Chronocide 0: Snowblind

Soon they were out of the whispering crowds, away from the  bright statues and ticking clock that overlooked the chaos of the  assassination attempt. Now Hazel and Simon found themselves in a  familiar situation, seated across from Soteria Costa as she folded her  hands on a table with a smile.

They weren’t in her office,  instead opting for one of the office meeting rooms with a long table and  numerous chairs, along with an old fashioned slide projection screen  set at its head.

Knight was there at the president’s side.

Hazel’s  body buzzed with nerves and she tried to quiet it. Yesterday morning  had been so normal. Last night she’d been catapulted into another world.  Now, she was catapulted even further back on that world’s timeline.

She had saved the same president from two assassination attempts in two days, 30 or something years apart.

She kept telling herself just to go with the flow, but more and more the flow was feeling like absolute nonsense.

At  least she could comfort herself by thinking that she was reasonably  sure no one else would have a better idea of what to do in this  situation than she did.

Simon sat beside her, stiffly holding his  hands on his lap with a nervously lopsided smile on his face. It was  clear at least that he was struggling with this just as much as she was.

Soteria  leaned a little on the desk with a soft sigh of breath. “First…I want  to say I’m sorry you had gotten involved in that. I..I admit I’m a  little shaken by the event, myself.” 

Hazel nodded.  “Shaken. Huh, I’d say that’s fair.” She smiled a little, nervously at  Soteria. “Sorry there was something that we had to get involved in.”

“I…I  know Gagarin’s faction in Uldovia had been gaining support lately, but  to strike so openly and aggressively on Pax soil.” Her fingers tensed  against the desk “it’s like they want a cold war to turn hot.”

“We  know that’s precisely what Major Gagarin wants if he gets the power he  wants.” Knight frowned sharply. He spoke firmly, with a deep voice  tinged with just the slightest northeastern lilt to it.

“These  could be solo-operating extremists , or enemy plants. We just don’t know  until the intelligence division gets something out of them.”

Simon  took a deep breath , looking a bit like he wanted to say something,  before his brow furrowed and he tapped his thumbs together. Hazel saw  his lips mouth ‘how the hell do we tell them we’re from the future?’.

Hazel  gave him a shrug and a slight smile in return. She didn’t know exactly  how she’d explain it, but they’d get to it when they got to it.  Inevitably, someone was going to ask who they were, and how they found  out about all of this. And that would be as good an opening as any.

‘At least they believe in time travel’, she mouthed back.

Knight  glanced at them , crossing his arms. “Which brings me to my next  question…whether those two were solo-operators or part of a larger  assault…who are you two? I have a feeling neither of you are agents of  the Pax Republic. I’d recognize you.”

Soteria’s face clouded with thought for a moment, before she spoke up “Though, admittedly…”

She  stared down Hazel with her warm brown eyes, “there’s something about  you that’s quite familiar…I just can’t seem to place it.” 

“Does  it remind you of someone in the uh, chrononaut project?” Hazel  hazarded. She didn’t look that much like her mother, but there was a  certain resemblance, and the question opened the door.

“Why…yes!” Soteria’s eyes lit up “You look a bit like dear Lionheart! Our Joy!”

That wasn’t the answer Hazel expected to hear. 

Hazel  blinked. She filed that away for later. “Ah. I was thinking of Doctor  Kovolenka, but– well, the long and short is we’re from the future.”

“Doctor Kovalenko?” Soteria looked surprised for only a brief moment before the weight of Hazel’s words crashed down atop her.

“...”  She glanced sidelong at Simon, who nodded slowly and then back at Hazel  “From the future. May I have your…full…names, please?”

Knight’s mouth formed a hard line. “...the chrononaut program was suspended… so how..?” 

“It’s  a very long story,” Hazel said, holding her hands up.”I can assure you,  our trip here was not intentional. Although it was apparently expected  by your counterpart in the future. Apparently it’s because of some form  of radiation that my mother was exposed to. I wish I knew all the  details.”

“Chrono-radiation.” Soteria mused “it’s effects are  erratic and intense, though I wasn’t aware they could be passed along  genetically..”

She looked deep into Hazel’s eyes, “you say my future self expected you’d come back in time to meet me?”

Simon  shifted , nodding firmly “she spoke often about it, saying things about  how we were meant to help in some operation back in the 1960’s. She  called Hazel a hero!”

Knight’s jaw tensed, “...an operation in the 60’s.Now isn’t that interesting…” 

“I wish I had a better answer for you,” Hazel said, shaking her head. “But I can only tell you what happened.”

Soteria  studied her face again, thoughtfully “So you’re the daughter of Dr.  Kovalenko…” she murmured, “I can see some of her face in yours, now that  you mention it.”

She hesitated, her fingers gently twisting the  cufflinks on her left arm’s sleeve. “To think that chrono-radiation  could send someone back from the future to complete a time loop. It’s  amazing. To think that the Chrononaut project would have such a success  after everything.”

She flashed a smile then, looking up at Hazel “I trust you. There’s something about your smile that reminds me of Joy.”

Knight opened his mouth to protest, getting as far as to say “Soteria, they haven’t even shown any iden…”

“Knight.”  She turned to face him with a serious expression “I understand your  concern, but if they were assassins here to kill me, they’d have pulled  the trigger by now. And if they truly are descendants of our chief  researcher sent by time itself to assist us, I am NOT going to spit in  Chronia’s eye. Not again.”

She turned to face Hazel and Simon with a nod, “I’d like to know more about the two of you…” 

Hazel  nodded. She could tell that things must be going as she’d hear that  they had. Soteria’s obvious and immediate trust of her. Knight’s lack of  it.

Hazel honestly felt a little ashamed of herself.  She was who she said she was, but Soteria’s immediate trust made her  feel like she was taking advantage of the woman in some way. Knight was  absolutely right, in any rational world, not to trust them one whit.

Unfortunately the world she was coming to understand wasn’t very rational at all.

She nodded to Soteria. “We’re happy to tell you anything you want to know.”

It  was a strange situation, telling your life story to a world leader. One  who seemed enraptured by it, nodding along with them as they explained  that they grew up on Earth with her mother.

Simon talked about  his love of communications and psychology, explaining how Hazel and he  had been friends since childhood after she stepped in to help rescue him  from a beating at school. He talked about their dreams of college, and  their excitement to try and pursue careers where they could stay close.

Hazel,  meanwhile, stepped in talking about her mother, her mysterious projects  in the basement, and the strange things that she would sometimes say,  about a goddess of time, or places that Hazel didn’t know existed.

And then the chaos, the absolute chaos of yesterday.

Knight’s  expression softened. While he still looked dubious, it turned  thoughtful as he placed his fingers on his chin with a soft ‘hm’ of  breath. Soteria was enraptured, leaning forward with interest as she  listened carefully.

“...so at some point Doctor Kovalenko will  vanish.” She breathed softly, “and raise you in another world only to  bring you home.”

She folded her fingers together, squeezing her  hands in a wringing motion “and save my life, not just in the future,  but today. That…truely is a magnificent story, Miss Kovalenko, Mr.  Erikson”

Simon nodded slowly, leaning on his hand “it’s been  chaotic, ma’am. But I’ve been telling myself we’ve been through this for  a reason, and it seems that reason is helping you.” 

Hazel  nodded. “Exactly. I can’t explain exactly what’s happening, but, I’m  not unhappy to play a part in saving your life, and doing what needs  doing either.”

“As it stands…” She glanced off to the side to Knight.

The  man cleared his throat, and rubbed his chin in thought before he folded  his hands behind his back. “As it stands, there’s an…incident…that has  recently come to our attention that may be what our leader’s future  reflection could have been referring to. An infiltration search and  rescue operation.” 

Hazel nodded. That tracked with what  little information she had about the situation. She wished she knew  more about the circumstances, but there just hadn’t been enough time…  Ironic, really.
 
“Infiltration search and rescue?” Simon asked with a curious tilt of his head, “what’s the situation, sir?”

Soteria  bit her lip. “We have to rescue a scientist. A roboticist and nuclear  physicist currently being held captive by Major Aleksandr Gagarin and  his faction of pro-war collectivists in the depths of Uldovia.” 

“A  rescue mission…” Hazel nodded, thinking about it. That sounded in line  with what she’d heard too, she thought. And it sounded noble enough.  “Let me get this out of the way, madam Soteria. I’ll go anywhere you  send me and do whatever you ask me to do. But I won’t ask you to send me  anywhere. Major Knight is right to have his reservations about me– I  can’t prove anything to you. So I leave it up to your judgment.”

Knight  nodded, seeming appeased by her acknowledgement. He even gave her a  thin smile. “Thank you for understanding my caution. Ever since the  Uldovian Food Riots things have been…tense, in the global political  sphere. While the Uldovian Premier acknowledges it was not Pax’s doing,  Gagarin and his faction wish to use the situation as a precursor to  war.”

He folded his hands behind his back. “Assassins have come  for our eternal leader in response, as well as acts of aggression on Pax  outposts overseas. The cold war is heating up, and caution is of the  utmost importance.”

Soteria nodded slowly with a soft sigh “It’s  true. It’s true.” she said softly “but I think we can trust you. I’d  like you to be a part of this operation,Ms. Davidson. You as well, Mr.  Erikson.”

“Please, call me Simon, ma’am. Mr. Erikson is my foster  father.” Simon said with a lopsided smile. “...if you want us to be  part of the operation, you’ve got us. We’ll do whatever you ask. I..I’ve  got telecommunications experience, if that would help.”

Soteria  nodded with a gentle smile “It’s not as if it’d be a solo mission. In  addition to a support staff…which I will assign you to, Simon, you will  be working with one of our most trusted and promising new agents.” 

“A  partner, huh? That suits me.” Hazel nodded. Working with someone might  be difficult, but not as difficult as being sent on a solo spy mission  in enemy territory with no real formal training would have been.

“Yes…a  protege of Lionheart, the hero of the Pax Republic.” Knight said as he  tapped the table with his knuckle “His name is Victor, this will be his  first official field mission outside of the training camp and the  military.”

“You’ll meet him very soon.” Soteria clasped her  hands together. “He’s a very promising agent, as anyone trained by  Lionheart would be…sadly, we cannot have her here to give you a bit of  field prep, she’s off on a mission for the next week or so.” 

“You’ve mentioned this Lionheart a couple of times,” Hazel said curiously. “Can you tell me more about them?”

“Lionheart…Joy,  she’s a dear personal friend of mine,” Soteria said with a bright smile  “..she’s been with us for a long, long time. Since before the great  war. Our first Chrononaut, the hero who’s unit ended the Great World  War, and the mother of modern espionage and military service.”

Soteria  had a look in her eye…respect perhaps, or even love. The smile on her  face was as radiant as the rising sun as she pushed up her glasses and  continued.

“She’s the hero of Pax, and a woman who’s earned the  respect of even the temperamental Chronia. She’s my dearest, most  trusted friend.”

Knight chuckled low under his breath. “She's a  fine soldier, and accomplished, too. You may have seen her statue when  you took down that assassin. Her and our President Soteria, holding the  twin ideals of peace and time aloft for the Pax Republic.” 

Hazel  thought back to the statue, and nodded. “Oh, yeah. Huh. You said I  looked like her?” She asked, thinking back to when she’d mentioned the  chrononaut project.

“Ah, yes.” Soteria nodded with a sheepish  smile “the spitting image, honestly. The same hair, the same eyes…it  even shows in your face…you look so much like her it’s uncanny.”

Simon leaned on his hands, looking thoughtful, “do you have a picture of her?”

“Ah, yes, a moment.”

Soteria fished through her pockets with a hum of breath. 

Hazel  tried to restrain the intensity of her curiosity, but a thought was  brewing in the back of her mind. Well, more than one thought.

Maybe there were more clones running around.

Soteria  pushed an old and faded-toned photograph towards her. It was of her  mother, Dr. Kovalenko. She was young, smiling widely as she stood before  one of the PRC units, and a large and reinforced pod. She looked happy,  her sunglasses pushed up into her hair as she looped an arm around  another woman, one who was flanked by a beaming Soteria in a business  suit and lab coat as they all posed before the pod. .

That woman  was tall, broad shouldered and strong. She was dressed in what looked  like the fatigues of an astronaut , and a bandanna pushing pale blond  hair from her face. She had a sharp face, and piercing eyes.

Hazel  had seen her before. In photographs her mother tried to hide. Ones  Hazel sometimes found in her lab on nights where her mother worked  herself to the point of exhaustion, held between frail and delicate  fingers.

Photographs that she heard her mother murmuring about  in her sleep. About a lover. About ‘Joy’. The same name she gave the AI  she kept down in her lab. The same name she whispered on days she  thought she was alone.

Writing at the corner of the photo read ‘Chrononaut Test 8’

Hazel’s  mouth fell open. There was no question.She’d caught her mother with the  photos too often to be in doubt. Another thing Hazel had always known  better than to ask. 

“That has to be Joy… The real one.”

She showed the picture to Simon.

Simon looked at the picture for a long moment, biting his lip, “You mean…the woman your mother named that AI after?”

His fingers brushed over the faded photograph, “she really does look like you…do you think…?”

Hazel  bit her lip, and nodded. She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but there  was no doubting it anyway.. “There has to be a reason.”

“I do wonder.” Soteria mused “I know Doctor Kovalenko and Joy are quite close.”

Knight cleared his throat. “I think we may be getting a bit off track here.” he said firmly. 

Hazel  nodded. “Absolutely. Sorry, sir.” She offered the photo back to  Soteria, but the thoughts lingered in her mind. Was that woman also  related to her by blood?

“Ah of ..of course. Regardless.  Lionheart is unavailable for the current operation, aside from in an  advisory fashion. So I’m afraid you’ll have to make due with learning  from her protege.”

Soteria picked gently at the edge of her  fingernail before willing herself to stop, and folding her hands again.  “If you choose to accept the mission, I’ll make arrangements for you to  meet your partner, get Simon on the communications team, and get you a  little pre-mission refresher.” 

Hazel nodded. “I  accept,” she said, bowing her head slightly. She felt as if the weight  of it was already descending on her shoulders. She’d try to bear it with  grace. “As I said, I’ll do anything you ask of me.”

Simon took a  sharp intake of breath, before nodding firmly alongside her, “and I’ll  do anything to assist Hazel and the Pax Republic as well.”

“Good.”  Knight said, “now the two of you will need proper uniforms and  equipment. I insist you go to the commissary and have your measurements  taken, as well as any requests for field equipment. You’ll be going in  with the minimum equipment necessary, so choose wisely.” 

Hazel snapped a salute. “Understood.”

A  real uniform. Real equipment. Okay, maybe along with the sensation of  the burden of duty, Hazel was also getting just a bit excited.

Simon saluted as well, his glasses bouncing on his nose as he did it a little bit too hard.

Soteria  chuckled softly into her hand, before giving the two a warm and  grandmotherly smile “welcome to the Pax Republic, Hazel and Simon. I  have faith in Pax that you will make me proud.”