Treachery
Page 13
long as he is in both time streams, he can still choose one and destroy the other. When the pilot destroyed the back-stream he merged forward in time twenty seconds. This is how, at any point of his choosing, the back-stream pilot can jump twenty seconds ahead--even though, from our point of view, the forward-stream pilot is the only one who "traveled" in time.
JANUS
Ugh. You did not write that on the back of a napkin, I think.
Idan misses the irony, and looks imploringly at Janus.
XENON
There is more to explain. It is best done in your practice for your run.
JANUS
What run?
INT. FLY FIGHTER JET--DAY
Janus is fastened in the passenger seat of a fly jet fighter. Xenon pilots three miles high above the compound. Idan sits in a rear passenger seat.
IDAN
There is a fine point, which may be very important for your situation.
JANUS
What's that?
IDAN
The pilot we watched time travel--when he merged, he could have merged into the original time stream by any distance up to twenty seconds ahead. He could have merged half-way, if you will, or ten seconds ahead. Also, the process works in reverse. If a time traveler first jumps forward in time to create a copy of himself, he then has the opportunity to merge into a time-stream backward in time, back toward the time he jumped forward from.
JANUS
Okay. How's that relate to me?
Idan opens and closes his mouth, stymied.
A realization dawns on Janus.
JANUS
Nuh-uh. You're telling me--
IDAN
Now, your test. We will jump back in time ten seconds. Please tell me what you experience.
Xenon turns a dial, pulls a lever, and presses a button. Reverse time-resistance effect occurs as the previous ten seconds of action rapidly play in reverse. A blue wall of light appears before them, passes through the ship, and vanishes.
A copy of their jet appears ten seconds' distance behind.
JANUS
This is what happened! This is what I saw before I crashed on the atmosphere of the planet! Just before--no, after--I destroyed the worm! Everything moved backward and forward at the same--
Behind them, the jet copy vanishes in a blue flash.
JANUS
Whoa...anyway...it was just like this. Rippling and tearing like that, and bright blue, then finally moving backward.
IDAN
We call that reverse time-resistance effect.
JANUS
What?
XENON
Let's see now if you can do this.
JANUS
Do what? Wait, you mean I could--
IDAN
Merge.
JANUS
Back to then? To the time before my fleet was wiped out? That's my chance to save my fleet?
IDAN
Yes. But first, you must learn how. What we have learned is--
JANUS
I can sense a sort of tow, ahead. And still sense the copy of ourselves behind. Even though we're not up there, ahead, the opportunity to merge there, ten seconds ahead--I can feel that.
A chill runs up his spine, and he shudders a bit.
JANUS
It's kinda freaky.
XENON
Yes. We've described it that way, as a tow, or the possibility to pull, ahead. If you can sense it, then--
JANUS
I know what to do. It's in my gut. I just, it's like flexing a muscle I don't have. That tow is like a phantom muscle. I don't have it, but I can flex it.
He glances between Xenon and something unseen ahead. He closes his eyes, inhales deeply, exhales, and relaxes. Forward-time-resistance effect occurs. A blue wall of light appears behind them, passes forward through them, and vanishes.
Idan checks his wrist time-traveler, then smiles broadly at Janus.
IDAN
The time is ten seconds ahead. We just jumped ten seconds ahead.
JANUS
I know.
IDAN
And what you experienced, the same thing, rippling and tearing, and then everything finally moving forward--we call that forward time-resistance effect.
JANUS
Why do I care what you call it?
XENON
You were supposed to try it on the ground after we land.
JANUS
Do it again.
EXT. AIRFIELD--DAY
The fly lands and shuts off, the hatch opens, and Janus emerges and bolts for a run. At top speed, he vanishes in a flash of blue ripples, and immediately appears twenty seconds' distance ahead.
JANUS
Wooohoohooo! What a rush!
Xenon and Idan stand outside the ship and watch. Xenon is relieved. Idan smiles. Janus jogs quickly back to Xenon.
JANUS
Okay, so what's my deal? I mean mission? Why did you bring me here? How do I save my fleet?
XENON
I'm sorry to say that's a dubious proposition, but it is why we brought you here. There's one more test. Do it in reverse. It was more fun in a ship, but you can use that.
Xenon points to the portable time machine strapped to Janus' forearm, then approaches and works some controls on it.
XENON
Now that's set to jump you twenty seconds forward forward in time. When you're at a run, slap the big orange button on it, and you'll see how a forward time-jump works.
Janus turns and breaks into a run away from Xenon. He quickly arrives at top speed and slaps the time machine on his arm.
Janus experiences forward time-resistance effect. His back-copy rapidly runs through ten seconds' worth of motion, then runs into and vanishes into the forward copy. He turns to see a blue wall of light pass him from behind, then vanish.
He calls back to Idan, far behind.
JANUS
Now what?
IDAN
Now remove that time machine from your arm, to prove to yourself you can merge back, now that you've time-traveled forward.
Janus removes the device and places it on the ground.
IDAN
Can you sense the tow? The potential to merge back?
JANUS
Yes. Same as before, but the tow is behind me. And there's this almost...noisy...hangover...from rapid forward movement.
IDAN
Try this at a run. Run straight toward me, and while you run, try to flex that phantom muscle, as you describe it, to merge back in time ten seconds.
Janus turns, runs twenty paces away, then stops and turns to face Idan. He closes his eyes, breathes deeply, and concentrates. He opens his eyes, fixes them on Idan, and runs. He arrives at top speed, then...
Reverse time-resistance effect occurs. Janus slows to a stop, ten seconds' distance back from where he had been.
Xenon is elated.
XENON
You can!
Janus jogs over to Xenon and Idan, and reflects.
JANUS
So when I merge back, everything physically moves back with me. But when I merge forward, I freeze, while everything else moves forward for whatever lapse of time I freeze. Then I unfreeze. In the future.
XENON
Correct. When you merge back, all other motion merges back with you, or the universe animates in reverse. That's the only way to truly reverse time, including even physical age.
Idan smiles broadly.
JANUS
What? What are you smiling about?
Janus' experiences in battle flash through his mind.
A blue flash envelops his ship.
His ship approaches a cubic array of parked fly fighters.
His ship docks a fly. His console reads: "TOW SECURED."
JANUS
Something brought my ship back in time, then forward again.
XENON
It's time to explain that.
INT. STRATEGIC COMMAND CENTER--DAY
Janus, Xeno
n, Idan, and the seven Chief Officers stand at a still holographic display of a battle, over a large table.
XENON
This is our recording of the battle.
Xenon zooms the image up close, to a pair of fly fighters.
XENON
Our fleet joined your fleet, against our enemies in battle. This is one of our ships, with those markings--
He points to alien lettering on the side of one fly.
XENON
And that is one of their ships, with those markings.
He points to different lettering on another fly. A streak of laser fire is suspended between the flies, traced back to the other.
Janus turns to regard Xenon.
JANUS
But to me they look exactly the same, except this lettering, now that I look, but that's hard to see anyway.
He turns regretful, and hesitates to speak.
JANUS
Were our people killing your people alongside your enemies?
XENON
That was a risk we decided was worth taking.
Janus shakes his head.
JANUS
I'm sorry I don't mean to, what, minimize? That sacrifice. But how can you pick out your enemies? Isn't it hard to see the difference between their fighters and yours?
XENON
No. There are many differences. You've noticed our ships are part-biological. We made our fleet from a different genetic base, and we can see the difference at a glance.
JANUS
Wow.
XENON
This is the enemy fly that hijacked your ship to alter your time-line. You'll see it dispatch something that clings to the shield of your ship.
Xenon plays the recording. A small, ghostly web-like thing ejects from an enemy fly, and vanishes into Janus' shield.
XENON
That is a parasite. It burrowed through your ships' shield, then into your ship.
In the display, the parasite launches from the inside of Janus' shield to