“That’s not enough, but I trust you,” Jonathan said with a hardened voice.
“You need a costume and a name for your public identity. It must describe you or your power. The meeting you are attending is a gathering of villains, neutrals, and independents, no heroes. You will attend as an independent diviner. Be aware, you will be seen as a threat.”
“Who are your favorite male and female irregulars—”
“None, I hate irregulars,” Jonathan said with a rising voice.
“… Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
He sighed.
“I’m not angry. I just can’t talk, sorry—” My vision faded into darkness, followed by the silence that signals the end of the day.
My awareness returned to the present. I observed the blurry television playing in the background, its echoing sound reverberating in my ears. Raising my right wrist, I read 10:17 am.
My hand tightened.
An hour of probing into his vow had passed, yet he remained resolute. I had hoped that if I mentioned the names of a male and female irregular, he might take the hint and reveal their identities. Instead, he repeated the same information over and over. It was subtle, but he hinted that they, too, had awakened. However, I still hadn’t uncovered their public identity. Our brief two-minute meeting proved more challenging than I had anticipated.
Glancing at my notes, I saw the words “gathering of bad people” written in large letters and circled three times on the surface of the glass table. It unsettled me. No matter how many times I heard it, the meeting shouts to me as a gathering of very bad people and the two of them are attending it. The signs were there, and yet, they still went to it. I couldn’t think of a reason for their attendance.
Why were you two attending it? What pulled you two to it?
I could feel the nails digging, so I loosened.
I didn’t like it. This meeting was too dangerous for me, for it was no place for an awakened diviner to be. It would be clear to them that I wouldn’t go along with whatever plan they were hatching. I needed to find them both and get them out quickly, but I didn’t know their public identities.
What were you planning, Jonathan? Why did you keep mentioning the meeting? Why was my attendance so important?
I raised my phone and read my reminder
Probe around Jonathan’s vow
Ask names attending the meeting
Try asking his favorite male and female irregulars
I erased them, and my fingers started to type new lines.
—
“That’s not enough, but I trust you.”
“Even if you exaggerate your personality or drop obvious hints, no one will associate your public identity with you. The secret identity is a secret. Even eyeglasses are enough to separate a public identity from a secret identity.”
“Why—”
“I don’t read research papers, so don’t ask why.”
I heard a sigh.
“Jonathan, give me a hint. How do I find my friend?”
“… Make yourself the most pitiful, lost girl in the room.”
“… Thea’s… natural kindness?”
…
—
“That’s not enough, but I trust you.”
“For your diviner identity, you can’t. Misrepresenting an irregular’s public identity will decrease the power, while the diviners’ will be off completely. I‘m sorry, Janette, but you have to attend as a diviner. If it’s too much for you, I understand.”
“What if I let someone else attend? It doesn’t have to be a hero. Maybe an enforcer?”
“We will know, we feel it when facing an irregular. You will too. As for the heroes, we would know—”
—
“That’s not enough, but I trust you,” Jonathan breathed. “Don’t tip the authorities. We would know.”
“We? Can irregulars sense it as well?”
…
“What will happen if the authorities knew?”
…
“Jonathan?”
“Just… don’t tip the authorities—”
—
My perception returned to the present. I could hear the echoing sound of a man and a woman arguing over the speaker. I didn’t understand a word they said, but after hearing it tons of times, my memory just fills in the blanks. My eyes checked the time and saw that half an hour had passed.
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I didn’t know what else to ask. I asked all the questions I could think of and he kept answering in the same way. It was almost always the same.
I sighed as I gathered my courage. The only thing left was to attend the meeting.
I lifted my phone and I could see the reminder.
My thumbs just hovered over the screen. Once I wrote my action to attend, it would rebuild my future outside the room and that takes a lot of time, the same if I stayed in my room again. From here on, any derailment I did would take a lot of time to rebuild my next future and present.
I could feel my fingers shaking. I couldn’t make many mistakes because my time was limited. My eyes landed on the time and already a minute had passed.
Would I still get a call from Jonathan? What if there were still things I needed to know? But what would they be? How sure was I that I had all the information I needed before attending?
My fingers hovered a little longer before I put the phone down. I jotted down a few questions on the notes. The glass table displayed,
Ask if I need to bring a weapon.
Ask where to buy a costume.
Ask how to get to the meeting.
Once done, my trembling fingers lifted my phone and took a deep breath before typing.
—
“That’s not enough, but I trust you.”
“Self-defense is on the rise two years ago, you can easily buy one. But be sure to buy the most popular hero mask and buy only in private gun shops. There were still stores that hadn’t removed their IOG cameras after the order fell. We don’t want the higher-ups to find out your secret identity too soon.
…
“Janette?”
“Do I… really need a weapon? For protection…” The voice trailed.
…
He sighed.
“Janette, the central district is not the kindest place. I can understand your reluctance—”
—
“—There are still stores that still haven’t removed their IOG cameras after the order had fallen. You don’t want the higher officials to catch on to your secret identity early.”
…
“Janette?”
“Gun… or taser?”
He sighed.
“Just get a taser if it makes you feel better—”
—
“That’s not enough, but I trust you.”
“Don’t take the bus. Call one of these drivers instead—” Jonathan started to recite some numbers. I wrote them on the table while blind.
“Can you remember them?”
“Yes, is this safer?”
“Kind of, we are evading public transportations to hide from authorities…” He trailed off.
“Jonathan?”
“Ask certain driver—”
—
“A certain driver... hiding from authorities… wait.”
I heard a subtle movement. Some compartments were opened before closing.
“This is his number,” he began to recite.
“Okay, thank you, Jonathan.”
He breathed, hard.
“I don’t know why my other self recommended him, but Janette, don’t trust him. In fact, don’t even call him. He only cares about money—“
—
My perception returned to my room. This time I saw the new number I had written on the glass. It was too small for my blurry vision to read, so I pinched my finger on the table and zoomed in. Once I could read it, I added it to my phone’s contact list. I glanced at the clock on the table and read 11:48 am.
I took a breath before eating the remaining box of cereal, trying to savor it as things were about to get hectic. I had no reason to delay any longer. Jonathan already provided me with the information I needed. All I had to do was attend the meeting and pull them out before it started, or improvise if I couldn’t.
I picked up my phone and tapped on my reminder. Get a mask, buy a costume and a weapon, then call one of the drivers. My fingers stopped when I realized I couldn’t remember any of their phone numbers. So I looked down at the table and saw an enlarged number.
Jonathan recommended him, but he doesn’t trust him either. That made me hesitate whether to call him or not. In the end, I decided to make a call and use one of my limited futures to get to know him better. If he was more helpful, it would be better for us.
My fingers started to type again. I also included checking them on their apartments while I buy all the things needed.
I entered the empty world and waited. I lowered my hands and closed my eyes before I began to pray without saying a word. To clear my mind so that no new questions would arise. I had to be calm so that the future Janette would also be calm.
Once the darkness receded, I watched my future. As expected, they both didn’t respond when visited.
“So, girl, I hate to assume, but you are an irregular, yeah?” The Man in the driver’s seat asked in a deep voice. Through the veil I wore, I could see his eyes reflected in the rearview mirror before he looked down at the road and back at the mirror.
“I—” I felt the throat vibrate, and the voice came out, “am an irregular.”
“And the public name?”
“… Debbora, for now.”
He hummed.
“So, girl, I would assume that you are also a diviner. I don’t know what brought you to block C47-23, but you should know the dangers of District C, yeah?”
I could feel the hands tremble as their fingers tightened around the white clothing with yellow floral patterns. My heart pounded with every beat.
“I know.”
“Good, I like smart people, makes my life easier. Now, why go there?”
“… I just have to—see someone.”
He sighed.
“Someone kidnapped?”
“No—” I felt the eyebrows furrowed, “why do you want to know?”
He frowned.
“You called my number, so why are you—do you even know me?”
“… You’re... a greedy, untrustworthy person?”
He snorted. “You’re not wrong”
His hand reached for a card from a compartment and waved it at me. “Here, take it.”
I felt the left hand raised before taking the card and bringing it closer to read it. Gibson, age 48, transporter for District C.
“That’s my business card,” Gibson said.
My eyes went down to the phone number.
“It’s different.”
“Yes, what you called is my number for clients seeking my services, those who can’t ask the authorities. Now, why did you call that number and not my transporter number?” Gibson asked. “Who gave that number?”
“... I shouldn’t trust you.”
He sighed, loudly.
“You have a brain, then use it to judge, not your ears. My line of work comes with trust. After all, only a few would dare to make a call.”
…
“Jo—my other friend… told me to call your number for a drive to District C.”
“See? That wasn’t hard, girl.”
I felt my fingers tighten. My left hand felt something solid under the cloth on my left leg.
He hummed while his index finger started tapping on the wheel. “And you went alone without this friend? Why? He should be the one meeting in person. Not you.”
“He doesn’t know yet and I couldn’t contact them both.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
…
“You need to talk, girl. Your boyfriend gave you my number because he thinks I can help with your situation.”
“He is not my boyfriend.”
“Ah, then tell me. I hate to assume.”
…
I felt a deep breath before it was released.
“My power. I can see or hear—feel everything I would have in a day. Future me received a phone call. He told me about the death of my friend and that I should call you as my driver. Right now, past me is probably listening to our conversation.”
I felt a larger air intake before being pushed out.
“I just need to see what would happen to my friend so the past me will know.”
“I see.” His finger kept tapping.
…
“What are you thinking?”
“How interesting your power is to my work.”
I felt the teeth grit. The right hand was lifted, and I read 3:28 pm.
“Just drive me to that block and we’re done—”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I read between the lines, girl. It’s not a driver your friend wanted.”
“He said not to bring anyone else. And if it’s protection, I don’t need it.”
He snorted.
“With that hunk of metal strapped to your left leg? You don’t scare anyone with that gun of yours.”
I felt a shudder.
“But you have my approval. At least you are not stupid, girl.”
“… I don’t trust you. I am going alone.”
He grumbled in annoyance.
“You think you are safe? Your friend is safe, as you believed, but the present YOU are not. You won’t see anything if you don’t reach the meeting, girl.”
…
“I’ll be taking extra payment from your big jacked friend to make these headaches worthwhile. Now, what else do I need to know?”
“You… knew? Even my friend?”
He smirked.
“You suck at keeping secrets, but I guess that’s fine because our eavesdropping friend is perfectly safe, so it didn’t matter, yeah?” Gibson asked.
“He said—I thought secret identities were supposed to be secret.”
“Relax, girl, I don’t know your secret identity or your friends’ public identities.” The mirror reflected his wide smile. “Now, what else do I need to know, or are we going to chat all the way? Either way, I want an extra payment if his girlfriend gets to live.”
His smile grew wider.
I felt the body shudder—no, my body shuddered.