A stack of papers was carefully placed on the director's desk. It was large enough to cause a migraine the director slowly drove away by massaging her temples before asking.
"What is this?"
"The report you asked for."
"All of it?" The director's inquiry was followed by the system manager's nod. "I don't have the time to read it all. What's the story?"
"He changed history and placed himself as the first legendary hero, intervened directly to save a city with the most powerful relic available in that world's stash, harmed an innocent and he left behind the relic in possession of the traveler."
"I guess I expected too much from him," The director let out a sigh. "did he at least accomplish the mission?"
"Yes, he also used a bit of our world's lore to correct his other mistakes."
"Elaborate, please." The director's migraine intensified.
"He went with 'The sword in the stone' but used a peddler's foot instead."
"I don't have time for jokes." The director growled to which the system manager replied with a stare.
"I have no sense of humor, director," The system manager faked a cough then explained. "due to his system glitch the traveler had to endure a harsh life and being betrayed by his friends. Instead of giving up, the traveler worked hard and trained himself to the point of overcoming all limitations safe for the skills which he would only be able to acquire through the system. The agent used Excalibur as a challenge only the traveler could overcome in order to fix his past blunders, then in the final confrontation the traveler's sword broke and the agent intervened one last time by prompting him to lift up the legendary sword."
"Interesting... what's your evaluation?"
"He is incompetent, but it was his first travel and wasn't trained for it so he can be given grace for that. His last intervention helped the traveler solidify his position. However, it resulted in the baron's son death and many injured. His complete disregard for protocol and impulsive behavior rule him out completely. If he enters the program, he will cause way more trouble than he will solve."
"Did he take any bribes? Did he get involved romantically with anyone? Did he show any signs of power hunger?" All of the director's questions were followed with a negative from the system manager.
"He's straight as an arrow."
"Then he's perfect."
***
If traveling to another world was difficult, going back was even more so. I not only had to deal with the summoning sickness, but also with the fact that I wasn't nearly as strong as I was in the other world. Everything came back in a rush: my back pain, the shoulder sore no amount of hot patches could fix and the bad knee. That bad knee, the true mark of becoming an adult. As if that wasn't bad enough, I had to adjust back to my old reality in an empty white room with no explanations or guidance of any kind.
"I know we're short staffed but this is too much..." I wave my arm around holding my shoulder in place to make it fit right. Just when I thought my day couldn't be any worse I went to my old desk only to find it wiped empty and clean.
"Follow me please," A female agent from another department I had seen on passing said before I could ask any questions. She led me to a secure office and placed in front of me three sheets I needed to fill. "this is all standard procedure. The first form is customs, it is to ensure you're not smuggling any contraband. The second one is to compensate you for the extra hours, including a reimbursement of your life expectancy. This one is your new contract, the pay is significantly higher but so is the responsibility. Make sure you read it carefully before signing."
"You had me at 'standard procedure', no need to sweeten it," I casually joke but it landed like a stone and the woman just adjusted her glasses before retreating. "hold on, one second please."
"Yes?"
"What is this reimbursement of life expectancy about?"
"Missions in other worlds can take anywhere from days to even years. The bureau covers all expenses, including the time of your life that you spend in other dimensions."
"I don't think I can sign the new contract." I say.
"If you're wondering what will happen with your loved ones while you're away, don't. Time passes at a different rate in other worlds and this one. You could be on a mission for a day or two weeks, but you will always come back at a set time."
"I'll have to think about it." I dropped the pen, leaving the last sheet in blank.
After clocking out, I confirmed what the woman said was true. The date checked out and time really didn't pass at the same rate I experienced it. It was unsettling to say the least and it really was difficult to adjust to my routine. I went back and changed clothes into something more casual, then prepared myself to a nice evening of doing nothing when a sudden knock on my door startled me.
"What are you doing here?" I yawn at Patrick, my best friend from highschool.
"You... forgot we had plans?" He stuttered, then followed up in a loud voice bobbing up and down all over my apartment. "you forgot something!"
"So noisy."
"We're out of cereal..." Patt said, his mouth full with the last of my cereal.
"Hey, that's stealing. I can arrest you." I warn.
"Sure, sure...," He dismissively waved his hand at me. "hurry up, the guys are already waiting and you know how difficult it is for us four to be together."
It's no surprise I forgot today we were supposed to hang out since I spent the past few days in another world. I'm really tired and would rather avoid it, but I know no excuse will work when Patrick is this fired up about something so I just grab my wallet and walk out the door.
"Seriously? You're not even going to change clothes?" Patrick scolded.
"I don't like standing out." I shrug.
Outside my apartment a red sports car greeted us. I can not name the model for the life of me, but I know who it belongs to.
"Seriously? A new one? If you have that kind of money then you should seriously stop freeloading at my place."
"Come on, we're friends. You can drive if you want to." He leans over and tries to hand me the keys, but I refuse like always.
"I don't like sports cars."
"You don't like anything fun." Patrick let out a deflated sigh.
As expected, he took me to one of the fanciest hotels in town where our friends were already half way through the first bottle of wine.
"You guys made it! We were starting to fear you got shot in action." Harris joked.
"With a stapler!" Peter couldn't hold the laughter anymore and burst out.
Needless to say, fancy places like this are not my cup of tea and the only reason I come is because of my friends. Of course, there's also the fact that as a public servant I couldn't even afford a glass of wine at a place like this without adjusting my monthly budget. But if I signed the contract...
"And there I was... the patient vitals shut off and everyone waited on me to call the time of death, but then I patched up the hole in the artery and jumpstarted the heart with a hand." Harris really has a knack for telling stories and he even gestured with his hand as if he grasped the heart with his hand at that very moment.
"What happened!? Did he make it!?"
"Of course! Didn't you check the newspapers? I made it to the headline... again." Telling stories was a hobby, but his actual talent was being one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons in the country.
"Who reads papers this days? Everything we need can be found online." This is Peter, who developed software even back in highschool which made him one of the top figures in Silicon Valley, though he rarely visited the place in person and did most of everything online.
These are my friends and although my life may not be as exciting as theirs, being with them always feel like back in the day when we all just goofed around in highschool. We can still talk about everything and if one of us asks for help, we all drop everything to be there for them. Like Harris, who despite being successful in his field now had a rough start in his career or Peter who recently lost his grandma. Then, there's Patrick...
"Come on, Bob, it's your turn." He smiled at me.
"Just another day at the office." Harris and Peter said in a chorus. I can't blame them for anticipating the same old thing I always say, but this time something came over me.
"Actually, I had a pretty interesting day at work."
"Really!?" Patrick bristled in joy and the others were expectant.
"Yeah, today I had to cover for Ramirez."
"And?"
"It was rough because he's from another department. Then next thing I knew I was working on fixing a system."
"You learned how to code? I told you guys, coding is the future!" Peter cheered.
"No... I still don't know how to code," I said apologetically. "actually, I was just there while they fixed it." My life may not be as exciting as theirs, but they cheered me on anyways.