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Arc One, Chapter Two; Tales of a Time Traveler

Top Secret

By: Cimmaron Spirit

New York, 2013 AD

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The door to the apartment swung open and ten fully armored and armed FBI agents poured into Chris's tiny, cramped entry way. They quickly fanned out, checking each room, followed by a chorus of "Clear!"

"What the hell is going on?" Chris cried out, as an agent pushed him out of his kitchen to stand next to Cimmaron.

"I don't know... Hey, what you are doing here?" Cimmaron asked the closest agent.

"Are you Cimmaron Spirit?" the agent asked back.

"Uh, yeah. Not many other walking, talking horses around, are there?"

"That's what you think," a female voice shouted from the doorway. "For the past twenty four hours, reports have been filtering in around the US and the world of people suddenly becoming anthropomorphized animals. We don't have the full numbers, but it seems to be a couple hundred at the moment."

Cimmaron and Chris stared at the African-American female, smartly dressed in a black knee length coat before snapping a folder shut, and slipping it into a satchel hanging from her shoulder. She then focused on the two males standing next to each other.

"Agent Valarie Denys, FBI. And you, Cimmaron, are perhaps the best answer we have so far."

The horse raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I don't know how much I can tell you, Agent Denys. I don't even know how it happened to myself."

"No, but you do have that," she replied, pointing to the gold pocket watch on the table, still open.

"How... how do you know about that?" Cimmaron asked.

She smiled. "Top Secret. Let's just say that America knows a bit more about you than you think."

"Oh, that's great." Cimmaron rolled his eyes. "I barely know what I'm doing here, and already the one superpower in the world has their eyes on me."

Agent Denys' smile faded. "Cimmaron, would you come with us please? We can talk about it in a more secure environment." She looked at Chris. "You have to come as well."

Chris looked to the horse, then the FBI agents with their guns. "Not like I have much choice, do I?"

The agent shrugged. "Sorry."

Cimmaron turned to pick up the Chronodevice but as he thought about picking it up it suddenly leapt off the table and, to everyone's surprise, into his hand.

"I... I knew it could do that," Cimmaron chuckled as they stared at the horse and his magic watch.

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"You realize that you are perhaps one of the biggest secrets in the world, right?" Agent Denys said as she, Cimmaron and Chris rode in a big black SUV through New York City. "We know for a fact that you have the ability to time travel, and you have actually done it for us a few times before. Nothing too big, only to stop huge crises from evolving, aliens, people wanting to destroy the US... that sort of thing."

"But I don't remember any of it. Unless all of this is to happen in my future," Cimmaron replied.

Agent Denys frowned. "The only problem is that, from the few reports we got on you, we know that you weren't... a horse."

"So you think I know something of how the people are being turned into human-animal hybrids because I used to be a human?"

"Maybe. We have no idea if it's a terrorist attack, new plague or some other reason. All we know is that you might know something that can help us."

Cimmaron sighed and leaned back in the leather seats, and glanced out the black tinted windows to the sights outside. By this point they were going through Manhattan out of the city, so tourists, bankers, businessmen and construction workers were milling around the massive steel and glass canyons. Cimmaron turned back to see Chris staring at the floor.

"What's wrong Chris?" Cimmaron asked.

"Nothing. Just... I don't know."

"What?"

"Well... you seem to have a really interesting life, even if you don't know all of it. It just seems a bit crazy, is all. And the fact you stumbled on me, which was... weird. And here I am in the back of an FBI vehicle going to who knows where. I never had this experience before."

Cimmaron smiled. "Well, if and when I figure this out, want to travel with me for a bit?"

Chris looked up. "I... I don't know. I have a job and everything..."

"But this is Time Travel. I can have you back a few minutes after you leave. If you do come along."

Chris gulped and looked at the horse. "Can I think about it?"

Cimmaron nodded, and smiled. Maybe having a companion would be fun. Time would tell.

Agent Denys' cellphone began to ring, snapping the agent out of her focus on the papers in her hand. She held it up to her head and began talking into it.

"Denys. Yes, we have the target and an associate. Taking them to The Farm. Yes... yes sir. Target seems to be unaware of his past, but we will see what we can do. Yes, yes... no sir, I do not recommend that... There seems to be a link... I don't know... yes sir. Sorry sir." She hung up the phone.

"Something wrong Agent?" Cimmaron asked.

"Nothing. Just higher-ups wondering what is going on," she said, forcing a smile on her lips. Cimmaron smiled back, but he noticed something about her now... tight lips, staring... something was up.

Cimmaron glanced over to Chris, who perceived something amiss as well, but he shrugged.

The horse shrugged and reached into his pocket and pulled out the Chronobook, tapping on the screen.

Well, nice to see you. What's going on now? the electronic device chirped

Cimmaron looked at the thing, not wanting to speak out loud with his computer...

You know you can just think these things, dumbass.

What? the horse thought, his eyes widening.

Telepathic links. Everyone that is given access can talk to on another on this. Handy little chat feature. Anyway, we are in the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, right?

Cimmaron wanted to nod, but restrained himself. Yeah.

Which is odd. My files indicate that the FBI should not have the technology to track you, much less know you are a time traveler. Something is odd horsie.

You think I don't know that? Cimmaron thought. Okay, what do we do?

That's your job ponyboy. I'm just the infinite source of all knowledge. But I advise keeping the Chronodevice close. And if you want to help that guy beside you, get him to touch the Chronodevice as well to allow him to time travel with you. Sort of a security thing, grants access to those you want, but keeps everyone else out. Should be easy.

All right, thanks, Cimmaron thought. Does it have the telepathic links as well?

Oh, more than you know horsie. But you can figure that out later.

Cimmaron grunted, before turning it off and putting it in his pocket. He looked up to see Agent Denys looking around. "Almost there," she said

Cimmaron nodded and looked around. All he could see was trees, fields, and the occasional farmyard full of buildings and such. It was surprising how far out of New York they must be.

The convoy of black SUVs turned off the highway and down a particular dusty gravel road. Cimmaron kept an eye out of the window, and noticed they were heading to one farm, which Cimmaron guessed was the farm that Agent Denys had mentioned earlier. Not much further...

The vehicles came to a stop one by one; the SUV cattying Cimmaron, Chris and the FBI Agent was one of the last.

Agent Denys opened the door and got out, beckoning Cimmaron after her. Cimmaron took a deep breath and jumped out behind her.

The moment his hoof touched the ground, three agents tackled him to the ground.

"What the...?" Cimmaron cried out, gasping as the air was knocked out of him. "I had a feeling you weren't FBI agents."

"Well aren't you clever!" A burly man beside Agent Denys stepped up, a man with a close cropped head of hair and towered over her by at least a foot. He wore a military uniform of a Major General, and treated the horse sprawled beneath him with a grin of malace.

"You are now under the authority of Sector 3. As a registered threat to the United States of America, you will be incarcerated until further notice with no chance of hearing or parole, and all advanced technologies of yours will be confiscated. Any questions?"

"Yeah..." the horse started

"Shut up!" the agent on top of Cimmaron shouted, prompting a grunt of annoyance from the horse. Another burly man reached into his pockets, trying to grab the pocket watch.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," Cimmaron warned, only to get a backhand across the head, shoving his face into the gravel.

"Did we tell you to talk?"

"The General did give me a question to ask," Cimmaron replied, but nobody seemed to be paying attention.

The man reaching for the Chronodevice at last grabbed it. However the moment the agent's hand fully enclosed the watch, his entire body locked up and went rigid before falling over, the watch still in hand.

The General, Denys and the other agents stared in shock as the paralyzed man shuddered a bit, the pocket watch rolling out of his hand.

"Get that thing!" Denys shouted. Another agent reached forward to get it, but as he reached to grab it, an electric bolt arced up from it and electrocuted the agent.

Two more agents ran to grab it but the watch jumped off the ground. Before they could do anything, the agents crashed into each other head first, knocking both men cold.

Cimmaron watched as his Chronodevice deftly leapt and danced around, defying the grasp of the agents that tried to capture it and incapacitating those that momentarily held it. The agent who had pinned Cimmaron down tried to grab the nearby watch, only to be rewarded with a blast of sound aimed directly at his earbrums. Cimmaron seized his chance: he wiggled away from his captor and ducked under the SUV that had brought him here, shimmying his way out the other side. When he was at last clear, he got up and walked around the other way, watching carefully as the different agents all tried to grab the pocket watch. As if sensing that Cimmaron was free the Chronodevice began to levitate, and flew straight at the horse. By reflex, the horse caught the pocket watch in his hand.

"Get him! Don't let him get away!" the General shouted, pulling out his gun and started to fire it at Cimmaron, who ducked down as the first bullets shattered the glass of the SUV's.

Cimmaron looked around as the bullet's ricocheted about him and next to a nearby car he noticed Agent Denys.

"What the hell are you trying to do to me?"

"I'm trying to get you out of here! That watch thing of yours is linked to you, and I tried to tell them that we couldn't use it, but of course no one listens to me. Just trust me, okay?"

Cimmaron looked around and gulped. He could hope for some other help, but as far as he knew there was no one that would have been able to help in the next few hundred miles, if they existed at all. He took a deep breath and ran from behind the car, ducking down by the one Agent Denys was behind.

"All right, tell me. What is this Sector 3?" Cimmaron asked.

"Now isn't really the best time to talk about it," Denys stated, as she looked around. "All I know is that General Richardson over there is on a warpath, and he wants that device."

"Okay, was that thing about people turning into animals like me true?"

"Hell no! It was supposed to be bait to lure you in. It worked, sadly. All right, let's get you out of here."

Cimmaron nodded, then gasped. "Chris! Where is he?"

"He... he was captured right after you. I have no idea where he is." Denys turned to the barn nearby. "Look, we got to go!"

Cimmaron nickered. "Well, I'm not leaving till we find him."

The agent looked at Cimmaron and sighed. "Okay, he was most likely taken to the farmhouse. It was set up as the General's HQ."

Suddenly the horse realized that the fusillade of bullets had stopped.

"By the way... where is the General?"

"Right here!" came a snarl from the military man snarled as the general pounded on him. However, Cimmaron managed to get on his hooves faster and jumped out of the way; the general landing on the ground with a thud. Richardson growled and tried to grab Cimmaron's leg but missed.

Cimmaron turned to face the general and slammed a hoof onto the General's outstretched hand. "Okay, what the hell are you trying to do?"

The General cried out in pain as the hard hoof broke a couple bones. "Top... Secret..."

Cimmaron bent down, his hoof still on the General's hand, forcing from him a cry of pain. "Fine, well then, where is Chris?"

"The kid? He's... he's..."

"He's right here," Denys stated. Cimmaron turned around to see but instead he faced the barrel of a gun. Before the horse could say anything, the gun fired, but instead of a bullet, a tranquilizer dart shot out and struck Cimmaron in the chest. The horse gasped and tried to stay upright but he reeled, dizzy and light headed from his sudden movement and the chemicals invading his body. He tried to reach for Agent Denys but the horse couldn't coordinate his blurry eyes and his tingling hands, and the horse fell, joining the crippled General as he crashed to the ground.

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Northern New York State, United States, 2013 AD

Cim's head hurt. Actually not just his head, his entire body hurt. But most people usually only think about their head when things like this happen. Instinct more or less for any intelligent being in the world, because you could survive without an arm or a leg, but once the head was gone, it was game over. So as long as the head hurt, you knew it was there, and you were alive.

The bipedal horse tried to move, but found he was strapped to a chair in the middle of a room. He tried to look around, but he noticed his head felt a bit heavy. He grimaced as he felt the cold metal clamps dig into his wrists and ankles.

A door slammed open on the other side of the room, and in walked the scowling General Richardson, along with Agent Denys with a suitcase. The general's arm was in a sling with a cast over the hand that Cimmaron had crushed under his hoof, and it was clear that he was not happy for it.

"So, Cimmaron," the agent said, pulling up a folding chair and placed it in front of the horse and sat on it as a small card table was placed in between them that the agent could set her suitcase on. "Let's begin with a couple simple questions. Cooperate, and this won't hurt at all. Now, where did you get the pocket watch?"

"I don't know," the horse said, much to the annoyance of the General. "I just have it."

"How does the pocket watch work?" Agent Denys asked.

Cim tried to shake his head, but the heavy thing on his head restricted that. "I don't know. Never got a chance to use it."

Agent Denys opened up the suitcase and pulled out the Chronobook. "What is this?"

"The Chronobook. Apparently has all the information on the multiverse on it. But I seem to be the only person that can access it."

And it's also telepathic Cim added in his mind, making Agent Denys jerk and look at the horse in shock, startling General Richardson for a moment. Cim winked to the agent, but didn't allow himself to smile.

"What's wrong?" the General growled, his eyes back to glaring at the horse.

"Just a... static shock." Agent Denys said, setting the Chronobook down. "How do you know the pocket watch can time travel?"

"I... don't know," the horse replied again.

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!" the General shouted, kicking the table away from in front of Cim and Denys and rising over the restrained horse, his nose nearly touching Cim's. "What the hell do you know?"

Cim looked up at the military man. "I know that you have no patience and no sense of personal space."

The General snarled and backhanded Cim with his good hand, before turning around. "We don't have time for this. We use the device!"

Agent Denys stood up. "General, we don't know what it will do."

"I don't care if it fries him, so long as we get the information!" the General shouted.

What device? Cim asked, making Agent Denys look at the horse.

"Uhh..."

Think it, don't say it, Cim replied.

It's a... memory device. Apparently it can interface with someone's memory and unlock the information. Untested, and, sorry to say, most likely fatal. Agent Denys turned to walk out of the room.

The thing on Cim's head sparked to life, and he could see the General, Denys and a couple technicians at computers on the other side of a glass wall. The General shouted something, and the technician tapped away on his keyboard.

Electricity shot through Cim's head, making his cry out and spasm as it the electricity was pumped through him.

...the multiverse is all the timelines together... Points of Divergences... timelines... Chronodevice can change into anything...

Despite the shock to his brain, or maybe because of it, suddenly a wave of information flooded his mind. It was like something was locked, and now it was open and free...

The General was shouting something, and when one of the technicians protested, the General hit him. The other one quickly imputed the command, and the electricity running through Cim went even higher.

TL 18 A 48: Hitler dies 1923... TL 182 C 281: Roman Empire Doesn't Fall... TL 89 X 827: Ice Age 1800 AD... TL 42 H 26: Aliens Invade 3500 BC...

More knowledge, this time of different universes, all easily categorized, ran through his memory. Dates, people and places; Past present and future all started running through his mind.

The technicians in the room were starting to panic. A surge of power exploded both computers, making everyone in the room duck and cover. The power suddenly shot off, making Cimmaron limp and exhausted. His left arm kept twitching, but his brain was far from harmed. If anything, it was better than ever.

A loud crash made Cim turn his head to see the computer room in front of him was on fire. The General was there barking orders, but the computer guys were trying to get out, followed a moment later by the general as the fire got to high.

Agent Denys? Cim mumbled, not seeing the FBI agent in the room.

"Right here," the woman shouted, prying off the restraints and allowing the horse to move. "You need to get out of here!"

"Why... why were you..."

"Part of my cover. I'm not FBI, I'm an agent for UNAEC, the United Nations Anomaly and Extraterrestrial Council." She pulled out a badge and flashed it to Cimmaron; the familiar UN symbol on a shield. "My job is to make sure you are alive so you can help us later."

Cim groaned as he tried to flex his fingers. "Could have jumped in sooner."

"Sorry about that. Anyway, here," she said, handing over the Chronobook and Chronodevice. "I managed to get a hold of it, but I'm surprised it didn't shock me like it did the others."

Cim stood up, grabbing both devices from her and slipping the book in his pocket. "Maybe because you were a friend? I don't know."

The horse flipped open the pocket watch and smiled. "It almost feels good to have this again. Not that I know why, or how I got it."

"Do you know how it operates?" Agent Denys asked.

"I have a feeling I do. That zap earlier was just what I needed." Cimmaron looked around. "Where is Chris?"

"UNAEC and FBI agents have this place surrounded and they got Chris. Sector Three isn't an American government agency. Somebody else controls this place, and we aim to find out who and why."

Cim nodded. "Well, you have my calling card. Or, rather, my direct line." The horse pushed the fob on the top of the device, and a bright lit orange and white portal opened in front of him. "We will be in touch."

Agent Denys watched as Cimmaron walked through the portal, which then closed behind him and within moments, it looked like the horse never existed. The agent looked for a moment, amazed at what that little pocket watch could do.

"Well, back to work."

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New York City, 2013 AD

It was a whirlwind of activity for Chris. After being rescued from that farmhouse, he was finally back in The Big Apple, now in some office in the United Nations Building overlooking the Hudson River. It had been a long day, and he was starting to get tired. Agent Denys was there, along with a man in a black suit and tie behind a massive desk with computers all over it.

"On behalf of the United Nations, we apologize for what happened to you. We can authorize a substantial payment to you for what happened, but we must require you to sign a non-disclosure form."

Chris nodded, and signed on the dotted line of the paper pushed in front of him.

"Alright, that should settle it," the man behind the desk said. "We've already helped to provide you a cover story, you can go back to work in a few days when you are ready."

Chris barely heard it as Agent Denys guided him out of the office and to the elevators.

"That was... rather anti-climatic," Chris said.

Agent Denys shrugged. "We try to keep things on the down low. Nothing too flashy, or else people notice. And we do not want that."

They were silent again, until the elevator opened in the main lobby. As they walked past diplomats and politicans from around the world, along with tourists and kids on a field trip, Denys turned to Chris. "Would you ever want to met Cimmaron again?"

"I... I don't know. I don't know if I could or not. He wasn't exactly a knight in shinning armor, dashing in to save me."

Denys turned to Chris. "He was very injured. For all I know, it will take weeks to patch it all up.

"It's not my place to tell you how to live your life, but don't pass up any chances. For the rest of your life you will regret it. And remember, he's a time traveler. He can get you back to where you need to be."

Chris didn't reply, his exhaustion finally catching up to him. Denys led him out to her car, where he promptly fell asleep in the passenger seat. He woke up only long enough to get out of the car and into his apartment, before falling asleep on the couch.

He woke up to the smell of cooking bacon and pancakes, rousing him from his clumber. He looked over, and gasped as he saw Cimmaron in his kitchen cooking. He was still in the white dress shirt and black pants, but the trench coat was hanging off to the side, and a gaudy red and white checkered apron was around his neck and hanging down.

"I hope you don't mind the intrusion," the horse said, using the pan to flip a couple pancakes. He turned around with a plate of bacon, pancakes and fruit, and set it in front of the dumbstruck Chris.

Chris continued to watch Cim as he got the last two pancakes on another plate, and he made his way to sit beside Chris at the coffee table.

"Besides, breakfast is the least I can do to apologize for dragging you into that."

Chris looked down, and smiled, before he dug into the food.

"So why did you come here? It wasn't just for breakfast, was it?" He looked the horse up and down. "And you seem to know what your doing now."

Cimmaron chuckled as he ate a piece of pancake. "No, of course not." He sighed and leaned back. "I'll be honest: I have all of space and time, the entire multiverse to go through. It's actually been five years for me. Well, 1884 days since I last saw you. And I do feel a bit guilty for leaving you there, though UNAEC was nice enough to help you out there."

"So is this an apolgy then?" Chris asked, pointing his fork at the horse.

"Well... if you want, sure. Yes, I'm sorry for leaving you there. But also consider this an invitation... even a plea for help."

Chris looked to the horse in surprise. "Help?"

"Five years, two months and four days of hop-scotching around the universe, with the ability to see everything that will happen, ever will, or what could happen if something else happened... it's lonely."

"So you want me to just leave this life and go with you?"

"Well... yes."

There was a silence as they looked at each other. Eventually Cim had to break eye contact and look somewhere else around the room. He noticed a case laying next to Chris' DVD player. "Do you like Star Wars?"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Do you want to go to a place a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?" Cim asked with a smile.

Chris looked at the copy of The Empire Strikes Back that must have been the thing that caught the horse's attention. "You can do that?"

"The multiverse is a weird place. Chances are, if you have seen a movie, read a book, or so much as thought of something unique, there is a timeline with that story on it."

"Yes."

Cim looked to Chris. "Pardon?"

"Let's go see Star Wars," Chris smiled. "I've always wanted to see a Jedi in action."

Cim smiled, and flipped open his watch. "Finish eating. We'll have lunch on Dagobah."