Secret mobile base of the Time Patrol
Future site of the city of Auckland, New Zealand Sylvie Comeau, a bit shaken by the announcement from Kin that he wanted to enlist in the French Army, took some time before she could reply to that. Kin had chosen to invite her and 16-year-old Ani to the Timeless Club, the favorite relaxation spot for members of the Time Patrol, in order to inform his adopted mother of his intentions. Fernand Brunet and Jean Bigras sat at a nearby table, ready to answer questions from Sylvie about the French Alpine Hunters, along with Mike Crawford, the Chief of Operations of the Time Patrol. Sylvie, an ex-Canadian Army nurse who had officially ‘died’ in the crash of her helicopter during the Campaign of Norway in 1941 ‘B’, only to be then rescued and recruited by the Time Patrol, had saved both Kin and Ani in 50,000 B.C.E., after cave hyenas had just killed their families. She had then adopted the two small Neanderthal children and raised them as her own at the secret base of the
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Time Patrol. However, her only attempt to present Kin and Ani to her parents living in 1943 ‘B’ Montreal, in Canada, had been met with a fierce backlash of ignorance, bigotry and intolerance, much of it fueled by the dominating influence of the Catholic Church over the Quebec society of the time. That backlash had left Sylvie both bitter and disappointed and she had never visited her parents again after that. Thankfully, the members of the Time Patrol and the citizens of the Global Council, the 34th Century ‘A’
advanced civilization whose time travel technology had permitted the creation of the Time Patrol, had proved themselves a lot more tolerant, allowing Kin and Ani to grow up in a welcoming environment. Now, the boy she loved so much wanted to take his first steps alone as an adult. Next to her, 16-year-old Ani was at least equally shaken. While not technically linked to Kin as a blood relative, she had been raised by Sylvie like a sister of Kin, whom she always had considered like an older brother. Sylvie finally nodded her head slowly once.
‘’Kin, I understand and support your wish to join the French Army. I will dearly miss you but you are fully ready as a young man and I do not wish to impede your future life choices. Go enlist and make us all proud, Kin.’
‘’Thank you, Mother.’ said Kin, tears in his eyes, before warmly hugging Sylvie.
He also exchanged a hug with Ani before looking at Fernand Brunet.
‘’So, how do I proceed now, Fernand?’
‘’We go to 1955 ‘B’ Paris and pay a visit to one of my old friends and comrades who works at the French Ministry of Defense.’
08:49 (Paris Time)
Friday, March 18, 1955 ‘B’
French Ministry of Defense, Hôtel de Brienne
7th Arrondissement, Paris, France
When Kin and Fernand entered the old stone mansion that housed the French Ministry of Defense in Paris, they were greeted in the lobby by one of two female military receptionists sitting behind a work table set in one side of the large room. The receptionist, a young and pretty one, gave a wide smile to Fernand as he approached her table with Kin.
‘’May I help you, sir?’
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‘’You certainly may, miss. I earlier called Colonel Jacques Forant to arrange a meeting with him. Could you advise him that retired Lieutenant-colonel Fernand Brunet is here to see him?’
‘’The Commandant of the Alpine Hunters Corps? One moment, please.’
Grabbing the receiver of her telephone, the receptionist composed a short number, then waited for a few seconds before speaking in the handset.
‘’Colonel Forant? This is the main entrance reception desk. A Lieutenant-colonel Fernand Brunet is here to see you… Very well, sir!’
The receptionist then put down her receiver and looked up at Fernand while smiling.
‘’Colonel Forant is in his office and will be waiting for you, sir. His office is on the second floor, to the right of the main staircase.’
‘’Thank you very much, miss. Follow me, Kin!’
As Fernand and Kin walked towards the large staircase near the end of the lobby, the receptionist bent sideways to whisper in the ear of the other female receptionist.
‘’Did you see how strong the young man following Mister Brunet appears to be?’
‘’I did! He sure has buns of steel!’
After climbing the stairs to the second floor and turning right, Fernand and Kin quickly located the office of Colonel Forant, which was marked by a bronze plaque on its door which showed his name, rank, decorations and position. Knocking on the door and then opening it on hearing someone say ‘enter’, Fernand stepped into a small anteroom where a captain of the Alpine Hunters sat behind a work desk. The captain got up from his chair and saluted Fernand at rigid attention.
‘’Lieutenant-colonel Brunet? You may enter Colonel Forant’s office: he is waiting for you.’
‘’Thank you, Captain!’ replied Fernand, who had come to attention and had returned the salute from the young officer. He then knocked on the polished wooden door facing the captain’s desk and entered it after hearing a ‘come in’. The medium-built senior officer in his late fifties who greeted him inside still appeared in excellent physical shape despite of his age. Walking around his large work desk, he met Fernand in the middle of his office with a solid handshake and a happy smile.
‘’Fernand, mon Dieu, I haven’t seen you for quite a while. You seem to be still well after all these years. How is the Time Patrol treating you?’
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‘’Quite well indeed, but that doesn’t mean that it is not sending me on risky missions from time to time. Their training program is also quite intensive.’
‘’And I am sure that you are up to it, Fernand. So, what is the purpose of your visit, apart from coming to see an old friend?’
In response, Fernand showed Kin to Forant.
‘’I came because of Kin Comeau, here with me. He is the adopted son of a member of the Time Patrol and recently had his eighteenth birthday. He wishes to enlist on a volunteer basis in order to serve France, hopefully as an alpine hunter.’
Forant seemed somewhat surprised by Fernand’s statement and looked Kin up and down after shaking his hand.
‘’You didn’t need to ask to see me just to make your young man enlist, Fernand.
There must be a reason for you to come here, no?’
‘’There is, Jacques! In truth, I was afraid that Kin would be refused by army recruiters if he went straight to them.’
‘’Why so? He seems to be healthy and strong.’
‘’Oh, that he is, Jacques.’ replied Fernand with a mysterious smile. ‘’There is however something about him that could create quite a few administrative obstacles for his enlistment’
‘’Like what, exactly?’
‘’Like the fact that Kin was born in the Dordogne region some 58,000 years ago.
He is a Neanderthal man.’
Forant was understandably taken aback by those words and stared for a moment at Kin before looking back at Fernand.
‘’You are serious, are you?’
‘’Very serious, Jacques. Kin and a Neanderthal girl were saved from certain death by one of our mission teams, which was studying remotely from a distance a group of Neanderthals living and moving around the region of Périgueux. One night, that group of Neanderthals was set upon by a pack of cave hyenas and all but two of them were killed, leaving only 6-year-old Kin and a 4-year-old girl named Ani alive. One of our team members then adopted those two small children and raised them at our main base.’
‘’Uh, from a first look at him, I would say that your young man seems to be healthy enough for the service, but what about his mental abilities?’
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‘’Don’t worry about those, Jacques. Contrary to popular thinking, Neanderthals were about as intelligent as modern humans. After being saved by our team, Kin went through a session of language learning via mnemotronic techniques, which revealed his then Intelligence Quotient to be 96. Thanks to a better-balanced diet at our base, which included a lot of fish and seafood rich in Omega-3, and to intensive education, Kin’s I.Q.
is now at 102, the level of intelligence of an average Homo Sapiens. I have with me an official certificate signed by the chief medical officer of the Time Patrol, certifying to that I.Q. level and also certifying Kin to be in excellent health. Kin may not be a genius, but he would compare favorably with many of our usual recruits. I however realize that many in the Army’s command echelon would doubt that just on the strength of their bias about so-called ‘cavemen’, so I came to see you so that you could grease the wheels a bit for him.’
Forant was silent for a moment as he digested all that while eyeing Kin, who was nervously waiting beside Fernand.
‘’Well, you were right about fearing some negative reactions from our recruiters: I myself would not believe this if it had not come from your mouth.’
‘’If it could help you in accepting him into the Alpine Hunters, I can tell you that I personally trained Kin in mountain climbing, alpine skiing and Nordic skiing, in which I now consider him as an expert. Kin also practiced rifle and pistol shooting alongside members of the Time Patrol. As a Neanderthal, his body is naturally extremely resistant to cold and he possesses extraordinary physical endurance and stamina, plus is as strong as a champion weightlifter.’
Forant nodded his head, duly impressed.
‘’And may I ask you, young man, why you want to volunteer for service?’
‘’Because I was born here in France and wishes to do my patriotic duty towards my country, sir.’ answered firmly Kin in fluent French. His answer attracted a satisfied nod from Forant.
‘’Exactly the kind of answer I wanted to hear, young man. I will now arrange for you to pass a standard army physical examination at the Fort of Vincennes this morning.
I know well the chief medical officer there and will ask him to keep the results confidential and to contact me as soon as he is finished examining you. If you pass that examination, then I will have you accepted as a volunteer enlistee in the Alpine Hunters.
How long do you wish to serve? Volunteer contracts can be either three or five years and are renewable.’
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Kin only hesitated for a second before making his mind.
‘’I will sign first for a three-year contract, sir. If all goes well, I will then renew my contract further.’
‘’Excellent! Let me make a quick call, then you will be able to go pass a medical acceptance exam at the Fort de Vincennes. Further instructions will await you there.’
‘’Thank you so much, sir! You are really kind.’
In his joy, Kin forgot to control his strength as he shook Forant’s hand, making the old officer wince.
‘’Ow, ow! Hell, your handshake is like a vise grip! Fernand didn’t exaggerate about your strength. Well, give me a moment to make a call.’
Some ten minutes later, a happy Kin left Forant’s office with Fernand, holding in his hand an introduction letter signed by the Commandant of the Alpine Hunters and destined to the medical officer who was now waiting for him at the Fort of Vincennes.
Both of them jumped into a taxi once out of the Hôtel de Brienne, to be driven to the eastern suburbs of Paris. Their destination was actually a military medical establishment close to but separate from the Fort of Vincennes proper. Arriving there just before ten in the morning, Fernand led Kin inside the military clinic and presented himself to a medical orderly manning the reception desk.
‘’Good morning, Sergeant! We are here to see Doctor Chauvin, on the recommendation of Colonel Forant. Could you please lead us to him?’
‘’Certainly, sir! We were advised to expect you. This way, please!’
As they started following the orderly along a long hallway, Kin whispered to Fernand.
‘’Decidedly, you do still have a lot of influence left in the French Army, Fernand.’
‘’Well, don’t forget that the Time Patrol was the main factor in the liberation of France from the German occupation in 1942 ‘B’. We gained a lot of goodwill in France then. Helping France later on to secure a prime portion of the commercial and touristic business between this century and the society of the Global Council in the 34th Century only made us even more popular…except of course in the eyes of the Catholic Church.’
Kin rolled his eyes at that: saying that there existed some ‘misunderstandings’ between the Time Patrol and the Catholic Church, due to the fact that a certain Nancy Laplante officially reigned over Jerusalem and Palestine and publicly chastised the Church for its rigid dogmas, would be a severe understatement. What very few people knew was that Nancy Laplante ‘A’, the original Queen of Jerusalem, had been dead for a couple of
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years now and had been replaced on her throne by Natai, her angel avatar, who was even more powerful than Nancy had been and was as critical of the Catholic Church as Nancy had been.
After walking down the hallway for some twenty meters, the orderly led the duo into a large waiting room with dozens of chairs set along the walls. Knocking on one of the doors visible along the walls, the orderly then opened it and gestured for Fernand and Kin to enter.
‘’The office of Doctor Chauvin, sirs.’
‘’Thank you, Sergeant!’ said Fernand before entering, Kin close behind him.
They then found themselves in a fair-sized room well illuminated by large windows and which appeared to be a medical examination room. A man in his fifties wearing a white coat over an army uniform walked around his desk in one corner and came to shake their hands.
‘’Good morning, gentlemen! I am Major Chauvin. I suppose that this young man here is the one that Colonel Forant wanted examined by me?’
‘’That’s correct, Major. I am Fernand Brunet, retired lieutenant-colonel in the Alpine Hunters, and this is Kin Comeau, who wishes to voluntarily enlist in the Alpine Hunters. Uh, I believe that Colonel Forant told you why Kin’s case was a bit unusual, right?’
‘’Correct!’ said Chauvin, becoming most serious while eyeing with interest Kin.
‘’If you would not be from the Time Patrol, then I would probably not have believed your story. Well, let’s get to work! Could you please remove all of your clothes, Kin, except for your shorts, Kin?’
‘’Right away, Doctor!’ replied Kin, who started taking off his contemporary clothes, folding them carefully before putting them on a nearby chair. Chauvin nodded his head once he was able to see fully Kin’s powerful body.
‘’You are truly built like a bear, young man, and you do look about as strong as one. First, let’s measure and weigh you.’
Making Kin step on a combined weight scale and height measuring ruler, Chauvin grabbed a clipboard on which he had put a standard recruit’s examination form and noted down the results.
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‘’Hum…171.5 centimeters. A bit shorter than the average recruit, but not by much. However, you weigh a good 92 kilos, but I don’t see any excess fat on your body.
Okay, let’s listen to your heart and lungs, then I will take your blood pressure. By the way, do you know which blood type you are, Kin?’
‘’I am B Positive, Doctor. The doctors at the Time Patrol established that us Neanderthals have blood types compatible with modern humans.’
‘’That is a good thing, especially in the Army, where one could get wounded in service. Could you please go sit on the examination table?’
‘’Yes, Doctor!’
That part of the examination impressed the army doctor, who noted down the results while speaking to Kin.
‘’Well, you have a cardio-vascular system worthy of an Olympic athlete, young man, and your blood pressure is just fine. Up to now, I would characterize you as being a model recruit in terms of medical condition. Let’s do a grip strength test now. You can stay sitting on this table.’
Grabbing a hand dynamometer from a table and handing it to Kin, Chauvin opened his eyes wide when Kin seemingly effortlessly squeezed the dynamometer to its maximum strength setting.
‘’Merde! You maxed out on your right grip strength! I never saw that before!
Let’s see about your left grip strength.’
Kin squeezed the dynamometer in his left hand and obtained a similar result, albeit at the price of showing a bit of strain that time. With an enthusiastic smile now on his lips, Chauvin noted down the results on his examination form and looked at Fernand Brunet, who was standing near the door of the office.
‘’Damn, I wish that all the candidate recruits I examine could prove to be in such good health. Any chances that the French Army could get more candidates like Kin, here?’
‘’Sorry, Doctor.’ replied Fernand, also smiling. ‘’There is only one more Neanderthal in existence today and she is a 16-year-old girl. Mind you, she is no slouch either in terms of strength and endurance. Neanderthals’ physiques can best be described as ‘hypertrophied’ compared to us modern Homo Sapiens. They needed that to survive for over a quarter million years in some of the harshest climatic environment in history.’
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‘’Well, I only have a simple visual acuity test to perform on Kin. If he passes it, he will then be considered good for the service.’
Kin actually passed that test with flying colors, proving to have a superior vision.
A satisfied Chauvin then completed and signed Kin’s medical examination form, smiling to both Kin and Fernand.
‘’You are now officially good for the service, young man. Colonel Forant gave me some instructions about your processing after passing this exam. You are now to present yourself on this coming Sunday at no later than eight in the morning at the École Militaire de Haute Montagne3, in Chamonix, where you will start on the following day an eight-week basic qualification course for alpine hunters. If you complete successfully that course, you will then follow a specialized mountain climbing and military skiing qualification course before joining an alpine hunter battalion, in this case the 27th Battalion, based in Annecy, in the Haute-Savoie Department.’
‘’Uh, Kin is already an expert in mountain climbing and skiing, Doctor.’ cut in Fernand. ‘’I trained him myself for years.’
‘’Then, he will be able to ask to pass the climbing and skiing tests right after his basic training. If he passes them, he will then be able to skip the BASM4 course and will go straight to his unit.’
Chauvin then shook Kin’s hand while smiling to him.
‘’Congratulation, young man! I am sure that you will make an outstanding alpine hunter.’
3 École Militaire de Haute Montagne (ÉMHM): High Mountain Military School, where French alpine hunters are formed.
4 BASM : Brevet d’Alpiniste et de Skieur Militaire. French for ‘Military Mountain Climber and Skiier Certificate’.
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CHAPTER 2 – FIRST DAY IN THE SERVICE
10:36 (Paris Time)
Sunday, March 20, 1955 ‘B’
Entrance yard of the École Militaire de Haute Montagne (ÉMHM) Chamonix, French Alps region
