Fiction River: Time Streams by Fiction River

Author:Fiction River
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: anthology, dean wesley smith, anthologies, science fiction, timestreams, fiction river, short stories, time travel
Publisher: WMG Publishing

***

“Ma’am, please, remain calm.” Charlie approached an older woman sitting on a bench enjoying the summer sun, in Chicago’s Jackson Park. “I need some help.”

She turned at the inquiry and said nothing for a moment as she clearly processed what she saw. A naked man in his sixties, covered in white hair, cupped his crotch and was slowly approaching. She got up and started to back away.

“Ma’am, please—”

“Stay back!”

“Ma’am—”

“Don’t. Move.”

Charlie didn’t listen.

“Help! Rape! Rape!” She started screaming in a high pitch that rattled around in Charlie’s head.

Charlie sat down on the vacated bench and tried to tune her out. It hadn’t gone as he hoped, but figured the end result of this would be suitable for his needs. He was silently thankful it was summer here, the warm sun rested on his shoulders and a light breeze from the lake kept it from burning. Charlie used the intervening time to when the police showed up to enjoy the nice weather and to think of a strategy.

About fifteen minutes later Charlie estimated, two policemen approached him. The older and more senior one was smaller with broad shoulders and kept his brown hair short and parted down the side—a gentleman, Charlie thought. The younger one’s mullet spilled out over the top of his collar, and its spindly nature matched his lanky arms and legs reminding Charlie of a greasy spider.

The older one led with, “How we doin’ Ace?”

“I am doing quite well, thank you. But I do seem to be missing some clothes.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” the younger one said.

The older one raised a hand at the younger one. “Allens, cool it. Where are your clothes?”

“I don’t know.”

“How long you been out here?”

Charlie shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“What do you know?” the younger one asked.

“Not to approach a woman for help in the park when you happen to be inexplicably naked.”

The older one smiled. “What’s your name, Ace?”

“I’m guessing I’m not famous and it’s Ace is it?”

“Not likely. Do you have anyone we can call?”

“Not that I know of. I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s all right. Allens, go call it in. Send an ambulance out and have dispatch check to see if any elderly men were reported missing.”

Allens walked a little bit away and talked into a rather large walkie-talkie, “I got a freakin’ naked, elderly space cadet here.”

The older one rolled his eyes. “Allens! We talked about this.”

Allens flushed and walked off before Charlie could hear the garbled response.

“Sorry about him. Young officers. They all seem to think they have to swear constantly to be a cop. I’m Sergeant Beckett.”

“Nice to meet you, Sergeant. I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t shake your hand.”

Sergeant Beckett laughed. “It’s quite all right.”

“Could you please do me a favor Sergeant and tell me what year is it?” Charlie had a suspicion he knew what had happened.

“1988.”

Time travel. He wasn’t in another universe, he was in the same one twenty-five years earlier. The members of Project Itho had to be warned. The transform was all wrong.

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