Cursed Bones

Chapter 2: My big fat Greek adventure

I stagger, blinking as light shines directly into my eyes. We're standing in the middle of a street. In Greece, some two thousand odd years ago.
"Good to be home," I say, in Latin. Greece was my first jump, supervised by Rush. Parthenon protection runs are fairly common in our trade. Doesn't make it any less spectacular. The particular smell of the city, the cobblestones beneath my feet. My seven year old self pouring through I, Claudius by flashlight wouldn't believe our wildest dreams have come true.
"Parthenon is that way, do we really think he's just going to be loitering about waiting for rescue?" She asks, nodding ahead. We're both speaking fluently in Latin, but we keep our voices low as our conversation isn't for other's ears.
"Not remotely," I say, shaking my head, as we shift through the crowds. It's not a festival day or anything like that. But the streets are still merry and full. I love Ancient Greece, I live off olive oil, bread, cheese, and figs normally, so this is completely fine. No we're not supposed to eat anything if we can help it. For longer jumps we're sent with a pack of food. This was an emergency. I still eat things anyway sometimes, sometimes to keep up the disguise, sometimes because I'm hungry.
"Can you still get in?" She asks.
"Yeah they think Rush and I are priests still I was here last year, for them, a few months ago for me should be fine," I say.
"Look, I know you two split up—,"
"And we don't talk about it," I reply.
"I noticed. But the thing is you split up a few months ago then he goes missing?"
"What, you're implying I have something to do with it?" I ask.
"I'm implying, that in a normal missing person's case, recently ending a relationship then going missing is telling," she says, "It's none of my business but now he is missing. You don't have to tell the others it's just me asking, do you know—anything—that might help us?"
I sigh, I appreciate that she asked not in front of Doc and Riker, however, "I don't know. No."
"Look I know you were roommates, then you were a thing, then you weren't, then he moved out a few weeks ago—which is whatever and normally I wouldn't ask about the reason for the break up but—seriously, was he seeing anyone?" Anna asks.
"No, I mean not that I know of. No, that's not why we fell out," I say, "Also we're not that fallen out we work together like, every other week."
"Yeah I know," she says, "You're adults it happens. The point is you literally lived with him, and now he's missing. Was he angry, upset about anything in his personal life, anything that might explain why he didn't jump back?"
"No," I say, "I don't know. I mean yes we'd broken up. It wasn't—polite at the time. I don't know why he'd disappear."
"I'm sorry, I just want any clues," she says.
"No you're fine, I'd do the same it—I know it sounds odd. He didn't tell me things. I'd never met his family," I say, "Nothing. He was very quiet you've met him, that's it. Did all of you go this mad that time my cuff failed?"
"No, we automatically assumed you were having a really good time in Middle Ages Kent and probably joining a war and Rush said he'd go fetch you," she says.
"Thanks a lot," I glare.
"Fin. That's literally what you were doing."
"You have me there."
The Parthenon is glorious as ever. Complete, and no statues or bits of marble missing. It's beautiful. Teaming with people, the white marble shining in the early afternoon light. Anna stands next to me, enjoying the sight of it.
But as I scan the crowd, no familiar face. Rush should be sitting on the steps this is a few hours from when he was supposed to jump back. The protocol is to remain in position for the rescue crew to come and find you.
"Do we think is cuff didn't work and he's—trapped in another time?" I ask.
"It doesn't work like that. Doc has it rigged, the frequency works, or it fails completely. Better trapped here than dead," she says.
"I mean can't the fail safe fail though?" I ask, looking around. He's not here. And I'm pretty tall, unfortunately I tend to stand out in a crowd. He could see me before we saw him.
"I mean, in theory, you don't think that happened either though," Anna says.
"No, I don't," I say, scanning the crowd, "No, I put my money on Elgin's Men."
"I don't see anything missing," she says, "And there's no uproar."
What about affecting time, you ask? Would Elgin's men just nab a statue in 50 AD and take it back to the British museum in the 2000s to hell with the consequences? Yes, they completely would. That's why they're the bad guys.
"Doesn't mean they didn't just take a handful of coins or something," I point out. They prefer shiny things like statues and jewelry but they'll settle for money.
"Yeah, all right, is it desperate measures then?" She asks, as we get to the top of the steps. Still no Rush. This is the meeting point.
"Pretty much. Come on, let's go see an old friend," I say.
The thing about time travel is, we're not supposed to contact anyone or affect anything. However, sometimes we need a safe house of sorts, or at least a source of accurate enough information. So we as historians have drawn up lists of relatively safe contacts in each period we jump to. This is yes someone we know about historically, but someone willing enough to help a stranger, and not write it down or anything, someone who in theory sees so many people for random side quests that the odd time traveler isn't significant enough to affect time. We are not strictly supposed to do this if we can help it. But sometimes you just need a helping hand or to be pardoned. As a completely random example the Black Prince of Wales, just like if you show up with a sword he's gonna let you be a part of his army also if you're nice he'll probably just tell you whatever random thing you need to know and if you're really nice he'll lend you men to help you. That was such a fun week. Also the man's life was a series of adventures, so he didn't even wonder. People like that. Generally chill, and just chaotic enough not to wonder about this scruffy time traveler showing up asking which way the less scruffy time travelers went with a stolen statue. It completely depends on the time period and where you are, of course. Sometimes this is a side character in the footnotes of history.
Similarly, we have to know who is smart enough to want to immediately kidnap and kill us, and avoid that person at all costs. But on the bright side, we have these lists of unobtrusive contacts who will generally be doing nothing else with our day but giving us information.
"Tiberios Klaudios, Autokrator Heqaheqau Meryasetptah, Kanakht Djediakhshuemakhet," Anna and I bow down before the Emporer. I know what I just said. Don't look at me like that. This man is not present enough to think we're suspicious. Also he's very easy to flatter. Like so easy. Yes he thinks we're Egyptian. Yes I have blonde hair and blue eyes.
Tiberius Claudius Ceaser, known to the world as simply Claudius, he'll be the star of a miniseries and show up in at least one movie. Overshadowed by his more famous nephew, who he replaced, Caligula. Caligula will go down in history as being mad, to some extent unfairly, he's not the craziest or most uneconomical guy to become ruler, but history will be hard on him. Not so much with our Claudius, already a man of mature years when he becomes emperor theres some ego there there would have to be, however unlike most of his contemporary emperors he'll die of natural causes, so you know, doing something right. Originally a scholar at heart, he's fairly easy to flatter if you say you've read his books and ignore his physical disability. A bit deaf from a disease in childhood and with a profound limp, it's really nothing a modern 21st century time traveler would even think twice about, but people are bullies, no matter the time period. He's not got lovely military accomplishments, nothing awful, but he is the guy who brings an elephant to Great Britain, so you know, that's pretty cool. However there is the thing with marrying women half his age or less, which is creepy. No, not everyone did that back then, and political marriages aside, four and divorcing them is an awful lot. Historically all his wives will be painted as being emotionally abusive to him and cheating on him. But he maintained mistresses as well and he's legit the emperor so you know, hard to believe the ladies had the most agency there.
Right now Claudius is in his prime of his rule, reclined on a bed, reading I'm sure his own writing, and eating from a tray held by a servant who is likely a slave. His physical infirmity isn't obvious unless he's moving about so he tends to greet people while seated.
"The scholars, Caesar," one of his attendants bows as he announces us.
"Speak," Claudius doesn't glance our way, ever regal. Considering he wasn't born to succession really and got his throne from his nephew, he settled into it well. That nephew was the notorious Caligula. Not necessarily as mad as history will paint him, the thing about making his horse a part of the Senate was a bit more of an insult to his senate. He was saying his horse was smarter than them. The bit where he tried to fight the sea (Poseidon)? Yeah that did happen but like, Claudius and a couple other emperors will legit believe they are gods, so you know, it's not the most stable family in the world. But he is useful.
"A fellow scholar was here in pursuit of knowledge, we believe, oh great Caesar, a pathway to great treasure," Anna says, head still bent. One of these days we're actually going to have to bring him treasure. I've floated the idea of Elgin's men, as slaves, and been shot down. I don't honestly know why. I was told. I wasn't listening.
"Ah yes. Lysander," Claudius says. Rush's code name in Ancient Greece is Lysander. Riker in a fit of trusting us to exist let us pick our own code names.
Anna and I exchange a quick glance. That means Rush was here.
Claudius snaps his fingers.
Too much to hope that was summoning someone to bring Rush? And his cuff is just not working?
Yes, far too much. A servant brings forward a cloth bundle.
"He was here yesterday, said you would be by to retrieve it, and he left treasure," oh okay we finally did give Claudius treasure good. It's been like three years I usually just start praising his books and he forgets. That's cool we actually gave him something though.
"Thank you oh Caesar," we both say. I take the folded cloth. It looks like regular, well regular 50AD, cloth?
We retreat out of the palace quickly, just bowing a few more times. We can't talk until we're out on the street again.
I unroll the cloth, carefully. Inside is a silver ring. Clearly modern by the sharp edges and factory cut contour. On the inside is engraved, just like our cuffs, Ο στρατός της Μινέρβα, Minerva's army, in greek of course. That's not too suspicious on the cuffs if someone happens to see it, Greek is so old it's kind of expected to show up anywhere.
That said, the ring is obviously something you'd buy at a 21st century jewelry shop. It's thick, with only a wave type design on the outside. On the inside is the engraving.
"What on earth?" Anna looks at me.
"I don't know. He knows better than to leave something like this in the past," I say, turning the ring over my hand, "Let alone to bring it with him—?"
"All right, well it's clearly a message for us, and if he left this with Claudius yesterday then he was expecting us to come and find it. So whatever he's doing—," Anna looks at me.
"Is intentional," I finish, "He's gone rogue."
"For some reason. Maybe Elgin's men picked him up and he lied his way into dropping this off so we'd know to find him," she says.
"Why'd he have it though?" I shake my head.
"I don't know. But, we need to get back to the present," she says.
"Yeah okay, you're right. If he were trying to find us of his own free will, he could have stayed at the palace, this means—he's not coming," I say. He's not coming home.