Bannon had a headache. The two visitors displayed no emotion and the woman in custody never raised her head. “You’re telling me that Miss Blanck-whatever, is the granddaughter of Doestal and came back in time to give her grandmother what she always wanted… to be a great novelist?”
“Yes,” the taller man replied. The woman nodded. “She used to belong to our group and gone rogue for personal gain.”
“You three should be locked up.” Bannon stood up. “If you’re ‘time-cops,’ why didn’t you come back earlier and stop her?”
“Because we didn’t have a precise time until you called for backup last night. I’m sorry for your partner.”
“But you can go back and stop it!”
“Impossible. It has to do with a divergence of world lines…”
“Now you’re getting all Steins;Gate on me? Next you’ll be talking about John Titor and his time machine.” The two agents flinched slightly. “Next up - Morlocks!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” the shorter man finally spoke.
“And the cube?”
‘Tallman’ replied, “In her time, organs for transplants are quite valuable. She found successful authors from class lists of her grandmother, came here, then transferred the heart into the cube to return it to her time. If she failed to send back a heart, her sponsors were, rather are, or in your case will be, quite persuasive in their means.”
Bannon's head throbbed. “Why didn’t the cube work on me?”
“You aren’t an author. I mean you weren’t on the authors list.” Tallman stood, “It’s time for us to go.”
“No, you’re not…” Bannon reached for his pistol but was frozen. “Not again!”
Tallman placed Bannon’s pistol on the table. “This ability to be aware during time-freeze is rare and to answer another question, your hair-tingly happens when a time portal gateway is opened. This makes you… unique.” Bannon was released.
“Yeah, it’s called Reading Steiner,” Bannon joked.
“Ah, I like you, Bannon. We’ll be seeing you. Soon.”
“And don’t call us ‘time-cops’!” the short man called back as the agents and prisoner stepped into a black slit in the room that disappeared as if a zipper closed.
Bannon’s only consolation was his newfound knowledge of annoying people in multiple centuries.
Posted to Poets and Storytellers United: Friday Writings #8: Resolutions
Part One: The Dead Need No Words
Part Two: Partners
Part Three: Zen Detective
Part Four: Connections
Part Five: The Usual Suspects
Part Six: Larceny of the Heart
Part Seven: Interviews
Yes, that would be a good consolation!
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe of your inventiveness.
As I stole many things from others during this series, the Heinlein quote that writers steal from others holds true.
ReplyDeleteBannon (took the name from the Jonny Quest cartoon series) may return someday.
The last line had me chuckle. It was a cool conclusion to a neat bit of sci-fi. But I can definitely see where there's room for more story.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked that Rommy. I changed that up a couple of times.
DeleteI've run a couple of ideas through the noggin and there's some more here but I'm taking a break from him for a while.
Loved the conclusion to this sci-fi tale. the references to time-travelling characters is a nice touch. i believe there will be a sequel to the adventures of Inspector Bannon? :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cheong Lee san. There will be but I'm going to take time off before he returns.
DeleteAdding the references give everyone a chance to explore some entertaining offerings.
And the plot thickens, literally. Like Rommy, I found myself giggling at the last line. I do enjoy a story that leaves me smiling.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. There's too much NOT to smile about in this world, so bring on the stories that leave us smiling!
DeleteThank you, Magaly and MM Teacher. It took a few re-writes before landing that one.
DeleteI'll try to produce more stories that bring the smiles.
This was a fun story... enjoyed it and liked the premise as well! I wrote a flash fiction Sci-fi piece last month- so give it a read, if you can! Looking forward to your next post!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'll give it a read!
DeleteMy resolution for today? Return to installment #1 and read through to the end! Cloudy, gray day here, perfect for a read-fest.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen. I hope it reads better without interruption.
DeleteWith the name Bannon I first thought of Steve. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he can time travel into the future like Meryl Streep in Don't Look Up. I can't write sci-fi but it's fun to read.
In this climate, I thought someone might, Yvonne.
DeleteRace Bannon was a favorite character of mine as a kid when Jonny Quest was on TV.
I'm glad you liked this.