the gills. It’s been so long since I’ve done this.’’

An opening appeared at the end of the tunnel. Brent took a deep breath and was shot from the portal, landing on damp grass. He stood up and brushed the grass from his shorts.

Brent took in a deep breath of air he hadn’t breathed in for five years since his insertion into Nome.

‘’Man, it feels great to be back in my own time again.’’ He replied happily. But Brent knew this wasn’t a vacation; he had to find out who this rival of his is and what he had done to tick this guy off. He turned and laid his eyes upon the skyscraper of the Earth, a sight unimaginable in 1954. Walking down the carbide streets, he passed many dogs that looked at him strangely, as if he were from another world. Finally, Brent arrived at the stairs of the ITTI; the International Time Travel Institute. This was the place where Brent was given his first time travel orders. Stepping through the doors, Brent MacWolf headed to the front desk where an attractive Golden Retriever sat chewing some gum.

‘’Name?’’ she asked.

Brent smiled and answered, ‘’Brent Edward MacWolf.’’

The retriever looked up.

‘’Brent,’’ she gasped, ‘’is that really you?’’

He nodded.

‘’In the flesh…errm, I mean fur.’’

The Retriever jumped up and gave Brent a hug.

‘’We all thought you were dead! I’ll send you in to see General Macduff immediately.’’ She ran behind her desk and pressed a small red button. The steel doors to the left of the desk opened and Brent walked inside. The room was mostly lit by small lights, creating very little visibility. At the end of the long corridor was a door that led to the general’s office. Brent knocked on General Macduff’s door, and it slid open. He stepped into a large cylindrical room. A large unbroken window lined the left side of the room, and on the right sat a wooden desk, and three chairs. Behind the desk and the St. Bernard general were three bookcases filled with reading material and a photo of the late Mrs. Macduff. Brent walked up to the desk and sat down on a chair. General Macduff looked up and fell backward.

‘’MacWolf,’’ he spluttered, ‘’what the bloody hell is this about? Come back from the dead or something?’’

Brent chuckled.

‘’Not quite General,’’ he explained, ‘’I’m here to save my girlfriend.’’

‘’Wait a minute, ‘’Macduff put up his paw, stopping Brent from talking further, ‘’you got a girl during your assignment in 1954?’’

Brent was about to explain, when Macduff put his paw down on the desk.

‘’Agent MacWolf, need I remind you that as a member of the ITTI, you are to follow the strict guidelines you swore on. That means, no fraternising with individuals from other time periods!’’ he questioned.

‘’Sir, with all due respect, ‘’ Brent noted, ‘’Even though the risk of a paradox was there, I actually liked it in the past. I went into semi-retirement so to speak.’’

Macduff eyed Brent’s 50’s style clothes.

‘’And judging by your attire, I’d say you definitely embraced the time period.’’

Brent knew he was wasting time. He stood up and put both paws on his general’s desk.

‘’Sir, I need to access the archival records, ‘’ he pleaded, ‘’someone from my past...I mean “future-past” is trying to destroy my life. I need those records!’’

General Macduff was stubborn, and didn’t budge.

‘’Regardless if your mate is in trouble, only I can access the archives. I’m sorry Brent, but you cannot used the records.’’

Brent stood straight up and kicked his chair to the other side of the room. Before he left, General Macduff added, ‘’Oh, and change those hideous clothes.’’

Brent turned and gave him the one-bird salute.

‘’Oh course General Asshole, whatever you say.’’

Brent stormed out of his superior’s office, slamming the door behind him. General Macduff chuckled.

‘’I’m glad he’s back. I missed his attitude and lack of respect.’’

Brent walked into the front lobby and saw someone opening the archives. Sneaking up behind them, Brent scampered inside, just as the door locked shut. Brent hid behind some crates and watched a lieutenant of the ITTI leave and lock the door behind them. Brent stood up and flipped through the agent’s records, coming to a folder with his name on it. Flipping through the many paper, he found something promising. It was a criminal profile of Rick Scythes, a major player in the crime world and his worst enemy ever. Pin a small side note, it stated that Rick was slightly insane before his capture, and all those years in solitary confinement were bound not to help at all. Suddenly, Brent heard the door unlocking. Hiding, he saw the lieutenant return and see nothing out of the ordinary. The door locked again and Brent was left alone. Folding the document, he placed it in his pocket and climbed out the window on the opposite side of the archives room. Standing up, Brent looked at his clothes.

‘’Time to get some new threads.’’ He said to himself and headed for the closest clothing store.

Brent walked into a store called the Cacky Barn. Walking through the doors, the clerk stared over at Brent’s 50s attire.

‘’Where’d you find those rags, the museum of crappy old junk?’’

Brent shook his head.

‘’Life is wasted so much on you, it’s pathetic.’’ He remarked and grabbed some clothing that looked like they’d remotely go together. Walking into the change room, Brent swapped his clothes and emerged looking cooler than ever. Brent had chosen a loose but casual collared shirt, spotted here and there with white squares over the sky blue base. On his lower half hung a pair of black shorts with a red belt and to top it off, a cross hung around his neck on a chain. The clerk’s face looked like it has stretched out of proportion.

‘’How much for this setup?’’ Brent questioned. The clerk snapped out of her trance and answered, ‘’$75.00.’’

Brent placed his credit card on the counter, watched the clerk scan the card and hand it back to him. Once he was outside, Brent had to get to work. He had already wasted forty-five minutes as it was, and he could not afford to lose any more time at this point. Walking back to the ITTI, Brent used the regna scanner and accessed the hallway that led to the large underground car hangar. The thin corridor was a tight fit, but it was large enough for any fit agent to access. Finally, Brent arrived at a second thick steel door. Another regna scan later, and he was inside the large car hangar. Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and many more high-performance cars sat in wait for their next drive. But in the far corner sat a dusty old black 1986 Camaro; this was Brent’s car. It may not be as technologically advanced as the other models in the garage, but Brent was happy with it because it took the least amount of gas in the entire ITTI. He opened the door and sat in his red-upholstered driver’s seat. He slammed the door shut and put his foot down on the gas pedal. The Camaro roared to life and sped forward under the open hangar door, catching air as he exited it.

The Dark Alley District of Nome, 3:52 pm,

Brent stopped his car near the side walk and walked into the Dark Alley District; a mass of black alleyways and dark areas that only a fool would walk into at night. Brent passed a few pedestrians and saw a dog with a brown cloak and hat covering his face. It was Brent’s contact, and only he could give the information required. Brent walked up and replied, ‘’it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?’’

The dog lifted his head, exposing his face; a scarred and faded mass of skin. He nodded.

‘’Yes it has MacWolf,’’ he answered, ‘’but knowing you, you didn’t come to say hello, did you?’’

Brent chuckled.

‘’You know me way too well Vince, he then pulled out the document from the archives, ‘’I need some info on this dog’s whereabouts.’’

Vince accepted the document and sighed, ‘’not here, it’s way too dangerous. We have to go somewhere where we can blend in.’’

Brent pointed at Vince face, ‘’with that face dude, you could fit in at a graveyard.’’

Vince grabbed his forehead and pulled off the mask. Under the grotesque exterior was a clean-cut face.

‘’Vince, you never told me you had a…’’

Vince covered Brent’s mouth.

‘’I wear this so I don’t look rich and get mugged idiot.’’ He hissed. Brent nodded and asked, ‘’so where is our meeting place exactly?’’

Vince smiled and threw Brent a small laminated card with the letters VIP printed on it. Brent had a funny feeling he knew where they were going. Vince motioned for Brent to follow, which he obeyed and did. Soon the two arrived at a dance club. Getting past the security, the two entered through the wooden-stained