2025-02-12 “Seeking Evidence” for Anika (born 1998)

Not one course in quantum mechanics from her PhD work at MIT had prepared Anika Rao for the research she was doing for NYC SysCo. No accepted models for time applied—to be sure, speculative fiction was riff with time travel, but not science.

So far, she and her research partner, David Gregory, had recorded numerous experiences reported by the 8 Time Travelers. They had visited duplicates of five of them who were living in 2025, but whose memories from 1985 were daily merging with the memories of their duplicates who were born 40 years after them.

And Anika used the word duplicate to its full meaning.

DNA tests for the 5 born in the late 50s and early 60s were exact matches to the 5 duplicates born 40 years later. Exact.

Within the capacity of the testing—and retesting, and follow up testing, and re-follow up testing—the matches were 100%. The DNA lab had dispatched its own scientists to (after signing NYC SysCo’s non-disclosure agreement) collect their own samples.

The partners at NYC SysCo had convened. Lawyers were involved. A policy on how to handle the growing interest in the Time Travelers was in the works. All 15 of the known time travelers were being contacted.

NYC SysCo’s agenda seemed relatively pure. Collect information, preserve the dignity of the Time Travelers, and maintain on-going operations of the firm without unnecessary disruption. David had said they wanted to stop a feeding frenzy.

Efforts to hire a psychologist to study the memory phenomenon were underway and a final few candidates were being interviewed. And David and Anika’s research was ongoing.

The next opportunity to uncover… something… would happen on Valentine’s day. Anika and David had just under 60 hours to wait.

At the forefront of the research opportunity was a drawer from Shay Ryder’s townhouse. Additionally, there was Addison’s journal. Jacob Brown from 1881 came up with an experiment based on knowledge and experiences from the memories of Jacob from 2025. The cohort from 1881 had moved back into the Bank Street townhouse where Shay, Devon, and Liza lived in 2025. Jacob’s plan was simple. The townhouse had a builtin with drawers and shelves. The plan was to document the bottom of the drawer before Feb 14, 2025. On Feb 14, 1881, just after sunset, the group from that time period would write their names and put the date and a note about sharing Valentine’s day together. There was nothing on the bottom of the drawer. Yet. The experiment had the potential to prove that what was happening in 1881 was linked to 2025. The merged memories had created a link from the future to the past, and those memories were changing the course of the future. Since the events of Feb 14, 1881 hadn’t happened yet, the future had not been changed. The future would change when those in 1881 changed the past. So, the drawer was examined, photographed, and documented. Auditors from Price Waterhouse oversaw the process and vetted the data. A glass case was constructed and the drawer was sealed inside.. The same thing was done for Addison’s journal. Already, blank pages were being transformed, inscribed by Addison’s notes from 1985.

The implications were mind boggling. While they offered no explanation of how the Instants in time were connected or why they existed simultaneously but separated, the experiments were on the verge of proving that the phenomenon was real. Anika had no doubts—not after seeing the journal write itself—about the results of the experiment. But she did have one concern. A slight one. The gathering on Friday would be all of the Time Travelers, some of their friends, plus her and David. She and David would be the only not-couple present to celebrate… Valentine’s Day night. She expected some awkwardness, but… she thought it would be okay in the long run.