The Leaf

Justice

Raymond

"Terrorist?" Claire couldn't quite imagine it. "What does that mean?"

Raymond found it difficult to find the words, "You know, when someone hates society so much that they want to see it burn. They feel it went the wrong way and it's up to them to fix it. Fanatics." He only knew because of the logs.

Claire didn't answer, making the night too still.

"So they try and they fail to keep us all down. The Great Blackout was organized by a group of hackers who tried to erase the History Logs. They got away with a lot before being apprehended. They were smart, targeting mainly audio, which is the most difficult to reproduce. We are still recovering data, but most of the sound is lost forever. We know what the conversations were about, how people looked and moved while they had them, but never exactly what was said."

"And... why does it matter?"

"It's dangerous for us to behave unscripted -- like you and Tony never did. I could get caught. Because of The Great Blackout, at least we don't have to talk the same lines. Also because of it, there is a gap the History Logs don't cover in your timeline at all -- absolutely no information. Set twenty-eight hours from now, after your friend Nico's dinner party. There will be more over time, but this one is the closest."

Claire tensed at his knowledge of the future. All the information was on a hard drive in his head, ready to be queried for his mission. There was no question mark.

"Then we can be ourselves, talk more, make more plans. Until then, we must imitate you and Tony's actions as faithfully as possible."

"So I need to stay silent and trust you?" She was way too calm if she didn't already.

Raymond kept his voice steady, he knew how she winced when Wesley got angry, and how his lies made his voice pour honey on every word. His plan was to go the other route: full honesty. Live with the consequences.

"I'll prove it." He knew he had to get on with the more difficult part. Convincing Claire Wesley to play the part of the wife.

"You will receive a phone call, tomorrow at 2:07 PM. It will be Nico, inviting us over. A dinner party. That night a glitch happens, lasting until the next morning. As long as we don't influence anyone else, we can do whatever we want in that time. I suggest we take that time to stay home alone and get used to each other."

"Get used to each other?" Claire asked, then verified, "You mean to get to know each other?"

"That too," Raymond went in easy. No need to scare her.

"I'm tired," she said as if applauding his decision. It had been a lot to take in.

"Try to get some sleep. Decide after that phone call."

No need to force anyone into anything. If Claire wanted to, she would help him. If not, he would fail.

The best part about growing up in a society that manipulated time was the full confidence that if he broke something, someone would fix it, repair Claire's life. The only person Raymond would hurt was himself.

Claire

The next morning, Ton--Raymond walked into the bedroom in a familiar suit, made for a day at the office, his watch shining gold.

"I'm leaving for work," he said from the bedroom's door. Usually, Claire got up earlier than Tony or didn't sleep at all so this type of goodbye was rare. She smiled, moving strands of hair to see him better. The suit was her husband's, but the friendly face wasn't.

"How will you do Tony's job?" Claire didn't care, she just wanted to know more about the man from the future.

"It's called an auto-pilot. Everything Tony Wesley would do or say -- has done and said that day. Handles his cases exactly like he would -- talk with his few work friends like he would."

Meet up with his girlfriends like he would.

"What time will you be back?" she didn't want to think about it.

"Late, apparently he also visits his lover this evening. A stripper," Raymond said in an even voice as if verifying her reaction.

Claire didn't have anything to say to that.

"I will also use my auto-pilot there," he assured her -- as if it made any difference. Then explained, "We're evolved, where I'm from. A lot of wiring and enhancements added. We don't process the world the way you do. I speak any known language," he boasted. "We access a lot of information, never having to learn it. Parts of our minds that are separate. I'm gonna watch a movie or something while my body colors to match his tattoos, but I don't have to participate. It's all Tony," he said. "It's how I drive, your cars don't make sense to me."

Claire smiled into the pillow, despite herself, as he continued:

"It was actually one of my possibilities, with you. To keep the auto-pilot until the glitch at least. It would've been the most ethical route, as it had been your original choice to live like that."

Her stomach tightened at the thought of Tony's eyes down her ever again, angry over something she'd done wrong. The fear that coated every move she made around the house. Afraid to say no to him.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't want that," Raymond straightened, not very convincingly imitating Tony. "To pretend I was him would've led to consent-problematic situations, like last night," an eyebrow went up to tease her. "So," he became serious, "The truth became my only option."

"Never use Tony's auto-pilot on me," Claire had to say out loud. "No matter what." She never wanted to see her husband again.

He nodded, "I see that you believe me, and your friend hasn't called yet."

"Well at this point, I believe that you believe it," she allowed. "We'll see how far gone I am. I keep thinking it's all a prank and I'll be on TV as the woman who believed in time travel."

Raymond smiled at her sting.

"We'll talk more tonight," he left her. "Don't miss that phone call."

There was no way Claire would fail at such a simple task after all she went through with Tony. She watched her cellphone until 2:07 PM, knowing it would ring.

Still, when it did, her eyes widened reading Nico's caller ID and social media profile. Hands trembling, Claire answered.