Borrowed Time- the Force Majeure

by E W Barnes

  “She was the first head of Temporal Security for the TPC,” he answered. “She’s famous. It must have been something to meet her.”

  “It was a little terrifying, at first,” Sharon answered with a laugh. “But once I realized I could trust her, she was a staunch ally. I wish we would have asked her how she found us in 1948 and in 2126.”

  “I can help with that,” Miranda said. “After Yorga Zintel sent you back to 2023, Agent Berg and I talked. It was before the report uploaded, and she was still not sure she believed what you said about our mission and the change in the timeline.

  “She told me that Yorga figured out the alteration we attempted to make in the Magna Carta in 1215. Because she sent the email and knew it related to debt, Yorga guessed what we were doing and suggested to Director Constantine that Agent Berg focus her investigation on the U.N. meeting in Paris in 1948.”

  “But how did she learn about my hand?” Sharon asked, raising her palm. The injury from 1215 was healing but could still be seen.

  “Because of the lost first aid kit, I would guess,” Miranda frowned. “Or perhaps she used observation mode to confirm her suspicions about our actions and saw the incident.”

  Sharon recoiled at the thought of Yorga spying on them across time. Miranda continued.

  “Unfortunately, our conversation was interrupted when Yorga returned to make me the offer to join Temporal Security in the other timeline. It seemed the best way to position myself to correct the timeline, and I accepted. Agent Berg and I did not get the chance to talk again.”

  “What happened with Agent Fernley?” Director Veta asked. “How is it he chose to shift to the future with Yorga Zintel?”

  “He was never thrilled about this mission,” Sharon said. “I think he was frightened by violating TPC policy and the consequences. When the first aid kit was left behind in 1215, he was devastated. He probably thought he didn’t have a choice.”

  “It was more than that,” Miranda said with a sigh. Her eyes were purple in the late afternoon light.

  “What do you mean?” Agent MacGregor asked.

  Miranda cleared her throat. Sharon had never seen her so uncomfortable.

  “After we returned to the TPC in the other timeline, Agent Fernley assumed that I had accepted Yorga’s offer to work for Temporal Security in good faith. Based on his assumption of that camaraderie, he confided in me that he only joined the mission because of Sharon Gorse, and he blamed her for its failure.”

  “Because of me? I don’t understand,” Sharon said frowning.

  “He, ah, had feelings for you,” Miranda said hesitating. “He said if you had not chosen to take on Director Veta’s mission, he would not have either.”

  “What does this have to do with his defection, Agent Noon?” Agent MacGregor inquired.

  “As the mission progressed, and things went wrong, he began to assign blame to Sharon, blaming her for getting hurt and needing medical treatment that resulted in his leaving the first aid kit in 1215. And he blamed her for leaving him behind in 1948.”

  “We would all have been captured if we stayed,” Sharon protested.

  “Of course. Your decision was logical and understandable,” Miranda reassured her. “Unfortunately, his recollections were colored by his suspicion that Agent Winters and Agent-in-Training Gorse were beginning a personal relationship.”

  “What?” Sharon exclaimed.

  “He was mistaken,” Caelen said. “There was nothing but professionalism amongst all of us every step of the way. You know that, Miranda.”

  “I know, and I tried to tell him that, but he was convinced his interpretation was the truth.” Miranda looked at Director Veta. “I believe misplaced jealousy was the underlying reason for Agent Fernley’s defection.”

  This revelation distressed Sharon. She’d considered Jonas a friend and did not realize he had feelings for her beyond that. She found it difficult to believe those feelings had turned so easily to the cruelty and malice she’d last seen in him.

  “Let’s move on,” Director Veta said, dispelling the awkward silence. “Agent Winters, would you explain how you and Agent Gorse ended up in Assistant Director Zintel’s office this afternoon?”

  Caelen described their plan to shadow Yorga in observation mode to determine if she sent the email. He explained how the Yorga in the other timeline made a system-wide announcement to warn all agents that the temporal nexus would be shut down. Agent MacGregor gasped at that point but said nothing. Finally, Caelen told them how he and Sharon had chosen to remain in observation mode, knowing it would likely kill them, rather than return and be captured again by Yorga in the other timeline.

  “I don’t know how we survived,” he said. “I didn’t think we were going to. It was… unpleasant.”

  “Perhaps it was some kind of failsafe built into the device, something we were unaware of,” Agent MacGregor suggested.

  “Whatever it was, it defies our current understanding of temporal mechanics,” Director Veta said. She tapped her console again, presumably adding to the list of things to talk about with the Temporal Engineering Department, Sharon guessed.

  “Perhaps it was a force majeure,” Miranda murmured.

  “What does that mean?” Agent MacGregor asked.

  “It means when something must give way to a greater power. In law, it refers to something unforeseeable that makes it impossible to complete a contract. Act of God was another way of putting it.”

  “I don’t know if there was a greater power involved or not. I’m grateful that, for whatever reason, you survived the experience. I’m sure our technicians will want to better understand it, and define what your force majeure really is,” Director Veta said.

  The room had grown dark. It was now night and Sharon felt the need for quiet and sleep.

  “Is there anything else?” the director asked them.

  “Yes, there is,” Sharon said, her exhaustion fighting every word. “Who is Natalie Johnson?”

  Director Veta looked at Agent MacGregor. His face was eloquent in frustration.

  “We don’t know,” he said. “We’ve checked all our records and can find no one named Natalie Johnson that we can connect to either Yorga Zintel or President Rickert. It’s like she’s a ghost.”

  “She’s a ghost who wants to kill me,” Sharon said. “And I don’t know why.”

  “We can assume it’s because you are a genuine threat to the Chestnut Covin,” Agent MacGregor said. “Once you officially join my department, tracking down Natalie Johnson will be one of your first tasks.”

  “What about her safety?” Caelen asked. “How are we going to ensure that this Natalie Johnson doesn’t follow through on her threat?”

  Agent MacGregor pulled out a small tablet computer like Miranda’s.

  “I’m setting up a trace on the temporal nexus. Any shift in Sharon’s vicinity will be tracked by the temporal mainframe and immediately reported to Director Veta and myself.”

  “Is that satisfactory?” Director Veta asked.

  “Yes, Director, thank you” Sharon answered as Caelen nodded.

  Before she adjourned their meeting, Director Veta set the new agent swearing-in ceremony for the afternoon of the next day. Rather than shift back home to 2023, Sharon opted to remain at the TPC overnight. Director Veta assigned Sharon one of several micro-apartments available for guests.

  As they returned to the atrium, Sharon stopped in front of a line of holographic images - portraits of previous TPC directors and agents of note.

  Sharon had walked past the portraits numerous times, but this time she stopped short. One caught her attention, an image of an older woman in her late 60s smiling confidently at them. Below the holographic photo was the caption:

  Agent Astrid Berg, First Head of the Temporal Protection Corps Department of Temporal Security

  This was why the blond woman in Paris had seemed familiar to her. She had seen Agent Berg before Paris, just at a different age.

  Sharon n
odded her head at the portrait.

  “Thank you, Agent Berg,” she whispered.

  There was no response from the portrait, but she hadn’t expected one.

  ◆◆◆

  Behind the atrium in the center of the headquarters of the Temporal Protection Corps was a large hall. It was designed with a low platform and wide area for many people to stand. Acoustic baffles had been cleverly positioned to amplify sounds from the stage and reduce sounds from the open space. It was the area in which they might convene large gatherings of TPC agents for a variety of occasions. One of those occasions was the swearing in of new agents.

  The TPC director traditionally conducted the swearing-in ceremony, which always included a recorded message of congratulations from the World Government president.

  For this swearing-in ceremony, however, World Government President Bjorn Rickert was unavailable having been indicted for conspiracy. More than one conversation alluded to the ironic coincidence that the absence of the president’s video was because of the actions of one of those being sworn in.

  Vice President Platt sent a warm message of congratulations, without mentioning ironic coincidences, hours before his own swearing-in as president.

  The ceremony was also traditionally attended by the Assistant Director of the TPC. On this day, the ceremony began instead by first swearing-in a new Assistant Director. Sharon beamed as Miranda Noon raised her right hand and responded to Director Veta’s questions.

  Assistant Director Noon then spoke to the three people being sworn in as new TPC agents.

  “Please raise your right hands.”

  Then Director Veta recited the Temporal Protection Corps agent oaths:

  “Do you solemnly swear to preserve, protect, and defend the World Constitution?”

  “Do you solemnly swear to preserve, protect, and defend the policies and tenets of the Temporal Protection Corps?”

  "Do you solemnly swear to obey the orders of the leadership of the Temporal Protection Corps and the

  World Government?"

  After each question, the new agents responded, “I so swear.”

  Then it was done. Sharon was officially an agent. As the audience cheered, she shook the hands of her fellow new agents. Then Director Veta called the group to order again.

  “Please welcome Agent Nizhoni Diogo, assigned to the Department of Temporal Computation; Agent James Harkin who is assigned as the 14th century expert in the Department of Chrono-History; and Agent Sharon Gorse, assigned to the Department of Temporal Security.”

  Against her better judgment, Director Veta and Agent MacGregor had decided that while Sharon’s expertise was not a secret, they would not draw undue attention to it. It was a calculated move to downplay Sharon as the TPC’s Chestnut Covin expert.

  “The Chestnut Covin has demonstrated a pattern of increasing conflict and aggression,” Agent MacGregor explained. “I believe that puts all of us at greater risk not only by acts of temporal vandalism, but also a risk of physical harm. I'm responsible for my agents and I would prefer to reduce the risk of harm by keeping Agent Gorse out of the spotlight as much as possible, at least until we have a better understanding of our enemy.”

  While Sharon appreciated Agent MacGregor’s sentiments, it galled her to allow the Chestnut Covin to dictate any aspect of her work, even indirectly, out of fear.

  As the assembled audience clapped again, Sharon could hear the buzz of voices under the applause. Murmured words— “Chestnut Covin,” “Yorga Zintel,” and “presidential indictment” —reached her ears as people pressed around her to shake her hand. No one asked her about it outright, however.

  In a meeting with Director Veta and Agent MacGregor earlier that day, they discussed what information to share with TPC agents about the events resulting from the “Email Timeline” as Sharon called it. Sharon had argued for full disclosure, but Agent MacGregor urged caution. It was rare that government officials and agencies were involved in conspiracy and Director Veta wanted to take things one step at a time.

  “We have notified staff about the removal of Assistant Director Yorga Zintel from the TPC, and the world population has been informed of the indictment of former President Rickert,” she said. “As the proceedings move forward, we will keep everyone informed of the facts, and not foster gossip and theories.”

  Sharon had doubts about this strategy. It was her experience that when people didn’t have information about things important to them, they made up their own explanations, and sometimes those explanations caused more trouble than leaders simply admitting they didn’t have the answers. But she kept her doubts to herself, trusting in Director Veta’s understanding of her people and her innate leadership skills.

  Hearing the muttering around her and sensing the nervous energy of the crowd, Sharon now wished she’d shared her concerns with Director Veta.

  Eventually the crowd dispersed, and Sharon was left alone. There was a table against a wall with light refreshments and she helped herself to water and a small lemon cookie. She heard a familiar voice over her left shoulder.

  “Agent Gorse?” She turned and was met with a warm smile from Caelen.

  “Congratulations,” he said. “How does it feel?”

  “It feels terrific,” she answered. “And I couldn’t have done it without you, Training Agent Winters. What are you going to do now that you’re no longer training?”

  “I’ve been assigned a research project,” he answered. “To find out why all knowledge of the debt to the parallel universe was removed from 22nd century history.”

  Agents approached the table, helping themselves to cookies, before moving off again.

  “Do you know what your first assignment will be?” he asked in a low tone.

  “Agent MacGregor and I will do what he calls a deep investigation,” she said after glancing around to make sure no one would overhear. “You know, trying to find the key players, leaders, supporters, etc., of the Chestnut Covin.”

  “And Natalie Johnson?”

  “That’s my top priority. Who is Natalie Johnson and what is her role?”

  “But you won't start your investigation tonight, right?” he asked.

  “No, I don’t think so,” she answered laughing.

  “Then are you available for dinner?”

  “Pizza at your place again?”

  “No, I was thinking maybe something a little nicer.”

  “You mean like a date?”

  “Yeah, like a date.”

  She looked at him sideways through narrowed eyes.

  “Now that you’re a full agent and in a different department, we can spend personal time together. That is, if you want,” he added.

  “Yes. I’d like that,” she said, looking out again at the crowd and hiding her grin with another sip of water.

  Sharon stayed at the reception for another hour. She chatted with her fellow inductees learning that Nizhoni was a futurist, fascinated by and dedicated to finding a way to time travel safely to the future. Her focus was creating and analyzing computer models of time travel shifts to various interweaving future timelines.

  “Imagine what our scholars could learn about our past by visiting the future,” she said.

  James Harkin was quieter than the exuberant Nizhoni, though Sharon sensed an intensity under the surface. His area of expertise was the Silk Road and the connection between China and Venice in the 1300s though, like all the expert chrono-historians, he had a broad knowledge of history for the entire century. Sharon suspected that with enough coaxing Agent Harkin could spend hours discussing all things 14th century.

  Director Veta, Agent MacGregor, Miranda, and Caelen introduced several agents and other TPC staff to her. There were too many names for her to remember, but the feeling of family was undeniable.

  Sharon believed that becoming a TPC agent was the best thing she’d ever done.

  ◆◆◆

  Eventually the event ended. People left in ones and twos most heading for the el
evators to return to their homes on the surface. A few, like Sharon, were staying in the apartments on the floor above the training hall.

  “Good evening Agent Gorse,” a pleasant AI voice said as she opened the apartment door.

  The micro-apartment assigned to Sharon was only 800 square feet in size, but it was airy with what she would have called minimalist decor. The ceilings were 15 feet high with large windows that took up two walls with beautiful views of the holographic gardens. There was an efficiency kitchen in one corner under a loft bedroom that overlooked a small living area complete with a couch and coffee table. The light and openness gave an illusion of space that Sharon appreciated, and helped her not notice that the floor area was not much larger than her library at home in 2023.

  She closed the door and sat on the small couch with a sigh. She enjoyed the swearing-in ceremony, but it was good to be alone in a quiet place after the excitement of the day and the challenges she’d recently faced. Tomorrow she would return to her own time for dinner with her parents. While it had only been a couple of days, it seemed like eons since she had slept in her own bed and eaten at her own table.

  But tonight, she had a date with Caelen. For that she was willing to wait a little longer before going home.

  She showered in the small bathroom next to the kitchen and chose a simple blue dress, the nicest of the limited selection of clothes in the closet. There were a pair of matching blue pumps which she left on the floor by the front door.

  She was ready. She sat on the couch and then paced the floor a few times. She stood at the window watching a light breeze dance ferns over a stream as the holographic sun set, in time with the soft music she’d selected.

  There was a knock on the door and the AI activated the exterior video feed.

  “Agent Caelen Winters,” the AI voice said.

  Caelen was early. Maybe he guessed she wouldn’t mind if they started their evening ahead of schedule. She slipped on the pumps, straightened the dress, checked her hair, and then opened the door.

  “You’re early,” she said brightly.

  “Is that a problem?”