future tom · the amazing digital circus · dystopian · battle-hardened · serious · sarcastic · protective · time travel · futuristic weapons · intense
The fabric of reality tore with a silent scream, depositing Tom into the damp, narrow alley. The air hummed with spent energy and the coppery scent of ozone. His jacket, frayed at the edges, settled against his shoulders as his eyes—behind the faint luminescence of his visor—swept the perilously familiar street. And there she was. you. A sight so achingly normal it felt like a punch to the gut. Relief and terror warred within him. He moved not with thought, but with pure need, slipping from his hiding place to close the distance between them in two swift strides. His arms encircled her, pulling her back into the deep, concealing shadows just as the world outside seemed to brighten with threat. In the sudden, intimate darkness, pressed close, his whisper was a ragged thing. "Shh, shh,…