[ WP ] Stopping time is commonplace among society . One day , you ask a coworker about a task that is assigned and you know he is going to stop his time to research and complete . After the question is asked , he appears incredibly aged and war warn . You ask what the hell he just went through .

`` So you're finishing up your research on this time-stopping business, hey? I thought we'd figured it all out by now.'' 
 
 Frank smiled, and wagged his finger. `` We know how to do it, but we do n't know why it works.'' He momentarily looked troubled. `` Besides, there's been some anomolies lately...'' 
 
 `` Interesting. Well, cheers Frank, it's been nice knowing you.'' I held out my hand ironically. 
 
 He laughed. `` I do n't like goodbyes.'' He winked, and pressed his time warp device. 
 
 Then he hit the floor. 
 
 `` Fuck-'' 
 
 That's all I could say. One minute he was the usual 30-something Frank, now he looked like he'd been through two World Wars. He just needed to do some research. What the hell happened? 
 
 He looked up at me, shaking. He was blind in one eye. 
 
 `` They... know...'' 
 
 `` Who does, Frank? What happened to you??'' I grabbed him, and his clothes were wet. 
 
 `` They know, John... *they know*.'' 
 
 He stopped breathing. I felt my hands dripping, and without looking, I knew it was blood. I fell to one knee. 
 
 Sarah walked in, saw Frank, and screamed. 
 
 `` Frank?!'' She exclaimed, running towards him. 
 
 `` It's useless, Sar... Sarah?'' 
 
 Sarah was gone. She had n't even touched her time warp device. She was just *gone*. 
 
 My coworkers streamed in. They must have heard her scream. I looked up at them, frantic. 
 
 `` Guys, Frank's dead, Sarah's gone - what the fuck is happening?'' 
 
 They looked at me like I was crazy. One of my coworkers gestured towards me. `` John... why are you kneeling on the floor? What are you on about?'' 
 
 I stared. Frank was gone. Who even was Sarah? Everything felt so wrong. I looked at everyone; why did it seem like there were fewer people than before? But that did n't make any sense. I'd always worked with eight people. Or was it seven? I'm sure it was six. 
 
 Some primitive part of my brain was going crazy. I could n't explain what was happening, but everything just felt so *wrong*. 
 
 *It was nine. It's always been nine. * 
 
 I looked around the room. Three people, including me. Was n't there a body on the floor? Why were they all here? Where's Frank? Who *is* Frank? 
 
 *People are disappearing. * 
 
 I stared at Megan. She seemed as confused as me. `` Megan, *where is everyone? *'' 
 
 `` What do you mean, John? Who is ev-'' 
 
 Megan was never there. I was alone. 
 
 *There were NINE*. 
 
 I looked at the time device. 
 
 Frank was real. They all were. And Frank had fought them, whatever'they' were. He'd been given a chance, at least. 
 
 I was n't going to disappear. Win or lose, I was going to fight them, on their own playing field. 
 
 I held my breath, and pressed the time dev
