Thirteen Reasons (p2)

Posted on Sun 27th Nov, 2022 @ 2:12am by Gary Thirteen & Renato Solis

1,446 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Fresh Perspective
Location: Renato Solis' Office
Timeline: MD1 2100

Previously...
The words fell out of Renato’s mouth without thinking, “Well time travel has its perils.” With sudden awareness that was said out loud Renato hoped the mans benign nature was truly that. He had nothing but a notion, but knew it was correct. Learning to trust himself was easier these days it seemed, and the mans reaction would tell all.

"If you say so," the man named Gary replied with perfect nonchalance. The cat, however, had suddenly raised her head, but Gary's fingers gently massaging her ears and chin quickly soothed her back down, and she let out a low meow.


-Start-

Go fish. The phrase was a familiar one, even if he didn’t understand it fully. Renato got something to work with, but nothing to confirm or deny any other wild notion.

“I am merely pointing out the vaguery of the problem. You need to get somewhere? We have ships. Perhaps you don’t know where, there are computers. You are surrounded by tools to accomplish stellar feats, but you cant avail yourself of Starfleet’s assistance, you need your own very special tools. In fact, you are so concerned with maintaining this mystique, and avoiding the help around you it has driven you to the non digital realms for assistance which is likely to be “off books.” I cant help you Astro navigate, or obtain a ship, but I can recover lost things. So by deduction, you need to get somewhere without anyone noticing, using means which do not leave a trace, without telling anyone, anything. I’ve met time travelers before, and your lack of information reads all the same. Have your secrets, just tell me what I’m looking for.”

Gary and Sundae looked at each other with tired eyes. Giving the cat a soft nod, he gently let her down from his lap and she began to sniff around the room. "Forgive me, Mr. Solis," Gary said. "It's been a long day. It appears you might be able to help me after all. Allow me to explain my dilemma more specifically."

Gary crossed a leg and leaned back in the chair. "Everywhere Sundae and I go is carefully monitored by a computer known as the Beta Five, which exists simultaneously in several points of space and, yes, time. I communicate with the Beta Five using two devices, a Servo and a chronoskimmer. The Servo can help me transport to places, provided I have the proper coordinates in my chronoskimmer and the Beta Five is tracking me."

Gary sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "This morning the Servo went missing, and the Beta Five cannot be reached through my chronoskimmer. Best case scenario, my Servo was stolen and my chronoskimmer needs a new power source. Worst case, the Servo has ceased to exist and something has happened that could result in a total temporal collapse. The end of time, Mr. Solis. Either way, I must complete my original objective here before I can travel again." Sundae mewed. "Before we can travel again," Gary corrected himself. "And that's going to be very hard to do without access to the Beta Five."

Renato had not met any time travelers directly, but the legends were out there. It wasn't impossible, but pulling off such a thing took a lot of secrecy for sure. The man sitting across from him was telling the truth so far as he beleived it at least. The End of Time... Even beginning to think of what that meant was so far beyond his capabilities he felt an instant wave of humble, self-effacing, ennui. To consider this as true meant he had to suspend much of his usual scrutinies. If Gary could prove he was this person lost in time, then this was a worthy cause, and the rules were simple.

He stood to pace the room, feeling four sets of eyes and the faraway presence of the onlooking Beta Five. That was the key, but how to help without asking the wrong questions.

"So, end of time yes..." Renato smiled in a really good attempt at being coy, failing on the dismount. Continuing, he swallowed his anxiety to go on, "So I dont want to ask questions that might disrupt continuums here but lets treat this like a lost item case.”

He stopped for a moment, puzzling temporal dynamics out in his limited capacity.

“As I don’t have knowledge of the future, anything I can determine without input from you is less than fatal presumably, so how about you don’t provide any further data, just tell me if I’m wrong as I outline the situation okay?"

Gary nodded. "I'll do my best, but let me reassure you I technically also have no knowledge of the future."

Renato was pacing the small space, the footfalls were maintained and evident down to the pirouette marks at each wall. He was watching for reactions, but so far Mr. 13 was serving up nothing beyond a tall tale.

“We need to restore your communication to Beta Five, or find your Servo first as that will amount to the same thing. Since you are speaking of it and have memory of it missing can we say it hasnt been removed from the timeline here and is merely missing, is that wrong in any way?

He stopped in an obvious pantomime of staring at Gary. No reactions from the man prompted a continuation, as he resumed pacing.

"Here’s some questions… you mention an objective, do you need these tools for your objective? Does this objective involve harm to anyone? When can you last recall having physically held and used these items? Details of what you were doing aren't necessary if they compromise anything but times and locations are. You said they “went missing”? How So? At the same time?”

Gary started to reply, but Renato held up a hand to stop any reply, “Don’t answer, just thinking out loud so you can be involved. If we can we presume the Beta Five is in the future from this point in time, and can track you, cant we communicate to it in some form through time?”

Gary glanced at the cat, who seemed mesmerized by Renato's pacing while ideas for dead drops and deep space bouys came and went. Another item Gary had mentioned stuck out, so he asked more directly.

"And if this chrono skimmer needs a power source, will we be able to track the procurement of the elements used in its reactions?"

A sharp breath showed a dozen more questions on the way, but mercifully stopped short. Renato looked to Gary, “So what do you think sir, do we have answers that can be shared with me?"

Gary was silent for a moment longer, not sure if Renato was done. Sundae hopped back into his lap and purred loudly. "Time, Mr. Solis, is very fluid. When I say something can result in the end of time, there are still thousands if not millions of other things that have to go wrong or right as well. I could be here for days, weeks, even years and the flow of time will be hardly altered. The worst case scenario is that someone has hijacked the Beta Five and is using it to manipulate time. There are several other agents with connections to the Beta Five who would also have to be in the dark. And keep in mind, this was my worst-case scenario. My predicament is actually not uncommon. Equipment malfunctions, disappears, gets stolen all the time. Most of the time the person it inconveniences the most is me... and my cat," he added.

Placing the cat upon his shoulders, Gary stood up. "Is there someplace we could get a drink? I think some alcohol in a social setting would benefit both our nerves at this point. And Sundae's hungry too."

Renato was hoping for more feedback or response, but the man of mystery lived up the reputation quickly preceding him. He took a second to make sure Gary wasn't going to add more before speaking up. "Yes, but I recommend out of Brown Sector, the walls have ears and this is a conversation best kept private I think."

A moment to ponder gave Renato an idea, "Orchids and Jazz. Live music, I don't go there often so it's a place of relative obscurity for both of us. I am sure they have something scrumptious for Sundae, I presume she is not the sort of cat who eats kibble?"

Gary's brow furrowed. "What is kibble?"

-End-

Renato Solis
&
Gary Thirteen
(& Sundae)

 

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