The Office of Spatio-Temporal Affairs

Chapter 1 : Lost In Her Mind

Celia was worried. It might have seemed surprising; she was a talented student with an utterly ordinary life. But lately, something had been bothering her.

Because she felt different. At times, she experienced what seemed like absences, during which time literally seemed to stand still. Conversely, she sometimes felt like everything was happening extraordinarily fast, with afternoons passing in just a few minutes. Not to mention the dreams she had, describing events that would eventually come true, every time. She had attributed it to fatigue, but it had been going on for more than two weeks now, and she had to admit it was becoming worrisome.

Lost in her thoughts, she felt someone tap her forehead, and she opened her eyes to see Thomas facing her.

"You've been reading all night or what? I've already called you three times," he said.

Thomas was a new student who had arrived three months ago. Very solitary, he hadn't really tried to integrate, which had prompted Celia to approach him, and the two had become friends. She apologized,

"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Have you been here long?"

"No, I just got here," he replied. "Are you ready for class, or do you still want to sleep in the hallway?"

She hit him playfully, and they went off to class.

The day was very quiet, and she didn't encounter any problems. As the two students were heading back, Celia asked Thomas,

"Do you want to grab a drink somewhere?"

Despite being friends, Thomas remained very evasive about himself, so it was a good opportunity for her to learn a little more about him, and it would also take her mind off her problems. "Yes, if you wa-." Thomas interrupted himself, his gaze fixed on something to the side. He then said hastily,

"Sorry, I just remembered I have an emergency. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I really have to go."

She barely had time to say goodbye before he headed off towards a rather strange-looking man. Covered in a large floral poncho, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses, he quickly stood out. Who was this man? Celia had never seen him before, and she had clearly seen Thomas's face darken at the sight of him. She knew he lived alone and was certainly not the sociable type, so how did he know him? She hit herself and muttered to herself,

"Stop it, you're acting like a jealous girlfriend. You met him two months ago; he has the right to know people without you knowing!"

Meanwhile, Thomas had joined the man,

"What's with the getup?"

"What? It's my camouflage, don't all young people wear this?"

"Maybe 50 years ago... Besides blowing my cover, why are you here, Dave?"

"Take a look at this," Dave said, handing a tablet to Thomas.

"These are temporal particle readings?"

"Yeah, and there's a considerable amount in the area. It could very well be related to your trafficking case."

"It's strange; she knows how to hide her tracks. Why attract attention like this? It's not like her..."

"Are you thinking of another time master? That's impossible, you know. It's hard to say what she's up to, especially since... Since that day."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on this. Stay on standby."

Dave nodded, then left, drawing the attention of some bewildered students.

Celia had meanwhile boarded the tram, determined to go home. But now, she was very uncomfortable. Why? Because she was alone with Miguel on the tram. Miguel was her former boyfriend, addicted to drugs. She had ended things with him after his drug and trafficking activities had put her in danger. She had hoped he would leave her alone, but no, he had come and said to her,

"Hey, are you okay?"

"... "

"Okay, I know you're mad at me, but I really have something I need to talk to you about!"

"I don't think there's anything you can tell me that interests me."

"Yes, listen, I have a great plan to make a ton of money: I met a guy who's offering a new type of drug..."

"I'm stopping you right there," Celia exclaimed, standing up. "I don't want to be involved in any of your drug stories!"

"No, but this isn't like the usual stuff, this substance is divine; it makes you become a superhuman. If you helped me sell it, we could become kings of the... "

Celia slapped him; she had heard enough. Miguel suddenly stopped smiling and said,

"You know, I was giving you a chance because I like you, but if that's how you take it, I'll have to take you by force."

With those words, he grabbed her, with extraordinary force, and pressed a handkerchief to her face. She barely had time to think that she needed to escape before she passed out.

Celia woke up in an old warehouse, cold and damp. She was tied up. As she came to, she heard two men talking. Hearing her move, Miguel interrupted his discussion to turn to her,

"Look who's finally waking up."

"Is she really your poster girl to sell my merchandise? She doesn't seem very motivated." The second man appeared older and was very unsettling; he seemed to be a much more dangerous criminal than Miguel.

"It's not going quite as planned, but as soon as she tastes what you're offering, she'll be so addicted that she'll do anything we want."

"That's not untrue."

Celia trembled with fear. She didn't understand everything, but she understood that these two men wanted to drug her. She couldn't imagine becoming a junkie, unable to disobey for fear of not getting her fix. The situation seemed hopeless when the warehouse door burst open violently. Everyone turned to the opening, and someone entered. To everyone's surprise, Thomas walked into the room. He glanced around the room, then exclaimed,

"Oh, sorry, I must have made a mistake, my bad."

Celia didn't understand. What was he doing there? And why wasn't he helping her, even though he had clearly seen the situation? Had he called the police? No, impossible, the place didn't have windows; he wouldn't have been able to see anything before opening the door. Miguel got up and spoke,

"What the hell are you doing here? Get out!"

"Really sorry, I was looking for a dealer selling revolutionary drugs, but I don't think this is the place, obviously. I'd like to buy some, though."

Miguel's face lit up, while Celia sank deeper into despair. Thomas was just another junkie; he was no better. The man with Miguel, hidden under a long coat, remained silent, while Miguel approached Thomas.

"Oh, you're here for that? No, no, you're in the right place! Glad you've heard about this business; believe me, you'll discover what it's like to be another man. Once you've taken this drug, you'll become capable of dominating the world; nothing will be able to resist you!"

As he continued his sales pitch, Miguel approached Thomas. When he reached his level, Thomas smiled.

Then he grabbed him and slammed the dealer's head against the concrete wall next to him.