CODENAME: ATHENA (2025 Edition) by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 37 – 3384

09:21 (North America Central Time)

Monday, August 10, 3384 ‘A’

Time laboratory annex, New Lake City University campus

Great Lakes area, North America

The time scooter reappeared in the middle of a large laboratory sporting

equipment which would have been worthy of the best science-fiction movie set in

Hollywood in 2012. The three giants in the scooter got out of it and immediately broke in

a profuse exchange of happy hugs and kisses. On her part, while eyeing with intense

curiosity the lab around her, Nancy was much more subdued and took her time to get off

the scooter, something that Farah noticed.

‘’Why the stone face, Nancy? We’re home and safe! We should celebrate this

moment.’’

‘’You are home, Farah, but I left behind the two persons I cherish the most. I’m

sorry if I play the killjoy like this but I can’t stop thinking about Mike and Ingrid. There is

also something else.’’

‘’Oh, what?’’

‘’You did say that your society was a pacifist, unarmed civilization and that your

compatriots are mostly risk-averse, right?’’

‘’Uh, I suppose that would be the polite way for your people to describe the

Global Council, yes. We are however a gentle society: you won’t have to worry about

being threatened by anyone here.’’

‘’What about the reverse? What are your risk-averse, pacifist citizens going to

think of an anatomically abnormal woman who is trained to kill and has a kill score in the

dozens? As for my weapons, I may be ready to be discreet about them, but I am not

going to give them away: I will need them to go get Mike and Ingrid.’’

Maran Tolvek and Mona Zirel, catching on to the situation, had by now cooled down their

demonstrations of joy and were eyeing Nancy with a mix of curiosity and caution. Mona

nodded her head and spoke while keeping her eyes on Nancy.

‘’She may have a point, Farah. She is physically a most visible oddity, while

many may panic on being told she is a soldier, and an armed one at that. Hell, I am not

606

sure that half of our citizens actually understand what a soldier is, or know the difference

between a soldier and a simple murderer. The fact that she doesn’t speak Neo-English

would only add to the chances of a misunderstanding.’’

‘’Then, let’s get her through a mnemotronic session.’’ suggested Maran. ‘’We are

on the grounds of a university, after all.’’

‘’What is a mnemotronic session?’’ asked Nancy, even though she already had a

vague idea about it. Farah answered her on that.

‘’We use mnemotronic techniques to help accelerate the assimilation of complex

knowledge in teenagers and adults via direct mental data transfer. I learned 20th

Century English, German and French that way in no more than an hour. You will

probably need less than thirty minutes to learn Neo-English and, yes Maran, that was a

good idea. I suggest that we do that before anything else: I don’t want to see Nancy

having to face Global Council officials or policemen while being incapable of being

understood.’’

‘’Then, let’s go!’’ replied Nancy without hesitation.

‘’Uh, what about your weapons?’’

Nancy smiled while patting the pistols on her belt and on her belly.

‘’Those? They are simply tools of my trade, Farah. Don’t worry: I don’t intend to

turn into a shooting maniac inside that university.’’

‘’Knowing how good you are with them, that does reassure me a lot, Nancy.

Follow me, then. Maran, Mona, you go hide that time scooter somewhere: I don’t want

to see it being confiscated or impounded by Daran Mien.’’

‘’Who is that Daran Mien?’’ asked Nancy, attracting a sardonic smile on Farah’s

face.

‘’He is one of those risk-averse compatriots of mine, on top of being the Global

Administrator for Sciences and my superior. He wouldn’t even think of risking anything

by himself. His first reaction on seeing films about you was to call you a mass

murderer.’’

‘’That’s nice!’’ replied Nancy sarcastically. ‘’It is always better to know with whom

you are dealing with. Do you have another superior who could prove more

understanding about me?’’

‘’Yes: the Chief Global Administrator, Boran Kern. He is an intelligent,

reasonable man. I think that I will call him after your mnemotronic session.’’

607

‘’The Chief Global Administrator… That would make him the leader of Earth,

right?’’

‘’Make it the leader of the whole Solar System, Nancy. We have people living in

as far as the Neptune System.’’

‘’Wow! Humanity did progress a lot in that respect.’’

‘’And in many others. Ready to follow me now?’’

‘’Let me just do one thing first.’’ said Nancy, who then took off her beret and

pulled off her wig, showing her shaved head and attracting a shocked look from Farah

as she put the wig on a nearby table.

‘’What happened to your natural hair?’’

‘’I was accused by some allied prisoners in Colditz of being too friendly with the

Germans. They attacked me in the shower house, beat me up and cut my hair to mark

me as a collaborator.’’

‘’I…I’m sorry. I didn’t know about that.’’

‘’What is done is done. The good point of that is that I will now attract less

attention with a shaved head around your university. Show the way, Farah.’’

Walking out of the lab and into a wide hallway, they soon crossed into the main

university building via a steel and glass covered pedestrian bridge. Nancy used that

opportunity to examine the surroundings of the university complex, noting the nearby

shore of a huge lake.

‘’Where are we exactly, Farah?’’

‘’In New Lake City, one of the few cities now existing in North America. It is

situated on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, near its northern tip where it links up

with Lake Huron. Due to the long-term radiations from the 2052 Nuclear Holocaust,

most of North America remained a wasteland for many centuries. The Global Council

has been working hard now for four centuries to decontaminate and repopulate parts of

the continent, but there are still only a dozen cities dotting it. As for the East Coast, it is

still virgin territory, so intense were the radiation levels there.’’

‘’The folly of man…’’ said quietly Nancy while contemplating the countryside and

the buildings of the medium-sized city built along the nearby shore. Farah nodded her

head to that.

‘’You are right about that, Nancy. Hopefully, the Global Council will never have to

suffer the scourge of war.’’

608

They then resumed their walk, often crossing path with groups of teenagers and young

adults who in turn eyed Nancy in various ways. Nancy giggled as one particular group

of girls passed her, attracting an amused look from Farah.

‘’What is it?’’

‘’One of those girls just thought that I had atrocious fashion tastes. I can’t say

that she is wrong, if you look at my battledress uniform.’’

‘’Nancy, how powerful is that telepathic power of yours? In fact, can you tell me

more about what happened to you in Colditz?’’

‘’Farah, I actually have to control my mind in order not to be swamped by all the

thoughts emanating around me. If I can see or picture someone in my mind, then I can

communicate telepathically with that person. It is in fact only one of the many powers I

received from The One when he healed me in Colditz.’’

Nancy then took a few minutes to tell Farah about her experience in Colditz while they

walked along the corridors of the university. By the time they arrived at a mnemotronic

lab, Farah was sobered up by Nancy’s story.

‘’This is all quite incredible, Nancy, yet I have seen enough to believe you.

However, the society of the Global Council is completely atheistic. Making others

believe you about your ‘One’ will be difficult. Ah, here we are!’’

The mnemotronic lab turned out to be a large room filled with rows of what

looked a lot like dentist chairs. A dozen of the chairs were already occupied by

seemingly sleeping giant teenagers, while a technician sat at a control desk. Farah led

Nancy to one of the occupied chairs and made her sit in it, then adjusted on her head a

sort of helmet with a facial viewing screen.

‘’Just relax from now on, Nancy. I will go program your session at the control

desk.’’

The technician at the control desk, a young woman whom Farah knew well, smiled to the

physicist as Farah joined her and called up a program for Nancy’s mnemotronic chair.

‘’Who is your friend, Farah? She sure dresses funny.’’

‘’You could say that, I suppose. Her name is Nancy and she is quite special.’’

The technician then noticed that Farah was programming a session of Neo-English and

looked at her with confusion.

‘’Why program Neo-English for her? She doesn’t speak it already?’’

‘’No, Anya! She speaks old Colloquial English from the 20th Century.’’

609

‘’English from the 20th Century? How could that be?’’

Farah then stared into her friend’s eyes and spoke calmly.

‘’Anya, keep this to yourself for the moment, but that woman just came with me

from the year 1941.’’

The technician’s eyes bulged wide open at those words.

‘’A…a time traveler? She is an Ancestor?’’

‘’Yes, she is an Ancestor, and a quite remarkable one at that.’’

Farah then completed her programming and initiated the mnemotronic session before

sitting in an empty chair of the control desk, checking in particular a specific indicator.

She smiled with satisfaction when the dial gave her a reading after a few minutes.

‘’Nancy has an I.Q. of 153. Not bad for an Ancestor, wouldn’t you say, Anya?’’

‘’But, that’s genius level! I thought that Ancestors had to have inferior minds, to

do something as stupid as the Nuclear Holocaust of 2052.’’

Farah looked at the technician gravely.

‘’Believe me, Anya: Ancestors could be as brilliant as any of us, or as stupid as

any of us. They just didn’t have our level of knowledge, that’s all. My friend Nancy

actually originates from the year 2012, but was kidnapped by two of our own scientists

and was used as an involuntary guinea pig for experiments in time travel. I had to go

recuperate her in 1941 but she in turn saved my life and made possible our escape.

She is the bravest woman I ever saw and she has a heart of gold.’’

‘’She is certainly small, compared to us.’’

‘’But she is very strong for her size, Anya. Ancestors, contrary to us, practiced

sports intensively and most of them were more fit physically than any of us. Nancy could

most probably run into the ground anyone in the Global Council.’’

Farah then stayed silent for the rest of Nancy’s session. She got up from her chair when

the program ended and went to Nancy’s chair. Taking the helmet off her head, she

smiled to Nancy and spoke to her in Neo-English.

‘’How is the little brain of the young lady?’’’

‘’The young lady will be polite and won’t send you where you should, Farah.’’

replied Nancy, also in Neo-English, before laughing with Farah.

‘’So, what do we do next?’’

‘’I believe that now is a good time for me to call the Chief Global Administrator.

There are public videophone stations in a lounge close to this lab. Come with me!’’

610

A short walk brought them to a student’s lounge that was mostly deserted at this

hour, classes being in session. Farah entered with Nancy one of the sound-proof glass

cubicles containing a chair facing what looked like a computer station. Taking place in

the chair, with Nancy standing out of the field of view of the station’s camera, Farah

composed the number for a station in Zurich, in the European Alps. A young female

receptionist answered her, her head and torso appearing on the station’s screen.

“Good afternoon! Office of the Chief Global Administrator. May I help you?”

“This is Doctor Farah Tolkonen, member of the Global Science Council and head

of Project Tempus. I need to speak urgently to Chief Administrator Kern on a question

of life or death.”

“Oh!” said the receptionist, visibly impressed. “One moment, please.”

The screen went to waiting mode for a short moment before the head and upper torso of

a handsome bald man appeared on it.

“Doctor Tolkonen, you were reported as lost in time in the twentieth century.

How did you manage to get back?”

“It certainly wasn’t because of the Global Science Administrator, sir: my

assistants had to break a ban on time travel in order to get me back with the help of a

friend.”

“Are you alright, Doctor?” asked Boran Kern, appearing genuinely concerned

about her.

“I was captured, tortured and nearly killed, but I’m mostly alright now, thanks to

Nancy Laplante.”

“That Laplante, wasn’t she the one who supposedly caused the distortions in the

timeline?”

“She’s the one, sir, but she is not the one to blame in this: two of our own

scientists marooned her in time without her consent or knowledge, in order to use her as

an experimental guinea pig. Faced with surviving a war she was not supposed to live

through, she tried to shorten that war, which caused the distortions. Sir, we owe her:

she was nearly killed a dozen times, was tortured horribly and also got wounded

repeatedly. Her name is now disgraced in the time we just came from; she lost most of

her personal possessions and she has been separated from her new husband and

adopted daughter, who are still back in the year 1941. She is now with me in New Lake

City and is hoping to be able to go back to the past to retrieve her husband, daughter

and various possessions. Simply apologizing to her before kicking her back to her year

611

of origin will not suffice, sir. Besides, we may need her for something none of us could

do.”

“I’m listening, Doctor.” said Kern gravely. Farah then spoke for a couple of

minutes, explaining an idea she had been cultivating for a few days now. At the end of it,

Kern nodded his head, apparently won in by her arguments.

“Your idea has a lot of merit to it, Doctor. Besides, that Nancy Laplante sounds

fascinating. You can expect me in New Lake City in two hours.”

“Sir, before you hang up, you should know two things. First, my friend was

armed when she arrived here. I would like to obtain a waver for her from the standing

global ban on weapons. She will need her weapons when she will go back to the past,

for her own protection.”

“Could she be dangerous, Doctor?”

“To us, no! To her enemies, very much so. This brings me to the second point I

wanted to bring on. Sometime during her stay in the year 1941, Nancy Laplante

acquired some very powerful paranormal powers, which she used to help me escape.”

“Paranormal powers? What kind of powers? How?”

Nancy decided then to jump in the conversation and moved so that Boran Kern could

see her.

“Good morning, Chief Global Administrator. Let me present myself: Nancy

Laplante, war correspondent and Canadian Army reserves officer from the year 2012. I

gained my powers at the same time that I was healed in minutes from the tortures

inflicted on me by the Germans in 1941. For that, I owe it to what I call ‘The One’, who is

essentially an entity formed of pure spiritual energy and possessing incredible powers.

Some may actually equate The One with God. As for my powers, I can communicate

telepathically, use telekinesis and levitation and can heal by the touch of my hands. I

was as well given by him earlier on the ability to remember all my past incarnations,

spread over 9,000 years and 92 lives. I know that this will be difficult for you to believe,

but I am more than ready to prove to you what I say once we meet.”

Boran Kern was silent for a long moment, digesting those words. He finally spoke

cautiously, weighing his every word.

‘’We will definitely need to talk together, Miss Laplante. Could you now wait

outside of the booth, so that I could speak in private with Doctor Tolkonen?’’

‘’As you wish, sir.’’ said Nancy before leaving the cubicle and closing the sound-

proof door behind her, then walking away to the other side of the lounge while staying in

612

the field of view of the cubicle’s camera. Kern followed her via the camera, then spoke

to Farah when he was satisfied that Nancy was far enough.

“Doctor, how could you tell me that an armed woman from a barbaric past who

possesses such powers is not dangerous to our society? From what she did, it sounds

like she could take on all of our security agents single-handedly.”

“She probably could, sir, but she won’t, unless she is threatened. She may be a

soldier but she has a heart of gold. She would do anything to protect innocent people,

especially children.”

“Hmm, a trained killer with a heart of gold… Sounds like quite a contradiction to

me, Doctor.”

“Please, sir, do not prejudge her without at least meeting her. I would trust that

woman with my life, sir.”

“Alright, Doctor. I’ll be on my way shortly. She may keep her weapons in the

meantime but tell her not to carry them in public. As for your idea, we will talk more

about it once we meet in New Lake City.”

“Thank you very much for your comprehension, sir. I will be waiting for you at the

time lab, in the university’s physics annex.”

Farah was nearly jubilant as Kern terminated the communication. It had gone much

better than she had hoped for.

11:25 (North America Central Time)

Landing pad, campus of New Lake City University

Boran Kern was thoughtful as his personal transport craft was landing vertically

and silently on one of the landing pads of the university campus, thanks to its directional

gravity drive. Like most citizens of the Global Council, he knew very little about the

history of the twentieth century or that of previous centuries. Most of the world’s

historical archives had been lost in the mid-21st century, destroyed during the nuclear

war in 2052 that had almost wiped out humanity from the surface of the Earth. The little

he had read about that time period spoke of incredible violence and cruelty. Could that

supposedly friendly woman really come from such a barbaric period? To complicate the

problem, that woman had lethal weapons with her, weapons which had been technically

banned in the Global Council for centuries. If that woman turned to be less than friendly

and ran wild with her weapons, there was no way to predict what could happen then. As

613

for his own personal protection, Kern had brought six of his top security agents, well-

trained men armed with non-lethal weapons, but, from what Doctor Tolkonen had told

him, those six men may not be enough to face that woman soldier. He could thus only

hope that the incoming meeting would go well and that Tolkonen’s judgment of that

Laplante was accurate. If not, there would be quite a lot of blame coming his way from

the High Council, the governing group of global administrators of which he was the

chairman.

Surrounded by his bodyguards, the Chief Global Administrator stepped out of his

craft by its rear access ramp, setting foot on the concrete of the landing pad as a local

government limousine commandeered in advance by a call from Zurich approached

slowly. Kern and his security detail took place quickly in the limousine, which then

accelerated towards the Physics Annex. The trip was short, less than a minute in fact,

with the limousine depositing its passengers in front of the main entrance of the annex.

Kern’s arrival didn’t go unnoticed by the faculty members and students going in or out of

the annex, with many of the people seeing him then placing calls on their wrist

videophones. Kern realized with a sigh that his visit in New Lake City was going to fuel

endless speculations and could very well attract the attention of the medias. He

however suspected that the apparition of Nancy Laplante would have done that quickly

enough by itself. With one of his bodyguards first asking for directions to the time lab,

Kern then started walking down one of the ground level hallways of the annex, still

surrounded by his security agents. The latter were now understandably nervous and

kept one hand near their stun pistols hidden under their vests. The idea of going to talk

with a confessed mass killer had in fact attracted a strong protest from Kern’s head of

security, but Goran Vedak had to capitulate when faced with the stubborn intention of his

boss. Vedak, along with his five agents, actually drew their stun pistols from under their

vests just before entering the time lab, to then hold them as inconspicuously as possible

while still ready to use them quickly. Kern nearly ordered them to holster their weapons

back, but he reasoned that Vedak, as the security professional, knew better than him

about how to face a potential deadly threat. The first person they met once inside the

lab was Farah Tolkonen, who had been waiting near the door of her office. She bowed

her head politely to Kern, who bowed back, and shook his hand.

‘’Thank you for coming to see me, Chief Global Administrator Kern. I know that

you are quite a busy man.’’

614

‘’Not busy enough to ignore a subject as important as the one we need to discuss

about, Doctor Tolkonen. Could we speak in private in your office before going to see

Miss Laplante?’’

‘’Of course, sir.’’

With his bodyguards staying outside of the office, Kern entered the small room, which

was furnished rather simply, and took a chair opposite Tolkonen. He couldn’t help think

then that the physicist appeared exhausted.

‘’Are you alright, Doctor? You seem quite tired. We could always postpone this

discussion if you wish so.’’

‘’No, no, let’s discuss now. I can always sleep later: this cannot wait.’’

‘’As you wish, Doctor. So, tell me in detail what happened after you jumped to

the year 1941 to save that Laplante, then tell me what you honestly think of that woman.

Take all your time.’’

Farah Tolkonen spoke for a good twenty minutes, with Boran Kern cutting in a

number of times to ask questions and clarify points. Their conversation left Kern

stroking his chin with one hand as he digested Farah’s information.

‘’This woman seems nearly impossible. Many could see her as a public danger,

especially with her weapons and her supernatural powers.’’

‘’Sir, Nancy may be good at killing, but that doesn’t mean that she enjoys killing.

She is a highly honorable woman, with a keen sense of justice and a tolerant mind. She

is also a certified genius: her mnemotron session showed me that her I.Q. stands at 153.

She is quite far from the picture of the mindless barbarian that some would try to put on

her.’’

‘’If you say so, Doctor. Well, from what you told me, I think it should be safe

enough for me to go speak with her. Is she still armed?’’

‘’No! She voluntarily surrendered her weapons to me for the duration of her

present visit to our time period. She will however want them back when she is ready to

go back to the past to go get her husband and daughter.’’

‘’We will see about that in good time, Doctor. Let’s see first how our conversation

with her goes.’’

‘’Then, may I suggest that your bodyguards holster back their stun pistols, sir? I

told Nancy that we are an unarmed, pacifist society, and she may not react well on

seeing weapons pointed at her.’’

615

‘’Hum, point taken, Doctor. Well, let’s go see your wonder woman.’’

Both got up and left the office, joining the six agents waiting in the hallway. On being

told by Kern to hide his weapons, Goran Vedak hesitated a moment but finally obeyed

reluctantly. The six bodyguards then formed a phalange around Kern as Farah led them

towards the laboratory proper. After passing a transparent double sliding door, Kern

finally had his first direct look at Nancy Laplante, who was sitting behind a table

supporting a number of scientific instruments. He was better able to judge her size

when she got up on her feet as he entered with his guards and Tolkonen. While small in

comparison with adult Global Council citizens, there was no mistaking her for a young

teenager, as she had a very feminine, well-developed body. She certainly was a

beautiful woman and her long black hair only added to her exotic beauty. Kern then

caught on about her hair.

‘’Uh, if I am not mistaken, miss, you didn’t have that hair on your head during our

videophone conversation earlier this morning.’’

‘’You are correct, Chief Global Administrator Kern. I am presently wearing a wig I

bought in 1941 to cover my shaven head. Please understand that, for most women of

my time, having a shaved head was a stigma, a mark of infamy. Some allied prisoners

of war cut my hair after attacking me because they thought that I was too friendly with

our German guards in the prison where I was held after being tortured. Much of what

was then left was burned away while I was saving German civilians trapped in burning

houses.’’

‘’Doctor Tolkonen told me about that, Miss Laplante. First, before we speak

further, I want to thank you in the name of the Global Council for what you did for Doctor

Tolkonen.”

Nancy smiled to him and nodded her head once to acknowledge his thank.

“I am the one grateful to her, sir, as I would be still marooned in time if not for her

brave intervention and that of her assistants. May I ask what you plan to do with me,

sir?”

“Be reassured, Miss: we are a pacifist and kind society. You will be fully

compensated for the wrongs done to you by the two scientists who kidnapped you, then

we will help you return to your proper life. I understand that you had to leave behind in

1941 two persons who are dear to you, along with most of your personal possessions.”

Kern saw sadness appear on her face at his words.

616

“Sir, my husband and adopted daughter are effectively very dear to me.

Whatever happens to me, I wish to have them by my side. Could you arrange that?”

Kern turned his head to look at Doctor Tolkonen.

“Doctor, do you see any possible bad consequence for the timeline continuity if

we go fetch these two people in 1941?”

“No, sir. Timeline ‘B’ is a creation out of Nancy’s actions. It is quite malleable

compared to our own timeline. From what I know of those two persons, they are nice

people with a good potential to help in my special project I told you about.”

“Ah, yes, your Time Patrol idea. Did you put that idea across to your friend

here?”

“We didn’t have much time to talk about that, sir, but I am sure that she would be

interested by it.”

“Do you mind if I ask her, then?”

“Sir, I was counting on that.” replied Farah, obviously delighted. Kern nodded his

head and looked back at Laplante.

“Miss Laplante, Doctor Tolkonen proposed to me the idea of forming an agency

that would be tasked to regulate and police time travel, to avoid further distortions of the

timelines. That agency would also be used to document history in detail, as most of the

world’s archives were lost in the 21st century. Would you be interested in helping

organize and run such an agency?”

“With immense pleasure, sir.” was her instant reply. “My own experience showed

me how vulnerable to manipulation history is. A recent experience where I gained my

new paranormal powers also gave me another incentive to be interested in protecting

history: I can now remember my past incarnations and am able to recall my 92 ancient

lives, going back to the eight millennium before the Christian era. Those souvenirs

include ancient languages as well.”

“But…that’s fantastic! This could be invaluable when the time comes to

document and patrol history.”

“I know, sir. I will be glad to use this knowledge for the protection of history.”

A thought then came to Farah’s mind at those words and she jumped in the exchange.

“Nancy, those past lives of yours, how varied are they? Were you ever a

historically significant person?”

Farah swallowed hard when Nancy nodded her head somberly.

617

“I was both man and woman, peasant and warrior, slave and merchant. Of my

92 past lives, one was pivotal for history. How well do you know the history of Europe’s

fifteenth century A.D.?”

“Er, not very well, I am afraid. Were you some kind of king or queen then?”

“No! I started out as a simple French peasant girl, then turned into a warrior who

rallied France against the English troops occupying it. She ended up burned at the

stake as a heretic, after helping to free much of France. Her proper name was Joan of

Arc, more popularly known as Joan the Maiden, and she is a national heroine in France.

Ironically enough, Joan was always one of my favorite role models when I was a young

teenager. Finding out that I was actually her was a great shock to me, but also a

marvelous surprise.”

‘’Then,’’ said Boran Kern, ‘’I definitely want you for that Time Patrol project…if it

can be accepted by the High Council. That is however far from being a given. What

could definitely help convince the High Council to endorse this new organization is the

prospect of being able to rebuild our knowledge of past history. The Nuclear Holocaust

of 2052 unfortunately destroyed nearly all of the World’s historical archives and artifacts

and there is presently a great hunger for historical knowledge in our society. Also, a

great number of animal and plant species went extinct after 2052, because of the

radiations and of the nuclear winter that followed the war then. A time agency could go

to the past and bring back specimens that we then could use to repopulate and regrow

areas of the World that are still nearly bare of life. Yes, I think that, with a carefully

presented plan and those two points, we could convince the High Council to authorize

such a Time Patrol.’’

‘’Then, Mister Kern, your High Council should be ready to accept the following

terms, which I would consider as vital if such an organization is to be effective. First, you

may be a pacifist, unarmed society, but weapons will be needed by this Time Patrol. If

we encounter illegal time travelers, I doubt that simply asking them politely to follow us

without a fuss will be sufficient to arrest them. By weapons, I mean individual as well as

shipborne weapons. Second, the agents of the Time Patrol would need to have the

power of search and arrest to do their job, as well as the authority to use deadly force if

need be. Anything short of that would condemn this Time Patrol to irrelevance. As an

expert in military and historical affairs, I could help Doctor Tolkonen write down the

proposed charter and organization of this Time Patrol, sir, along with its rules of

engagement.’’

618

‘’Hum! I agree with your terms, Miss Laplante, but selling to the High Council the

idea of reintroducing weapons will probably be the hardest point. Some could also point

out that we don’t produce any weapons anymore anyway, apart from a limited quantity of

non-lethal stun pistols used by our law enforcement agencies. Alright, when could you

two have such a draft charter and organizational table ready for the High Council’s

consideration?’’

Nancy and Farah exchanged glances, with the giant physician answering Kern.

‘’First, sir, I will need to get some sleep: I was forcibly kept awake for two straight

days in 1941 and I am about spent. If I and Nancy start working tomorrow morning, I

believe that we could have a ready draft by late Thursday or early Friday.’’

Kern nodded, satisfied.

‘’Just in time for the weekly Friday meeting of the High Council. Contact me as

soon as your draft charter is completed, Doctor, so that I could discuss it with you. I will

send my personal craft here on Friday morning to pick you and Miss Laplante up for

seven O’clock and bring you to the High Council meeting in Zurich.’’

Nancy suddenly cut in before Kern could conclude the discussion there and go.

‘’Administrator Kern, if I may, I would like to discuss a subject of high importance

for me before you leave.’’

‘’Go ahead, miss.’’ said patiently Kern, who had been about to walk away. ‘’It is concerning my husband and my adopted daughter, who are still in 1941

London. I would like to go get them before the reunion of the High Council. I would also

use the occasion to recuperate my personal belongings, so that the British can’t use

them anymore to advance their technology.’’

Kern was thoughtful for a moment, then looked at Farah.

‘’Doctor, the time ship you built is still functional, I believe?’’

‘’It is, sir. My two assistants are also quite able to pilot it if need be.’’

‘’In that case, I personally authorize the rescue of those two persons in 1941,

along with the retrieval of Miss Laplante’s personal effects at the same time.’’

Nancy then made a forced smile, knowing that she was now going to possibly push her

luck.

‘’Er, my daughter Ingrid is presently held in a British military prison, alongside a

number of other German young women. Would you authorize as well the retrieval of

some of those women, or at least help them out of their jail?’’

619

‘’Are you planning to enlist those women in this projected Time Patrol, miss?

Don’t forget that its approval and creation is not a done deal yet.’’

‘’As Chief Global Administrator, do you have the authority to offer asylum to

refugees, sir? If I can’t use them in this Time Patrol, then could they be offered a new

life here, away from a World devastated by war?’’

‘’Uh, put this way, I suppose that I could offer them the refuge of our civilization.

How many persons are we talking about here?’’

‘’Less than twenty, sir. Some may still decide to stay in 1941. That total includes

as well two good men who are in imminent danger of execution.’’

Kern gave a sober look at Nancy at those words.

‘’If these men are indeed at risk of death, then you have my benediction to go

save them, miss. The death penalty has been abolished for centuries now in our society

and that alone would be sufficient to justify an asylum request from those men. I thus

authorize you and Doctor Tolkonen to bring those people who wish to leave the year

1941 and ask for asylum here. If the Time Patrol project is approved and they volunteer

to join it, then the better.’’

‘’Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Administrator Kern.’’ said Nancy with a

sincere smile. ‘’You will not regret this decision.’’

‘’I believe so as well, miss. Just don’t use that opportunity to bring more

weapons to this century. Now, for one last thing before I go.’’

Kern then took out of a vest pocket a small electronic pad and punched a few

commands in it before looking back up at Farah.

“What is your personal bank credit number, Doctor?”

Farah gave it to Kern, who punched it in his pad.

“I just transferred 42,000 solars in your account, to be used by Miss Laplante and

her friends from 1941 to equip themselves with a wardrobe and other essentials. If they

are to work for us or live in this time period, then they will be entitled to the full social

benefits of a Global Council citizen.”

“That is actually an excellent idea, sir. Thank you again, sir.”

“Then I will be expecting you and Miss Laplante Friday morning in Zurich.”

Kern shook hands with both Farah and Nancy and then left with his bodyguards. Farah

felt good as she looked at Nancy.

“Nancy, I think that we are about to start something really exciting and

worthwhile.”

620

“It certainly looks like it, Farah. What next, now?”

“You go shopping for new clothes, while I go get some badly needed sleep. I

hope that you like shopping?”

“Me?” said Nancy while smiling. “After having to contend for a year with the

limited, atrocious choice of fashion in 1941 England? Any time! Just give me some

money and point me in the right direction.”

“Alright.” said Farah tiredly. “Let’s find an automated bank teller.”

Leaving the lab, the duo went down to the main hall of the building, where Farah went to

what looked a lot like the automated bank machines Nancy was accustomed to in 2012.

She spoke at the same time she slipped a small plastic card in a slot and put her opened

hand on a flat screen.

“These days, electronic crediting and debiting are used a lot more often than

cash money. Cash is however still accepted everywhere. Our currency unit is the solar.

As an example of its purchasing power, one solar will get you a good pastry or a pair of

socks, while a good meal will cost you anywhere between six and fifteen solars. Most

basic necessities are provided free to Global Council citizens on presentation of a social

services card, luxury products being normally the only items one has to pay for. Since

you are not a registered citizen of the Global Council yet, you will have to pay for

everything, for the moment.”

“Am I going to become a registered citizen, Farah?”

“Probably. Here are 2,000 solars. This is a lot of money, so be careful about it.

While violent crime is exceedingly rare in our society, petty thieves are not so rare.”

Nancy examined for a few seconds the banknotes and coins, particularly their elaborate

holograms, before pocketing them and following Farah outside. Their next stop was a

tall apartment tower some 400 yards away. Farah led her to an apartment on the

sixteenth floor, opening the door by putting her hand on a finger recognition screen

besides it. Nancy looked on in appreciation as they walked into a lounge decorated with

paintings and art objects.

“Nice place you have here, Farah. You have good tastes.”

“Thank you. I have to say that I haven’t had much chance lately to enjoy the

comfort of my apartment: I have been working long hours during the past few months.”

“I bet you did, Farah.” said Nancy very softly. “I owe you more than I will ever be

able to repay you. You risked your life and paid with pain to try getting me out of

trouble.”

621

Farah was silent for a moment while staring at her.

“You didn’t need to say this, Nancy. I would have done it for any other person in

trouble. Besides, you would have done the same for me.”

“But I’m a soldier. It is my duty to protect others.”

“I know. At first, the simple notion of soldiers, ready to kill on orders, disgusted

me. Then, while watching you through that war we just escaped, I gradually realized

that there was a lot more to soldiers than just being killing machines. I still don’t like

killing, but I now respect you.”

Nancy stepped forward and gently hugged the giant.

“Thanks, friend. Your respect means a lot to me.”

“And being your friend makes me happy. Now, you better go on your shopping

trip now. And don’t go wild while you are at it!”

Farah went to a work desk sitting in a corner of the lounge and foraged in one of its

drawers before going back to Nancy and handing her a calling card.

“Here is my address, so that you know where to direct the air taxi on your return.

The best place for you to start your shopping trip is on Lakeside Boulevard, in the Core

District. There are lots of good shops there. If you need to go eat, then go east one

block and try Sunset Pleasure Boulevard. Now, go to the roof level air car pad. I will call

an air taxi for you. Have fun in town!”

“And you go to sleep.” Replied Nancy before heading towards the door and

leaving the apartment. Farah took the time to call an air taxi for Nancy, then went to her

bedroom and crashed on the bed. She was asleep in seconds.

The few people Nancy met on her way to the roof landing pad eyed her with a

mix of curiosity and confusion, fixing on her small height, cranial hair and antiquated

battledress uniform. Once on the roof, she saw what looked like a standard bus stop

cabin besides a wide, reinforced landing pad. She scanned her surroundings before

going to the cabin: New Lake City lay less than a mile away to the West, along the

shore of Lake Michigan. The city was actually not a very big one, with a population

Nancy guessed to be around half a million. She found a long padded bench inside the

cabin, along with some sort of computer station. The station was actually very simple,

with few buttons and easy to read instructions. Nancy suspected that even young

children could use this without problems. She was still studying the station when a

wheel-less vehicle landed smoothly and silently on the pad. Going to the vehicle, Nancy

622

entered it when a side door opened by itself. Taking place on the comfortable bench

seat, she was about to tell the driver her desired destination when she realized that there

was no driver. There was in fact no driver’s seat at all, only two bench seats facing each

other. A soft female voice then came out of a hidden speaker.

“May I have your intended destination?”

“Er, Lakeside Boulevard, Core District, please.”

“Thank you! Enjoy the trip.”

By now, Nancy suspected that the air taxi was remotely controlled by a computer tied to

an air traffic control system. She thus relaxed and sat back as the taxi lifted from the

pad and headed West. Looking around, she saw dozens of similar vehicles flying over

the city. The trip took less than three minutes, with the taxi landing on top of a big

building by the shore of the lake.

“You are now on top of the Renaissance Tower, centerpiece of the Core District.

Thank you for using New Lake City public transit.”

“How much do I owe for the ride?”

“Air taxis are a public service and are thus free of charge. Have a good day.”

The side door again opened by itself. Nancy left the vehicle as a couple walked to it.

The two giants nodded politely to her before entering the taxi, which lifted soon

afterwards. Fantasizing mentally about having a similarly efficient taxi system in the

Montreal of 2012, Nancy entered the rooftop reception room and looked at the electronic

floor plans of the building, displayed on a large viewing table in the center of the room.

She saw with satisfaction that she would have a wide choice of clothing stores right in

this building, which would simplify her shopping. One particular publicity item for a

women’s clothing store situated on the ground level attracted her eyes.

“Custom-made dresses and suits ready in less than one hour. Hell, that sounds

perfect to me. With my comparatively small size, I was probably going to be stuck with

selections of children’s clothes only.”

Going to the bank of elevators, she was about to enter an arriving cabin when a woman

leaving the elevator caught her attention. It was actually her dress which caught her

eyes: it was made of a fantastic-looking fabric that changed colors as it moved with the

motions of the owner of the dress. Walking quickly to her and the man accompanying

her, Nancy smiled politely to both of them.

“Excuse me for disturbing you like this, miss, but could I ask you what kind of

fabric your dress is made of? I never saw the like of it before.”

623

“You never saw holographic silk before, young girl? It’s…”

The woman suddenly looked closely at Nancy’s face, intrigued.

“Er, how old are you actually, miss?”

Nancy smiled and held up her right hand, clearly showing her five fingers.

“I am 31 years old, miss. If I am so small, it’s because I am from the twentieth

century. Thank you for your time.”

The couple opened their mouths in unison from the shock, but Nancy was already

turning around and heading towards the elevators. She heard the man escorting the

woman whisper to his companion as she entered an elevator.

“A time traveling ancestor? Is that even possible?”

“It must, Ron, since she is here.” replied the woman in an uneasy tone. “The

ComSec should be warned to keep an eye on her: who could say how such a barbarian

could behave here, without supervision.”

Nancy didn’t say a word as she faced them from inside the elevator and pushed the

button for the ground level floor. She simply glared at the woman, who quickly turned

away, intimidated. The woman waited until the elevator doors closed before punching a

call number on her wrist videophone, prompting a question from her companion.

“What are you doing, Lara?”

“Calling the ComSec. That woman is scaring me.”

“Aren’t you overreacting? She simply asked you about your dress.”

“And you saw the way she last looked at me? Whoever brought her here was

irresponsible as hell.’’

As Lara called the Community Security local office, an idea came to the man. Activating

his own wrist videophone, he called the local Global News Network station. A young

and pretty woman answered him.

“GNN offices. May I help you, sir?”

“Yes, miss: I would like to report something unusual…”

Nancy had to recognize that she was impressed as she walked around the stores

of the ground level floor: those people had refined tastes and a highly artistic sense.

Allied with very advanced but also discreet technology, it made for a most appealing

civilization. The people themselves, while not athletic one bit, took care of their

appearances, probably through dieting rather than through exercising. She had not

seen a truly obese person yet and many of the men were quite attractive. She stopped

624

first in a luggage store and bought a large suitcase equipped with small wheels and a

pulling handle, like the ones commonly used for air travel in her own time. She also

bought a handbag for the beauty products and other small items she intended to buy

later. The store clerk nearly freaked out when she saw Nancy’s hands, which forced her

to talk again about her origins. By the time she got out of that store, she knew that she

would be big on the local news by the evening but resigned herself to it: if she was to

serve and protect those people, they would have to grow accustomed to her kind. For a

moment, she wondered how the local women would react to Mike Crawford and his

powerful body. She smiled to herself but forgot about that as she stopped in front of a

store specializing in female underwear. She definitely was going to need some of those.

That stop took about twenty minutes and resulted in more questions from curious store

clerks and customers alike. Going out of that store, she went nearly immediately inside

a footwear store and bought three pairs of shoes and two pairs of high boots. The next

stop was a drugstore, where she bought hygiene and beauty product. From there she

finally headed for the store advertising custom-made dresses and suits. Up to now, her

money had not gone down too quickly, which was encouraging: short of buying jewels,

the money she had would probably be more than plenty to buy everything she needed.

The custom fit store however surprised her to no small degree: the place was nearly

bare, save for a few computer workstations and what looked like changing cabins. She

was still looking around in puzzlement when a female clerk came to her with a ready

smile.

“May I help you, miss?”

“Er, yes. I am new here and expected something else when I came in here. It is

so… bare.”

“You never came to a custom fit store before, miss?”

“I’m afraid that there are no stores like this back in the year 2012, miss.”

“2012?”

The clerk, to her credit, regained her cool quickly after Nancy explained herself. She led

her to one of the changing cabins while giving her some instructions.

“Before we can work on the designs you want, we will need your exact body

measurements. This cabin is actually a holographic measurement chamber, where

lasers will map your body in three dimensions. I will need you to step inside the first

cabin, where you will remove all your clothes before going into the connecting cabin.

625

There you will stand with arms and legs slightly spread apart. When you are ready, just

say so and stay very still for five seconds. I will tell you when everything is done.”

“Before we do that, I would like to make sure that I have enough money for what I

want, so that I don’t make you waste your time, miss. Are dresses made of holographic

silk very expensive?”

“It depends on your tastes, miss. A nice but simple design can cost up to 100

solars, while a really fancy design can go up to 1,000 solars or more. How much do you

have left on you, if I may ask?”

“About 1,600 solars.”

“That’s plenty, miss. If you would please step in the cabin, miss.”

Nancy did so, finding herself in a tiny room sporting a chair, a shelf and wall hooks. She

undressed completely and stepped in the next room, which reminded her of the

transporter pads in the Star Trek science-fiction television programs. As told, she

spread her legs and arms and spoke up.

“I’m ready!”

“Thank you! Please do not move now for five seconds.” said the voice of the

clerk through a hidden speaker. Nancy obliged as green laser beams started going up

and down her body from multiple angles. She closed her eyes, even though the laser

beams were probably inoffensive. The voice of the store clerk then came back.

“You can now get dressed, miss.”

“Thank you!”

Once dressed and out of the measurement cabin, Nancy was led to a computer station.

The clerk sat in front of the keyboard, while Nancy sat to her left, facing a large screen.

“We are now going to select the type of dress you want, along with its colors and

features. We can basically produce anything you wish on the spot. The basement of

this store is actually an automated fashion design factory, so what you select will be

produced to your specifications within an hour. What kind of dress did you have in mind,

miss?”

“Actually, I was looking for three or four designs. Two will be casual wear, two-

piece designs; one will be a really sexy, skin-tight outfit, while I wish the last design to be

a really nice going out dress. If they can be all made of holographic fabric, all the better.

Uh, on second thought, I will also need two copies of another design, this one a working

outfit made of tough, fire-resistant fabric.”

“Alright, let’s see what we can do.”

626

 

Nancy went out of the store an hour and a half later, her suitcase now containing

a wardrobe she could be proud of. Even better, she still had over 700 solars with her.

Her battledress uniform, beret and boots were now in her suitcase and she wore a light

blue and white two-piece outfit with a deep plunging cleavage which turned to various

tones of royal blue and gold depending on the angle one looked at it from. Her money

and wallet were now in a matching purse slung from her right shoulder. Looking at her

watch, the same faithful one that had gone through that crazy year spent in World War

Two, she saw that it was close to two O’clock. Her stomach growled, as if to remind her

of the time. She was heading out of the east side entrance of the building when two

giants, a man and a woman, accosted her cautiously. Both wore dark blue uniforms and

silver helmets with integrated earphones and microphone. Nancy pegged them as some

kind of police officers as the woman addressed her politely.

“Excuse us for taking your time, miss, but could you show us some identity

card?”

“I am afraid that what I have may not be valid here, officer. I arrived from the

past only this morning and had no time to get a proper identity card from your

government yet.”

“Just show us what you have, miss.” said patiently the female officer. Both she

and her partner tensed up when Nancy opened her purse and started searching through

it. They relaxed when Nancy presented a plastic card with her photo on it. The woman

looked at it closely but could not read what was on it, being in an unknown language.

“What does this say, miss?

“It is my military identity card: I am a reserve officer of the Canadian Forces in the

year 2012. This is written in modern English and French, two of the languages of the

time.”

Both officers looked sharply at her, with the woman’s voice showing tension when she

spoke again.

“You are a soldier? Do you have any weapons with you?”

“Not with me, and yes, I am a soldier. Two of your scientists kidnapped me in

2012 to conduct some sort of illegal time travel experiment, then dropped me in 1940.

One of your scientists then went back to save me and brought me here.”

The female officer looked up and down at her new clothes and her suitcase.

627

“If you arrived only this morning and have no social identity card, how did you find

the money for these acquisitions?”

Nancy felt anger surge at the veiled suggestion that she may have stolen money, but

managed to stay calm and polite: her story was not a likely one, after all.

“Government officials met with me this morning at the New Lake City University.

They are interested in using my services and, since I had nothing save what I had on my

back, gave me some funds as an advance to buy new clothes.”

The police officer thought for a moment, then gave back to Nancy her military identity

card.

“Then I wish you good luck, miss. Sorry for having taken your time.”

“I was pleased to help, officer.”

Nancy discreetly sighed with relief as the two police officers left: it could have been

much worse, actually. Not that she had been physically worried: she had no doubts that

she could have defeated them without a problem, but beating up two police officers on

her first day here would not have looked very good in the eyes of her new, prospective

employers. Above all, she did not want to jeopardize her chances to be able to

recuperate Mike and Ingrid from the year 1941. She barely had time to make a few

more steps towards the exit when a young man wearing a strange headband rushed

towards her, cutting her path.

“Excuse me, miss. I am Den Solman, reporter with the local office of Global

News Network. Could I speak with you for a moment?”

Nancy looked up at the man’s headband, examining it critically. What looked furiously

like a miniature CCD camera was hooked to it, directly facing her.

“Is this a camera, mister?”

“Yes, it is, miss. Do you object to being filmed?”

Nancy thought for a moment, then decided that she might as well show some good will:

pushing him away would only result in being harassed further.

“No, not really. I am however starving and I really need to go eat something, so I

will ask you to be brief.”

“I know a good restaurant nearby, miss.” Volunteered the young reporter

enthusiastically. “We could talk while you eat.”

“Alright! Show the way, mister.”

As they walked together, the reporter started firing methodical questions at her.

“May I first have your name, miss?”

628

“I am Nancy Laplante. Since you are going to ask anyway, I will fill you in as

much as I can do quickly, mister. I originate from the year 2012 but, after being

kidnapped by unknown persons from this century, ended up in 1940, during a major war.

I managed to survive there for about a year before one of your scientists found me. We

however ran into difficulties and I was forced to fight to cover our retreat. As for what is

next for me, I don’t know yet how it will go: I am due to meet government officials later

on Friday to discuss that. That is all I can say for the moment.”

The reporter nodded his head, pleased, while taking notes on an electronic memo pad.

“And from where do you originate, Miss Laplante?”

“From Montreal, Canada. I was told that it doesn’t exist anymore.”

“That is unfortunately true, miss. You said that you ended up in the middle of a

war in the year 1940. The historical archives on that time period are however very

limited, since most of them were destroyed in the nuclear war of 2052. Could you

describe that war and the political situation that led to it for our viewers?”

“Why not? That war was known as the Second World War and went on from

1939 to 1945, causing the deaths of over 55 million persons, most of them civilian non-

combatants.”

“Fifty-five million dead?” interrupted the reporter, looking truly appalled and

shaken.

“Yes! That war was also marred by massive, unspeakable atrocities and

concluded with the use of the two first-ever nuclear bombs against Japan, one of the

protagonists in the war. The war itself was caused mostly by the ambitions and thirst for

power of the then leader of Germany, Adolph Hitler. He formed an alliance with Italy and

Japan and proceeded in conquering most of Europe. At first, his armies won the day,

but he did not succeed in bringing down Great Britain. Then he tried to invade the

Soviet Union in 1941 but met strong resistance and got quickly into big trouble. The

United States also joined the war in 1941, at the side of Great Britain and of the Soviet

Union. That upset for good the balance of power and ultimately cost the war to

Germany, Italy and Japan.”

“Since you were stuck in the middle of that war, you must have seen a lot of it,

miss. Did you see any of those atrocities you spoke about? After all, any war is an

atrocity by itself, right?”

“That is unfortunately too true, mister. Yes, I saw some of those atrocities. At

one time, I accompanied allied troops who liberated a German concentration camp. For

629

your information, a concentration camp is essentially a large prison camp where the

inmates are slowly starved, overworked and beaten to death as a punishment for

sometimes nothing more than being from the wrong ethnic group. There were even

worst places, called extermination camps, where specific ethnic groups were

systematically slaughtered by a variety of means.”

The reporter stopped cold in his track, horror and disgust on his face.

“This… this is inhumane! How could anybody do such things?”

“There were plenty of people who committed atrocities, mister.” said gravely

Nancy. “Both sides in that war committed atrocities, as a matter of fact.”

“And did you play any role in that war, miss, apart from being a spectator?”

“I was a combatant myself, mister. While my civilian job is as a journalist

specializing in military affairs, I am also a part-time soldier. I fought on the side of the

British during that war and was wounded a number of times.”

Solman instinctively took a step back away from her.

“You are a soldier? Did you kill anyone in that war?”

“Yes, many times in fact.”

Her subdued tone did apparently little to reassure the reporter.

“How many times?” he asked hesitantly.

Nancy had to think about that one for a moment.

“Directly, close to a hundred. Indirectly, tens of thousands. Believe me, mister: I

did not enjoy any of it and I killed only enemy soldiers in open combat.”

The man looked at her as if she was Dracula or Satan himself. Her apparent coolness

while speaking about such things was especially unsettling.

“Miss, you probably know that our society has never known war. What you just

said could be viewed very negatively here.”

“I won’t blame anyone for feeling that way, mister. War is a monstrous thing but,

when faced with it, you have no choice but try to make it as short and merciful as

possible.”

“What about diplomacy, talks?”

“Mister, monsters like Hitler or Stalin understood only one thing: force. They

used diplomacy only as long as it fit their needs. The British and French tried to

appease Germany before the war but succeeded only in letting the Germans get

stronger. That sort of lesson unfortunately had to be relearned too many times in history,

at the cost of millions of innocent lives. The truth is that you can’t understand war fully if

630

you haven’t lived through one. Look, I am simply asking you not to judge me simply

because I am a soldier.”

Den Solman hesitated for a moment as he stared at that small, apparently harmless

woman. What she said was unsettling, to say the least, and she had as much as

confessed to being a serial killer. For a pacifist society like the Global Council, she was

a dangerous anomaly. Something about her however told him to give her the benefit of

the doubt.

“Miss, how about talking about you as a person, once we get to the restaurant.

You do look and sound like a good person and I would like to give a balanced view of

you to our viewers.”

That brought a charming smile to her face.

“You have a deal, mister.”

15:04 (Mid America time)

Time laboratory, Physics Annex

New Lake City University campus

When Nancy walked into the time lab at the Physics Annex of the New Lake City

University, she found Farah’s two assistants busy working together in front of a

computer station with a large display screen, on which complicated technical schematics

were visible. First leaving her suitcase full of new clothes in a corner near the door,

Nancy walked to the two young engineers and looked at the screen.

‘’What are you working on, guys?’’

Maran Tolvek turned his head to answer her.

‘’A design for a new type of space-time probe, Miss Laplante. So, how did your

shopping trip go?’’

‘’Very well indeed. I now have some clothes that I can be proud of. I also toyed

around with what I thought could make a suitable work uniform for a time field agent.’’

‘’Oh? I certainly would like to see it later, miss.’’

‘’You certainly will, young man. Right now, I would need the help of the two of

you to go retrieve a few persons and objects from the past. The Chief Global

Administrator authorized that this morning.’’

631

‘’We know, miss: we saw the recording of your conversation with Administrator

Kern. Farah’s time ship, along with our time scooter, is all checked up and ready for

departure. Just tell us where and when you want to go, miss.’’