had almost driven off a cliff. But where was the actual danger itself, it was only a TV scr-
Then the screen turned back on, and his heart jumped to his throat.
A… a portal had appeared on the field, its inside swirling with blues, whites, and purples. But that wasn't the problem- the problem was the heavily armed troops pouring out of it, guns raised and pointed at the players. The poor striker had fallen to the ground, seeming to be knocked out, while one of his wings crouched over him protectively. The stands were pandemonium, people trampling each other to escape. Many had their phones out, recording.
Neon tensed up next to him, a startled gasp leaving her lips as she took the situation in. Fade reached over and rubbed Prowler, who was still growling, while Cypher stood frozen, his eyes never leaving the TV. The news announcer was rapidly informing people of what was happening, but he couldn’t hear them. He couldn't hear anything, nothing except Prowler, Neon, Fade, and the voice in his head that was rapidly informing him about every single piece of equipment the soldiers had.
"What is happening?" Fade murmured, her hand on Prowler freezing as soldiers finally finished streaming out. A tiny shrug was all he could manage in response, every nerve in his body jolting with the pure feeling of wrong.
His gaze pinpointed a young woman in the middle of the troops, dressed the same as them, but without a helmet or a gun. Her hands were raised as she slowly walked forward.
“We are you,” her voice boomed through the stadium’s intercom. They had hacked it? Of course they had hacked it, they had portals. Cypher could hear it perfectly, and that scared him, “20 years in the future.”
“What…? Is this some sort of joke?” He whispered, stunned out of silence. He tried leaning forward, but Neon was clinging to his side with wide eyes. It was too much, even for her. Even for him. Too many bad memories at the end of a gun like that.
“We are fighting a war, and our enemy is not human. We are losing,” she continued. Cypher searched for any hint of humor in her voice, in her face. There was none. Another shudder wracked his body. This... was serious. Something in all of this was serious, and she wasn't lying, or joking, or anything. Neon clung to him tighter, and his hand went onto hers.
“There is estimated to be less than 500,000 people left on earth, and the number decreases every single day,” she said, her voice tightening, “and we need your help. We need you, our fathers, mothers, and grandparents, to join us in the fight against the Whitespikes.”
A camera drone flew down to her, hovering only a few feet away from her face. Despite the firmness in her voice, her eyes were pleading. Wet, yet dry. She had cried too much to cry again. He had seen such eyes before, in the army. This was a person who had lost everything, and it was chilling him to his core.
“You are our only hope,” she said, her voice just reaching a whisper, and then the screen went dark.
The party was knocked into a stunned silence for a moment as everyone took in what they had just heard.
And then Neon let out a muffled sob, Cypher curled himself around her, Fade hugged both of them close, Prowler snarled one more time, and then everyone started rushing for the door.