Temporal Exploring 101 - Deep Future

IV.43 Genius girls and boy prodigies

"Does that mean you are not all going to die in that final attack tonight?" I asked.

"Of course not." Brianna Vercours shook her head. "We certainly are not going to sacrifice ourselves. Not if we can help it. We are just retreating, to a place where the enemy cannot follow us. To the past." She smiled. "But we can discuss all that with the rest of the team. I left them in the seminar room when I received that intruder alarm for my office. Please follow me, girls."

She led Natty and me out of her office.

As it turned out, the seminar room was located just two or three doors down the hall. Inside, four people were sitting: a young fair-haired woman, a bronze-skinned middle-aged woman, a black man in his early twenties and a red-haired boy who looked to be a year or two younger than Natty and I.

Brianna Vercours introduced the adults as Celia Graham, Larissa Montreve and Xavier Torc.

"And this is Victor Gabriel, our prodigy-in-residence," she added, indicating the boy.

"I found these two girls in my office, with the door locked from outside," she explained. "From what they tell me it appears they that they were sent by the Seipra, on August 14 in 1965. There is an entry in the log that corroborates that date at least."

"So who are they," Torc asked, "and why did the Seipra send them?"

"This is Catherine Hart." Brianna Vercours indicated me. "She appears to be a citizen of the Alliance, albeit from an earlier century. The other girl claims to be Natalie Fogg."

"Natalie Fogg? The Natalie Fogg? Seriously?" Celia Graham inquired, staring at Natty.

"I don't think so." The boy Victor scowled. "She doesn't look very bright."

Natty glared at him. "No offense, but when was the last time you looked into a mirror?"

Ms Vercours sighed. "Victor, how often do I have to tell you that being a prodigy does not entitle, much less require you to be rude?"

"Yes, that is definitely not part of the job description," Larissa Montreve confirmed.

"But she doesn't look anything like in the photographs and vid-clips," the boy insisted.

"What photographs and vid-clips?" Natty asked, intrigued.

Brianna Vercours ignored Natty's question. "She discovered the error in your calculations, Victor. The one we feared might be in it. The one I could not find," she quietly pointed out.

The boy blushed. "I would have found that one myself eventually," he claimed.

"Possibly. But not the way she did, after glancing at your derivation for less than a couple of minutes." Ms Vercours turned towards Natty. "I apologize for Victor's behavior, Miss Fogg. We have all been under a lot of stress, lately, and ..."

"Please call me Natalie, if you don't mind," Natty cut in.

"Yes, and I would also prefer it if you could address me as Catherine," I added.

"That's fine with me. We are all on first names here anyhow," Brianna Vercours replied. "So, Catherine and Natalie, I expect that you have a few questions that you are dying to ask us."

"Indeed we have," I told her. "For starters, who are those women that sent us here, the ... what did you call them, Seipra?"

"The Seipra, yes." Brianna cleared her throat. "They are special people, the result of an ambiguous project. What is your native temporal era, Catherine?"