The Moment That Started It All

CONTENT WARNING: There is a gun in one of the scenes. And talk of an animal being shot and killed.

I leaned back on the bench, turning my face away from the unrelenting heat. The sweltering springtime sun reflected off my red hair, making it look like my hair was smoldering in embers. I hoped I wouldn’t have to wait much longer; my ride was already late.

“You’d think of all people, YOU would make it on time.” I said standing, as a woman in a dark gray sundress sauntered close.

“I got held up.” Her voice was slow and deliberate, her soft lilting accent smoothed over the untold lie.

“Got held up, huh?” I tried to pull the sarcasm from my tone, but it wasn’t quite erased. “Well, you’re finally here.”

“You got my message.”

I rolled my eyes, “No shit, Sherlock. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

Where my eyes rolled, her eyes flashed with something akin to… it wasn’t anger, exactly. She looked at me the way an adult would look at a petulant child. “Let’s go. You’re already late, hurry up.”

“Cate” I all but growled at her. But she had already started walking away. I rushed to catch up, falling into step with her. “What’s the objective?” I ask.

“This one’s big, Nikki.” Words tumbled from her mouth as she faced me. “Extinction Level Event, big. E.L.E.” I blanched, feeling all of the air rush from every corner of my lungs.

“Haven’t had one of these in a long time.” I did what I do best when I’m scared as shit, make jokes. “What was it last time, preventing the assassi-”

“Shh!” She grabbed my arm and pinched a bruise into the soft flesh of my upper arm. “Shut up.”

“Ow. Cate!” I pulled away roughly. I knew I shouldn’t be talking, not in the middle of a mission briefing, but I couldn’t help myself.

Cate chose to ignore me. Her soft voice became harder, “We have identified The Moment.”

“No you haven’t.” I scoffed, laughing directly toward Cate. “It’s not possible, we’ve been searching for centuries. They’re now saying that there was no one single incident; that a lot of things contributed to the collapse.”

“Nikki, we found the moment it all went wrong.” Cate whispered. I believed her.

My knees started shaking, the implications if we did find a singular moment, and I got to be the traveler, were huge. There were only a few travelers in the world and to be the ones chosen to stop the collapse before it happens.

“Cate” My lips trembled as I croaked out her name, “Cate, we could prevent all of this.” I gestured to everything. The landscape looked dismal. There was no green anywhere, it was too hot now. There was no more natural water, we only had lab created water, and that was rationed daily. While most of the ancient buildings had long been destroyed and built over, a few still stood, crumbling and decrepit.

“When am I going to?” I asked urgently.

“2016. A city called Cincinnati.” Cate beckons to me to slow down, “The Agency found the Moment where it can all be prevented. The wars, the nuclear winter, the famine and plagues, the fall of the American Empire. All of it. You must save a gorilla named Harambe.”

I didn’t know what I was expecting, but a gorilla wasn’t it. I had never seen a gorilla. Nobody had, they were as mythical as unicorns and dragons. “Harambe?”

“Yes, Harambe was a gorilla who was murdered by his human caretaker, because a child got into the enclosure,” Cate breathed hard out of her nose, fury rising. “They created a cage to look like a gorilla’s habitat and then paraded people up to the cage to stare and take pictures. Then shockingly, a small child got in. The gorilla grabbed the child and dragged him around. The caretaker shot and murdered Harambe for being a wild animal in a cage.”

“What is the child’s name? Was the child injured?” I asked quietly.

“Emerson, he made a full recovery.” She responded, “He isn’t your target. The gorilla is. The message was: Save Harambe, save the world. The Agency has ordered that Harambe be saved, but the child must still be allowed to fall into the cage. It is imperative everything happens naturally until the decision is being made to shoot or not shoot. They believe it was the decision to shoot that changed the trajectory of humanity, that doomed us to this hell hole. We can’t let it happen again. You can’t let Harambe die.”

“Got it. Save the kid, save the gorilla, save the world. Don’t get caught.” I said, as though we were talking about a grocery list.

Cate nodded and pulled some paper out of her pocket. I accepted currency from the 21st century known as the American Dollar and it came in such random increments. 1’s 5’s 10’s 20’s 50’s and 100’s. I couldn’t believe any paper money still existed, especially from centuries ago. I couldn’t believe the ancient north americans would trade paper for things of actual value.

“What’s the angle?” I asked, Cate was the mastermind behind the mission. She was fated to travel through time. With a bit of concentration and a flick of her wrist, Cate could open a rip in the fabric of time. The rip would allow her to travel. She could visit the exact place she was, at any point in the timeline, past or future. And she had to bring one person, and one person only: me.

“By any means necessary.”

I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves. “Okay, let’s go save the world.”

Cate reached for my waist, “Ready?” She flicked her wrist and the air beside us became electric. I would never get used to the feeling of walking into an electric storm, hoping we wouldn’t get shocked. With another flit of her wrist, what can only be described as a seam appeared in the air. Cate took the knife from her pocket and slashed the seam open; before anything could slide out, Cate pulled me into the seam, and out of our world.

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, as I had learned long ago. I knew when I opened my eyes, I would see the carousel spinning, the carousel we were now on. I opened my eyes, the room was dark, except for the lights coming from the ride, and the ripped-open seams that surrounded the carousel from me and from other travelers.

This was the In-Between. Where our Visitors were waiting. Cate was my Visitor. She can visit other times, but only I could travel in them. It took a few minutes before I could feel Cate preparing to rip a new hole, one for me, and only me to step through.

“Ready?” She yelled into my ear, over the noise. I nod, though now I wished I’d paid more attention in history class. She sliced through the fabric before us, and a cool breeze rushes around us and I open my eyes in surprise. I hadn’t felt a cool breeze… ever. Our travels had never taken me somewhere beautiful.

The blazing sun I was used to, but the sounds of laughing children, the smell of grass and flowers, and animal dung that lingered in the air, those were as foreign as another language. I stopped and stared, uncomprehendingly. This looks exactly like the picture books with blue skies, flowers, and a breeze that chilled rather than baked. I peered around me, looming high above me, in a beautiful arch, stood a gate which read: "Cincinnati Zoo.” I wasn’t sure how much time I had, so I approached the gate’s entrance.

“One to see Harambe, please.” I said quietly.

“That’ll be $22.50” The attendant muttered, likely for the thirtieth time today.

I looked at the bills before me. Familiar as I was, I would never feel confident using the Dollar. Still, I pulled out a twenty and a five dollar bill. I passed money through the window and walked through the doors, with my ticket in hand. “Thank you.”

I could feel my heart start to pound as I turned and saw a shimmer in the air where Cate, my best friend and companion held the seam shut until my mission was done.

My palms grew sweaty, and my breath came in short hard bursts. I could feel it, it’s time. I followed the crowd moving deeper into the zoo’s landscape. We followed signs pointing toward the primate exhibit; I kept a look out for a mythical gorilla who would change the world. The sounds of excitement grew with each step closer, and the tension in the air surrounding me was thick.

I felt it before I saw it. A majestic creature of legends, right here in front of me. A male and two female gorillas sat lazily in the sun. I siddled closer to the fence line, eyes peeled for the offending child. Twice I thought we were a go as a child wandered from their grown up and toward the fence; but both times I was wrong. The third time, there was no doubt. Every hair on my body stood, as a wave of electricity coursed through me. A small boy of maybe three years was sneaking under the fence and diving into the bushes.

Let the kid get caught. Stop the shooting. How do I stop the handler from shooting? I thought desperately, I wished at that moment that Catie and I had planned this part at all.

“Oh my god.” The person next to me mumbled under her breath. Her hand covered her pale mouth, which was agape in horror. Her other hand pointed into the enclosure. Slowly, it seemed, people started noticing the boy, until all at once, everyone could see.

The little boy's voice pierced the air as he tumbled into a 15-foot trench, built presumably to stop this very thing from happening. Screams from onlookers grew louder than even the boys scream.

I bolted over the fence and was met with the same heavy bushes the boy had crawled through. I struggled to shove my adult frame through the branches. Cuts and scratches opened with each renewed push and shove until finally, I saw a small path that traveled the length of the bush on the ground. The screaming was becoming raucous.

“Let him go!”

“Over here”

“No!”

I shimmied the rest of the way out of the bush as Harambe pushed the boy into the ground. Hard.

I looked up and saw the gorilla handler had issued the signal to the animals which called them back to their closed enclosure. The two female gorillas obeyed where Harambe was only interested in the boy. Harambe started shaking him roughly.

“Harambe, come!” screamed the handler with his rifle out and trained on Harambe.

I really should have come up with a plan! I thought frantically as I approached the concrete trench. I was prepared to slide down when a whistle blew shrilly and loud from inside the enclosure.

“Harambe, NO!” shouted several of the trainers and handlers, fear etched into their faces. The little boy was no longer screaming. For a moment, I forgot I already knew the boy would survive unscathed. My heart beat in my throat.

While attention was trained elsewhere, I slid quickly down the mote, crouched down and ran along the bottom of the trench, toward the man with the rifle. As I closed in on him, I debated whether tackling him would be the best move or if I should reason with him. In the end, I chose both.

“No! Don’t shoot!” I said, crouching down. Momentum kept me moving forward as I plowed my shoulder into the man’s abdomen with the force of a great typhoon. A loud bang rang out, deafening my hearing. In a mess of limbs, the man and I collided with the concrete sidewalk, knocking air from my lungs.

Before the handler could gather his bearings, I stood and whirled toward the boy and the gorilla. What would I do now?

“We can resolve this without bloodshed.” I pleaded with the man. He reached for his rifle again. This would be it. The moment would make or break our future. And according to the natural law of time travel, we would only get one shot at this. “Please, let's save the boy and Harambe. Please.”

The handler, whose uniform heralded the name Jax, looked up at me, and then over at Harambe who had pulled the boy close and held him in what looked like a tight, but tender cuddle. “Please. If we work together, we can save the world.”

Jax nodded, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. I reached down and pulled him to his feet. Together, we sprinted back the way I’d come toward Harambe. “What’s your plan?” Jax asked.

“Plan… Plan? I’m pantsing this.” I huffed out my breath, I had never been a runner, though I was getting a lot more practice these days.

“Pantsing?” Jax breathed beside me, barely showing distress at the run.

“Flying by the seat of my pants, Jax. Pantsing. If you have any ideas, I’m all ears!” I shouted at him.

“I’ll get Harambe’s attention, you get the kid.” He said decisively. There. A plan!

Jax ran to the right of Harambe and I swung left, back down the trench.

“Hey! OVER HERE!” Jax yelled, swinging his arms and inching closer. Silverback Gorillas are way bigger than you imagine. I was shocked to see the size of his paws, and equally shocked that this boy not only survived, but made a full recovery.

“Throw some treats at him!” I hollered. I took a small step closer to the boy. “Look at me kiddo. Over here. You and me. We’re going to get you out of here. Can you wiggle loose?” I used my calmest and steadiest voice. He shakes his tiny head no.

I couldn’t see what Jax was doing, but I appreciated whatever it was, it was keeping Harambe’s attention from me and the boy, allowing me to creep closer and closer until I was a few feet away.

“Are you ready?” I called to both Jax and the boy. Both shook their heads no. Jax held up a giant stuffed sloth and squeezed its middle in short staccato squeezes. Squeak! Squeak! Harambe startled and was instantly alert. I took a deep breath. I watched Jax to time our attack right. At the next Squeak, Squeak, I lunged forward, grabbed the boy and pulled with all of my strength. What surprised me was that it took very little effort, Harambe dropped the boy as I wrenched him, and walked toward Jax. There was no aggression in his movement. The moment had passed.

At that moment, several zookeepers and workers charged into the enclosure, ushering a very content Harambe who was playing with his giant sloth stuffy, back toward the building. I pushed the boy gently toward a matronly looking woman and I stepped back. While attention was on the boy and Jax, I slipped silently the way they had all come.

“Hey! We need a statement.” A voice echoed behind me. I took off running toward the entrance, searching for the shimmer which would indicate my escape route. I nearly missed it, but there in the shadows behind the entrance gate the rip in time opened. I could see Cate but I could hear Jax running fast after me.

With a final push of energy, I jumped as hard as I could and dove into the rip, catching Cate around the hips. Jax was right behind me, stretching to catch me. I kicked hard, connecting with Jax’s chest. Everything then happened both faster than I could follow, and slow enough that I couldn’t miss it: Jax came through the seam with me. The three of us tumbled into the carousel of time, and for once it was completely silent. Around us, all of the rips were stitching themselves back together.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Cate shouted over and over again. We had never had a stowaway, and per the rules of engagement, we could not return to that moment. Jax was as good as dead to his time.

“Wha… What the hell is this?” Jax asked faintly before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted.

“What the hell is this?” Cate echoed, facing me with fury. “We can’t get him home!”

“I know, Cate. I didn’t invite him here. If you remember from 5 seconds ago, he followed me!” I defended myself. “We could just drop him off… anywhere?”

Cate looked scandalized. “We would be altering time… No. We have to bring him home with us. It’s the only way.” She took a shaky breath before continuing. “You did it. You actually did it! Not only did you save the boy, but you saved Harambe! You saved the world!”

“We did it. I would never be able to travel without you.” I countered, tears streaming down my cheeks. I stood up, and pulled Cate up with me. Jax’s eye fluttered open.

“This is impossible.” He said with such emotion, I almost believed that it WAS impossible. He stood up with shaky legs and turned in a full circle. “I haven’t seen this carousel in a long, long time.”

The End