Time Agent | ONC2024

2. The Assignment

This chapter is dedicated to empiresofwater a writer I have newly discovered during this ONC. One of the joys of ONC is seeing who other writers are supporting and checking out their stories. Her SciFi story, Chimera, will have you gripping the edge of your seat!

The white gravel path rose ahead, straight as an arrow, slicing through the manicured emerald lawn to the gleaming white building on top of the hill. The sun shone mistily through the light cloud cover and a chill wind encouraged him to walk faster.

He could have taken a hovercar, but he enjoyed walking, the feel of fresh air against his skin and the smell of living grass. And he strongly believed exercise was different in the real world, even though he knew the carefully crafted gym program met all his physical needs.

A rush of excitement increased his heart rate as he reached the entrance. He paused a moment, breathing deeply and slowly to steady his pulse. Something had happened, something unexpected, he was certain. He couldn't remember the last time the Director had asked him to come to the Senta on his day off. Today was going to be the day, he just knew it. All those weeks of training and psychological assessments were finally going to pay off.

As steady as he could be under the circumstances, he passed the ID chip in his left wrist over the scanner, opened the door and went in.

Triggered by his entrance, a strip of green lights appeared on the floor, leading the way down one of the passages which led off to the right. He followed the way indicated and eventually reached a room with a sealed door. He scanned his ID chip again and, after a brief pause, the door opened.

Immediately, his eyes were drawn to the holo in the middle of the room. Lines of coloured light fanned out from various points like branches of coral from the sea bed, dazzling in their intensity. Each represented a divergence from the primary timeline, a point where a pivotal event had occurred, changing the course of history. Almost all these events were natural, a war lost or won, an invention a success or never considered, each different and significant outcome leading to a new branch of the multiverse.

The small number of events which occurred outside the natural flow were the ones that caused trouble and work for the Senta. Whenever a civilisation discovered time travel, someone would try to change history, unfortunately causing more problems than they set out to solve.

Examining holos like this had been a core part of his training. What had happened this time?

"Ah, Agent Seven Three, there you are. Come in." The commanding voice belonged to a tall white-haired man who had been studying the holo. He had the robust appearance of a man in the prime of life, though rumours put him at well over seventy years. Dark brown eyes under hooded brows studied the other man with the same intensity he had directed to the holo.

"We have a problem. Look at this." The Director pointed to a spot low down at the rear of the holo. Red lines were sprouting from a minor branch like twigs in springtime.

Agent Seven Three had never seen anything like it, despite his studies.

"What on Earth is happening? Do we know what's causing this?"

"Not yet. But we do know one thing. That's not likely to be a natural event."

Seven agreed.

"What information do we have about that particular time line?"

"Not much so far. I've got researchers investigating now."

Seven traced the branch back with his eyes to the spot it had diverged from the principal timeline. "What was the pivotal event there?" he gestured.

"A minor naval engagement, as far as we can judge. Records refer to it as The Battle of Trafalgar. In our timeline, the English defeated a combined fleet of French and Spanish ships. It was one of many battles in what was known later as the Napoleonic Wars. Hardly enough to trigger a split in the timeline I would have thought. And yet..."

A wave of his hand and the holo blinked out, to be replaced by an old-fashioned static image of strangely shaped objects that Seven supposed must be ships. They appeared to be sitting in water, though one of them seemed to be on fire.

"How... odd," Seven stared, fascinated, at the image.

The Director shrugged. "I'm glad this case intrigues you. I'm sending you back to investigate."

Seven had spent many hours fantasising about his first mission but he had never dreamt he would be sent back to influence the outcome of a naval battle. What did he know about naval battles? Nothing at all, was the correct answer. He had never even seen a ship, and was completely unfamiliar with the workings of one.

He was just about to protest, when the Director continued.

"Not back to the pivot point of course, at least, not at this stage. We don't want to eradicate a timeline unless absolutely necessary. You'll be sent to this point, here," he pointed again to the red threads, "where all the action is happening. Your task will be to discover what is causing these divergences and put a stop to it."

"Yes, sir." Seven sent a silent thanks to the stars that he didn't have to handle the battle. The preparatory technical research alone would have taken him hours, if not days, to absorb.

"Who is the mission leader, sir? I'd like to meet with them before we go." This was his first live assignment and Seven knew he wouldn't be the one in charge. He hoped it would be someone he liked, someone compatible. Unfortunately, he knew that his best friend on the program, Five Nine, was already on an assignment, but there were a couple of others that he would be happy to work with. Running over the options in his head, he almost missed what the Director was saying.

"You'll be doing this one solo, Seven. I know that's not ideal, particularly for your first job, but you're the only one available at present." He frowned. "That attempt to divert the First Scandinavian War has taken more time and effort than I expected."

His face cleared. "Still, I'm sure you'll manage perfectly well. You'll find the relevant language program has been added to your console for you to inload, and as soon as we get more information about the social norms of the period, you'll get access to that, too."

The Director paused a second as a memo appeared in the upper right quadrant of his vision. "Good news! The lab can slot you in for transport at 15:00 tomorrow. Don't be late."

First Milestone reached! Word Count 2072 - not including Author's Notes