Corrupted Time

Prologue

Prologue:  2020 C.E.Past Time:

The shotgun blast popped the lock on the door.  With a kick the door crashed against the interior wall and began to rebound back.  The first man was through, semi-automatic 9mm in his hand before the door had completed the rebound.  A moment later he was followed by a second man, who carried the universal door knocker, a shotgun.  Both had their arms pointed out, ready for a response as they moved forward.  The house was dark but for a few lights.  The two men entered the kitchen/living room area, both tracking to their sides of the room.  As they rounded a corner they headed down the hallway towards the bedroom areas, and their targets.  

They entered the master bedroom where the husband and wife were just starting to stir.  With a punch to the head the man fell off the bed, he had been hit hard plenty of times and taken hits before.  He rolled with the punch and came back up, barely standing.  His overweight body and slower response was no match for the man as the man with the semi-automatic smashed a gloved hand into his large belly.  The fat man doubled over and hit the ground unable to take another hit.  The wife began to scream only to find the second man had duct taped her mouth shut and then tied her hands.  A piece of duct tape was wrapped around the fat mans hands behind his back, binding him.  The two left the room moving down the hallway.  

In the next bedroom there was a young boy who had been awakened by the noise.  He was incapacitated by a bang to his head and duct tape around his hands behind his back.  A daughter was found in the third bedroom.  She was the youngest and had slept through the entire.  She didn't resist.  The men looked for a third child, but didn't see one.  Their contract included a  third child, but the other bed in the girls room was empty.  A quick search of the room didn't find the girl.  This would complicate matters.  They would have to fire the house now.  

They missed the scared eyes of the five year old huddled behind the small screen in the back of the closet. Each of the children had used this place as their place to get away from the world.  The place where they would hide and not have to have interference from anyone.  The little girl was the only one who could fit in the space now, and it had saved her life so far. 

They dragged the part of the family that they knew about into the living room, crushing them against each other and the couch.  The one with the automatic put his finger to his ear. 

"The family is gathered." he said into the comm.

A few minutes later a man walked through the shattered door.  He was wearing an all black suit with a tailored look.  His shoes were shiny and of a high quality.  The man was balding, but his goatee was flush with silver hair and a tiny dimple of black just below the center of his mouth.  He wore glasses with wired gold rims.  His walk demonstrated a confidence that spoke of how he must own the world.  Behind him walked one other man.  He was large, heavyset with a body structure that spoke of fat instead of weight.

He walked up to the family, gazing down at the family with no emotion.  

"Take that tape of his mouth," the man with the gold rimmed glasses directed.  The large strong man who had accompanied the gold rimmed glasses man into the room reached down and yanked the tape off the boys face.  The boy made a noise of pain and suffering at the action. 

"Aloysius Baldo the third?" the man asked the boy.

The boy stared, incomprehensibly.  He had no idea what was going on.  His father tried to get up, but his bulk kept him from moving quickly.  The man with the shotgun used the butt of it to smack the man in the head, the father ended up back on the floor.  

"I believe I asked a question," the man with the gold rimmed glasses said.  "Answer me boy."

"That's me," the boy said quietly.