Select language

Tuesday, August 20th

You are watching the news on NST. Here are the top stories:

Severe flooding in Peru has left countless homes destroyed and claimed hundreds of lives.

Numerous videos circulating online illustrate the scale of this natural disaster. Here is some of the footage. Many affected areas are only accessible by helicopter. The exact number of casualties remains unknown.

An unidentified drone has been spotted over the western coast of California. Judging by the size of the drone and its altitude, it is suspected to be an act of espionage. How this device managed to reach the coastline undetected by radar remains unclear. U.S. Secretary of Defense Shin Reed has warned of new sanctions against Russia if suspicions of espionage are confirmed. “Only Russia possesses the technical capability to create aircraft invisible to our radar systems,” he stated...

"My name is Kris, spelled with a capital ‘K.’ Over the past few days, I’ve experienced events that have profoundly affected me. I hope my excellent memory will allow me to recount them precisely, in the exact order they unfolded. This is crucial because I am the only participant who knows about them and remembers them. That is, of course, if it’s possible to remember what will happen in the coming days. This sounds a bit convoluted, so it’s best to start at the beginning—with a new assignment I received from my immediate superior, Otto Schneider.

A little about my job: I work at the Museum of Fine Arts, heading the "Department of Delivery and Evaluation of New Exhibits." Well, “department” is a bit of an exaggeration since I’m its only employee. However, thanks to my work under the direct supervision of Otto Schneider, our museum has, in just the past two years, become one of the world’s leading institutions.

Otto Schneider was meticulous in selecting someone for the Delivery Department. Absolute confidentiality is the foundation of our firm’s existence and success. Every employee signs a non-disclosure agreement—and it’s not just a formality. Among Otto Schneider’s staff are psychologists who immediately intervene at the first sign that an employee might divulge something or, worse, expose us to competitors. I was warned about this when signing my employment contract. There are temporary contracts, long-term contracts, and then there’s ours—lifetime contracts. There are three causes for dismissal: indiscretion, disrupting the balance of events, or natural death. In the first two cases, the dismissed employee’s memory is entirely erased—or rather, only the part concerning our work at the museum. I break out in a cold sweat when I think about it. I never want to forget my past assignments, nor do I want to give up future ones. That’s why I always strive to perform my tasks flawlessly. Besides, a job well done is the cornerstone of our enterprise's success.

We’ve managed to acquire rare artifacts representing all eras of human development, from the stone tools of early humans to contemporary works of art. We’ve especially excelled in acquiring historical artifacts, outpacing our competitors in every way. As the head of the Delivery Department, I simply need to show up at the right place at the right time—quite literally, because I am a time traveler.

Several centuries ago...