The next day, a new visitor arrived- a woman in her early thirties, sharp-eyed and dressed in a tailored pantsuit that screamed both authority and rebellion. She introduced herself as Dr. Elena Voss, head of LOOP's "Innovation Division," a faction of younger management pushing to expand the anomaly's applications. Her energy crackled like live wire as she stood in the cell block, flanked by guards who looked more like tech interns than soldiers.
"We're not here to contain the anomaly," she said, pacing in front of their cells. "We're here to harness it. Imagine controlling time itself...erasing pollution by preventing industrial disasters, toppling corrupt regimes before they rise, rewriting history to create a cleaner, fairer world. That's what Redrow Country Maps was supposed to be...a blueprint for environmental restoration through temporal intervention. But we need your help to scale it."
Jake scoffed. "You want to play god with a time machine? How's that different from what Keating's doing?"
Elena's smile didn't waver. "Keating wants to bury this place. I want to weaponize it for good. And I'm willing to pay you a fortune to collaborate. You've survived the anomaly's worst effects.....that makes you the perfect test subjects… and partners."
Lila crossed her arms. "Partners? We're prisoners."
"Not if you agree." Elena tapped a tablet, and holographic maps flickered to life...aerial views of deforested regions, oil spills, smog-choked cities. "Redrow's initial models show we could reverse 80% of global carbon emissions by eliminating key events in the past. But we need precise data from inside the anomaly's core.....data only you can gather."
Samuel leaned forward, curiosity piqued despite himself. "You're talking about retroactive environmental engineering. But time doesn't work linearly here. How do you ensure changes stick?"
"By anchoring alterations to stable timelines," Elena said, as if it were obvious. "The anomaly isn't a single thread...it's a web. We isolate strands, reweave them. And you'd be paid handsomely for every 'correction' made."
Ronald, silent until now, stepped to the glass. "You're naïve. The anomaly isn't a tool,it's a predator. Feed it ambitions, and it'll devour you."
Elena met his gaze. "You sound like Keating. Clinging to fear. But the world's burning, Doctor. Sometimes you have to risk the unthinkable to save it."
Later, in the dimness of their cells, the group argued.
Jake "She's selling the same poison as Keating, just in a shinier bottle."
Samuel "But what if she's right? If we could undo the past...."
Lila "We'd become the dictators of history. Who decides what's 'bad'? Them?" She jerked her chin toward Elena's empty tablet.
Ronald "The anomaly doesn't allow control. It distorts intent. You might try to stop a war and accidentally ignite three others."
Samuel "Or we might save millions. Isn't that worth the risk?"
A guard slid a contract through the food slot,lucrative terms, promises of freedom, and a list of "targets": oil barons, deforestation magnates, dictators. All erasable, according to Elena, with minimal ripple effects.
By dawn, they'd struck a deal. Not out of trust, but necessity.
"We'll help," Jake told Elena, "but we set the first target. And we retrieve Jeremiah and Miya first."
Elena hesitated, then nodded. "Deal. But remember....the anomaly doesn't forgive hesitation. You'll need to act decisively."
As she left, Lila muttered, "This'll end in fire."
Jake watched Elena's retreating figure. "Maybe. But if we're holding the match, we might at least aim it."