INTERLUDE
I am sitting in a chair, on the balcony of an outstanding villa, all covered in pink marbles, in the shining city of Time City.
After the glowing man disappeared, a XVIII century chariot arrived, driven by some sort of future robot, and brought me here.
A butler made way for me to this place, offered me a drink, that I, still in ghost form, I wasn’t able even to take it in my hand, and then went away.
An undetermined amount of time passed before the butler returned, announcing the arrival of Hir, a name I heard before, but that at the moment didn’t ring a bell in my head.
And “Hir” finally arrives. It’s a very peculiar being. Definitely humanoid, but with feature so undefined that it is impossible to determine his sex. And a… plastic and metal look that denounces its being a robot.
“Mr. Daneel Olivaw, I suppose” I say, smiling, standing up from my chair.
The artificial being stop for a moment, than says: “R. Daneel Olivaw, created by Isaac Asimov, in the novel The Caves of Steel, XX century Earth, science fiction. No, I’m not him, but you are not really far. I am the Time Trust, Edulcore Cicciotto”.
“My pleasure. Is this Heaven or Hell?” Then the name hit the right part of my brain. “Wait… the Time Trust, you said? I have heard that name… at Malvan-X, from Doctor Quantos! With the future myself!”
“Just I said earlier, Cicciotto, future, like past or present, have no significance here.”
“What’s this place? Why did you bring me here?”
“Cicciotto, this is Time City. It’s a place outside the timestream, a city where the heroes finds rest when they are tired of their adventure. It’s a legendary place, known with different names across the universes and the eons: Atlantis, Avalon, Hi Breasyl, Mu, Tanelorn, Numinor, Zipangu, New York…”
“New York is real!” I protest.
“For you, in your particular time and place. Just like Atlantis has been for the humans of the year –20000, in a different Earth than yours. But New York is a legend for many Earths, and many epochs. For your second question: I need you. Better: the timestream needs you. You should know.”
“You mean… I am here to take the role of the future Eurostar?”
“Future is a word with no meaning. I need you for some mission, just like I use many other heroes for others one”.
“Why?”
“Why I’ve chosen you? Because your friends, and yourself, trust you. Sending another one, or myself, could cause/have caused/will cause diffidence in your friends, with possible paradoxes and such”.
“But why me, and not, let’s say, Kristogar?
“You are the leader, Eurostar. Your friend are accustomed to hear you and trust you”.
“Who is the leader now? I mean, after me, who… ehm… was/is/will be the leader of our band?”
The android slightly smiles at my choice of verbs. “The first choice was to not have a leader.”
“And then?”
“Only time knows, Edulcore.”
“But you are time!”
“Yes. But I’m not telling” says the Time Trust, smiling.
