Beyond Imagination - 4. Chapter 3

(David Freeman)

Jealousy is an awful emotion, especially if it is undeserved. Elliot and I have no real emotional bond, except surface attraction, and no shared happy experiences except a few fleeting moments of tenderness. Looking at these two, despite the odd pairing, they share something that words cannot define. It reminds me of a memory.

Growing up in Fort Lauderdale where the first camps were built in 1984, I was curious as to what type of people would be brought in. I imagined the images of wicked-looking men in leather straps or effeminate attire, but what I saw shook me. Separated by a barbed wire fence, a small thought came into my eighteen-year-old mind as I looked at what seemed like a normal landscape, was I the one in a cage created by them? The thought gave me fresh waves of fear, enough in fact to nearly cause me to run off, but then I saw them. There were men and women, boys and girls of all shapes and sizes. They were dressed in tattered T-shirts and pants with dirt and traces of vomit. I wanted to hate them, wanted to fear them for what happened to Jeff, but in the end, I couldn’t feel anything staring at them.

I wasn’t gawking at the spectacle alone either, several people near me began hurling stones across the fence, shouting slurs and epithets. Most of the targeted ran away for shelter, but there were so few places to hide in such an open space. One of the larger stones smashed into the side of a young man’s head. He was around my age with a better muscular frame and had sustained several hits without flinching before the last blow. As he fell to the ground, a smaller figure also fell beside him. Shorter and smaller, similar in build to me, he shook the bigger youth. It reminded me of the scene from Bambie after the young deer was trying to wake his dead mother. As the other gawkers continued to hurl insults and stones at the easily targeted pair, all the malice left me for the first time, since Jeff died two years before. I prayed for the bigger youth to stand up and get away with the smaller youth. After several tense moments, the bigger youth did move and shepherded the smaller youth away, despite other attempts to strike him down again. I never forgot the look of excitement in the smaller youth or the joy of reunion that the two felt despite their circumstances. That is the same expression I see in Elliot, the expression only created by love tested through death itself. Whatever the last two years were between us, it’s nothing compared to that.

Ignoring those feelings and sitting down at the familiar raised seat that Max provided, I lifted us off the ground. As we cleared 10,000 feet, a brilliant flash of light can be seen in the distance. Luckily the display is filtered by Max, any direct view of an atomic blast would destroy most human retinas. However, not being able to see the end of human civilization may be a godsend to the observer. After the blast, the mushroom cloud that is an iconic emblem of the atomic age appears menacingly. Looking down at the dust storm that is racing across the landscape, I imagine how similar scenes are repeating themselves around the world. In every city, town, and village, the roar of an atomic blast should echo, whether it is dropped nearby or at a distance. The lucky ones have reached some shelter or subterranean basement with food and water as I had planned. However, what will come after the initial blasts and radiation will be far worse. A breakdown of human civilization, means no electricity, no running water, no easy access to food, and dwindling resources for those who survive the fallout. The dust clouds will cause a nuclear winter, dropping Earth’s temperatures that have not been seen since the last ice age. Even those who believe themselves well-prepared and stocked for years will not escape unscathed. Beyond nuclear weapons, humans have developed other means of mass destruction such as biological and chemical weapons. Without medical specialists and limited resources to combat these other things, an extinction event was more than likely.

Thinking about what is happening on the ground, I request something, “Max, can you pick up any radio transmissions from our area? Localize it to one of the news broadcasts still available right now.”

I remember fourteen years ago asking for the same thing, listening to music broadcasts, and tuning into my favorite band, the Bee Gees. However, this time around, the voice over the radio was less bright and joyous.

“This is a special emergency broadcast from Larry King, reporting from Mutual Radio. Reports are still coming in, but we can now confirm that Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco were destroyed within 5 miles of the city center. In retaliatory strikes, the cities of Moscow, Leningrad, Novosibirsk, Gorky, and Sverdlovsk were destroyed. Expectations are for several more waves of nuclear weapon exchanges between the United States and antagonistic elements of the Soviet Union. There are also confirmed reports of unknown viral and bacterial outbreaks in the cities of Boston, Charleston, and Seattle due to Soviet biological weapon payloads. Casualties are currently estimated at around 40-50 million in the United States. Martial law has been declared throughout the United States, but reports are coming in that various civilian and military groups have seized government buildings and military bases in various locations. In further news…”

“Stop the transmission!” I screamed

Elliot and I have been spared all this due to outside intervention. We could very well become the last human beings in the universe at this rate. As the magnitude of the massive calamity hit, I had to ask for a big favor from Max again. I knew the danger and limited chances of another successful time jump back to 1978, but I’d been willing to do it without advanced technology with even a quintillion-to-one odds, so a billion-to-one odds were significantly better.

“Max, can you make another jump back to 1978?”

Max’s familiar mechanical orb flashes in my face with a purple light, he sounds apologetic as he replies, “I am sorry David. It would be impossible now to go back.”

I had not seen this coloring on his orb display before during our first encounter. There was a reason for his hesitancy, I knew it was unsafe to attempt time travel with human physiology or psychological consciousness. As we rose higher, passing the 330,000 Kármán line between the atmosphere and space, I can see thousands of dust clouds, some were just forming and others were coalescing. The largest dust cloud covered Europe from Spain to the Ural Mountain range.

Seeing such destruction, I couldn’t hold back my anger as I shouted at Max, “Why not? If it’s a high probability of failure or me getting vaporized, I don’t fucking care about that. My entire species is probably going to be extinct. I think I can take the risk of ceasing to exist if there’s a chance of success. We did this before Max, so why not now?”

Max mumbles, “It’s because of what they saw in you two...”

“What are you talking about? Why does that even matter?”

Max replies coldly, “They won’t let us. We had to break all the rules just to save you two.”

Silence descended in the spacecraft as the words hit home. I realized that it wasn’t that my messages for help hadn’t reached anyone, they just didn’t want to answer. The hundreds of neighboring alien species in our part of the galaxy chose to stand back and watch humanity self-immolate. Why would they? They allowed Max to bring me back and Elliot was allowed to live his life without interference.

Before I could scream at Max again, Elliot walks up next to me, leaving his companion E.T. behind him. He appears disturbed by something as his facial expression had morphed from one of joy and emotional excitement moments before to abject horror.

Elliot places his hand on my shoulder, then offers the disturbing reason, “It is because humanity failed, we failed to stop ourselves from self-destruction. It was our inaction, yours and mine. Our unwillingness to leave selfish desires caused all the other civilizations to turn their backs on humanity. We were given gifts and insights that we squandered.”

Incredulous at the idea, I counter, “Oh God, we’re trying to save our species now, how can that be selfish?”

Elliot sullenly responds, “We didn’t stand up when we knew things were going bad despite our experiences and knowledge. We didn’t act about the overblown fear of GRID that led to the camps. We didn’t stop the proliferation of bigoted ideas. Instead, we protected ourselves and lied to ourselves about what was happening.”

I was being defensive about this judgment on humanity due to our inaction, then turn to Max, “What did they expect of us? We were kids when you guys encountered us. Did you not think what the government would do if they found out?”

Max turns his orb display away from me and replies “You had many chances David, even subtle ones to act. Aegis agents were watching you and Elliot all along, two humans capable of great feats beyond the limitations of your species. However, both of you failed to rise above petty human instincts. Self-interest and emotional conditioning overwhelmed rational approach or empathy. Elliot attempted self-deception due to the various traumas of the recent decade, rather than seeking to improve upon circumstances for himself and others, despite the gift of empathic knowledge that he was given. You were riddled with guilt over your younger brother’s death, consumed with your quest to correct past mistakes, and ignored the current state of the world despite your advanced scientific and technical knowledge. That is why a time lock was put in place to prevent you or other humans from journeying into the past within this reality. That is why we were prevented from reaching out to you both, your examples proved that humanity should not be given additional chances. Neither I nor E.T. disagrees with the conclusions concerning you two or the decisions about not helping your species anymore, but we couldn’t let you both die. We formed empathic bonds with you two and couldn’t let you perish.”

I didn’t want to accept what Max was saying about my goal to save my brother being a contributing reason for the destruction of humanity. How can he or any being judge me for that?

Instead of unwrapping all the emotional baggage, I focus on solving practical problems. My mind couldn’t access the concept of a “time lock”, despite having what amounted to a universal encyclopedia. I tried defining Aegis, but all I got were references to Greek myths regarding a shield used by Athena with the head of Medusa.

Frowning at Max’s explanation, I ask questions that are simple definitions and conditions, “What is a time lock? Who or what is Aegis?”

When Max remains silent for far too long, I stare at Elliot, hoping he could provide answers. I don’t know why I knew he would be amenable to my desire to change the subject from our failures to something practical regarding what we could do right now to fix things. Elliot glances at E.T., but there was no change in either his or the alien being’s demeanor. I’ve read and seen enough science fiction to understand what telepathic communications are, so I do not question the unspoken words that they exhibit within their minds.

Elliot turns to me and shrugs, “E.T. doesn’t know those answers, either. They’re some powerful mysterious group who created a treaty with a bunch of advanced alien civilizations in the universe to protect this reality. He also doesn’t understand the time lock, except it prevents specific moments or types of being from traveling backward in time.”

Considering the etymology of the terms, I assume it’s a method to limit time travel. There must be some code that allows someone to open the door. Thinking about how locks work on Earth and how they can be bypassed, ideas begin to form in my mind.

“Max, if It’s a lock, can you pick at it?”

Max laughs boisterously for the first time since our reunion, I forgot how condescending he could be at times to me, “No way, Jose. The time lock requires a particular tachyon frequency for it to unlock. If we try crossing through time with the wrong frequency, we all blow up like Wile E. Coyote with badly made ACME explosives. The chance of you getting it right within the first try is zero.”

Confirming my theory about a lock and key mechanism, I follow up with another question to Max, “Can you still move at the speed of light and generate infinite mass as a result in the surrounding space? Can you perform quantum communications to yourself during that period at the speed of light?”

Max and E.T. in unison understood what I was seeking, so both reply emphatically, “Bad…Idea!”

Elliot unaware of what everyone is talking about, asks me, “What are you thinking? How would that let you break a time lock?”

I jump up and down joyfully, holding Elliot’s hands, at the utter madness and genius of the idea, “Remember the class I taught you about quantum states and Schrodinger's cat? If we go exactly at the speed of light, then choose different moments in time to accelerate while projecting different frequencies, we become the cat in the box. Schrodinger only considers two states in the thought experiment: the cat is alive or the cat is dead due to radiation poisoning. However, I know that there can be an infinite number of states at different moments, just as there can be infinite frequencies to open the lock. The rest of this plan involves quantum entanglement to give us infinite chances at various moments we accelerate.”

Max blows a non-existent whistle, “Hold your horses, there are things you need to think about…”

Before he could offer any counterarguments, I appeal to him again, “I can’t stay here in this time with my entire species gone, so I must do it. You guys broke the rules too, so I’m guessing you’re facing big punishments if we don’t fix this, too.”

Max turns to Elliot and E.T., then answers without any hint of emotion, “David, even though I want to help you again, it’s not so simple. Can you make such a big decision to risk someone else’s life as well? Even if we stay in this time, Elliot and you can still have long peaceful lives in a distant world with us. We all must agree to this. Unanimity is how most advanced beings in the universe operate, not a majority or plurality, but they reach a true selfless agreement for something as big as this undertaking.”

I look over at Elliot, then ask him pleadingly, “Do you have a family? Do you have a brother or sister that you want to save from this fate?”

Elliot shudders, then turns to E.T., “We should try this, even if it’s dangerous. I know it’s selfish to want to save my family, on my part, but you also owe them consideration too. Michael helped to save you from dying in the water ditch alone by carrying you back home. Gertie loved you and treated you with deep affection. They’ve changed without those memories of what happened, becoming different people now, but those acts did happen and those people did exist once under different circumstances. If you can still feel what I do, if you can understand the human emotion of obligations, please say yes.”

While I had dismissed this little alien being with a bright heart-shaped thing pulsating on his chest, all our hopes for fixing things now rests on him. I knew from my understanding of the universal encyclopedia in my head that species such as his also operate on the principle of unanimity. They choose to work for common causes, but if even one of them disagrees, then nothing will occur. However, E.T. and Max chose to abandon that concept once already to save us, defying unity of action despite agreeing with the course of action. In doing so, they would be exiled from future decision-making and allowed to operate independently without hindrance or support. It’s an interesting way of reaching a consensus for beings with all the time in the universe.

E.T. stares at all of us, then his finger lights up, “We go…back.”

With the decision made, we all prepare to undertake the acceleration to the speed of light.

Hoping to lighten the mood before we take on this crazy plan, I make a request I had fourteen years before, “Max, can you find a radio signal from Earth? Look for songs from the band, The Bee Gees.”

With the power ballad of “Stayin’ Alive” in the background, I piloted us out of Earth’s orbit. I took us on a course to pass within view of the moon, Mars, and Saturn to reach the edge of the Heliosphere. Most people assume that spacecraft like other forms of transportation travel in straight lines, going from point A to B in a two-dimensional line. People who have piloted aircraft or spacecraft know that’s not the case, since you have to factor in other factors with three dimensions and external factors. For aircraft, the shortest route to a destination may not be a straight line, but a parabolic flight path. For spacecraft, the shortest route to a destination with conventional propulsion methods is a series of slingshots around various planetary gravity wells.

After we reached actual space where the impact of the solar system’s gravity had reduced effect on the surroundings, Max would have to do most of the work in terms of the complex calculations and communicate with himself using quantum entanglement, but I could accelerate us toward the speed of light and navigate in four dimensions. Time as a dimension with distance is inversely related with the other three spatial dimensions, the faster and further you go in spatial dimensions, the slower time is relative to your perspective due to general relativity, but more time elapses as you traverse from an outside observer perspective. However, once you go faster than light, then time operates in reverse and spatial distance is shortened. Time travel is a byproduct.

I might die infinite times attempting to break this lock, but eventually, one version of me will succeed in breaking through the time lock, bringing us back to 1978. Assuming, we survive the transit, we’ll need to make a lot of corrections.

August 20^th, 1992, San Francisco

(Elliot Taylor)

My eyes flicker open as a rainbow of colors filtered through them. I could see colors that I have no name for. It was a Kaleidoscope and I felt weightless like I was just floating without a care in the world. I remember being on the spaceship, remember attempting David’s plan, and remember holding onto E.T., while staring at David in his seat, rotating the circular flight controls. He looks confident and at ease with himself, despite the facts that were laid in front of him. I wish I did not have as much self-doubt about all of this.

As my vision clears, nagging pain and nausea hit me. I realize I am on a bed, but it wasn’t the bed I’m used to at my residence hall. The comforters were scratching my bare skin and there was a stench in the room of alcohol.

I moan, “Oh shit, my head hurts,” as I quickly roll my body rightwards for the vomit that was sure to follow.

I’ve never been able to handle any amount of alcohol, but to fulfill a social routine with other students, I had to engage in drinking. I would usually place a trash can on the right side of my bed the night before I knew I would be drinking, so it was only instinct that I vomited over the right side. I heard the splatter of vomit against a plastic bag, so I knew I had at least found my target. However, unlike my usual single alcohol-fueled vomiting session for a few seconds, I continued to vomit. There were intervals when I thought it would stop, but then my nausea came back and I continued again.

At some point, I felt a gentle hand on my back rubbing it. My college roommate was an athletic guy named Cory, who usually spent his time away from our room. He had never displayed any sign of offering help to me when I had a hangover. However, when the vomiting subsided and I faced him, I was shocked to see someone else, someone very familiar. He had a pair of wire-framed glasses, but there were distinct attributes about his face that made me remember what had happened.

“David, did we, do it?” I mumble in my dazed state.

The bespectacled guy answers me, “Elliot, jeez, it’s Jeff, your roommate for the last two years. My brother will kill me if he sees you like this today. We shouldn’t have gone to that “newcomer” party last night. You can’t match white Russians and sour milk glass for glass.”

As he spoke, I was overtaken by weariness and fell asleep.

Time travel isn't what happened here  
For Science Fiction fans of the 1990s, you know which franchise I'm referencing here at the end of the chapter with "Newcomer" and "Sour Milk" references. One of the first TV shows that gave decent LGBT representation and open social commentary on a lot of modern-day issues that still persist today. Yes, it's Alien Nation. Most people have forgotten that old TV show, but I want to explore the reality.
I've got other Sci-fi I want to explore from 1990s, including a talking dolphin at some point just to get my imagination going
I'm also setting up things down the line for reality/franchise jumps, you may notice a name drop in here that's very important for the future as an organization will come back up. I suggest for fans of Star Trek to re-watch TOS Assignment Earth or read Christopher L. Bennett's Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigation Watching the Clock to learn a few more things about Aegis.