After Tomorrow: A CHBB Anthology

by Samantha Ketteman

  “Are you like a stalker?” she asked.

  He winced. “No, I just really want to get to know you.”

  “Look, I’m flattered but I’m here because I want to work. I’ve worked hard to become a part of Hermes and-”

  “No, I totally get it! I’ve worked hard to get here too.”

  “Then you also know that interpersonal relationships are forbidden.”

  “Yes, I do.” Collin responded, even though he hadn’t. He hadn’t expected to see her again, especially not at Hermes. “Actually, you’re the reason I’m here. You’re my one regret.”

  “Your one regret?”

  “Yes, not getting to talk to you that day.”

  “I told you I don’t like the beach.”

  “I know, I remember you saying that. I just wanted you to know. Anyway, what’s yours?”

  “My what?”

  “Your one regret? What inspired you to come here?”

  “Oh.” she looked away, “That’s private. Besides, I just met you.”

  “We met years ago.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just keep your distance, stalker.”

  Fortunately for Collin, the Hermes organization had other plans. After they were given a series of tests, Collin and Cassidy were paired together to start training. Their trust in each other grew with their skills. No one was surprised when they were the first team to be offered a real message delivery. Cassidy felt it couldn’t happen soon enough. Collin, on the other hand was just doing what made him happy; being with Cassidy and traveling through time.

  As they stood on the time portal loading ramp, they stared at the opening temporal gate. “Let’s make history.” Cassidy whispered, her eyes aglow with excitement. Collin grinned and nodded. Together they stepped through and successfully delivered their first message. They both agreed it was one of the greatest highs they’d ever experienced as they toasted to their success that night. What had started out as an awkward partnering had blossomed into one of the closest friendships Collin had ever experienced.

  

  The next year passed by in a blur. After their first experience with message delivery, Collin and Cassidy were both filled with a burning desire to reach through time and touch the lives of lost loved ones. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know the individuals personally. After all, Hermes frowned on any interaction with individuals that the messengers had come in contact with in the past. All messengers were screened before any message was delivered, to prevent anyone from accidentally meeting with those they’d been close to. Authorities feared the temptation to change the past of a loved one might be too hard to resist.

  Time travel wasn’t a simple process. A messenger needed to have the precise date and time he or she wanted to visit, but more than that, an object that was present at that exact moment was needed to act as an anchor. Temporal technicians had determined that it was impossible for a messenger to go back without a device keyed to the exact location and time they left. If the messengers were off by even a moment, the results could be catastrophic.

  Collin and Cassidy made such a good team because they met with the people who wanted to send messages, and they managed to track down the objects needed from the events. They’d go to the locations they would be delivering the message to and learn everything they could before the attempt. Their sincerity and technique earned them a growing respect among the other messengers and technicians. Before long, they earned the title of top team. Their fame spread through the organization and even Section Chief Mark Westin, the head of Hermes, took notice.

  Another six months flew by. The more messages they delivered, the closer they became. They shared their first kiss twenty-five years in the past, in 2032. It happened while delivering a message to a fallen firefighter who’d died trying to save a little girl. Just before their return, they’d watched the firefighter as she headed into the inferno, knowing full well she would never return home to her husband and son yet happy to know that her son, who had been so ill in the hospital they feared he might die, would fully recover.

  It’d affected Cassidy most. Her grandfather had raised her after her parents were killed in a terrorist bombing in Washington. Although she knew it was a pipe dream and that she couldn’t alter the past, she dreamt of delivering a message to her parents and her late grandpa personally. Unfortunately, the entire building had been destroyed and nothing remained. She had no way of sharing her moment with them. Her grandmother assured her that they knew, but her desires still drove her career at Hermes. Her one regret.

  Cassidy fidgeted with a letter, trying to find peace in what was happening around her and Collin. Collin. His silent, strong presence had been with her since the program started. In truth, she didn’t know what to think about him at first. He seemed so determined to get to know her. His desire to travel through time matched hers. In a way, she felt he was the only one who might understand why the letter was so important to her.

  “Cass? What is that?” he asked.

  Cassidy fidgeted for a moment but then lifted the letter slowly. “It’s a letter to my grandpa.”

  “The one you said raised you?”

  She nodded. “I just... I know I can never get a message to my parents. But I thought maybe if I could get a message to my grandpa before mom and dad died, he could let them know and I could tell him how thankful I am for everything he did.”

  “Couldn’t you tell him ‘thank you’ now?”

  She shook her head. “He passed away two months before they announced Hermes. When I found out about the program, I knew. I’ve been working hard to make a life for myself so I can tell them how much they meant to me, how thankful I am to have had them in my life.”

  “I see.” Nothing more needed to be said. Hermes didn’t allow personal messages within the organization in case it changed their future. Cassidy would never get to see her wish come true, but there was always hope that maybe somehow, someday it might happen.

  Although Collin’s reasons for joining Hermes were of a different nature, he could see the hunger and drive in her eyes, fueled by her lost loved ones. He saw her standing there, her pain as the building burned with the mother. He took her hand and held it for a long time, until the moment to travel back to their own time was upon them. She turned to Collin and as the temporal wave took them home, she touched her lips to his in a tear-flavored kiss. It was the most wonderful, bittersweet kiss Collin could have imagined. In that moment he knew he loved her.

  They broke contact as they materialized back at Hermes. No one seemed to see them and for a few days, neither one brought it up. Collin wanted to, but he knew she needed time. Then suddenly, one day, the way she smiled at him changed. Her smile was more open and sincere, filled with their shared memories and secrets. At Hermes, they needed to be careful, to make sure no one saw them together, but when they traveled to the past they were free to be themselves.

  Collin finally had his ideal life. Years ago, he had met a beautiful girl at the beach. It had taken him years to find her, and now that he finally had, he was never going to let her go.

  

  On their sixteenth assignment involving a car crash, Collin’s emotions got the better of him. He grabbed Cassidy and held her in a quiet corner of the hallway, out of sight of the security cameras. “Collin? What are you doing? If they see us-”

  “Shhh,” he whispered, his voice wavering slightly, “I just need a moment.”

  She was silent. Their last assignment had affected her too. Most of their assignments required that they take a temporal wave back before the event, but this particular message was to be delivered after the crash. The driver of the vehicle, the intended recipient, ended up dying in front of them. Cassidy had lived with the death of loved ones before, but that was the first time Collin had seen death up close. It was different from watching a building burn, or riding a wave out before an event.

  She combed her fingers through his hair. “It’s alright, Collin.”r />
  “He was our age, Cass,” Collin whispered, “He was on his way to see his girlfriend and propose. I mean, what are we supposed to tell the girl? All she wanted us to do was tell him she’d never forget him… before she moves on with her future marriage. Now, we have to tell her that a guy she dated, but regretted not having a chance with, wanted to be with her forever. How do you tell someone that? That they lost that… forever.”

  “You tell her the truth.”

  Collin pulled away from her. “What? Won’t the truth hurt more?”

  Cassidy gave him a small smile. “Yeah, the truth is going to hurt. But it’s the last chance for him to be honest with her. It’s not up to us to play God. Wouldn’t you want me to know?”

  “I guess… I would want you to know.”

  She pinched his nose. “Of course you would, stalker.”

  He playfully scowled and kissed her softly. She returned his kiss, but stopped when she noticed his eyes focus on something behind her. She turned and saw one of the briefing assistants standing there, watching them with wide eyes.

  “Frack.” Collin whispered.

  Cassidy bit her lip, thinking fast. She recognized him. “Timothy? It’s Timothy, right?”

  Timothy jumped and nodded, looking worried. Not only had he seen them together but he had been recognized. He wrung his hands as they walked towards him. Cassidy glanced up at him, “Hi, Timothy.”

  “Cassidy.” he pleaded, “I didn’t see anything, okay?”

  She nodded, giving him a small smile. “I appreciate that.”

  Collin frowned, “You work for the section chief, right?”

  “Yes, Chief Westin. But I won’t-”

  Collin held up a hand. “Yeah I heard that the first time. Besides, I’m not worried.”

  Timothy blinked. “Why aren’t you worried?”

  Collin raised a hand above Cassidy’s head and pointed downwards. “Because this girl is waaaay scary when she’s mad.” He chuckled at his own joke as Timothy looked somewhere between a smile and a bolt for the door.

  Cassidy punched Collin’s shoulder. “Ignore him, Timothy. I promise you won’t disappear.”

  “I really didn’t see anything. Besides I think it’s cool you guys have finally gotten together.”

  Both Collin and Cassidy snapped to attention, their playful banter falling short. “Finally?” they asked together.

  “Well, I mean... it’s clear you guys have been into each other since orientation. Even the section chief took out a bet on when you’d warm up to him, Cassidy.”

  Collin tried not to laugh.

  “Even the section chief suspects?” Cassidy demanded.

  “Well, yeah. You are our top team. The rules might say it’s not allowed but you guys are practically Hermes’ poster team. They’re calling you the Messenger Angels. You’re why so many of the teams strive so hard. You’ve raised the bar for everyone.”

  Collin grinned. “Hey we have groupies. Cool!”

  Cassidy scowled at him. “No, not cool. That means not only do they know about us, but it’s only a matter of time before we’re called before a review panel.”

  Timothy waved his hands. “No, none of us are going to say anything. I won’t say anything. I promise.”

  “I appreciate that, Timothy… still worries me though.”

  A voice sounded over the loudspeaker, “This is a general announcement. Members of the West Guard resistance have attacked team Four. Until further notice only Priority One and Two messages will be delivered. Please report to your section leader for further instructions.”

  “Another one?” Cassidy whispered in horror. The attacks were becoming more frequent and they still had no idea how the guard was even tracking them.

  Collin nodded gravely. “That’s the second team this month. They’re getting worse.” They both knew it was dangerous. Extremists weren’t to be messed with and they weren’t afraid to use live fire. Casualties were simply a part of the war on time manipulation. The justifications were nearly as horrifying as the acts. The issue with live fire was that one death in the past would create a paradox. One missed bullet…

  “They’re just worried about our world.” Timothy spoke softly.

  Collin shrugged. “I get why they’re worried. But Timothy, it’s our people out there. They’re hurting our own. They’re more likely to destroy the timeline than we are.”

  Timothy nodded. “You’re right. It’s got to stop.” Then he turned toward them. “Oh, I almost forgot. The section chief wants to see you.”

  Cassidy grimaced. “Not about-”

  “No, it’s about something else.” he assured her. “I’ll see you there, okay?”

  “Alright, thanks again, Timothy.” She smiled gratefully.

  After he left, she turned to Collin. “You.” she frowned at him.

  “Err. What did I do?”

  “Be good when we’re here from now on. Timothy almost gave me a heart attack!” She sighed and rubbed her temples, “I wonder what the section chief wants.”

  Collin shrugged and gave her a quick hug before she shook him off. “I don’t know but maybe it’s to congratulate us on helping him win his bet?”

  She couldn’t resist chuckling, “Whatever, stalker.”

  “Aww Cass, come on, don’t be like that.”

  “Still a stalker…”

  

  “Cassidy, Collin, please come in.” Chief Westin called to them from the mission briefing room. The briefing room, like the training rooms, was filled with the latest technology in conferencing equipment. The timeline was on a rotating display that resembled the celestial planets. Chief Westin touched one of the time periods and brought it up, showing them a military base.

  “This one is new for us,” the chief warned, “It involves the military.”

  “How so, chief?”

  “A soldier in the military was involved in a training accident on base.”

  “What happened?” Cassidy asked.

  “Even though no soldiers were supposed to be targeted, the individual who is to receive your message was shot in a no danger zone during the training event. The military investigated but concluded that a stray shot somehow hit him.”

  “How far back are we going, chief?”

  “The farthest anyone has gone. To the year the project was initiated in secret and our viable timeline started, 1990.”

  Collin whistled. “That is really close to the red line.”

  Westin nodded. “March 14th, 1990; three months after the first test succeeded. It’s one of the reasons we’re only hearing about this now. It took a long time for the military to give the green light and provide us with something from the event.”

  “What did the military give as the item for the delivery?”

  Westin hesitated. “The bullet. It’s probably one of the reasons they were so hesitant to allow her to make this request. The entire training center was demolished by an artillery round shortly after the incident, and his fatigues had already been burned. It’s all they had other than the dog tags, which they were concerned might give an inaccurate temporal signal.”

  “But the bullet that ended his life...?”

  “Is exactly what’s needed. It should take you right to him.”

  “To the moment he dies?”

  Westin nodded. “The temporal department says they can give you a one minute window before the event. Anything more and we risk you getting caught in the event. Which I’m sure you’ll agree, none of us want.”

  Collin grunted in response but Cassidy bit her lip. “Will we get to talk to the widow?”

  Westin nodded. “She’s outside waiting for you. If you want the message that is.”

  Collin didn’t hesitate. “We’ll take it.” He knew Cassidy would whole-heartedly dive into such a prestigious assignment, especially after discovering that their relationship was known at Hermes.

  “Good. Here is your message assignment. Get onto the base with the provided ID’s, de
liver your message and get out. It’s a live fire training exercise so watch your butts down there. One other thing...”

  “The West Guard?” Collin asked.

  Westin nodded grimly. “They’ve been far more active the past month. The Justice section is convinced we’ve got a leak. I don’t want to believe it’s one of our own but in light of Team Four’s recent attack, we’ve got to face the facts. That’s why this new mission is only known through my military contacts, the wife, my office and you two. We’ll figure out who this mole is but not today. Just get this assignment done so the military is happy with us and then take a well-deserved break. Also, watch out. A report from Team Four said the enemy has started using ‘time traps’.”

  Collin and Cassidy stared at him in shock. Time traps were obscene devices like claymore mines, only instead of explosives, it triggered a temporal window that would send a person back or forward through time without control. Not only would it prevent the messenger from returning with his or her time wave device, but the time trap continued to propel the person endlessly. Each time jump was so close to one another it would sicken and eventually kill the person trapped. They’d only heard about such devices being sold on the black market for assassinations, but for the West Guard to use them was taking everything to a whole new level. It was truly developing into an all-out war with no safe zones and nothing sacred.

  Cassidy nodded slowly and stood. “We’ll be careful, sir, and thank you for your trust.”

  They excused themselves and stepped into the hall where Timothy and an elderly woman awaited them. “This is Mrs. Reddings,” he introduced, “she is the one asking for the message to be delivered on behalf of herself and her late daughter.

  “Late daughter?” Collin asked, surprised.

  Cassidy elbowed him in the stomach to quiet him and smiled at the older woman. “It’s our pleasure, Mrs. Reddings.”

  The woman smiled wearily at her. “Thank you for being willing to take this message to my husband.”

  “It’s our pleasure.”