Timeshift

"No, I didn't want to be alone. I'm really glad you came with me, Sharla. I just can't help wondering what it's like right now for Jim. An hour from now he'll be able to see and hear all of this. I wonder, will any of it bring him comfort?"

"It's still hard to believe what he did."

"I can't believe he'd actually kill somebody. A lot of this still doesn't make sense."

"I doubt it ever will. How do you ever reconcile something like that, deliberately taking another life?"

"No, you don't understand Sharla. I know this man. He's no more capable of murdering someone than, well, I am."

"People act in extreme ways when they're under pressure," Sharla said compassionately. "I've seen a lot in the Beta Light recording they bring back. Mild, meek people turn violent, others succumb to the heat of passion and do things that are totally out of character. It doesn't matter what time strata it comes from. Stone age, Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, Age of Information---it doesn't matter. Even a highly civilized society isn't immune to acts of barbarism, collectively or individually."

"Not Jim Robenalt."

The rough and tumble of a drunken brawl breaking out on the other side of the room momentarily distracted them. King Henry looked on with amusement while two of his guests hurled oaths at one another then pushed back from the table, stood and crossed swords only to stagger and fall---one backward onto the earthen floor, the other face forward into his food---too drunk to support their own weight let alone carry through with the attack.

"There's something Jim said to me, just before they took him away," Thorndyke said softly as the room returned to relative quiet. "I've been thinking a lot about it. I want to follow up on it, but I need to get into the Central Archives."

"Why don't you just do this from B.E.T.A.? You've got full access to every holo-record ever collected."

"If there is something more to this, then whoever's behind it will be watching anything done at B.E.T.A. Especially by me."

"This friend of yours, Jim Robenalt. You really knew him well."

"I'd have trusted him with my own life."

Picking up a synthetic rib bone, Sharla tossed the heavy object toward the crest of melting candles resting in front of the king. Almost immediately the image snapped off, returning the room to its normal state. She stood and wiped her hands on a shard of cloth resting on top of the table.

"I didn't mean to spoil your evening," Thorndyke said contritely.

"You haven't. I had enough to eat. Besides, we've only got a few hours to access the Central Files from my workstation before they power down Archival Records for the night."

"You're going to help me? It might be dangerous."

"You're risking your life to help someone you love, aren't you?"

The gentle touch of his hand against her cheek was all the reassurance Sharla needed to know that her decision was the right one. She cupped her hand to his and allowed herself to be pulled into a deep, soulful kiss. The tenderness of their brief union spoke more to both of them than any words either could possibly utter.

"We'd better be going," she whispered as the door to the Theater opened and a bright young hostess awaited their request.

"All right. But first we need to call one other person."