Streaming - Chapter 3 free porn video

Warning: this is a continuous story, so you need to have read the first two chapters to have any idea of what is going on. Even then, you might struggle, so there is a glossary of terms at the end of this chapter, which will be updated with future chapters. Any constructive criticism always welcome at: [email protected] Remember, I'm only just starting, and I do have a very strong idea where this is going. Authors note: I dislike author's notes, since a piece of writing should be capable of standing alone, or at least with the rest of the chapters. But I was dubious about putting such a long piece of work on a TG fiction website, because I know it won't be to many people's taste. Unfortunately, the subject matter makes it very difficult to post on a lot of other fiction sites. For those who like a good plot to their TG tales, that is what I'm trying to provide. It's not quite detective sci-fi, but there is a definite back story, and clues to what is going on will be scattered around. The ending of this plot looks like being another 15 or so chapters away, provided I get there while I still enjoy the story, and seeing as how you normally get to know how long a novel is before you start, I thought it was only fair to warn you before you invest time in this. Streaming - Chapter 3 The first thing I notice as I re-enter my apartment, is that the clock has flowers around the frame. It's white, with some red petalled flowers wound round the outside, and I don't have a clue what sort of flowers they are. Am I supposed to know? Or did Jo just like the pattern. I don't know. My own clock had a wide silver rim, matching the rest of the d?cor in the place. I look at the clock instinctively, because I don't know what time it is. I hate not knowing what time it is. I think that most of us streamers are like that. Time is so important to us in our day to day job. And Jo's clock is in exactly the same place as my clock was. So who am I? More accurately, who is Jo? Is she the girl I would have been? I'm not her, even if I am physically, because I haven't got her experiences. I don't know what it was like to grow up as a girl, whenever it was she grew up. Without her life-experiences, and with no way of ever getting access to them, I can't become her. But more than that, I don't know if I'm supposed to be her. Do we even share any genetic heritage? Maybe the fact that we both put the clock in the same place indicates that we do. Or maybe it just shows that we're both streamers, and we like to look at the time as soon as we get home. I'm realizing that there is a lot more I don't know, despite Stuart's help. Why, for instance, do I still have my own memories? Isn't the mental me an aspect of the physical me? If my memories are stored in my brain, which is a physical part of me, in electromagnetic impulses, why haven't they changed? I have no answer to this sort of question, but if I talk to Stuart again I'll be sure to ask. Or maybe the gods will see fit to tell me. We call them gods, us streamers, because they hold the power, they direct our lives, the bosses of the time stream. Gods and bods, bosses and scientists, both hold power that we don't either have or understand, respectively. Not that I really begrudge them. I love my job, and I wouldn't want to be stuck in an office or a lab. Although I guess I may be stuck in a lab for longer than I'd like, after this whole thing sorts itself out. I've seen Jo's apartment already of course, but to tell the truth I wasn't paying much attention. I looked in the mirror, and I checked out the wallpad to talk to Stuart. I don't think anything more than that registered, which isn't really a surprise; I was probably in some sort of shock. But now I'm thinking, and I have nothing more to do than work out who I am. Who Jo is. Who I might have to be. Nothing will stop me from refurnishing my apartment my way, of course. I can ditch anything, and rebuild it the way I want. I can dress how I like, act how I want, my actions aren't predetermined by a female that I don't know, and never will. But the person who inhabited this body, who grew it through however long her life has been, chose these possessions for reasons, and if I can understand those reasons, or become more comfortable with them, maybe I can become more comfortable with my future. First things first, before Jo's possessions, there is Jo herself. I already know what she looked like. I've felt for the last hour or so how it feels to inhabit her body. For the most part, it just feels pretty normal, once I stop thinking about how it should feel. When I was walking back, I was thinking hard about what I had to do, and this time I wasn't noticing or thinking about how my breasts felt, or how my hair hung heavy on my head, or the way my body moved as I walked, or...or anything in the same vein. Maybe there is some muscle memory, that I have inherited, even as I retained my own actual memory. Some parts of Jo's body are a mystery to me, but they'll have to remain so for at least a little longer. As much as I can feel normal walking, this isn't my body, it is someone else's. That makes it wrong, in my book to examine it for my own erotic purposes, however much I may deign it curiosity. It's kind of like having a girl unconscious in your apartment. You don't just undress her because you can. People have privacy, even when you are temporarily in their body. And if that doesn't make sense, fine. Try it yourself, before you criticize me. Sooner or later, I will probably discover the secrets of this body, but it won't be for titillation. So I stand and stare at myself in the mirror again, this time taking in a little more. And all of it confirms everything I thought the first time. I'm moderately attractive. I'm small, which is really going to take some getting used to. And looking harder, I'm pretty sure that I'm younger. That one I have to check, because I've never really been any good at telling how old girls are, and secondly, I haven't got the slightest clue how my age could have changed. Mind you, that doesn't really matter because I haven't got the slightest clue how my gender could have been changed. Make-up. That's a bit of a blow. The ability to put on make up is pretty essential to women back in 20C. I don't know if I'm going to change back, or if they will ever let me do my job again. But I'm realizing that in order to blend in, the way I can so well as a man, I'm going to have to learn some new skills. I guess I should really worry about this much later, but my job is such a big part of me, I can't imagine who I am without it. I know a lot about 20C women, more than modern women do, probably. I know fashions, eras, rights, behaviours, throughout most of the period. They get taught as history in schools, but I get to see them most days. At least I'm a 20C expert, and it looks like Jo is too. Time wasn't always so kind to women, and at least during that period they were starting to approach some semblance of equality. I don't have to go back into 15C, and obey the whims of my lord on a regular basis, or deal with cavemen dragging me by the hair. The women on the other teams must see something in it. Give me retro, but make it civilized at least. Focus. Back to cleanworld. Or maybe I should start calling it greyworld. After all, I've already contaminated it. And maybe I'm not the only one. Maybe there's lots of pollution in this place, let through by failing systems or ridiculous overrides. First of all, I need to work out what I can about Jo's background. I have a scar on my ankle, the result of an ankle operation, when I broke it playing tennis. I can already see that Jo doesn't have that scar. But so what? Why would Jo break her ankle the same day I did? What I really need is her IDs. I keep mine locked in the apartment safe at the back of the closet. It would make sense for Jo's to be in the same place. And it is, although there are maybe three times more clothes in the closet to get past, and the floor is lined with shoes. I had three pairs of non-work shoes; the 20C norms are stored down in the dressing rooms. Jo must spend the same time in work as I do, and she has maybe twenty pairs of shoes. And about five or six pairs of boots. Given how full this closet is, I daren't even look in the closet in the spare room. So the safe is there. My combination is 7749. When I was younger, I really disliked my 7 times table, and seven sevens are forty-nine was the one I got wrong in a test. I never forgot it again. Apparently Jo may have had problems with the same times table, because her combination is the same as mine. This freaky overlapping and non-overlapping is probably going to haunt me for a while, I guess. As I kneel down to retrieve the documents from the safe, I do notice that this body is a good deal more flexible than mine is. Was. I was in pretty good shape, but I guess women are naturally more limber. I guess it makes up for the longer fingernails, which are definitely impeding my ability to pick up the IDs from the safe. You win some, you lose some. But the most important thing is that Jo's IDs are here. One UltraCard, signature illegible, no idea what the credit limit might be, good just about anywhere in the city. Apparently I actually have cash in the account, which I verify at the wallpad, which could be useful if I end up out of a job. One benefit card, with a pretty reasonable photo of my current body on the front, and presumably enough DNA specs to verify this body to whomever I choose, and allow me the standard health benefits due to any city employee, prove I am licensed to operate a zipper, and so on. At least I assume Jo can operate a zipper, it's not exactly rocket science. Although, I amuse myself for a moment reflecting, that is exactly what it is to 20C people. One access card. Always useful if I want to leave the building. Here in the FD block everything is scanned, so I don't need one, but there is a strong chance I won't want to stay in the same block the rest of my life. One citizenship card. And holding this up to the wallpad, I'm asked to confirm my passphrase. Damn. Well, my combination was the same, so maybe my passphrase will be. At least the voice recognition should work, so it isn't like a huge disaster. 'Penny Lane' The hook that got me into 20C was the music. We did a class project when I was 7, and I found Penny Lane, a song by a group called the Beatles, who were pretty much the biggest music act of 20C, back when you relied on others to make your music for you. I loved it at the time, and I still do, even though there are other songs that I like better, this one changed my life, because it hooked me on 20C. There's a different hook for everyone on my team, but apparently Jo and I share the same one, because the wallpad is waiting for my next request. 'Bio detail' 'Joanne Landers. Born TY30, August 16. Parents James and Michelle Landers, both deceased. Attended Sabre five school, followed by Grant four. Graduated TY47, rating 4AB3. Colleged at city two, graduated TY50, rating 3AB2. Work history, 2 years CMR, followed by present assignment at FD2, current tenure 2 years. Residence is...' I cut the wallpad off. Way to make yourself feel inadequate. Not only is Jo a good 8 years younger than I was, she finished school a year earlier, passed a year in college, cut three years off me at CMR, and has been in the team a couple of years less than I have. And she's scoring 94's on missions. 'Be all you can be' has nothing on this. We went to the same schools, which I guess were local, and the same college. We even got the same ratings at both, but Jo spent less time getting there. Same parents. So apparently I've traded up. Sometimes there is very little point feeling inferior. Jo and I don't coexist, and it isn't like 20C, where guys seem to automatically feel inadequate when women achieve more than they do. But it looks like, in some ways, Jo and I are alike, and in most of the ways that I measure myself, Jo has done better. It might be uncomfortable, I guess. But then, thinking about it, some of it might just be due to this body. And if I have to spend the rest of my life in it, it seems like a reasonably high- achieving place to get stuck. I still can't wrap my mind around the age though. I can sort of see how subtle changes might lead to a girl instead of a boy, and how my alter- ego in this existence might share a lot of my characteristics without being the same gender, but how can we have so much in common, when Jo is 24 and I'm 32. Was 32. I'm maybe going to have to see a genetic bod, because I certainly will never understand this by myself. The more I think about this, the more I can understand where the idea of souls comes in. A 20C new-ager would say that Jo and I share a soul, and only the physical has changed. Maybe a bod would tell me that it is all wrapped up in my genes, down in the coils I don't understand, where some of the information that was destined to be passed on to my parents' child is shared by both me and Jo, regardless of our age difference. Glancing across at the flower clock again, I see that it is eleven at night. And I suddenly realize that I'm shattered. I don't know whether Jo has had two missions today, but I certainly have, and I'm worn out. More information processing than I'm used to as well. I can't face getting undressed, so I lie down on a softer bed than I am used to, curl my legs up, and close my eyes, and within a few seconds I'm asleep, and my unconscious mind is busy piecing together fragments of my experience and processing them, whilst delivering what I remember as very weird dreams, without retaining any particular detail when I wake up at four in the morning, much more uncomfortable than I had planned on being. I never usually wake up in the middle of the night. I don't need a whole lot of sleep, but sometimes streaming can leave you pretty lagged, when you factor in the time discrepancies you quite often lose large chunks of a day waiting to come out of a stream. Theoretically. So I'm often going to sleep at odd hours, or staying awake longer than normal. But I don't need more than about 7 hours a night to feel reasonable, and if I get less than that I just catch up, usually at the weekend. I'm used to working irregular hours, but the only thing which wakes me up is the sonalarm. Maybe this body will need more sleep. The bods say that you only need about 2 hours to recharge your body; the rest is to recharge your brain. But I'm not used to waking up in pain in the early hours of a Saturday morning. It doesn't take me long to work out that not only do I badly need to visit my bathroom, but that I should have removed my earrings, one of which is pressing hard into the skin below my ear lobe, and that I probably need to tie my hair somehow during the night. Beautiful. It's a little bit chilly in my room, probably because I'm supposed to be underneath the covers, and in the middle of the night I usually have the heat turned low to save on the solus account. Theoretically, I know how women use the bathroom, but obviously there are some things which even the closest of couples don't share in the now, however liberated 21C might consider itself to have been. But anyway, I discover that female peeing is similar enough to male to relieve myself. More importantly, looking in the mirror over the sink one of the less obvious disadvantages of make-up is now clear. It has to come off. By the look of my face, there is going to be make-up all over my pillows. It seems a little unfair that I'm having to deal with things that women in the now don't have to deal with, and I'm not even a woman, but the make-up removes pretty easily with the aid of some cotton pads in the cabinet behind the mirror. I take the earrings off, and under my left ear is a huge sore red mark, where the back has been pressing in. It's pretty tender, so I apply a numb. There are some elastic hair band things in the cabinet, and it's pretty easy to put my hair in a ponytail, given how long it is. Hopefully that will be enough. I'm going to return to bed, but I'm not as sleepy as I was, so I activate the pipe and see if there is anything I'm interested in live. I'm not really in the mood for trickle charges, so I restrict the turns to just the free stuff, and quickly realize why I don't stay up to catch anything live at this hour of the morning. If you think that there isn't much on during the day except the drams and the games, try looking to be entertained at 4 am. Glancing around the surfaces, I see Jo's musicmaker on a table. So apparently Jo isn't as careless as me when it comes to leaving stuff on the transit. It's tuned pretty well, although it has a little more beat than I prefer, but I could get used to this. So I spend a few minutes pacing around the apartment, looking out the windows at the view of the city I know so well, and looking through the closet at the view I know not at all. Jo doesn't seem to have much materially outside her clothes, but she has plenty of them. I eventually decide that I could lie down again, and possibly catch some sleep, as I'm not exactly feeling refreshed. There are a pile of sleepsuits in the closet, so I decide that I'm going to be much more comfortable if I put one on, instead of the 20C day clothes I'm still wearing. And although it means undressing completely, I get through it. This body I'm inhabiting is scaring me silly, and I don't want to admit it, so I think I'm kind of avoiding the subject. But there are things that you can't avoid, and the large pointed nipples on round breasts, the smooth slightly rounded belly, and empty crotch are just the most obvious of them. Jo's definitely kept herself in good shape, but she is only 24, and seems to have inherited a pretty athletic physique. I think I'm naked for all of 3 seconds maybe, but I'm not in a rush to prolong the experience. It's pretty hard to describe what I'm feeling. Fear is only a small part of it, and there is still some shock in there. There is absolutely no sense of eroticism though. If you had asked me to imagine what my reaction would have been, I'd have been quite a long way off. Some of it has to be the whole discontinuity, this isn't really my body, and so it's someone else's, and I'm pretty respectful of other people's privacy. But at the same time, I'm in here, and afraid to confront all the consequences that being here imply. Not really afraid, incapable of addressing it, particularly at 4 in the morning, when I'm sleep deprived and only half awake. So I slip on the sleepsuit, which is the first contemporary female clothing I've ever worn, and it feels very smooth against my skin. The music maker is still on, and I lie back in bed, which is still much softer that I'm used to, and consequently doesn't feel quite right. I make sure the sonalarm is not set, and switch to 'no disturb' for another 8 hours, and it probably takes me about 20 minutes to fall asleep to the music. Again, it might as well be dreamless sleep, for all that I remember, and when I awake, the sun is streaming in the windows and it seems to my groggy eyes that it is some time in the middle of the day. Actually, a check of the clock shows it as 2 in the afternoon, which means it is about 20 hours since I streamed back in, into this body. It's the first calculation my mind makes. The second is that of those 20 hours, I've spent a little over 5 awake, and the rest asleep. So it isn't like I'm really spending time adjusting to this new reality. I'm thinking about what I'm going to do with the rest of the day, given I've already decided that I'm telling the gods the whole story on Monday at the debrief, and following that my life might not be my own for much longer. I can't say that I've ever thought before, what would I do if I were a woman for a day, or a day and a half. It isn't like there's discrimination, like there's places I can't go if I'm a guy. Jo has enough clothes to last me a lifetime, it looks like, so there's not much point shopping, not that I'm really ready for the whole experience anyway, but it crosses my mind. As I'm thinking about it, I realize I do have some curiosity about this whole thing - but it isn't related to the now. I'm curious about interacting as a 20C female. I guess this isn't particularly surprising, if I think about it. You may not have gathered, but I love my job. I love it because I get to experience history, and a part of history I love. Sure, I fell for the music first of all. But the first time I streamed back there, I knew I'd made the right choice of career. For those who haven't lived in another time, it is very difficult to explain. I get to see history being made. It is unbelievable how much of our current lifestyle and society is the direct result of discoveries, theories and changes in little more than a lifetime. I never really manage to communicate this to people I talk to. There are a few things that really changed in that century that I don't feel like I can relate to though. When I stream back anywhen, I'm always a member of the enfranchised, a white male in North America. Over the course of the period nothing really changes in terms of my rights, and rights are a huge part of what is going on then. It's not like I want to walk around scorned by others around me, but I miss feeling part of the huge changes going on. They used to teach in schools that women had women of 20C to thank for their equal rights. They would never include that sort of sentiment in the ModSoc courses in the now, because no-one has anyone to thank for their rights, they are born with them. But it has an aspect of truth to it, because without someone in history standing up to the situation at the time, those rights might have continued to be denied. So I guess something about this situation intrigues me a little. I don't know if I'll ever get to stream in this body, but from what Stuart said, if I'm going to have a chance of returning to normal I would have to. With all of 5 hours of waking experience, I don't hate this body, but it isn't mine, it's a stranger's. The worst case will be to be stuck in someone else's body, and not be able to do my job. But it isn't like it is the worst thing that could happen. I'm cheered a little by these thoughts. I have the possibilities of some new experiences, and I'm alive and healthy. With this thought, I decide that it is time to have a complete look at the body I'm in for the first time. Deep breath, and I click the sleepsuit off. I'm standing naked, in front of the mirror. Jo is definitely attractive enough. I raise my arms above my head and stretch, and my breasts move upwards. I turn around, still looking in the mirror. Jo isn't exactly my type; we probably wouldn't be matched on a compudate. And that makes it a little easier. I'm not turning myself on, which really helps, because I'm not narcissistic, and I would hate to have it thrust upon me. Posing in front of the mirror for about a minute is about all I really need. I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable, because this isn't an uncomfortable body to be in. So I think that for my own good I need to leave my apartment this afternoon. Showering is OK, and I'm a little more aware of just how sensitive parts of this body are. I don't need to shave, which speeds me up, and so does not washing my hair. I'm not sure if Jo has depilled her legs and underarms, but there isn't a razor in the shower, even a buzz one, so I guess she must have. Pretty standard for women now, but one or two have told me they like the effort. Katie said that it reminds her that her body is still alive, whatever that means. I haven't depilled my face, even though I never intended to grow a beard, so I guess I sympathize. Air dry as usual, and I pick out a suitable wraparound from Jo's closet. There's an automask set up already in a makerup in the bathroom, and I smooth it over my face. The result is pretty standard in the now, although it does amuse me the difference between my face now, and how it looked in the middle of the night, with 20C makeup smeared all over. Thinking about it, I check the pillows, and sure enough they aren't the cleanest, so I chute them down to the cleaners, and find some more in the closet. I have absolutely no idea what pair of Jo's shoes will go with the wrap I have on, but the wallpad brings up a couple of catwalk pictures, and surprise surprise, Jo has a pair pretty much like the pair in the picture. Kind of springy softsoles, and my legs are using slightly different muscles with them on, but they do feel pretty comfortable. I take the elastic out of my hair, and decide to brush it out before I go out, because it doesn't look quite right. I'm probably about 5 minutes from walking out the door, when I get an override coming through, which means that whoever it is knows that I am home, and if Jo has the same sound settings for a level 1 as I do, which given all previous evidence she probably does, this is a level 1, which means the gods are calling. I click the wallpad to answer. 'Yes, can I help you?' 'Jo. Thanks for picking up on off hours, but this is important. I think you know what it is about. We're pulling the debrief immediately, and we need you down here. It's in your interest to sort this out quickly. Is 10 minutes enough?' Damn Stuart. I just needed a little more time to get my bearings together. I guess he thought it was too important to leave up to me after all. Judgment calls, and it looks like I'm going to have a resolution of one sort or another pretty soon. At least I'm dressed and ready to face the music. 'Sure, see you in ten.' The pad clicks off, and I close my eyes, and force myself to take deep breaths. One, two three. Open my eyes, and I walk out of Jo's apartment, ready to literally have the debrief of my life. End of chapter *** Glossary of terms Bods - colloquialism used by streamers for the various scientific staff involved in the operation of the FD division. Bubble - the bubble is a side effect of the rift, an area of spacetime which is unaffected by Cell - developed in TY30, cells, or cell-bubbles are manufactured bubbles, which can surround an area, and protect its history from further effects of oosers with the passing of the now. The protection is only from the establishment of the cell onwards, there is no change to any prior effect oosers may have had on the history of the area within the cell, or any objects within that area. Cells can be collapsed in one of two ways, either by explosion or implosion. Cleaning - colloquialism for the work done by streamers to clean the past by the removal of oosers. Cleanworld - accepted term for referring to the portion of the present world within the bubble. The 'clean' prefix denotes that this area is unaffected by contamination from the effects of oosers, and hence represents a reality unaltered by the rift. CMR - CMR is a local division dealing with eliminating effects of oosers. CMR subcontracts work from FD divisions, normally easily performed, and having little overall effect, for example oosers which appear in the middle of a desert region where pollution is very low as traces of existence are rapidly eradicated. There are a number of such subcontracting divisions, and each one has separate facilities, including a greeting room, however the operation of the timestream technology is often controlled from FD sections, as not all local operations have such bod's to cope with this. CMR does have it's own operatives, and therefore is relatively self-contained. Contamination - refers to the effects of any out of stream objects, from those created by the rift, to streamers currently at work, to pollution created by streamers. Drams - one form of piped entertainment, usually referring to dramatized representations of invented improbable life situations and characters. Often interactive, this type of entertainment is usually free, and has huge viewing figures. FD - the city government department concerned primarily with eliminating the effects of oosers. FD is divided into 6 sections, each operating in either a particular period of history, or type of ooser. FD2 specialises in the periods 19C, 20C and 21C. FD3 in the period from 12C to 18C, FD4 from 0C to 11C, FD5 in any BC time, FD6 in long term assignments, where particularly difficult topography may require streamers to inhabit another time for periods of a week or longer, and therefore requires different skills. FD1 specialises in removal of pollution created by other streamers, and is generally recognized as the most difficult work, however there is a level of animosity between FD1 and other divisions, due to the nature of work performed by FD1. The division of time between FD2 to FD5 is more than a guideline, to avoid the interaction of different operatives from different divisions in the same time periods. Generally, the FD sections are subdivided into further teams, each dealing with more specialist areas, however these are guidelines only, and streamers may be asked to operate anywhen within their FD period. Each FD section has its own facilities, with a separate greeting room, however only one permanent room exists for the whole of the FD complex. Gods - colloquialism used by streamers for the various administrative and executive staff involved in the operation of the FD division. Greeter - colloquialism for a time mechanic who is responsible for operation of the greeting room, including fixing of the end point of the stream, and running the scans on re-entry into the bubble. Greeting room - a room set up as the entry and exit points for the streamer in the cleanworld. Each FD section has its own greeting room ModSoc - Modern Society, a mandatory school and college subject. Musicmaker - obviously some sort of TY portable music device. Now, the - phrase generally used by time related workers to identify time elapsing in the present. The phrase was adopted to simplify description of the effects of this time elapsing in the present, as opposed to Various effects in the past are governed by changes in the now, for instance oosers are sent back by the rift in 'the now', as time passes in the present, more oosers are generated, streamers are sent back into time 'in the now', and topography changes in the now. Example, an ooser is generated at 12.00 in the now, placing an object at 1950. A streamer traveling back to 1950 at 11.00 in the now will not detect the ooser. A second streamer traveling back to 1950 at 13.00 in the now will detect the ooser. If this streamer cleans the ooser, a third streamer traveling back to 1950 at 14.00 will detect the second streamer for the duration of their stay in 1950. Numb - a painkilling cream applied to minor aches and pains Ooser - colloquialism for an Out Of Stream object. Objects which are picked up as an effect of the Rift, and transported back in time, not in space, where they will usually have an effect on the Riftworld. The effect that an ooser has can be measure by a technique known as resonance. Permanent room - a room set up in TY30 following the discovery of cells, and the realization that Cleanworld could in fact be contaminated by streamers trapped in the stream, and brought back into Cleanworld through the use of collapsing cells. The permanent room is permanently enclosed in a stable cell, which Pipe - fixed entertainment system in an apartment. Piped entertainment is either free, or trickle charged ie small charges are made directly to the account of the viewer based on time spent viewing the entertainment. A pipe is usually set on a particular turn, or turns, which rotate around a variety of entertainment, based on the preferences of the viewer. Pollution - accepted term for the contamination of the past resulting from the actions or presence of streamers. Pollution is an unfortunate side-effect of the cleaning process, which cannot be absolutely eliminated, but the ability to reduce pollution is a good measure of the ability of a streamer. Generally, the more effect that a streamer has on the period they operate in, and the more time they spend on a mission, the greater the pollution created. Pollution is measured using resonance techniques. Resonance - the procedures by which the level of contamination of the past is measured. Oosers, or pollution, have a perturbation effect on the fields surrounding the spacetime continuum. Records of these fields can be compared before and after oosers are dropped by the rift. This comparison process is called resonance, because it often relies on separating out the effects caused by different oosers, which is only achievable through field resonance theory. All calculations are computerized, however processing of different scenarios, leading to a determined effect, can by accelerated through use of the judgment of skilled individuals, who use experience to allocate particular wave formations to individual oosers, and hence reduce the number of iterations the computer has to perform. Rift - the tear in time presumed to have resulted from early experiments into time travel. The main consequence of the rift is the periodic emanation of oosers, creating the Riftworld. Study of the rift has allowed scientists to make significant advances in time travel, and directly led to the creation of streams. Riftworld - accepted term for referring to the portion of the present world, not including the Cleanworld. The Riftworld is the portion of the world not protected by the bubble from the effect of oosers, and hence, from the viewpoint of people in Cleanworld, is constantly changing. Objects and people can pass from Cleanworld to Riftworld. However, the return journey is precluded if during the time spent in Riftworld the object has had its history altered by the effect of an ooser. School / college ratings - ratings in the form Number 1, Letter 1, Letter 2, Number 2. These are ratings summarizing a students achievement in the overall school system, or the college system. The letters represent a grading average over all specialized courses taken, and over all mandatory courses taken, respectively, with A being the top grade, and J being the lowest grade. The first number denominates the average level of mandatory courses taken, with 10 being the most basic, and 1 the most advanced, and the second number denotes the level of specialist courses taken, with 10 being the most basic, and 1 the most advanced. The level of courses denoted differs between the school system and the college system. Ratings are the sole public measure of achievement within the systems, individual aptitudes or abilities in other areas are tested, and are commonly used when applying for particular positions, however these are deemed to be private information, and given at the discretion of the individual. Sleepsuit - normal sleepwear, for both male and female. Thin fabric which regulates the body at the optimal temperature during the night, which assists in more effective sleep and is supposed to slow the aging process. Solus - solar power operating corporation supplying power to substantially all of the city. Sonalarm - soundwave emitting timekeeper, which is generally used as the equivalent of an alarm clock to peacefully but quickly bring a sleeper to consciousness. Streamer - colloquialism for a time engineer, whose job involves trips into the past through streams in order to remove out of stream objects (oosers) which produce unwanted effects in the riftworld Stream - generally accepted shortening of timestream, the flow of time allowing streamers to move backwards in time, and return. One end of a stream is fixed in the greeting room, and the other can be manipulated as close as possible to the required destination, subject to topography. Topography - either the curious effect generating gradients in the spacetime continuum, or the resulting contours, which complicate the process of manipulation of the moveable end of a stream to a particular spacetime event, and can result in the inability to fix this end of the stream as close as desirable to the appearance of an ooser. The topography moves as the now passes. Current scientific speculation as to why topography exists is divided into 3 camps, those who speculate that it is naturally occurring, those who believe it is a result of a backlash effect from the Rift experiment, and those who believe it results from the removal of oosers from their original place in the time continuum. TY - the current calendar system. One year TY is equivalent to one year in the previous calendar system. TY0, represents the time of the rift, which actually took place in November 23, TY-1. The equivalent previous calendar equivalent is currently not specified. Also used to refer to the post-rift era. Ultracard - a commonly accepted form of banking / credit card, holding all of the users financial details. Can be accessed through any wallpad. wallpad - an access terminal into the city's computer network, distributed at frequent points throughout the city. All apartments will have a wallpad, which can also be used to manage communications with other individuals. 20C - reference method for the 20th century Anno Domini - the years 1901 A.D. to 2000 A.D