Enrolment
“…Tempcorp trial period begins now…”
“…Sign up to Temcorp today, quick and easy!…”
“…See the future, or the past, it’s your choice with Tempcorp…”
These were the adverts that rung out across every screen in the city. Friday 22nd March 2075, “save the date” for that’s when time travel would become commercial!
By this point, Annie Alderhall could recite every advert, every slogan, every flyer that Tempcorp had ever produced, probably word for word. It’s not that she wasn’t interested, she really was, but obnoxious advertising is enough to turn anyone away from something. It did get her thinking though, about her career. She’d always joked about becoming a time traveller when she was younger, at the time it was impossible; a dream she’d long since given up on. But now Annie truly had a chance. It’s what she really wanted, after all.
“The next Tempcorp employee I see,” Annie thought, “I’ll ask them to give me a flyer, information, anything.” It’s not like she’d miss them; even in public, they all wore uniform. White shirt, green sailor tie, grey trousers, brown shoes. It really did make them stand out in a busy city. Annie wondered if the employees wore them out on missions. Surely they’d just draw attention to themselves, “oh look, there’s the time traveller, come to change the future for us all.”
It didn’t take long for Annie to spot a worker, recruiters they were called.
“Hey kid, you interested in Tempcorp?” he asked, smiling. “I’m Tom, pleasure to meet you. I don’t know how old you are, so please note that we don’t hire anyone under sixteen, with an incurable illness, or the elderly.” It sounded like he was reciting a script, which he probably was.
“Hey,” Annie started, now suddenly nervous. She was never any good at speaking to strangers, but she figured she might as well get used to it -it’s something she’d quickly have to adapt to if Temcorp really did see her potential. “I fit those requirements, and I’m really interested, please tell me anything you can…”
A few minutes, a lot of new information, and a couple of flyers later, Annie left Tom and began walking back to her house. Although pretty much everything that she’d just been told was common knowledge, she was now more certain than ever that this was the career path she wanted to take. As Annie neared her housing estate, her excitement faded. She began to hide the flyers in her pockets, neaten her curly hair, ensure her expression was neutral. She couldn’t believe that it hadn’t crossed her mind earlier. There was no chance that her father would ever willingly allow her to join Tempcorp. “It’s that damn brainwashing… People need to open their eyes and see that time travel will never be possible… These stupid children are only killing themselves quicker…” There was no escape from his conspiracies. Annie sighed as she inserted her key into the door, preparing herself for the newest “truths.”
“It’s that damn…” Annie was correct, word for word in fact. She waited for her father to finish before heading to her room and finding her laptop. Looking through the flyers, Annie read that she could apply for a trainee position online - free, and register for a dorm - also free. “They must really need new recruits,” she thought, laughing to herself. No matter, this was ideal for her. Due to her lack of experience, Tempcorp wanted Annie to join as soon as possible, tomorrow if she could. Recruits were allowed to take as many of their belongings as they wished, however Annie knew that taking more than a bag or two would arouse suspicion from her father. That was not something she intended to happen.
Annie took a deep breath and took the chance. She filled out the application form and clicked submit. “Welcome to your new future,” the words filled her screen, “Please ensure you reach Rookie Hall 2 at 8 30 am, Saturday 23rd March 2075.” The address and other useful details were listed below. Annie made sure to photograph them, in case she couldn’t reach this web page again. Then she began to pack.
Knowing her storage was limited, Annie chose her largest bag, and decided that she wouldn’t take anything more. Uniform was provided, she’d read that in another one of the flyers, but she still chose to take a couple of outfits for different occasions. She was still certain that time travellers wouldn’t wear that uniform 24/7. Annie filled the rest of her bag with necessities, and a few sentimental items before hiding it under her bed, anxious for the next day to come.
She didn’t sleep well that night, but still managed to get ready before the time she needed to leave. “This’ll be the last time I even have the chance to be late,” Annie joked to herself, “After this I can just rewind time if I start to rush.” Obviously she was aware that there are probably regulations against that, it was funny to think of at least one small inconvenience that time travel could irradicate. Joking aside, it was now time for Annie to begin her new life, away from everything that had troubled her, and towards her new destiny.
