HISTORY: The Beginning

The appointment was for 10:00 AM sharp, and Benjamin looked as fresh as a daisy; after a few hours sleep, a shower and a change of clothes that is. He made it to the interview 20-minutes early and at exactly 10:00am sharp, he was escorted into the conference room and ushered to his seat in the center of a horseshoe table. He had a small table and chair at his disposal.

"So, Mr. Jensen. Why is it that you have applied to be a researcher? Surely you are fully aware of the dangers, peril, and commitment needed to be a valued member of the team?" The man in the center of the table began. "I remember your parents well. Knowing what the possible reward for this job can be, why do you wish to become a part of it? I repeat...are you ready for the commitment this position entails?"

"I am sir, and I have a deep desire for historical events. My major degree is in history, specifically in the 18th through 22nd centuries. I have a near photographic memory and I feel I know this time period better than most people. I have a connection to this time period in the sense that I believe this is when my parents were injured." OH...that was stupid to say, he thought quickly. Glancing around quickly to look at the clock behind the interview table, it was 10:05 am. Benjamin thought how funny, all it took was five minutes to kill a career.

Too late now. No back pedaling. It will make me look like even more of an idiot.

The gentleman on the far left of the horseshoe started to speak fast, "Mr. Jensen, I suspect you are referring to coming to the aid of your parents. They were a marvelous team and did great wonders for the archives. I know you have a more enriched understanding of what the research entails than most people; so I hope you don't have it in your head to pop in and rescue them at some point in your career?"

The woman next to him continued, "We have learned that this is the worse, and most dangerous, thing a researcher can ever do. "

"No sir - mam. I have a pretty clear understanding of temporal mechanics. If by some chance I would make the attempt, and I did have an effect on their situation and due to my interference they were not injured in the past; then I would not be who I am today but rather the sum of that new life and possibly not a researcher, or rather the researcher who goes back to warn them of the danger. An infinite loop in time. One reality I go back to help them, the next reality I am a chef in a small bistro."

All 11 members of the interview board smiled. It may have been a stupid thing to say, but it was exactly what they wanted to hear.

"I am sure that you understand the circumstances and events leading to the incident surrounding your parents cannot be mentioned outside of these walls." The woman on his right said.

"Yes mam. I am in full understanding and agreement regarding the confidentiality of the temporal jump system. If this were to be public knowledge, tourism would increase and the Earth would suffer unimaginable consequences."

The members of the board looked at each other quickly. Benjamin wondered, was there a time period where the ability to travel in time was made public? Due to the effects it had on the planet did they go back to before it was told and stop that person? OK, headache starting....

The man in the center began again. He was obviously in charge of the interview. "Mr. Jensen, let's start with your education and work up to day. I understand you attended Archive Island Primary School. What can you tell me about your experiences there, and describe your teachers and class mates in as great a detail as possible?"

This was going to take a while............

************************************************

His brain was fried. That was the most intense interview he had ever had.

Benjamin walked blindly down the street. Pointed toward no particular direction or destination. When he realized where he was he walked through the door. Peace and quiet, dark and seclusion. He sat down and reveled in the aloneness. No one was asking him questions or questions within a question. His mind was in a fog and there was only one thing he needed right now.

"Hi ya Benny. Here you go." Barbara placed a cold mug in front of him and he was baffled. That WAS exactly what he needed but how did she know? Then he remembered his request to her. A beer before taking his order.

"One second Barbara." He tipped the glass and drained it in one long drink. Handing it back to her, "Can we have a repeat performance?"

"Sure thing. How did the interview go?"

"It just ended. It was brutal."

"What time did it start?"

"10am, why?"

"Let's see. 10am to 4pm is six hours. You got it beat. Looks like you passed the interview."

"How would you know that?"

"Well, any interview that lasts less than 3 hours is a definite no. 3 to 4 hours is a slim chance. 4 to 5 hours is a probable. More than 5 hours is a definite. Benny, you did it!"

Benjamin leaned back in the chair and took a really deep breath, more like a sigh of relief really. Even if Barbara was making all this up he did feel better now. Maybe that was all she was trying to accomplish.

"In that case, a round for the house on me!" Benjamin yelled. All six patrons weakly applauded.

"You got it Benny."

Tom walked in and asked what all the commotion was about. Benjamin explained that he just had an interview at the Island and Barbara felt he passed with flying colors.

"I am thinking about moving closer to the Island tube. I have a couple years before I will need a place since I will be in the dorms on the Island during training. Any idea where I can look for a place? Some place close to Pluto's preferably." He asked for Tom's opinion.

"Tell you what, my boy. I like you. You are a reality in this artificial world. If you get into and complete the training, I will give you a flat at today's rate when you graduate." Tom knew that the drop out rate was enormous and someone who frequents this place was sure to drop out. "Stop by my office when you get the word one way or another and I will draw up the papers if you make it. Won't take more than 10-minutes."

Tom and Benjamin spent another 8 drinks there, time was relative...he knew that...all he needed to do was get up in the morning at a reasonable hour and call the Archive to see if he had been accepted. If he had, he would buy Barbara a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers he could find and make his visit to Tom's office.

Now, at midnight he had to find his way home. That would be a chore since he did not remember where he was at the moment.

****************************************************

Morning reared it bright and shiny head, Benjamin needed an analgesic and a very large glass of water. "TIME!" he shouted into the air.

"The current time is 10:38am" responded the computer.

'OK, let's get this over with.' Benjamin thought

After a bit of searching Benjamin located his portacom and pressed dial on the device. He had preprogrammed the auto response during the application process to use his portacom number as an auto login to the system. Number dialed, Benjamin pressed speaker for two reasons: 1st - it hurt to hold his hand to his head, and 2nd - putting something so loud next to his ear right now sounded stupid.

"You have reached the Archives....application auto responder....the individual at this portacom number has been accepted into training at the Archives. If you still wish to proceed with the application and enter the training process, please say YES, if not remain silent and your application will be removed from the process...."

Benjamin looked no where in particular and began dreaming about the possibilities and the future. Being a member of the Archive - a Researcher! His dream come trrr....

"If no input is received in 10 seconds your response will be assumed to be no, you have 10 seconds remai...."

"YES!" Benjamin screamed.

"Congratulations Mr. Jensen. The following information is being downloaded to your portacom for your review.

Your first assignment - notification that your training has begun as-of 10:40am today.

Your dorm room assignment and a brief bio on your suitemate

Dress, attitude and conduct restrictions and expectations

A map of the Archive campus

Your course schedule

Your textbooks

Also included with your materials is a proposed route from your current residence and estimated time of travel to inprocessing

A list of approved and not approved items you may bring with you for your two years in residence in the Archive Island dormitory

Application for your travel and security access for the areas on Archive Island you will be permitted to enter during your first year.

Once again; The Faculty and staff of Archive Island welcomes you into training and hopes the experience will be both rewarding for you and for humanity. Our hope is for you to become a valued member of the Archive family."

The connection was terminated.

10:40am.....Begun!! I need to sit and read this stuff right now, "Transfer all information to main terminal in apartment. Display item number one." Benjamin yelled into thin air.

His portacom chirped and the wall on the other side of the room lit up. It was a text document describing that he needs to be at the school on Monday morning at 7am. That gives him two days to complete his first assignment, reading all this junk. "Number of total pages enclosed within attachments." Benjamin said into the air.

"Two thousand ... one hundred ... eight."

"Wonderful. I think maybe I will spend this weekend reading, and reward a good day at Pluto's. But that is such a commute. COMPUTER: Is there a quiet neighborhood bar with in 5 minutes walk?"

"No."

"Redo same search time parameter to 15 minutes."

"No."

"Again, 30 minutes?"

"Yes, Pluto's...located at..."

"Cancel. I guess Pluto's it is."

For the next several hours Benjamin read, and read, and read, and read. He learned that his first assignment was to learn all of this material in the next two days. His goal was to commit it to memory. But in a priority. School policy, maps, and lastly the bio.

After nearly a full day of reading and digesting the information he needed something to eat and decided it was time for dinner; the sandwich he had made for lunch had worn off. Time to go to Pluto's!

"Computer, save and store this data, we will resume when I return."

"Confirmed." And the wall went dark, and then came back to life with a beautiful mountain seen with rolling hills and a light breeze. You could see insects and animals in the background. There was even a light breeze that could be felt and the scent of pine. This was Benjamin's favorite smell on the planet, his favorite holo-projection and the most expensive thing he had ever purchased.

As he approached the exit it changed color to allow him to leave his residence. Walking through the green wall to the corridor of his apartment he made an immediate left and entered the lift.

As he passed through the door field the apartment sensed he was gone and no other living being was in the residence and put itself to sleep. The beautiful vista dimmed and shut off, as did the air recycler - which lowered to a preset standby level.

As Benjamin entered the lift he spoke, "One!" He seemed to mention to no one or nothing in particular. The lift began to move upward. When the doors opened and he felt the cooler air he took a deep breath, "Now that is life". Exiting the lift he decided to walk to Pluto's for only a burger and two or three beers.

Shaking his head slightly and grinning, he realized just how much he missed living above ground. He enjoys his brief time in the Sun, on a beach, in the mountains. But the treatments afterwards are always so boring that he limits his exposure to just a few days per year.

Current estimates are that humanity will be able to inhabit the surface again full time in the next century. "Hope I make it!" Benjamin chuckled.

He was in a very good mood and wished there was someone he could share it with. But he had no one who was special in his life, so he just kept walking. He made a couple stops in various shops along the way; it was not all that often that he walked like this so he was rather enjoying himself.

He reached Tom's office and walked in. "Can I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"I have a meeting scheduled with Mr. Wolshi. Please let him know that Benjamin Jensen is here."

"Sure. Please wait here." And she disappeared into the back room. A few minutes later Tom came out with a tablet.

"So Ben, I assume that you are taking me up on my offer. You got in?"

"Yep, I start Monday."

"Congratulations!" They shook hands vigorously. Activating the tablet the display held the paperwork for the contract. Tom had them waiting for Benjamin.

Benjamin read over the documents and saw they were all in order and knew that the cost he was signing for was going to be really small compared to 2 years from now. He did need to put a large deposit on the flat and the flat will be made available once he is permitted to move off the Island.

Benjamin placed his thumbprint on the pad and the tablet registered the signature. A few chirps later, "Papers registered with the county and the city. All done. Now if you graduate you get this rate. If not, I get the deposit. It is a gamble for the both of us. You loose a bit of your savings, me...well, potentially I can loose a great deal more. Estimates are that in two years the property values will increase 30 to 65%. But, I like you Ben, so I am willing to take the risk."

He slapped Benjamin on the arm lightly.

"My boy, you do know that this complex is located under the newest rad-dome? So you can have an actual window instead of the visual displays on the wall."

"Actually, I like the displays. Especially since I see by the design here in the office there are cameras located all over the roof. I assume I can set the vid to display a camera, therefore giving me the appearance I am living on the top floor?"

"You are correct. Hey, I like that angle. Take this down," Tom said to the receptionist, "New flats for let. All current technology. Free vid - where every apartment is a penthouse suite." He said it, but it was not what he really wanted to say, "I'll work on it later."

They shook hands and Benjamin left the office. "A sucker born every minute." Tom said to the receptionist. "The drop out rate is so high that HE will never make it through." She looked back at him with a blank stare; she had no idea what he was talking about. "Never mind..." he said and went back to work.

******************************************

"Now on to Pluto's to celebrate" Benjamin said out loud as he left the office.

He remembered he needed to get a few flowers for Barbara. Not real expensive or anything, just pretty. He stopped off at a florist on the way, next door actually, and picked up a few colorful flowers. Nothing committal, just pretty to look at.

When he arrived to Pluto's he walked in and as he sat down Barbara arrived with his beer. He placed the flowers on her tray. "You were right!"

She let out a yelp and everyone stared at them, "Benny has just been accepted into the Archives Training Program!" The entire bar applauded - all 5 of them.

Barbara asked a hundred questions as fast as she could speak. Benjamin answered some of them and after a few minutes Mike made an Uh-Humph sound and Barbara looked at him and realized that she had been there a while jibber-jabbering with Benjamin. "Can I get you something else, Benny?" Barbara picked up the flowers and sniffed.

"Sure"

"I knew you would make it. And in a couple years you will be the newest graduate. You are going to do big things!"

Benjamin looked at her in wonder. Was she psychic in some way? Did she really know? "Anything else I can get you Benny?"

"Burger, cheese, all-the-way and another beer."

"You got it!"

Benjamin sat back and glanced around. He was having a really good day so far. New life, new career, and ..... RING!

Grabbing at his portacom he toggled the answer key. The caller was from the Island, but why were they calling him. "This is Benjamin Jensen."

"Mr. Jensen, my name is Katarina Velanovna. I am assigned to the Human Resources Department - Student Services Division of the Archive Island Academy. "

"Hi there, what can I do for you?" Benjamin looked at her with a lustful eye. She was very pretty. At that moment his burger and beer arrived.

"I see that you are eating lunch at the moment. Is there a better time I can speak to you?"

"No, this is fine. I need to let this burger cool a bit before I eat it."

"Very well, there is a matter of the admission application, part 3. It needs to be completed and brought with you on Monday morning. I will send you the necessary paperwork and instructions in a moment. You can add it to your reading assignment and bring the file with you on Monday, or send it back to me when you complete it all. I prefer that you send it back so I can review it and make corrections as needed."

"I will send it to you this evening." Benjamin told her. "We can make corrections tomorrow if necessary."

"Very good, and thanks. Enjoy your lunch and tell Barbara I said hello."

"Will do and you have...wait, you know Barbara?"

"I was in Pluto's a couple times a few years ago. I am sure Barbara will never remember me."

"You GOT to be kidding, she has a mind like a steel trap. Hold on....BARBARA...GOT A SECOND!...here she comes." Barbara walked over to the table and started, "Whacha need Benny?" Benjamin glanced at the image on the small screen. Barbara followed his eyes to the portacom, "Katarina....KITTY! How are you? Long time no see!"

"WOW, you remember me. I was only in there a couple times."

"Honey, I remember every person I feel is important. What are you up to these days?"

Katarina and Barbara chatted for a few minutes while Benjamin ate his burger. When they were finished Barbara ended the call and thanked Benjamin for calling her over. Finishing his lunch and another beer he paid the tab and left a nice tip, getting to be his trademark. He had a lot of work to do tonight and tomorrow. He had to plan his future!

********************************************************

When he returned to his residence he resumed the reading and attempted memorizing more of what he was reading. His eyes glazed over a couple times during his work, but he continued.

He had completed the application Katrina asked for, and returned it to her as promised. With in 15 minutes he received a request to add information to a section. He did so and sent it back. She let him know it was complete and she would see him on Monday.

"Next document." Benjamin instructed the computer.

As it appeared on the screen he saw that it was the bio of his suitemate. A very attractive woman with a similar education to his own. He stared at her picture for a few minutes and asked the computer if there was any information that was available which was not in the document.

The computer spun for a few minutes and replied that there was a news report where she was a witness to a tragic death. At the time she was living on a mining colony planet. The article appeared on the screen:

UNIVERSE TODAY: In a bizarre death a man fell several stories to land on a small restaurantthat was currently closed for the evening. The owner of the establishment told Universe Today that two table sets were destroyed, and the mess would need to be cleaned up before he could open. The incident took place 3 hours before scheduled opening. As the morning shift arrived, manager Momar Roblata sent the shift home and instructed them to return for the lunch crowd. Lead Shift Member Myra Gaylord was available, but refused, to comment on the incident. The circumstances surrounding the death stemmed from the grav plating on the building being upgraded resulting in the grav field, which would have slowed the victim's descent to a safe velocity, was not active. Local law enforcement apprehended the person responsible for throwing Mr. William Moreland, formerly Chief Engineer for the External Colony Mining and Salvage Consortium, out of the closed window. The suspect, known only a BEE, has been indicted on charges of destruction of property, criminal trespassing, and murder. Mr. BEE stating in his confession that he was simply tired of hearing his voice, and needed to quiet the noise. Bee had been ingesting several intoxicating substances, both legal and illegal, during the course of the day. Mr. Moreland is survived by his sister, Veronica Swisher, and niece, Ruth; they currently reside on Earth.

"WOW! That is weird." Benjamin said out loud. "Can't get away from the news, even on another planet. Glad that dinky little paper had a slow enough news day to print the article." He would have to ask her about it one day.