The Past

by Kenneth Thomas

  A no-go zone for Enforcers. Rumour has it that Elites regularly frequent this place not only to buy Papini but also to indulge in hedonistic passions that are banned in Antarctica, including smoking cigars! The Jerseyans neutrality and anonymity is guaranteed under the PATH agreement, which forbids Universal Council forces from entering without their express permission.

  ‘Colonel, may I ask, what’s happening today’? VanWest inquires.

  The Colonel unfolds an old school Moggleapp tablet and hands it to him, adding, ‘Don’t take too long’.

  Letters project out onto the seat in front and come together to write Quantum Training. As the hovertruck turns around, it reassumes its camouflage form of a desert dust storm and heads towards a sand mound in the distance.

  VanWest scrolls through the following instructions:

  Time Travel Guide

  Nutrition

  Ensure that diet is high in fibre, protein and vitamins before departure.

  Recommended supplements sources: Insects such as cockroaches; high in protein and minerals including Iron, Zinc and Calcium.

  More Information

  Sleep

  8 hours of sleep before departure.

  Position yourself laying on your stomach to reduce blood pressure and stretch before entering bed to reduce the chance of cramps.

  More Information

  Exercise

  Intensive daily training routine to get the body prepared for highly strenuous movements and g-forces when travelling.

  More Information

  Training Simulations

  Step 1 Master the flux:

  Learning how to withstand and navigate in extreme environments and pressure.

  Attend practical session

  Step 2 Mind Control, using the Quantum Communicator:

  Focusing the mind to transmit messages through time.

  Attend practical session

  Step 3 Travelling through time, using the Quantum Accelerator:

  How to operate the accelerator and use one’s mind to see to the correct location and time.

  Attend practical session

  The sand mound shifts as the hovertruck comes closer and enters. There’s a brightly lit space inside, encircled with tall and wide mirrors, transforming as they step out and commencing a simulation. A deep pool of blue water appears surrounded by rocks with a sign that reads Forbidden, Flooded Shaft.

  The Colonel hands him a packet of liquid breathing pills called O2Breather. These pills enrich the blood with Oxygen, lowering one’s blood pressure and allowing the user to withstand higher pressures found deep under the water. There’s a uniform change, the Colonel hands him an aquasuit. This must be the first of today’s training simulations, Step 1 Master the Flux. A gauge lists the water’s depth at one and a half miles deep and a reading of 150 atmospheres.

  'Captain, this is the first of your assigned training. Work hard to complete these important steps. You need this to complete your leap to 1951 Paris’.

  ‘Yes, of course, Colonel’.

  Trying to be as clear as possible, he instructs, ‘Step 1, swim down and collect two concrete blocks at the bottom, bring each one up. Your time is oo:20:00, commencing once you enter the water. Affirmative'?

  ‘Yes, Colonel. Affirmative’!

  VanWest approaches the water with caution. After inspecting it for dangers, he takes a deep breath and dives in. The water is icy cold and the torrents beneath quite strong. Swimming deeper, he works hard to avoid being spun around as he heads for the concrete blocks below, reaching the largest block first. Grabbing hold of its handlebar, he pulls forcefully until it shifts and then kicks as hard as possible to return to the surface. The O2Breather pills prove critical to his successful completion.

  As soon as he returns to the surface, lifting the first block out of the water, the Colonel instructs him to go back down to collect the second. The second journey is even harder, the pressure has increased. Swimming back up, the weight of the block feels like it has doubled. Despite this, he manages to reach the surface, relieved to exit the icy water.

  There is no time to recuperate as Step 2 commences, Mind Control, using the Quantum Communicator.

  The Colonel gives new instructions, ‘Captain, your next task is to practice sending messages with this Quantum Communicator. Dive back down and use only your thoughts to transmit. Insert the Communicator into one of your nodes behind your ears'.

  VanWest, not relishing the thought of diving again in the icy water, does as instructed. The Colonel continues, ‘It's now zero seven hundred, you have 1-hour to practice this exercise. Captain, remember to concentrate HARD otherwise the Quantum Communicator will not transmit, Roger that’!

  ‘Yes, Colonel. Affirmative’!

  Once more, VanWest dives to the bottom of the shaft, reaching its lowest point where he receives a new message, Testing, Testing, 1-2-3, Testing, Copy That.

  Distracted by the icy water, he tries his hardest to engage the Quantum Communicator by connecting his brain waves digitally to the device in order to return the simple message 'Roger that'. He can’t. Again, and again, word by word, 'Roger… that… ' Still, nothing transmits. The 1-hour timeframe quickly ticking down, his breathing becoming more difficult.

  The high pressure and cold must be stifling his thinking, disrupting his signal. Surmising that he is thinking in the wrong way, he attempts a more visual approach. Instead of concentrating on transmitting by thinking of each word, he pictures each in his mind. Success! A simple message finally transmits, ‘Roger that’.

  Encouraged, he sends a longer sentence, imagining the Colonel’s face as he does so, ‘Roger that Colonel, One And a Half Miles Under Water, Copy That’?

  Relieved to have succeeded, the training bringing back memories of his tough graduation exams at the Enforcer academy - ones he had hoped not to revisit. He practices some more exchanges with the Colonel before heading back up to the surface.

  Upon returning, the simulation disperses, and his aquasuit dries out instantly. He finds himself in an empty white room opposite Dr King. His liege holds a chrome briefcase. This must be Step 3, Travelling through time using the Quantum Accelerator. Dr King beckons VanWest to step forward as he unlocks and opens the case. Inside is a small silver rod-shaped device.

  'Behold VanWest’! Dr King exclaims as he takes hold of the rod and squeezes it tightly with his right hand.

  As he does so, the rod changes shape and slowly widens. When Dr King removes his hand, the rod remains suspended in mid-air. VanWest can feel its pull, his skin tingling and prickling. The rod continues to widen, a black hole growing in its centre. He gazes forth into the hole as a cold icy wind gushes out and whistles across his face. The black hole, now the size of a man, causes the room to shake and pulls even harder to bring him towards its centre.

  'My liege’?

  'The Quantum Accelerator, my boy'! Dr King answers.

  'It's amazing, so peaceful, but so cold, so very cold', VanWest replies, mesmerised.

  'Lest I must ask, you are already familiar with the Quantum Communicator’?

  The Colonel replies for VanWest, ‘Yes, he is my liege’.

  Dr King continues, ‘Listen well! Together these two devices allow one to travel to any point in time and communicate between the past and the present’.

  VanWest stares at the hole, his mind lost. Dr King tries to explain how it works, ‘Using this rod, we can track particles through time, as they join and split, all the way to their origin. The Quantum Accelerator splits these atoms and causes a rift in the time continuum, a temporary portal allowing one to travel back and forth, but only once every 48-hours. It needs this to re-stabilise’!

  The portal starts to shut and lose its pull, ‘Now this is key… By memorising a photo or painting of a particular time, you can travel to that exact location and time. Are you following’?

  VanWest nods, ‘Yes, my liege’. At least he’s trying his best to but is overwhelmed by all this information. He fee
ls like he is still stuck in a dream, expecting to wake at any moment.

  Dr King deactivates the Quantum Accelerator rod, explaining this ‘evil’ Utopian mission in more detail, ‘Lest I say before, there are two. The weak-minded Mad Newton has its prototype and is now bent on targeting the scientists who helped him invent time travel - those who figured out how to split atomic particles. We must stop his mission and retrieve his prototype. This mission, this meeting you foresaw, they are related. Do you follow’?

  VanWest replies, doing his best to hide his bewilderment, ‘Yes, my liege’.

  ‘Very good. As I explained, you must imagine a place and time to arrive. Otherwise, you may be lost in time like the countless chimps it was tested on’.

  VanWest gulps, repeating once again, ‘Yes, my liege’.

  Dr King signals to the Colonel to hands VanWest his Moggleapp tablet. The Colonel instructs, ‘Captain, your training will have to do. We hoped for more time but there is no more. You must leave now’!

  VanWest gasps, ‘Colonel… now’!?

  The tablet automatically syncs and uploads the information to his neurological network. It gives a few more details than the Universal Council’s Wiki files:

  History

  At the end of the Second World War, a handful of visionary scientists imagined creating a European atomic physics laboratory. One that would not only unite European scientists but also allow them to share the increasing costs of nuclear physics facilities. At an intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris, December 1951, the first resolution on the establishment of a European Council for Nuclear Research was adopted. Two months later, European countries signed an agreement establishing the provisional Council - its acronym CERN was born. At the Council's third session in October 1952, Geneva was chosen as the site of this Laboratory.

  Key figures include Chairman Francois de Rose [Image], Swiss Delegate Albert Picot [Image] and Swiss Physicist Paul Scherrer [Image].

  UNESCO an acronym for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

  UNESCO Meetings. Birth of CERN and Achievements

  Several important achievements in particle physics have been made during experiments at CERN: Particle Accelerators, Computer Science and World Wide Web, Large Hadron Collider …

  The CERN Convention was established in July 1953, and in September 1954, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research officially came into being. CERN is a French abbreviation for the European Council for Nuclear Research.

  Upon completion of the upload, the Colonel switches to an image of a SNCASE branded passenger plane tagged Paris - Le Bourget Aeroport, 10th of December 1951.

  Dr King explains, ‘Our intelligence has indicated a successful jump occurred moments ago to 1951 Paris, 10thof December. The target is this UNESCO meeting where the first resolution leading to the formation of CERN is made. These crazed Utopians believe that this meeting instigated scientific collaboration and advancements of the likes never seen before - eventually destroying the world’.

  He steps closer, 'My boy, lest I need to say it again, you MUST visualise this exact image and date. Look at it intensely for a few moments. This is your destination. Focus’!

  After waiting, and satisfied VanWest has looked long enough, he continues, ‘I caution you that you may encounter the Most Wanted’.

  The upload of the Ten NEA fugitives commences, mostly Utopians:

  Most Wanted

  Pretoria Vonn [Image]

  Head of NEA in Capital. Expert in Guerrilla Warfare

  Dr Isaac VonHelmann 'Mad Newton' [Image]

  NEA. Leader of Utopian Sect, Technology Genius and Universal Council Defector

  Jaaro Niemen 'The Finn' [Image]

  NEA, Utopian Preacher, Assassin and Explosives Expert

  Elektra Del Rey ‘Electric Girl’ [Image]

  NEA, Expert in Guerrilla Warfare, Unconfirmed Utopian Preacher

  Ling Ling ‘The Seductress’ [Image]

  NEA. Utopian, Highly skilled at Espionage and Explosives

  Lexi LuLu ‘The High Priestess’ [Image]

  NEA. Chief of Utopian Dogma, Utopian Preacher

  Cisco Lee ‘The Inquisitor’ [Image]

  NEA. Utopian Preacher, Expert Intelligence Analyst

  Charlie LeSouris 'The Hacker' [Image]

  NEA. Utopian. Hacking Expert

  Houston Lowdanski ‘Star Fighter’ [Image]

  NEA. Second in Command, Top Space Pilot and Smuggler

  Ankit Barghav ‘The Priest’ [Image]

  NEA. Utopian Preacher, Sect Spokesman and Media Expert

  ‘These deviants will be in disguise; using facial and genome manipulation to subvert and elude the Universal’.

  A final upload commences, UNESCO Investor Profile 1, that of his own pseudo-identity, along with instructions on how he is expected to behave and act. The profile contains an Encyclopaedia of Physics of 1950, French Language (extinct in 2631), Visitor Character Map and Biography of Philanthropist.

  This philanthropist, his pseudo-identity, is Monsieur Frederic Jacques, born in Brussels, Belgium, 23rd of July 1921. The Colonel takes back his Moggleapp tablet and hands VanWest a box full of funny-looking items including pieces of paper, a passport and UNESCO conference ticket. VanWest has never physically touched anything made of paper before, only ever seen it behind panels in displays.

  The box also contains what must be items of the 1950s, his upload gives details: a German Luger pistol, black-framed glasses, a gold pocket watch with an empty compartment, and some clothing items - a dark grey suit, waistcoat and pair of gloves. And finally, a purse containing 90,000 French Francs in strangely rectangular-shaped pieces of paper and round metallic coins.

  After changing into the grey three-piece suit, he puts the items carefully into the pockets, including the identity papers and money. He straps the Luger pistol to the inside of his leg under his trousers.

  The Colonel’s final instruction, ‘Remember to keep the O2Breather pills with you at all times, you never know when you may need it’. VanWest obliges and fits the pills inside his watch compartment.

  ‘Time is of the essence, ready yourself’! Dr King squeezes the Quantum Accelerator rod, re-activating it once more.

  VanWest stares forth numbly; he feels neither excited nor frightened, contemplating what could await him on the other side, the plane and Paris, this City of Light, in 1951. Tentatively, he stretches out his hand, moving his fingertips into the portal. He feels a sensation, like that of freezing cold water. It pulls forcefully, his amber stone pendant lifts up and is sucked inside, his head follows.

  The sound of water spiralling around sends him into a trance, his eyes widen, mesmerised by the spectrums of light. The medium then pulls his whole body inside, sending him into an ever-faster spin, as if he were stuck inside a whirlpool. The vortex’s colourful light cascading around, he twists and turns for what seems an eternity. Spinning until the light begins to fade, suddenly jolting him forward and ejecting him out.

  Chapter 6 Leap to the City of Light

  VanWest hurtles headfirst into a pile of luggage. His head woozy, he attempts to sit-up but cannot. He gags instead, the dizzying spin of the vortex has left him wanting to throw up. Trying to use his Quantum Communicator to contact Dr King and Colonel Cornelius he finds himself unable to focus, let alone think graphically of the words he must transmit. Noticing the cold air blowing through, the luggage around him, he realises he must be on the plane that the Colonel showed him! Whilst in flight!

  Trying to sit up again, he notices a nametag, F. de Rose. It’s all very real; he has indeed travelled back in time. This nametag is none other than Francois de Rose, a match to his upload, the Chairman of this important UNESCO meeting that will lead to the formation of CERN.

  His mind turns to panic, his first thought is how he can return to the present, he scours through the luggage to find the silver Quantum Accelerator rod. After what feels like too long, he finally locates it, lying on some bag
s beside a metal vent. Lifting the vent up, he sees there is a small white room above. From, which an awful smell of human excrement emerges! He can only assume this must be the toilet. Even so, he isn’t keen to stay in this freezing luggage hold and squeezes through the small opening.

  Entering inside the toilet cubicle, he gasps, ‘Whoa’!

  There is a bizarrely dressed man staring back at him. His reflection in the mirror shows him in his disguise, he can barely recognise himself in his 1950s three-piece suit. A voice startles him, an announcement in French, ‘Mesdames et messieurs, votre attention s’il vous plait. Nous atterrirons bientôt’. His bionic implants automatically translates it, notifying him that the plane is about to land.

  Being cautious, he opens the door only slightly and peers into a smoky hallway, recognising instantly one of the people seated from his new Wiki files as Francois de Rose. Further confirming that he has indeed gone back in time. Francois looks just like his image, his eyes large and blue, hidden behind thick black-framed glasses. The aisle is also cloudy, smoke rises from ashtrays on nearly every seat. VanWest cannot help but be bemused at the sight of people smoking and drinking lots of wine with bottles and glasses everywhere. Smoking and drinking are hedonistic and forbidden vices, long banned in the year 3000.

  A blonde woman in a tight blue uniform and pillbox hat walks up the hallway, inspecting and fastening seatbelts in preparation for the plane to land. Seeing that the woman is turning around, he shuts the door and sits down on the closed toilet seat to wait for the plane’s descent. He can feel the plane dropping in altitude, very much puzzled by such a shaky and strange form of landing, he presses his palms against the walls to brace himself. The glass bottles clink and rattle as the plane finally thumps down on the ground, braking - screech, and coming to a stop after several long seconds.