by Mike Parker
Throughout the dinner and into the evening the team discussed what to do with the device they had created. It was one thing to create a machine that could teleport items and even people from one location to another, but the ability to travel from one time to another was something altogether different. They debated the moral and ethical obligations and repercussions of using such a device to travel through time. What were the dangers? What were the benefits?
“Just think about it,” Dr. Stevens proposed. “Imagine going fifty or a hundred years into the future. To a time where they have developed vaccinations for Ebola, West Nile, or even HIV. To a time where they could treat and cure spinal injury or cancer. If we brought those treatments back to today, how many lives would we save over the next century!”
“True, but what if the next Hitler is supposed to die from cancer at twenty, but instead, thanks to us, he is cured and becomes a global tyrant,” Ainsley argued.
“It’s the same issue for traveling back in time,” Carl noted. “What if we go back and inadvertently change something that ends up sending the world into anarchy or prevents the guy who eventually cures cancer from actually curing cancer. It’s the classic conundrum of every time travel movie.”
“I disagree,” Nick, who had been largely quiet all night, spoke up. “I mean, everyone’s always saying that you should never go back in time. Don’t mess with the timeline.”
“That’s good advice,” Ainsley interjected. “You could make things worse. You could screw everything up.”
“I know, I know,” Nick conceded. “I might prevent my parents from kissing at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, and I’d never be born.”
“That’s a very specific scenario,” the doctor observed.
“I get it, things could end up a whole lot worse,” Nick replied. “But we could make things so much better too. We could examine history, find critical moments in time and redirect things in a better direction. Come on guys, we’re pretty smart. Don’t you think we could predict, with a high degree of probability, how any changes we made might affect the timeline?”
“No one is that smart,” the reporter protested.
“Maybe not perfectly,” the doctor chimed in. “But, like he said, to a high degree of probability.”
“And correct me if I wrong here, Carl,” Nick continued. “If we did go back in time and change something. And let’s say that did make something worse in the future or the present or whatever it is. Is it fair to say that no one, not even ourselves would know about it?”
“I guess so, theoretically,” Carl answered. “I suppose if you made it back, you would be able to tell how that world was different.”
“That’s if you make it back,” Ainsley pointed out. “What if whatever it is you change in the past, affects one of us. What if Carl doesn’t invent the B.I.R.D. or what if you guys never meet, and therefore the machine will never attempt to bring you back to present day.”
“Could that happen?” the doctor asked.
“Technically, yes,” Carl admitted. “But, again, with a little homework, I think we should be able to avoid that, most likely.”
“Most likely?” Ainsley questioned. “How much are you willing to risk on ‘a high degree of probability’ and ‘most likely’?”
“We could go around in circles like this all night long,” Dr. Steven said, sounding a little frustrated.
“The Doc’s right,” Nick agreed. “We can discuss hypotheticals all night long. And all day tomorrow. And all next week. We could talk about this forever, but there’s only one way we’ll ever know for sure.”
“What are you suggesting?” Ainsley asked.
“I’m suggesting that I go back in time,” Nick explained. “Not too far, just far enough.”
“Far enough for what?” the doctor asked.
“To change one thing. Not a huge thing necessarily, but something that in our minds should result in an improved timeline. I come back, we track history and see if the change had the desired effect. We look back and see if there were any unforeseen or unexpected negative consequences.”
“And then what?” the reporter inquired.
“If all goes well, we can go back further and make a bigger change,” Carl answered.
“And if something goes wrong?” Ainsley inquired.
“We go back and fix it,” Carl offered.
“Hang on,” his sister said, “Wait for it…”
“What are we waiting for?” the doctor asked.
“I was just expecting future Nick to teleport into the room and warn us against making a horrible mistake,” she replied with a small grin. “One time in the not too distant past. One change, nothing too big. That’s the deal or I’m out.”
“You can pick the time and the change,” Nick offered.
“I’m okay with that,” Dr. Stevens agreed.
“Alright then,” Carl concluded. “We’ve got eight days to come up with a solid plan. Let’s get to work.”
– 9 –
Welcome to the Circle-K
The team spent the week preparing for their first, intentional, time travel teleport. Ainsley searched for a good time and place for Nick to travel to as well as a planned change for him to enact. Carl made sure the B.I.R.D. was functioning at peak efficiency and that there were no surprises lurking unseen. He also put together a list of criteria and protocols for any future ops. Meanwhile, Nick was working feverishly to catalog every bit of historical information he could find and store it on a solid-state drive. The plan was that Nick would carry the drive with him, highly encrypted of course, and it would serve as their baseline record of history. Because the drive would be with Nick, inside the time bubble, it would not be affected by any changes made in the past, but retain the original history data Nick had collected.
Whenever Ainsley came up with an idea for the op, she would run it past her brother to see if it fit with the protocols he had established. Perhaps one of the more important rules was that they were not to alter any event in history that could foreseeably impact their own lives. This was partly to ensure that the B.I.R.D. was being used for philanthropic purposes, never self-serving gains. It was also critical to ensure that nothing interfered with Nick and Carl meeting or with the creation of the B.I.R.D. itself.
“I think I’ve got something,” Ainsley informed the guys just two days before their next scheduled beam time.
“What is it?” Nick asked.
“Well, I was looking for something with the least possible options for a negative residual impact and I came up with this,” she said handing Nick a sheet of paper. It was a print out of a newspaper clipping from thirteen years ago.
“What’s this?” Nick inquired.
“A little girl, Clara Simpson, was abducted from her home in South Boston,” the reporter explained. “She was seven at the time. She was never found and no arrest was made. The assumption is she died and whoever took her likely continued to abduct other young girls.”
“Maybe he got caught for another abduction,” Nick suggested skimming through the article.
“Possible, but not likely,” Ainsley replied. “Police often offer reduced sentences in cases like this if the offender divulges any other crimes and lead them to victim’s remains. No one ever confessed to this one.”
“So, we can save a little girl and possibly several others.”
“Not to mention the heartache and grief their families experience.”
“What’s the plan?” Carl asked, joining the conversation.
“Strictly hands off,” Ainsley instructed. “We know where and approximately when the abduction will occur. Stake out her house, take photos of the abduction, tail them to wherever he holds her and the anonymously report everything to the police.”
“Sounds pretty straightforward,” Nick said. “What is the potential downside?”
“Worst case scenario,” Carl offered. “You get spotted lurking outside Clara’s house and the cops arrest you for her abduction.”
“Yep, that would be bad,” Nick agreed.
“Or the kidnapper spots you and takes you captive,” Ainsley suggested, “or worse.”
“Okay, don’t get spotted, good safety tip,” Nick chuckled nervously. “How long do I have?”
“Twenty-four hours,” Carl stated. “We’ll send you in a few hours before the abduction occurs. That should give you time to put yourself in a good location to observe the house. You’ll need period appropriate clothes, money and I.D. You’ll likely need to rent a car to use to track the kidnapper as he’s most likely not on foot. You should have plenty of time to get your info to the police. If you take much longer it might be too late for Clara anyways.”
“I’ll work on the clothes, money, and I.D.,” the reporter offered. “You should go drive through the area a bit to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood.”
“Sounds good,” Nick agreed. “I’ll see you guys back here in the morning.”
When Nick arrived at the lab the next morning Ainsley presented him with a plastic bag filled with clothes. “I picked these up at the thrift store,” she informed. “Hope I got your sizes right.”
“Thanks,” Nick said politely and then stepped out to the restroom to change into the two-decades-old attire. He returned a few minutes later looking stylishly retro. “Okay, what’s next?”
“Little Bird,” Carl said clasping the metal wristband around Nick’s arm. “Cell phone and the History Drive.”
“Thanks.”
“Remember,” Carl instructed. “Your phone and the hard drive are technology well beyond anything of that time period. I’ve encrypted them best I can, but it would still be really good not to let anyone else get their hands on them.”
“To say the least,” his sister affirmed.
“Got it,” Nick smiled as he entered the chamber. “Where are you dropping off?”
“We’ll put you just behind a gas station about a block from the airport,” Carl explained. “Hopefully you won’t be spotted on entry. We figured that was the best place for you to pick up a car.”
“Speaking of which,” Ainsley chimed in. “Here’s your I.D. and some cash.”
“Nick Turtopolis?” Nick asked.
“I figured it was best not to use your real name,” the reporter explained.
“Okay,” Carl said about to close the chamber door. “See you in twenty-four hours.
The chamber door closed and Nick listened as the machine powered up. He heard Doc’s muffled voice outside the chamber room inform the rest of the team that the beam was online. A bright light enveloped him. Moments later he found himself behind the Circle-K with a low flying jumbo jet passing overhead. Nick looked around and was relieved to see no one had observed his arrival.
– 10 –
Clara Simpson
Nick made his way to the airport and headed to the arrivals terminal. He quickly found the car rental kiosks and secured a vehicle for himself. Leaving Logan Airport, he hopped on the I-90 and within ten minutes he was in South Boston. He drove to the neighborhood where Clara Simpson lived.
According to news reports Ainsley had dug up, it was believed that whoever abducted Clara entered through her window facing the backyard. He most likely had a vehicle in the back alley waiting to make his escape. Having scouted the area earlier Nick spotted an ideal parking spot that gave him a clear view of both the bedroom window and the back fence gate.
He slipped into the back seat and loaded the 35 mm camera with film he had picked up at the Circle-K. Ainsley had provided him with a camera with a telephoto lens, but Carl was concerned the teleporting process might ruin the film, so he waited until after he arrived to find some. Now there was nothing left to do but wait for his target to show up.
It was nearly 2 AM before there was any activity around the Simpson house. Nick had finished his sandwich from Subway, polished off two bottles of Pepsi and, around 11 PM relieved himself as quickly as possible in the alley near where he was parked. He had considered picking up a book to read while he was waiting, but didn’t want to risk missing something important while engrossed in his book. Besides, once the sun set, it would be too dark to read without a light, and the light in the car might spook away the very man he was waiting for to arrive.
As Nick sat in the back seat of his car, starting to feel a little chilled, a black panel van pulled into the alley across the street. Nick raised his camera to the ready and gazed through the lens at the van. A man dressed in black exited the van and walked around to the back of the vehicle. The van had an aluminum ladder mounted on one of the rear doors which the man proceeded to climb. Nick did his best to get photos of the man’s face, but in the dim light, it was impossible to say how well they would turn out.
The man leapt from the top of the van over the fence and disappeared into the backyard. Nick slipped quietly out of his car and raced across the street. He used the flashlight app on his phone to illuminate the license plate on the back of the van and snapped a couple photos. He then moved to the front of the van, making sure to not touch anything, shone his light in the front window and took a photo of the VIN plate mounted to the dash. Nick turned the phone light off and scurried back to his car.
He got back just in time to see the man climbing off the limb of a tree and onto the roof over the back deck. Once on the roof, it was simple to move to Clara’s window. It was a warm summer night, which is why her window was already wide open, making it simple for the intruder to slip inside. Nick zoomed in and took photos of the illegal entry and waited for the man to come back out.
A few minutes later the man reappeared at the window, holding Clara’s body in his arms. The child lay limply in his clutches indicating that he most likely had drugged her with chloroform as the police had always suspected. Nick snapped a few more shots before the man hopped off the roof and disappeared behind the fence. Moments later the back gate opened and the man reappeared. He opened the back doors of the van and slid Clara inside.
Nick wanted desperately, in that moment, to rush over to the van and prevent this evil man from taking the innocent girl away, but the team had discussed this very moment a few days ago.
“I know it’s hard,” Dr. Stevens had said. “But if you interfere at that point the man will get away and be free to re-offend. He may never be caught.”
“Not to mention,” Ainsley had added. “It would completely expose you to public attention which could have unknown repercussions.”
“Or someone could happen by at just the wrong time,” Carl observed. “Finding you standing in the alley with an unconscious girl in your arms is going to look mighty suspicious.”
The team had agreed that as excruciating as it was, it was best to let the scenario play out as planned. Nick took some more photos of the man loading Clara into the van hoping that the light from the interior of the vehicle would illuminate the man’s face enough for a clear I.D. The man closed the rear doors and returned to the driver’s seat.
Nick waited for the van to start moving and then started his own engine. He sped around the block and arrive just in time to see the van pull out of the alley and head down the street. He let the van get a bit of a lead on him, before rounding the corner and following it down the street. He did his best to follow the van through the neighborhood without being noticed by the driver.
Surprisingly the van didn’t travel far. After about a half a dozen blocks the vehicle stopped and then backed into the driveway next to a little old house. Nick continued straight on without slowing until he turned right at the next corner. He circled around the block and made sure the driver of the van was inside before pulling around the corner and stopping across the street from the house. He took several photos of the house, the house number, and the van. Then, fighting the impulse to charge inside, he drove away taking one more photo of the street sign, and then he headed for the nearest police station.
Nick pulled up in front of the station which was only a seven-minute drive from the house. H
e took an envelope out of his pocket and removed a paper from inside. He wrote a few more details on the page and then returned it to the envelope. Nick rewound the film roll, ejected the cartridge and inserted it into the envelope along with the note. He sealed the envelope and then scribbled on the front, “IMPORTANT: OPEN IMMEDIATELY”
Nick nervously entered the police station and walked to the front desk. He could have sent the envelope by courier but he didn’t want to waste any time and leave Clara captive a single minute longer. It was risky going in himself, but there was no other way. The desk sergeant greeted him, “Can I help you, sir?”
“Um yeah,” Nick began cautiously. “I have a tip for you, but I prefer to stay anonymous.”
The officer looked at him suspiciously, “What exactly do you have?”
“Just give this to a detective right away. Time is of the essence here,” Nick said dropping the envelope on the counter and quickly exiting the station. He immediately hopped into his car and drove off. He returned to the little old house and parked where he could keep an eye on it. Much to his relief the black van still sat parked in the driveway.
“Detective McNabb,” the desk sergeant said. “Some guy just dropped off this envelope. He said there was important information inside.”
“Let me see it,” the detective said, taking the envelope from the officer. As he opened it up and removed the note the film canister fell onto his desk. He unfolded the note and began to read:
A crime has been committed. Call the Simpson residence at 555-9876. Ask them to check on their daughter Clara. This film roll has vital photo evidence. Clara was taken in a black panel van and is currently being held at 134 Spencer Avenue.”
Nick sat impatiently slouched in his car. It had been easily a half an hour or more since he had dropped off the evidence at the police station. So far, the street had remained eerily silent. On the one hand, that was a good thing because it meant that Clara had not been moved. On the other hand, it was unnerving because every minute the police did not show up was another minute that the young girl was at risk. The waiting was excruciating for Nick, which is why he was inexpressibly thrilled when the first of several squad cars drove by. Their lights and sirens were off but they all pulled up in front of the little old house. One of the police cars parked directly in front of the black van blocking it in and preventing any possible escape.