Time Engineers

Just like that?

Atlas could feel intensity from her eyes. Pressure was effective and it made him doubt himself if it was a good idea to ask a random woman that he had never met. However, he was concerned about his own fate. Even though, he could get rejected and she could be fatally mean to him; that's the only way for him to trust her.

"I hope she doesn't think that i am a pervert." he thought since she was silent for several minutes.

"Okay." and she started to take off her jacket and rest of her own clothes after taking her wrist back with a sudden pull.

"J-just like THAT?"

"Yeah, just like that. Never seen a naked woman or something?"

Atlas felt a bit ashamed of himself and turned around as she was taking her clothes off.

"I was wet anyway. Thanks to someone who told me to not to bring anything!" she was complaining and Atlas could hear the sound of bra being taken off and falling on the floor.

"I- I did not even think you could take me that seriously." he murmured.

"You told me to take off and now you are running away from meeting my eyes?" she sounded mockingly.

"Tsk- Fine fine... I know you want me to look at you that badly."

Unreal and meaningless words would always fall from his mouth to cope with these situations. She was aware of that but still, she felt strange about his answer. Atlas turned to her and looked at her body. He started to observe very quickly and turned around her just to see wet naked body. He suddenly stopped behind her and took of his hoodie. She felt uncomfortable and she wanted to turn around but before that he put his gray hoodie on her.

"Sorry about that. just wear this for now. We have a lot to talk about." he said wtihout letting her look at his face.

She pulled the hoodie as much as she can to cover her bottom parts. Even her panties was wet because of the rain. She cleaner her throat and watched Atlas going to the table to sit. She also pulled the hood on her head to feel more comfortable and put her hands in the pockets.

A calm moment happened. Silence came back and filled the room. Sincerity could be felt in between without knowing each other. She walked right behid the empty seat and looked at Atlas' eyes that was observing her.

"My name is Noémie." she said with a quiet voice. Slight French accent could be heard. She pulled the chair back to sit on it. She made sure her naked butt was not directly touching the chair's surface.

"Who are you?" was her next sentence.

"I am Atlas Kün; but sometimes my family called me 'Zamansız' "

"Do you work?"

"I am still a student. I wonder if i can find a job..." he sounded pessimistic.

"Why were you at Sechseläuten square?"

"I've told you before. I went there to repair, right?"

"What exactly you mean by repair? What did you need to repair for you to come all the way from Turkey?"

"I was there to fix time."

She took off the hood and leaned forward to hear better.

"Did i understand correct? You said time?"

"Yeah, i was there to fix time. I knew somewhere over there a crack would open. I just did not know the altitude."

Noémie seemed confused. Her mind was refusing to understand the term 'time'.

"So, you mean you were there to fix time because what happened? Reports tell me that you attacked a police officer."

"Time cracked open to vacuum everything in the world and the world. Therefore, i had to be there on 'time' to fix the time. Police officer would die if she kept following as you knew the rad levels in the area and i vacuumed the entire rad levels so you guys could use that beautiful square of yours again."

"You are claiming that time is broken and opening some kind of white-blue blackhole types cracks to destroy the entire world? Why not the solar system then? Why not its bigger? Why are you doing this and how do you know it?"

Atlas grinned as he leaned back.

"You are asking too quickly. I can not answer all your questions or i die."

Noémie was not convinced but she needed enough information about the incident. Real or not anything related to that crack would work fine but Atlas seemed the only person who knows about it.

"Then tell me as much as you can."

Atlas nodded as he continued to speak:

"I am a time engineer. That's the first thing you need to know."

"wha-" Atlas silenced her with putting his finger on her lips.

"I promise, i will tell as much as I can and remember. I know you are focused on your job and need information. Therefore, you even took risk to come here alone and get naked. I will not disappoint anyone who devotes their life to their job. As I do to being time engineer."

He pulled his finger back.

"So, I am a time engineer and my reason to born is to detect time cracks and fix them before they destroy the world. I can not leak any information how i do it because it is forbidden by future. Any attempt of present stealing information from engineers would result death of the engineer."

She raised her hand to stop him speaking. Atlas sighed as he thought she is too curious but let her speak.

"There are more people like you? Ehm- Time Engineers..."

"Yes, there are always specific number of us in the world to prevent these time errors. And, before you ask about how 'future' forbid us... Let me explain. We are not allowed to share information and we do not have will to do that since the life was given us by the future. If present tries to extract information from a time engineer; time engineer would kill himself with a method i can not share. If a time engineer's body is examined, no trace could be found because we are humans as much as you. However, i am immune to radioactivity and my genetics are coded by them to be able to deal this fight. These genes will self-destroy themselves to prevent any information leak before the time."

"But, why would this 'future' you mentioned make time engineers born in this time. It sounds extremely stupid as i sounded like i believe in time travel."

"I can not tell you that but I can tell you if you do not let me do my work time crack will destroy the world. If you try to take it my knowledge by force, i will die and again destruction."

"Why would they risk this much?"

"Future played gamble with their past which is present. If present steals information and learn new technologies before their time, future will change and die; but present survives. However, if present tries and lose even some of the time engineers; future and present will die together.

Therefore, if present takes the risk to steal the future's information, they will face immense dilemma. They can survive by stealing the information but if they fail both present and future dies. And, let me tell you. All time engineers are willing to die for the cause since their birth."

Noémie was thinking about all the things Atlas said. It could be either real or a huge lie. However, incident was supporting his claims about who he was and the immense radioactivity... He would already commit bad, if he was bad. At least, that's what she was believing for now.

"Future is threatening present to keep them away from their way. Why would anyone steal, if that's the case?"

"Humans are greedy, Noémie. They will steal anything to be better than the other. Future knows this very well because they've experienced it to come that far."