Avalon

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The Beginning

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Days had been passing in a whim lately. They were finishing case after case and trying to make bureau look as good as it was physically and logically possible. These days were filled with all kinds of undercover, paper, leg and research work.

Neal missed old days, a bit. Not that he didn't appreciate this brand new life with lots of fancy stuff and supposedly easier daily routine.

But it would be lied if he told this was best that could've happened.

On contrary, it the only thing that could happen. And there was no reason to try and look back at what else could've been done to prevent such happenings.

Yes, life in future wasn't something Neal had ever imagined himself. He was usually the one to relive past, not exactly to fantasize about that far future.

But here they were. Year 2121. Impossible, one would think.

One day it's 2011 the next 2121. As if the world suddenly decided to skip a millennium.

And, on one hand, it was, on the other hand, how you were supposed to fit in when everything makes you feel like an outcast.

And Peter's "cowboy up" was starting to loose any power it used to have because, really, how it can be expected for them all just jump back into work when this new world is completely different from what they were used to.

Neal stopped calling himself con-man. Not that he wasn't, he was, still. But it was just too weird. With all these future people. Sometimes he wondered if they were missing something. Like a bit of brains? And why not, after all they just hopped into strangely shaped vehicles and floated in air. And those who still preferred 'ancient' way had nearly bubble shaped cars that were moving due to solar energy or some indescribable nuclear kind of energy that was more for Mozzie's brain to decipher than Neal's to understand.

Peter was okay with this 'new' life. He had nice home, ecological car that drove itself more than Taurus had and he still had his wife and dog. Oh yes, he also still had his CI and even the same job. Most of people were the same around him.

Neal had his CI position, which made him wonder what was this Earth-like planet again, and a new anklet. He knew June and Mozzie was somewhere around, he had heard Alex hadn't been left behind and that Sara was also there. And that was basically all information he had been able to scratch together.

The living wasn't bad. Food was a bit of a challenge though. At least coffee was doing its supposed effects and could be even adjusted in taste.

The new anklet was something that surprised Neal. It had different shape- it was thin. And soft. Almost like a rubber bracelet. It had a soft material on the inside and something metal-like on outside. It all was solid and rather unbreakable. At least the brochure had claimed that.

Well, it was another positive thing in all this situation.

What sucked a bit was that the living quarters weren't even close to June's mansion where he had his spacious room and magnificent view outside the window.

Here it was a complex of compact one-room flats for special cases like him. There lived those that had lived the life of a crime but somehow had gotten their lives sorted out and now wanted to try the good life. At least that was how it was explained to him and Peter. The agent hadn't been too happy, Neal noticed, but the folks really did a good storytelling work. In the end Neal got accommodated for a flat in one of the smaller buildings at the top floor. He had one room with a terrace on one side and window on other, and polite kitchen with all the possibly needed things, a bathroom that had washing machine resembling panel with shower and sink, and separate toilet with sink and rather high-tech cleaning system and toilet paper that reminded a cloud.