Time's Chariot

for the area.

Superintendent Adigun exuded his usual bonhomie to such an extent that his moustache quivered when they entered his front room in one of the small cottages in the cathedral’s shadow. ‘How are you? How are you?’ he said, as if he hadn’t seen them two hours ago. ‘Did you enjoy your inspection?’

‘Everything is satisfactory,’ Su said formally, though the inspection hadn’t taken long. Her powers only extended to checking that none of the bygoners were being abused in any way and that basic health and safety regulations (very basic, in this period) were being observed. After that, it was just a case of carrying the latest set of figures back to the Home Time for the Social Studies department to fuss over. Less formally, she added, ‘You run a good establishment, Superintendent.’

Adigun beamed. ‘I’m glad to hear you say that, I really am. Are you sure I can’t offer you something?’

‘The recall field comes on in fifteen minutes, Superintendent.’

‘Of course, of course. I suppose you’ll both be at the Union Day ball? Lucky things, can’t have one here, of course, the bygoners will notice… let me get you those figures. Must observe the protocols, eh?’ He peered into the next room. ‘Sanja? That little gem I showed you, could you bring it… ?’

Sanja was a bygoner and she glided into the room under Adigun’s approving gaze. Her hand brushed the Superintendent’s when she handed the crystal with the figures over; Adigun’s slightly glazed look followed her out of the room and it seemed to Rico that no, the Bishop would not approve.

He raised an eyebrow at Su; she pursed her lips but shook her head slightly. Disapproved of, but not illegal, and not something she as Senior Field Op could rightly include in her report. But she could make it known that Adigun let his bygoner woman play with data crystals and make out that they were jewellery. Social Studies could perhaps draw their own conclusions.

Superintendent Adigun, Rico decided, was an out and out bastard, however pleasant and affable he might appear. He would only be a few years in this job before moving on to something else, probably nice and cushy and secure back in the Home Time. And was there any question of Sanja coming to the Home Time? Nor did Adigun look the type to volunteer for mind-blanking and resettlement in the gamma stream. He was playing with the woman.

‘Enact symb,’ said Adigun, tuning his mind into the local symb junction that would be hidden somewhere in his house — isolated from the Home Time symb network, barely more than a poor, crippled relative, useful only for managing such data as was available to it. After a couple of seconds he handed the crystal to Su.

‘All updated with my latest reports. Social Studies will find it interesting,’ he said, and proceeded to hurl fact after statistic at them. Rico tried to look interested and Su held up a hand.

‘We’re just couriers, Superintendent. We’ll pass this on, don’t worry. Good day, it’s been interesting.’

Rico could contain it no longer. ‘You’re sitting pretty,’ he said, just as Su turned to go.

‘I beg your pardon?’ said Adigun.

‘Lord of all you survey.’ Rico tilted his head in the direction Sanja had gone. ‘Droit de seigneur, I think it was called back home. Maybe there’s a word for it in Mongol-German.’

‘Rico…’ That tone was back in Su’s voice but he ignored it. He took a step forward.

‘We’re here to observe, Superintendent Adigun,’ he said. ‘Observe, not break hearts. Does Miss Bygoner know you plan to vanish from her life in a couple of years?’

‘I really think you’re out of order.’ All good humour had vanished from Adigun’s expression. ‘You have about ten minutes until the recall field comes on. Use it, Op… ?’

‘Garron. Rico Garron.’

‘Rico Garron.’ Adigun’s eyes widened. ‘Weren’t you—’ He chuckled. ‘I don’t think you can afford to get into trouble, Op Garron. Why don’t you leave now?’

‘Rico, what am I going to do with you?’ Su said quietly as they headed back to the recall point, a patch of clear ground outside the city walls, hidden by trees.

‘It just happens,’ Rico muttered.

‘The supervisor in beta-Rome… and now this.’

‘What else was I suppose to do? Su, we’re meant to protect bygoners, we’re meant to uphold the Code…’

‘You leave well alone, Rico, and let me pass on any complaint through official channels.’

‘Would you?’

Su was quiet for a moment. ‘Probably not,’ she said.

‘See? See?’

‘Rico, he’s a superintendent, which means he’s senior to us and he’s probably got better sponsorship. Anyway, I’ve never understood women who can’t see through creatures like him. They deserve everything they get. If Tong tried to use me, I’d know in about a nanosecond. Two, if he was clever and got up early enough.’ She symbed into her field computer to access the crystal’s data. ‘Still and all, Rico, he’s a good administrator. Output’s up, I can tell that. And lots of gobbledegook which will only mean something to Social Studies, but it looks good.’

‘I hope someone appreciates it.’

Su glanced thoughtfully back at the city. ‘You know, I wouldn’t mind a job like his.’

‘Lord and master and petty tyrant of a smelly bygoner town back up the gamma stream?’ Rico said with disbelief.

‘Not specifically, but with that level of skill and challenge. Tong and I have been talking about this a lot, Rico.’

‘Talking about what?’

‘Well, has it occurred to you that our generation’s unique?’

‘How so?’

‘There’s a gap looming in the future and we’ve no idea how it’s going to be filled. How old will you be in twenty-seven years, Rico?’

Twenty-seven years. The magic figure. The time when the singularity that created the Home Time was due to collapse and suddenly transference wouldn’t be possible any more.

He pulled a face. ‘Old enough.’

‘But not old enough for retirement. And what job will you be doing in twenty-seven years and one month, Rico?’

Rico trudged on in silence. ‘I’ll think of something. It’s quite a while,’ he said.

‘It pays to think ahead. That’s all.’

‘Whatever happens, I don’t think it’ll be a case of life continuing as normal, minus the College. A lot’ll change, Su. You can’t plan for that.’

‘No harm in thinking about it,’ she said. ‘I just want a job I want, rather than one that’s allocated to me. I’m thinking of applying for retraining.’

‘Su!’ Rico stopped in his tracks in genuine dismay. Su laughed even more at the look on his face.

‘It’ll be in my time off, Rico. But I don’t want to be a Senior Field Op until I drop, and sooner or later I’m going to have to change jobs. And so are you.’

‘I like this one,’ he muttered, but started walking again.

The recall point was in a small glade in the woods, quiet and unobserved. They stood there in silence, waiting for the field to come on, and Rico looked idly down at his shoes. There was mud on them. The mechanics of transference had been explained to him and he had sat through the required courses on theory, but he had never claimed to understand. He knew in principle that the mud on his shoes would be transferred with him but the ground he stood on would not be. Somehow the universe knew that the mud, and the food he had eaten in this time, and the air in his lungs, and all that was closely associated with him should be transferred with him. Everything else should stay.

Somehow it happened. It worked — that was good enough for him.

But a future without transference? Of course he knew it was coming — who didn’t? — but it was a bit like death. It would happen, one day, but polite people didn’t talk about it.

He was still thoughtful back in the Home Time. Su, as usual in her capacity as Senior Field Op, declared the excursion over and they walked out of the transference chamber, where they were greeted with a recorded