Zero Hour

There was a time when humanity thought it had mastered everything. The industrial revolution had transformed the world, and the 1800s saw invention after invention reshape daily life. But no one could have predicted what came next—the discovery that would change the very fabric of existence: Chrono Energy.

It began with a rare mineral, Tempusite, found deep beneath the Earth’s surface in the late 1800s. When exposed to certain electromagnetic fields, this strange substance bent the rules of time. Clocks would slow, objects would freeze, and, under the right conditions, even time itself could be manipulated. The scientist who unlocked its potential—Dr. Elias Dune—believed Chrono Energy could push humanity into a new era. And he was right.

By the turn of the century, Chrono Energy had found its way into everything. Factories used it to speed up production, machines worked twice as fast, and even mundane tasks like making a cup of coffee could be completed in mere seconds. Cities thrived, economies boomed—Chrono Energy was a miracle.

But, as with all powerful discoveries, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to weaponize it.

In the early 20th century, the world’s greatest powers raced to harness Chrono Energy’s full potential for war. Battles were no longer fought in the present. Some armies moved faster than the eye could see, others froze their enemies in time. The timeline itself became a battleground, and no one could stop the escalating chaos.

The war that followed would be the most destructive the world had ever seen. The Great Chrono War erupted in the 1930s, devastating entire continents. At the height of the conflict, a weapon was unleashed—a weapon designed to control time over entire cities. But something went horribly wrong.

The superweapon caused a Chrono Cataclysm, a tear in the very fabric of time. Cities were lost, trapped in endless loops or fast-forwarded into desolate futures. Soldiers, civilians, and entire nations were erased or twisted by the catastrophe. The shockwaves of the Cataclysm echoed across the globe, warping the timeline in ways no one could have predicted.

The survivors of the war emerged from the wreckage, their world unrecognizable. Nations had fallen, borders meant nothing, and time itself had become unstable. People realized, too late, that they had tampered with something far beyond their control.

In the wake of the disaster, humanity did something it had never done before. They stopped fighting. They stopped dividing themselves by borders, flags, or power. With the world in ruins and the timeline fractured, they banded together, pooling their knowledge and resources to rebuild. The cities that rose from the ashes weren’t just cities—they were havens of technology, designed to protect what remained of civilization and keep the mistakes of the past from ever happening again.

These new high tech cities, like Neotera, were marvels of technology, powered by Chrono Energy but closely regulated. The leaders of the new world made a vow: never again would they allow time to be manipulated recklessly. Strict laws were put in place to control the use of Chrono Energy, and an elite group known as the Chrono Knights was formed to enforce these laws. Their mission was simple: to ensure that no one would ever tamper with the timeline again.

The city of Neotera gleamed under the night sky, a vast ocean of neon lights and towering skyscrapers, their reflective surfaces gleaming like shards of glass. The streets below were alive with a hum of activity, the endless traffic weaving between gleaming towers and suspended walkways. Above it all, the faint glow of chrono energy pulsed through the city’s core, casting an ethereal light over the city’s sharp edges.

From his vantage point on the rooftop, Jessie Valis took it all in—the sprawling city, its glass towers, and the faint thrum of chrono energy that kept everything ticking forward like clockwork. It was beautiful in its own way, but there was always something lurking beneath the surface.

“Hard to believe we’re stopping a bank heist,” Jessie muttered, adjusting the grip on his weapon, the Chrono Blade. “You’d think after centuries of tech, people would have moved on from robbing banks.”

“Heh, I guess some things never change,” Mira Chen’s voice crackled through his earpiece, a hint of amusement in her tone. “Don’t get too cocky, Jessie. This rogue isn’t your average thief. They’re messing with time, so expect the unexpected.”

“Yeah, yeah. You worry too much, Mira. I’ve got this,” Jessie replied, flashing a grin. He glanced over at Talia Vespera, who was calmly adjusting her mechanical chrono bow. “What do you think, Talia? Easy job, right?”

She shot him a sidelong glance, her hazel eyes narrowing just slightly. “Focus, Jessie. The last time you said ‘easy job,’ we nearly got wiped out by a distortion field.”

Jessie smirked. “Hey, come on. What’s a little danger without some fun?”

Rhea Solstice, standing at the edge of the rooftop, her chrono whip coiled at her side, shook her head slightly, her sharp blue eyes scanning the plaza below. “Fun doesn’t keep us alive. Let’s keep it professional.”

“Rhea’s right,” Dax Vanon chimed in, his deep voice rumbling through the comms. “I’m all for cracking skulls, but this rogue’s got a serious chrono distortion going on. Mess with time, and you’re messing with the whole city.”

Mira, who had been analyzing the data, chimed in, “Well, we’ve got more than just a fight on our hands. These guys are using high-level Chrono tech. It will start affecting the whole area soon.” She adjusted her goggles, her fingers flying over the holo-screens back at HQ. “You need to move in... I’m detecting major distortions. It’s almost like they’re moving in and out of time…”

Jessie raised an eyebrow. “Translation: hit them hard and hit them fast?”

“Basically, yeah,” Mira said with a small grin. “Just don’t break anything too valuable.”

Rhea gave a nod, her eyes fixed on the target. “Alright, squad. Let’s move. Dax, you’re with me. We’ll handle the ones near the entrance. Talia, Jessie—you take the upper floors. Mira, stay in contact and keep the distortion levels monitored.”

“Ah, Valis and I again?” Talia raised an eyebrow. “Perfect.”

Jessie smirked, pulling his Chrono Blade free from its scabbard, the weapon humming with energy. “Relax, Talia. I’ll let you shoot first.”

Talia sighed, adjusting her grip on the bow. “Just don’t get in my way, you troublemaker.”

Jessie winked. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

With Rhea’s signal, the squad descended into action. Jessie leaped down from the rooftop, the rush of wind catching his hair as he landed with a light thud on the rooftop of the bank below. Talia followed, her movements precise and calculated, already scanning the area for the perfect shot.

Jessie’s heart raced as he slid down the side of the building and through an open window, landing silently inside the dimly lit hallway. The alarms echoed through the space, and the distorted hum of illegal Chrono-tech hung in the air.

“Well,” he muttered to himself, his blade glowing faintly as he adjusted his stance. “Let’s clock in, shall we?”