History Shattered

“When you look at the calculation, it’s amazing that every time you try to prove or disprove time travel, you’ve pushed Einstein’s theory to the very limits where quantum effects must dominate. That’s telling us that you really need a theory of everything to resolve this question. And the only candidate is string theory.” -- Michio Kaku

Monica wished she had a coat of armor in her closet as she stared into it, trying to pick out an appropriate outfit for her authoritarian role in the meetings coming today. She recalled Tyler commenting on how easy it was for businessmen. All they needed was a dark suit, a white dress shirt and a red power tie. He readily acknowledged that the choices were much more difficult for women. A pantsuit looked too mannish, a dress too feminine and the skirt, blouse jacket combo wasn’t necessarily the right answer either. Tyler despised suits. He didn’t own one and insisted he’d never wear one, including for his own funeral. He had been speaking about death in such an abstract way. That conversation had occurred just a couple of months ago. Monica could vividly recall the dialogue and forty-seven year old Tyler’s expression. She was now reminded that Tyler had apparently actually departed for the past at age thirty-four. And he had still been that age during his second departure to the past twelve years from now. How was it possible that she had memories of their recent times together when he had actually departed so long ago? How was it possible that the forty-seven year old version had even existed? Those were just two of many seemingly unanswerable questions that would undoubtedly surface today. She opted for a grey skirt, simple white blouse and a red short jacket. That was about as close to Tyler’s prototypical power outfit as she was going to be able to come up with.

Jasmine and Chandler were every bit as nervous as Monica. They had been the sole presenters of information at yesterday’s meetings, and would likely be fielding the lion’s share of questions today. They had intentionally avoided both political and religious discussion topics as much as possible yesterday at Monica’s recommendation. Both subjects were potential powder kegs in any kind of ethical or historical debate. Both would also likely be unavoidable today. The two women were relieved to see that the ripples of the historical river appeared to have swept past them moving toward some unseen, unknowable future and leaving them with a new version of now that was at least giving the outward appearance of solidity and stability.

While the three women ate breakfast together they couldn’t help but notice Colonel James sitting with Lieutenant James and a handful of his senior advisors. They were talking animatedly, and there was lots of laughter coming from the table’s occupants. Evidently they were far less stressed by what was about to transpire. The walk from the cafeteria to the meeting room seemed longer than usual for the female scientists, their steps heavier. Debate was a normal and healthy part of the scientific process, but it was usually in some theoretical context looking forward. Today’s discussion would include a forward-looking component, but much of the discussion would deal with the past, and with lives lost and mistakes made. In some ways, it would serve as a referendum on human behavior. The rhetorical rocks would be plentiful and easy for this group of intellectuals to throw.

The panel at the table on stage was comprised of Monica, Pat, Jasmine, Chandler and Colonel James. After calling the meeting to order, Monica opened it up for questions immediately.

“So it seems pretty clear that all of you are convinced that we’ve actually done this time traveling shit and have changed history, but beyond the slick ‘special effects’ videos and the pictures, how do you convince me that any of this is real?”

Monica offered to field that question. “All of the supplies inside Station 28 remain from the period of the initial wormhole creation. They are all from 2017 or 2018. I know we’re a government operation, but even we would replace supplies that stale dated. The photographic images from both the 2018 and 2043 particle collisions have all been verified as authentic. They both show the interior of PD as well as several of us looking quite age appropriate unfortunately. We can’t date Tyler’s video, obviously, so there’s no way to be absolutely certain he’s in fourteenth century Crimea, but the images haven’t been altered, so the energy field that’s captured in the video is very real. And we’ve been as meticulous as we could possibly have been given the timeframes we’ve had in documenting these alternate histories. Realize that if there was to be an additional attempt to go back and make another historical repair, then we’d already be doing that same process for this current history we now accept as ours. We’d do so based on what we’ve already learned, which is that the only certainty is that history will change. And for the record, we’ve already begun that documentation process.”

“Does that mean the decision’s been made to try to create a third wormhole?”

“Absolutely not. As far as I know, that hasn’t been discussed by anyone.”

“Why not? I don’t know as much as I feel like I need to, but it sure sounds like we’ve got a major overpopulation crisis on our hands. Until you made this presentation yesterday, I thought it was just an example of us being stupid humans and doing nothing to prevent it just like we’ve been so cavalier about fossil fuels and pollution. But you told all of us yesterday, at least if I heard it right, that we somehow managed to increase the world population by almost half because of something Tyler did two days ago in The Dark Ages. Did I hear that right?”

Chandler answered this time. “You’re rounding up a bit, but your understanding is fundamentally correct. We’re up about 30% from Tyler’s 2018 global population count and up over 45% from the 2043 version.”

“And we’re attributing all of this to Tyler preventing H2N2 from killing people back then?”

“No…, that’s not exactly right. In the original history, it wasn’t there either, but I think I’d use the term ‘overcorrection’ if I was trying to describe Tyler’s attempt to eliminate the flu bug from the period. Technically, his actions were the right ones, but perhaps he also cured a few too many potential plague victims at the same time. The outward symptoms could be mistaken, especially in a hurried scenario like Tyler probably believed he was in. Remember, he’s trained as an epidemiologist and has experience in being on the ground in communicable disease scenarios.”

“It sounds like he was either overzealous or too good at his job.”

“Realize, too, that there’s a compounding effect over time. He’s performing treatment regimens in a vacuum of sorts. There would be no way for him to know how effective or ineffective what he was doing would be over the course of seven centuries. Only by returning here, or at least to some intermediate historical waypoint, could he even begin to assess the impact of what he did.”

“I’d like to change the subject a bit. Does anyone else here feel like we’re tampering with something we shouldn’t be messing with. Hey, I admit I’m too religious for most of you, and I get that…, but even if you try to compartmentalize the religious aspect of this whole thing and set it aside, we’re going back and swinging wildly with a sledgehammer in the dark in the china shop of history. Why are we doing this? This is God’s work we’re messing with.”

“Please, Bill, can’t you just leave God and religion out of this for once? Don’t try to paint everything with that religious brush of yours. I don’t begrudge you your beliefs, regardless of how misguided I might feel they are personally, but don’t try to force ‘em down our throats. Just leave God outta this, will ya?”

“Why leave God out of this, Tom? His fingerprints are everywhere. They’re all over this. The fact that we have made two trips to the past and evidently screwed things up royally both times would seem to suggest pretty strongly that we’re not equipped to be playing in this particular playground. If this doesn’t scream that only God possesses the ability to juggle something as complex as time and history, then I don’t know what you think it’s telling us.”

Jasmine interjected this time. “Gentlemen, please let’s keep this discussion civil. Religion can be a volatile and divisive discussion topic. It’s also one that doesn’t allow for proof or any absolutes. We’ll all end up chasing our tails if we wander down this path. I respect Bill’s beliefs just as I respect Tom’s lack thereof. Let’s just agree to not go there in terms of this particular discussion because there won’t be any conclusion reached, and everyone will just hunker down in the position of their own belief system and it’ll all become intractable. I will remind all of you that the first wormhole…, the first time travel incident, was accidental. It wasn’t an intentional attempt to alter the past or to change God’s work. For that matter, the second wormhole was merely an attempt to try to fix what we broke the first time. So regardless of your religious views, let’s recognize that nobody was attempting to change God’s plan for the world or rewrite history or anything like that.”

“And yet that’s exactly what has occurred.”

“Which is why we’re all here having this discussion and attempting to identify what we should do about it. The responses to that particular question could go from absolutely nothing all the way to a third wormhole creation attempt.”

“Yeah…, well, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of middle ground between those two very different solutions. At the risk of sounding far too pragmatic, what do we know about our ability to create a third wormhole?”

Everyone onstage turned and looked at Pat. The scientist rose from his chair and took the microphone from Jasmine.

“I don’t know that I’m capable of answering that question yet. I’ve been reviewing the records compiled by the History Team. They include extensive technical notes from the team I was heading after the first and second wormhole events. I know if we were still in 2043, I’d be able to answer the question quite definitively in the negative. A specially manufactured part of the accelerator failed during the second particle collision. It would’ve taken at least six weeks to order and ship from Germany. Based on what I’ve read, six weeks in present time would equate to something like a year on the fourteenth century end of the wormhole. That timeframe would kill any third attempt before it started. But…, we’re not in 2043 anymore, and for reasons I can’t even begin to understand or explain, we have a replacement part in stock here at PD in 2031. I’d need a day to install it and at least another day to test it, but I think we could have the collider in a position for another particle collision in two or three days. It would take us at least a couple of days to properly gear up for a collision countdown anyway. I guess my answer is that we can certainly create another collision. I’m not equipped to address the status of Station 28, though.”

All eyes shifted to Colonel James, and Pat walked back to his seat, passing the microphone to PD’s military chief as he passed him. Mike rose and addressed the gathering authoritatively, as if he was addressing a gathering of his soldiers.

“Station 28 is now as sterile an environment as there is in this entire facility. Any trace of either H2N2 or bubonic plague bacteria has been eradicated. From a structural integrity perspective, the lead hull surrounding 28 is as strong as we’re capable of making it. Every lead plate and every seam has been X-rayed. Even if it was the smallest of hairline fractures, it has been re-plated. We’ve double welded all the seams. We’ve examined it from both the outside and the inside. It’s my engineering team’s opinion that Station 28’s perimeter is more secure than it has been at any time since it was first constructed. If you geniuses decide to attempt another anomaly, 28 will hold.”

“Colonel James, you’ve been pretty quiet during both meetings… yesterday’s and today’s meeting, too, until just now. What’s the military’s position on all of this?”

“What all of you are discussing is what I’d refer to as either the scientific aspects of what’s going on here at PD, in which case, the military roles are strictly support and security, or you’re dealing with what I’d classify as triage. You’re simply trying to figure out what’s happened to the patient and how best to proceed from wherever it is you find yourself. Triage is a common battlefield medical practice, and I understand what you’re attempting here. On a personal level, I have an appreciation for the difficult and complex issues and choices which are presenting themselves. From a strictly military posture, I still see our role as a support function.”

“What about time travel?”

“What about it? If I understand the meaning behind your question, then I’ll tell you the military has neither an official nor unofficial position regarding time travel at this time. In fact, I’ve essentially instructed my men to try to stay out of your way. We are, of course, observing what’s being done.”

He stopped there, letting the scientists interpret the potential implications of his words for themselves. Colonel James delivered the message in a tone that implied he was in no mood to be accepting any follow-up questions. It was his intention to keep the scientists focusing on the issues resting within their purview and to leave the military issues alone. That was his preference. If he could execute a preemptive strike in this meeting, then he’d consider that a victory.

“What are the risks of attempting further corrections, beyond the obvious one of screwing the past up even worse?”

Pat answered. “Well, if we ignore the potential historical impact, then the risks are to the collider itself, and I’d define that risk as minimal. After all, we’re just smashing atomic particles, and that’s what it was designed and built to do. The offshoot of the energy waves has always been the anticipated result of particle collisions. All we’re doing is focusing that energy inside Station 28. Obviously, there’s a risk of physical damage inside 28, but given the Colonel’s report regarding the repairs made there, it sounds like that risk has been mitigated to a large extent. I mean, it’s already absorbed the energy from two collisions conducted days apart, and his guys are saying it’s stronger now than when it was first built.”

“And I’m not sure if we can exactly say those collisions were only days apart. There’s at least one school of thought here that suggests they were conducted a quarter century apart.”

“I won’t disagree with you there, but I also don’t know how else to look at it.”

“And let’s also not forget the human element here. If we’re looking at risks, then we’d be talking about sending someone else through to the past in the wormhole. We’ve already got one of our scientists trapped in the past. We’d be taking the risk of doing that to another one.”

“It would need to be a volunteer.”

Monica had spoken the words, almost before realizing she had uttered them. Once she recognized that it had been her voice making the definitive statement, she continued.

“Tyler’s first trip was accidental, but he was a willing, perhaps even eager participant on the second trip. Anyone undertaking such a journey would need to understand the issues, the risks, the big picture implications of any actions taken, and also they’d need to be cognizant of the very real potential that it could be a one-way trip to a past with a very different lifestyle, and everything that goes along with that. We’re talking no TV, no internet, not even electricity or anything remotely resembling a modern convenience.”

“Yeah…, Tyler had a vested interest in wanting to fix what he’d accidentally made happen in his first trip. He didn’t want to go down as being responsible for the deaths, or perhaps more correctly characterized as the lack of existence, of four or five billion souls.”

“And now we’re faced with the dangers associated with the other end of that particular swing of the pendulum. We’ve got a horrible overpopulation problem because of what Tyler did. If I didn’t feel like this was a problem that couldn’t be ignored, I’d be thinking we shouldn’t be attempting any additional trips to the past, but we’re now dealing with the world on the precipice of major famines, water shortages, overcrowding…, the list goes on. If we’re responsible for all of that, then we first need to accept our role in creating those conditions, and we’ve got a moral, ethical obligation to try to fix ‘em.”

Those words spoken by Monica’s assistant Ashley, who was among the quietest and most thoughtful of the scientific team, weighed heavily in the air. No one else seemed interested in speaking at the moment. Monica took the opportunity to shape the direction of the dialogue.

“OK, this would seem to be an appropriate moment for us to see where we all stand on the subject. I’d like to call for a show of hands…, nothing as formal as a vote…, just a show of hands if you’re in favor of another attempt to create a wormhole and make repairs to history…, assuming we can do it technically and we find a suitable volunteer.”

The hands began to slowly go up all over the meeting room. Monica estimated that seventy-five or eighty percent of the scientists raised their hands.

“Now a show of hands for those opposed…”

About ten percent of the audience now had their hands raised.

“Still undecided?”

This time it looked like there was about twenty-five percent of the group with hands raised. It was clear that some had raised their hands a second time once they had been given the third option.

“Alright, gang…, it would seem we have support, although somewhat reluctant and not what I’d describe as rock solid, to begin to pursue the possibility of another wormhole repair effort to the past. At this point the notion’s far more tangible than it was a couple of minutes ago. I’m going to ask Pat to begin pursuing the repair efforts on the accelerator in earnest under the assumption that there may be another collision needed in the next couple of days. There’s another issue that is equally critical. That would be the need for a volunteer to be our time travel repair person. It’s a critically important and hugely personal decision. I’ll ask anyone who believes they have the qualifications and the interest to come speak with me privately anytime today or first thing tomorrow morning. I’m not looking for martyrs, either, folks. This is the most critical mission any of us could ever choose to undertake, at least professionally. It’s literally and figuratively the decision of a lifetime. OK…, we’ve all got a lotta work to do if we’re gonna try another full power particle collision in two days. Let’s get busy. History is counting on us!”

As the room cleared out, Monica walked across the stage to stand next to Colonel James, who had risen from his chair. He immediately asked her a question, surprising her with its directness.

“Are my soldiers eligible for consideration as a volunteer?”

“I don’t see why not, Mike. I’m kinda leaning away from allowing anyone with a family from volunteering, but beyond that, I don’t have any prejudices I’m bringing to this decision.”

“You realize that in addition to the risks you mentioned there’s another dilemma that‘ll be facing anyone who’s volunteering.”

“OK, I’ll bite…, what’s that?”

“They may be forced to actually kill someone. I’m not talking kill as in shoot, but it seems there will almost be guaranteed to be a need to infect people with the plague. This will essentially be a biological warfare scenario.”

“Shit…, you’re right. I guess I’ll need to have that candid discussion with anyone considering volunteering.”

“Yeah…, and that’s also why I think it might make sense to have a soldier be that volunteer.”

“It makes sense. I’m glad I didn’t tell you no. Also, in looking at the notes from our 2043 history, I couldn’t help but notice that there were discussions occurring about the potential militarization of time travel. For the record, your son permitted me, Pat and Jasmine to sit in on the meetings with his senior advisors for those discussions. I’d like to make sure we’re invited to participate in any such discussions this time around, too.”

“That’s not my style, but I’ll think about it.”

“Well, that’s at least a start.”