Arnesto Modesto: The World's Most Ineffectual Time Traveler

Safety in Numbers

San Francisco, California

Sunday, September 9, 2001

2:30 a.m.

Arnesto parked his car and opened his laptop. He looked for unsecured wireless connections and found the same three networks he had found there a week earlier. Once his computer connected to the first network on the list, he created a new Hotmail account. He then opened up the text file he had been working on for years and copied the contents into the email. First came the list of recipients which he had acquired over the past many months. The list began with high-ranking members of the security team at Logan and Newark International Airports and included a smorgasbord of names from the FBI, CIA, the White House, the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and others, twenty-nine names in all. Arnesto, initially concerned with having "too many cooks in the kitchen," thought the call to action would be more likely heeded with a larger number of readers.

Next came the subject and body of the email. The email detailed, as best as he could remember, events set to unfold just two days later. The information was incomplete, to be sure, but what could he do?

He read the email over a few more times, but the words were so familiar to him now that it was difficult to be objective. It was the wee hours of the morning, and he was in a poorly lit neighborhood more than fifty miles from home. However, with the light from his laptop screen illuminating his face, he didn't want to linger.

Arnesto looked around but didn't see anyone spying on him. Even if he did get caught, how much trouble could he possibly be in for tipping off a major attack? Too much. Even the slightest notice could hinder him going forward, and he had some big events coming up.

He took a few deep breaths as he read the email one last time. Why was he hesitating? Did he subconsciously remember one more detail he could add? He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but nothing new came to mind. In fact, he hadn't remembered anything new about this particular incident in eight years. It was for the best. At this point, he was risking planting some fake memory in his head. Memories are fickle that way.

He opened his eyes, took one more deep breath, and clicked, "Send."

* * *

Security Officer Ray Carroll was already getting ready for work when the call came.

"Are you coming into work now?" It was the chief.

"Yeah, I was just getting ready," Ray said.

"I figured. Do what you gotta do, but get here as soon as you're able. See you soon."

"Roger that." Ray hung up the phone then saw his wife Erin looking at him with a concerned expression on her face.

"Trouble at work?" she asked.

"Sounds like it."

"Are you in trouble?"

"No. Well... I don't think so. Why would you jump to that conclusion?"

"I'm sorry!" she chuckled. "But be safe today, okay?" He smiled as he walked over to her, placing her arms around his waist then laying his hands on her shoulders.

"Only today?" he asked with a wry grin.

"Go," she said as she gently pushed him away and walked back into the kitchen.

After a long commute through the insufferable Boston morning traffic - Will they ever finish the Big Dig? - Ray arrived at his workplace in the security offices of Logan International. The chief spotted him right away.