part0024

Daniel sat in one of the conference room chairs, surveying the frozen people around him. The same people, even in the same positions, just as he’d seen it in his first jump. He’d jumped to precisely the same time in the future, June 2, 2053 at 1:00:00 p.m. To the second.

The oldest man in the room still leaned against the whiteboard, apparently thinking. A second man sat on the far end of the conference table, staring into space directly in front of him, possibly examining something hovering in the air. What the apparition might be Daniel couldn’t determine. There was nothing there.

A younger woman sat at one side of the table, a tablet computer lying on the table in front of her. She wore the same conservative 1960s-style clothing that everyone in the party zone wore. Muted colors. Understated style. If this was modern fashion, someone must have confused Vogue and GQ with the Sears Roebuck catalog.

Outside the conference room, the party was still in progress just as before. Whatever had changed in the past wasn’t significant enough to cause downstream ripples. At least the major points in the history books hadn’t been rewritten. These people were still expecting him.

He studied the pages on the whiteboard once more. The details weren’t fully explained, but there were links to other documents that matched the summary, including one document that explained how the first CERN teams investigating quantum time had missed several key relationships. It even mentioned Aastazin’s failure to identify these issues and suggested humans were better off when they relied on their own scientific research.

As predicted, the decision to flow forward would be his alone to make. He could sit and watch frozen people forever, but they weren’t going to tell him any more than was on the whiteboard.

A disappointment, but as Griffith had suggested, if preventing the nuclear launch was simple, they’d have explained it with the first coin. There was also no sign of his older self. He’d checked the side hallways and offices. No other Daniel.

The next step might be irreversible, risking everything. His job, his past life, Nala. But he’d always been a scientific optimist with an intrinsic confidence in the technological advancements of the future. These people had offered to help.

He took a position in the main office space, just in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Thirty or so partygoers stood in groups chatting and eating. “This ought to turn some heads.”

He donned the helmet and selected the critical command on the belt controller that would send him into their time.

A rising tone came from the belt and the light flashed in the helmet. He opened his eyes to a room fully lit by the sunshine streaming through the windows behind him.

The sounds of dozens of people in conversation died quickly as everyone in the room pivoted toward Daniel. He removed his helmet, and cheers erupted.

Several men came over to shake his hand. “Let me be the first to welcome you, Dr. Rice,” said the geezer who’d earlier been the centerpiece for his bored female companions. His face now beamed with enthusiasm. “I’m Brother Timothy, the social functions director. I can’t tell you how honored we are that you could join us.”

“Happy to be here,” Daniel said. “I think.” The surroundings looked and felt normal, even if everyone dressed differently. But the bizarre notion that he’d really jumped to the future hadn’t fully sunk in yet.

“I’m sure you’re confused to be here, but don’t worry at all about the so-called perils of time travel,” Timothy responded. “The Committee has that all figured out. They’ll take good care of you. You’ll see.”

Another man shook his hand, introducing himself as Brother John. Another odd title, but then so were their clothes. John seemed an amiable guy, offering Daniel a cola, the can labeled with the same script font from his own day. Some things never change. He accepted the drink, puzzled for an instant about whether 2053 forward-flowing atoms would be okay to consume, and then took a big swig of the ice-cold drink. It certainly helped to quench the thirst from his run.

“Years,” answered another man who introduced himself as Brother Jake. He patted Daniel’s shoulder. “Just kidding. The party started about an hour ago. We knew your arrival time might vary a bit, so we decided to enjoy ourselves by starting a little early. Hope you don’t mind.”

They seemed pleasant enough people, even if they were all monks or strict Baptists. But they’d promised to help, and socializing wasn’t his priority.

“I know this is a big occasion and I’d love to party with you, but I do have some critical questions,” Daniel said .

“Of course, you do,” Timothy said. “And we want you to feel comfortable knowing that everything is under control.” He pointed to another man coming out of the conference room. “Look now. Brother Christopher is right on time to help.”

It was the older man who had leaned against the whiteboard. He had longish gray hair and wore circular wire-rimmed spectacles, almost like John Lennon’s, or maybe Ben Franklin’s. He walked purposefully toward Daniel, a broad smile on his face.

“I’ve been waiting for this day, Dr. Rice,” he said, shaking Daniel’s hand. “All of us have. Even you.”

Brother Christopher’s expression was somber. “We’ll get to that. It’s a bit complicated.” He motioned to the conference room. “There’s much to cover, Dr. Rice. Would you care to join me?”

Daniel nodded, and Brother Christopher led. The rest of the partygoers quickly formed a receiving line to the conference room door, each person reaching out to shake Daniel’s hand and wish him well as he passed by. The women even curtseyed as if he was royalty, and their handshakes were just as dainty, mostly fingers.

The love pouring from the room was a little overwhelming. Never good at being a celebrity, Daniel had always been awkward in his television appearances back in his own time. Fans encountered individually on the street or in a restaurant were much easier, but he completely understood why movie stars sometimes ran from crowds.

With the conference room door closed, he felt an instant release of tension. Christopher introduced Daniel to two other men in the room and motioned to the only woman present. “Sister Angela will capture our conversation.” Angela tipped her head. On the other side of the glass wall, the crowd dispersed, returning to their office party even though the guest of honor had left .

Brother Christopher put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder and nodded to the crowd on the other side of the conference room glass. “Thanks for indulging us. You enjoy your privacy, I know.” He motioned to Daniel to select a chair and then took a seat at the head of the table.

“Once. Last year. You looked very well then, but you look much younger today.” He smiled, flashing perfectly white teeth. A very handsome man, probably in his late sixties.

“Then I’m at a disadvantage. You’ve met me, but I haven’t met you… until I’m much older.” Did his older self remember meeting Brother Christopher in this conference room during his jump to the future? Sorting through the convoluted logic for which memories might exist in another version of himself was a surefire way to end up with a headache.

“Brother Christopher Holloway at your service. You might say I manage this level of our office. I’d give you my e-card, but you’re not yet equipped to receive it. We’ll take care of that in a minute.”

Daniel’s mind was filled with questions, but he led with the most obvious. “With all the family titles, brother, sister, everyone seems to be part of a religious organization.”

“I wouldn’t expect a religious organization to have expertise in time manipulation. In my day, it was the realm of select scientific teams.”

He leaned back in his chair, looking self-assured. “Times change, Dr. Rice. How well did those select teams do in preparing you for your jump? I’m guessing that things didn’t quite work out as planned. Am I right?”

“A few hiccups, yes.” Daniel leaned forward on his elbows. “I wasn’t expecting to be speaking with you at all. It was supposed to be a quick smash-and-grab operation.” He nodded toward the whiteboard, still displaying the messages he’d seen in empros time. “It appears I’ve already made subtle changes to the past.”

Christopher folded his hands together. “Never mind that the jump wasn’t what you expected, Dr. Rice. Or that we’re not the organization you expected. The important thing is that you’re here now. We can work with that.”

Angela’s fingers moved as they spoke, though not like keyboard typing in his day. More fluid, as if she only needed to touch a few locations on the ovals beneath her hands and the rest was filled in by magic. Maybe the device was translating their audio and she was only adding notes.

She looked up as Daniel paused, her hands poised for whatever words of wisdom were about to be spoken.

Good so far, the but the burning issue would need to be settled before Daniel’s anxiety would calm. “Can you help me get back? In my day, an android representative from Sagittarius Novus advised that after flowing forward in a future time, I could never return. Something called snapback.”

Christopher nodded. “You’ve been misinformed. What people call snapback is easily managed. The real hazard is temporal dislocation, but it, too, is not insurmountable. Rest assured, we can help.”

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Over the years, we’ve found Aastazin and his colleagues to be less than reliable.”

“How about now?” The man had been helpful so far, but it was still worth pushing on this particular topic. Daniel didn’t relish the idea of dying to serve his country, and while Zin was certainly cagey, Daniel didn’t agree that he was unreliable.

Christopher laughed. “Not that easy, Dr. Rice. The Committee would need to approve contact with Aastazin or any other representative of Sagittarius Novus. We don’t speak with them much anymore.”

A falling out between humans and our alien partners. Whatever had happened would probably require a longer discussion, worthwhile, but not immediately critical. Besides, too much knowledge of future relationships might not be wise for someone expecting to return to the past. Even Zin had agreed with that principle.

Christopher held out a hand. “Give me the belt. We’ll have our people start working on it immediately.”

Daniel hesitated. “What are you going to do? For me, this is kind of an important device.”

Christopher shook his head. “It’s not my area of expertise, but I assure you, we have the right people. The Committee is responsible for every aspect of temporal management. You’ll find that we’re far more careful than the scientists of your day. ”

He laughed, pointing at the leather contraption around Daniel’s waist. “Really, look at that thing. This is how your people manipulated something as sensitive as time? Utterly absurd. Like doing surgery with garden shears.”

The loose wire that Chloe had tacked down with her lip piercing was beginning to wiggle again. It was easier to see the faults of the past once you were firmly in the future. Hindsight. He probably should have never come. He should have refused the president. Demanded a more thorough testing, smaller jumps, with reliable equipment. Too late now. He had committed to the future. He might not get back without their help.

Daniel removed the belt, stored it in the duffel with the helmet and pushed the bag across the table. “How long will it take?”

“Mmm. Twenty-four hours. Maybe a little longer. In the meantime, I’ll arrange for you to meet with Committee Security. They’ll provide the briefing you’ll need.”

“Yes, and other related matters. After that, while you’re waiting for a much-needed equipment upgrade, I hope you’ll join us as an honored guest. We will make your stay just as pleasant as we can.”

Daniel held up a hand. “I appreciate your hospitality, but I do need to be careful. Remember, once I return, the politicians of my time are going to take action on whatever I tell them. It might not be a good idea for either of us if I learn too much. Your world could change. It probably will change.”

Christopher handed the duffel bag to one of the other men, who took it and left. “There is some debate about that, yes. One timeline or multiple branches with multiple worlds? Different versions of you and me? It’s all very confusing, and I leave it for the philosophers to study. In the meantime, you’re on a mission, and my job is to help you fulfill it.”

“At least overnight. Dr. Rice, if you’re worried about the air, or food, or water, don’t be. The air you breathe is no different than in your own time. Perhaps slightly more carbon dioxide, but our world is addressing that problem, and doing quite well at solving it, I might add. My point is, your health is not at risk by spending the night with us.”

“Okay.” He certainly felt healthy, just as Chloe had reported when she’d returned from tomorrow.

Christopher lowered his head and peered over the top of his glasses. “We do have something special planned for the evening, if you’ll indulge us.”

Christopher looked confused. “Well, if you’re not, don’t tell the historians. Or the celebration organizers. They’ve been planning this event for a while.”

It was possible that Becton had a lower level of interaction than the FBI thought, perhaps even remaining unobserved in empros time. Yet, Becton had managed to bring the holographic coin from the future back with him. That required some level of interaction.

“Indulge us, Dr. Rice. This is an historic day, one that every person in this nation has read about in school. It’s only one night.”

A celebration, with Daniel as the guest of honor. It sounded awful. He wasn’t great at socializing. Small talk bored him, and he wasn’t planning on asking the bigger questions about the future .

On the other hand, a limited reconnaissance might not be a bad thing. The president would certainly ask about the reliability of the information he’d gathered, and this society had a few quirks worth investigating. The fact that they didn’t know about Becton was fascinating by itself.

One evening. He’d need to wait overnight for the belt upgrade anyway. From a time travel perspective, the delay didn’t really matter. Even a week in the future wouldn’t postpone his report to the president by a single second. Once they had the belt fixed, he’d return precisely to his starting point.

“Okay, sure. I’d be delighted to attend the celebration. But, uh… we will do the nuclear briefing first, right?”

Christopher chuckled. “Always on task. You’re just the same as your older self. Yes, briefing first.”

Christopher’s smile tightened. “I’ll leave that question for Committee Security if you don’t mind. I’ll take you there next, but before we go, I’ll need to bring you up to modern standards.”

Brother Christopher reached into a cabinet and withdrew a small plastic box, setting the box in front of Daniel. “Modernization for the visiting caveman. Yours to keep.”

Daniel lifted the top of the box and peered inside. It was a coin, very much like the one Becton had brought back with him.

Daniel lifted it from its case and twisted the coin in his fingers. A three-dimensional hologram of an eagle popped from its surface as it rotated. On the opposite side was a hologram of a sharp-pointed building, probably the very building he now occupied. The coin shimmered in silver and gold colors. He felt along its edge for a hidden compartment, but there was none. Subtle differences between this coin and Becton’s version .

“Olinwuns have been around for years, with a variety of models for different purposes. This version will do everything your old cellular telephone did, plus your laptop computer, and your car keys, and your wallet, and a lot more. It’s why we call it an olinwun. You understand? All. In. One.”

“Ah, yes. Clever.” He held the coin between his thumb and index finger and placed its edge on the table, ready to start it spinning. “Oh, I guess I need a mirror.”

“You don’t, at least not here. Spinning on a mirror is only required in places that lack a fully functional power infrastructure.”

“Yes, quite easily. The coin is one of many receivers. Just lay it on the table and tap the eagle with your finger. Your biosignature will activate it.”

Daniel did as instructed. The eagle hologram disappeared and was replaced by words floating in the air just above the coin.

He touched the coin once more, and a full page popped into the air, rendered as realistically as if a piece of white paper were being held up. On it was every detail of his personal life. His birth date, age (74), Social Security number (partially hidden), address (a number and street that he didn’t recognize) and considerably more.

“Sorry about the age,” Christopher said. “The system is not yet aware that you’ve arrived, but it’s fully capable of tracking two instances of the same person. Security can fix that for you. I’ll let them know. ”

“Understandable. In my time, we don’t have two instances of the same person roaming around the world at the same time.”

“Rare here too. You’ll find that this device is very handy. Intuitive too. You probably won’t need any instructions. For now, just carry it in your pocket. But we’ll have time before the celebration to upgrade your clothes to our modern standards. Among other improvements, you’ll find a slot in the pants specifically designed to carry your olinwun.”

He wondered what he’d look like in one of those polyester jackets and cuffed slacks. “Thanks, but no need for an upgrade. My clothes are fine.”

Christopher’s eyes darted up and down as if he was evaluating a dubious claim. “You sure? There’s a shop right in the building, and your olinwun already has sufficient monetary credits, courtesy of the Committee.”

He glanced down at his white shirt and casual gray pants. “But I’m a time traveler from the past. Shouldn’t I look the part?”

Christopher nodded. “Well, you certainly stand out, Dr. Rice. Let me know if you change your mind.”

Daniel flipped the coin in the air. It produced a nice ring and landed in his palm. “Beyond buying clothes, I assume I’ll need this device while I’m here?”

“Yes, for building access, security protocols and the like. From here on out, there won’t be any open doors with people waiting for you on the other side. This afternoon was a special case.”

“I was wondering about that. How did you get the elevator, and the lights, and that whiteboard to work in empros time? The rest of the city was dark.” His question fit within the guidelines of a limited investigation. He was curious too.

“Empros-facing electrical systems are not easy and not inexpensive either. Some of the technology within this building was designed for this very day. Perhaps you see the importance of your presence, Dr. Rice.”