Chronological order: aftermath

**I wake up with a jolt. Something is amiss. I'm lying on the floor. My head is throbbing. I never have a headache. A mindmaster does not do headaches. Being on the floor does happen sometimes, but that usually involves something alive. Someone. I quickly scan the room for any sign of life. None found. There should be. Oh God, I didn't kill anyone, did I? Blood is so hard to get out of the white wooden floor.  The company has resources for that, of course, but the paperwork will get you a worse headache than I have now. At least that can be fixed.**
**I block out the headache from my rational mind. Oh. Apparently a mindmaster does get a headache. That is, when she can't be bothered to use the precautions any sensible person would take when drinking a bottle of... what did I drink? Surely I didn't give the 200 year old whiskey an untimely death? I look around. No. Just a nearly empty bottle of absinthe. Thank God. That explains the memories. Simple hallucinations.**
**I get up from the floor. My cat, Charlotte, walks in from the other room. I stare at her for several seconds. And check again for signs of life. There are several. The only visible one meows at me questioningly. Not hallucinations. I double check myself for traces of blood. Nope, I did not kill, maim or torture someone. It sure is time to begin with that though.**
**I make myself a pot of tea and get comfortable behind my desk. Time for some paperwork.**

### **Complaint form**

**Date of filing complaint form: 21-02-2021**

**Name: Dr Jane, MD**

**Employee status: Intelligence Analyst, The Feed, NWO**

**Employee number: FG74763**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct, Antwerp, Belgium**

**Name of the person(s) against whom the complaint is made: Matrim**

**Employee status: Explorer, Chrononauts, VE**

**Employee number: GT84756**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Please use separate form for every violation**

**Date of act: 20-02-2021**

**Complaint:**

**Violation of Mission Protocol 2.0: Do not employ blatant Inspirational Science unless authorized.**

**Subject has employed an unauthorized blatant Time procedure to place two cats ten years back in time. The two cats, belonging to agent Taylor and agent Jane, were abducted for this purpose. Subject has also used time procedures to foil the security systems of the amalgam in the actual abduction of the cats from my and agent Taylor’s personal appartments. Traces of these procedures have been found. Camera images of subject confessing to the first effect are available.**

### **Complaint form**

**Date of filing complaint form: 21-02-2021**

**Name: Dr Jane, MD**

**Employee status: Intelligence Analyst, The Feed, NWO**

**Employee number: FG74763**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Name of the person against whom the complaint is made: Matrim**

**Employee status: Explorer, Chrononauts, VE**

**Employee number: GT84756**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Please use separate form for every violation**

**Date of act: 20-02-2021 – 21-02-2021**

**Complaint:**

**Intentionally wasting time and resources of the TU.**

**After subject had abducted the cats belonging to agent Taylor and myself, subject made it appear this abduction had been executed by an outside force. Consequently, agent Taylor and myself had to sacrifice our free time to investigate this severe breach of security and to check all security systems of the amalgam. Personnel and equipment of the Construct have been used for this check. For logs of overtime and other costs see attachment B.. Furthermore, after subject was notified of the missing cats and of the ongoing work involved in finding them and in investigating the security breach, subject kept silent.**

### **Complaint form**

**Date of filing complaint form: 21-02-2021**

**Name: Dr Jane, MD**

**Employee status: Intelligence Analyst, The Feed, NWO**

**Employee number: FG74763**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Name of the person against whom the complaint is made: Matrim**

**Employee status: Explorer, Chrononauts, VE**

**Employee number: GT84756**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Complaint form**

**Please use separate form for every violation**

**Date of act: 20-02-2021 – 21-02-2021**

**Complaint:**

**An amalgam may program its own assigned employees and citizens. The members of an amalgam may not affect the programming of other agents.**

**Charlotte, as my personal companion, has been programmed by me. The second sentence of above regulation can be interpreted in two ways. Both that a member of an amalgam is not allowed to interfere with the programming instilled in a fellow agent and that a member of an amalgam is not allowed to interfere with the programming executed by a fellow agent. Agent Matrim had done the latter.**

### **Complaint form**

**Date of filing complaint form: 21-02-2021**

**Name: Dr Jane, MD**

**Employee status: Intelligence Analyst, The Feed, NWO**

**Employee number: FG74763**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Name of the person against whom the complaint is made: Matrim**

**Employee status: Explorer, Chrononauts, VE**

**Employee number: GT84756**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Please use separate form for every violation**

**Date of act: 20-02-2021- 21-02-2021**

**Complaint:**

**Charlotte is a valuable asset in the programming of assigned employees and citizens. By abducting her, agent Matrim has endangered the programming of said employees and citizens. This goes against the regulations in the Programming Procedure and Social Conditioning**

### **Complaint form**

**Date of filing complaint form: 21-02-2021**

**Name: Dr Jane, MD**

**Employee status: Analyst, NWO**

**Employee number: FG74763**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Name of the person against whom the complaint is made: Matrim**

**Employee status: Explorer, VE**

**Employee number: GT84756**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Please use separate form for every violation**

**Complaint:**

**Stealing of property of coworkers.**

**Subject has abducted the cats belonging to me and agent Taylor. This goes against local law.**

### **Complaint form**

**Date of filing complaint form: 21-02-2021**

**Name: Dr Jane, MD**

**Employee status: Intelligence Analyst, The Feed, NWO**

**Employee number: FG74763**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Name of the person against whom the complaint is made: Matrim**

**Employee status: Explorer, Chrononauts, VE**

**Employee number: GT84756**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Please use separate form for every violation**

**Complaint:**

**Intentionally causing emotional distress to fellow agents.**

**Subject has abducted valuable personal belongings of fellow technocratic agents. This is a threat to the emotional stability of these agents. This distress is enhanced in the case of an enhanced emotional attachment, such as an agent has with his companion. Agent Taylor and myself both needed to use Mind procedures to retain emotional stability.**

### **Complaint form**

**Date of filing complaint form: 21-02-2021**

**Name: Dr Jane, MD**

**Employee status: Intelligence Analyst, The Feed, NWO**

**Employee number: FG74763**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Name of the person against whom the complaint is made: Matrim**

**Employee status: Explorer, Chrononauts, VE**

**Employee number: GT84756**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Please use separate form for every violation**

**Date of act: 20-02-2021 – 21-02-2021**

**Complaint**

**Subject severely hindered another convention. Subject has interfered with the work of an NWO agent. Subject has taken away a valuable asset of the NWO, thereby potentially harming research being done.**

### **Complaint form**

**Date of filing complaint form: 21-02-2021**

**Name: Dr Jane, MD**

**Employee status: Intelligence Analyst, The Feed, NWO**

**Employee number: FG74763**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Name of the person against whom the complaint is made: Matrim**

**Employee status: Explorer, Chrononauts, VE**

**Employee number: GT84756**

**Place of stationing: Antwerp Construct**

**Please use separate form for every violation**

**Date of act: 20-02-2021 – 21-02-2021**

**Complaint**

**Subject openly questioned the methods of an NWO agent and took it upon himself to ‘’correct’ these methods, completely ignoring the correct and agreed upon methods of correction that are available to him, such as filing a complaint, discussing it with the agent in question or discussing it with his superior officer. This shows a disconcerting lack of faith in the Technocratic Union.**

### Aftermath

**‘All done, dear.’ Patricia pats the fluffy cat who is trying to catch her computer mouse. ‘Time to give you some attention now.’**

**Time. Something in the back of her mind tries to get her attention, as if it has been hidden badly. While drunk perhaps. Oh fuck. Patricia looks down at her phone. Apparently she sent some messages.**
**`Hey, for some reason or another I'm having time travelling kittens. Do you want one? I'm sure you can find the time to take care of it.'**
**`You can pick it up anytime you want.'**
'**I'm sure I can count on you being perfectly on time.'**

**The next day, Patricia walks into Matrim’s office. She drops a bunch of complaints in front of him.**

**Patricia gives him a friendly smile. `You have two options. I can be a good little technocrat and file these. Of course, you are seen as mad already, so your career won't come to harm. Probably. Obviously you just need some therapy. And the NWO can help you with that.’**
**‘Or we cut out the middleman. Solve our own problems. You ruined my weekend. You spoiled the only chance I had to destress that weekend. But we can solve that. I have perfected some destressing methods. I do need your help with that though. Don't worry, I won't hurt you.’**
**The wards on room 101 are on. Especially the time wards. As Matrim enters, his gaze wanders nervously around. He notices the whip, given to her by captain 'Definitely not a marauder'. There are some coins under a soundproof stolp.**

'**You can listen to them, if you want to.' He decides not to.**

**She continues, `I simply wanted to show you what I do for fun. So you can imagine what I do with people who intentionally try to harm me. Have a seat. Would you like some tea?’**

**Matrim sits down and accepts the tea. Charlotte nuzzles against him, and climbs on his lap, purring enthusiastically. Patricia pushes a button, upon which a mirror transforms into a window. He sees his coworker Sophie, wearing a short skirt sitting on an operating table, smiling. Patricia opens the door to the little operating table.**

'**Hello.’ Patricia begins, ‘Are you sure you want to do this? No change of mind?'**

**`No. This is pretty weird though, you know.'**

'**Yes. But a little cooperation whereby both of us gain something is preferable to animosity though, isn’t it? Shall I start?'**

**The woman nods. Patricia takes a scalpel and starts to cut an intricate geometric pattern on her shins.**

**Matrim watches in the other room, not daring to disturb the purring cat.**