PROLOGUE

"What are you doing here?"

Yisrael Slattery stood stiffly, his hand lingering near the device on his desk as Richard Solomon strode into the lab, trailed by Mayu Kawamoto, Yisrael’s fiancée—or so he thought.

“Abysmal Enterprises,” Richard said smugly. “It’s mine now.”

Yisrael’s gaze flicked to Mayu, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “And you, Mayu? What are you doing here? Surely you didn’t come all this way just for me.”

“Don’t try to be funny,” she replied, her voice sharp, her expression unreadable.

Yisrael sighed, placing the half-finished contraption on his desk with care. He took a moment to steady himself, staring at the ground before breaking the silence.

“Why?”

Richard chuckled, the sound low and victorious. “Because, my friend, it’s for your own good.”

Yisrael’s eyes narrowed. “Whose idea was this? Or were you both in on it from the start?”

Richard held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Now, Yisrael—”

“The FBI, perhaps?” Yisrael cut him off, his voice rising. “Let me guess. There’s a squad waiting just outside to haul me away.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Richard snapped. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“Harder?” Yisrael barked, his anger boiling over. “I’m going to bury you for this. You stole my designs. My work. You can’t even make it function—because I never revealed the power source.”

“Stole?” Mayu’s voice cracked like a whip, stepping forward with venom in her tone. “Richard bought your designs. Your company. What you make belongs to him now. You work for him, Yisrael. That’s the reality.”

“Reality?” Yisrael laughed bitterly. “I poured my life into this invention. My money, my time, everything! It’s mine. And now you want to take it? From me?”

His hand hovered over the glowing device, his expression hardening.

“This invention,” he said, his voice low, “is nearly complete. When it is, it will shatter the barriers of time itself. Rewrite history.”

Richard’s cigar had gone out. He pulled it from his lips and stared at Yisrael, his confidence faltering. “Now, look, old friend—”

Yisrael’s gaze shifted to Mayu. His voice softened, filled with disbelief.

“I trusted you. I loved you.”

Her face twisted, her beauty vanishing beneath a mask of fury.

“And I loved what you could give me,” she hissed, reaching into her purse.

The movement was quick, practiced. Yisrael barely registered the glint of steel before a sharp pain bloomed in his chest. His body froze, and his knees buckled.

The world spun as he crumpled to the floor, the device glowing faintly on the desk above him. His vision blurred, but he could still hear their voices.

“Are you insane?” Richard shouted.

“Keep your composure,” Mayu snapped. “With this, we hold time itself in the palm of our hands.”

Yisrael’s fingers twitched, reaching weakly for the desk. Pain shot through him, but his hand found the device. His thumb pressed a hidden button as his vision darkened.

The glow brightened, filling the room with an intense, pulsing light.

A sudden flash blinded them all.