Microstory 496: Performer

< > Entire Story

The member of the team who most easily adapts to the new dynamic is The Performer. She accepts their situation almost immediately, but she has trouble dealing with the future. She’s always done a great job of reacting to problems as they come across, but has never enjoyed, or really even appreciated the concept of, preparing for future consequences. She experiences a constant inner conflict between doing the right thing, and just letting everything go. She is quick to discover the easy way out of a situation, which often involves cutting her losses and running. She feels a strong sense of love for everyone in her group, and develops these connections surprisingly quickly, but then feels an apathy for anyone she has not met personally. She understands on an intellectual level their duty, but does not fully recognize the intensity of their new life. She has a sub-magnus degree in weapons & combat. Spontaneous, and a little ill-tempered, the Performer can be a little delusional about how defiant she is against authority. She wants to be a team player, but doesn’t always realize what that means, and how she should modify her behavior. Her team eventually learns to not turn their backs on her when they’re planning a mission. As soon as she finds out when and where they’re going to be, she’s likely to run off and try to take care of it on her own. If anyone can handle a team mission by herself, it’s certainly her, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. Rest assured as well, if there is too much tension, or awkward silence, in the room, she is going to find a way to break it. She’s always good for an inappropriate joke, or a quip about superficial qualities of their opponents. Her capacity for loyalty is really only outshined by her ability to pretend like it doesn’t exist. She is highly extroverted and entertaining, but very few people truly know her, because she carefully constructs a facade to protect herself, and those around her, as she’ll claim. Work hard enough on a relationship with her, though, and always try to give her the benefit of the doubt, and she will ultimately come through for you.

The Advancement of Mateo Matic: June 25, 2110

« < » > Table of Contents

Mateo had already dealt with Zeferino and Nerakali. It was only fitting that their sister would jump into the game now. “The third Preston,” Mateo said to Lincoln after returning to the timeline in 2210. They had been interrupted last year, and were never able to finish their conversation without anyone else catching wind. For some reason, he felt that he wasn’t supposed to talk about it anymore for the rest of the day.

“The fourth, actually,” Lincoln Rutherford corrected. “I imagine nobody’s ever mentioned The Curator to you, though. He’s another entity I can’t track. No one knows what happened to him.”

“Am I gonna have to deal with him at some point too?”

“Probably not, if anything he’s apathetic about the whole thing now.”

“I feel stupid for not thinking of Arcadia before. It’s so obvious. She’s pissed about her siblings’ death, and people like to blame me for everything.”

“Yes, revenge does seem to follow you around.”

“What is her power again?”

“She was The Conservator. She made sure certain events in the timeline happened in a certain way, even if a choosing one went back in time and changed it.”

“She was, but isn’t now?”

“She’s started calling herself The Extractor. She’s changed a few minor things. For instance, when you first entered The Constant, your cousin, Danica gave you cell phones. They were for you, Leona, your mother, Samsonite, and Theo.”

“That never happened.”

“It did. In fact, many events hinged on that having happened. The Extractor doesn’t remove things from history, she just tears them out of the timestream. We are not in an alternate reality, Mateo. We are in a corrupted reality. All those crazy adventures and tribulations you had still happened, but no one remembers them. She obviously made a point of shielding your own memories, probably as some sort of punishment.”

“Well, being trapped on an island on another planet with everyone I love doesn’t sound like the worst punishment I could think of.

“That is not the punishment.” A woman had appeared; obviously the Extractor, Arcadia Preston. “This is just the beginning.”

Oh no.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not adding punishment because of what you just said. This has been in the works. I have a plan.”

“Please.” He took her by the arms, almost lovingly, and not forcefully. “Tell me what I can do. This doesn’t have to go on for weeks. I know you’re upset about your family, and I’m sorry. I never wanted any of that. I think you’re smart enough to know that I absolutely did not start this.”

She took his arms too so that they were grasping each other in a kind of secret handshake. “I do understand that. I’m not as crazy as they were, I think you’ll find. I have my reasons for doing this. There will be challenges—not tribulations, mind you—but they will not be easy. They’re not designed for you to prove that you deserve to live. They have goals.” She did not let go. “Every three days, I’m going to remove someone from time that you love. Only you will remember them...” she turned her head towards Lincoln, but did not remove her eye contact with Mateo. “...except for this guy. I can’t change that, but I do want him here with you. There are rules, though. He can help you with the Expiations, just like everyone else you have left, but he cannot reveal to anyone that he remembers. And you two can’t discuss it with each other, even in private.”

“I complete one of these...expiations, and you’ll give them back?”

“No. You have to complete all of them. Rather, you are going to be assigned all of them. Whether you succeed is entirely up to you. I will return everyone you’ve earned, but I will return them all at once, when you’re done with the whole thing. If you failed with any of them, you won’t get those people back. Ever.”

“Is there anything I can do to prevent this? Can I...can I test out of the class?”

“No, you can’t. I know this sounds cruel, but it’s important to me that you learn from your experiences over the last several years, and this is how I’m choosing to teach you. I want you to win. That sounds ridiculous, because hypothetically, I could just cancel the whole thing. I could, but I won’t, because you deserve this. Even if you don’t see it, you deserve it. This is happening. Do you understand?”

He did. “Yes.”

“Okay.” She pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. Strangely, the hug felt good. Arcadia really did seem different than her siblings. She wasn’t sassy or dickish. True, she was screwing up his life, and some innocent people were suffering for it, but it really didn’t look like she was deriving pleasure from it. That was at least something. “Your first expiation is going to be for The Constructor, Baudin Murdoch. I’ll tell you right now that you’re gonna have to build something, but most of the time, I won’t even show up. I’m going to install the instructions for it in someone who happens to be left to help you. The first one is easier, which is why you’ll only have tomorrow to get it done. For the others, you’ll be allotted three days. When you and Leona disappear, the others on the island might remember that the expiations exist, but nothing about the expiations themselves. They’ll just go about their lives, waiting for you to return. And when you do return a year later, their memories will flood back in, and you can start back up where you left off.”

“I suppose that’s for the best. I wouldn’t want them to be so anxious all that time when they have to wait anyway.”

“Yeah, see, so you get it. They’re better off being oblivious until they can actually do something to help.” She finally looked over to Lincoln. “Again, I can’t do anything for ya. I’m not omnipotent.”

Honestly, it really was nice interacting with an enemy who wasn’t just straight up evil, or intent on accumulating power. Mateo eventually grew to be friends with Gilbert, and even Horace. Maybe the same would happen with him and Arcadia. Or maybe not.

“Now,” she went on, “I’ll let you get back to your family and friends. Don’t forget that part of the challenge is convincing them that you’re not crazy. If they don’t help you, or even if they try to stop you, I won’t interfere. You would be wise, Lincoln to remember how much you’re even allowed to know.”

“I understand,” Lincoln said with a bow of the head.

“Can I tell them myself?” Mateo asked of her. “Can I tell them about you, and this conversation?”

“You can tell them what you’d like. Hell, these expiations might not even require help in the first place. I’ve not come up with all of them yet.”

“Could I ask you for a favor?” Mateo asked.

She was wary, but receptive. “You can ask...”

“Remember that you have the power here. You can stop anytime you want. You can call off the whole thing. That is...unless you’re actually working for someone else, like Gilbert was.”

“I will not forget that,” she said genuinely, dismissing his accusations of her having a partner. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then disappeared.

“Wow, that was weird,” Lincoln noted.

“Indeed. Are you gonna be okay?”

“Me? These challenges have been given to you.”

“You have to carry this burden alone. At least I can talk to people about it.”

“I’ve been carrying secret knowledge on my own for my whole life. It’s nothin’ to me now.”

“It’s just Tuesday,” Mateo suggested.

Lincoln smiled. “Exactly.” They started walking back towards the camp. “You really do seem to be handling this well.”

“Part of my problem before was my resistance and antagonistic disposition. The only way I get through this is if I think positively. I have to treat her like a friend, and maybe—just maybe—someday she will be.”

“That’s very mature of you.”

“Well, I am 124 years old.”

They laughed, but then they stopped at the edge of the forest.

“We better come from different directions at different times,” Mateo said. “Like we did yesterday.”

“Right. If you’re about to explain what’s going on, it shouldn’t look like I was with you.”

“Yeah.”

“I need to get some water for us anyway.”

Everybody waited patiently while Lincoln slowly walked up to them, carrying the now empty bucket from the little plane Gilbert had crashed there for an early tribulation. That was okay. It wasn’t like Mateo was eager to talk to these people again. What was he going to say? Even with all this time manipulation, they would have a hard time believing that they had been experiencing entirely different lives just a couple years ago. But Lincoln was finally there, and it was time to begin.

“Okay, I know I freaked out a lot of people with my meltdown yesterday. I now believe that to be part of the game, to see how I would handle the changes. Believe it or not, I was completely right. I just spoke with one Arcadia Preston, a.k.a. The Conservator, a.k.a. The Extractor.”

“She has two nicknames?” Gilbert asked.

“She changed it because of her new mission. When once she helped the timeline, she now messes with it. That’s what she’s done here. She tore Baudin out of time, along with all of his buildings.”

“Why do you remember and we don’t?” Téa asked, more in wonder, and less in doubt.

“She kept my mind intact so that I could suffer their loss, and effectively work to get them back.”

“How do you know?” Xearea questioned.

“How do I know what?”

“How do you know that she didn’t mess with your memories as well? In fact, how do you know that what you remember isn’t false, and what we remember isn’t the true reality?”

“I’m going to work with my knowledge, under the assumption that I can trust my own mind. You can either accept me, and help, or you can ignore it. It makes no difference to Arcadia. I do want to make one thing clear, though. Baudin is only the beginning. She is going to start tearing other people from time. He pointed to Mario. “You could be next.” He pointed to Saga. “Or you.”

Saga shrugged like it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Mateo kept going. “Our first challenge, which she calls an expiation, is going to be tomorrow. She’s going to make us build something. Rather, she’s making me. Rather, she’s not making me do anything. Each expiation will be attached to one missing person, and the success of it leads to their return. If I don’t do it, or I don’t win, I don’t get them back, but it doesn’t stop me from getting anyone else back.”

Xearea pressed on. “Are you threatening us?”

“What?

“If we don’t help you now, are you just going to forsake us when we do disappear?”

Mateo got down on his knees...like a martyr. “Never. I will always work my hardest to get you back, no matter how close I am to you.” He looked over to his daughter, Kivi. “Or how little I know you.”

That seemed to satisfy Xearea. Mateo had to answer a few more questions, but then they were all satisfied as well...at least as much as they were going to be for what they were faced with. The rest of the day was awkward, except when Mateo was alone with Leona. After night fell, they retired to their little hut and fell with it.

« < » > Table of Contents

Counselor

< > Entire Story

So these aren’t going as well as I’d hoped. I started writing short fiction not really knowing how short is short, and how short is too short. The early ones are the shortest, but grew longer the more I wrote, and I ended up settling into a range of about 300 to 500 words. I know that length isn’t supposed to be all that important, but look at one next to the other, and the story with only 150 words just doesn’t look right on the screen. It looks like I didn’t have much to say. And that’s always true. The length is always a decent indicator of how great of a hold I have on the material. But as you may have noticed, these are sort of danglers. I like my series to be grouped in nice and large chunks. I’ve been thinking of the Headlines series a lot more than these Personalities, and have even written a few of them already, so they are just naturally bound to be better.

As I’ve said, I identify most with the Counselor personality type, but it’s not what you think. Real Counselors derive satisfaction out of helping others. It’s never done that for me, though. Community service, holding doors open for people, making sure to accommodate everyone around me are just things that I do. You see, the real world doesn’t interest me all that much, or rather it’s hard for me to be too invested in it. The imaginary mind palace I’ve created for myself is no less vivid than my desk that’s in front of me right now. I can always and no matter what, about as close to literally as possible, escape to another world. These can have been created by others, or by me. I can jump into Fillory, take a Nexus to Ceres, then stroll down the block in Wayward Pines, before relaxing on Tribulation Island. When I’m here, in the real world, I ultimately don’t need all that much. So when someone wants something out life, the only thing I need to get past before helping them with that is my physical indolence. Real Counselors really want to help, and they get something out of that.

The Counselor in my story is the same way. He’s a diplomat from a recently deveiled planet. For reference, a veiled planet is one that exists without any knowledge or witting interaction with people from elsewhere. My characters operate under what are called The Priorities. Priority Two is like the Prime Directive in the Star Trek franchise...except not...because it’s the exact opposite. When you go out into space and find a veiled culture, there’s this unwritten rule that you share with them everything you know. Allowing war, disease, and other horrors found in underdeveloped civilizations when you have the power to stop it is considered by most people who contribute positively to society to be immoral. The Counselor knows very little about interplanetary relations, and galactic conflicts. He is not officially a member of the team, because he literally didn’t sign up for this, but everyone accepts him just the same. His life is in constant danger for his frequent attempts to have civil audience with a threat, and everyone is always having to protect him. As he becomes more jaded, however, he eventually learns to protect himself.

The Counselor likes learning about other people, and tries to figure out their motivations so that he can make everyone as happy as possible. He knows intellectually that you often can’t give someone what they feel they need without taking something away from someone else, but he doesn’t want to. He always tries to look for the solution that pleases everyone, and even though the team’s enemies treat him as an enemy as well, they have a level of respect for him, and tend to give him the benefit of the doubt. Though he does learn to adopt certain military values, and even develops some violent tendencies, he never lets go of his diplomatic leanings. At one time, he becomes a powerful force in the galaxy as the leading negotiator. There’s no telling how many conflicts he’s ended or prevented, along with his own team of counselors.

Microstory 495: Architect

< > Entire Story

The Architect has a knack for solving problems, which I know, seems like something everybody around here can do. He’s always preferred to work alone but has recently become more engaged with others in an attempt to be a better person. He is often found with The Composer and The Crafter; two other quiet people who just sort of get him. Together they carry out special projects and missions, sometimes without speaking a word, each one understanding what the others are thinking by their actions. He acts as a conduit between these two and the rest; able to kind of translate what they mean by something. He can be a little over-critical, but he always has everyone’s best interests in mind. He has a level of secrecy, but unlike The Promoter—who has legitimate reasons to keep everyone in the dark—The Architect is really just trying to protect himself. Yet he can’t help himself when it comes to his interactions with other people. A lot of people know his secrets. What none of them knows, however, is all of his secrets. This level of compartmentalization serves as a subtle hint as to how the new organization should operate. Independent departments are created, inspired by The Architect’s theories of cooperation, each one tasked with taking care of a different aspect of oversight. But that is not his only legacy...

Microstory 494: Promoter

< > Entire Story

A great deal of mystery surrounds The Promoter. He claims to be from a planet that no one has ever heard of. Nor can he tell anyone exactly where it is. A few theories are indeed floating around about planets spinning somewhere in the galaxy that have not yet connected with everyone else, or have lost contact, and been forgotten by history. The most recent of these was Rinen Rinen, but that was a special circumstance, because its settlers were traveling at relativistic speeds. Since its discovery, scholars and scientists have pored through the records, looking for any evidence of secret planets, but have come up with nothing, not even the Promoter’s home. Just the same, he assimilates into society perfectly. He and The Mastermind are best friends with much in common. Both are spontaneous and ever-present, but while the Mastermind tends to be more independent, the Promoter prefers to use his easy-going attitude to lighten the mood for others. He is always game for a good joke, or an intriguing story. He is an excellent problem-solver, and could probably work well alone, but chooses to help others around him find the answer at their own pace. He is a strong advocate for both self-reliance and communal assistance. He is often seen eating literally, or biting off more than he can chew on a new project. He has no apparent education—which only adds to his mystery—but likes to get his hands dirty and try new things. He’s always asking questions, and it’s hard to tell whether he wants to know the answer, or if he already does, and is just testing you. Because of how mindful he is of the present, he can often lose focus on the future, and stresses too much about immediate results. He also likes to disappear with no explana

Microstory 493: Inspector

< > Entire Story

For certain political reasons, the most senior member of the military contingency becomes unable to lead the team. She remains as...a consultant, but someone else has to take charge of the team, and be the public face of it. She thusly appoints The Inspector to be the de facto leader. This works out, because the Inspector feels a responsibility towards them anyway. She failed her first attempt at enlisting and has slightly more experience than the others, so she takes her job seriously. She failed before because of her inability to make snap-judgment calls, but she knows now that they won’t survive if that character flaw isn’t addressed. Her team trusts her for her loyalty, realistic perspective, and dependability. She values planning and organization, but knows when to delegate tasks...and appreciates a level of interpretation. Thorough and careful, the Inspector works tirelessly to protect the legacy of her fallen comrades, while understanding that this is the time for drastic change. She pushes the galaxy into the future, and instead of dismissing their enemy’s wishes, tries to find compromises. She respects everyone’s position, and though she can, at times, be impatient, always recognizes other people’s strengths. And that is her biggest strength. She has a sub-sub-magnus degree in public administration.

Microstory 492: Fieldmarshal

< > Entire Story

History and Anthropology is the name of the game when it comes to The Fieldmarshal. Though he was never considered a genius, he appreciates academic pursuits. He has memorized fact after fact about history, culture, and the sciences. He will usually be explaining the reason behind situations, and is able to apply random knowledge to solve problems in an out-of-the-box manner. He is quick to accept leadership if it comes to him, but will not seek it out. He can be stubborn and may shut down when he comes across something he does not so easily understand. Much of what he knows is rather useless to practical application, but he believes that merely the absorption of knowledge is intrinsically important, and has never worried himself with what skills could help him in his life. He is rather famous in certain circles, actually. Though the galaxy is vast, carrying with it trillions of individuals, he enjoys a level of familiarity across a multitude of planets. His books have been downloaded billions of times, and not only because they are required reading for a number of educational programs. Before joining the military, he was spending most of his time as a lecturer. He particularly loved explaining basic scientific inquiry to young ones. While part of the team, he becomes a tool of problem-solving. When others have technical expertise to help them achieve their goals, he provides them with unique insight, especially into older cultures. Sometimes the best way to get something done is to remember how it’s been done before, possibly in order to avoid mistakes experienced by these predecessors. Though his background is in academics, he takes well to combat training, understanding almost immediately that any preconceived notions of how the galaxy worked before needed to be seen from an historian’s perspective. Things have changed, and he’s ready to make a difference in a new way.

Microstory 491: Teacher

< > Entire Story

The Teacher’s behavior is often misinterpreted as condescending, but he is always acting in the best interests of those around him. His primary goal in life is promote the education of the populace. Though he has sub-magnus degrees in educational philosophy and theology, he’s never worked as an actual teacher. Instead, he uses his own education and experience to lobby for educational programs designed to lift society, and propel the galaxy towards enlightenment. He never really wanted to be in the military, and is actually a pacifist, but pragmatism and family legacy sort of forced him into it. Though he accepts his new role, and will harm people in order to protect the innocent—and his team—he will always look for a nonviolent solution. Much like The Counselor, he likes to help others find their way, and will become especially excited when he encounters a challenge. He finds that helping others learn something new helps him understand it better, or even in the first place. He is excellent at planning for the future, and is an invaluable source in creating safeguards and contingencies for potential problems. Though his ability to predict the future nowhere near matches what The Crafter possesses, their similar perspectives as big-picture thinkers leads them to having an interesting—and unexpected—friendship with each other. Before joining the team, he was taking part in a special mission that very few people even knew about, including The Crafter. But it is what he learns while on the team that puts him in a position to really execute change...and save the galaxy.