Earth, San Francisco.
In the year… 1986.
I had only seen San Francisco once before in person, and it was much later that the current date when I was a child before I had returned to the City, a thousand years into the future for training as an Agent of Time. Although I had seen the City in Movies and Television during my childhood? Nothing could have prepared me for that moment when both Selena and myself stepped from a darkened alleyway onto the streets of the metropolis along with the sights, the sounds and the very smells of the city. It was almost like being back home once again for myself, although Selena had a very different view of the bustling and almost chaotic city.
Upon entering the city, we where met by a middle-aged woman, our contact and asset of the time whom had spent several weeks preparing for our arrival, establishing our so called back story, credentials and even our place of business. Something that was more than familiar to me, a Private Investigator whom had specialised in missing people? Why would that always follow me throughout my life? It was the perfect cover for our assignment and would later assist with future or past investigations, depending on your point of view.
Historical texts had placed Kirk and his party at several places, places which was our assignment to monitor especially the location of his cloaked and captured Klingon vessel which had become our duty to protect. With the middle-aged woman identifying herself as Hannah Walsh, a supervisor for the Parks Department to those around us? We where able to close off a certain section of Golden Gate Park to protect the vessel from anyone unfortunate enough to take a run through the park and to even run into the cloaked vessel itself, which would have caused a major problem for all concerned and including the local Police Force, we claimed that several possible sinkholes had appeared in the area, mainly a reach? But it worked and would hide the landing gear of the alien vessel until they could be cleared, once Kirk had left.
Another problem however, mainly a minor problem? Was the fact of two garbage men whom had seen Kirk and his party, emerge from the cloaked vessel before driving away from the park in fear at what they saw. That was mainly Hannah, whom had taken care of that problem, even though I hated her actions? A simply mind-wipe of the memories was all that was needed to remove those memories and replaced with their clearance of the area, which she had taken care of that very night.
The next day? Was fun for me, and I know that what we had seen had cracked a smile from Selena as Kirk was almost hit by a car when crossing the road.
"Selena, look to your left, nine o'clock… crossing the road?"
"Why don't you watch where you are going, you Dumb Ass!" The driver of the car yelled out, to a shocked Admiral Kirk and his party.
"Well, Double Dumb-Ass on You!" Kirk yelled to the driver, as I laughed slightly from our vantage point, close across the street.
"He really, has no idea how to swear, does he?"
"He'll get used to it Selena. It's strange being here, like home but not at the same time. You read the file on this one, what do we do next?"
"Well, Kirk and his people will need money to get by. He will sell his antique glasses, which somehow he had on him, even though the lens was broken and never repaired during their isolation on Vulcan…?"
"So, we find them and clear up that little mess?"
"Yes. The lenses are 23rd Century in origin and should not be permitted to be seen in this time. The Bus, is the next stop…"
"Bus? Pick a number, there are thousands here…"
"To use vernacular of the time? Some… Punk Guy, was blaring our music on the Bus. Spock. Put him down with a Neck Pinch, before everyone, shutting off the music at the same time when his head hit the player. Word would spread, we need to stop that from happening"
"This feels like a Job for Hannah, doesn't it? Where does he go next?"
"To find the Whales, they joined a tour where they first meet Doctor Taylor, that will be our window to observe and to stop word of Spock taking his little swim with the whales from spreading"
"Very well, to the Institute, we go!" I called out, with laughter. First though? We'll need a change of clothes, I hate pink"
"Not your best colour, Sara"
I have no idea, how Kirk nor those around him did not see us during that mission as we seemed to be almost everywhere, even the Italian restaurant where Kirk had taken his first taste of 20th century tap beer, he seemed to like it, even though by my own estimates? It tasted like water by comparison to what I had drank in the distant future. We did not follow Kirk however, as our orders where different, we had orders to follow Doctor Taylor after their brief evening meal at the restaurant which had ended with her paying the check after Kirk telling her what he had believed that she had wanted to hear, within earshot of everyone around them and a nightmare to clean up afterwards. Following Doctor Taylor under the protection of isolation cloaks which had hidden us from view of even their own limited Tricorders of the time? Both Selena and myself, found ourselves inside of the cloaked Klingon vessel after Kirk had 'Beamed' her inside of the ship after she had seen that her two prized Whales had been moved into open seas, without her authorisation, another mess to be cleared up by Hannah as she was particularly adept at such assignments.
Now, both Selena and myself? Are around 1.5 meters tall, five foot two inches tall. My eyes had mirrored her own as pale grey in colour although my hair is shoulder length and dark red, while her own had been changed to a strawberry blonde, rather than the deep black of her natural hair colour which on other assignments I had also used. We are similar in our physical appearances, although Selena had what 20th and 21st century would say as a cup size more, in the chest area even though our facial appearance was almost identical to the point where we had once appeared as twins on one assignment, which is still classified by the Temporal Accords, even our voices sound similar by some chance of the Universe.
The Hospital, Mercy Hospital was the sight of one of the greatest violations of the Temporal Accords that I had ever seen when Admiral Kirk had forcibly pushed several of the Medical Staff assigned to perform surgery on whom I had known as Commander Pavel Chekov and sealing the door lock with a 23rd century Klingon Phaser and more so as the Doctor and one of the Nurses had witnessed 23rd Century Medicine in action with the revival of Pavel Chekov. I was furious at that moment, surely Kirk a seasoned 23rd Century Flag Officer knew of Starfleet's temporal relocation policies? It was not until I stood before Kirk, shrouded by my isolation cloak that I had seen in his eyes that he just did not care in that moment as Chekov was his subordinate and mostly? His close friend.
What had followed? Had become known, even in the distant future of my time of origin as one of THE most blatant violations of the Temporal Accords, on behalf of just one man, Doctor Leonard H. McCoy when an elderly woman had passed both myself and Selena in a wheelchair, closely followed by Doctors of the time as she called out, repeatedly… "Doctor, gave me a pill and I grew a new Kidney…". At that moment, I saw Selena stood before me through her cloak and my own, I knew what she had to do at that time? I couldn't allow it to happen, but it had to happen to preserve the past of the future.
"You, know what we have to do… Sara?" She asked me, with a tear forming in her left eye.
"I know. 23rd Century medicine, has no place here… if they find out… if they somehow back engineer?"
"One action, could alter everything. I will make it painless for her, I promise" Selena replied with tears now flowing from her eyes.
"If we do this Selena? There is no turning back, we both know that much. Time, has to be preserved, even though it would take them decades to discover that secret of tissue regeneration. I… won't stop you from what you must do, Selena"
"Somehow? I knew that you would say that to me, Sara. I will do this alone, go and take care of Kirk and his people and when you see me next? I hope that you can forgive me, what I must do next"
In one moment, everything became clear to me, my entire existence fell into place with one careless yet, heart-felt action by a 23rd Century doctor. Selena had later told me that she felt as if this very moment was the reason why we was sent to this time, to this place, not to insure that Doctor Gillian Taylor had joined the crew of the captured Klingon ship? But for this one moment where we would do what was needed to be done to preserve the future with just one painful action.
By the time that Selena had caught up to me we had both witnessed Doctor Taylor leap into the arms of Admiral Kirk as he dematerialised in the orange and red haze of the Klingon transporter pattern. She had no idea what she was doing nor how incredibly dangerous her action had been at that moment, even at full power? And under the expert hands of Captain Scott at the transporter console, their transporter patterns could have merged into one and killed them both in an instant, it was simple luck of whomever was watching over them both in that one moment, and I don't mean myself and Selena? That their patterns remained separate and safe to re-materialise on the transporter platform.
Somehow? Two joggers had broken through the isolation area which had been put into place by myself and Selena, only to be almost blown off of their feet by the exhaust vent of the Klingon vessel as it left the surface in pursuit of the two valuable Humpback Whales. It was a simple matter of removing that single incident from their memories before we caught an alternate means of transportation in pursuit the cloaked Klingon ship, a small two seat time pod disguised often as a small 20th century aircraft when the vessel itself was not hidden beneath the protection of it's own temporal cloaking shields.
Recovering the two whales? Had caused yet another problem with the reveal of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey to a whaling ship off the coast of Alaska, a vessel hunting for whales. Although our primary orders where to conceal Kirk's actions in this timeframe? The incident had become well known in the future, even our second time of Origin, it just took a little help from our own vessel to assist with the transport of over 400 tons of weight in whales and water into their cargo hold, along with the assistance of our own ship to almost drag the crippled Klingon vessel, undetected into a time warp and to throw them into their time of departure from the 23rd Century. Returning to 20th century Earth to complete our assignment? A full cover up was put into place by myself and Selena whom had seemingly changed from her experience with the elderly woman and would still not say anything about what had happened to her, as a darkness had overtaken her during the time of her absence from my side.
Infiltrating the United States Naval base in Alameda was easier than I had imagined, even with the base on high alert as we entered under the guise of Central Intelligence Agents, the much feared and respected C.I.A. whom had been alerted to the possible presence of a Russian Spy on one of their Aircraft Carriers, the ironically named USS Enterprise CVN-65, a legend in her own right. Our credentials however? Although seeming to original had been replicated by our Contact in that timeframe along with our orders which had stated that the alleged actions of the so-called Spy? Was nothing more than a training exercise which had gotten out of hand, an exercise which had been postponed, although the team sent into the Naval Base had not received the cancellation clearance from our superiors at Langley.
Eventually returning to the distant future with a successful assignment under our belt? time had continued along as it should have and everything was in the correct place, but for Selena as she had almost resigned from the Commission due to that one assignment. In the coming years, I continued on alone as a Solo Agent and had spent time on several worlds in countless different times, but I had always seemed to have been brought back to one vessel name, USS Enterprise ranging from once again the CV-65 to a Timeship named Enterprise, one of many to hold such an honoured name. Selena however? Had taken a different path after returning to her home world of Betazed.
By thirty-five years old? My most unusual of assignments had arrived on my preverbal desk, a simple recruitment of a would be Agent of the Temporal Commission, an assignment on Earth in the later half of the twentieth century, a young orphan girl whom had ran away from her Foster Home, myself. My assignment? Was to recruit myself. I had no idea of such a prospect, but I had always suspected.
I remembered everything from my recruitment, even the words which both of me, to use such an unusual term? Had said to each other. I had no idea that I was so frail and damaged as I was when I had first met myself as a child. Recruitment of myself was an easy assignment, but something that I had never before noticed, mainly as my younger-self had her back turned to what was happening in full view of my older-self? Two people whom I had instantly recognised stood half hidden in the shadows watching my interaction with the younger Sara. Perhaps from their vantage point? I seemingly blinked out of existence with the child only for a mere heartbeat later, to return with anger, hatred and shock resonating within my eyes, my body language and projecting to anyone whom had been nearby, even though the area was vacant but for myself and the two others.
"You knew, all of this time. You knew?" I cried out in anger towards the man stood before me.
"Not at first Sara. But after you left? I continued to look into what we had discovered together. For me? It's been ten years since we last spoke during your final test…"
"Five years for me…" The woman said with a smile. "… I had no idea, Sara"
"Do you have any idea how… screwed up this is for me?"
"I know and I am sorry. But, this is how it should have been for you…"
"Don't give me that shit, Selena. We trained together, we travelled together… hell, I… was… attracted to you Selena. I loved being around you, working alongside you? I thought that you where the one for me, only to find out this? Do you have any idea how sick I feel right now?"
"I'm sorry Sara. But, aren't you going to ask why? Why we left you… our Daughter?"
"Sara. I'm sorry. But, I am your father and Selena is your mother. I know how difficult this must be for you right now to understand? But you have an amazing… future, ahead of you. A future which you have just insured of by recruiting that child, recruiting yourself. We… had our orders, you must understand that?"
"I don't care Jared. It took me a very long time to get past what I felt for you, and when you… Selena left? It was even more difficult. Just my luck, the only two people in the entire time… I was attracted too? Are my own biological parents?"
"You, must have questions Sara. Questions that we can now answer, if you are willing to listen to us both, we owe you that much" Selena said with a smile, which mirrored my own as she always had, I guess it was then that I knew the reason why we looked so alike. She was my mother.
"Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you both and move on from that point?"
My own parents, Selena and Jared. It was strange to realise that I was born ninety years before Jared and six years before Selena if not for time travel of which had become my occupation and more so, as I felt a connection to both Jared Selena, more than a connection, an attraction to both whom had been my parents? I had even lived with Selena for a time and discussed the usual with my female room-mate but then I found out that they where my parents and my world, my universe, my reality crashed down around me and very, very quickly especially as I had remembered a conversation with Selena shortly after we had been first assigned together as I remembered her talking about a date that she had previously had with a Vulcan man whom I had set her up with in the first place? Had that date worked, and they had become an item? I would not have existed in the first place. I hate time-travel.
I am now, forty years old and had long since come to terms with my more than unusual past, present and future. Both Jared and Selena, whom are the same age as me, biologically anyway? Have become a major part of my life and now live together in the 24th Century on Earth, I have two siblings, twin brothers whom look at me as friend of the family and have no idea of my direct connection with them, even though from my perspective? I had recruited the both of them as Temporal Agents in their own future as adults and have explained everything to them, they will find out from their perspective, when they are in their mid twenties and as Starfleet Officers.
I still believe that there are more secrets of my own life to uncover in my own future and whatever time I arrive in, no matter the timeframe? I will address those issues as they arrive with the same determination and strength which I had learned from the two most important people in my life, my parents, regardless of my once feelings towards them both and maybe one day? No matter the timeframe? I will find what I have always wanted for myself, someone to love…
Confessions of a Temporal Agent.
The End or the Beginning?