“I know what to do, Dad,” I said.
“No, it’s too dangerous, Liris.”
“Your father’s right,” said my mother.
“We keep making the same mistake; you unweave the universe to save me, and it all starts over. I can’t let Malchron keep tearing us apart. We have to be a family again, and this is the only way to break the loop,” I said, weaving a gravity burst before Cal or my mother could stop me.
The blast jolted the dimensions surrounding us, generating a temporal shockwave that vaulted Cal and my mother toward Malchron as I absorbed the blowback. My mind splintered, and I was every age I’d ever been as my memories swirled around me, pulling me in every direction. I began to fade out of consciousness, and then, out of existence, as my body and mind and soul were being disassembled one temporal strand at a time.
Malchron wove temporal flares, but my mother caused the dimensions to rupture, draining Malchron’s power. Somehow, Malchron created a warp inside the rupture, entangling himself and Cal, but Cal used his suit to explode the rupture, obliterating Malchron.
It worked, but all Cal and my mother could do was watch as the explosion’s wave washed over me, peeling the last layers of my life as I faded into the recesses of time.
Seven
I OPENED MY EYES. I was in a Fissure, unsure of why or how, unable to think beyond my instincts, and unable to feel beyond my senses. I walked along the shore of a cosmic sea, the waves searching for something to cling to in the stardust swirling around me. I peered beyond the tide and saw the light in the distance. I wanted to swim to it, but the water wouldn’t let me in. All I could do was look and dream as if such a thing as imagination existed in my mind. I stood for an eternity, gazing at the picture floating around me and marveling at the beauty of a life without time, fractured yet whole.
“Liris,” whispered a voice from a past I didn’t know, from a memory that never existed, from a life I never lived.
“Is that my name?” I asked, trying to discern the entity visiting me.
“Used to be,” said another voice.
Two figures emerged from the darkness as the light brightened, illuminating the shores as we gazed out into the future of our past.
Nuclear Empire
Bruce H. Markuson
& Frank Pipp
“KEVIN BAILEY, WHY HAVE you summoned the League of Guardians?” Chairman Samuel Garret asked.
“Gentlemen, I seek an Assignment of Correction.”
There was silence among the two men standing next to the human-sized glass tube with several dials and switches connected to it. The Time Travel Chamber was in the basement of my old Victorian house, which was damp and dusty with cobwebs stretched across the ceiling.
“This is dangerous talk, you know. Your grandfather, Steven Bailey, is loyal to the United American Empire,” the chairman said.
“My grandfather has had a change of heart.”
“Why isn’t he here?”
“Under the laws of the United American Empire, he knows merely talking to you would result in a public execution.”
“In other words, he’s not willing to take the risk, but you are.”
“That is correct. He’s not willing to take the risk.”
“Now, Kevin, what do you wish for an Assignment of Correction?”
“Gentlemen, I intend to go back to World War II. I wish to end this Nuclear Empire.”
Rumblings came from the two men of the League of Guardians. They conferred with each other as their eyes darted back and forth from me to each other.
The chairman spoke up. “Now Kevin, we’ve been over this before. In an Assignment of Correction, we can only send one person back in time and hold them there for five minutes and no more.”
“I can do it,” I said with confidence.
The chairman looked at me with skepticism. “Kevin, you know it’s not that simple. The Nazis are the ones who invented the Time Travel Chamber. They traveled back in time and delayed the D-Day landing in 1942.”
I responded, “Yes, my grandfather told me there were plans for a D-Day invasion in 1942.”
The chairman continued, “They also delayed the D-Day landing in 1943.”
“Yes, the Allies did promise and make plans for a landing in 1943 as well.”
“The D-Day landings happened on June 6, 1944. They only delayed it for two years. It is also estimated that if the landings happened in 1942, the war would have been over sooner, and Germany would not have been as devastated as it was. The atomic bomb might not have been completed, and thus, Berlin would not have been bombed.”
“I can see your point. A person might go back in time and change an event or two in a war, but they can’t stop the political will to fight.”
“Exactly,” the chairman responded. “Kevin, we at the League of Guardians in the past have gone on Assignments of Correction and have prevented the Nuclear Civil War of 1973. Huston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta ... these cities are still here today because we went back in time and corrected it. They are here because of the efforts of the League of Guardians.”
The chairman unrolled his sleeve and showed me a burn mark on his arm. “I personally have also gone back in time and corrected the Doomsday device initiated in 1984. I received this radiation burn in the other timeline.” He rolled down his sleeve. “However, regarding World War II, we have run a series of calculations and scenarios. In a few of the scenarios we ran, the Nazis get the bomb first and win the war. We have come to the conclusion that United American Empire is a better situation than a Nazi monopoly on nuclear weapons. That is why we are not sending anyone back to World War II.”
“I know where to go,” I said. “My grandfather worked on the Manhattan Project ... the project to produce the first atomic bomb.” I held up a picture of my grandfather and his friend, Joe, from World War II. “I looked just like him at that age. We need to end this Nuclear Empire.”
The chairman grabbed the photo, held it up to my face, and carefully examined it. “Yes,” he said with confidence. “Yes, you do look exactly like your grandfather at that age. You could infiltrate the Manhattan Project and pass for your grandfather.” He put down the photo. “But why? Why do you want to do this? Why now? What has changed?”
“Let me tell you my story ...”
“THE OTHER DAY, I HEARD a ding, ding, ding. The grandfather clock chimed in this large, Victorian mansion I call home. I sat down at the table and opened my history book. Then, my grandfather walked in the front door. He picked up a new picture of my girlfriend Laura and me. It was next to the official portrait of the emperor of the United American Empire. As you know, all citizens of the Empire are required to have the emperor’s portrait in their homes.
“Hey, Kevin, how’s that girl of yours?’ my grandfather asked me.
“Good.”
“Any plans for the future?” he further enquired.
“Not at the moment, but we were looking at rings the other day.”
“Have you found a good ring yet?” he asked me a little curiously.
“No, not yet.”
“My grandfather reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. On his key chain was a small leather sack. He pulled out an engagement ring with a huge diamond on it.
“That’s a five-carat diamond,” he said.
“It’s gorgeous,” I told him.
“Your great-grandfather was a jeweler. He personally made this for a friend of mine. Joe wanted to propose to his girl. He was a security guard at the Manhattan Project back in World War II.” He gave a slight sigh. ‘However, I never had the chance to show it to him, and he never had the chance to propose.”
“What happened?”
“He was shipped overseas. They said he was on the beach at Normandy. Some friends of his said he stood up to look out in front of him and got a bullet through the head.”
“Grandpa, I’m sorry to hear that,” I said to him.
“Then he told me, ‘I didn’t have the heart to p
ropose to your grandmother with it, but now that you are getting serious with Laura, I want you to have it. Propose to your girl with it.”
“Thanks, Grandpa.”
“I think your young lady will be impressed.”
“Then I asked him, ‘Grandpa, what’s the rad count today?”
“My grandfather put down the picture and turned on the Geiger counter attached to the front door. That ripping sound was just a little bit louder than usual. He said to me, ‘Ten roentgens. The radiation today is a little high, but you won’t get sick until it hits one hundred roentgens. Your mother once received a high dose, which is why she never had any children after you were born. We’ll just have to wait for the wind to blow it away. It’s only going to go up. There was another demonstration today.”
“Grandpa, another demonstration? What city?” I asked him.
“Beijing.”
“How big?”
“A twenty-megaton.”
“Oh, God!’ I cried out.
“Kevin, don’t speak those words. You know religion is banned in the United American Empire. You could be arrested just for saying that. You’re twenty-five years old. You should know this by now.”
“But Grandpa, it was an entire city,” I told him.
“Look, it’s the year 2020. We offer the world peace and order, and this is how we’re repaid. We cannot allow these rebellions to continue. The rest of the world has to learn to serve the empire. You are privileged more than most, and if you don’t want to lose what you have, you’ll need to adjust your attitude,” Grandpa said as he went into the kitchen.
“The United States of America once had its own revolution for independence,” I said to him.
“He argued his point, saying, ‘Yes, but the United American Empire has eliminated war. Eliminated war! Sometimes we have to remind the rest of the world every now and then with a nuclear demonstration or two.”
“My grandfather came out of the kitchen with a coffee pot and two coffee cups. I could see at that point it was hopeless to argue, but I persisted.
“But Grandpa, an entire city has been wiped out.”
“He placed the coffee on the table. ‘I worked on the Manhattan Project. I remember in April of 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Berlin. The Nazis surrendered after that. Would you have rather lived under Nazi rule?”
“Grandpa, the bomb was dropped on Berlin when one hundred thousand Soviet soldiers were invading it. They were all wiped out as well. That started the Soviet Allied Resistance against the UAE,” I responded.
“Listen, the American Empire is outnumbered twenty to one compared to the rest of the world’s population. Without nuclear weapons, we wouldn’t stand a chance. I can see this is bothering you, Kevin. What happened during your compulsory service?”
“Grandpa,” I responded.
“He pressed on, asking me, ‘What happened during your compulsory military service?”
“I had to let out a breath. ‘Seven years ago, my platoon was part of the occupying force in a suburb just outside of Moscow. We were looking for a secret rebel nuclear reactor. The Soviets were trying again to rebuild the nuclear weapons program.”
“And?” he asked me.
“They found the reactor.”
“How did you deal with it?”
“My sergeant called it in. We were wearing F.A.R.S.”
“F.A.R.S.?” he asked.
“Full Armored Radiation Suits. We went to this playground, a large, open, flat concrete area. Little children were running around, laughing and playing. A little girl accidentally bounced a ball off of my faceplate armor. She looked at me, terrified. After all, we were the occupying force.”
“What did you do?”
“I picked up the ball and handed it to her and said, “It’s okay, sweetheart.” The little girl took the ball and went back to playing.”
“Then what happened?”
“Over the radio, my sergeant received orders from his commanding officer. He then shouted out, “Spike the concrete! Spike the concrete!”’
“What does that mean?”
“The F.A.R.S. have a spike hinged at each wrist.” I pointed to my wrist and showed my grandfather. ‘The spikes run along the forearm to the elbow.” I pointed to my elbow as well. ‘When unhinged, they extend perpendicular to the wrist. We were ordered to lay facedown toward the center of the city.”
“And then?”
“We were ordered, “Oscillate spikes! Oscillate spikes!” When they oscillate the spikes, it is like a jackhammer protruding into the concrete like warm butter. So there we were, my entire platoon, in our armored suits pinned like a bug collection to the concrete ...’ My words drifted off.
“What happened after that?”
“The sergeant ordered, “Facedown! Facedown!” Suddenly there was a huge flash of light reflected off the concrete. A second later, there was a loud boom. Ten seconds after that, we were whipping in the wind like a flag in a hurricane held only by our forearm spikes. Slowly, things settled down. My sergeant ordered, “Retract spikes and stand! Retract spikes and stand!” As ordered, I retracted the spikes and stood up. Then I saw the mushroom cloud over Moscow.”
“My grandfather then said with great concern, ‘Kevin, I sense there was something else.”
“I told him, ‘After the blast, I saw the shadow of the little girl and her ball. A flash mark outlined her image in the concrete.”
“My grandfather began speaking in a more serious tone. ‘Look, Kevin, do you want that to happen to you? Would you like to see your hometown blasted away? We cannot allow any other nation to obtain nuclear weapons. That’s why the United American Empire was formed.”
“I could still see it was useless to argue with him. I said angrily, ‘Grandpa! A few minutes earlier, little children were running around laughing and playing. Then it was rubble and radioactive dust. Children were burnt into the concrete.”
“Grandpa poured another cup of coffee and gave it to me. ‘You live in this empire. Get used to it. Now, let me quiz you on your history ... get your mind off things.”
“Fine,” I said. I put the radiation probe in the coffee cup and told my grandfather, ‘There is cesium-137, strontium-90, and americium with traces of plutonium in the coffee. It’s nuclear fallout.”
“My grandfather said to me, ‘Damn those South Americans, paying their United American Empire tribute with contaminated coffee.”
“The United American Empire did a nuclear demonstra-tion on Bogota, Columbia.”
“Disgustedly, Grandpa pushed the cups to the center of the table. ‘Very well. Let me quiz you on your UAE history.” He continued, ‘What year did President Franklin Delano Roosevelt approve the use of the atom bomb on Berlin? Soviet forces are present in the outer regions of Berlin and are not informed of the use. This causes a severe rift between the allied forces. The Soviet, British, and American alliance is broken up. All German forces surrender only to the Americans.”
“April 1945,” I said.
“The Soviet nuclear test fails. Joseph Stalin is overthrown. Fearing a Soviet civil war and a grab for power, the Soviet nuclear program is dismantled so that no side can use it on one other.”
“August 1949.”
“Having no country to oppose their use, General Douglas MacArthur declares war on China during the Korean conflict. For the first time since World War II, atomic weapons are used.”
“October 1950.”
“Communist sympathizers assassinate President Douglas MacArthur. New president Joseph McCarthy outlaws communism and declares all communists enemies of the state.”
“September 1954.”
“The Soviet Union declares war on the United States. President Curtis LeMay uses new thermal nuclear weapons in the megaton range.”
“October 1962.”
“President Curtis LeMay orders a full nuclear strike on the nation of North Vietnam, and quotes, “We’ll bomb them back to the stone age.” This creates a backlash of a
nti-war protest.”
“August 1966.”
“President J. Edgar Hoover starts massive arrest of hippie subversives.”
“February 1968.”
“President Alexander Haig, in a grab for power, establishes the United American Empire.”
“August 1974.”
“Look, Kevin, you know your history,” my grandfather told me.
“Just then, my mother walked into the house, took the picture of Laura and me out of the frame, and tore it in half. She tore it in half again, and then again.
“Mom, what are you doing? That’s Laura and me!’ I yelled at my mother.
“Kevin, you never saw her. You have no idea who she is.”
“Mom! Mom! What happened?”
“She was caught attending an underground church.”
“I have to go see her!’ I headed for the front door.
“My mother stopped me. ‘Kevin, she was arrested under the Joseph McCarthy rule. She was lined up in front of a firing squad. No trial.”
“Then my grandfather said, ‘Kevin, the United American Empire outlawed religion years ago. There’s nothing you could do for her.”
“My mother lit a match and burned our picture in the fireplace. ‘It’s too late. Just remember, you never saw her. You have no idea who she is.’”
“Kevin.” My grandfather handed me a note.
Manhattan Project
Los Alamos Laboratory,
Building C, file room,
Drafting drawer A
May 1944
4:00 a.m.
“Give this to that secret society you are working with.”
“You knew I was working with the League of Guardians ... and you never told anyone?”
“He stood and said to me, ‘Kevin, the ring. I kept it with me at all times.”
“Grandpa?” I asked. This was not like him. Something finally changed his mind.
“He responded, ‘There’s an incinerator door at the back of the file room. My security badge and some of my old clothes are in the old wardrobe downstairs. Contact the League of Guardians. Now go!’”
Guardians of Time Page 7
