The Scientist's Cultist

iv - message in a bottle.

- - - - - - AUGUST 31, 2023 - - - - -

St. Petersburg, Florida 8:30 a.m.

IVAN WAS A TERRIBLE LIAR. He always had been and always would be, which made convincing the directors that the time travel team needed to have a weekly meeting without their oversight extremely difficult. Because Ryan no longer held any sort of official authority at AIMA and wasn't expected to ever return to campus, these meetings were required to keep him updated on any new information about the most recent experiment.

Ivan couldn't wait to tell him about the new death trap mission June and Theo had been sent on, not to mention that the current plan was that there is no plan. Ivan loved a good go-with-the-flow plan, there was no doubt about it, but sending June and Theo into one of the most dangerous parts of London in the 19th century with no plan other than to screw over the directors... yeah, the team should have thought that through a bit better.

His phone buzzed from where it was lying on the desk at the front of the classroom. Ivan collapsed into the swivel chair in front of it and swiped his finger across the screen to answer.

"Beanstalk," said Ryan through the phone.

"I should come up with a nickname for you too that won't give away your identity, you know?" Ivan said. "What about like, R-Dog?"

"No."

"Ry-Ry?"

"All of those are very obvious nicknames for Ryan."

Ivan spun in his chair, tapping a finger to his mouth. "Hmm, you're right. We should completely change your name, make it something totally inconspicuous like Simon or—"

"No, thanks." Ryan interrupted.

"You're no fun," Ivan groaned, lifting his hand in a wave as Landon and Rowan entered the room. Ivan put Ryan on speaker just as Rowan opened his mouth to speak.

"Who's no fun?" He asked.

"Me, apparently," said Ryan. "Is that you, Row?"

"Yeah, Lan's here too."

"Aren't you supposed to be with June?" asked Ryan, his voice echoing off the back wall.

"Theo, one of our newest members, took my place," explained Rowan.

"The par-tay has arrived," said Silas as he pushed open the door. He was followed not long after by Lilia. Ivan was pleasantly surprised Silas had even shown up at all since he usually considered time to be a suggestion rather than an order.

"Welcome, my friends," began Ivan, "to the first Agents of Time meeting."

"Please tell me we are not calling it that," interrupted Ryan.

"Oh, come on," Ivan argued. "I've been working on a name since last week."

"I kind of like it," said Lilia. "Makes us sound... powerful."

"Anyways," Ivan proceeded before Ryan could add any other unapproving comments, "today we need to come up with a plan. As exciting as this no-plan plan is for those of us who get to stay in our century, June and Theo could very well have been carved up by Jack the Ripper by now."

"What a lovely image," muttered Rowan.

"We've been keeping an eye on the situation," said Silas. "Mary Ann Nichols was still found dead on Buck's Row, so they must not have been able to stop her murder. There was nothing to suggest any other bodies were found that night and Jack the Ripper's identity is still unknown."

"Get this, though," said Lilia. "Jack is named for the way he would violently mutilate his victims, but Mary's body... it wasn't mutilated. Records say her only injuries were bruises and cuts from a struggle and a slit throat."