Gift of time E-Book

Mathias Rydén Persson

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Serie: Gift of Time
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 477

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Robert is leading an ordinary life when one day he is contacted by a mysterious organization which claims that he has a gift, one that will enable him to experience the past with his own eyes. As he leaves everything behind, Robert soon realizes that there are things in the past that are best left undisturbed, even for those with the gift of time.

Leseprobe

“Time changes everything except something within us that is always surprised by change”

Thomas Hardy

Table of Contents

Chapter one: The opportunity

Chapter two: The meeting

Chapter three: The order

Chapter four: The first lesson

Chapter five: The main mission

Chapter six: The hunt

Chapter seven: Hunted

Chapter eight: Punishment

Chapter nine: A second chance

Chapter ten: Lost & found

Chapter eleven: Blackout

Chapter twelve: Far from home

Chapter thirteen: Welcome to the jungle

Chapter fourteen: Swamp monster

Chapter fifteen: A returned favor

Chapter sixteen: A place to call home

Chapter seventeen: Wine, lies and memories

Chapter eighteen: Fragility

Chapter nineteen: Fun & games

Chapter twenty: Established

Chapter twenty -one: Change of heart

Chapter twenty -two: Dark secrets

Chapter twenty -three: Family reunion

Chapter twenty -four: A good time

Chapter twenty -five: Broken apart

Chapter twenty -six: Wrong place, wrong time

Chapter twenty -seven: A new voyage

Chapter twenty -eight: Suppressed emotions

Chapter twenty -nine: My heart will move on

Chapter thirty: Revelations

Chapter thirty -one: Family matters

Chapter thirty -two: Uninvited guests

Chapter thirty -three: Out of time

Chapter thirty -four: Epilogue

Chapter one

The opportunity

“Faster, Bucephalos!” Alexander shouted as he raced across the rugged terrain of the battlefield, feeling the wind through his hair.

They had been through many battles before, but this one had been very costly; fallen soldiers lay everywhere as he charged closer to the center of the enemy troops. Morale was getting low, but he knew they had Porus’ army on the run. With the harsh sun showing no mercy, Alexander made his horse rear up and shouted to his remaining soldiers;

“Robert!”

Wait, what…?

“Robert Johnsson!”

I raised my head from the book and met the harsh stare of Carl, my math teacher, who looked as if he should have been retired centuries ago. He was always wearing the same old-fashioned red shirt, and you could only wonder if he had a closet full of them.

“Do you know the answer?” he asked, in his usual raspy voice.

The bright classroom was devoid of any noise, and I realized all eyes were on me. The blackboard had a complicated question involving algebra; I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

“I don’t know.”

He walked towards me with heavy steps and grabbed the book lying on my desk.

“The adventures of Alexander the Great,” he said in disdain. “This is a math class, Robert. Perhaps you should read a book about Pythagoras instead?”

The students in the back-row began snickering.

“Since you’re always late, you could at least pay attention when you do show up for my class,” he snarked while heading back to the front of the classroom. “Can anyone else solve this equation?”

Carl hated technology and always used old-school teaching methods. The sound of chalk scribbling on the blackboard gave me goosebumps. But he was right; I’m always late for school. It doesn’t help that we have math first thing in the morning, so he thinks I’m deliberately avoiding his classes.

“Hey, history dude!”

A harsh whisper caught my ear and I reluctantly turned around. It came from David, sitting far back in the classroom.

“One day I’m going to be in one of those history books; just wait and see!”

Sure, like in the list of people that contributed nothing of importance.

Not that I dared to say it out loud. David wasn’t exactly a person you wanted to annoy; he looked as if he was pumped full of steroids, while I was thin as a rake. Also, I was only sixteen. David was a few years older, as he had to retake multiple classes, and he towered above me.

I try to eat more like my grandma always tells me, not that it seems to make much of a difference. Then having her constantly call me “little angel” in public didn’t do my self-esteem any favors either. Sure, I have blonde hair and blue eyes, but that doesn’t make it any less embarrassing.

“Alright, that’s all for today. Don’t forget to complete the last pages of our current chapter before our next class.”

Everyone started to pour out of the classroom, as if a dam had burst. Carl tried his best to be heard through the chaos, but nobody paid him any attention. I was the last one to leave the room. I had a pretty uneventful life until about a month ago, because when my parents split up, I was forced to switch schools.

It’s been hard to make new friends here, though. Everyone else already have their own groups, and they don’t really want to talk with me. I still try to keep in touch with my old friends; we hang out during the weekends and play games together online. But it’s not the same as it used to be, and I feel like we’re quickly drifting apart. Also, David and his gang had a habit of picking on the new kid in school, and for the moment, that was me. I hadn’t told anyone about it yet, but I knew that the principal had let David get away with stuff like this before. I overheard during lunch one day how the previous guy that got bullied brought it up with the teachers, and was then forced to switch schools once again, while David stayed put. It was due to him having a rough upbringing and needing stability, according to his foster parents. But everyone had to suffer because of that, as David thinks he rules this place now.

The last lecture of the day was history, which was my favorite subject. Dad always complained that I didn’t learn enough about our own Swedish history, but I just found the history of other countries more interesting, especially ancient Greece and the Roman empire. I sat up front in the gloomy classroom, and it was kind of cramped, as the teacher had lavished the room with large parts of her personal collection of archeological finds. Ms. Gunther had a fascination for the past bigger than mine, and on the walls, she had hung up various photos of her holiday trips, in which she was always smiling. Her cheerfulness made her my favorite teacher, and she was one of the few people at this school that was actually nice to me. Like usual, time flew while I was in her classroom.

“Can you stay after class for a bit, Robert?” Ms. Gunther asked as I was about to pack up and leave for the day.

“Sure thing.”

In fact, I used to stick around after her classes. It started with me wanting help with my homework, but then our common interests meant that we always had lots to talk about. She had been an archeologist in her younger days, before starting to teach once she became too ill to work in the field. It was my dream job, and I had so many questions about it, which she seemed to take in her stride.

“You’re going to continue the story about your trip to Athens like you promised?”

“Not exactly. Please, have a seat,” she motioned for me to sit down, far more serious than her usual demeanor. “There is something I must inform you about, Robert. I was contacted recently by my superior regarding you.”

“The principal? W-what have I done?”

My heart sank, I had only been here for a month and already got in trouble.

“You’ve done nothing wrong. In fact, you’re apparently very special. But no, I’m not talking about the principal.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t tell anyone about this. But the principal is only my superior on paper, in reality I work for someone else. I’m just stationed here when I’m not on duty.”

“Who?” I was a bit shocked; she didn’t seem like the type of person that kept secrets. She was a round, kind woman, always dressed in pink.

“A woman named Anya Ciph. She’s the head of a large research organization.”

“So, what do they do?”

“Well, they study all kinds of things related to the past, including archeology. Anya could have use of your talents, and wants to meet you.”

“Are you kidding me?” I smiled; this was too good to be true. “I’m actually going to get a chance at becoming an archeologist?”

“Indeed,” Ms. Gunther seemed relieved at my joyful response. “So, shall I tell her that you are interested in meeting with her?”

“Definitely, I’m not missing a chance like this.”

“Wonderful!” she beamed, as if a weight had dropped from her shoulders. “She will pay us a visit when she has time to spare. It should be within the next week or two, but I will keep you informed.”

“She will come here? That’s awesome, I thought I would have to travel to see her.”

But then a clock chimed on the wall, and I realized time had flown by. She noticed right away.

“Go, I don’t want you to miss your bus. But this stays between us, alright?”

“You got it, and thanks a bunch for putting in a good word for me,” I said as I hastily left the room.

The cold stung in my face as I exited through the main doors and headed down the staircase, which was covered in a deep layer of snow. In the sky above birds were flocking, preparing to roost in the large trees bordering the schoolyard as the light rapidly diminished. In the distance a yellow bus began pulling in to the bus stop at the edge of the school.

“No, wait for me!” I blurted out and started to run as fast as I could.

I was breathing heavily as my feet struggled to find their footing in the deep snow, but I managed to stay upright despite it all. Somehow, I made it to the bus before it departed.

“That was a close one,” said the heavy bus driver. He had a weird smell to him, probably coming from his old shirt and beard stained with coffee.

“I know,” I slurred while attempting to catch my breath.

The bus was crammed with people, and there were no seats left. Sweat started dripping down my forehead and I had to remove my winter jacket. As I was gasping for air, I leaned onto a window, trying my best to hold on.

Man, I’m out of shape.

Eventually I could see the town disappear in the distance. Tall, snow-covered trees towered above the bus; we lived in a quiet suburban area surrounded by thick forest. I made it home to our small house, the brick walls chipping and cracking due to age. The door creaked on its hinges as I opened it, and I could hear my mom shouting. Not at me, but she was on the phone, most likely with my dad. They had difficulty agreeing on how to split the money from our old house that they had sold shortly after the divorce; I didn’t want to get involved in that mess. I had chosen to live with my mom, but that was because my dad moved all the way back to his hometown in the far north of Sweden, which means that I would be completely cut off from my friends and relatives if I moved in with him. I still try to maintain contact, but it’s been hard to get in touch with him lately. Sometimes I feel like he’s so consumed with his new life that I just bother him.

I quickly took off my jacket in the hallway and went past the kitchen doorway, waving to my mom who waved and smiled back at me, before returning to her argument with dad. There was a strong smell of food being cooked; most likely some kind of stew, and the radio was blasting hits from the sixties. There were still moving boxes lying all over the place, as we had trouble finding space for everything. Only our tiny bedrooms on the second floor were fully furnished. As I walked up the narrow stairs, trying not to stumble, I sighed at a framed photo of our dog that had recently passed away. He was a yellow Labrador, and I think his passing was the straw that broke the camel’s back for my parents, causing them to finally separate. The house felt really empty without him, even if he was gone with my dad for long periods while he was working.

The evening unfolded just like any other, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Anya, and the fact that she wanted to see me. This could be my chance to reach my dream, if I managed to make a good impression on her.

Chapter two

The meeting

My eyes could barely stay open the next day and my head was hurting because I only got a few hours of rest. I was way too excited to sleep. But as I was about to enter the classroom an uncomfortable feeling grabbed hold of me. I suddenly remembered why and slapped my forehead.

My homework! Carl is going to kill me!

And that’s how I ended up with detention. Bringing in my homework was the last thing on my mind. But when I opened my mouth to try and come up with an explanation, I met Carl’s threatening glare and I realized it was to no avail. My salvation came as there was a knocking on the door. It was Ms. Gunther, and she managed to convince Carl to let me go, after much debate.

“Thanks, I owe you one. I swear, he has something against me,” I told her as Carl finally retreated back into his classroom, muttering to himself.

“She’s here,” she whispered, and my eyes grew wide.

“Already? That was quick.”

“Yes, I wasn’t expecting that either. Come, this way.”

Ms. Gunther took me to a part of the school that was relatively quiet, because few people came here. Then as we approached one of the doors my confusion only grew.

“What are we doing here? That’s the storage room for the janitors.”

“We don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves.”

It was a bit odd, but as we entered the brightly lit room, I could see a woman sitting on a table with her legs crossed, fiddling with some papers among the mess of cleaning products. She was quite mature, maybe in her fifties, and was wearing a tight-fitting gray jacket and slim jeans of a similar color. They looked way too thin to be worn during the winter.

“Ah, you must be Robert,” Anya said, her voice cold as ice.

“Nice to meet you,” I greeted as we shook hands.

Her hair was gray and short, but still neatly combed, as if she’d used some form of hair gel to give it extra shine and flow. Her skin was fair, like porcelain. Then I noticed it. Across her face went a huge scar, stretching from her forehead all the way down to her neck. I stared for too long because she locked eyes with me, and I immediately averted my gaze. Her demeanor was so stern that it made Carl look like a harmless kitten in comparison.

“Thank you for your help, Clara. You may leave us.”

No, don’t leave me alone with her.

Despite my pleading eyes, Ms. Gunther hastily left the room and closed the door on us. I wanted nothing more than to get away from the uneasy atmosphere that accompanied this woman. Her mere presence was enough to make you feel insignificant.

“Are you always this nervous?”

She gave a small laugh and gestured towards the chair next to her. I reluctantly walked over to her and took my seat. Anya moved another chair to sit opposite of me. Her face was long, thin and filled with wrinkles, but her features had aged gracefully.

“As I’m sure Clara informed you, we have been looking for someone like you for quite some time,” she said, her voice having much more warmth to it by now than mere seconds ago. “I’ll be brief, don’t worry. I just ask that you have an open mind and let me talk to the point before objecting.”

I nodded my head and started fiddling with my hands a bit. Her narrow eyes were a green color, or should I say eye. The massive scar went straight over her right eye, which was pale white, and she was most likely blind in that one.

“I’m the leader of an organization called ‘The order of time’.”

“The order of time?”

“It’s an international research facility, the only one of its kind. Here we study all fields of science, in order to expand our knowledge about the past, and help shape a better future.”

“So, you do archeology and paleontology?”

“Indeed, but unlike people from your time we do way more than just study the past. Bones and pottery shards don’t cut it here.”

“Wait, what do you mean with ‘people from your time’? Are you from the future or something?”

I was only trying to lighten the mood, but she gave a smug smile, as if she’d hoped I would take notice.

“Correct. I am indeed from the future. You see, my organization specializes in time travel.”

I started to laugh, thinking she was playing along with me. But then her piercing gaze made me go silent in an instant.

“Never laugh in my face like that.”

“But time travel is just science fiction,” I peeped, too nervous to look directly at her.

“A lot of things that may seem as fiction in your time are actually possible in the future. For people living in the dark ages, something like electricity would be seen as an impossible thing if you told them about it.”

“But, what do you need me for?”

“Have you ever heard of quarks, Robert?” Anya asked, disregarding my question. “They’re the smallest forms of elementary particles there is, and found within all matter,” she continued, calm and composed, “quarks have various types, and are able to interact with the different laws of physics. The one of interest to us is called a time quark, and it is found all over the known universe. Organic lifeforms accumulate these quarks inside their bodies as they eat, breathe and grow, and often they remain unnoticed.”

I was just nodding every now and then, I didn’t dare to do much else. Not only was this woman creepy; she was crazy too.

“However, there are certain people who can actually manipulate these quarks within their bodies, thus being able to use and control the stored energy. You are one of those people; you have what we like to call ‘the gift’.”

That’s impossible.

“You’re often late, aren’t you? When you feel that time seems to go by too fast, it’s because you activated your power subconsciously. The gift enables people to travel through time.”

My eyes widened; I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“You sure you haven’t got the wrong person? I can’t be that special,” I tried to excuse myself.

“Robert, you are very important, trust me. Because without gifted personnel, my entire organization would fall apart. People like you are the very core of it all.”

“Really.” I said, sounding way more sarcastic than I meant to.

“People from your era simply haven’t discovered time quarks yet, and you can’t develop a skill you don’t know exist. But if you join us and train to control your gift at our facility, you will soon be able to transport both yourself and others to any point in time,” Anya said, slight excitement in her voice.

By now I was fully convinced that this woman was nuts. I sat there trying to come up with something to say that would get me out of here.

“I can tell you don’t believe me, and I expected that. I must sound crazy. But will you let me prove to you that I’m actually from the future?”

“Sure…” I hesitated.

“Step back.”

At her words, I quickly backed away, and she placed some kind of metallic object on the floor. It was small and shaped like a rectangle. She then proceeded to press a button on a small remote. After a few seconds the thing on the ground gave off a loud buzz as it seemingly activated.

“Well, what do you think?”

I couldn’t believe my eyes; a transparent, whitish forcefield now split the room in two sections, separating us. The machine producing it was letting out a metallic hum.

“It’s not dangerous, you can touch it if you like,” Anya said, knocking on it from the other side to prove her point.

I put my hand against it. The sensation was weird, as if you were touching solid air, vibrating ever so slightly. As I pressed harder it moved a bit, but then wouldn’t budge anymore, and began fizzling loudly. I flinched from the sudden noise. Anya apparently found it amusing, like when you laugh at a cat being spooked by a harmless household appliance.

“And I got even more to show you,” Anya stated as she turned off the forcefield, then proceeded to pick up what seemed to be a box covered with a black piece of cloth from the floor and put it on the table. “Come, have a look. I merely covered the cage to keep it calm.”

As she removed the cloth, you could see it was a kind of plastic pet carrier. There was movement from within, and noises that definitely didn’t belong to a dog or cat. As I looked through the steel wire door at the front, my jaw dropped.

“No, that’s impossible. Is that...”

Staring back at me from the gloom inside the carrier was nothing less than a pterosaur, the size of a small bird.

“It’s a quetzalcoatlus hatchling. We gathered some specimens on our latest trip,” Anya said.

“Are you kidding me!” I yelled.

My scream of excitement startled the poor thing, which flapped about frantically inside the carrier. Anya quickly covered it with the cloth once more, making it stop. As a kid, I had been obsessed with dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, and could name several kinds off the top of my head. Truth be told, they still tickled my fancy, and quetzalcoatlus was my favorite. But when you’re in high school, you don’t exactly say that out loud.

“Do you still doubt me?” Anya asked, full of confidence.

“Way less than before,” I eventually admitted.

“Great, so how do you feel about joining us then?”

“I just need some time to think, I’m not sure. This is a lot to take in, and honestly overwhelming,” I mumbled, not wanting to make her mad. “Regardless, I just can’t leave my family and friends behind like that, who knows how long I will be gone for?”

“Don’t worry, Robert, I assure you that you can return to your own time whenever you please. We give all recruits that possibility.”

“So, just like how Ms. Gunther can stay here when she’s not actively working with you guys? But what about my studies then?”

“If you wish to specialize in a particular field of science, there are plenty of opportunities for you to study and grow within the order. And you will get paid for working with us. It will be like having a regular job, but way more exciting,” Anya tried her best to convince me, but noticed my lingering uncertainty. “How about this; I will let you think things through until next Friday, and you can make your final decision then instead?”

“That sounds good. Where shall we meet up?”

“In here. Come see me after your last class,” she smiled, and then handed me some kind of flyer. “Take this, it has some more information regarding the order, and what you can expect when working with us. If you have any questions, I will happily answer them when we meet again. Just remember, all of this stays between the two of us.”

I nodded, checking out the flyer printed with bright colors and smiling people on the cover.

“Imagine, Robert, instead of just reading about history, you can actually experience the past with your very own eyes,” Anya said as I was leaving the room.

Then in the hallway, I heard the voice of the very last person I wanted to bump into right now.

“Hey, history dude!”

Despite my best efforts, David quickly caught up to me and cornered me against a wall. I had forgotten that the “bad” kids usually hung out here, because there weren’t many teachers around.

“If it isn’t my scrawny pal. How are you doing today?” David mocked me, grinning like he enjoyed the growing fear in my eyes.

“Hey David, I really don’t have time right now, so can’t we just…”

“But I just want to hang out with you for a bit, maybe even introduce you to another trash can. we had so much fun last week. Didn’t we?” David laughed.

My body tensed up as he started tugging on me.

“What’s going on here?”

A harsh female voice came from behind, and David reluctantly let go off my shirt.

“Perhaps you can let Robert leave, so that he can get to his next class on time? I will not tolerate behavior like this,” Anya said, tension in her voice.

“Get lost, substitute!” David barked and flipped her off. They had been bringing in lots of substitutes recently, and I guess he mistook her for one.

Anya’s response was instant; she grabbed him by the neck and pushed him up against the wall with quite some force. I freaked out; David wasn’t exactly small.

“Listen very closely; I expect you to leave him alone from now on, and I better not catch you disrespecting your superiors or classmates again. Have I made myself clear?” she commanded, stern and cold, despite her face flaring up with rage.

“Yes,” David stuttered, barely making a sound.

“I can’t hear you!” Anya screamed, her hands shaking.

“Yes ma’am!” David replied loud and clear, upon which Anya released her grip on him.

He ran away, absolutely terrified of the woman who just saved me from a date with a trash can. I stared at her in disbelief, no one had ever defended me like that before.

“Thanks,” I finally blurted out.

“Don’t mention it, Robert. If he gives you any more trouble, let me know. See you in a week,” she fumed as we parted ways, trying to calm down.

Chapter three

The order

The week passed by in a flash, and thankfully David left me alone. He even avoided me at times, funnily enough. But today was the day I was going to discuss my decision with Anya. My heart was in my throat as I approached the door once more, but when I opened it, I was in for a surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

Instead of Anya, I was met by two janitors, busy cleaning their equipment. I quickly closed the door, then decided to head to Ms. Gunther’s classroom instead, perhaps she could help. Unfortunately, I was unable to find her too, and when I asked some other teachers, she had apparently not been here for the entire day. I was hanging around to see if Anya would eventually show up, but in the end, I had no choice but to leave, as I didn’t want to risk being locked inside the school.

I got off the bus and began walking through our neighborhood; as per usual, the street hadn’t been cleared of snow yet, and it reached up to my shins. I had nearly missed the last bus home because I waited for so long. I jumped over our fence and could feel my feet slipping from underneath me as I landed on a patch of ice, falling face-first into the snow. I remained there for a few seconds, trying to compose myself; my face going numb from the cold.

“Why haven’t you answered my calls? I was getting worried,” mom stated as she stood in the doorway, completely ignoring the fact that I was down in the snow. I sighed and slowly got up.

My mom was quite a character; she was fairly short and rotund with a round face sporting a double chin, but with gentle features. She had blue eyes like me, but with bags under them, as she often had trouble sleeping due to back pain. Her hair was long, sprawling, and blonde, but turning gray in some areas.

“Mom, I said I would be staying behind after school today.”

“I didn’t expect it to be this late. I told you a million times, you need to answer me when I’m calling you, or at least send a text if you can’t pick up. I was just about to cancel my plans tonight and go looking for you.”

“Relax, I’m here now.”

“You know that you’re a bit too old to be playing in the snow, right?” she said in a sarcastic tone as I entered the house, brushing snow off my clothes. “Anyway, now that you are home, I will be heading out. There are some leftovers in the fridge for you if you haven’t eaten already.”

I had forgotten. It was Friday, and my mom always went out with her friends in the evening to have a girl’s night.

“See you later tonight,” I was embraced by my mom and drowned in her black faux fur coat. Her perfume wafted in my face.

“Mom?”

“Yes?” she stopped in her tracks.

“If you had the opportunity to do something you always wanted, would you? I mean, even if you felt like it was impossible to reach?”

“Sweetie, I know we’ve had a rough couple of weeks, but sometimes you must dare to try something new. Otherwise, you would miss out on so much. You will settle into this new school, just give it some more time.

“I will do my best.”

“That’s my boy! Just don’t forget to start looking into universities that will give you a job, you can’t live without making money. I heard teachers are in high demand these days,” she said and nudged me.

“Mom, it’s a few more years before I start university. Besides, I don’t want to be a teacher.”

“Oh silly, you know more about history than most people and you’re great with kids. You’d make a perfect teacher or professor.”

“I don’t even like kids. But what if studying means I must go away from my family or friends for a long time, only visiting occasionally? I don’t know if I could do that.”

“Robert, you’re not a little child anymore. Sure, I will miss you but you must be able to live your own life, that’s part of growing up. As long as you don’t forget about me and stay in touch, I will be alright. I know I’ve raised a fine young man. But I really need to go; I’m already late as it is. We can talk more about this tomorrow.”

We waved goodbye to each other, and I locked the door once she went out of sight. Finally, I was alone. I just sat in my room and time seemed to tick by at the pace of a sleep-deprived snail. After trying to call my dad a few times with no luck, I resorted to doing my homework, trying to get my mind off the fact that I couldn’t find Anya. It annoyed me, though; she ditched me for no reason. I spent all this time stressing to make up my mind, and now I had worried for nothing.

“So, what is your opinion on this question here?” I said, showing the math book to my mom’s betta fish, which currently lived in my room due to a lack of space. It was busy swimming around its tank and rudely refused to answer me.

“Come on, you got to help me out here, I made you my study buddy for a reason you know?”

“Math really isn’t your forte, is it?” a female voice replied.

“Anya!” I spun my chair around in shock.

However, she wasn’t alone; by her side stood a tall, black man. He was really buff, with a square jaw and face. The man seemed to be in his forties and gave off a very strict vibe as he stood there motionless.

“Oh, this is Sam Hobbs. He’s one of my most trusted commanders,” Anya said as she realized I was staring at him.

He had a wide nose, dark brown eyes, and was completely bald but sported lots of stubble. The atmosphere in the room became very tense. Sam was dressed in gray military gear and carried a very large and imposing gun by a strap; a soldier awaiting orders.

“How do you know where I live? And how did you guys get into the house?” I trembled as I spoke.

“We have our ways,” Anya replied, and my pulse was rising. “My deepest apologies for not showing up to our meeting today. It was very rude of me, but there was an emergency that took far longer than expected.”

But, how can you be late if you can time travel?

“I take it you’ve made up your mind about my offer by now?” Anya promptly asked.

“Yeah, I thought about it all week. It wasn’t an easy choice, but I’ve decided to give it a try, I’m in,” I said, trying to hide the frog in my throat.

A large smile spread across Anya’s face.

“Oh, that’s wonderful news!” she exclaimed.

“I’m really excited to try it out. But I’m not going to lie; I’m a bit nervous about this whole thing. It’s a big deal.”

“We’ve all been there Robert, but I promise we will help you get settled and feeling at home,” Anya placed her hand on my shoulder, reassuring me. “Sorry if I startled you. I don’t possess the gift myself so I need help to travel, hence why I brought Sam here.”

I quickly grabbed my travel backpack, which I had filled with various necessities. I also took the flyer and handed it to Anya.

“Keep it. You might need it in the future,” she said, not taking it.

“Is everyone ready?” Sam said, and I was shocked by how deep his voice was.

After a moment, I nodded. Sam’s eyes turned completely white, and his whole body stiffened as he stretched out his arms wide apart. He gave out a slight yell, and suddenly all I could see was a blinding white light. When it disappeared, I was no longer home. Instead, we were in a large room, illuminated by several spotlights, being so bright you couldn’t look straight at them. The entire floor was encased in metal, clanking loudly as we walked across it. I noticed two doors at the far edge of the room, and a large electronic clock graced the wall above them, emitting a bright green glow.

Year: 2272, 19th of January, 20:55.

Wait a minute, the year and date are different, but that’s the exact time we left my home.

“Hey, how come that the time is the exact same here as it was at my place?” I asked. There were posters containing warnings and instructions all over the walls, but I didn’t care to read them right now.

“Oh, we synchronize our time travels to avoid any time lag,” Anya said.

In the room were four round glass chambers of varying sizes, connected by heavy metal pipes and wiring to a large computer hub in the middle of the room. Each container had a door that was closed shut with a valve.

“Welcome, Robert, to Zeit, our base of operations,” Anya proclaimed.

“Cool, so are we on the spaceship right now?” Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t hide my excitement. I read about this place in the flyer.

“Obviously,” she laughed. “While you’re working with the order, Zeit will be your home.”

My eyes widened and I was about to ask even more questions when I was interrupted by Sam’s strict command:

“Before you exit the mission room and enter the main ship you need to go through a purification chamber,” Sam was standing with crossed arms, tilting his head in the direction of the glass vessels. “They will prevent you from contaminating our ship, and also provide you with protection from being infected by various parasites and other diseases. We don’t want to introduce foreign microorganisms to other time periods, or risk bringing some nasty stuff back home.”

“Has that happened before?” I asked.

Sam was clearly not pleased with my question, giving me a stern look, but Anya replied almost instantly.

“Luckily not, we have very strict protocols regarding this. But that’s exactly why we work in outer space to begin with. In the case of a potential breach, we can easily contain it on the ship. Also, you will be given another gas that will enable you to understand and speak any human language. I’m sure you read about it in the flyer,” Anya finished.

I was led by Anya towards one of the smaller chambers, she unhinged the valve and you could hear the sound of air escaping from the chamber as it was opened. It’s one thing to read about it, but a completely different thing to actually do it, and my enthusiasm waned.

“I can tell you’re nervous, Robert. But you know this procedure is very important; you and all your belongings must be disinfected. We always perform a health scan beforehand, to ensure you are able to go through the procedure. In the rare case you still have any negative reactions towards the gas just press the red button by the door. It’s an emergency stop that will immediately provide you with fresh air and open the door,” Anya explained, noting my growing uncertainty. “I can provide you with some more information and go through the entire procedure step by step before we actually start?”

After being shown a visual presentation on the computer, and also getting to see Anya going through the procedure unscathed, I reluctantly stepped inside the chamber. Anya promptly closed the door behind me, and Sam positioned himself by the hub.

“Now, it is important that you breathe normally during the procedure for full effect,” Anya said, her voice being muffled by the thick glass that now separated us. “Start the scan.”

A red light appeared at the top of the vessel, and it began moving downwards until it reached the bottom. Then a female robotic voice began speaking.

“Health scan complete. Species identified; human: Homo sapiens. Adolescent male, sixteen years old. Subject is healthy, but has lower than average muscle mass, suggesting a mostly sedentary lifestyle.”

“Hey!” I spouted.

“Both gas procedures may be performed with no ill effects. Subject is clear,” the robotic voice finished.

“All right then. Starting up the disinfection gas,” Sam stated, but I could barely hear him.

The machinery started up, whirring loudly. I looked above me and could see a white gas pouring into the chamber from the ventilation system. Eventually it filled the air and all I could see was a white haze. It was like being sprayed with cool steam, but it smelled like chlorine. After about five minutes, a fan turned on, and the chamber was quickly cleared of steam.

“Starting up the second procedure; the gas of Babel!” Sam kept on going.

“Now, as I mentioned, this gas will give you a severe headache and you may feel a tingle in your throat and lungs since you’ve never been exposed to it before, but it’s completely normal. If you get any other side effects besides these, just press the red button,” Anya’s voice was muffled, and I struggled to make out some parts.

The machine began whirring again and I was consumed by a pinkish gas, which I had to stay in for about ten minutes. Almost immediately my throat felt weird, and after a while the headache became very apparent, almost to the point of migraine. When I finally stumbled out of the chamber I felt as if I was suffering from a hangover.

“Well done, Robert! The effect of the disinfection gas will last for about a year, so no need to go through this again anytime soon,” Anya said with delight in her voice.

“How about the migraine gas?” I slurred, trying to find my footing.

“It is permanent. You may have some lingering headaches for a few days, but that’s normal while the gas takes full effect,” Anya answered.

“You alright?” Sam asked with his lips curled into a grin.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just try to lower your voice.”

Both Sam and Anya chuckled at me. Luckily, the worst of the headache disappeared just after a few minutes of fresh air.

Two sliding doors at the end of the room lead to a couple of dressing rooms, one for men and one for women. This was apparently their mission room, where teams would prepare for travel and then be able to disinfect anything brought back before having it enter the rest of the ship. The dressing room for men was filled with an enormous closet, the size of a library, and I guessed it looked the same on the female side. There seemed to be clothes matching any time period in history.

Sam had gotten changed into regular clothes, wearing worn jeans and a white T-shirt. He had passed me a form in which I wrote down what size of clothes I would be using. As we exited the dressing rooms we ended up in a large corridor, with plain gray floor and white walls. There were lights in the ceiling and also multiple signs; pointing the way to various rooms.

“What took you two so long?” Anya remarked.

“Well, the kid here had to spend several minutes trying to figure out what clothing size he uses,” Sam was clearly irritated, glaring his eyes at me.

“At ease, Sam; he has a lot of new information to take in at the moment. Be nice to our new recruit,” Anya commanded. “Come with me, Robert, and we shall get you your room key and sign some papers.”

She started walking, and I simply tagged along through a maze of tight corridors containing the individual rooms of everyone staying on the ship. I noted that the doors had either green or red borders and a number printed on them. We passed many people on our way, who all greeted Anya with smiles and bows. Eventually we got away from the crowds, entering a more private part of the deck. I noticed we were approaching an arched door that took up most of the wall.

She placed her hand on a large pad next to it and then proceeded to scan what I assumed to be her identity card.

“Genetic signature approved. Welcome aboard, captain.”

As the robotic voice finished its sentence, the large door slid open from the middle and lead into a luxurious area with floors made of white marble, which also covered the walls. A large fountain graced the middle of the room, and several plants were trailing along the walls. The air was filled with a pleasant fragrance, like a rose garden.

“These are the private quarters where I, and other high-ranking crew members have our rooms. Come, my office is this way.”

The sound of her high heels hitting the marble floor echoed throughout the room.

Someone isn’t above giving herself some extra benefits.

Her office was brightly lit with a warm glow. It was very roomy, with dark wooden panels. Despite the size it was quite empty, just some file cabinets and a large desk in the middle, that had a planted terrarium on one end. Anya went right up and sat down in what looked to be a very comfy leather chair. I noticed a round door behind, with the word “Bridge” written on it. I assumed she controlled the ship from there.

“Have a seat,” she gesticulated towards the small chair in front of her desk. “Here is your contract for working with the order,” I got handed a hefty portfolio, “it proves that you are a member, and will be catalogued into our database once signed. It also states your privileges and responsibilities while working with us,” she said, as I skimmed through the paperwork.

“Wait, I’m not allowed to share any information about this place, or the technology? Not even to people from your time?” I said, as a paragraph caught my attention.

“It’s strictly forbidden to reveal anything! Deliberate sharing of information to non-members regarding the order will lead to the termination of your membership,” Anya scolded me harshly.

“But what if it happens by accident? Like, during a mission?” I asked hesitantly. Her sudden anger made me uncomfortable.

“Then it is of outmost importance that you report this to the team, so that we may correct it by using a memory chip,” Anya said while showing me a tiny chip that rested on her finger, it was the size of a grain of sand. “This chip can be programmed to block memories of your choice, and is then injected into the body where it travels to the brain and works its magic. It doesn’t erase the memories though; they still exist in the subconscious.”

“Have you done that to a lot of people?”

“Well, you’ve heard of ‘alien abductions’, right?” Anya said while smirking.

“Oh…” I fretted, lowering my gaze.

“It might seem a bit extreme, but it’s just a precaution to prevent any possible time anomalies. Just in case they can occur”

I was puzzled at her words.

“You see, Robert, time travel is quite a recent discovery, so we still aren’t sure if we can affect the past or not. We need to be careful, just in case.”

“I understand, better safe than sorry. But I thought this was a research institution? Wouldn’t you want to share your findings? And what about the flyer? It gives away a lot of information.”

“Of course, but that flyer is only handed out to new recruits, not the general population. For safety reasons much of the technology and information regarding this facility is heavily classified. Only approved research papers may be shared with the public.”

I eventually signed the paperwork and handed it back to Anya.

“Wonderful, now smile.”

I had no time to react before a sudden flash blinded me. A small machine by the edge of the room turned on, whirring and blinking, seeming to be printing something. It was a card that Anya handed to me.

“Here is your personal identity card that works as the key to your own room. Keep it close at all times. It’s very hard to get around this ship without one, and I suggest you contact the office on the upper deck if problems arise.”

The card stated name, age, crew number and a symbol that said “In-training”. On the right was a photo of me, looking like I’ve just been let out of a psych ward.

“Couldn’t you give me a heads up before taking the photo? I look terrible,” I said.

“That’s strange; this is advanced technology where the probability for a good photo is almost a hundred percent.”

“I’ve always turned out bad on camera, so I guess not even advanced technology can make up for that.”

“I can’t sadly print more than one card at a time, but if I ‘accidentally’ lose your card when upgrading it after you’ve finished the training, then we can try for a new photo,” Anya said.

“That sounds great!” I chuckled.

Anya handed me a folded pamphlet.

“Here is a map of the ship. Be sure to read it thoroughly. This ship is big and it can be easy to get lost, but you will learn to find your way around eventually.”

“How come you aren’t giving this information digitally? Is it because ancient people wouldn’t know how to use computers?”

“No, most of the people I recruit from the past are gifted ones, like you. The majority of my crew is from my own time period, as this saves me a lot of hassle. But yes, when dealing with those from earlier time periods, it is easier to use books and paper, since those have been around for far longer.”

“But, weren’t most people in the past unable to read or write anyway?”

“Indeed, but you don’t need to be able to read in order to understand the basics of a map,” Anya concluded.

In the corner of my eye, I saw movement in the terrarium, a large spider was slowly making its way out of the silken nest. It was surprisingly beautiful; legs were bright blue, the body a metallic green, and the abdomen fiery red.

“So cool! I’ve always wanted a pet spider. My mom is terrified of them, though, and won’t let me keep one.”

“Oh, most people are frightened by Cobalt here, not often she gets a friendly greeting. She’s a greenbottle blue tarantula,” Anya said, seemingly amazed by my interest in her pet.

“That’s quite a mouthful,” I replied.

“I got her many years ago. She reminds me to stay strong; among tarantulas, the females are more powerful and aggressive than the males,” she said, gently touching the glass of the tank. “Anyway, here, no one will stop you from keeping one. We allow pets as long as they aren’t too big and dangerous. They also need to be properly contained.”

We kept talking for a while, and eventually Anya took me to my own personal room on the lower deck. She also showed me the lecture halls so that I would be able to find them tomorrow morning. But I had high doubts that I would remember the way. Eventually, we stopped by one of the doors in the seemingly endless corridors, who all looked the same to me.

“Here we are; room 135. I decided to give you a room with a view, as I thought you would appreciate that. Now, go on,” she excitedly motioned for me to open the door.

A small electronic box was located beside each door, acting as a scanner. As I held my card against it, a row of lights on the top lit up, and the border on the door morphed from red to green before sliding open with a quick, metallic whirring. The interior of the room was quite small but comfy, with a wooden floor and white walls. There was some form of advanced TV that took up a large part of the wall. In the corner stood a simple bed with a nightstand, on which there was a futuristic lamp. I even had my own bathroom.

But then I saw a round window by the bed, and on the outside were stars and galaxies. I was really in space.

“Woah, this is so amazing!” I gasped while trying to comprehend what I was seeing, pressing myself against the glass.

“If you enjoy this, just wait until you visit the upper deck,” Anya said. “I do have a gap in my schedule after your introduction class tomorrow. Would you like a personal tour?”

“Really?” I replied, stunned at her offer.

“I don’t usually give away my time like that. But since you’re gifted, we will be working closely together. So, I think we should get to know each other, don’t you?”

“Definitely, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Oh, I know the room looks quite basic right now, but you are allowed to furnish it to your own liking to make it feel homier, but it’s strictly forbidden to try and break down the outer walls to give yourself more space,” she said. I was slightly confused, hoping she would elaborate. “Don’t ask, it’s a long story. I take it you can take care of yourself from now on then?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks a bunch for all the help,” I said as we parted ways.

“Remember, you have an early start tomorrow,” Anya shouted in the distance.

Anya really had gone out of her way to make me feel welcome here, and I appreciated that. I mean, at my new school I was basically dumped and left to fend for myself. After unpacking some things and shoving most of my clothes into one of the closets, I decided to take a look at the map before heading to bed, sitting by a small table. This lower deck had hundreds of tightly packed rooms, on top of lecture halls, lounges, infirmaries, and several staircases and elevators for accessing the other floors. There was also a high-security basement area that was off bounds for everyone except maintenance workers.

“Man, it’s going to take me an eternity to learn how to navigate this ship,” I mumbled to myself.

The following pages had symbols showcasing the different divisions of science on the ship, and the various jobs and positions you could acquire within the order. But at this point I was too tired to read the wall of text that accompanied it all. I couldn’t help but snap a few photos on my phone of my room and the view, and as I drifted to sleep alongside the cosmos, I felt drained, but in a good way.

Chapter four

The first lesson

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I jolted awake, the alarm ringing in my ears. I fumbled for a bit, trying to find my phone to turn off the noise.

“Oh, that’s right, I’m not home,” I said, turning my drowsy head to face the window.

Man, what a view.

The alarm kept going, getting louder and louder, and was coming from a speaker mounted on the wall next to the door. For what felt like an eternity, I tried to press all buttons I could find in my room, in order to shut it off. My ears started hurting as the noise became almost unbearable, growing in strength.

“How do you turn off this thing?”

“Turning off the alarm, we hope you’ve had a pleasant sleep,” a female robotic voice replied, upon which the room went silent, and I could now hear muffled commotion outside.

“Oh…”

I felt really groggy, and wanted to rest for just a little bit longer. But that was a big mistake, because when I opened my eyes back up, I had overslept. I quickly got dressed and exited the room, but the corridor was now eerily silent and dim; the only sound being my feet hitting the floor. The door whirred shut behind me.

Where is everyone? This place was packed yesterday.

I walked around for quite a while, trying to find a staircase or elevator that would lead me to the upper deck. I saw a large door with a red cross as I came around a bend.

Infirmary.

“Oh man... Aren’t there some pipes in the roof that I can follow to get to the elevator?”

I looked up, but there were only lights, speakers and ventilation vents to be seen. I tried to find help, but to no avail. I even wasted time knocking on a room where I could clearly hear that someone was inside; showering and listening to music. But I was promptly ignored.

Time was running out and the stress getting to me, because I was going in circles. It didn’t help that I had forgotten to bring the map with me. I was pretty mad at myself. Around a bend I came across a decorated, domed door with a wooden arch that said “Lounge room” on top of it. There was a lofty aroma emanating from it.

An imposing view of multiple sofas, chairs, tables, potted plants and paintings appeared in front of me. There was even a billiard table in here. I could feel the fuzzy, dark red carpet under my feet as I walked, and muffled rock music filled my ears. The walls were made of carved wooden panels, and chandeliers hung from the ceiling. I finally saw my saving grace; at the far end of the room were multiple high tech vending machines, and I quickly grabbed something to eat. I then realized where the noise was coming from; a guy sitting in one of the sofas was listening to music through a wireless headset. He fiddled with a tablet of some sort.

“Hi there!”

There was no response from him.

“Excuse me, hello!”

He raised his head and seemed shocked to see me. He had long, black hair with several white streaks, and his clothes matched the hair, being mostly dark colors. His pants were torn in places, and he wore a metal necklace so large that it reached down to his stomach.