Chapter Three: The Salvation of Paradise

[The Mighty Thor]

”They are untrusting,” thought the wild-eyed prophet. It was obvious to the man known as Zarrko that they had secrets that they intended to keep guarded. That was no surprise to him of coarse, as secrets were common place in these tunnels. But understanding their motives did little to sate the curiosity that the Watches mere presence raised in him. Zarrko had been dubbed Seer by the people here, the prophet that would lead them against their enemies. But Zarrko was no Seer, not in the literal meaning at least. He was a time traveler. A man who had slid back and forth along the time-stream so often he had an intimate knowledge of history: past, present and future. And that was why this group of strangers startled him so, for he had no knowledge of their existence anywhere in time. It was as if they existed outside the parameters of time and space itself.

And then as if to confirm his hunch, the dark haired young woman spoke. She explained that this group was from a different reality, obviously outside the sphere of Zarrko’s expertise. She too was guarded with her comments, only giving him and his fellows a brief explanation, with no clue to the stranger’s motives. But there was one amongst the Watch that could not hold his tongue. He seemed irritated with the way his allies conducted themselves, and wasted no time in revealing their mission to Pietro and anyone else standing close enough to hear his impetuous words. But it was one of those words in particular that sent a ripple through the gathered crowd. Everyone within earshot collectively held their breath and began exchanging suspicious glances when Logan said the name “Kya,” but it was Pietro who seemed most affected by the comment. A flash of rage crossed the already irritated man’s face and in a momentary loss of self control, he rushed Logan at super-speed, getting right in the man’s face, noses almost touching. In a highly protective tone of voice, Pietro demanded, “What do you know of Kya?!”