Uchronie

by Richardson, Ian

  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

  2007 2008 2009 2011 2012

  ‘You can study that later.’ continued Wright, ‘Also…Hitler was in office by 1926 so we know exactly where to find him. I suppose you could say the year fits the bill.’

  ‘An’ he’ll be a sittin’ duck when I shoots ‘im.’ said Dwayne.

  ‘Not if I shoot ‘im first,’ said Wayne. ‘Can we go now?’

  ‘Hitler is an innocent man in 1926.’ protested Lolly, standing up. ‘He is the head of state who brought colour TV to Germany and televised the Olympics.’

  ‘Yes. Yes! We’ve been through all that.’ said Captain Wright, ‘Nevertheless we have a mission to carry out and we know where he will be in May1926.’

  ‘It is not a mission to assassinate him,’ said Lolly. ‘It is a containment.’

  ‘I agree.’ I said, standing up as well.

  ‘Nah. Just kill ‘im, geddit over wif.’ said Dwayne. ‘Less bovver.’

  ‘Captain Wright, I believe you should outline the containment plan.’ said Lolly. ‘The team could be thinking about that over the weekend… making plans.’

  ‘Look it’s late on a Friday afternoon and everyone wants to go.’ said Captain Wright, as more airmen stood up. ‘It’s nearly four o clock, t’aint right to keep them after hours.’

  Something moving in the shadows around the Temporal Darkroom caught my eye.

  ‘Is that your shadow man again?’ asked Lolly, turning round to see what I was looking at.

  ‘Yes… I’m sure I saw someone down there just now.’ I said, peering into the darkness.

  ‘I must say I have to agree with my daughter.’ said Commander DeBlanc, emerging from the shadows of the Temporal Darkroom. ‘We can’t just kill an innocent man and, as we seem to have twenty minutes left, I’d like to explain that and make that point clear to you all. I have a short speech prepared.’

  Amidst a chorus of muffled groans and sighs, everyone sat down again.

  ‘Now, this machine age we live in didn’t begin neatly on cue on Monday the first of January 1900.’ said DeBlanc, taking up position beside Captain Wright. ‘Although the twentieth century did begin on a Monday, the day of the moon, as you have all learned from Captain Wright… check your twenty4seven cards and link charts if you haven’t memorized these facts yet. To me this is a sure indication that man will land on the moon in this century.’

  ‘Moonday.’ muttered Wayne.

  ‘Moonday indeed.’ said DeBlanc. ‘I have often wondered how much further mankind will travel into space and into time. What are our final frontiers? Will humankind only be satisfied when journeys into space are readily available and easily affordable to everyone?’

  ‘I’ve always wanted my own personal spacecraft.’ I whispered to Lolly.

  ‘However.’ said DeBlanc, looking at me coldly. ‘Nate’s alternate time line seems to have corrupted all that and somehow brought the projected moon landing date forward to the 1950’s. Ladies and gentlemen we are currently in a time warp of uncharted waters.’

  ‘What does Holon, the ghost in the machine, predict?’ asked Lolly.

  ‘Well, we are unlucky there, my dear. Holon only appears on Friday the Thirteenth and there is only one Friday the thirteenth in 1937... in August I’m afraid.’ said DeBlanc. ‘1942 starts on a Thursday so there will be three Friday the thirteenth’s, February, March and November… but I can only deal with 1937 and its link years.’

  Wayne and Dwayne groaned. ‘I thought this were goin’ to be a short speech.’

  ‘History has always been a race between education and catastrophe.’ continued DeBlanc, sitting down on Captain Wright’s desk. ‘And the key word in this century is technology… not craft. The Chronological Order has been attempting to construct a Utopian society with the help of these new machines that have been appearing all over the world. As you know, we are currently heading for Europe…’

  ‘I fought we was goin’ to Germany.’ whispered Dwayne.

  ‘Germany’s the capital of Europe innit.’ said Wayne.

  ‘The last time I was in Europe was in 1889 at the Paris World Fair.’ continued DeBlanc. 'I saw the Eiffel tower - the colossi of our age. I saw Gaston Riviere winning the Paris - Bordeaux road race and these achievements were offered up to me as proof that machines were good, obedient and controlled by reason. Personally I do not like this proliferation of machines that run on wheels. Mother Nature’s curves have to be flattened out to accommodate them and they ruin the air with their infernal combustion engines. They are factory cloned children. For me, steam power has always been the answer. Easily produced, fast, elastic, warm, harmonious steam… I love it.’

  Wayne nudged Dwayne and he snorted.

  ‘Sssh.’ said Lolly.

  ‘Yes, quieten down chaps.’ I said.

  Wayne rubbed the back of his head with two fingers.

  ‘In this century we believe in human perfectibility,’ continued DeBlanc, ‘not in original sin and punishment. Futurism has the idea that speed is beautiful but, to me, speed is just destructive. It will come to no good end’

  ‘Hurrah.’ shouted Dwayne, thinking DeBlanc had finished.

  ‘When Ginger brought back news of Einstein’s theory of relativity from the flat lands.’ said DeBlanc. ‘I realized that we, aboard our flying miracle that is The Uchronie, were already out of date – our steam powered Modernity was ending before it had hardly begun. Airships like ours are regarded as technological dead ends but, until we find out exactly what Nate did aboard the Hindenburg, the Uchronie is our only chance to set things right. I shall personally have another talk with Nate - later this evening.’

  Wayne turned round and pointed a gun-like finger at me. ‘All your fault, grebo.’

  ‘When are we gettin’ out of ‘ere?’ groaned Dwayne, shooting me a dirty look. ‘My stomach finks me throat’s cut.’

  ‘Today you have all been issued with time cards,’ said DeBlanc, ‘and you will have learned that Tuesday is Mars day! Mars, God of War! Liberty is worth fighting for! So, on Tuesday, at eight o’clock we go to war in an attempt to change things back to the way they are in all the main time streams. The way they should be!’

  A ragged cheer rose from the crew.

  ‘But first, this weekend, we have some R and R for you.’ said DeBlanc. ‘Rest and Relaxation. This weekend we are holding our annual St. Arwar’s Ball and everyone is invited.’

  Everyone cheered again, somewhat half heartedly.

  ‘Oh, I do enjoy a bit of light entertainment. Limelight and a good old fashioned Oomphah band; I’m looking forward to it.’ said DeBlanc, looking at the clock. ‘Alright! Ladies and Gentlemen it is now four o’clock and you can all go... and enjoy your weekend.’

  ‘Fank Gawd for that.’ said Dwayne, heading for the door.

  ‘You must be exhausted Nate.’ said Lolly, taking my arm as everyone spilled out of the training room. ‘Come on. I’ll show you to your quarters. Daddy’s organized a well appointed cabin for you on the larboard side. You’ll be secure there.’

  Next Episode - Lolly and Nate. Released Monday 12 November 2012

  The future is unwritten

  In which Nate dallies with Lolly, is assigned quarters and receives a surprise visit.

  As I walked out of the training room, arm in arm with the beautiful Lolly, it was hard to remember that she was keeping me under house arrest. I wanted to examine all the marvellous steam powered contraptions that I had seen when we came in but Lolly turned left and took me through a door that led outside on to the top deck at the rear of the Uchronie.

  Four enormous metal chimneys steamed gently in the purple evening sky behind us as the Uchronie slid silently above the clouds, on its heading for Europe.

  From this high level Lolly and I could look down on the immense sunlit gardens that covered the lower decks of this vast flying metropolis.

  ‘I remember flying over these parklands this morning wh
en I came in with Ginger.’ I said, ‘They look even bigger from here.’

  ‘These gardens are daddy’s pride and joy, said Lolly, unhooking her arm from mine, ‘They are filled with every known species of flower, bush and tree and he wants to preserve them all. The gardens on Deck three are the same design as Hampton Court Palace gardens. The maze is over there.’

  ‘Where?’ I asked, shielding my eyes against the bright evening sunlight until I spotted a large structure of neatly clipped hedges.

  ‘It’s a box maze.’ said Lolly, ‘There’s a bench at the centre; we could walk through and sit there for an hour or so to watch the sunset.’

  ‘That would be nice.’ I said. ‘How do we get to it?’

  ‘Just down here.’ said Lolly, opening a gate in the railings that led to a concealed flight of metal steps.

  ‘You really know your way around the Uchronie.’ I said, as she led me down on to a perfectly manicured lawn.

  ‘Well I should do.’ said Lolly, as we set off across the grass, ‘I was born here.’

  ‘Really!’ I gasped, ‘Have you ever been to the lands below?’

  ‘Oh, yes.’ I’ve visited them with Ginger.’ said Lolly, ‘I much prefer it up here though.’

  ‘I can see why.’ I said, looking around at the unspoiled countryside. It was hard to believe that these immaculate gardens were actually ten thousand feet in the air.

  ‘You go in first.’ said Lolly, letting go my arm as we arrived at the entrance to the maze.

  ‘Why me?’ I asked, looking up at the tops of the hedges silhouetted against the plum coloured sky. ‘You’re the one who knows your way around.’

  ‘I want to see what you do.’ said Lolly, with a smile. ‘Will you turn right or will you turn left?’

  ‘Well I’ve heard a theory that if you keep to the left all the time you’ll find your way to the centre.’ I said.

  ‘Really.’ said Lolly. ‘Actually, either right or left would have the same result. I need to learn more about the way you think, Nate.’

  ‘Why is that so important?’ I asked, turning left at the first corner.

  ‘We’re trying to find out what you did aboard the Hindenburg,’ said Lolly, walking one pace behind me. ‘Whatever you did has caused this huge time anomaly that we’re trying to repair. If I can understand more about how you think and act, I’ll be able to advise daddy how to repair it.’

  ‘How will you be able to do that?’ I asked, turning left again.

  ‘We’re not sure yet.’ said Lolly, ‘But it is a known fact that if you go back into the past and make someone turn left instead of right at a crucial junction you can affect their whole life.’

  ‘How?’ I asked, walking backwards down a long straight path so I could watch her following me.

  ‘Every tiny little move that anyone ever makes has the potential to cause chaos.’ said Lolly. ‘But this universe doesn’t like chaos and tries to resolve it. It creates time loops and splits off into alternate paths, just like this maze. Because of you, we are currently in a dangerous time distortion situation.’

  ‘And you’re sure it’s because of me?’ I asked, running my hand along the hedge and turning left again.

  ‘Yes.’ said Lolly.

  ‘But how?’ I asked, making my way to the next turn.

  ‘Here in the maze we have two choices,’ said Lolly, following me. ‘Right or left.’

  I went left again, then turned round to see what was ahead of me.

  ‘If we pair these up, they give us four possibilities.’ said Lolly. ‘We can go Leftright, or Rightleft…or…’

  ‘I go Leftleft.’ I said, turning left and smiling when I saw the park bench in front of me. ‘That’s how I found the centre so quickly.’

  I sat down in triumph.

  ‘You are an interesting fellow, Nate.’ said Lolly, sitting down on the bench beside me. ‘But you could also go Rightright and that’s the fourth possibility. Look, I’ll write the four options in the sand.’

  Lolly picked up a stick and scratched the letters in the white sand in front of the park bench.

  L R R L L L R R

  ‘These are the only four options available to all of us.’ said Lolly, underlining each of the four groups of letters. ‘They represent what is called the Universal Order.’

  ‘But free will allows us to turn any way we want.’ I said, looking up at the spectacular mauve and crimson sunset. ‘And I choose Left, then left again.’

  ‘Yes, and I’m beginning to see your single minded choosing could be what’s causing this chaos,’ said Lolly. ‘I think I’m getting an idea of the best way of repairing it.’

  ‘And what’s that?’ I asked.

  ‘Anti chaos theory.’ said Lolly.

  I must have looked bemused.

  ‘Allow me to demonstrate.’ said Lolly, picking up the stick and drawing in the sand again, ‘We have our four basic options.’

  ‘The Universal Order.’ I said.

  ‘Yes.’ said Lolly. ‘In Anti-Chaos theory we add a second line that is called the personal line. It is filled in completely at random. Personal choice can go in any direction. Some people would toss a coin or throw dice but you would, no doubt, fill them all in as Leftleft.’

  ‘Yes! I would.’ I said, ‘but what difference does that make?’

  ‘Well.’ said Lolly, ‘Immediately we can see that three of the options are missing and that causes an imbalance’

  1 L R R L L L R R

  2 L L L L L L L L

  ‘I don’t see how that’s a problem.’ I said. ‘It’s my free choice.’

  ‘Well at stage 2, the stage we’re at right now on Friday May 7 1937,’ said Lolly. ‘we don’t have Leftright, Rightleft or Rightright.'

  ‘So I caused this chaos by always turning left?’

  ‘Partly.’ said Lolly, ‘but, as I said, the universe wants to restore its status quo, so the Anti-Chaos blueprint comes into operation.’

  ‘And what’s that?’ I asked.

  ‘The Anti-Chaos blueprint one rule and one rule only.’ said Lolly. ‘If the Universal Order and the personal line are the same it chooses Right. If they are different it chooses Left. So now we get a third line.

  3 R L L R R R L L

  ‘Ah…now we’ve got all four options back again.’ I said.

  ‘In this case… yes.’ said Lolly, ‘but not in every case …and they are in the wrong order.

  ‘So how do you repair that?’ I asked.

  ‘The Anti-Chaos rule is applied twice.’ said Lolly

  ‘The same rule?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. The same rule.’ said Lolly ‘If the two previous entries are the same it chooses R. If they are different it chooses L.’

  ‘So now we have four lines.’ I said, picking up the stick and scratching letters in the sand.

  4 L R R L L L R R

  ‘Yes.’ said Lolly. ‘And as you can see… it’s the same as the first line. The Universal Order has been restored! Line four is the same as line one and all four options are there again.’

  ‘So why are we going to Germany if the chaos I caused will automatically repair itself?’ I asked, as the red disc of the sun touched the misty purple horizon and began to blur.

  ‘It won’t automatically repair itself.’ said Lolly.

  ‘You’re not the only one causing chaos. More chaos is being created every moment of every day. Usually the time streams manage to stay in balance but, somehow, you added enough chaos to tip everything over into this alternate time stream.’

  ‘I’m confused.’ I yawned, stretching my arms above my head and casually dropping one round Lolly’s shoulder.

  ‘Yes, you’ve had a long day.’ said Lolly, standing up. ‘Come along. The sun is setting. A decent girl shouldn’t be out here on her own with an airman.’

  I sighed. She was right. I’d been up since the crack of dawn and I hadn’t had much sleep aboard the Hindenburg either. I was exhausted

  ‘Come on I’ll take you to your cabin.
’ said Lolly, taking me by the arm. ‘Don’t forget you’re still under house arrest and daddy wants to speak to you.’

  We walked out of the maze and out of the gardens.

  Within five minutes we were back indoors, in the long, straight corridors of the Uchronie, and, within ten minutes, I was in my cabin.

  I was so tired that I didn’t mind that the door was locked from the outside or that I was unarmed for the first time in ten years.

  I sat on my bed looking at the Time Jump Training handouts that Captain Wright had issued along with my timecard charts and the blank playing card that Wayne had given me. I still didn’t understand what I was supposed to do with that.

  My mattress was extremely comfortable with fine feather pillows and, the Uchronie’s climate being warm, wholesome and extremely salubrious, I soon found myself ready for a deep and dreamless sleep.

  Lolly had promised that someone would look in at ten o’clock and check that I had everything I required.

  I wasn’t sure what the actual time was, aboard the Uchronie. My pocket watch was still set on New Jersey time and there was no clock in my cabin.