‘That is a rather odd mix of subjects,’ Lucian noted — the realm of biology and physics rarely met in their ideologies.
‘I hope to change that.’ Taren grinned confidently, and Lucian grinned also. ‘Taren Lennox.’ She held out a hand to shake his.
‘Pleased to meet you.’ They shook hands, but Lucian did not let her hand go. ‘You know, you might find my project of interest,’ he said.
‘I’m very sure I would, Professor, your work inspired me to my vocation.’ Taren was flirting, she couldn’t help it, but Lucian seemed charmed by her response.
‘We’re having a fundraising function for the project in a few weeks’ time, if you’d like to come?’
Taren’s eyes shot across to Jazmay who was nodding her head furiously for Taren to accept whatever he was proposing. ‘I’d be honoured, Professor.’
‘Where shall I send your invitation?’
‘I’m not too sure where I am residing at present … but I can pick up the invitation from the Administration Office here on campus?’ she suggested, ahead of bringing the professor’s attention to her right hand that he still held in his own.
Lucian was embarrassed by the oversight and let her hand go. ‘I suppose you might be needing that.’ He laughed off his enchantment.
‘I look forward to bumping into you again.’ Taren backed up towards her destination.
‘I see now that sometimes it pays to be oblivious.’ He gave her a wave and moved on.
‘What just happened?’ Jazmay demanded to know everything as soon as Taren reached the table.
‘I just got us invited to a project fundraiser.’ Taren took a seat, glad to see her ally.
‘Excellent!’ Jazmay concurred.
‘Anything to get me out of Yasper’s life,’ Taren said, knowing Jazmay had a vested interest in Taren’s romance with the would-be captain. ‘It’s a pity that our mission is going to wipe any memory that Lucian has of inviting me, as this time today, after our next time-cheat, that meeting will not have happened.’
‘Then we’ll just make it happen again.’ Jazmay encouraged Taren to look at the upside. ‘And think … by this time today next-time, both the men we love will be alive.’
‘Speaking of men you love.’ Zeven announced his arrival.
Taren and Jazmay looked up to find a young, clean-cut fellow with his arms open wide in anticipation of receiving a hug.
Jazmay burst out laughing. ‘Man? Where?’ she teased, looking about.
Taren nudged Jazmay to encourage her not to be cruel, and then rose to greet her old, young, friend. ‘Starman.’ She suppressed an urge to pinch his cheek and hugged him instead.
‘I know,’ he whined about his regression. ‘But at least I fit right in on campus.’
‘It’s a good thing he’s not coming any further back with us,’ Jazmay was still chuckling. ‘We’d have to get a babysitter —’
‘Or better still, a wet nurse … yum.’ Zeven played up to her mockery with a grin and successfully made the Phemorian feel uncomfortable.
‘Be nice, kiddies,’ Taren requested.
‘I don’t have to ask if you got my Juju,’ Zeven stated, as he could feel the presence of his guardian spirit.
‘We should perhaps retreat to my place.’ Jazmay suggested.
‘I thought you’d never ask.’ Zeven grinned and stood again. ‘Ladies.’ He invited them to lead the way.
Jazmay did not appreciate his implication. ‘Watch it, junior,’ she hissed on her way past him, ‘I’m bigger than you.’
‘You certainly are,’ he agreed as her breasts moved past at his eye line.
‘Please don’t provoke her,’ Taren appealed, as she followed Jazmay to the university accommodation building where Taren had been in residence herself, once upon another timeline.
In the privacy of Jazmay’s apartment Taren presented Zeven with his amulet, which she’d incorporated into an elasticised armband, designed to hold the Juju stone in place and keep it hidden. The armband was a tube that slid over the hand and up onto the upper arm, where it was easily concealed. On the inside of the armband was a pocket in which the stone was placed with a window that partly exposed the Juju to the wearer’s bare skin. From the outside, the band was perfectly plain.
‘The fabric of the band is impervious to water and will dry quickly,’ Taren said.
‘This is awesome,’ Zeven commented, flexing his muscle to check the fit. ‘The fabric gives easily, it’s not uncomfortable at all.’
‘Then you have no excuse to take it off …’ Taren said in all seriousness, ‘… ever.’
‘As you wish,’ Zeven concurred with a nod. ‘So our guardian spirit is cool with what we’re doing?’
‘Inspired, was the word he used,’ Taren replied with a smile, proud that they were finally doing something right.
‘Did you speak at length?’ Zeven queried. ‘I’d sure like the opportunity to ask our guardians a question or two.’
‘He said Khalid was not your father.’ Taren knew Zeven’s concerns but could not finish the sentence as Zeven was on his feet and cheering.
‘Yes, I knew it!’
‘But …’ she spoke up over his hullabaloo, ‘… you are my cousin, nonetheless.’
‘What?’ Zeven couldn’t believe his ears. ‘How is that possible?’
‘I don’t know,’ Taren replied flatly.
‘Well, didn’t you ask?’
‘Azazèl had more important things to discuss with me,’ she said gently.
‘What could be more important than where I came from?’ Zeven appealed.
‘Azazèl said we would find those answers ourselves.’ Taren gave a shrug.
‘Well, thanks very much.’ Zeven looked to the heavens, so that Taren would know his anger was not directed at her.
‘This is not all about you, Zeven.’ Taren noted the time on the clock on the wall, to avoid disclosing any more about her meeting with Azazèl. ‘We should make a move. Are we all clear on what to do?’
Jazmay nodded, eager to broker their deal and get back to yesterday eve when Yasper had still been alive. Zeven threw his shirt and jacket back on and gave her the nod also.
‘From now until we seal this deal, Jazmay’s mission alias is Abi,’ Taren advised and Jazmay winked to concur. ‘Zeven, your mission alias is Bob.’
‘Why Bob?’ Zeven queried her choice and then looked to Jazmay as she smirked. ‘If you say “Baby On Board”, I’ll kill you.’
Jazmay suppressed her amusement.
‘Bob is easy to remember,’ Taren explained simply.
‘I could think of loads of names for you that are probably more appropriate,’ Jazmay suggested, to Taren’s mild amusement.
‘What’s wrong with Starman?’ Zeven asked. ‘Nobody would associate that name with me yet.’
‘In future you might be thankful not to have used that name either,’ Taren said.
As Taren tended to have more foresight than he did, Zeven relented. ‘Bob it is.’
This time around Taren did not storm into Chief Ronan’s meeting with her father, but rather manifested in the top-level security office with her team, shocking both Anselm and the chief of the MSS into speechlessness for a second.
‘Taren?’
‘Surprise!’ She grinned.
‘What in the name of Maladaan do you think you are doing?’ the chief protested. ‘Who are these people? How did you get in here?’
‘They are my new phalanx,’ Taren advised flippantly, ‘meet Abi and Bob.’
Obviously these were not their real names and as Ronan was already emotionally distraught, he was absolutely fuming, believing he was being toyed with. ‘These two are not MSS operatives, why the fuck are they in my office?’
‘But they will be, or rather have been, secret service operatives in the future,’ she told him, to confuse the issue. ‘You see, today is the day I prove you wrong about my time theories, Ronan,’ Taren told him coolly as she approached his desk, and placing both
hands upon it, she leant forward to inform him, ‘I’ve been to the future and I’ve come back. And I intend to save Yasper from his death, just as I vowed I would the last time we had this meeting.’
‘Well, you’re a little late.’ Ronan’s anger was bubbling over inside him and it was very apparent that he was using great restraint to prevent from blowing his stack completely. ‘I identified the body this morning, and I can assure you Yasper is dead.’
‘That’s because I haven’t gone back to prevent the incident … yet,’ she said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Ronan caught her drift and holstered his annoyance to hear her out. ‘You see, I know that you and my dear father —’ Taren cast her sights in Anselm’s direction, where he appeared dumbfounded by the proceedings, ‘— are here today to discuss my dismissal. You plan to erase my memory of Yasper, my father, my MSS training, mission history and a very large chunk of my childhood.’
Neither man could hold a poker face in regard to the accusations as they were both so stunned she knew their intention before they had even fully nutted it out themselves.
‘And as it has taken me ten long years to get those memories back,’ she said, ‘I can assure you, gentlemen, that your plan for me is no longer an option. My associates and I are here to broker a new deal.’
‘Forgive my interruption, sweetness.’ Anselm raised a hand in question. ‘But if you broker a deal with us today, then go back to yesterday and change the past — correct me if I am mistaken — but we will not remember making the deal, as it will not yet have happened? And Yasper will never have died and so this meeting will never occur, nor will we have any recollection of him dying …’
Taren grinned, having thought this through already. ‘That’s why after we cut this deal, Chief Ronan is going to make a security recording of himself stating the terms of our arrangement. At which time, Father, you will leave here, with my friend Bob, and return in one hour. None of the effects we will set into motion in the past will affect you or Bob, thus your reality will not change. Abi and myself will go back to the past and then meet you both here in Ronan’s office in one hour from our time of departure, and we shall bring Yasper with us.’
Anselm was considering her plan and nodding with approval. ‘That sounds feasible.’
The chief appeared appeased and yet horrified at once. ‘Are you saying that if I agree to whatever terms you propose, that this morning will never happen for me?’
‘That is exactly what I am saying,’ Taren concurred, ‘and not only will you have your son back, but if you stick to the terms of the agreement that we make here today, then you will also avoid an unprecedented global disaster on Maladaan that the MSS and yourself will otherwise be held accountable for.’
‘Why should I believe any of this?’ The chief was still sceptical, although inwardly Taren knew he really wanted to believe her.
‘Have I ever failed to deliver on anything that I said I was going to do?’ Taren challenged and the chief raised both brows to concede there was no argument there.
‘Does this agreement involve you stepping out of my son’s life?’ he haggled.
Taren’s jaw clenched — he was such a discriminating bastard. ‘Absolutely. I will step out of both your lives, just as the MSS will step out of my life completely and permanently.’
‘That sounds fair,’ the chief agreed.
‘Oh, there’s more,’ Taren assured him. She handed him a written letter outlining her terms and conditions and as Ronan took the document and read, he began to turn pale.
‘You obviously know how much my son means to me,’ the chief stated, having read the terms. ‘Frankly, considering what you claim he means to you, I am surprised you would barter his life in such a fashion. Can you honestly expect me to believe that if I refuse your terms, you won’t go back in time and save him anyway?’
Taren didn’t lose her cool, but did adopt a rather more authoritative tone. ‘This is not just about saving Yasper’s life, this is about ensuring the future safety of every single soul upon this planet! And don’t think for a second that I am exaggerating, because I am not. Whether you agree or not is by the by for me, as there is nothing you can do that we cannot undo, so your compliance will save much time and energy on everyone’s behalf.’
‘What the hell happens ten years in the future?’ Anselm was very curious to learn.
‘Nothing, if I can help it.’ Taren wasn’t prepared to share with the Sermetic President at this time. ‘But I have plenty of other issues to raise with you after this mission, Father, so I’m afraid your curiosity will have to wait until then.’
‘I look forward to that.’ He forced a smile.
Taren turned her sights back to the chief. ‘If you think you are a bitter and twisted man today, Ronan, following Yasper’s death you become twenty times more so! And before you meet your end, amid the horrendous crisis you will help create, you will be given cause to regret the harsh justice you have dealt out to others. You will be murdered by a foe you will not see coming, who is more evil than even you can imagine. And if you don’t believe me, well —’ Taren shrugged her shoulders and threw her hands up, ‘— then defy me and see where it all leads. But if I were either of you, I would start regarding Khalid Mansur with extreme caution, as Mansur and his master are at the root of everything that has gone wrong and all that will go wrong in your life.’ She pointed to her father and then to Ronan.
‘His master?’ Everyone queried this at once.
‘One crisis at a time, people.’ Taren held her hands up to waylay that conversation, her gaze drifting between the chief and her father. ‘So what say you, gentlemen: do you wish to be on our team?’
Anselm began to chuckle to himself. ‘My little girl is all grown up,’ he commented, admiring her audacity as he brushed a tear from one eye with a finger.
‘She’s bloody well out of control,’ Ronan grumbled, concerned, and yet he gave a grunt of approval. ‘All the more reason to have you and your phalanx onside … I’m in.’
His grumpy resolve made Taren smile and she looked to her father, who raised both brows as if his response was elementary. ‘I’m just dying to see if you can pull this off, so of course, I’m in.’
‘Then let us record our arrangement for posterity, shall we?’ Taren motioned Ronan to his workstation. ‘Use your own top security code to lock the recording before you submit it to this memory chip.’ She handed the recording device to the chief, who plugged it into his workstation and fulfilled Taren’s request.
Once the recording was complete, Taren gave the memory chip to Zeven. ‘One hour,’ she affirmed.
‘We’ll be here,’ he replied surely, moving to place a hand on Anselm’s shoulder.
‘And where, may I ask, is this kid going to take me?’ Anselm was a little unnerved.
‘Trust me,’ Taren appealed to her father. ‘I’m not like you, I do not lie, nor would I break a promise … and I promise you that in the future you’ll be very pleased you supported me this day instead of suppressing me.’ She could feel a hurtful lump welling in her throat, but reeled in her emotions.
‘My first concern has been for you, always,’ Anselm attempted an appeal.
‘Now is not the time.’ Taren shot him down in flames. ‘Actions speak louder than words, Father, and if you do love me, you’ll cooperate.’
‘Okay,’ he agreed simply.
‘We’re outta here,’ Zeven advised and vanished with the Chairman of the United Systems Council.
‘I must have lost my mind.’ Ronan was most unnerved; but he had little choice but to trust Taren, and with Yasper’s recent death he was surely feeling he had little left to lose. ‘How are you doing this?’ Physical teleportation was near unheard of outside of myths and Phemorian propaganda tales — time travel capability was pure fiction!
‘Loving, wilful intention,’ Taren replied, ‘that’s all. Love sustains light. Light is the communicator of intention to the molecular world which responds to the most influential
force in its environment … usually me … but only because I am more aware and confident of my influence than the next person.’
‘I am most eager to see you prove that,’ the chief conceded, more passive in tone than ever she had heard him. ‘Return my boy to me and I shall be forever in your debt.’
Taren waived the offer. ‘How about you just respect what your son wants to do with his life from now on? I may be bowing out of the situation, but I will not be the last psychic that Yasper falls in love with.’
‘How could you know that?’ Ronan queried, agitated by the suggestion.
‘Until you open your mind and heart, Ronan, it will be impossible for you to fathom how I obtain my knowledge,’ Taren said. ‘However, I put it to you … would your resolve about my relationship with Yasper have been different if you knew it would ultimately save his life?’
Ronan was so affronted by the question he could not respond.
Taren moved to join Jazmay who was staring at Ronan wearing a subtle smile of confidence, but there were daggers in her eyes. ‘Abi?’ When Jazmay approached the chief, Taren figured the answer was no.
‘I am one of thousands of psychics who was imprisoned by you, I hated you for that, and yet you died selflessly to save my life and many others. You have the power and the intelligence to accomplish great things, Ronan, your heart is your weakness, and if you do not learn how to channel a love of all things that is unconditional, your heart will become diseased and it will kill you, before the sad fate Taren outlined just now does,’ she informed him bluntly.
‘Are you a prophet?’ Ronan asked her, shaken by this entire confrontation.
Jazmay smiled. ‘No. I am in love with your son, and I’d like my future father-in-law to be alive and contributing to a world that his grandchildren will be safe living in.’
Not waiting for a response Jazmay returned to join Taren, who looked surprised by Jazmay’s confession.