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Ship Trap. Chapter 2: Preparations

Lunch Break before the Team Break

By Thavien YliasterPublished 2 years ago 10 min read
2
Ship Trap. Chapter 2: Preparations
Photo by Alwi Alaydrus on Unsplash

Striding into the cafeteria with his hair still dripping water, David scanned the room until he found those who were waiting for him. Once they spotted him, Mallory waved a hand, signaling him over towards their spot.

Sitting down in his hoody and sweatpants, David let out a big sigh, “Peterson, Mallory, to who do I owe the pleasure this time?”

“Please, enough of the pleasantries,” Mallory started, “I’m going to need you well rested for the next travel.”

David raised an eyebrow at her, his hands still within the pocket of his hoody, “Don’t you mean-?”

“Yes,” Peterson joined in, as if rushing to apologize for his coworker’s abrasiveness, “she means that we need you, David. It’s only a matter of time, but also the council all agreed that you’re the best man for the job.”

“Why not best woman?” He chuckled a smile, “Mallory’s helped thousands of lawyers win court cases throughout the Western history. Heck, she’s even got one in the works for the present. If you need somebody who’s more than halfway decent at convincing, wouldn’t she be the person for the job?”

“Yes, but the point here is that you have more in common with the target of our operative. Mallory may be good at convincing, but when it comes to selling somebody on an idea, that’s another thing in it of itself.”

Mallory turned away in a huff, “Well excuse me, but I’m not a predatory salesman preying on the fears and insecurities of others.”

“Relax Mallory,” David sighed, putting a hand to his forehead before running it through his hair, “I was just wondering why I’m needed for a mission around the same time period as the last one. I’d figured if anybody would blend in better, that you’d be the person to do so, whether or not you use a rich or poor persona.”

“Just so you know David, life wasn’t always privileged for women, especially in the time periods you’re talking about.”

“I know, I know. Back then you were treated more as property than as individuals. I just figured that you could sneak in with the wealthy class a lot easier. Especially since this is the Titanic we’re talking about. If you’re still aboard when that ship goes down, you’re practically guaranteed a spot aboard a lifeboat. Your safety’s practically insured if you act as an heiress to a wealthy Englishman.”

“Oh, put a cork in it. You’d know that me taking a spot would only mean that a woman from that time period that’s mean to survive would only have her seat taken right?”

“Well, if you were to buy the Titanic tickets from Joseph’s wife, what was her name again?”

“Juliette,” Peterson answered with a smile on his face.

“Thank you, so if you were to buy the tickets from Juliette and her daughters, you’d be swapping places with them instead. Matter can’t exist where matter already takes up space. So, doesn’t that solve the loophole?”

“Not exactly,” Peterson began to speak up. “Mallory, I need you to listen to this as well.” She unfolded her arms and proceeded to relax her demeanor. “Even if Mallory were effectively to take the positions of Juliette and her three daughters on the lifeboat by keeping them on the SS France, it would still affect the timestream and we’d have to make another trip back in order for the potential survivors to ensure that whether or not they pass on inventions, gene pool contributions, or even if it’s just saying a word to somebody that insignificantly the rate of time, we need to ensure that our people are not on those lifeboats.”

“So, I’ll have to save the ship or be dead in the water?”

Peterson and Mallory both were shocked at that. Mallory’s guilt spread across her face quickly as she kept her head down as her eyes shifted from the table to the floor. Peterson seemed worried for a moment as brief panic swept across his face.

“No, that’s not it, but well… It’s important that the ship still sinks. Trust me, as much as I’ve wanted to travel back to every previous era to right all of the wrongs and mishaps, our moral obligation must be put to the side for things of those scale. Time knows I’ve had to.”

“So, you really do want me dead? Hear that Mallory, guess you get to send me off with a going away party. Just like how they used to christen ships back then as they set off on their voyage. Luckily for you, you get to send me off to a watery grave.”

“That’s not my intentions!” She spoke up, facing him. “I would never condone that. That would just make me a murderer!”

“So, you expect me to do the same thing? You expect me- No, you expect us to sit here and try to not possibly save as many lives as we can?”

“David,” Peterson spoke up, “never has this company ever sent a traveling agent to one’s death. They all met the grave at the end of their lot here in the present. Some from accidents, other from health issues, and some peacefully in their sleep.”

“See! We’d never do such a thing to betray you, let alone anybody else.”

“Alight then,” David said, “so, do I have to take the place of this family on the ship, or do I just convince them to stay on the SS France?”

“Well, based upon the current history here, Joseph and Juliette left the SS France because it was stated that they would have had to leave their children in the nursery, especially for dining. Hence, why they took second class tickets on the Titanic. However, the price of sacrificing first class on one ship for second class on the other left deprived the world of a magnificent father, husband, and engineer alike.”

“Hmph… Sounds like there’s no convincing this family. Why were they leaving on the SS France in the first place?”

“They were trying to ensure the birth of their next child was in born in Haiti. So in lieu of the situation at hand, travel arrangements were hastily made.”

“Cultural heritage can be a pain-and-a-half at times, but to some they’re just as important if not even more important than bloodlines. So, is it imperative that they board the SS France, or should I have them board a different ship, or just have the baby in France and wait to arrive in Haiti?”

“Yeah,” Mallory chimed in, “you never filled us in on that. I remember you told me that the father received a job offer to teach math in Haiti, but did he have an allotted amount of time to get there or not?”

“Yeah,” David leaned forward, removing his hands from his pockets setting his arms on the table, “is there a tolerance within the timeline for them to reach Haiti or not? What’s the due date looking like on that, and how can we attain it?”

“Well, the earlier the better, naturally,” Peterson rifled through the papers, “based upon their simulated photographs if you could get them to board the SS France, one of Joseph’s greatest feats, along with his wife here, would be to not just teach the students of Haiti, enlightening more engineering minds, but also bringing a unique form of engineering that would only develop in Haitian culture, making it essential for our organization and our timestream itself.”

As Mallory and David rifled through the photos they saw pictures of awards, certificates, and patents alike. Passing the notes around from one another, they started to see the timeline of simulated history, especially not just from Joseph, but also the students he would teach, and the business his wife would teach.

“Alrighty then, I’m in. One thing I’d like to know first, how many people before were offered this task, and how many turned it down?”

“None,” Peterson answered with a big smile as he put his glasses into the pocket on his suit jacket.

David and Mallory, both eyed him curiously. After exchanging expressions with one another they went back to Peterson.

“Okay seriously, stop yanking my leg Peterson. Now seriously, tell me how many people were offered this job before me.”

Again, with the same big grin as before with a touch of light-laughter added, Peterson repeated himself, “None.”

“How so?” Mallory asked.

“Cause’ I sat in on this debate with the council itself and nominated David based upon my own beliefs that I’ve witnessed from him.”

“So, you chose him over me?” Mallory put a hand to her chest.

“Yes, yes I did,” he rolled his head over towards her, “just as I’ve chosen you over him and even several other superior traveling officers in the rankings.” Mallory couldn’t fault his confidence in his decisions then. If he was that confident in her for her previous missions, why should Peterson not be confident in David?

Breaking the silence, Mallory’s stomach grumbled, reminding the three of them one of the other main reasons why they met in the cafeteria, food. Slightly embarrassed at the sound, she clutched her stomach, hoping to have quieted the sound emitting from it.

“Sounds like your new diet of only drinking a glass of lemon water in the morning isn’t suiting you so well Mallory,” David grinned.

“Shut up! Better than you stuffing your face with pork rinds at night. I swear you’re not even working when you’re at your computer. All you do is listen to podcast and eat snacks.”

“Please, if I wasn’t doing any work my folders upon folders of prototypes would be empty.”

“Now, now,” Peterson said, “let’s put that behind us. Looks like Samuel’s brought us some goodies.”

Turning around to see his friend, a grin grew to one side of David’s face. “Sammy! Bout’ time you got here.”

“Can’t have a party without me. I’m may not be the host, but I’m the life of it.”

“Without a doubt.”

As Sam put the tray down, everybody proceeded to grab their boxes.

“No sour cream? Yes! I gotta say Sam, when it comes to getting orders right, you’re the man. You’ve never gotten a meal wrong before. Unlike Mallory here,” David laughed, taking a bite of several jalapeños from his taco salad.

“Give me a break, it was one time that I got pineapple on pizza. I didn’t even eat it.”

“Then why would you order it for the group? Everybody knows it’s common sense to go with cheese bare minimal, and pepperoni if nobody there’s vegetarian.”

“Oh hush, at least it’s not like the time you carbonized the chicken for the company barbeque.”

“For the last time, it wasn’t carbonized or burnt. It was blackened. When you marinate chicken in honey the sugars carbonize quickly, providing a protective layer for the moisture.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam said taking a bite from his bacon cheeseburger, “as far as I’m concerned you both make some pretty messy mistakes with food.”

They both spoke up at him, Mallory covering her mouth while David pushed his food to the side of his cheek, “Says the guy who orders a vegan burger, then ruins it by putting bacon on it!”

“What? I like both worlds. Why limit myself when I can savor them at the same time.”

Peterson chuckled with glee as he stirred the honey in his pot of tea, “Hehe, you’re each unique in your own taste as you are in your flaws.” Setting his teabag aside, he brought his knife down upon his platter of fish and chips, “Mallory, if you don’t hurry up soon, your steamed broccoli will get cold along with your chicken sandwich. David, the same goes for your shredded chicken. You both could learn a lesson or two from Sam. Sam…”

“Yeah?”

“Grab a napkin. Your bacon’s spilling grease everywhere. It just seasoned my chips with that last bite of yours.”

“Sorry.”

“Hehe,” David chuckled. “Always the English gentleman, right old chap?”

“Naturally,” Peterson laughed back, “would I be anything else?”

By Darpan on Unsplash

Series
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About the Creator

Thavien Yliaster

Thank You for stopping by. Please, make yourself comfortable. I'm a novice poet, fiction writer, and dream journalist.

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