All Things I've Done To Save You

Tempus Fugit

“Let me continue,” Marwan cut in.

Made Oka smiled and then signaled to go ahead.

“The climate change happened because Earth was tilted northwards and southwards in its orbit against the sun,” said Marwan. “Everything begins since the Great Flood in Noah’s time. The tilting movement of the planet from south to north caused climate change. Seasons became shorter by centuries.”

“So, the cause of all that is a comet?” Made Oka concluded.

Marwan nodded and agreed with his good friend’s conclusion.

“I didn’t mind if this zig-zagged orbit theory contrasts with the science that stated that Earth was tilted against the sun since its conception,” said Made Oka. “It’s the opposite of your description about the Lunar Year that began since the Day of the Solar Eclipse, signaled that there will be a moon shadow in the west. At that time, it’s supposed to be a total eclipse in a certain place on the Earth's equator. The occurrence of penumbra or partial eclipse also becomes proof that your theory that Earth in the revolutionary orbit against the Sun was dragged northwards and southwards from the ecliptic line.”

Made crossed both his hands on his chest, then leaned on the chair. For a while, he saw Herman. “You see that kid,” he said.

Marwan glanced towards the direction Made pointed with his chin. He saw that Herman was watching them.

Marwan knew that Herman has been eavesdropping on his conversation with Made Oka. When Herman realized that the two of them were watching him, he lowered his face and scribbled something in his notebook.

“You got a new fan there,” said Made. Marwan just smiled and acted casually.

Just then, Jhaansen came and took a seat by Herman’s side. “What are you up to?” he asked. “I see you took notes from Mr. Marwan’s speeches lately.”

“Yes, Mr. Jhaan,” said Herman with a blush. “It might come in handy.”

“Yes, but why does a Now-Age kid like you still use books and ballpoints to make notes? You do bring your smartphone, no?”

“I got one, but I prefer trusting my good ol’ notebook. It’s so I can review my notes again before rewriting them into digital form. I can remember every word of it better this way too,” answered Herman with a mild smile, adding to Jhaan’s amazement.

Herman then diverted that topic by asking, “By the way, where have you been, Mr. Jhaan?”

“When you guys were absorbed in the talks, I and Billard went to other places to search for Amanda.”

“How did it go? Why you two didn’t take me along with you?”

“I did, but you didn’t respond and just kept on writing,” Jhaan rebuked.

That could be true because Herman has been so fascinated, so absorbed in listening to Made Oka and Marwan’s conversation, so he was as though blind and deaf towards everything else.

“Anyway, the search was fruitless. Nil. Zip. Nada. And tomorrow we must go back to our time,” answered Jhaansen with a reminder.

Made and Marwan also paused to hear that important piece of information from Jhaan. And then the two scientists continued their conversation, letting Herman listen to them and take notes again.

“But how come Earth didn’t get dragged along and then fell into the sun?” asked Made.

“The orbits of the planets revoluting Sun are permanent, guaranteed by a perfect equilibrium that is the gravity that equals in force with its centrifugal.”

“And then, what will… I mean, was happened to Earth as the result of that so-called Apocalypse?” Made asked back.

Marwan answered confidently, “The result and impact from the position shift between Sun and Earth while maintaining their equilibrium was, there was a change of seasons and a deviation of compass needle default direction to ten degrees maximum and continuously from the original and perfect north. And finally, Earth entered the Ice Age…”

==oOo==

The next day, after the team members conducted their final search, they gathered in the same place as before as their “base” to finalize their mission.

“Why didn’t we try to ask the Osirians? Wouldn’t that be more effective?” said Herman, trying to utilize whatever time they got left in this time trip.

Osiris was the name the Proto-Ancient Egyptians call themselves, derived from the name of their king of the gods ruling this part of the world. There were more facts that Marwan Batubara and Made Oka have missed, including the actual location of the Lost Civilization of Atlantis.

“We can’t understand their language and vice versa. It’s not even Ancient Egyptian with hieroglyphs and all,” Jhaansen complained. “Our communication logics also contrasted significantly with theirs.”

 “I think I can try with their internet. I’ve tried that yesterday and it worked,” said Herman. “I interpreted their language through the binary…”

“Herman!” scolded Billard Adkinson while taking his sunglasses off. “We have tried. It’s impossible!”

“Their technology is very advanced,” Made added. “Way more advanced than ours. Whatever our effort might be, the result will be a misinterpretation, and misinterpretation will lead to misunderstanding and thus disaster will ensue.”

“Just be patient,” Bill tried to cheer Herman up. “I’m sure the team that will replace us will succeed in finding Nemo, er, Amanda.”

They went back into their minds, waiting for an uncertain something. The table was full of leftover food on plates and empty glasses. The ashtray was filled with Bill’s cigarette stumps with a stinging stink. Bill smoked like a locomotive, he rarely stopped and smoke always came out from his nostrils.

Meanwhile, Made sat leaning and clasping his hands in front of his mouth. Marwan was bored to hear Jhaansen’s jokes. Herman only sat and leaned on the table, holding his chin with the back of his two hands.

Herman then sat restlessly, twitching his fingers and tapping on the table. Suddenly he stood up. “Mr. Made, I want to talk. I shall not go back with you,” said Herman clearly. “I’ll search on for Amanda with or without your team’s or other team’s help.”

Hearing Herman’s sudden decision, nobody spoke up.

Finally, Made Oka spoke up, “If you manage to find Amanda, how will you two go back?” Herman was dumbfounded and flabbergasted to hear that.

Made Oka then got up and corrected the position of his trousers. “Just let Amanda be the only one missing!” He made it clear.

“Mr. Made is right, Her,” persuaded Marwan as he clung over Herman’s shoulder to soften up his heart. “There are so many things you’ve asked me. So, I hope you consider all that so you don’t jump into action desperately.”

“Are you sure you can find Amanda?” Bill added worriedly.

Instead, Herman strengthened his resolve. “I don’t know. Guess I’ll find that out along the way!” he retorted. “If I should perish in the Apocalypse, at least I perish along with the one I love!”

If this was just a time journey for research only, Herman would surely follow orders without much protest. However, as this was about Amanda, his missing girlfriend, he was not content to hand over this big matter to anyone else who didn’t know his girlfriend well.

So, for that very reason, Herman has made up his mind. “Excuse me and farewell!” he said as he left, followed by looks of concern from his comrades.

Before he walked far, Made Oka called him. “Wait, young man!” Made touched Herman’s shoulder. But Herman didn’t like to be stopped and his face showed a grim determination that no one could bargain with him.

However, a different thing happened. “Take this Tempus Fugit,” said Made. Herman was stunned to be offered the time pinpointing, locking device. 

“What do you mean by this, Mr. Made?” Herman asked in doubt.

“This is the only thing, the only help I can give you. The rest is up to your effort,” Made answered.

Hastily, the young man snatched the Tempus Fugit from Made Oka’s hand as though he was worried the team leader might change his mind. However, Bill already took out his spare Tempus Fugit and handed it to Made. Made made a quick check and sighed in relief to find it in tip-top shape and fully functional. So, the deal with Herman was still on.

“Thank you,” said Herman sincerely. He then walked away from their “base”. Too delighted, he didn’t even look back at all because he was fondling the Tempus Fugit, trying to figure out its functions as he recalled Bill’s “quick tutorial” in his memory.

“Farewell, I hope your determination guides you towards your destiny,” said Marwan, his eyes followed Herman’s back which soon disappeared in the sea of passerby.

“It’s no use to prevent him anyway,” said Made with a heavy heart. “May God be with you. I hope you’ll find each other and come home in one piece.”

“I understand why that young man risks his life to go away,” Marwan mumbled. “But I hope Herman understands too, that we decided to go back home to our time because we have families waiting for us at home.” []

Herman kept the Tempus Fugit on the leather pocket bag he tied around his waist, then he walked briskly. He went out of that mall to clear his mind up.

The young man enjoyed every step on the ten-meter wide pavement among the skyscrapers. The traffic on the road didn’t distract him. However, at that time he was attracted to something across the road. He decided to go across for it, but he knew it was impossible to do it the way he did in his own time.

The road was too dangerous to get across. That was because from one side only there were many rows of ever-speeding hover cars and the like. Every two rows were either of the same or alternate flows. Every vehicle of various sizes and shapes Herman saw didn’t use wheels at all but hovered a few centimeters above the concrete surface.

Getting out from a gate five times as big as a soccer or football goal post didn’t make Herman feel awkward to see the traffic commotion in front of him. The hustle and bustle here were the same as the everyday life in his own time. The difference was, that everything was all automatic, and not every people could drive those vehicles. The fingerprint recognition technology gave access to every one according to his or her necessities.

Herman didn’t need to take any public transportation because he was sure the car doors won’t be opened for him. He didn’t have an access to anything, from admission to payment. So, walking was his only option.

For the first time, Herman walked alone, feeling somewhat free to search for Amanda. There were too many restrictions in that old-timers’ team.

Although everything Herman saw was all sophisticated, they seem to be in order. Plants grew lush on every roadside. He even saw plants hanging from the balconies. Maybe this is what we call the Hanging Gardens, he thought.

On every skyscraper, there was a bridge connecting one skyscraper to another. But they didn’t block the ray of the sun seeping into the corridor like roads, so the city still looked natural and pleasant. The pavements weren’t too crowded with pedestrians, maybe this was not the rush hour.

In this time of the Osirians, do people still go to work? Herman thought. I think so, from their formal looks and the bags they bring along. Maybe many of them work online from home, but the “old normal” ways are still common here, as well as in our time before and after the pandemic.

The traffic signs used universal signs like arrows, crosses, lines, and the like so they were easy to understand. The directions and descriptions of a place could be recognized just by seeing the picturesque symbols. That was the way they use hieroglyphs nowadays.

Yesterday Herman thought that this Age of the Osirians was much more advanced than Earth in the time he was from, there must be an internet. He was right. The internet here was available at all times and was even free to use like air. It even used the binary codes like in our own time, so Herman could decipher it by using the language setting on his smartphone. Easy peasy.