Travelers Mistake

Eric never thought he would actually make it. This was before the wars, the Break, everything. This was the moment most people didn’t know about but was probably the most important in history. He was in China, Wuhan to be exact and he would not want to describe the smell to anyone, nor the poor wild animals in cages. The people were just trying to make a sale, live their lives. Little did they know that they would change the course of history.

Damnit he thought - he wished his telegraphic would work here telepathically. Apparently he could still access memories and history in the database. They floated above his eyes in highlighted shapes against the cringingly dark and scrummy market streets.

People were looking at him, though he was sure he was dressed in old world clothes. He had meant to find the man with the racoon dogs before he got to the market, but as he saw people stare at him in his mirrors and shields with nothing else on him, he needed to blend in - quick.

He intentioned to his telegraphic to open up where the man could be with the racoon dogs. He could see the image play before him as he bumped through people at the market trying to find the vendor’s space. It was of a man pulling up in a white van, the racoon dogs and birds in the back of the van. He began to sweat, his telegraphic was not working with the humidity control since there were no centers there to support the device.

He wiped the sweat off of his brow as he was running now. He saw the man about to open the back of the truck. He was right there seeing the image in his mind and now in real life.

“No” said Eric in the only old language he knew. The man looked surprised and started shouting at him in another old language.

“I’m sorry,” Eric said, “ I don’t speak that but I need these animals, I will pay anything for the whole truck.” He waved money at him, money he had brought back to the old world in this place’s currency.

The man’s eyes grew big and he smiled widely, handing over the keys to his car and yelling, “Good bye” in his language to his friends who looked shocked at the vendor as he ran away with the money.

Eric got in the van and sighed. He looked back at the animals and knew what he needed to do.

He knew a woman who would take these animals in and made sure they lived out their lives while keeping everyone else safe. He drove to her “secret” center that no one knew about back then, in the middle of the city, hiding in the crummiest part of it. He went up to the door and intentioned it to open which worked past the retinal scan at the door. As he went in, there were two other people with the woman in white coats. They seemed flustered by his entrance but the woman with bright green eyes and red hair stopped them, holding her hand up.

“You have a telegraphic?” She asked surprised. “You aren’t from here. I mean this time.”

“No,” Eric said, “I have probably the most important animals in history in the van.”

He saw her think about it for a moment - what happened in December 2019 in Wuhan? Then, he saw her put it all together.

“Oh!” She exclaimed. “Everyone get your suits on, I have a place for these animals.” She said excitedly as the people looked at her confused. “Hurry.” she said.

They went out with bubble looking material and encouraged the sad looking animals into their new cages. Eric knew this material was not what this time had known, while in the future everyone had used it

“That’s it?” Eric said.

“That’s it.” The woman responded.

“Oh and Allison, don't create the telegraphic.” Eric said.

She smiled and said, “Unfortunately, that is already too late. You're not the only person who can travel.”

Eric rolled his eyes and left. He thought it was done, but there was one last animal left caught from the same region. A racoon dog that the man sold to another vendor before he left his place. Little did he know that the unfortunate vendor would be the first victim of a virus called COVID - 19 which would change the world forever, and that his mission had failed.