The Time Travel Directorate Read Free

quizzically at Chief Smiley.
    “Do you want me to ask Counsel?” Chief Smiley asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
    “No, fuck the lawyers,” Director Hay responded. He sat up, brightening. “I like this approach.”
    Director Hay looked pointedly at Vin, his expression not exactly friendly.
    Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, Vin glanced again at the photo pane of Kanon Hay. He thought again of her recent assignment, and Julius Arnold’s current location. Slowly, he realized why Director Hay was so on edge. Vin didn’t want to assume, he blurted out the one question they had danced around all morning.
    “ Who is the inspector?” Vin asked. “The one in pre-revolutionary France?”
    Chief Smiley looked down at his reading pane and tapped the screen to draw up the file.
    “ Kanon Hay,” Vin read aloud, quickly understanding the importance of the mission before him.
    Chief Smiley glanced at Vin sharply before turning back to Director Hay. Forming his hands into a pyramid, he delivered his final pitch.
    “My other analysts are not what you would call inspector material. Vin Damato is athletic and determined. I think, given the circumstances, he’s our best bet.”
    Vin had never heard Chief Smiley talk about him, or anyone else for that matter, in this way. He assumed it was a description of convenience, as there was, quite literally, no one else to send. Vin had only come in to collect his furlough notice. Now he was here, in Director Hay’s office—about to be sent on the mission of a lifetime.
    Director Hay lapsed into a thoughtful silence. After several charged moments, he looked directly at Vin.
    “ Vin Damato?”
    “Short for Vincent , sir,” Vin said, his voice cracking.
    “Ok, short for Vincent, let me explain something to you. This congressional deadlock has not only put me in an unpleasant mood, it has put my daughter at considerable risk. Now, Chief Smiley tells me you are good, and I believe him because if I didn’t, he wouldn’t work for me. You kids think the sun fucking rises on you—now’s the time to prove it. Bring her back . Are we clear?”
    “Yes, sir,” Vin heard himself say, his stomach twisting with equal parts excitement and fear.
    “Good, now get out,” Director Hay finished, taking Chief Smiley’s reading pane for himself.
    “Time to go,” murmured Chief Smiley, rising quickly.
    Stunned by the abrupt dismissal, Vin lingered in his chair. His wildest dream had just come true.
    Vin Damato was an inspector at the Time Travel Directorate.

2
    Countess de la Motte stood with her good friend, the Duchess du Lac at her annual Parisian masquerade ball. They had ensconced themselves in a cozy corner to study the new crop of arrivals. As the richly dressed ladies sauntered by, waving their masks and laughing, the two women eagerly analyzed their outfits.
    “Terrible,” the Duchess commented at one, nudging her friend.
    Now in her forties, the Duchess held onto a considerable beauty. Her wig was decorated with sugared flowers, matching the papier-mâché mask she held in front of her. Her curved shoulders were on display in a daringly low-cut dress, the plump display stopping guests in their tracks.
    Her companion, the Countess de la Motte, wore a glittering silver gown. She had her blonde hair powdered with bits of gold flake. They floated down into her champagne as she began laughing, trying to hide her mirth as the Duchess smiled mischievously.
    Holding her silver mask to her face, the Countess, otherwise known as Inspector Kanon Hay, gazed upon the scene before her. Kanon built the identity of the Countess after arriving in Versailles and securing herself within Marie Antoinette’s inner circle. To do this, she utilized a toolkit from her sorority days—find the highest-ranking woman and make her like you. That person was the Duchess du Lac.
    T he Duchess was a favorite of Marie Antoinette’s, and enjoyed making friends with up and coming ladies at the Versailles court.