Prologue

Voyagers' mantra:

"We travel through time to help history along;

Give it a push when it's needed.

When the Omni's red, it means history's wrong;

Our job is to get everything back on track.

Green light, kid: We did it!"

The landing was much nicer than any they'd had in a long time. A soft and mushy surface cushioned their fall. Usually, they landed on hard surfaces...like sidewalks, Ford Model-T trucks, and maybe a garbage dumpster or two. Actually, the garbage dumpster wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the smell. The rotting fruits and vegetables made for a soft impact and were definitely much easier on their time travel weary bodies.

"Whaddaya say, Kid? Was this a nice landing, or what?" Phineas Bogg asked as he looked at his young companion, Jeffrey Jones.

"Yeah, it's nice," the teenager replied, wrapping his arms around his shivering body, "but it's cold. Bbrr!"

"Hey, beggars can't be choosers, ya know?" Bogg moved into sitting position in the beautiful, white snow. He was reaching for an object on the side of his belt when Jeffrey said -

"When are we? This stuff looks kinda 'my time."' Jeffrey stood and brushed the snow from his backside as he did so. Dressed in a striped red and white, short-sleeved polo shirt, a pair of brown jeans and Nikes, he wasn't exactly ready for winter. Maybe the sooner they could figure out what was wrong, the faster they could green light it out of there.

"I'm getting to it," Bogg said, as he too stood up. Dressed in a billowy, white pirate blouse and a pair of tight-fitting brown pants and boots, he wasn't dressed for the snow they'd landed on either.

After grabbing the device attached to his belt, Bogg flipped it open. He wasn't surprised to see a red light flashing back at him. However, the date/time display amazed him.

"What's wrong?" Jeffrey asked, moving away from the statue, that had captured his attention.

"The OMNI," Bogg said, handing it to Jeffrey, "is off in a big way. There's no date or time. The location indicator says we're in Port Charles, NY, but that's all it's saying. And, oh yeah, we got a red light. You know anything about Port Chuck?"

"Not exactly," Jeffrey shrugged. "We drove through here once, and if my memory serves, it was kinda cold then, too. Maybe if we walked around a bit, we could figure this thing out."

"Sounds good to me," Bogg nodded. "And, maybe we could pick up some warm clothes while we're at it too. Snow is great for landing, but it sure is cold."

Jeffrey laughed at Bogg's little joke, and together the Voyagers left the park in search of a clue for their latest assignment.

-/-

"Well, it looks like another white Christmas," Michael Morgan commented as he and his cousins left Kelley's Diner. He pulled his coat close around him and tied the scarf around his neck into a double knot.

"Well, when isn't it white?" Kyle asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

Alicia, Kyle's twin, nudged him. "It's not that bad-"

"Yeah, it is," Kyle replied. "It's that bad and worse. Can any of you remember a time when this place wasn't covered in snow? When the wind-chill didn't fall below 32 degrees?"

"I can't remember a time when it wasn't freezing cold here," Michael replied. "I've seen a few pictures, but I've never seen green grass with my own two eyes. Do you guys ever wonder what it would have been like if that Cassadine kid had lived?"

Alicia nodded. A wistful smile graced her delicate features. "I've seen pictures of him. Nikolas Cassadine… He was so handsome. And those dark brown eyes… It's like his soul was reflected in them."

"Geez, Ali," Kyle grunted. "All you ever saw was a picture. Mike's not talking about the guy's looks. Besides, he would have been too old for you."

"I know that, Einstein," Alicia snapped. "I was just saying."

"Hey, now," Michael said, hoping to bring peace to the twins' current disagreement. "You know, it's possible that if Cassadine hadn't died, his uncle never would have rebuilt that crazy weather machine."

Alicia shivered. Her sudden movement caused her brothers to jump. "It's kinda creepy we're talking about this today."

"What's so special about today?" Kyle asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"It's December 8, 2016. Exactly nineteen years ago, Nikolas Cassadine was shot and killed right in front of Lesley Lu's dad's bar. A few days later, his uncle freaked and froze the world."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. I forgot. You're the official Nikolas Cassadine historian."

"Shut up."

Michael spoke quietly as he processed his cousin's statement. "She's right, Kyle. It was today. I remember because it's also the night my father died."

The twins moved in close on either side of Michael. Their arms wrapped around his shoulders. Keesha and AJ's children were aware of their father's bad relationship with his brother, but they were glad that the rift didn't stop their parents from adopting Michael when his own mother abandoned him.

Biologically, they were cousins, but the trio loved each other like brothers and sister. None of them knew the truth. They had no idea how lives changed upon Michael's birth in late December 1997. Nor did they have any idea that their conversation was overheard and their lives were about to be changed…forever.