adapting to the past,

Grace walks alongside Greed. he explains their situation casually. it isn't favorable, but there are enough agents at the scene to assist her on her mission. 

along the way they admire the peace. the sun is as bright as it never has been in their time. the inner desolation knocks. they can't ignore the fact that in their original time they couldn't even trust their own comrades. so much resentment to put behind.

they arrive in front of a normal looking house. inside are another three agents expecting them. things may not be as bad as they seem, or they could be worse than ever before. it all falls under their shoulder. Grace finally comes to the realization that she is in the past. the old world before all went to hell.

"Agents. I have a name I want you to check. Bernard Ward. find everything on him. he found out my identity. he could be a menace or to help." said Grace looking at some documents.

a guy comes out of the bathroom, he is about 6'4 feet tall. he has a robust body. it is hard to tell if it is all mass or muscle, or even a combination of both. he is white, almost pale. he has intense clear blue eyes. he has a small almost invisible brown mustache. he has short wavy brown hair with some white hairs. 

he sits in a massive chair. the moment he sits was so abrupt that makes the ground tremble. he searches on a computer that is connected to the present. he finds all the needed documents. he then turns around to face Grace and Greed.

"Well, it's done agent 1401 C. based on the information we found. he is a code, Ghost Green." said the man as he scratches his chin.

Code Ghost is what they call a person who was supposed to die, but didn't die because of the accidental interruption of an Eraser Time Agent. depending on how important or insignificant the person in question is they either call them a red as in should die no matter what, or green for doesn't matter if they die or live.

"Thanks Bob, I will make use of him." said Grace with a smile.

Bob stands up and goes to the kitchen. he makes himself some coffee. he asks others if they want some coffee. an agent follows to help in making food.

Grace sits in front of the computer and looks at all the information about him; Bernard was supposed to jump from the rooftop of Blue Sky High. he didn't die at the fall. but his face was destroyed to such a degree that he needed multiple surgeries to partially reconstruct it. he stayed in a coma for about six years until he woke up. it is detailed how he showed to have the mentality of a toddler. he suffered severe brain damage. a month after he woke up, he died because of a heart failure.

"Not a single person attended his funeral. that is brutal." reads loudly Greed.

"Hey, pay respect to the dead." yields Grace mad. 

"Not so dead, if you saved his life. he was meant to be gone, gone by today." points out Greed.

"He will be useful. now that we know we can trust him. check into the information of the other students. while you do that, I will be studying books about how to be 'a normal looking teenager' and stuff like that. I need to pull the part by tomorrow." said Grace nervously.

"Damn it. there is nothing about our precious dictator. not a single hint." whispers Greed.

the rest of the day was mundane with so little done. time is like a breathing being that works by its own rules. is a beast that can't be linear. but appears to be so. what a complicated thing to rationalize from a human perspective is time. the thing we all hope to have while wasting it, but we all run out of it at some point.

at night all the agents sit in a rounded dining table. they discuss different issues. Greed cooked some sea food and made some soup. they all are eating and laughing. Bob is eating a whole bowl of mash potato by himself. he isn't just big. he is also loud and a healthy eater.

the table was made of wood with some scratches. they had some brown candles that kept the environment warm and peaceful. some aromatic candles added a cinnamon and vanilla smell. even in critical times it's possible to find peace and tranquility. 

the house isn't too bad, nor too nice. it is about right. but Bob makes sure to keep it clean. he orders and organizes the other people to clean. a big guy like him can't allow a single stain on his peaceful home. 

the other two agents officially introduce themselves as Bank and Bark. they leave some ice cream and popcorn in the table. Greed and Grace are shock by looking at something they had never seen before. Grace touches the ice cream with a finger first. it feels strangely nice. she takes a spoon. she gets a spoonful and eats it with her eyes close. she opens her eyes in excitement and delight. she looks at Greed who is having fun with the popcorn.

"What is this? what is that? is there more food like that?" asks Grace so confused. feeling a mixture of delight and dread. as it will be too ideal to adjust to the new lifestyle of the past, but then it would be too complicated to let go of these delights and mysteries once her job is done.

"Oho. I forgot to properly introduce their code names. at my left she is Bank, and at my right he is Bark. they will be your support during your mission. they will be teachers undercover. make sure to use good use of them." said Bob smiling.

Bank is a tall slender lady. she has dirty blonde hair. her eyes are light brown. she has freckles, she is around her mid-twenties. Bark is a short guy, barely 5'2. he has a light brown skin color. he has a somewhat muscular body. he has a short black hair. he has a thick mustache. he is around his mid-thirties. he has light brown eyes, almost honey.

"We will do well. so far, we had identified five of the names in the kill list." said Grace smiling.

"It doesn't matter how many targets we find or don't find if we can't find the tyrant." yields Bob drowning in frustration.

"I know Bob. but hear me out. it took me half day. but I reduced the list to a number of about 42 students. let Grace deal with it. she is a professional. I am sure she is ready." said Greed.

"Fine. but I will give her one month. if she doesn't find the tyrant by then. my team will take drastic measures. I know it isn't our place, but we have to do anything in order to stop him. our freedom. our families. our own lives are on the line." said Bob calmly.

"It is fine. you will see results from my part soon enough. I wasn't assigned to this mission just to play around. I am the ideal person to play the part. and make no mistake my age won't be an issue. I am serious about avenging my parents." said Grace in a calm tone full of fury.

there was no more discussion after that. they finish eating. Bark washed the dishes. they took a short moment to organize themselves and their next series of tasks. then they all went to sleep before the clock hits twelve.

Grace felt comfortable as she lies down in a bed. it was soft and had a floral smell. tears fell down her eyes as she remembered the hard times she had all her life. how hard and painful was to lie down in what she called a bed back then. there is a sorrowful smile thinking about the things that can be recovered once she stops that vicious monster. she has to do it.

"Mom. dad. your girl will pull it off." she whispers to herself with deep pain within her soul.

to fall asleep was hard. harder than anything else. the painful memories of war. her hands washed deep in blood. the guilt. the blame. the sorrowful faces. the hurtful acts. war was a manufacture of atrocious deeds and vicious animalistic instincts. now that she is given enough time to think about it, it all feels so horrendous. so brutal.

to overcome the prints of war would be hard, absolutely difficult. it all depends on her will to let go of the past and keep moving forward.

as they all were struggling with their own issues, they would never know what was to come. the rough road that leads the path they had chosen.