Chapter 9: The Target

The tension in the air was palpable as the team sat around the table, strategizing their next move. The decision had been made—each of them would take on six out of the 89 remaining anachronisms. A dangerous plan, but necessary if they were going to stop the chaos the anachronisms were causing. Each member of the team would go alone, relying on Yusen for guidance and direction through their comms. The stakes were high, but they had no other choice.

The plan was simple: locate the anachronisms, eliminate the threat, and do it quickly. But what followed was far from simple.

While preparing for their separate missions, each team member received the same encrypted message. As they decoded it, their hearts sank—Leslie Petterns: The Target.

Every tribe they were heading to was hunting for Leslie. The realization hit them hard. There was a much bigger scheme in motion, and Leslie was at the center of it all. They had to find her, and fast.

“I knew this wasn’t going to be easy,” Alec muttered under his breath, his mind racing with questions. “But now we’re up against more than just the anachronisms. Whoever or whatever is pulling their strings is playing a dangerous game.”

Their separate missions were all set in motion, but as they ventured into the wilderness, searching for the tribes that were tracking Leslie, the message haunted them. The connection between Leslie and the anachronisms was becoming clearer, but the deeper they went, the more questions they had.

Hours passed, and the team regrouped at Leslie’s last known location. Her house. They hoped they would find something, anything, that could lead them to her. As they entered the house, a cold chill swept over them. The place was empty—no sign of Leslie. But there, on the kitchen table, was a single note.

FAOK.

It was the only clue they had.

“What does this mean?” Ken asked, picking up the note, his brow furrowing. "Is it a code? A message?"

“I think it’s a trick,” Ulbert said, scanning the note carefully. “The tribes were tracking her, but they didn’t know where they were taking her. Leslie must have known they would ask. FAOK must be some kind of misdirection.”

“What if it’s a location?” Snow suggested. “What if it’s an abbreviation or a cipher?”

The team huddled together, trying to decipher the cryptic note. After a few tense moments of back-and-forth brainstorming, they came to a conclusion—FAOK wasn’t just a random jumble of letters. It was a clue to a hidden location.

“We’re going to check it out,” Alec said firmly, turning to the team. “Whatever it is, it’s where we’ll find Leslie.”

They quickly prepared themselves for the journey, knowing the tribes were getting closer to locating Leslie as well. Time was running out.

The team traveled west, leaving the town behind, following the cryptic message. After several hours of travel, they arrived at what appeared to be an abandoned facility. A building hidden away from the main roads. It wasn’t much to look at—just a series of old warehouses and concrete walls—but the sign in front of the entrance confirmed it: FAOK.

“This is it,” Ken said, taking a deep breath. “This is where they were taking her.”

The base wasn’t a technological dead zone, as they’d feared. They were in luck. They could use their devices—Boomer was still operational. The communication equipment was live, and they could contact Yusen for backup.

They moved quickly, stealthily approaching the base, using the cover of the darkness to stay hidden. As they made their way inside, they were immediately spotted by a guard. But with the help of Yusen’s communications and their training, they managed to outsmart the guards and gain access to the facility. They entered the central command room, where they were able to initiate the Boomer device.

The device powered up, sending a pulse of energy that would send the anachronisms back to their original timelines. They were ready to finish this. The team worked in unison, using their skills and training to push forward. It wasn’t easy. The base had a sophisticated security system, but with Yusen’s help from behind the scenes, they were able to dismantle it bit by bit.

The team knew they couldn’t waste any time. With each passing second, the risk of the anachronisms reappearing increased. But just as they were about to complete the operation, a shocking realization hit them—they couldn’t find Leslie.

“She’s not here,” Snow said, her voice tinged with confusion.

“What do you mean? She has to be here,” Alec replied, scanning the area around them.

“We’ve been duped,” Ulbert muttered. “This was just a trap, a diversion. They used us to eliminate the tribes, but Leslie’s not here. She never was.”

The truth hit them hard. The anachronisms had been using Leslie as bait, knowing that the team would come after her. And now, as the Boomer pulsed, sending the tribes back to their timelines, they were left with nothing—except more unanswered questions.

“Where did she go?” Ken asked, his frustration boiling over. “We’ve followed every lead, every clue, and now we’re back at square one.”

“We’ll find her,” Alec said firmly, though doubt lingered in his eyes. “She’s out there. And if the anachronisms want her, we’ll make sure they don’t get to her first.”

With the tribes gone, and the facility secured, the team left FAOK behind. But their mission was far from over. Leslie was still out there, and now, they had to figure out where she was, and what the anachronisms were really after. The team’s next move would determine the fate of time itself.

But for now, they would regroup, plan, and keep searching for answers—because, deep down, they knew the most dangerous part of the mission had only just begun.