9 AM!!
I made my first dial.
My heart skipped a beat upon hearing the aggressive ringing in my ears. It was often a forewarning about the kind of person waiting on the other end of the call. It was too early for this. I mean I haven’t had my morning cup of coffee yet, not that I drink coffee. An audiobook on the way to work usually provided me the stimulant I needed to jumpstart my day. The universe had other plans for me though. Right as I had connected the aux and pressed play, my stereo blasted the words: You have reached the fifteen-hour limit for listening to audiobooks included in your subscription for the current month.
“No, you have reached the limit of my attention,” I argued. “I will be sending my money elsewhere, thank you very much.” I had closed the app and sat in silence for the rest of the ride. And now I’m here, smiling and dialing without my daily dose of romantasy. It would have to wait until I get home when I could outright buy the book to see who the elf king chooses for the dance. I sure hoped it wasn’t going to be who I thought it was—anyone but her.
Your call has been forwarded to an automated voicemail.
I let out a breath and spun my chair around. “Time for a stretch.” I know I’ve only made one dial since I sat down, but the monotony was getting to me this time of year. Most of my colleagues got someone on the phone already and were getting to know their leads. I squeezed between them and headed for the kitchen. The pizza I dropped off last night was still in the fridge, but someone had moved it to the back.
“Thanks,” I huffed. I stood tall on all ten toes and threw half my body into the fridge to retrieve my food from the top shelf.
“Richard! How are you this morning?”
A jolt ran through my body, but not before my fingers wrapped around my lunchbox. I stumbled back, my funny bone smacking against the glass door, sending another surge of electricity through my veins. It was almost palpable; one or two more shocks and I could be the next Flash. When I looked up, I locked eyes with Mr. Star. His thick beard jutted out beneath a gleaming bald head. I gave him a slight wave. This is not the employee you are looking for, I wanted to say. Instead, I slid my pizza into the microwave and forced a smile. “I’m doing well. How’s your morning treating you, sir?”
“Good.” He took a few steps forward, placing a breakfast sandwich in the microwave next to mine. He turned to me and said, “You know, I’ve been looking at our numbers a lot lately and noticed it’s been nearly a month since your last enrollment.”
“It’s the season, sir. With Christmas only a couple months away, people are not ready to leave their families behind.”
“Did you know Freya enrolled twenty people for the next TRA group? She practically enrolled someone every other day.”
“She is very good at what she does,” I replied. “She could likely convince the President of the United States to enter TRA if the law didn’t prohibit it.”
He laughed. “That would be one for the history books.”
As we both grabbed our food, I told him, “History is relative.”
He nodded. “And time is our canvas.”
My strides away were a blur; my heart sprinted against my ribs. I lunged for the exit, but my momentum pulled my panicked face to the cold surface of the door.
“New security measures. You have to scan your badge to get throughout the office now.”
“But I didn’t need it when I walked in a few minutes ago.”
“I had IT launch the new protocol before I entered the room”—Mr Star pointed to the black card hanging from my belt—“Glad to see you didn’t forget your ID today. Go on, give it a try.”
My eyes darted over the door for a keycard scanner, but the surface was bare. Still, I pressed my badge against the door, knowing the useless move was just a plea for a miracle—and a guarantee that Mr. Star would see me as an even bigger fool than he already thought I was.
Click!
Instinctively, I wanted to jump at the unexpected sound, but I did my best to suppress it. “That’s very fancy, sir. I’ll see you out on the floor.”
“Oh, Richard,” Mr. Star’s firm voice caused the muscles in my body to immediately tighten. His eyes sharpened into a venomous glare.
“Yes, sir?”
“If you want to continue your little trips to the kitchen every morning, then I would suggest you bring us someone by the end of the week. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee the next time you enter the kitchen, your badge will let you out.”
Did he mean to have me eliminated if I didn’t meet their quota? Surely, the board would grant me some leniency if I had one bad quarter after hundreds of successful campaigns. In all of my years with the company, not one person was eliminated. It was quite literally do or die here and we all worked tirelessly to avoid the latter—well, most of the time.
I rushed back to my desk and didn’t bother to touch my pizza. I unlocked my screen and looked at the data from the last few months. I brought ninety-seven people into the TRA program last quarter. That’s nearly triple the amount of people they expect us to enroll in one run. You would think that would cover me for a while. I stared at the information on my screen, the single call I made listed under the amount of dials for the day.
I cracked my back where I sat and put on my headset, preparing to not leave my cube until someone picked up the phone. An hour passed and fifty more dials with it. I groaned as the fiftieth dial went straight to voicemail. I prayed some of these people would just say they were not interested so I could focus on leads who were actually interested in TRA. As I checked my email for any responses from prospects, I received a ping on teams.
Freya: Hey, cube mate! Could you call someone for me? I got pulled into a training.
Me: You got pulled into a training? What could that possibly be on?
Freya: I’m actually leading it for the new hires. It’s just the rundown of our Time Relocation Assistance program, but I need someone to call this lady. We were supposed to be on a call ten minutes ago.
Me: Aye aye! What’s her name? I’ll look her up now.
Freya: Yasmine Pierce. Thanks. I owe you!
The phone rang for only a few seconds before it crackled as I connected with Freya’s lead. It was about time someone answered. I smiled and straightened in my chair. Now I just had to make sure she didn’t hang up on me. A challenge in it’s own right.
“Hello?” The woman’s voice was soft, sounding a lot younger than I anticipated. I glanced over her profile but her birthday was blank.
“Hi! This is Richard with New Horizons on a recorded line. Is this Yasmine?”
“Oh, yes! I’ve been waiting for your call. I want to sign up for the TRA program as soon as possible. Today, ideally.”
That was unexpected. Usually, I had to spend the beginning of the call convincing them why they should give up their riches and pursue the unknown. I asked her, “What has you interested in the program?”
“Life is too boring as it is. I’m looking for adventure. Something this time is unable to provide.”
“An adventure? Forgive me, but if you can afford TRA, then couldn’t you use your money to travel the world and do things that others could only dream of. Like, going on underwater expeditions to explore wreckages of pirate ships and lost cruises. Well, maybe not that in particular now that I’m saying it aloud, but you know what I mean, right?”
If only Mr. Star had been listening to this call. I could just picture his head slowly turning red and preparing to burst from his body like a volcano erupting. Never question the lead’s intentions, he always advised. Only if that they have the means to make it through the program. I didn’t mean for my statement to come across as dissuasive; I was genuinely curious. Women commonly pursued time relocation assistance in hopes of living their Bridgerton fantasy. The men on the other hand… well, you never know what to expect with them. I’ve talked to men who wanted to fight in the crusades to those like the older gentleman I spoke to yesterday who wanted to be reborn only a few years prior, so he could accurately bet on the Dodgers and Blue Jays. His intent was to win all of that money and have it at a much earlier age than when he came into his status in this life. Obviously he didn’t enroll when I broke the news to him. The odds of him remembering those kind of details were slim to none.
Yasmin’s voice broke my thoughts, bringing my attention back to her. “Not to sound spoiled, but I’ve done and seen a lot. It all felt very mundane, never enough.”
“And what time-period do you think will give you the thrill you seek?”
Her answer rang out without a second thought. “I want to enter the year 2100.”
“Woah!”—I nearly fell out of my chair at the revelation. I quickly quieted my voice, careful not to draw unwanted attention—“That’s hundreds of years from now. Do you understand the risks that presents? The climate alone would be vastly different from today—unpredictable even. There’s no way to know what kind of world would await you. It’d be much safer if you choose to relocate to the past. At least you would know what you are signing up for.
“Thank you, Richard,” Yasmin replied.
“For what? I haven’t done anything. Not yet, at least.”
“You are the first person to care about what happens to me.”
“Surely, you have friends and family who would miss you.”
Yasmin’s voice was barely above a whisper. “My parents are dead. That’s actually how I came into all of this money. There is no one in my life who would miss me, except for the ‘friends’ that stick around, hoping that I would fund all of their extravagant campus parties. I know there is more out there for me, something beyond the life I have been given.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I also lost my parents at a young age. You’re sure the year 2100 is something you want, even with the risks?”
“You mention the risks, but think of all of the possibilities the future holds. Experts predict Mars will be colonized by that point and humans would be regularly traveling between the two planets. Imagine the kind of space politics and extraterrestrial interaction that kind of world could offer. I’d be living my own version of Star Wars.”
I typed my notes into the database as she shared her hopes for the future. I added, “That would be cool to see. I personally would prefer a world with meta-humans over one with aliens. If there was a formula to turn me into a super soldier or a speedster, I would be first in line.”
Yasmin laughed, “Richard, if there’s an organization calling me about traveling through time, I think it’s a safe bet that there is someone with superpowers walking around right now. I’m glad you are starting to get it though.”
“Fair point. Well, this is not something we usually do and it’s going to cost more, but if this is what you truly want, then who am I to stop you.”
After a few more minutes of getting to know one another, I transitioned the call into our online tour about New Horizon’s history and more about time relocation assistance. I explained to her that it wasn’t like traditional time travel as seen in movies. If she did this, she would maintain everything that made up Yasmin Pierce. However, she would be reborn to a different family in a different time—a different role in life, given where and who she ended up with. As she would grow old, she’d start to recall fragments of her past life, but not enough to alter history as someone who had lived before. I asked if everything, including the five-million dollar enrollment fee, was agreeable to her. She did not hesitate to accept the terms.
“How does it work though?,” she asked. “Before I leave this era behind, I’m dying to understand the science behind it all.”
Despite the wonderful conversation we just had, I stuck to the script. “Would you like to go revisit that slide and review the information again?”
“Richard, I have a degree in computer science. I know there is much more involved than what the tour says. Is New Horizons afraid people will pass off trade secrets if you tell them?” She jested, “My fate is sealed. Whatever you tell me stays between you and someone who is about to cease to exist.”
I reviewed all of her documents, making sure her application would be spotless for the inspectors. For some reason, I felt compelled to tell her as if I would be hiding something from my best friend if I didn’t. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to go more into it. You already made your payment and signed the contract. All that’s left now is to schedule your sendoff.”
I stood up quietly, searching for a wandering ear. It wasn’t strictly against the company’s regulations. Page 7 of the compliance rulebook only mentioned prohibiting “leads” from learning about the technology that made it all possible. Technically, Yasmin was no longer a lead—she was enrolled. I was finally back on the board! My one enrollment probably looked pitiful next to Freya’s magnitude of clients, but I didn’t care. My job was saved and thus my trips to the kitchen as Mr. Star put it.
I clicked open an internal document on New Horizon’s particle accelerator. I lowered my voice before speaking. “Are you familiar with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity?”
“Of course, I don’t know anyone alive who doesn’t.”
“Well, I would forget everything you think you know about time travel and buckle in. Everything revolves around ‘The Higgs Singlet.’ It is a particle that moves freely between time and space, unbound by the Higgs field. Imagine if the universe was filled with an invisible, sticky kind of energy, like a thick cosmic jelly. This jelly is the Higgs field and it runs through all of spacetime—everywhere the universe exists, meaning it interacts with all dimensions, known and unknown.” I paused, checking in with Yasmin. “Are you still with me?”
She laughed, “As much as I will be when I’m in the future.”
I smiled. “Do you want me to stop, then?”
“No, please continue. I’ll come around eventually.”
I carried on. “New Horizons has found a way to encode the quantum state of the soul onto Higgs singlets. The quantum signature then rides on Higgs singlets, passing through the Higgs field, moving between dimensions overlapping with our own. We encode a time anchor that activates when you pass through the exact moment you re-enter our dimension when both space and time overlap with your desired year, essentially dropping you back off at a different point in time. The rest is a natural process. Without a host, your consciousness would be drawn to a compatible vessel to contain your energy and give shape to that which is you.”
“Damn,” she stammered. “What about my old body?”
“Evaporated during the process,” I told her. I thought of the way I phrased my answer and immediately assured her it was painless. I’ve heard rumors from those on the higher floors that the company had ways to maintain the body throughout the process to keep the being that passes through Higgs field fully in-tact, but that would defeat the purpose of our mission and violate recent NATO amendments regarding time travel.
The other end of the line went silent, making me nervously still in response. I waited for a few moments to pass, seeing the call was still connected. “Yasmin,” I called. “How are you feeling about everything?”
Her voice shot through the phone like an angel sounding a trumpet. “Like I told you from the beginning, I’m ready for an adventure!”
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Two weeks had passed since I said goodbye to one of the best friends that I have never met. Fourteen days since her soul hitched a ride on Higgs singlet and never returned to this dimension. Freya tried to assure me that these things happen, explaining that a client’s consciousness sometimes takes a long vacation through the universe’s many dimensions until it arrives within the perfect overlap. It never sat right with me; no matter how many times she and Mr. Star tried to justify it. Of all the years I have helped people enter TRA, this has never happened. Something had to be done. I set out to investigate the irregularity.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Five years have passed since I, Richard V. Morris, have been eliminated.
“Richard!” Yasmin called out. “Come on, we’re waiting for you.”
“I’ll be right there!” I devoured today’s ration in three quick bites and threw on my hole-punched cloak. Yasmin and Gilgamesh waited for me at the height of the camp near the worksite. She flashed a smile my way when she saw me approaching. Her raven hair swayed slightly in the wind as she handed me my gear.
“Morning, sunshine. Are you ready to get to work?” Gilgamesh asked.
“My back hurts,” I groaned. “You think they would let us have a day off after the haul we had last week.”
Yasmin chimed in, “You know the drill. We don’t stop until there’s not a single trace of gold left on earth.”
“They’ll just take us to another planet to do it all again,” I spat.
We walked in unison to the cave and checked in with the overseer. As always, he towered over the three of us like the giant he was, and threatened to end our lives if any one of us dared to leave before our shift was over. I glanced over at Yasmin and whispered, “Did you find the adventure that you were looking for?”
She held my hand tightly and locked eyes with mine, “You know what? I think I did.”
I smiled and slowed my pace, breaking contact. “You go on ahead. I’ll catch up to you and Gilgamesh in a minute.”
Yasmin knew what I was up to, but she never questioned me or dared say a word to the others. She just forced a smile and continued on with our friend. I made sure there were no guards before finding a hiding spot within the cave. I found a crack in its wall so small and low to the ground that the overseer wouldn’t have a way of finding it unless he slithered through the cave. I stuck my note between the empty space, carving a small ‘x’ near it and got back to work. “One day,” I declared.
To whom may be so unfortunate to find this,
I pray that you are here to save us and that I am still alive to receive your help. If I am not, then I wish you the best and know not even the flames of hell will make me burn after what I went through. Either way, you should probably know what you’re up against. This is where humanity began and will eventually end—the true earth. You see, the earth that you and I came from is only a refuge meant to keep us safe—from beings beyond our imagination. It is a reality of our own meticulous design. An escape from something truly horrid. My previous employer tried to keep them at bay, an irregularity in the system here and there, but I can tell they are growing tired of the arrangement. It won’t be long before they come for what’s theirs. I truly hope you know what you’re doing and can put an end to this. If not, then you will find the end of your world and all humanity returned to its first master. The Anunnaki never left—we did.
-Richard V. Morris