Laws of Time

by Jeff Yee

  Stacey, who had waited all day to ask an important question, couldn’t hold back any longer. She knew that it was possible that it could result in an answer that she was not prepared to handle. Nevertheless, she asked her kids with a soft voice, “I didn’t see your Nana yesterday and I see that you have not brought her today. Is she…”

  Alyssa answered before her mother was able to continue. “I’m sorry Mom.”

  Stacey cried out, “No!!!”

  “She passed away peacefully in her sleep about fifteen years ago,” said Alyssa with a sincere, yet sorrowful tone. “The services were beautiful.”

  Stacey’s legs suddenly felt weak and she immediately sat down in the chair beside Sean. She threw her head backward and gazed at the ceiling to avoid eye contact with family members. For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence until Sean put his arm around his wife to support her. Stacey was upset, but she wanted all of the bad news at once. She needed to know more. “Who else is no longer with us?”

  Alyssa replied with compassion, “Uncle Christian. Pancreatic cancer. And, Steve, heart attack only months after he retired from Tace.”

  The shocking news about his brother and the former co-founder of Tace Technologies hit Sean extremely hard. Both were relatively young and Sean had expected them to be around to greet him in the future. His heart sank and he rapidly understood the pain that his wife was experiencing. As he walked barefoot across the room closer to his kids, he stared Kris in the eyes and said, “I saw your presentation yesterday and I don’t understand why we could not find a solution to go further back in time. Back to a time when your mother could visit your Nana or I could spend time with your uncle again. Or further back in time – because I really want to see my parents again. Why can’t I see my parents? I don’t know how we could have spent twenty-four years in a freezer to awake and only be able to visit backwards to this very day!”

  Sean was taking out his frustration unfairly on his son. Time travel was a monumental achievement, but it only answered some of his questions. With the current technology, he would never be able to visit the distant past to get his answers nor would he be able to reestablish relations with his parents and other long-lost relatives. The dream and hope of seeing his mother and father one day was gone.

  Kris reiterated his statement from the press conference. “Sorry, Dad. The time transport can only take us back as far in time as the day it was invented. It explains why we have not seen time travelers until now.”

  “But it is possible to go farther back in time,” Sean challenged his son. “You start going backwards by decelerating time relative to the space outside of the capsule, right?”

  “Right.”

  “And, to stop the deceleration and bring someone back into the intended time destination, you need to accelerate again, correct?”

  “Correct.”

  “Well, what if you just start the deceleration and never reverse it? Isn’t that person continually going backwards in time?”

  “Yes, in theory.” Kris and his team had already thought about the scenario and he was quick to give his father their conclusion. “But going backwards beyond the point of the transport’s invention causes a potential major issue. First, what’s the point in going in reverse if you can never stop? Second, there’s a big chance of molecular collision that could have extreme consequences – like a nuclear reaction – as the matter within the time capsule meets matter in the same location a fraction of a second before the time capsule’s creation. Two molecules can’t share the same space. So what would happen when they collide? It’s an experiment that would have been too dangerous to carry out in our lab.”

  Stacey needed to change the subject. The boys were talking science while she was mourning the loss of her mother. Although she was visibly upset, she tried to shift the tune to a positive note. “I’m very happy to see that both of you have families and I welcome the opportunity to spend more time with your spouses and kids. You will have to bring them by the hospital so that we can spend more time together. The loss of my mother and other family and friends are risks that we knew we were taking when we set out on our adventure.”

  “Agreed,” said Sean. “Hopefully we can see more of your families this week.”

  Alyssa sat beside her mother to comfort her and promised to bring her family back to the hospital as quickly as possible. Although Alyssa was still physically younger than her mother by a few years, the untouched gray streaks in her naturally blonde hair made her appear to be strangely older than her mother, who had highlights in her hair to cover the gray. However, the gray did not affect Alyssa’s natural beauty. The former teenage model was still captivating at age forty-nine. Her beautiful blue eyes, pearly white teeth, unblemished skin and slender five-foot-six frame could still put her on the cover of a magazine.

  Sean decided that it would be good for his daughter to spend alone time with her mother, so he suggested to Kris, “Let’s take a walk down to the cafeteria. I could use some food.”

  “I’m not hungry, but I’d be happy to join you,” replied Kris.

  After putting on a pair of hospital slippers, Sean slipped out of the room with his son and walked down the west corridor of the hospital towards the cafeteria.

  “Tell me about your wife, Elaine,” said Sean. “Where did you two meet?”

  “At Tace,” Kris replied. “She used to be a marketing manager at Tace. Then she stayed at home for a few years after we had Cameron and now she’s doing marketing consulting. Her primary client is a small semiconductor firm not too far from our house.”

  “You’ve got a wonderful family, Kris. I can’t believe that Cameron is only a couple of years away from college.”

  “Yeah, Elaine and I met and married about four years or so after you went into suspension. Cameron arrived a few years after that.”

  Sean dropped the conversation, fearing it would lead to a discussion about how he had missed sixteen years of his granddaughter’s life. Instead, Sean admired the advancements in medical technology on his walk through the hospital. The building itself seemed old and ordinary to Sean, but the equipment had changed dramatically since his last hospital visit a quarter of a century earlier.

  “These are amazing,” said Sean as he pointed to the folding computers at a nurse’s station as they continued to walk down the corridor. “I’ve seen the doctors come in a few times with these computers. They roll out their screen onto the desk in the room and type directly onto the visual. It’s amazing.”

  “Yes, the thin-film display is a touch sensor computer so you can type or point directly on the screen. You roll it up when you’re done with it and it fits neatly in your pocket.” Kris took the edge of one of the thin-film displays and began to collapse it to illustrate its folding capabilities. “It works beautifully in office settings like a hospital because it has a wireless connection to the computer’s CPU here in the hospital. Doctors only need to carry the monitor, which rolls up nicely into their pockets.”

  “Fascinating!”

  As the two men reached the end of the corridor and turned to the right in the direction of the hospital cafeteria, Sean asked, “If my brother had cancer, why did he not choose cryogenic suspension and survive to a point in time when cancer has a cure?”

  “Honestly, we never had the discussion. Although I don’t think it would’ve made much of a difference. It was difficult to detect and by the time he realized he had cancer he was deteriorating quickly. He didn’t have much time after we found out about the disease. Sorry Dad.”

  “I’m sorry too,” Sean said with a tear forming in one eye. “I should have said goodbye to him before I left.”

  They stopped walking. Sean was no longer interested in eating. They stood in the hallway determining their next move.

  “I’ll never be able to see my brother again. I really wish that I could go further back in time to see him.”

  “I know. You can’t go back in time to see Uncle Christian, but if you heard th
e press conference earlier today, you can be the first man to travel in time. The choice is yours.”

  It was too quick for Sean to make a decision. He had not even been outside of the hospital to experience the new world that he was living in. Deciding not to eat, Sean turned back to return to the hospital room. He quickly replied to his son, “There’s a lot to consider. I’ll think about it, but you’ll have to give me some time. Right now, I’ll be honest… I’m just happy to be alive.”

  Chapter 13

  The scanner surveyed Stacey, moving slowly from her head to her feet. The Computed Tomography Scanner was searching for any cellular abnormalities from the cryogenic suspension and reanimation process. This was her second scan; the first being conducted the day she was unfrozen. Sean stood nearby and nervously watched the process. His second scan, which had completed minutes earlier, was fortunately clean. Sean was free to leave the rehabilitation center at his own will.

  “Everything looks fine Stacey,” said the technician. “I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.” The technician rearranged images of the scan across two separate monitors as he looked for abnormalities, using two light wands attached to his hands to move the graphics. He stood ten feet from the monitors, yet had the fine control of the display with simple arm gestures. A slight forward motion of his right hand grabbed one of the images, and once held, the image was moved from left to right, then across to a second monitor where it was minimized. Simultaneously, the technician’s left hand moved another image scan into place where the first image had been previously. The use of motion sensing controls made the technician’s job much more efficient to sort through various scans, zoom and notate the images for his colleagues and patients. After he electronically signed a release form by scribbling his hand in mid-air, he walked back to Stacey and said, “You can go back to your room now. Dr. Herlinger has a video that we’ve prepared for you. And then, you’re free to go.”

  After being confined to the hospital for a few days, the Harrisons were thankful that they could enter the real world once again. A clean bill of health after twenty-four years in a frozen state was certainly a relief for the couple.

  Back in their room, Dr. Herlinger had exit paperwork ready to be signed. “Your family will be here to pick you up in a few hours. In the meantime, we suggest you watch this video, designed just for you. It provides a good summary of what has taken place in the world since you have seen it last. Our resident psychiatrist will be here shortly to be with you should you have any questions.”

  Sean signed the hospital forms and sat down next to Stacey to watch a chronicle of the twenty-four years that they had missed. The video had been put together carefully by the rehabilitation center to pull relevant information from the missing timeframe in the Harrison’s history; gradually easing from minor changes to significant issues in the current world. Similar to a newspaper design, it was categorized into general topics such as world news, sports, business, lifestyle, politics and technology.

  To start on a positive note, the video began with the sports category. The section’s contents were customized specifically for Sean and his favorite sports teams, including the playoff history of the San Diego Chargers over the past twenty-four years.

  “The Chargers won the Superbowl only years after we were frozen?” Sean said smiling proudly. “I can’t believe it! They finally win the big one and we weren’t there to see it.”

  The lifestyle section came next, tailored mainly for Stacey. Oscar winners, billboard top charts and celebrity relationships overloaded the couple with two decades of information in only ten minutes. Jennifer Aniston eventually remarried. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their kids stayed together despite popular opinion. The Simpsons streak finally came to an end.

  Then, Stacey was saddened by a list of celebrities that had passed away while they were in hibernation.

  Cameron Diaz, age 57. John Travolta, age 75…

  Stacey mourned the loss of her favorite actors and actresses while the history lesson moved into financial updates. Like previous sections, the financial update was also personalized for Sean and Stacey by providing a recap of the global markets and businesses that were likely to interest them. In the twenty-four years that they were gone, the economy had survived three recessions. There were also countless swings in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. However, it was the currency update that Sean found to be particularly fascinating because of its political impacts.

  To compete with the Euro, NAFTA membership was increased to include countries in Central America as far south as Panama. Most of these nations, including Canada, now use the U.S. dollar as their official currency. The largest holdout, Mexico, will complete its conversion to the dollar in two years. In South Asia, many nations are aligning around the Chinese RMB as their official currency by taking the first steps to fix their existing currency against the Chinese standard.

  The business update continued with changes in the private sector. Media companies, in particular, went through a wave of consolidation after being forced to adapt to new technologies for media distribution. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation led the way with acquisitions assembling a media giant from weakening online and broadcasting companies. Diving deeper into aerospace news, the video then highlighted Sean’s industry and a short history of his company’s performance.

  In the first decade after the introduction of cryogenic methods, Tace Technologies’ revenues increased an average of 12% year-over-year. Not accounting for splits, the stock hit a high of $284 per share at the end of this period. Three years ago, the stock hit its lowest point in the past three decades after analysts downgraded the stock. High research and development costs resulted in significant quarterly losses. The stock hit a bottom at $32 per share before rebounding on rumors that the development of a time travel method was near completion. This speculation caused the stock to slowly rise over the past three years.

  “Kris must have had a rough time managing the company during the decline,” Sean said to his wife without his eyes leaving the screen. “But in the end, it looks like he pulled through.”

  After the business update, technology highlights followed.

  For many, the mobile phone is now their computer. The latest cell phone technology allows a user to project an image onto a screen or wall from the phone. While at home or at work, a wireless connection between the phone, the monitor and the keyboard allows the phone to run as the computer’s CPU.

  “Wow! That’s pretty cool,” Sean said excitedly to his wife. Stacey yawned. The technology section was clearly designed for her husband.

  In home appliances, cars and more, wireless chips are now being used to monitor results and allow remote access to the device. As an example, a refrigerator can detect when it no longer has milk and has the ability to report its needs to the grocery store for delivery. The air conditioning in your home has the ability to be managed remotely, such as turning on the cool air before returning from a vacation.

  “Stacey, you’re not excited?”

  She looked at Sean in disbelief. Her husband should have known her better. Sean continued to watch and be amazed by the advances in technology. Meanwhile, Stacey waited for the general news events, which was next on the agenda. Then, the major events were highlighted.

  In science, the planned exploration of Mars was successful. The team found signs of life in bacteria near the poles of Mars. This led to immediate questions about Venus and the possibility that it could also include simple life forms. A second Mars trip was also successful, but a third mission had troubles with the descent of the landing ship and all of the astronauts were killed. As a result, the Mars missions and the hope of a Venus mission are currently on hold.

  “We did it! Stacey, you have to admit that this is exciting.”

  “Yes, it’s interesting. And I’m sure Tace was a big part of the mission’s success. Well, at least the first two, I suppose. The last mission is unfortunate.”

  In politics, wars continu
e in the African continent and are increasing in violence in the Middle East as the oil fields dry. The rise of India and China has changed the global landscape and has shifted power to Asia; in particular to China where the annual gross domestic product now matches the GDP of the United States. The U.S. is burdened with a large national debt, financed largely by foreign nations like China and Japan. After failing to restructure the national debt, the U.S. is now at risk of default on its debt payments, which has the possibility of waging an economic war with Asia. Tensions between the U.S. and its friends in the East are currently high.

  There was a knock on the door. Seconds later, a psychiatrist entered the hospital room with a notebook and pen in her right hand.

  “Hello, I’m Dr. Vera Mason. I don’t mean to interrupt, so please continue. I’m here to help answer any questions and help you through this transition.”

  Sean put the video on pause to ask a quick question. “Is the U.S. no longer the lone superpower in the world?”

  Dr. Mason seemed surprised by the question. “I think it was debatable if we were the lone superpower to begin with anyway, but yes, it is clearly the case that there are a handful of superpowers. In my personal opinion, we are now heading towards a monoculture with globalization. All the nations of the world are closely tied together and we seem to be merging into one. It is the largest nations that are in control. Yes, we are one of the controlling nations, but in many ways, we’re also being controlled ourselves – by the Chinese. They affect our financial markets because they own such a large portion of our national debt. Every time they want us to do something, they threaten to dump a large amount of treasury bonds on the market and so we inevitably comply because we can’t afford the risk of runaway inflation if they dump them.”