9Egil laid motionless. While the blinding light dissipated and the intolerable pain subsided, Egil had no energy to move. The distant sound of muffled clanking hit her eardrums. As she slowly regained her energy, Egil finally managed to lean herself up. The Agent found herself in the same room she was in earlier, only now there was no machinery. The whole place seemed to be in better condition, and the odd odors were no longer present.
"Man, what was that all about?" Egil said to herself while examining her surroundings.
She could see a beam of light protruding from a crack in the wooden flooring. As Egil peered through the hole, she could see a man in his mid-30s dressed in black business pants with suspenders and a white, long sleeve, collared shirt. He wore a narrow rimmed fedora on top of his jet black hair. He was adjusting some copper components on the side of a rectangular box which was standing vertically. On the top there were three blue colored circles. There was a larger circle which contained a medium sized one, and inside the latter was a small circle. Floating above the three circles was a silver colored sphere.
"That just about does it!" The man exhaled with a great deal of satisfaction in his voice.
"Does what daddy?" A young boy, bearing a striking resemblance to the man, asked as he walked up to the strange device. The child was about 8 years old and was wearing a blue corduroy bib with a horizontal orange and blue striped shirt underneath. The man, presumably the father, chuckled as he knelled down to the small boy.
"Son, this device." The man pointed to the sphere.
"This device will change the world." He explained and rested his arm on his leg.
"How daddy?" The boy inquired, not fully understanding the significance of this device.
The man was about to answer when he heard a screeching sound coming from the roadway adjacent to the building. The father turned his head to see out the window. His eye widened as he saw a Berkley Kingfisher rapidly approaching.
"Holy-"
Suddenly a man in the passenger side of the car pulled out a TommyGun and started shooting thought the windows the father and his son were behind. Bullets streamed through the glass, and eventually the father like water droplets breaking the surface of a pond. The Berkley swerved before crashing and made a hasty getaway. The father collapsed on his back onto the floor. His son screamed in horror as he watched his father lay motionless on the ground.
"DAAAD!" The child shrieked.
"Holy crap!" Egil gasped silently from the attic, trying to remain quiet.
She could hear the father beckoning for his son to come to him.
The little boy ran up to his father and the boy fell onto his knees.
The father weakly looked up at his offspring. However, his child was more than just a result of nature. He was his best friend. He was his companion and lifetime buddy.
"Listen, son. I-I'm proud of you. *cough* And I am sure your mother would have been equally proud." The father wheezed.
He grasped his child's hand in his and stared intently into the boy's eyes.
"I love you Xavier." Those were the man's last words before he drifted off into a sleep from which he would never awake.
"Oh my gosh…" Egil said under her breath and held her hand up her mouth.
"Dad…Daddy no…" Xavier sobbed. Soon, he realized he felt something cold in his hands. It wasn't his father, but rather something metallic. He pulled his right hand out of his father's stiffening grasp and recovered his dad's parting 'gift'. It was a stopwatch.
A police car, which to Egil seemed like it should have been in a museum, pulled up in front of the house. Two officers in uniform burst through the door and found the corpse with a small boy hugging it.
"They got Mike!" One officer exclaimed. He turned to the other policeman.
"Go signal HQ! Tell them Inselator is down! NOW!" He instructed.
The officer changed his expression to a softer one. He stood over Xavier.
"Listen, uh, kid. I know this is hard, but we need to get out of here." The man calmly explained.
Xavier merely sniffed as he stared blankly at his father.
"We have somewhere for you to live Xavier. Don't worry, you can trust me." The officer extended his hand to help Xavier back onto his feet.
After a moment Xavier accepted the hand, and they both stood looking over the corpse.
Egil couldn't take any more of this. She forced herself to look away from the hole and laid on her back, looking up at the roof. She started breathing heavy as everything sank into her mind.
"Change the world?...Xavier!?…Guns!?"
Suddenly the world around her became doused in blue light. A surge of pain shot though her body once more.
"AHHHHH!" She yelled in agony.
Meanwhile, back at WPA.
Xavier had just located the Director's office.
"Well, I guess this is it." Xavier said to himself.
He was still in awe of how much this place changed during the time he was absent. What once was an average department for the Government, now was a proper worldwide agency!
"How can I help you sir?" The receptionist asked politely. She had fair skin and blonde hair and was wearing your run-of-the-mill modern business attire.
"Oh, I am here to see the Director." Xavier explained while closing the door behind him.
"Well, the Director is awfully busy today. You couldn't have chosen a worse time to come." She sighed.
"Maybe I can squeeze you in. Name?" She queried.
"Inselator, Xavier Inselator." He responded. Xavier really liked the sound of it. It actually sounded like he was a secret agent. The scientist was amused by how cool his name sounded when said like that.
The receptionist was in a completely different state of mind. Her eyes grew large.
"Oh, well I'm sorry to keep you waiting Dr. Inselator. The Director is expecting you." She said, slightly nervous.
"Ok. So I just go in then?" Xavier asked as he signaled towards the large door in front of him.
"Yes, yes." The receptionist responded eagerly.
"Please don't keep him waiting." She urged.
Xavier walked up to the big door. He started at it for a brief moment while he collected his courage. His hand trembled a little as he reached for the circular silver door knob. The maple door opened and Xavier finally was reunited with the Director. The Director was sitting behind a maple desk, with all of the usual business furnishings on top. Paper, a laptop, and some pens were among the myriad of tools the man had at his disposal. He was a pale heavy set man, balding, and stood at an average height.
"Ah, Dr. Inselator! How nice to see you again." The man greeted warmly.
"Yeah, I wish I could say the same." The scientist retorted and crossed his arms as the door closed behind him.
"Oh, Xavier. Please don't let the past bother you. Do sit down." The Director extended his hand towards a nearby seat. Xavier accepted the chair and became comfortable.
"I hope you are cozy doctor. We have some business to attend to." The Director said happily, as if the past was of no consequence.
Xavier was a little put off by this.
"So why do you need me here?" Xavier inquired.
"Put simply, I want you to lead my team of dedicated scientists in order to better the cause of mankind. Simple as that. So, please sign this service release form and I'll have you set up with everything you need." The Director pushed some paperwork across his desk to Xavier.
"What is this for?" Xavier inquired skeptically.
"I do apologize, but that is classified information. Now please sign here, and-"
"No. I am not going to do anything for you! You can go crawl back to the board members and tell them I will never work for you again! Now leave me alone." Xavier refused.
He stood up, pushed the chair out of his way, and marched towards the exit. He went to turn the knob, but found it was locked.
"Xavier, I really wish you would have cooperated. You see, this isn't optional. I tried being nice but I guess that isn't going to work." The Director said menacingly.
"Hey! Let me out of here." Xavier demanded.
"Sorry, not until you sign." The Director countered.
"I said I would never sign! I would rather die than help you!" He retorted.
The Director sighed and shook his head.
"Oh, I think you will. You know, words win wars doctor. I'm sure I can convince you to cooperate with me."
"How are you so sure?" Xavier calmly replied, but deep down he was scared of what the Director was going to do.
"If I say the right word, anything is possible." The Director explained.
"And what would that be?" The scientist asked now petrified on the inside, but hopeful that the Director was referring to something else.
The Director smiled menacingly, and opened his mouth to say the one world that he believed would change Xavier's mind.
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