The Spark

I’m roused from sleep by a shrill, siren-like beeping emanating from my phone. That sound can mean only one thing: Emergency. Report to the office immediately.

So here I am, half asleep as I drag myself into work three hours early. I’m surprised to see the office assistant there as well. What kind of emergency would require even the assistant to come in before the sun’s up?

“Good morning, Agent Logg,” she says. “I know you’re tired but –” 

“What’s my rule, Autumn?” I reply groggily. 

“Coffee first, then work.” 

I spot a steaming cup on her desk and drink, not bothering with the cream or sugar. 

“Actually, that’s my – never mind.”

“Do you know why we were called in so early?” I ask. 

“No, but River said it’s urgent. He wants to see you in his office immediately. And FYI, he’s in a bad mood.”

“Lovely.”

I drain the rest of the cup and walk down the corridor until I’m outside a door with a nameplate that reads: 

Special Agent River

Head of the Department of Assassination Prevention

I knock and the boss beckons me inside. Normally well-kempt and professional, River looks disheveled and panicked. He frantically fills out paperwork with his gaze glued to his desk.

“Good morning, Agent River,” I say, stifling a yawn.

“Agent Moss got into a car accident yesterday,” he says, eyes still on his papers. “He’s fine, but he’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few days. Of course his wife waited until the last second to let us know, and that’s when you were called in. Moss had a jump scheduled for today, so you’ll have to do it instead. I’m signing off on the all the transfer documents now.” 

This wakes me up.

“Sir, Moss has had weeks to study the subject. How can I go through someone’s entire file in less than a day?” 

“We don’t have a choice. You know we only get one chance at a jump and everything is already in place for the one today. The Board decided to override protocol and send a replacement instead.”

“Isn’t there anyone else more qualified –?”

         “We’re desperate,” River admits, still scribbling on his papers. “I picked you because you already have prior knowledge about the subject, Jesse Spark.”

My heart skips a beat.

“Sir, I can’t –”

“I know that you followed Spark’s work before and during his presidency, so you’re the most informed Jumper I have on this subject. Now, you have a little over five hours to prepare for the jump –”

“Five hours?” I say incredulously. “Sir, that’s impossible! I’d need at least five weeks to even come close to being prepared.”

“We cannot skip this jump,” River urges, “and you’re my only option. Spark’s file is on your desk, and I’ll fill Ms. Autumn in on the details as soon as I finish this paperwork. I’ll also tell her to send over the analytics for you as soon as possible.”

“But, sir, it’s too personal –”

“The clock is ticking, Agent Logg,” he says firmly, eyes never leaving his desk.

I leave without a word and head to my office. On my desk is a mountainous stack of papers that contains the complete case file for Jesse Spark. Every moment of his life is preserved here, every speech, debate, televised moment, all piled right in front of me, and I have only a few hours to study it all before I meet him.

I’m going to need more coffee.

Five hours and twelve cups of coffee later and I’m only halfway through the case file. Although I know much more about Jesse Spark than the average person, it’s not like I authored his biography. There are so many things I didn’t know about him, and far too much to have memorized in such a short time.

Autumn suddenly barges into my office.

“I have some paperwork for you,” she says. “Department reports, a letter, some office memos –”

“Read the room, Autumn,” I interrupt. The case file papers were strewn all over my desk and on most of the floor. “I’m kind of busy at the moment.”

“Sorry, force of habit. I’ll just put these on your coffee table. Also, I uploaded all of Spark’s data, projections, algorithms, the whole nine yards. Everything’s ready to go.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s about time to prep for the jump. You ready?”

I sigh heavily.

“As I’ll ever be.”

We walk down the hall to the room that houses the Time Chamber. There, the stylists do my hair and makeup and dress me in the clothing of the time period I’m visiting so I can blend in. Special Agent Skye, the Commissioner of the Time Chamber, places a watch on my wrist.

“I know the preparation for this jump was a little unorthodox,” she says, “but you’ve done this before. Just remember your steps from The Jumper’s Guide to Time Travel and you’ll do just fine. I’ll start the countdown.”

I step into the Chamber and hear whirring as it powers up.

“Commencing jump in sixty seconds,” Skye announces. Then she reads aloud the DAP’s very boring legal disclosure, as per protocol. “…your conversation with the subject will be recorded for quality and training purposes. Finally, remember that your interaction with the subject cannot exceed thirty minutes, and your countdown will begin as soon as you land the time jump. T-minus five seconds. Good luck!”

Five…four…three…two…one…

I’m suddenly jolted through a tunnel of rainbow colors. The pigments stretch and transform around me as if I’m traveling through a kaleidoscope. I feel myself stretching as well, as if I’m being shoved through a small tube and shot out the other side and into darkness.

I opened my eyes to the bright light of a sunny day. I was lying on the ground behind a row of bushes just off the main walkway of a park. I peered through the leafy hedges and quickly locked on to my target. Just ahead, Jesse Spark was sitting on a bench.

I checked my watch: 29m:49s remaining. Although the clock was ticking, I hesitated. This was someone I admired, someone I listened to daily. Someone that had become a part of my life and routine. Someone that I watched die at a televised event. It was eerie to see him alive and well, knowing the fate that would befall him if I failed. I checked my watch again: 29m:27s remaining. I pushed down my feelings and approached the bench.

“Mr. Spark?”

“Yes?”

I was actually talking to him. He was here, in front of me, air in his lungs and a smile on his face. It took me a moment to remember what I was trying to accomplish. Then my training kicked in.

         “I thought it was you. I’m a really big fan and I listen to your podcast every day. Can I get a picture with you?”

“Of course!”

Step One: Introduce yourself with commonality, check.

         I pulled out a device that was common during this time and snapped a photo.

         “Thank you so much,” I said, seating myself beside him. “If you don’t mind, can I ask you something?”

         “Sure.”

         “Do you think human beings can achieve anything?”

         “Many things, yes, but I guess it depends.”

         “What about time travel?”

         Step Two: Quickly segue into the reason for your visit, check.

         “You mean like gravitational time dilation, which is relativity in regard to the passing of time, or like the silly movies with time machines? Because if it’s the latter, I’d say no.”

         I was impressed. I didn’t know he was so astrophysically inclined.

         “Allow me to prove you wrong?”

         “Go ahead,” he said with a smug smile.

         I turned my attention to the main park pathway.

         “You see that jogger coming toward us?” I asked.

         “Yes.”

         “Can you describe what he’s doing?”

         “He’s running along the path with his dog on a leash…now he’s stopping to tie his shoe…the dog’s barking at a squirrel in a tree…and they’re off again.”

         “Look again.”

         I twisted the perimeter of my watch and everything in the park went in reverse, like an old VHS tape after hitting the rewind button. When I let go of my watch, the jogger was further back along the trail. I saw Jesse Spark’s shocked face as the man disappeared from his last position and reappeared where we first saw him. He bent down in the same spot to tie his shoe. His dog barked at the same tree. Everything happened exactly as it had before. Jesse Spark’s smug expression was replaced with a look of horror.

         “What happened?” he said, sliding away from me to the edge of the bench and looking around anxiously.

         “I reversed time by ten seconds.”

         My countdown, however, still ticked away. I had lost those ten seconds, and now only had 24m:51s remaining.

         “I don’t want any trouble, okay?,” he said nervously. “I have a family. What do you want?”

         “To help, Mr. Spark. My name’s Logg. I’ve been sent from the future –”

“Your name’s ‘Logg’?”

“It’s the name I was given when I started working for the DAP. We can’t disclose our real names.”

“The DAP?”

“The Department of Assassination Prevention. I traveled to the past to warn you that you’ll be assassinated during your future presidency.”

Step 3: Promptly get to the point, check.

He sat back against the bench and stared blankly ahead, taking it all in. Some subjects experienced disbelief, sadness, anger, or confusion. As he processed the information the last thing I expected from him was a chuckle.

“Huh. I’ve always toyed with the idea of running but never thought I’d actually do it. So, you want to prevent my death to stop something bad from happening?”

“Well…not exactly.” I started scrolling through the information that Autumn sent to my DAP watch, as I didn’t have everything memorized. Thank goodness this was an era where smart watches were already invented. I didn’t have to be subtle about using it. “Here, I have the numbers. After your death, there was a significant increase in marriage rate, birth rate, church attendance, household income, etc. There was a decrease in crime, poverty, global conflicts, etc.”

“Not to advocate for my demise, but things seem to get better after I’m gone. Why save me, then?”

“The Board examined the trajectory of your influence, and they believe that you can accomplish more in your life than your death if you’re given more time. But, that means you can’t run for office at all. We ran an algorithm, and no matter when you become president, you’ll be killed during your term.”

“Can’t you just tell me the date and time so I can change my plans last minute?”

“Sorry, that’s against policy. The Board says we can’t disclose that information. The pattern of last-second changes throughout history would be too conspicuous and we might get exposed.”

Jesse Spark let out a strained laugh.

“So you mean to tell me that you’re from the future, sent back in time to warn me about my death, but you can’t tell me exactly when because your agency might get revealed to the public? What’s stopping me from reporting you and your DAP to someone right now?”

“Would anyone believe you?”

“Good point,” he conceded.

“Not many people know we even exist. We wouldn’t be very effective if we were a public entity.”

I glanced at my watch: 18m:07s. Yikes. Normally subjects don’t talk so in depth about these topics. I had been caught off guard and didn’t realize I was just chatting away. I needed to get back on track real fast.

Step 4: Remember that you have limited time. Use it wisely.

“Anyway, Mr. Spark –”

“Call me Jesse.”

“Anyway, Jesse, I advise you follow the advice of the DAP. Now, I can answer questions you may have.”  

“If I do as you say, how can you be sure it’ll work?”

“Great question,” I replied, “ and I can give you an example. The DAP, for instance, prevented President Lincoln’s assassination. Because of that, the Civil Rights Act was initiated almost a hundred years sooner, which also prevented the assassination of MLK. We killed two birds with one stone with that one. Or, rather, we saved two birds.”

“Who’s MLK?”

“Oh, that’s right. He’s not famous in your timeline. Never mind. Let me think of a better example…oh! We also stopped the JFK assassination. By doing so, Lyndon Johnson never became president, which minimized our country’s involvement in the Vietnam War and saved thousands of lives.”

“Someone killed Lincoln and Kennedy?”

This was going off the rails. I checked my watch: 14m:49s. Half my time was already gone. What a disaster.

“Mr. Spark, that’s not the point –”

“Jesse. And you didn’t answer my question: How can you be sure it’ll work? How do you know if changing this trajectory will guarantee I can accomplish more in the future?”

I knew I shouldn’t talk about this (due to the stupid Board stipulations), but Jesse was so intuitive and intelligent that I didn’t think I could hide it from him. I also, of course, had a soft spot for him because his death affected me greatly.

12m:23s left.

“There is no guarantee,” I admitted. “We can’t know that. We can only run algorithms for finite events, such as death. We can’t calculate the unknown.”

“So if I were to skip being president and then get hit by a bus and die some day in the future, then my influence wouldn’t be as big anyway, right?”

I nodded solemnly.

“I’m not one to go against fate. If that’s what’s supposed to happen, why should I change that? I’m only one man, after all. We’ve got to think about the bigger picture.”

10m:14s left. He was still not convinced.

“Maybe it’s fate that I was sent to warn you so you can be spared,” I countered.

“Good point,” he said, “but it feels wrong to go against destiny.”

6m:29s. I was getting desperate.

“Mr. Spark, your podcast is very successful. I think if you focus your energy on that and not on a presidential run, it’ll grow even more and you’ll achieve a significant global reach.”

4m:13s.

“But what if –” he started.

“I know you can do so much more if you have more time! You’re one of the most influential people in the world. When I watched you die –” My voice broke.

Normally we interacted with subjects that have been dead long before we were born, but Jesse was here during my lifetime. He had a direct impact on my life. It was so different.

2m:01s.

“Jesse, you mean so much to so many people, including me. The world got darker the day you died. I know you want to do good in the world by becoming president, but you have to choose a different path. Please.”

0m:40s.

“I’m out of time,” I whispered.

“And ‘lost time is never found again’,” Jesse replied.

He held out his hand.

“Thanks for the heads-up. Please, can I know your real name?”

0m:22s.

“Anna,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Thank you, Anna.”

0m:10s.

 Without thinking I quickly wrapped my arms around Jesse’s waist, and for a moment I felt him hug me back before I was ripped away. I went through the rainbow tunnel and was again spat out into darkness.

I open my eyes to see Autumn waiting for me in the Time Chamber.

“Spark’s reach is astronomical, way larger than before!” she reports.

“Thank God,” I exhale heavily. “I thought I didn’t convince him.”

“Well…”

“Where’s Logg?” River shouts as he storms into the Chamber. “What happened back there?”

“Sir?”

“Not only did you fail to prevent the assassination, you also went against company policy countless times! You think you’re the first Jumper to have emotional ties to a subject? I expected you to behave professionally, regardless of your feelings. You know we only get one attempt per subject, and you ruined it. And we never, ever, disclose our real names. The Board is furious!”

“Sir, I only had five hours to –”

“You’re fired, effective immediately. Go clear out your room.”

I’m dumbfounded. I was given an impossible task – a task, I had clearly stated, that I was too unprepared and ill-equipped to properly handle – and fired for not miraculously accomplishing it. Forget the precious Board and all their corporate nonsense.

I go to my office and slam the door loudly behind me. I kick the pile of papers on the coffee table that Autumn had left for me. Who cares? I don’t need read them anymore. I don’t need to go through any more reports or memos or letters in the mail –

I notice the letter from earlier lying near my feet. The waxy stamp on it looks strangely familiar. I rip it open and read the following:

Dear Anna,

I’ve made sure this letter will reach you at the right time, so by now you must know what’s happened. It’s my first day in office, and my countdown has begun.

You said that perhaps it was fate that you were sent to warn me and save my life. I agree that fate was certainly at work, but I believe our interaction was meant to light the spark of the fire that’s burned in me every day since we met.

With the information you gave me I’ll work harder than ever to bring about change for the people in our country and our world. If my death leads to millions of lives being changed for the better, then I can’t risk a different outcome. I can't put myself above all those I hope to help.

Knowing the impact my death has on so many lives, I promise I will make the most of the remainder of my time.

Your Friend,

Jesse Spark