Guarding Causality

20260207

Written for Bradley Ramsey’s “Flash Fiction February Day 7”.

The only remarkable thing about the office was how utterly archetypal it looked. As if the designer had carefully constructed it to be exactly what someone off the street would think of when they tried to imagine an uninteresting office space.
“I’m not sure what I was expecting.” Tony mused, looking around at the off-white walls and grey carpet and grey furnishings and chrome fittings. “Proper security, certainly. Guns on the walls? Or one of those, like, giant tv screens with a real-time map of the world on it?”
Anita - at least, she’d introduced herself as Anita - gave a bemused snort. “What did Mr Packard tell you about us?”
“It wasn’t said, exactly. He left me a letter. In his legal documents.”
“Ah.”
Tony paused, but she didn’t say anything else. So he continued “In that letter, which I destroyed after reading according to his instructions, he admitted that he was a serial killer, working under the direction of the ‘Time Protectors’, and that he wanted me to continue his ‘work’. And that reality would unravel if I didn’t.”
“Ahh.” Anita sipped at her coffee, her immaculate brows drawn together in thought. Then she set the mug down and said “He wasn’t lying about the importance of our organisation’s work, or the consequences if it isn’t upheld. However, there are other potential candidates. If you would rather be removed from the list, you can sign an NDA and return to your normal life.”
“Really?” Tony was half relieved and half… disappointed? “He said something about needing the right genes…”
“Yes. You are impervious to time shifts.” The confident manner in which she said that made Tony suspect someone - presumably dad - had run a genetic test. “And if we were to send someone susceptible to time shifts against the forces trying to destabilise our timeline, well… they wouldn’t get very far. But it’s not unique to your family. Just recessive.”
“Reces- you mean my mum had it too?”
A flicker. Hesitation? Discomfort? “Yes.”
“I-is that why dad…?”
“Indirectly.”
When Tony glared Anita sighed and elaborated “She was also in our organisation. That was how they met.”
“Oh.”
Which would be more disquieting - finding out that both his deceased parents had been some kind of (allegedly) reality-protecting assassins, or finding out that his father had never loved his mother and had been trying to, to produce more superhuman assassins?
“As I said, while the gene is rare, we do have other candidates.” Anita gave a wry smile. “I promise we’re not… I don’t know… trying to raise an army, or whatever it is children’s villains plot to do these days.”
“So… what do you do?”
Anita’s expression was immediately serious. “I already mentioned that there are forces trying to destabilise our timeline. We don’t know if it’s a singular entity, another organisation, or something beyond our comprehension. However, we do know how they operate - they switch someone born in this timeline with their counterpart from another. Usually at birth, so nobody can tell.”
“Right.” That matched what dad had claimed. It still sounded crazy. “And… these time-displaced people…?”
“Their presence interferes with the flow of time around them. Barely perceptibly, but it acts like sand in a clockwork mechanism. And if enough of them gather in close proximity… time becomes… unpredictable. Causality breaks down. The world de-syncs. Events happen out of order, or are different for each person who witness them. If it got bad enough… reality as we understand it would collapse.”
“We can’t, I don’t know, un-displace them?”
“Sadly we lack the technology.” Anita paused, then admitted “It’s an open question whether forced deportation to what will feel like an alien timeline is more humane than execution without trial. I would prefer we at least be able to offer them that choice.”
“Yeah. Next question - why are we executing people without trial? If we can measure that they’re messing up time, couldn’t we at least… I don’t know…”
“It doesn’t stick.” Anita’s voice was resigned. “Remember how I said any operative without imperviousness to time shifts wouldn’t get very far?”
“Oh. You mean-”
“Yes, the fact you do remember me saying that is evidence that you’re immune.” Anita gave another thin smile. “Our enemies work against us in all sorts of ways. We’re fortunate to have gotten as much international influence as we have. The result of generations of work by the organisation on many fronts.”
She shook her head. “But, sadly, no matter what explanation we give, all that most people will remember - can remember - is that someone died. Given that, to uphold our timeline’s integrity while causing as little harm as possible, we disguise the deaths.”
Tony stared down at his hands. Thinking back to that gut-wrenching letter. “Fake accidents. False suicides. Disappearances.”
“Yes. I won’t pretend it’s easy work. And, as I said, we have other candidates - and other operatives who can cover your father’s, ah, ‘patch’ in the interim. This isn’t a decision which should be made while in the throes of bereavement. Go home. Think it over. Read whatever your parents left you, explaining their work. Consider whether you want to follow in their footsteps.”
“Whether I want to be a person who kills innocents for the greater good.”
“I find it helps to think of them as ‘unwitting hazards’.”
“Wow. Great tip. I’ll bear that in mind.”
Anita scowled, but said nothing. And didn’t stand when Tony got up.
He took a deep breath and declared “I’ll go home, and think about it, and… maybe get back to you.”
“Right. I do need you to sign an NDA. Largely a formality, but…”
“Sure.” Tony scribbled his signature on the line without reading. “Don’t say anything about the international assassination conspiracy most people can’t remember anyway. Got it.”
“Marvellous.” Anita looked like she might be actively considering other candidates. “Have a nice day, Mr Packard. My condolences once again for your loss.”
Frankly, right now the loss of ignorance hurt the most.

Prompt was “On his deathbed, your father confesses to being one of the most prolific serial killers of all time. Not only that, but he tells you that you’ll need to continue his work. The entire world depends on it…”