by Teya Tapler
“Oliver, this is my girlfriend, Brittany. Brittany this is Oliver from down the street.” Josh presented them quickly.
Brittany looked critically at Ollie. He had a stained and loose long-sleeve T-shirt, bushy eyebrows and glasses with thin red frames. Tall, lanky, dirty and with his clothes hanging too loosely on him he looked suspicious to her. She found him creepy and shuddered by the thought of seeing him again. Brittany hugged her box tighter and rushed towards the house.
Ollie’s eyes followed her stop and talk to the slim brunette. That was too much of coincidence. It was too nice but it seemed to be true. Both the reader-maker locket and Miss Evangeline Shtuttgart were at the same place. Oliver imagined how after hearing the good news Alex would stop treating him as a second hand person. That made him smirk.
“You see, Oliver,” Josh’s voice made him look under the hood for a few seconds; “this is the legendary engine you might’ve read in the car magazines about. It’s first edition,“ then Ollie looked back towards the house.
Evangeline headed to the pile on the sidewalk and looked for a box she could easily lift. She looked like someone who had just realized that packing and carrying were very different things. While packing she must have tried to put as much as possible in each container to ensure that everything fitted in Josh’s truck. Now realizing how heavy she had made most of the boxes Evangeline needed help from the boys for the heavy lifting. Ollie was positive that was her. The unmistakable delicate face, thin nose, huge brown eyes with long eyelashes and the patented pony tail at the top of her head. It was Miss Evangeline Shtuttgart. His eyes moved toward the car engine once more.
“This is one wicked truck!” Ollie said then he added secretively. “Will you be around next weekend to show you what I want to get? The make would be like yours, if I could afford it, but the model and the trim are tough to choose.”
“Sure. My girlfriend’s moving in with her best friend in the second floor apartment. She’s the one with the blonde hair.” Josh nodded towards Brittany as she was entering the house. “I’ll be here a lo-ot more than just the weekends.” He smiled and winked indicating that Ollie should understand him.
“I’ll stop by later then,” Ollie had seen and learned enough.
“See ya,” Josh shouted after Ollie then took one of the heavier boxes from the sidewalk and moved toward the house.
***
Back in the apartment Ollie continued to lay motionless on the sofa, the sparkles on the red eye-glasses frames flashing sequentially with the rhythm of his heart. After 20 minutes his body came back to life with jerks and jolts as he took the red framed glasses off his face and hid them between the sofa cushions.
“Two girls are moving in and two boys are helping them carry the boxes.” Ollie said then added with a smile. “You’ll never guess who one of the girls is.”
“Please do tell and don’t make me take the information out the hard way.” Still angry at Ollie, Alex put on one of his sinister smiles. It frightened Ollie. He retreated away from Alex almost falling on the floor. Ollie gulped just imagining what Alex might do and in his mind cursed the day his benefactor made them partners.
“Miss Evangeline Shtuttgart,” Ollie said proudly.
“Are you sure?” Alex said.
“You can’t miss her pony tail. Plus her irritating and talkative friend Brittany was there too. You can’t miss her either.” Ollie said.
“Who were the boys?” Alex said.
“I’ve seen one of them when we surveyed the school.” Ollie said. “The other one’s tall and weird. I haven’t seen him before.”
“Could he be one of the Anaconda team?” Alex asked.
“He wasn’t faking his awkwardness and he’s too clumsy to make the cut.” Ollie said.
Alex started rethinking their plan. Attacking from the inside didn’t sound like a good idea. With the girls living there constant human presence was possible and that could be a problem. But then on the other hand the Chancellor did say that they have to eliminate Miss Evangeline Shtuttgart, didn’t he? So if there is a gas explosion that obliterates the Anaconda team hide-out, kills the girl and covers any tracks as the reader maker disappears, it would be just perfect. Too bad that it has to be done that way but it would be a clean job and will definitely look like an accident. Alex thought.
Killing Evan quickly was not what he had anticipated but getting the two jobs done together felt far more satisfying for him than torturing her to death.
“There’s a new task for you Ollie.” Alex said. “I’d want you to return to the 25th century and bring here our friends with the black hoods.”
Chapter 4
The Anaconda team landed successfully in the team base back in December 6, 2424.
The mission for bringing back the pearls of destruction to the 25th century was a success. During that mission, they have successfully captured Zull Mort, the last remaining leader of the 906 Inquisitors, and his son Kevin.
The peals had been created by the 906 Inquisitors gang and used for destruction of towns, continents and civilizations. On December 2, 2424 the Galactic Committee had casted them through time and space as the ultimate way to destroy them. Casting something through time and space meant that the time and space traveler teleporting device, or transcaster, was set to a random cycle. As a result, everything sent through it was going to land at a different point in time—which could be the present, past or future—and at different locations which might be any planet or asteroid in the galaxy or anywhere in the vast spaces between them. Four days ago, someone had tampered with that device and sent all five pearls back to the Earth’s past. Today, after spending over four months in the 21st century, the Anaconda team was bringing those objects back.
Having been on many such missions before, they didn’t need a reminder or a checklist to complete the necessary tasks. Everyone started to unload and unpack putting everything at its place to be ready for the next assignment.
Zander bent to pick up a bag and felt a bulk in his front pocket. He took out the small package. It was lovingly wrapped in a pink paper with black polka-dots. Evan, the local girl from the 21st century gave it to him before their final transcast. Hiding from the rest of the team, Zander opened the gift. It was a small silver spoon with an apple tree blossom behind a small apple at the end of the handle. The sight of it made him feel extremely selfish.
What have I done? He thought. Regardless of everything, he shouldn’t have kissed her. He should have kept as distant as possible. He should have treated her as another client. He should have silenced his feelings and not acted so selfishly. He should have followed the rules.
“Come on! Put your things away and get ready to report in 15 minutes.” Emil said.
“I tickle all over.” Mary brushed the invisible irritants off her clothes. “It happens every time we do a group transcast and bring stuff back,” she laughed.
“Does it feel better now?” Peter messed up her hair.
“You two grow up,” Emil said, “Peter; look at the items from Mort’s apartment. Mary, the 21st century samples are in the backpack. Zander; move the pearls from the blue bags in the five crates over there. Make sure they don’t touch. We don’t know how they operate yet but they shouldn’t be too close.”
Emil headed to the living room where their computers were set up. The room had flexi-threens and holo-threens plastered all over the walls. Those days, the computers, whether they were credit-card-sized or bracelet type, were called threens because they all had tri-fold screens. The flexi-threes had flexible tri-fold monitors while the holo-threens displayed the image as a set of three holograms.
Emil sat behind a virtual keyboard and typed for a while. There were no new messages for him or the team since they left on the mission two days ago. It had been only two days since their departure from the 25th century but they’ve spent over four months in the 21st century. That life style was bringing a lot of experiences and knowledge in their lives and wasn’t aging them mo
re than the people with static jobs because their biological clocks were ticking only when they were in the 25th century.
“The control freak is back.” Zander mouthed at Peter as soon as Emil left the room.
“You are not fair.” Mary shook her head and Zander shrugged in response.
Moving methodically between the piles they brought back, the storage room and their cabinets, the team sorted the objects in record time and started hovering around the kitchen for food and refreshments.
“I’m so-o hungry.” Zander said opening the fridge, “Anything anyone?”
“I’ll take an orangeade and give me a lime soda for Mary.” Peter said.
“Here,” Zander tossed two cans toward Peter and hid in the fridge again. He rummaged for smoked sausage or Gouda cheese leftovers. The plastic boxes they used for deli food were not there. A lonely slice of a few days old cold pizza was lying on a plate covered with plastic wrap. He took it out and closed the fridge with his foot.
“Okay everyone,” Emil’s voice echoed in the kitchen. He wasn’t giving them time to unwind. “Are you ready?”
“I hope we are not going to see the Chancellor. I’m never ready to visit him,” Peter said, “I don’t know how you can do it, Emil, but he gives me the creeps every time.”
Zander bit the pizza slice remembering his meeting with the Chancellor. They had successfully completed the assignment, but will the Chancellor keep his part of the deal and not pursue criminal charges against him for not capturing Zull Mort the previous time. Zander was hoping that having Mort in prison, after the second attempt, should count in his favor. The memory of the Chancellor’s cold eyes, white face and hissing voice made him shiver.
“We are not going there. We’ll deliver to the TTA.” Emil said
The TTA or the Time Travel Agency was the company they worked for. Time Travel Agency was the public face of the organization. At a very special price, to help fund their secret operations, the TTA was providing a once in a life time opportunity for the ordinary people to see specially selected historical events firsthand, or to supplement their research with real live experiences. There was something for everyone in the past. Every visit was carefully recorded and no one was allowed a revisit for security and safety reasons. There were long waiting lists for a visit to the launch of the first flight to Mars or the day when Earth was accepted as equal member of the Galactic Committee. The food lovers lined up for cooking classes in Italy while the stylists and fashion students were signing up for the Paris and London fashion shows.
Emil, Peter, Mary and Zander were part of the Anaconda team. No one remembered whether it was an acronym or a nickname. The team had been operating under the Anaconda name for decades. The frequent visits to the past didn’t leave them much time to wonder what the name really meant. At some point they had found that was how the biggest, non-venomous snake on Earth was called during the 21st century. The animal used to live in the area once known as Tropical South America. As they were virtually no snakes left on Earth in the 25th century, the team found their name quite symbolic.
.”The TTA has the appropriate holding facility for such items.” Emil said. “I’ll let the Chancellor know.”
“When did they build a bunker strong enough to hold these in?” Peter asked.
“They didn’t,” Emil said, “ but their security is second to none and they think that if these,” he nodded towards the crates where the pearls were resting,” are stored separately everyone should be safe.”
“So, keeping them separate is the key.” Peter pushed the boxes further apart with trembling hands.
“This means that one of us has to bring two of them.” Zander said. “There are five crates and it’s just four of us.”
The door-bell rang and Emil followed the sound, “That’s why I called Brianna Wilderness.”
The rest of the team followed him and moved into the living room.
“Hi, I’m glad you were able to make it on such a short notice. I didn’t know who else to call,” Emil greeted the hazel-eyed woman as she entered. He escorted her to the gathering, “Everyone this is Brianna.”
“Hi, guys.” Brianna smiled. “I’ve heard so-o much about your team. It’s a great honor to see you at last.”
“Professor Wilderness?” Mary couldn’t believe that the smiling casually dressed woman in front of them was the esteemed, respected, honored and constantly quoted professor with publications and research on the topic of time travel. For some reason she thought that the scientists were at least 100 years old and wore their white-coats all the time.
“Please, call me Brianna,” the newcomer said. “The ‘professor’ title makes me feel uncomfortable, and too old.”
“Nice to finally meet you,” Peter said, “I’ve read all your books, blogs and articles and had successfully applied your algorithm for time-traveler retrieval. I could say, this one here,” he pointed to Zander, “owes you his life.”
Mary noticed that Zander blushed and nudged Peter to stop.
“I’m glad that you get along nicely,” Emil said, “but it is time to go. Take a crate each and follow the designated routs,” he pointed to the flexi-threen spread on the low table. The screen was twisted to lay flat and the 3D map of the city and its various buildings had come to live them a birds-eye view. Emil pressed a button on the virtual keyboard and a red line ran from their team base to the TTA office.
“Brianna, you’ll take this route. Your moveseat should not have a problem navigating thru these streets. It isn’t peak hour yet.” Emil pressed another button, “I just sent you the coordinates.”
After a pause and a few more clicks on the virtual keyboard Emil said, “I’m next alphabetically, then it’s you Mary. Here is your route. The crate is heavy for you, so you’ll take our moveseat … Peter you’ll use this path … Zander this is your course,” Emil displayed on the screen in front of them and then distributed the individual directions one by one, “See you at the TTA in an hour.”
***
An hour later they met in the TTA’s secret office. That wasn’t the glamorous Time Travel Agency headquarters that everyone knew. It didn’t have flexi-threens explaining the excitement of time travel or sales agents buzzing about the latest by one get one free deal. It was the secret office of the agency where the time travelers brought the retrieved items or creatures. It was an underground facility that spread under the City Hall and the Central Square of the Eastern City. It had several underground zones with offices and unknown number of deeper levels each one with higher security than the one above it.
Brianna, Emil, Mary, Peter and Zander arrived one after another and entered through the organic signature scanner. The machine beeped and flashed in green indicating they are allowed to proceed. The crates they brought were pushed through “the slot”. That was the only entrance whose organic scanner could be turned off when delicate items were coming through. Once inserted into “‘the slot” the objects were safely and securely transported to their individual holding areas and prepared for storage, processing or destruction. After each crate was accepted “the slot” printed an old-fashioned receipt with a long barcode across. That outdated receipt printer was a pet-project of one of the previous TTA directors who was fascinated by the paper as a means of storing and transferring information and the 20th century barcode system and its versatility. After his retirement the system was kept to honor his contributions to the organization.
Emil collected all paper receipts and released his team, “Thank you, for the successful assignment. Get home and rest. I’ll see you tomorrow at nine o’clock in the team base.”
Peter, Mary and Zander waved good-bye and left.
“Brianna, once again thank you for coming on such a short notice,” Emil said.
“You are welcomed.” Brianna said. “Are you going downstairs?”
“Have to finish the paperwork.” Emil smiled.
“I was called to report to Mr. Field as well,” Brianna said.
> They took the elevator to the tenth underground floor and entered the reporting area. Three lines of desks stretched from one side of the hall to the other. It was the area where all secret and formal missions were recorded. Every visit to the past, whether it was for pleasure or business, was tracked to avoid conflicts. A TTA clerk was sitting behind each desk, clicking on the virtual keyboard, while the holo-threen screen was allowing him and the time-traveler sitting at the opposite side to see the details. Emil and Brianna stopped in front of a frosted-glass office door in the far end. Emil knocked twice and cracked the door open.
“Oh, Emil, Professor, come in,” the warm and loud voice of Mr. Field greeted them as they entered. “Sit down and make yourself at home.”
Field didn’t get up. Overflowing his comfortable floating chair, the big man smiled as they entered. The rumors were saying that many years ago he was part of an elite time-traveling team, but after losing one of his legs during a risky mission, he had been grounded behind the desk never to travel again. Then the pounds had piled up and he had started to use floating chairs around the office never walking on his own again.
Emil left the five receipts on the desk in front of Field and he and Brianna occupied two of the five empty floating armchairs before Field’s desk. The furniture responded gently to their weight by lowering itself a little as they sat and then raising up to its previous height.
“Professor Wilderness, I’m glad you’ve accepted my invitation. I’m sure you’ll find these objects very interesting,” he pushed the receipts towards her. “You have one month to find out a way to destruct them. Do not try to repurpose them or change them in any way! Just work towards their annihilation. I understand that someone higher up goofed when they casted them last week but you are a smart woman and are leading this marvelous team of scientists, you’ll find a way.” Field smiled.