by Jeff Yee
Kris, who inherited his father’s polished presentation style and gripping speaking skills, first introduced the concept of time travel while he built hype during the first few minutes of his speech. Then, he unveiled a statement that would be recorded as the first definitive acknowledgement of time travel capability. Kris excitedly reported, “For the past couple of months, we have successfully navigated time by moving objects forward in the time continuum. We began with simple objects such as paper clips and oranges. Even these simple objects proved to be complex as we spent decades of trial-and-error before we were triumphant.” Kris nearly choked with excitement when he went on to acknowledge, “But we’re not here to talk about sending a paper clip into the future. We’ve achieved much more than that. Three days ago, we successfully transported the first mammal – a rat to be exact – twenty-four hours into the future.”
Immediately, members of the press raised their hands and began to ask questions. Kris asked them to be patient by replying, “I will take questions at the end of the presentation.” Disregarding gestures from journalists attempting to get his attention, Kris then introduced Ryan Graves as the Chief Scientist of the project.
Next, Ryan took center stage at the podium and casually briefed the press on the technical aspect of the Tace Technologies time travel solution. With the help of illustrations in the presentation, he described the method of time travel in scientific terms. Unfortunately, there were very few journalists in the room that had the appropriate technical background to fully understand his explanation. Despite his best efforts to simplify it in layman terms, Ryan left most of the people in the room confused and deluged with data.
“Our breakthrough came eight years ago from the research of Dr. Kui Zhao at Zhejian University in Hangzhou, China. Many of you are familiar with his findings that contradicted our previously known laws of thermodynamics. Before his research, it was stated that energy could not be created or destroyed. However, we learned this is only true in our observable universe. From string theory research, we know that there are multiple dimensions beyond the four observable dimensions that we can see – three for space and one for time. It was proposed by Dr. Zhao that energy is in fact a continuum itself and thus a possible fifth dimension. We cannot see this dimension from our frame of reference. It is similar to electrons in an atom that escape from their orbit to reappear somewhere else instantaneously. How is this possible? His research proposed, with detailed mathematics supporting his argument, that energy can slide into a dimension that we are not able to see.”
Ryan paused for a drink of water. He could see from the look on the faces of the men and women in the room that his slides were overwhelming. Nevertheless, he continued, “From relativity and Einstein’s famous equation, we know that matter, energy and time are linked together. We also know that time is relative to the observer. Therefore, with the ability to potentially change the total energy for the observer, the question then became... can we change time?” Picking up a trait from his boss and friend Kris Harrison, Ryan paused for a few seconds to let the audience consider the question and then continued, “The answer is yes. Our challenge was to find a way to add or subtract energy from an object by sliding it into or out of the energy dimension. Assuming that the matter of an object is unchanged, increasing energy leads to an acceleration of time of an object relative to its surroundings. Likewise, decreasing energy leads to a deceleration of time of an object relative to its surroundings. Thus to create a time capsule, one must change the total energy of a system within the capsule. For our experiment, we increased the energy of the rat to speed up time relative to its surroundings outside of the capsule, and decelerated time by decreasing energy back to its original state twenty-four hours later. The result is a time change for the rat of one day.”
The presentation included a number of diagrams and examples that described how the time capsule worked and it included numerous videos of time travel experiments conducted at the laboratory. At the heart of the presentation were complex mathematical formulas that described the necessary change of energy in a system and the required opposite change to accelerate or decelerate time. However, Ryan was careful to not provide details about the proprietary method, as it would have given too much information to Tace’s competitors. One interesting point that was disclosed by Ryan was that the capsule had to be a perfect sphere in order to accomplish the task. Ryan also pointed out that power was required at the point of acceleration and deceleration, and that it was used to apply pressure from the outside of the sphere uniformly to the core or vice versa from the core to the outside depending on which way time was accelerating. But this was the extent of the information that Ryan provided about the proprietary time travel method. The remainder of the solution would remain a secret to Tace Technologies.
The audience had been inundated with information and Kris quickly recognized it. He carefully used his wit to bring life back into the audience. “Thanks, Ryan. While we’ve been presenting to you, our room has been going through a deceleration process and we’re now back in the past. We have George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy outside waiting to sign autographs for you.” The room chuckled. “In all sincerity, we would love to go backwards in time to visit our founding fathers, but it will not be possible. The extent of our travels backwards in time is limited to today. I will now take questions.”
A reporter from Facebook News was the first to ask a question. “I don’t understand the limitation of backwards time travel. Can you explain, in more detail, the reason why you have difficulties sending someone backwards in time and why we cannot go back in history, let’s say, to Pearl Harbor in 1941 to warn the military of an attack?”
Kris answered, “With our solution, a transport is required to travel between two points in time. The transport must operate continuously from the starting point through the ending point. Therefore, we cannot go back in time before the transport was invented because it did not exist. The transport also needs to be configured in advance to bring someone or something back into the current time period. For example, if I want to travel from tomorrow, back to today at noon, I need to set the machine to decelerate the relative time change at exactly noon today. I’m determining my end time before I get started on my journey. We believe this is why we have not seen time travelers thus far. They would have warned us about Pearl Harbor, the World Trade Center buildings or Hurricane Katrina. Today is our starting point for potential backwards time travel. We will not be able to revisit yesterday, but tomorrow, we can travel back in time to revisit today.
The next reporter asked, “How far forward in time can one travel?”
“Theoretically, one can go to any point in the future assuming that the transport remains intact and has sufficient power at the intended time destination. Time travel for one day into the future is possible because we can assume with high probability that the transporting device will be in our lab with the necessary power requirements. If we attempt to do this millions of years into the future, it is more difficult. If anything happens to the transport during that time period, all matter undergoing a time change within the transport is destroyed. Thus, the farther out we wish to explore the greater the risk that the contents within the transport would be permanently destroyed. Next question please…”
“How does the movement of the Earth, continually changing its position in the universe, affect time travel?”
“There is no effect. Both time and space are relative to the frame of reference of the object within the transport,” answered Kris.
Another reporter challenged Kris, “What prevents everyone from the future from coming back to the present? Is this an immigration problem? What if the future is worse than today? Will we get billions of people that want to come back to our present time?
“That’s an interesting question,” said Kris who had to think a few moments before answering. “Do not think of this transport like a wormhole that can shuttle objects constantly from one place t
o another. Instead, think of it like an object with fixed space. Like a car, for example. Only the objects within the car can drive from Point A to Point B during a specified time period. The same is true with the transport. The time transport is occupied from beginning to end with a fixed capacity that cannot be changed. If I were to build a machine capable of carrying one person to arrive today at noon, only one person would ever be able to occupy that space and return to the present.”
“Can we change our future?” someone yelled from the back of the room before Kris acknowledged the next reporter.
“We don’t have the answer yet. To know for certain, we’d need to go to the future and back. A roundtrip scenario to the future and back requires two time transports and we have only one transport constructed thus far. For a roundtrip, an object would use the first transport to travel to the future. The first transport cannot be used to return back to the present because it contains matter between the starting time and ending time. To return back to the present, the object must use a second transport, which decelerates time at a pre-programmed time determined in our present. We are currently building a second transport to run a roundtrip experiment to the future and back. It is our hypothesis that the future can be changed. We will be able to run this test and confirm this statement once we have completed development of the second time transport.”
A reporter from the Scientific American, well versed in the field of time travel, asked, “Can you confirm the grandfather paradox to be true?”
“Ahh, the grandfather paradox,” Kris said smiling, enjoying a technical challenge. “First off, for those not familiar with the grandfather paradox, it is a hypothetical scenario that if you go back in time and terminate a relative in your family history chain before you are born, that you will affect your timeline, will never be born and will cease to exist. We cannot confirm nor deny the grandfather paradox at this time. We have not been able to send an object back in time that can affect its own history. It will be an interesting experiment one day when we have the capability to run this test.”
The press conference was nearing the end, so Kris addressed a reporter in the front row and said, “I will take one final question now.”
“When do you plan to have the first man or woman time travel and have you already identified the candidate?” the reporter asked.
“I have no answer to either of the questions at this time. As we’re all aware, these experiments are high risk, and thus we need guinea pigs for our test. Not literally, but you know what I mean. So that being the case, who better than my father?”
Laughter filled the room again. Kris knew that his father would be watching the press conference from the rehabilitation center at the hospital. He did not know what his father would say about being the first man to accomplish time travel; he only knew his father’s desires twenty-four years before. Now, his father seemed more like a brother to him with only two years age difference between them. What would he say about time travel?
Kris broke his smile and ended the discussion with a serious answer. “My father will have the first right to travel in time. At this point, we have not asked him yet, but this has been one of his great desires in life. This is his company and this was his plan that he crafted many years ago. When the time is right, we will allow him the right of first refusal.”
Chapter 11
At the Hart Senate Building in Washington DC, four staff members waited patiently for their boss who had requested a special meeting only hours after the monumental news broke at Tace Technologies. The office of Rob Cordeiros was a blend of new age technology and old-fashioned style. A fifty-inch, thin-film liquid crystal display filled the length of the south wall. A laser projection keyboard displayed the computer keys across a beautiful, old cherry oak desk; the keys controlled the computer hooked into the wall-mounted monitor. Senator Cordeiros’ right-hand man, David Kim, thumbed through the time travel report that he had quickly assembled while he waited for his boss.
Fashionably, the Senator arrived five minutes late after his team had settled into their positions on the sofa in his office. Senator Cordeiros entered his office, walking with his usual strut, demonstrating the boots-and-suit attire from his Texan heritage. The three-term Senator was a leader in his party and one that had risen quickly through the ranks of the Republican Party. His colleagues either admired his relationships and his ability to make things happen or they were fearful of his potential actions and impacts to their own agendas. Cordeiros had many friends and many foes.
“What have we learned about the laws related to time?” was the first thing Cordeiros said to his team as he entered.
David Kim was the first to answer. “There’s not much that we could find on time travel. As you’re aware, Congress passed the age determination laws two decades ago the last time Tace made a significant breakthrough in this space. Other than that, we couldn’t find anything.”
“I assumed that would be the case,” said a disappointed Cordeiros. “It’s new. It will take our country some time before we understand its impacts. But this team must determine the impacts quickly before things get out of control. Believe me, this technology will change global politics.”
Cordeiros’ staff members were used to being lectured by their boss who had an ability to talk for long periods of time without interruption. As he spoke, they simply listened and took notes.
“This is a power that needs to be controlled by the government,” continued Cordeiros. “It is too dangerous to allow the private sector to control the fate of the world’s past, present and future. He who controls time, controls the world. It’s a matter of national and global security.” Cordeiros paced the floor like a king speaking to his subjects. His voice grew louder with enthusiasm as he continued, “We have the FAA to manage air travel and the DOT to manage our roads and land travel. Shouldn’t we be considering an agency, at the very least, that manages and regulates time travel?”
Senator Cordeiros picked up his glass snow ball from his desk to use it as an example time transport. “If this globe must remain in its position from Point A to Point B in time, to quote our friends at Tace, then would it be considered murder if someone pulled the plug on a man traveling in time within the globe? Is this globe treated like property residing on the land within our country’s borders? Should it be taxed? And if so, who is around to pay the taxes? Or consider this issue. If we create millions of these time transports for our citizens, does it become a serious constraint on our land resources?” Cordeiros put the ball back on his desk and used his hands to pretend that there were replicas spanning the rest of the desk. “Think about it! These could not only be the home for the millions of U.S. citizens of our present, but millions more from the past or the future? Where do we find the space for all of these transports?”
David Kim began to answer one of the questions, “I believe that the transport should be…”
“David, I’m not looking for answers right now,” said Cordeiros rudely interrupting his aide. “What I want this team to do is find more questions. There are more issues that we have not thought about yet – ones that may require governance. I want you to make sure that the public realizes that this is a serious issue and that we need our government to react quickly. We need to make the supporting arguments to create a commission that will study these issues and present their recommendations to the Senate. Go find me the ammunition that I need to create this commission! That is your task.”
Chapter 12
Stacey and Sean Harrison held each other closely as they watched the sun go down between two downtown San Diego skyscrapers from their hospital room. Twenty-four years later, there were many changes to the downtown landscape, but surprisingly, there were many areas of downtown San Diego that had not been touched in the two decades since the couple had seen it.
At the hospital, Stacey and Sean were slowly transitioning into the new time period. Their initial days in the hospital were dedicated to physical adjustments as their bod
ies were recovering slowly from the cryogenic reanimation process. The rehabilitation center was very careful about slowly introducing facts and events from missed time periods; a policy designed to avoid initial shock by easing a patient into a new time. However, Sean and Stacey were very curious about the changes and were looking forward to the final day at the center. The final day would consist of a three-hour video history lesson covering major events that had occurred in the two decades they had missed. It would be a history video specially prepared for the Harrisons.
Kris, who had finished a press conference earlier in the day, walked into his parent’s room with his sister Alyssa at his side. “Good evening, Mom and Dad. How are you doing?”
“Hello, it’s good to see you,” answered his mother. “We are much more alert now. Yesterday seems foggy.”
Sean added, “We’ve been sleeping a lot today, but I think we’re starting to recover now.”
“It’s typical of the process,” Kris replied. “This hospital is great at the re-entry process and it’s been through the procedure many times now. Now that you’re awake and alert, we can brief you on a number of items.”
Through his window, Sean looked out towards the San Diego horizon and asked the first question. “What’s that big plant over there on the water? What is it?”
Alyssa answered, “It’s a desalination facility for our water. They line the California coast now. Due to less rain as a result of global warming and an increase in the state’s population, we need to rely on water from the ocean now.”
Sean seemed intrigued, but quickly brushed it off, looked at his son and changed the subject. “Kris, I’m proud of you. I saw the press conference earlier today and I think you did a terrific job.”
Although it was a nice compliment, it felt strange to Kris coming from a man that looked like his peer, not his father. At that moment, his mother and father looked exactly like they had the day they suspended themselves twenty-four years prior – at fifty-two and fifty-three years of age respectively. Yet, Kris, now at the age of fifty-one, stared into his father’s fifty-three year old eyes. The father, mother, son and daughter looked more like siblings than two-generations of Harrisons.
