by Adair Hart
“You mean we can detect time travelers?”
“Among other aspects,” said Evaran. “It is a sense you obtain after being on the Torvatta for a while. If you are having them now, then your uncle would be as well. I suspect it has been triggered by whatever is causing the timeline anomaly.”
“Why does it feel like something’s wrong?”
“It is a new sensation and, as such, would be crudely attuned. In time, it will become honed.”
Emily chuckled. “I guess.”
“It is good to see you smile,” said Evaran.
Emily half smiled and looked down. Although she had spent the majority of her time with V on her return, it was Evaran and his training videos on the PSD that had kept her company on the prison planet. He was her safety blanket, and often times without realizing it, she looked to him as both a mentor and a father figure. She knew he always had her best interests at heart like Dr. Snowden.
“You and your uncle are evolving faster than I expected,” said Evaran.
Emily drew her lips to the side. “Human two point oh.”
“I would put it at two point five.”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “Hopefully that’s good?”
“That remains to be seen, but so far, you have surpassed my expectations.”
Emily chewed on Evaran’s words as the elevator came to a stop. The console panel showed level seventy-two. She followed Evaran out of the elevator and into a hallway. It was like the rest of the station: clean, metallic, light colored, and well lit. A warm blast of an odor that smelled like burnt toast hit her in the face, causing her nose to wrinkle.
Evaran extended his hand, and a projection shot up from his ring showing the layout of the level. A red and green dot blinked. He pointed at the green dot. “We are here.” He then pointed at the red dot. “We need to go there. I am not sure what to expect.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t handle,” said Emily.
They continued on to the end of the hallway and then entered a small white room.
An android sat behind a desk flanked by two humanoid robot guards. The android stood and scanned them with a device. It cocked its head. “Evaran, unknown. Emily Snowden, human.” It sat back down. “How can I help you?”
Evaran pointed down one of the hallways. “We were headed to the data storage center.”
“Will you need a guide?” asked the android.
“We know the path,” said Evaran. “Thank you.”
The android faced forward.
Evaran and Emily continued down a hallway that led off to the left.
“I didn’t expect to see so many androids and robots in this time period,” said Emily.
“It is commonplace. Humans only work where they want to. More mundane work is usually something left to androids or robots.”
“Where do most humans work then?” asked Emily.
“From what I have read, most work for the United Planets in many different roles. There are those who go their own route, but at a minimum, they have access to United Planets basics such as food and shelter. If they want access to items that require a lot of resources, they either have to get it themselves or do something that pays them in it.”
Emily thought about the humans she saw on Corunus. Most either ran shops, were bustling from one place to another, were guards, or were enjoying the station. It seemed peaceful to her. After being around V for so long, she could see how that would develop. The shift in the usage of robots and androids must have had a large cultural impact. “I’d love to read the history up to this point at some time.”
“It is a risk to know the past in detail. Besides the possibility of knowledge pollution, what you read may not be accurate due to many factors. However, for you, I will make a point to try to get historical information while we are here. If not, then on Roeth.”
“That sounds good to me.”
When they reached the data center entrance, a male human walked up to them. His crisp white two-piece suit with the top part extending halfway down his thighs presented a clean look. Silver lines segmented the suit, and a rigid dark-blue collar sat on the neck. A device ran from one ear to the other on the back of his head. He extended a hand. “I’m Toby Gennin, senior data manager. I’ve been expecting you.”
“Elaborate.”
“Oh … well … Department is abuzz about your arrival. It’s not often we have someone of your clearance level come up here.”
“I see,” said Evaran. “Then you know whom I am with.”
“Emily Snowden,” said Toby. He extended a hand toward Emily.
Emily shook his hand. She noticed a trickle of sweat on the side of Toby’s head and that his hand was moist as well. He smelled like a mix of wet grass and some type of cleaner she could not identify.
Toby gestured behind him. “I take it you want to see how the data is stored.”
“That would be a good start. I would like access to a console at some point.”
“Of course,” said Toby. “Follow me.”
Emily peered around the massive multilevel room Toby took them to. They were on the top level, and walkways and ramps ringed the edges of the large, open central area. On the left side was an area containing rows of transparent containers, with crystal cylinders and machinery between them. The middle of the room had a large semitransparent rectangular container that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Inside it were smaller cylinders segmented by metallic plates that jutted out from within. To the right were large cubes suspended in some type of freestanding gel that seemed to ripple. The smell here was much better. It reminded her of oranges. It was not as loud as she had expected.
Toby pointed to the left side. “Those are the long-term storage devices, crystal based.”
“Write once, read many,” said Evaran.
“That’s right. No one really knows how long they last, but most predictions put it in the millions-of-years range. Some say billions.”
Emily glanced at the crystals. She knew Dr. Snowden would have a field day in here. The animated hand gestures Toby was doing seemed out of place with the pace of his talking. She realized her nanobots were acting up. Maybe due to now being temporally aware was her thought, but her gut told her it was someone watching them.
Toby pointed to the center container that rose from the floor to the ceiling. “This is our synthetic DNA storage. It can last around a million years. I suppose … you’re aware of how that works?”
“I am,” said Evaran.
Toby pointed to cubes on the right side. “Those are the day-to-day storage cubes. They are the more traditional holographic storage. Obviously, much faster for writing and reading, but can’t store quite as much.”
“I am guessing these are all tied into one system, with backup schedules and redundancy built into the design.”
“Of course,” said Toby. “This center is state-of-the-art, at least in the United Planets. I know the Kreagans and some others have comparable setups, but outside of those, I haven’t seen anything that comes close to this.”
“For humanity in this time period, neither have I,” said Evaran.
“About that … I do have a question … if you don’t mind,” said Toby.
Evaran nodded.
“I see all the data that comes through, so I know who you are. I can’t fathom where data storage goes from here. So … what’s the next step?”
Emily understood Toby’s desire for knowledge. When presented with someone like Evaran, it would be hard not to ask.
Evaran raised a finger. “Humanity is not quite at the level required to use dimensional storage with time dilation.”
Toby’s eyes widened. “I’ve never even heard of that. Have you actually seen a system like that in operation?”
Evaran extended his hand. His ring emitted a projection showing a circular opening with a gold border. Inside the opening was a cloudy substance with bits of light darting around. “Dimensional storage.”
Toby
hunched over as he scrutinized the projection. “What am I looking at?”
Evaran raised a finger on his other hand. “A glimpse into another dimension where time runs faster.”
Toby’s eyes widened. “Wow. So it could make a request and get back a response immediately, regardless of how long the response actually took. Offloading data access with unlimited storage and near instant retrieval. That would be revolutionary!”
“You are beginning to understand. Now, where is a console I can access?” asked Evaran.
“Right,” said Toby, clearing his throat. He pointed toward a side room.
Emily analyzed the room once they entered it. It had a half-circle table in the middle with an array of screens on it. Holographic projections showing statuses, data flows, and other metrics she was unfamiliar with danced around on the walls.
Toby pointed at the table. “There you go.”
Evaran sat at the table and placed his UIC on it. After a moment, it stabilized. The room went dark gray and a dim light appeared up top. “I am accessing what I need now. We can speak freely.”
Toby fidgeted with his hands and looked around.
“You are nervous, yet there is no need to be.”
Toby sighed. “Billozein is watching everything you do. He’ll know we’re in here and that the room has been silenced.”
“I see,” said Evaran. “Why does this worry you?”
Toby chuckled. “You don’t mess around with Billozein. He’s kinda crazy. Since I took this job several years ago, over seventy-five percent of my department have had accidents. All seem to involve amnesia. If you ask me, I think he’s involved, since every time I ask him about it, I get the runaround. I could be next.”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “If it concerns you, why don’t you leave?”
“We’re under quarantine. On top of that, Billozein authorizes all transfers. He’s already denied mine. I’m not affiliated with the United Planets, like a lot of us here, so I can’t really go to them. There isn’t anyone to help me. I’m trapped here along with the others who are accident-free.”
Evaran eased back into his chair. “I am looking into the illegal augment trade. Perhaps I will look into these accidents as well since I am here.”
“I know those who are trapped here like me that would like that,” said Toby. “Your arrival seems to have made Billozein nervous.”
“How so?”
“He’s issued a notification to report on where you are and what you’re doing. I’ll have to file one, but obviously I’m not going to be too accurate on what we’re discussing now. Not to mention, there seems to be more robot guards out than normal.”
“Interesting,” said Evaran with his fingertips touching in front of him. He grabbed the UIC off the table. “I have what I need. I will need some time to go through it all.”
“I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“Likewise,” said Evaran as he stood.
When they exited the room, a humanoid robot guard with black metal and red-bordered segments approached them. It scanned Evaran, Toby, and Emily, then said, “Billozein would like to speak with you. Please follow me.”
“Very well,” said Evaran. He faced Toby and shook his hand.
Emily shook Toby’s hand, then followed Evaran as the robot guard began to walk away.
“Good luck,” said Toby in the distance.
Emily peered back at Toby. He looked like a kid who had been caught. The fear in his voice was unmistakable. She suspected this discussion with Billozein was not going to be pleasant.
Emily soaked in the surroundings as they were escorted. They had gone from level seventy-two to level fifty-four. It had taken them thirty minutes, and it seemed odd that with all the communication technologies available, they were being escorted to a meeting.
The robot guard led them to a featureless room with a series of chairs in a circle and small table between them.
Her nose wrinkled when they entered the room. Even the smell seemed off to her. Was every sense tainted by the temporal awareness factor? She took a seat next to Evaran.
“Please wait. Billozein will be here shortly,” said the robot.
“Thank you.”
The robot exited the room.
Evaran glanced at Emily. “I smell it too.”
Emily looked around. At least now she had confirmation that it was not isolated to her.
After a few minutes, a humanoid walked into the room.
The humanoid reminded Emily of liquid metal. She squinted at the reflectiveness of the material. Her eyes widened when square chunks of the humanoid flew a few inches out. The humanoid shrank a few feet to stand about four feet high. A holographic projection covered the form, showing a tan-skinned middle-aged man with wild hair. His stout form was covered by a segmented black light armor with red highlights. When the humanoid smiled, it was the shiny teeth that caught her attention.
The humanoid bowed slightly. “I’m Billozein, CEO of Advanced Dynamics, but I suspect you know that already.”
“We do,” said Evaran.
Billozein smirked. “Well then, I bet you’re wondering why we’re meeting.”
Evaran glanced at Emily, then at Billozein. “Yes, and also why you are using a physical holo form instead of being physically present.”
“Ahh … well … I’ll get to that shortly. First things first. I know who you both are,” said Billozein, wagging a finger. “The Evaran Protocol. A good starting point to find information, but finding out more was hard to come by. Outside of what the United Planets knows, it seems you … don’t exist. However … there was one corporation that had extensive information on you.”
“I presume it was Seeros Industries, assuming that is what they call themselves,” said Evaran. “And what did you find?”
“Yes on Seeros Industries. They call themselves Illitech now. I found what I already suspected. You’re a time traveler, and you’ve been involved in a lot of events,” said Billozein. He raised a finger. “That’s a problem for me.”
“Elaborate,” said Evaran.
Billozein smiled as he shook his head. “I don’t know what brought you here, but you know as well as I do, or should, that you can’t have two time travelers in the same area. It would mess each other’s changes up.”
“So you are a time traveler then,” said Evaran.
Billozein bobbed his head. “To a degree. Not like you, though. Why did you come here? To this station? Specifically?”
“We are here due to the illegal augment trade. There were reports that this station was creating and distributing them.”
Billozein chortled. “Oh … well, I can answer that for you. Yes, illegal augments are created here. I do distribute them. Even experiment with them. Those that fail are discarded to a testing environment. One your friends are entering as we speak.”
Emily perked up.
“I thought that might get your attention,” said Billozein. “So you’re only here to find illegal augments. And that’s it? Out of all the places in space and time … you chose here, now, to come. You see why I’m having a hard time believing that?”
“There is also a timeline anomaly here. I now suspect you are the cause of it.”
A smile crept onto Billozein’s face. “Was that so hard? And I’m going to guess, based on what I saw in the Evaran Protocol, you’re here to fix it. Am I right?”
“Of course.”
“Just as I figured. I read what you did to the CEO of Seeros Industries, and I’ve dealt with those who believe that they have the right to correct the timeline.” He pointed at Evaran. “Time Wardens, the Krokar, you, all the same. It’s pathetic. Who gave you this authority?”
“Something much bigger than you. I am familiar with the Time Wardens but do not know who the Krokar are. I am the only one sanctioned to use my judgment to resolve these issues.”
Billozein shook his head. “I would say good luck with that, but it won’t matter. You’ve met your superior.”
He jabbed a finger down. “This space is mine to do what I want and how I want. You’re not welcome here and I won’t tolerate anyone messing up what I’m doing. I will deal with you like I did the last Time Warden that came across me.” His form began to emit a green gas.
Emily sniffed and looked around. “He’s gassing the room!” She looked at Evaran as she raised her helmet.
“You intend to kill us?” asked Evaran.
“Of course,” said Billozein. “I can’t have you running around, and I’m looking forward to checking out your ship, not to mention those nanobots I detected.”
“We cannot allow that. Know this. You are my priority now.” He stood and extended his utility handle into a baton with a glowing blue end. He reached over the table and tapped Billozein, causing the projection to shimmer.
“What are you doing?”
“Ending this conversation,” said Evaran.
Blue arcs danced around Billozein as his projection faded. The humanoid form underneath stopped moving. A burst of gas flew out from the form.
“What do we do now?” asked Emily.
“Give me a moment,” said Evaran. He walked up to the door and placed his UIC on the console.
Emily’s heartbeat ramped up. Her suit and helmet protected her. She was glad to have them. It impressed on her that if she had never gone to the prison planet before, she might have come without a suit. She could have died, right here and now. There was one thing she was sure of: Billozein was going down. She hoped that Dr. Snowden and Jane were okay, but she trusted that they could deal with whatever was tossed their way, at least until they could all meet up. Watching Evaran peruse his ARI while deadly gas swirled around him was no surprise to her. She knew that Evaran’s form was a suit of some type, although she and Dr. Snowden did not know what was inside.
Evaran pulled his UIC off the console. The door opened, causing the gas to go swirling out of the room. “Come.”
They exited the room into a hallway. Humanoid robot guards charged them from both sides, with two on each side. Drones flew forward.
Emily hunched down and tossed her left arm out while activating her shield.
Evaran did the same on the opposite side.