soon be followed by the image of a double-sided wrench. As he waited for the Dispatcher to tell him what he already knew, Mr. Chiappa softly whispered in his native Corsican, “Time to make the zeppole .”
9 . Allows users to engage in fully immersive, first-person POV practice Missions.
3
The Time Bomb
Lucien Chiappa’s career as a Fixer was solid but largely undistinguished. He was generally known for being a workmanlike presence, with no grand disasters on his record, and also for his hobby regarding Time. Ever since he’d tasted his first Déjà Vu and felt like he’d had one before, the English teacher was fascinated by this Department and the way in which it aged The World to perfection.
Perhaps this is why he was called in on the Day That Time Stood Still, when a Glitch overwhelmed legendary Fixer Tom Jackal and caused the entire World to grind to a halt. Mr. Chiappa’s remarkable stratagem was to create a device that could generate enough force to get the whole thing moving again.
He called it a “Time Bomb.”
Time Square, Department of Time, The Seems
“Now arriving, Department of Time, where it’s always now. Please watch the gap between the train and the platform.”
The computerized voice of the monorail echoed through the empty car and the doors whisked open, sending Fixer #12 onto the concrete platform that overlooked Time Square.
The main hub of this Department was a quaint village, like one would find tucked away in the mountains or nestled by the shore. There was a small park in the center and the cobblestone streets were lined with shops and stores. Daylight Savings Bank (FDIC) was the most dominant feature, with its marble columns and massive sundial, but the Second-Hand Store, Time in Memoriam, and the Around the Clock Diner were institutions in their own right and attracted visitors from all across The Seems.
“Where is everybody?” Mr. Chiappa whispered to himself, unable to shake the awful sense of foreboding. On most days, this place would be jammed with street vendors or customers sipping lattes at Magic Hour—the always crowded coffee shop on the southwest corner of Memory Lane. But today the streets were empty and all the stores shuttered up tight. “Hello?”
As if in response, he heard a creak, and turned to see someone stepping from a door in one of the alleys. It was a Chinese girl, no more than nineteen, with jet black hair and a laminated Badge on her chest.
“Briefer #375, Shan Mei-Lin, reporting for duty, sir!”
“At ease, Shan,” said Chiappa to his Briefer. “I know who you are.”
Indeed he did. Shan Mei-Lin was known in IFR circles as the fastest Candidate ever to make it to Briefer, and she showed no sign of letting up. Her gear was immaculate—the newest jumpsuit from the Catalog, a red voice-activated Briefcase G5—and her wiry frame conditioned like a long-distance runner. There was one other thing that Chiappa also knew about Briefer Shan— she was decidedly type A. Her strict professionalism and adherence to the Rules sometimes made her an exhausting presence.
“What’s the skinny?” he said.
“I’ve evacuated all nonessential personnel and Administrator Neverlåethe is awaiting your arrival.”
“Well done. Are the Minutemen here yet?”
“Affirmative. Their best man went in for a look, but says he’s way out of his league.”
Chiappa shook his head, still in shock that this Mission had come only four days before his retirement. He had almost allowed himself the fantasy of the next school year, when he would finally have time to revise his lesson plans and watch bad TV and eat popcorn with his wife. But here he was, in a very different sort of Time and place.
“They’re waiting for you, sir.”
Chiappa snapped back to the present moment, resolving that to fight what was so was pointless. Not only that, it could cost The World dearly.
“Then let us not keep them.”
Time Management, Department of Time, The Seems
Back down
9 . Allows users to engage in fully immersive, first-person POV practice Missions.
3
The Time Bomb
Lucien Chiappa’s career as a Fixer was solid but largely undistinguished. He was generally known for being a workmanlike presence, with no grand disasters on his record, and also for his hobby regarding Time. Ever since he’d tasted his first Déjà Vu and felt like he’d had one before, the English teacher was fascinated by this Department and the way in which it aged The World to perfection.
Perhaps this is why he was called in on the Day That Time Stood Still, when a Glitch overwhelmed legendary Fixer Tom Jackal and caused the entire World to grind to a halt. Mr. Chiappa’s remarkable stratagem was to create a device that could generate enough force to get the whole thing moving again.
He called it a “Time Bomb.”
Time Square, Department of Time, The Seems
“Now arriving, Department of Time, where it’s always now. Please watch the gap between the train and the platform.”
The computerized voice of the monorail echoed through the empty car and the doors whisked open, sending Fixer #12 onto the concrete platform that overlooked Time Square.
The main hub of this Department was a quaint village, like one would find tucked away in the mountains or nestled by the shore. There was a small park in the center and the cobblestone streets were lined with shops and stores. Daylight Savings Bank (FDIC) was the most dominant feature, with its marble columns and massive sundial, but the Second-Hand Store, Time in Memoriam, and the Around the Clock Diner were institutions in their own right and attracted visitors from all across The Seems.
“Where is everybody?” Mr. Chiappa whispered to himself, unable to shake the awful sense of foreboding. On most days, this place would be jammed with street vendors or customers sipping lattes at Magic Hour—the always crowded coffee shop on the southwest corner of Memory Lane. But today the streets were empty and all the stores shuttered up tight. “Hello?”
As if in response, he heard a creak, and turned to see someone stepping from a door in one of the alleys. It was a Chinese girl, no more than nineteen, with jet black hair and a laminated Badge on her chest.
“Briefer #375, Shan Mei-Lin, reporting for duty, sir!”
“At ease, Shan,” said Chiappa to his Briefer. “I know who you are.”
Indeed he did. Shan Mei-Lin was known in IFR circles as the fastest Candidate ever to make it to Briefer, and she showed no sign of letting up. Her gear was immaculate—the newest jumpsuit from the Catalog, a red voice-activated Briefcase G5—and her wiry frame conditioned like a long-distance runner. There was one other thing that Chiappa also knew about Briefer Shan— she was decidedly type A. Her strict professionalism and adherence to the Rules sometimes made her an exhausting presence.
“What’s the skinny?” he said.
“I’ve evacuated all nonessential personnel and Administrator Neverlåethe is awaiting your arrival.”
“Well done. Are the Minutemen here yet?”
“Affirmative. Their best man went in for a look, but says he’s way out of his league.”
Chiappa shook his head, still in shock that this Mission had come only four days before his retirement. He had almost allowed himself the fantasy of the next school year, when he would finally have time to revise his lesson plans and watch bad TV and eat popcorn with his wife. But here he was, in a very different sort of Time and place.
“They’re waiting for you, sir.”
Chiappa snapped back to the present moment, resolving that to fight what was so was pointless. Not only that, it could cost The World dearly.
“Then let us not keep them.”
Time Management, Department of Time, The Seems
Back down
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