Detective Time sat in his office, or Doctor Time’s office, he wasn’t sure which of those two things were more true at the moment.
For the last little while he had been trying to find out who he was in relation to everyone else, and when he was in relation to events. On the computer was a video file. Did he watch it yet? He didn’t remember. Lately he had been practising filing away memories that didn’t match up with external reality so he wouldn’t fixate on them.
There was a fragment of a story on his desk. Various papers on people he knew, or seemed to know. Was it fiction, or fact? A memoir, embellished? Or a plan not seen to conclusion?
He noticed the chronometer on the wall near the door. He scanned himself. “Partially Integrated” was the unhelpful response. He scanned again. Same answer.
That triggered a response from the AI. A robot, at once both familiar and strange appeared from a small alcove that seemed to be designed for it. It was blue and looked like a cross between a traffic light and an inside out watch.
It floated over to the chronometer and seemed to talk to it in numbers. “159265359” appeared on the screen of the chronometer.
/Clunk-Whirr-Dunt/ said the robot. “Yes I know” said Nathan. He remembered his own name again. “It’s to do with locating things in time. Pi coordinates. It means I’m near the beginning.”
/Click-Sprong-Tick/ “Oh, beginning of this chapter. That makes a bit of a reference point. I could use a bit of a slow start today. Canon in D. Detective.”
The robot seemed to understand, and moved the room to time/space/iteration/loop coordinates that would make sense for the context, but still be enough of a puzzle for what Nathan had decided his persona would be for the next little while.
Nathan looked around the room and wondered aloud to himself. Or rather, monologuing his thoughts to the robots, AI’s and eventually comms records people.
“I’m apparently at the scene of the crime. There seems to be plenty of evidence here.....
/Clunk-Clunk/ said the robot. “Scene of the Investigation” said Nathan more cautiously, he didn’t want to implicate himself in a Time Crime, but he was here for a reason – and it didn’t feel like it was teaching classes.
I’m with the robot...” /Thud-tick-Thud/ “...iOi” Being more specific was good. It proved the robot was already in play and could go beyond the room. “and I’m trying to get a handle on...” This time it was the Chronometer that helped “Doctor Time and what he’s been up to.”
The desk screen brings up some relevant conversations based on the situation so far.
Under the heading of Time Quake, it has the most specific information.
“32 Iterations and between 12:15 and 12:35, the exact day doesn’t matter. But some time after the robot is built and Robot Safety lets the Double Paradox happen.”
“Doctor Zapp and his TimeQuakes. They’re not as bad as he makes them out to be, but they’re handy as reference points.” He says with some false bravado. The truth is he’s still disoriented but just pushes through.
The chronometer clicks over to “Iteration 30 +/- 5” as the general “Time” and Comms buzzes him with a backlog of calls.
“Doctor Zapp? I was just going to call you.” --Why was I going to call you? Think of something quick and TimeQuaky.-- Nathan adlibs. “Apparently I’m missing. You wouldn’t have any plans that involve a Temporal Echo that fades out?”
Comms does a logic check on the conversation and the room shifts to “Fully Integrated”
Jade jumps on the line. “Good quick thinking ‘Detective’. I won’t tell you how many times this has been rehearsed, but...” “32?” iOi chimes in /Thud-Clunk/ - Just twice that she’s noticed? Good to know. I guess that’s means that I’m ahead of the curve.
“Oh I’m Narrating? Thanks Jade. I’m after the TimeQuake and he’s before it? That makes... sense.”
Zapp responds “You’re not Doctor Time anymore are you?”
May as well commit to it, Nathan thinks. “Detective Time at your service!”
Jade jumps in the conversation again. “Another persona? I guess. Well you seem to be in good shape to just roll with it, so I’ll make a few notes for comms and let you loose in the world. I’ll just have to make sure Zapp stays on track to fit his pieces in. One sec.”
Jade is back a moment later. “I told him iOi wasn’t done yet, so he should have time to stew on that problem while he realizes he can send the plans back to himself from another loop. That should keep his ‘train of thought’ on task.”
“It sounds like you do a lot of hand holding.” Detective Time finally observes.
“I try and do it behind the scenes, but yes.” Jade says after a short pause.
“So you keep people in Time Loops till the pieces fit?” guesses the Detective.
“Ya, most people like to feel like they’re plotting their own course, and yet stay very comfortable most of the time anyway. Not you though, you’re willing to jump in the deep end and swim with the paradoxes.”
/Whirr-Tick-Tick/ says iOi. Nathan translates. “I’m sure she knows your part too”
Nathan’s display pops up with the design specs for iOi. 1/3 Doctor Time, 1/3 Jade, 1/3 Zapp. Approved for Null Pulse general Info – Iteration 32.
The robot gets a small wireless update. It begins to parse out it’s programming and optimize a few subroutines.
/Tick-Whirr-Tick/ it asks. “Yup, I think we can run a bit off the rails now. Everything is in the air, but it seems like most of it is here. Just fitting the bits together.”
Jade chimes in again. “I forget that I’ve been rehearsing the rehearsing too. I’ve got a bit of a backlog to go through. Which version of the double paradox video did you decide to go with?”
Nathan brings up a transcript of the video file. “Iteration 23?”
“Ah, subtle” says Jade. “I think you have a working version of the start of that story on your desk. - The Double Paradox Trial. You’re investigating your own disappearance and find evidence that you’ve done it to yourself. Committing a Time Crime by Interfering too much with yourself, but accept the punishment of being kicked out of the Time University and into the Time Police as Detective who..”
“... Investigates their own disappearance..” Nathan laughs. “A fresh start then.”
“Well...” say Jade.
“Oh right. /Oh watcher of loops/ What’s your recommendation for this go round?”
Jade sighs. “About time you asked me. You could try clearing your name, but that’s what leads you into the loop. Better route would be to accept the fact you did do the crime, but it’s for the greater good, and not doing it would lead to a worse outcome for everyone. You realize that we’re all just making this up as we go along, and that there’s too many things in play for the old rules to work.”
“So that’s why the robot is 2/3 not Zapp?” says Nathan.
Jade is a bit surprised by the sudden change in direction of the conversation. “So much for reasoning this out with you.” she says, slightly disappointed.
“No, I don’t mean it that way” says Nathan. “I value your input, but it’s already sitting right in front of me. What’s your contribution to iOi. I mean, broadly speaking, I don’t remember building my bit. Like Zapp and I are working at odds here, so there’s got to be a go between.”
“Exactly” says Jade, realizing now that Detective Time can cut to the chase. “Wait, are you saying I don’t have to relive the whole ‘learn robotics’ loop?”
“Your Pilot Pulse?” says the Detective. “That’s how you sort of know what’s going to happen?”
“I like this version of you..” says Jade. “..takes all that theory stored in your head and jumps straight to practical.”
“I assume we just get Zapp to approve the information in the Null Pulse and it’s just a minor bootstrap paradox to bridge. Maybe a little demonstration in a place with some time subduction? In case the practical doesn’t work out?”
“If you were writing it as a memoir, where would you stick it in the book?” says Jade. “Prologue” says Nathan. “It can both happen and not happen.”
Jade nods to herself. “If I can get it half working with a few complete circuit boards, we can just let Vanilla Time and Time loops do the work, maybe integrate the memories later with a kind of trigger. Which reminds me, I need to get a Time Police Chief up to scratch on Time Logic gates. That way your minor Time aberrations aren’t counted against you anymore.”
“I get the feeling I’d be both a good and bad Time Cop” says Nathan.
“You’re definitely against Null Pulses to ‘solve’ the problems” says Jade.
“So there’s already a Time Cop Iteration? Working my way up the ranks?
A small readout shows up on the screen. It’s from iOi “Vanilla Time Career Path”
“This shows me being a bored Time Pilot, then he vanishes, then an earlier split into Doctor Time and ‘Officer’ Captain Time.” says Nathan.
The line to Jade goes to static for a bit and Nathan tries to call back.
“Comms? Vanilla Time Reference Please.”
“This is...” Nathan chooses his next words very carefully “a report on the Vanilla Time Career Path. See attached file. Maybe the Doctor of Time has a plan after all?”
A laugh on the other end. “I can use that line elsewhere. The safeties will disguise the origin and we can implant it in Zapp’s mind.”
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