No Help

The next morning after eating and having a controlled excretion experience, I head to the Detectives' Bureau.

I was led to the office of the Head detective who turns out to be an AI program named Detective Ai.

It turned out, Detective Ai mainly wanted to understand the era that I came from. Having access to a higher alien civilizations database, Detective Ai still isn't sure when I'm from.

Coming to the bureau thinking that they might have an interest in hiring me as a detective, I was disappointed to learn otherwise.

"From my conversation with Officer Rosten, I thought the Detective Bureau was interested in hiring me," I said.

"Normally, that would be true, but we truly do not need you.

Most of the work done in the Bureau is done by me. I can manifest endless copies of myself throughout the city.

The other Detectives are older officers in their twilight years. It's more like public welfare for retirees."

"What about people like Officer Rosten?" I asked.

"My holograms lack physical attributes. I'm good at investigating, but not at apprehending, or doing anything needing a physical interaction.

Aside from not needing more detectives, I would have enjoyed observing the process of an experienced living detective, but then we have our next problem," Detective Ai said.

"There's another problem? What could that be?" I asked the Detective, I just woke up it can't be I caused some problems, could it?

"The problem is you. We can't pin the era you're from.

Our current calendar goes back more than three hundred years. Since we can't determine your era, you're older than the current one. You come from an era preceding the dark ages. You could be four hundred years old, or four thousand years old, we can't tell."

"Okay, why is that a problem?" I didn't see what the problem was, there were lots of buried humans, some remains dating back thousands of years.

"The minimum age of a reborn skeleton is about one hundred years.

That means from their death until their rebirth it's been about a hundred years. Your friend, Brenda Bonelli, for example, is just over one hundred years old.

Two hundred years old skeletons are considered the outer limit of how old a skeleton can be and still get revived." Detective Ai said while lighting a holographic cigarette.

"You mean Cleopatra and Marc Antony aren't walking around?" I asked half joking.

"Who?" Detective Ai asked. I was stunned, even if a small-time detective like me didn't make it into the history books and survive the various dark ages. I would think Cleopatra and Marc Antony were still remembered!

"Cleopatra was the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, and Marc Antony was her lover. He was one of the 2nd Triumvirate leaders at the end of the Roman Republic: Marc Antony, Octavian, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.

When Octavian, who would become the first Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar, sought to gather his power and become the Emperor; Marc Antony was someone he had to eliminate.

Although, he attempted to make peace with Marc Antony by marrying his sister, Octavia, to him. He eventually divorced her disgracing Octavian. Thus, he set out to finish the mission to kill Marc Antony.

Even though they were previously allies, the Octavian's quest for power turned an ally into an enemy. I'm sure you've heard of the ancient powers of Egypt and Rome.

The history of Egypt goes back to nearly the beginning of written human history, and although Rome didn't come to power until Egypt was already thousands of years old, their Empire in one form or another lasted one thousand years! You haven't heard of them?"

"Truly, I've never heard of these empires, and you say Egypt is so old that it appeared not long after humans began recording history?" Detective Ai looked intrigued by the ancient history I shared.

"Yes, even in my day, the country Egypt still existed, although it is a minor power in the middle-east."

"You say the Romans were a power with a thousand-year history? That's an amazing time for human power to last. Did the Romans also exist in your day?" Detective Ai asked.

I ignored his question, I already figured out that he had a thousand questions for me, but now I had questions I needed answered.

"I can't believe you've never heard of Egypt or Rome! What about Great Brittain, Germany, the United States of America, Iraq, China, Russia?"

"I've never heard of those places, did you exist in their era?" Detective Ai asked.

"Yes, in fact, I lived and died in the United States of America. Where we're standing is the Great State of Texas. We share a border with Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and another country, Mexico as well as the Gulf of Mexico."

"Mr. Skel, these are all fascinating pieces of information. I would like to put you with a historian from the Earth Cultural Federation. We have so little knowledge about the eras before our own. What you are sharing is vitally important."

I sat in Detective Ai's office, shocked! The history I took for granted, was gone. No one remembered the tremendous history of Earth.

It was like Noah's flood, sweeping away all knowledge of the past like it never existed. It was then that I remembered one of my reasons for being there.

"Detective Ai, I don't mind sitting with a historian, but I wonder if you can do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" He asked.

"My friend, Brenda, would like to know what she looked like when she was alive. Now, I was skilled in certain sciences that allowed us to determine what a person once looked like based on their skull.

Perhaps this being as advanced an era as it is, you have similar disciplines and the required technology? Would you mind letting me bring in Brenda to reconstruct what she looked like?"

Even as I was explaining my request, I could see Detective Ai's face contort as if he had eaten something sour.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't something that I can help you with," he immediately rejected my request.

"May I know the reason?"

"Sure, we have an agreement with the Skaltan Civilization not to let the newborn Skaltans investigate their origins. We used to have the very technology you're asking about, but we got rid of it. If a person might come back to life as a Skaltan, then it would be forbidden to research that person. It's absolutely impossible."

His confession was shocking. I couldn't believe that something as trivial as seeing what you used to look like could be forbidden.

Earth even stripped any useful technology away, just because of the Skaltan civilization. How powerful are Skaltans?

"You're sure there's nothing we can do?" I asked once more.

"Nothing, please don't ask again. In twelve days, an emissary from the Skaltans will come to interview you about leaving Earth and going back to where the Skaltan live," Detective Ai said.

With no other choice, I stood up and headed out of the door. Just as I was about to leave, Detective Ai caught me.

"When should I schedule with the historian?" he asked.

I don't like being told no, especially for something so simple. A simple bit of help from Detective Ai could put Brenda's mind at ease.

"I respect that you have your secrets and are determined to protect them. I too have secrets, I see no benefit in sharing more of what I know. Good day Detective!"

I was ticked off, what a waste of my time. One thing I learned, though, this world isn't anything like my old world. How could they put an AI in charge of the Detective's Bureau?

Some might say that I'm being petty. I was withholding knowledge of the past from the rest of the human race, how could I be so petty?

Well, weren't they doing the same with me? They already forgot about Earth's history, did they deserve to know it again? They would probably forget again anyway.

Now, I had to return home and give Brenda the bad news. Although, at that moment, a thought occurred to me.

I don't need fancy equipment, I could use clay and wood dowels to create my own 3d image.

I turned back to find a store to buy my supplies. The Skaltans gave me a little spending money. It was time I spent some of it!