A Collision In Time

The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us.

– François de La Rochefoucauld (AD 1613–1680, Earth)

Uriel waited for Dov to focus before he began. “The time-wave isn’t behaving normally. Either the math is wrong, or new, unexplainable physical events are occurring. We confirmed four instances where our models are showing larger anomalies.”

Dov hesitated. “Are you sure? The physics has held for centuries. It’s like you’re telling me gravity isn’t working. I’m skeptical.”

She softened her voice. “I’m sorry. Keep going.”

Uriel turned toward the shimmering visual now dominating the room. “The deviations happen four times.” He pointed to the locations on the red line. “Beginning here, and here, and again here, and there.” Uriel touched the red dot nearest to them. “The first anomaly will take place shortly, in a matter of days. However, the impact will be felt by our ancestors. A few hundred years ago.”

“Wait,” Dov said. “Will occur in the past? Like when the anomalies occur they’ll change history? Is that what the graph is showing?”

“Yes, this is what the graph is showing,” Ariel confirmed. “The past should not be able to randomly change; it should be locked in. Otherwise, imagine the chaos. Remember Einstein’s time paradox? Yet this graph indicates the potential for significant chaos, today and into our future.”

Dov studied the shimmering red line. The realization of what the visual displayed sank in. She stood and slowly walked toward the kitchen. “I need to think about this, if you don’t mind. You guys keep working. I need some more tea.”

Dov ambled into the kitchen feeling both despair and exasperation, looking for comfort from a cup of masala. The chime of an incoming call, marked as CONFIDENTIAL, interrupted her. Dov tapped to accept the request on the holograph. The familiar face of Senate Chair Adrian Morin, head of the Pachamama Senate Council, materialized in front of her.

“Dov, how are you?”

Dov paused, unsure how to be honest with her answer. She decided to respond formally. “I am well, thank you, and again my thanks for supporting our unusual data request. What can I do for you?”

“That’s why I’m calling. Rumors are flying about what you are working on. Tell me, what’s all the fuss?”

Dov’s thoughts transported her to a classroom, where she sat at a desk with her teacher standing over her. She recalled the proud expression on her teacher’s face as she recognized Dov’s mathematics exam results as “truly remarkable.” She grinned when her classmates reacted with admiration, jealousy, and attention, though not always the type of attention she sought.

Yet despite the praise her confidence remained to this day fragile. As a habit, she worried her credentials would evaporate and she’d return to being the little girl sitting alone in the classroom.

“I am not convinced there is any fuss, but let me try and explain—”

“No physics, please, Dov,” interrupted Chair Morin. “I am not a woman of science.”

“Let me use an analogy then, Chair Morin—”

“Please, just Adrian.”

“Yes, Adrian. As you know, we leverage the time-wave to time-travel, usually using our observation robots to do that. Ever since its discovery by Professor Zitkala-Sa eight centuries ago, the time-wave has shown remarkable stability. We have co-existed with the time-wave like being surrounded by a still calm lake. Imagine now this is a lake of time that stretches into the past and future. When we time-travel we monitor the lake to ensure we don’t create even the tiniest ripples. Each time we jump would be equivalent to a person tossing a grain of sand into the water. There are small quantum effects, but these are mathematically inconsequential. The metaphoric lake remains stable, as does the time-wave. Does this make sense Adrian?”

“Yes, please continue, I am sure you are getting to the interesting part of the metaphor.”

“I am. It was quite unexpected when data from our sensors indicated a ripple on the time-wave. More than a ripple, almost as if a person threw explosives into the lake. The data looked like someone tossed a bomb four times. The worrying piece is that the ripples are triggered in our past.”

“Meaning?” asked Adrian.

“Logically,” Dov hesitated, “any change in history theoretically ripples into our present. If your parents were never born, because someone killed your grandfather, what happens to you, today?”

“I don’t even want to think about that Dov.”

“Exactly, and given the size of the anomalies, this could impact billions of humans.”

The two sat silent for moments. Finally, Adrian cleared her throat. “You get on this Dov. I will have a chat with the Secretariat for the Representative Council. I suggest you reach out to those who can advocate for you as well. I thank you for your explanation. I have to go but, my best to you.”

The image faded.

Dov returned to join Uriel and Ariel. The red anomalies on the holograph screamed, taunting her. Silence filled the house. The three watched the hologram’s wave oscillate. It was hypnotic, and Dov let herself slip into a mild trance, like when watching a flame dance. The effect was calming. Dov focused on the flowing wave vibrate, her body relaxed, and her muscles released their tension. She focused on regulating her breathing as she recomposed herself. She took two deep breaths and glared at the red line.

“And your algorithms?” Dov asked as all three fixated on the oscillating waves and the sharp red line.

Uriel waited to reply, noting how furrowed Dov’s brow had become. “Well, first, before we answer that, we have more findings. Time is tied directly with space, as you know. In analyzing the data, we were able to calculate not only when the time disruption occurs in the historical timeline, but where. We also defined the measurement errors, both in time and space, for each of the anomalies.”

Ariel interjected, “We can narrow when the anomaly occurs to plus or minus 536,425 seconds or about six days, and to locations within five percent based on the spatial impact.

“In addition, not only did we determine the where and when of each anomaly, but by exploring data records and using accelerated-predictive analysis, we figured out who the key individuals are who are involved in each anomaly. However, we cannot be sure what transpires, of course, as these are yet to occur.”

“Back up. What do you mean, ‘what’?” Dov asked.

Uriel jumped in. “We lacked the confidence to explain what is unique about the events that cause the time anomaly. The anomaly is as yet undetermined—we know it exists, but not how it exists. Something is going to happen that will change history, but we don’t know how it’s going to unfold.”

“Okay,” said Dov, “but you said you learned when, where, and…” she closed her eyes in concentration and stuttered, “and who? But how? How do you figure out who? I mean—”

Sensing that Dov was becoming overwhelmed, Uriel replied softly, “Because the anomaly’s confidence generated mathematical patterns that pinpointed individuals in history. People whose actions, if changed, can transform history. The algorithm was complex, used new entanglement-based identity methods, but it checked out. I am confident in its findings.”

As a girl, Dov had been fascinated with history, and in particular, the golden era of time travel. The mathematical discoveries in time and space in the mid twenty-first century would lead to fundamental shifts in human cultural evolution, even when progress was halted for two centuries during the climate change renaissance. Pioneer Cara Zitkala-Sa, who discovered and formulated the mathematics to support time travel, became Dov’s childhood hero. Cara proved the existence of time-waves and set in motion experiments that ultimately won her the Nobel Prize. The possibility that they had just unknowingly stumbled upon a fundamental issue with the science behind time-waves that would have devastating impacts on the physics alarmed Dov.

“I’m going to be asked to explain this to the council,” she called to Ariel and Uriel, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m not anticipating a good reaction. People will be frightened, especially those in power. They will look to blame, as they always do.”

Uriel spoke. “To help prepare, we can generate a report. It will detail each anomaly, and also an estimate of when it will happen. It’s lucky that we discovered this when we did, Dov. The first anomaly occurs only days from now.”

“Oh my,” whispered Dov. “Send me the report, please. I’ll read it outside.”

Dov elected to review the report sitting in the garden, on her favorite reclining chair under the red pine tree she had planted in first grade. The orange sun warmed her from the outside in, its radiant energy the treatment she craved. Drinking a locally produced beer, she gestured and called up the finished report.

Realtime anomalies: Associative-predictive analysis summary

Anomaly 1

Time: June 26, 1914, Earth Era

Realtime from now: 8 days, 3 hours, 23 minutes Earthtime (within errors)

Location: Sarajevo, Bosnia, Latin Bridge +/− 500m

Person of interest: Misko Jovanović

Anomaly 2

Time: September 12, 2027, Earth Era

Realtime from now: 10 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes Earthtime (within errors)

Location: MIT Campus, Boston, Massachusetts, USA +/− 800 m

Person of interest: Cara Zitkala-Sa

Anomaly 3

Time: May 20, 2289, Earth Era (error is +/− 2 days)

Realtime from now: 16 days, 7 hours, 09 minutes Earthtime (within errors)

Location: Sandon, British Columbia, Dominion of Canada +/− 14 km

Person of interest: Emerson Wright

Anomaly 4

Time: Fall, 3203 BC, Earth Era

Realtime from now: unknown

Location: Uruk, Sumeria +/− 32 km

Relevant Person. Kushim (no known last name)

Dov’s eyes fixed on Anomaly 2 in disbelief. It was as if Uriel had created this as a practical joke. She forced her eyes to the top. The first anomaly could occur eight days from now, plus or minus. Dov tapped on the details.

“This is beyond incredible,” Dov whispered to herself, shaking her head. Then she had an idea. “Ariel, Uriel,” she called out excitedly, speaking to the comms function. “Come quickly.”

The two AIs immediately walked out to join Dov where she reclined comfortably under the tree. She didn’t wait for them to settle. “Of course Cara has events tied to her. Any time-wave disturbance or anomaly that involves time-waves, by definition, involves Cara Zitkala-Sa. An anomaly would question the math defined by Cara. There’s no way Cara herself caused the anomaly; that’s too big of a coincidence. I bet she’s just inherently connected to them, sort of like a mathematical bystander.”

“No,” said Uriel, his tone direct. “We ruled that out. We believe Cara herself is involved in the anomaly and is the triggering factor for it.”

Dov processed the implications. “What could possibly be causing this? Maybe a black hole? I’m completely lost, and the first event is in eight days.”

Uriel rubbed his chin, mimicking the body language of someone forming an idea. “I have an interesting proposal.” He nodded as he thought through the scenario. “We need to jump back in time.”

Dov let that sink in. “You mean our observation bots need to be sent back?”

“No,” said Uriel. “We. O-bots won’t have the intelligence to interpret patterns and understand consequences, or take action if necessary.”

As Dov pondered the idea, a thought passed by so quickly, she wasn’t sure it was real or imagined. “I could meet Cara,” she whispered.

Ariel glanced at Dov and smiled.

Uriel gestured and a new holographic report appeared in front of Dov. “We don’t know what impact the anomaly will have—what will happen. Will history be rewritten? Billions of lives may be at stake. We need to figure out what’s causing this, and take action to remedy it.”

“We?” Dov repeated. “We can’t; I’m a scientist, not a detective.”

“We must,” said Ariel.

Uriel nodded, and Dov felt her stomach drop.